Chapter 22

Adam and Eve finally settled down into domestic life, and she soon discovered the discomfort of morning sickness and tender breasts and the inevitable swollen belly. Julie and Jenny came over periodically to help her with housework and Tom and George stopped by to help Adam with field work. Even though they were married, they were – in a way – still teenagers and were still finding their way in the world. Tom and Julie had gone through the same trials that Adam and Eve were going through but Tom and Julie had gone through it alone. Even George and Jenny hadn't had such a difficult time as Tom and Julie. They had the relative comfort of the ranger cabin during their courtship and early marriage and later, had joined with Tom and Julie in the high meadow, sharing the joys and hardships together. Adam and Eve would have to do the best with what they had but their parents would be there to give them guidance – and a little help – to get them through the roughest parts of the first year.

Their first winter as an adult couple was pretty rugged. They were fairly close to the main cabin but deep snow made it seem like they were all alone. Many weeks went by when they were completely snowed in and it was a struggle to even get out of the cabin to take care of the livestock. They even wondered if they hadn't been a little too eager to get married, but they stuck it out and before they knew it, spring was on its way.

The days began to get longer, temperatures abated somewhat, the snows stopped and began to melt. Grasses started poking out of the thawing ground and the sun and spring rains started to make the high meadow come out from its winter slumber.

Eve was getting much larger now. It was just a matter of a few weeks before she would deliver her child. Jenny and Julie were attending her more often now. Like mother hens they clucked over the impending arrival of their first grandchild. Even though Eve was Jenny's daughter, both women had nursed her – and her husband – so the bonds of motherhood were strong in both of them. Not surprisingly, there wasn't a hint of jealously between the two women. They had believed that they were 'married' to each other for a long time and were of a single mind regarding both Eve and Adam. The bonding that had taken place in the raising of Adam and Eve had the effect of making both women believe that they were both the biological mothers of both children. It was strange to think like that, but in their minds it was true.

It was time for Eve to deliver. Jenny and Julie were prepared for the delivery and had enlisted Tom and George to again assist. They were prepared to step in if needed but they decided that Abe and Isaac should be the ones to help. After all, they were both fifteen now and would soon be in a position to assist their own wives when their time came. Sarah and Rachel would also be there, preparing the hot towels and sterile packs that would be necessary, and to comfort and support Eve during her travail. They would also be learning the necessary medical skills that would be needed to assist each other. This would certainly be a family project!

If the boys and girls had any sense of embarrassment over Eve's nudity and obvious shock of seeing a baby coming out of her vaginal canal, they would soon get over it. After all, this was a normal female function, the results of what happens when males and females come together in a sexual embrace. The obvious pain that Eve was going to endure, the hard work that she was soon to undergo, was going to be a strong, rude wakeup call for all four of them, giving them the idea that sexual intercourse wasn't something to be taken lightly. Eve's pain alone would be a powerful disincentive for the girls to enter into sexual intercourse right now, even with the boys that would someday probably be their husbands. Playing around was one thing, but having a baby was a consequence that neither one of the girls wanted to have to deal with until they were married.