In the Arms of an Angel

"About ten. You didn't want to get up earlier." He moved back as she sat straight up.

"Ten, you let me... ohhh." She breathed as parts of her body complained about the quick movement.

"Problems...?" John asked with a smile.

"Feels like I was rode hard and put away wet." She said automatically, and then grinned at what she said.

"Yep, that about sums it up." He laughed. "To be fair though, you did start it." He pulled himself up and sat behind her.

"Which time? I remember waking up to being completly ravished late last night... not that I'm complaining. You can wake me up like that, anytime you want lover." She leaned back into his chest and sighed.

"I might just take you up on that." He nibbled her ear and kissed her neck.

"Damn, it's a shame you let me sleep in so long. That means... hhmmmm I'll give you a year to stop that; we can't go into town today." She shivered against him. "Jeb Dawkins is coming to buy fifteen tons of feed and I have to talk to Troy Leman about using the harvester."

"Yeah, Manny told me when he brought up breakfast. He also said something about talking to the Sherriff about letting inmates help pick the melons because the migrants have thinned out lately." He held her from behind as she stiffened up.

"Talking to my yard boss about my business already?"

"Nope, he said to remind you. Sweetheart, you're the farmer, I'm just the lumper labor. Unless you wanted him to come in here and see you spread out in your altogetherly altogether? I mean I enjoy the view, but I'm not into sharing it, even with Manny." He squeezed her and nipped the other ear.

"Oh... okay, I'm sorry." She sighed again. "I guess we'll both have a few things to get used to. Unless you want to stay out in the bunk house?" John heard the fear in her voice.

"Well, if you don't let me get anymore sleep than last night, I might have to.... Can I take these with me?" He lifted her breasts in his hands and wiggled them.

"Just like a man, only interested in my boobs." She huffed with a laugh in her voice.

"And your ass and your...." He was silenced by her lips.

"Come on smart ass, time for a real shower." She got up and walked, swishing her sore hips, into the bathroom.

"Better than a dumb one...!" John followed her and watched as she started the water and adjusted it to warm enough not to be cold. "Is there room enough for two?" He asked wiggling his eyes.

"I'd have to ask my parents. I seem to remember them taking some pretty long showers when I was a little girl. That was about nine months before my sister came along." She stepped in. "Get in here before we run out of warm water." She crooked her finger and John instantly complied.

********************************

If anyone had a complaint about John moving from the bunk house to the big house, they knew better and kept it to themselves, if they wanted to keep working. It helped that John got out in the fields and worked most of them into the ground.

Summer was fading into harvest season and the farm was getting ready to go into full production mode. The only real changed was that you wouldn't find John taking so many runs in the morning. Not that the crew didn't know how he kept his aerobic rate up. He and Maggie acted like two minx in heat.

They had been spotted in the truck, in the hay barn, even in the combine. Wherever they might find enough time to take the edge off, until they could get home and get really busy. Manny smiled good naturedly as the harvest got closer and John was again taking his morning laps.

Maggie was feeling like death warmed over. She hated not being able to make love to John. But, getting sick every morning, and every evening, was a bit inconvenient. She knew she was stressing about the harvest. She had over a hundred people praying for a good harvest and good market prices so everyone could keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.

John's bad nights were getting less frequent and less intense. Now, as soon as the nightmare started, all Maggie had to do was touch or sooth him, and he fell right back asleep. How they skipped over the whole dating phase and right into the loving couple phase, she didn't know or care. She did know that she was in love with John and he swore he was in love with her. Only time would tell. If John could put up with her bitchyness during harvest, they might have a chance.

John knew Maggie was stressed and only worked harder so she didn't have to. So what if they went from having sex over ten times a week, down to six or less. It was still the best feeling he could ever have as they would get into it and she was the one to push it farther and harder until they were both gasping in complete exhaustion. He also enjoyed the soft slow times where they would make love for hours and fall asleep in each other arms. Each time was different and each time was fantastic. He couldn't ask for a sexier, more loving or more giving person, to want to share his life with.

Everyone on the farm had become instant weathermen. All it would take is one early cold storm and it could take out half the crop. They had missed all the tornados, but everyone was talking about the predicted early winter.

Wilma had other things on her mind. She had seen all the changes and was worried about Maggie. She saw the weight loss, the pale face most of the day, and other changes. She knew she had told her that she needed to go back on the pill as soon as she knew John and Maggie were having sex, but she didn't know if Maggie had taken her advice.

