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Sally shook her head jerkily on the pilloeaty strands of coppery hair clinging to her cheeks

"I’d say it’s about tihed

"Can you hold your legs up or do you need help?" Maree asked, taking a bowl of water fro the pull her shaking legs back, but gave up, letting therasped one knee to help her Catie took the other

Sally smiled weakly at Meredith "This is the last one, I tell you I’ain"

"You said that last ti her mother’s knee

"Aye, well I mean it Frohed, the levity welcomed

"God has a way of et the pain Then you’re left with a beautiful babe who soon grows and leaves you pining for another" Maree grinned froht, love?" she asked in soothing tones

Sally gave a wobbly s up on you, push," Maree instructed

Sally pushed, her face purpling froh her gritted teeth Before long Sally’s groans grew into agonized screa in the loft

"Hannah?" Meredith commanded "Take the little ones outside They don’t need to be here"

Hannah obeyed, fetching the the, slippery life arrived Maree held it upside down, slapping its botto Sally fell back on her pillow, a contented sirl," Maree beaet the fahter to the door "Tell thereet their little sister"

Maree rubbed the baby vigorously with a blanket before handing her to Sally

"She’s beautiful," Sally pronounced, watching her new daughter latch onto her finger

"You do reed

The entire Finney clan filed into the roo over the infant Sally relinquished the baby to her proud father It was a happy time for a happy family, and Meredith felt a little lonely and apart froe that she would soon have a child of her own, a baby to hug close Even if she would not give birth herself, she would forever have a child to love So of her heart

As Maree tended to Sally, Meredith watched Tohter in one arm, he placed his other hand on Sally’s sweat-beaded brohat could only be described as a possessive, devoted gesture Looking on, she felt like an intruder, acutely reminded of her aloneness in the world For a brief second she wondered how different her life would have been if Edmund had been a real husband, if he had not turned froht

Meredith moved to stand by the door, unnoticeable and out of the way, but near enough should Maree need her A chill draft fluttered the hairs along her nape and she rubbed her arh the happy clamor, an all too familiar voice spoke near her ear "It’s quite a celebration"

She looked over her shoulder at Nick standing in the threshold, before turning back to observe the Finneys "What did you expect? They’re a happy faave hi look "No," she murmured "I suppose not" After a pause she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I told Nels I would drive the carriage over to collect the two of you"

"You should not have troubled yourself, my lord" She latched onto his title like old, familiar armor "One of the Finney boys could have returned us You should not lose sleep on our account"

He shrugged "I sleep little as it is"

She hugged herself tighter, clinging to any conversation that kept her fro to destroy the kinship she suddenly felt with him--another soul who knehat it felt like to be alone "Is that so? Have you no need for sleep like the rest of us?"

With his arlittered like hard chips of coal "I didn’t say I need less, only that I sleep little For some, sleep does not co Meredith over to the bed and saving her fro, she looked to the bottoht horrified her The foot of the bed was drenched in blood Too much blood for any human to lose and still sustain life

Chapter 8

Meredith and Maree stood solemnly at the foot of the bed, unnoticed by the others Even Sally, growing paler every moment, only focused on her family’s joy as they exclaimed over their newest , Meredith struggled past the tears clogging her throat and adopted a cheerful tone

"That’s it Enough exciteets cleaned up"

Meredith waved the children out the door Nick’s eyes e