She didn't want to see Maggie hurt, when John decided it was best for all of them to leave them for their own protection. She knew it was going to happen. According to her research it happened in eighty seven percent of the cases. She jumped when the phone rang.

"Hello... yes Allen... really... I'll get her there as soon as I can. Okay Allen... thanks. Give Charity a kiss from all of us." She put the phone back in her apron and yelled for her husband. "Manuel...!"

"Yeah Mina...?" He asked, hoping she didn't find his stash of cherry pop-tarts.

"Get Maggie, Charity's in labor." She told her husband, knowing he could find her if anyone could.

It took Manny a half an hour to track her down and another fifteen minutes for John to convince her to let him drive. Maggie was giving him fits as she tried to tell him all the short cuts into the hospital. An hour later, he pulled up to the entrance and stopped the truck.

"You go in and find what room she's in and I'll park." He kissed her soundly and sent her on the way.

Maggie ran up to the information desk and blurted. "OB/GYN... it's an emergency." She couldn't help it. This was her sister and she was late... again! As Maggie was running down the hall, the little old lady at the desk called down to let them know an excited person was headed their way, with an OB emergency.

The nurse was looking for her. She saw the woman, and noticed the signs of what could be a distressed early pregnancy. She waited for Maggie to come up.

"I'm here...." Maggie panted.

"Who is your doctor? Are you in your first or second trimester? Where does it hurt? How much blood is present?" She asked quickly "Calm down now sugar, we've all been doing this for a long time. You aren't doing your baby any favors by getting all riled up." She was trying to get Maggie to take deep breaths and sit down.

"What...? Not me... my sister... I was told my sister was in labor." Maggie gasped out, wondering what the hell the batty woman was talking about.

"Whew, okay you still need to calm down though sweetheart. Your baby will appreciate it. We thought you were having an early pregnancy emergency. How far along are you? It will be nice to have little cousins to play together." She smiled kindly.

"But I'm... not... um, where is my sister?" Maggie was shaking her head, trying to clear it. "I'm here for my sister, Charity Wilcox."

"She's in delivery room four... I'll walk you down slowly." She looked at Maggie's face. Yes, she had been doing this for a long time, and she knew all the signs when she saw them. "If you didn't know, you might want to talk to the doctor as she swings around. The sooner you get into prenatal care the better." She patted Maggie's arm and opened the door. "You've got visitors."

"Hey Mag's... you come to see the balloon pop?" Her sister Charity asked in a dreamy voice.

"They just gave her the epidural. She's feeling much better now." Allen, the worried father, said as Maggie came into the room.

"What's up with the people here? They got pregnancy on the brain or something?" Maggie asked looking around the room.

"They're some of the best in the region Mag's. That's why we came here. The next best place is all the way in Oklahoma City. Why?" Charity asked trying to see what was so different about her big sister. She could see it, but not understand it with the drugs flowing through her system.

"Am I interrupting?" John asked from the opposite side of the slightly opened door.

"Can John come in Char?" Maggie asked her sister.

"Sure... it will be hours yet, or so they tell me." Charity waved expansively and grimaced as another contraction rippled through her body.

"Come on in babe." Maggie opened the door and blushed. She forgot she hadn't really talked to her sister about their relationship yet.

"Hey angel eyes... what's wrong?" He asked and went to hug the fear out of her eyes.

"Who is that...?" Charity asked her husband.

"From the look of things, he looks like a friend of Maggie's. Maybe even a little bit more." Allen looked up at the big man and hoped he never pissed him off. He was so big; he made Maggie look normal. Maggie made him look small and he was normal sized.

"Margret Marry Tyndale... have you been keeping secrets for your little sister again?" Charity put her hands on her hips and started puffing through the next contraction.

"Noooo, not really." She said slowly, "Well, with you being pregnant and working over the summer, and it's getting to be harvest time, I just haven't had the time to stop and talk." She shrugged it off. "Charity and Allen, this is John Nelson. He's been staying at the house and helping on the farm." She made the introductions.

"Why are you blushing honey?" John asked trying to translate the hidden sibling communication.

"Because I just caught her in a big fat fib. She could never lie worth a hill of beans." She pointed at her red faced sister. "Take a good look John... if she telling a whopper, she gets that exact look on her face. Do mom and dad know yet?"

Charity teased her sister, knowing there was much more than just a helper in John, if Maggie was having that kind of reaction. Had she finally met the one, she wondered?

"No...." Maggie bit out.

"Maggie's got a boyfriend. Maggie's got a... ooohhh that was a good one." A sharp kick stopped her teasing.

"Um, why don't I take John to get some drinks while you two catch up?" Allen laughed a bit at the look on Maggie's face. "Um yeah, your folks are on their way, they were already heading this way before we called. Um, John you want to help carry some stuff?"

"Um, yeah... sure." He turned Maggie's face to him and gave her a soft kiss. "Play nice sweetie. I won't be far away." He wanted to make sure they knew where he stood with things. As a matter of fact, he wondered what it would be like waiting for Maggie to give birth.

"So, is this serious Mag's?" John heard the question and Allen walked him down the hall where he couldn't hear the answer.

As anyone who has been through it knows. Once the adrenalin wears off, there isn't much to do at a birthing but wait around for the baby to decide when to make their auspicious appearance. John wasn't a talkative person to begin with and sitting there in the coffee shop didn't push him to answer question that he felt wasn't any of their damn business anyway.

He would bring Maggie something to drink every twenty minutes or so and make himself scarce every time one of the nurses or doctors came in for one of what he started calling the girl huddle.

You know, when all the girls gather around the pregnant woman, and huddle to try and coax the little bugger out of his or her warm sleeping place. If he heard 'it's progressing' one more time, someone was getting hit. Only once did he forget to knock and came into the doctor talking to Maggie.

"You're going to have to start taking it easy for awhile. You need to make an appointment as soon as you can, but you can go and get some over the counter vitamins with iron, until we can check everything out." She rubbed Maggie's arm in reassurance. "You are young and healthy so you should bounce back fairly quickly once the nausea calms down."

"Um, Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Is everything okay?" He stammered, wondering why Maggie was talking to the doctor. He figured it had to be about her feeling so sick lately.

"Yes, everything is fine... congratulations, Maggie is a really good person." The doctor passed and went back out to the nurse's station.

"Thanks doc, I kind of think she's special too." He smiled and hugged Maggie.

Maggie sighed... he listened in and didn't go running for the hills. At least that answered the question about what he'd do when he learned about the pregnancy. Now, if she could get the commitment out of him before her parents found out.

"So, how are your sister and the baby?" He rubbed her back and held her close.

"The doctor said things are progressing. I'm sorry it's taking so long. They say the first takes the longest." She wondered if he would be this calm and supportive when she went into labor.

"I feel about as useless as a rowboat in the middle of the desert." He kissed her neck and made her giggle. "I guess I'll go take another walk and bring you some more coffee in a little bit." He hugged her before letting her go.

"Babe, make it juice. The doctor said I need to reduce my caffeine and soda intake." She smiled at him and walked back into the labor room as he waved, letting her know he heard her request. As he walked by, he heard two guys talking.

"Hey, wasn't that Large Marge? I wonder if I could convince her to do the dunk tank this year for the harvest festival." He asked pointing down the hall.

"Why...? All she would have to do is stand up to keep herself dry. I want to see her in a wet T shirt. I'd love to get a look at them hooters." He wiggled his eye brows. "Make the water really cold, it might be my only chance before she kicked my ass." John wondered who they were talking about since the hallway was empty.

John walked another lap around the hospital and stopped to get a bottle of juice for Maggie. He passed one of the guys who was talking and didn't pay attention. He saw Maggie come out of the room and smile at him.

"Hey, Large Marge, can I.... ack erk gook." He found he couldn't talk because something or someone had a hold of his throat.

"What the hell did you just call my girlfriend?" John asked in a deadly quiet voice. He saw the hurt look on Maggie's face and that was all it took.

"John, don't... they've called me that almost all my life." Maggie called, surprised on how fast he had moved.

"Have I been here all your life?" He asked with raised brows. "I didn't think so. I think the sod stomper owes you an apology, isn't that right?" He moved his hand up and down to make the idiots head move. "Go ahead and apologize to Miss Maggie and make it good."

"I can't breathe..." He gasped out.

"If you couldn't breathe, then you couldn't talk, now get to talking." He had him pinned against the wall, his eyes bugging out. "And no, she will not be going into the dunk tank or be putting her breasts on display for the immature."

"But everyone calls her that." He tried to reason with the unreasonable.

"I'm someone and I've never insulted her like that. Now say you're sorry." He lifted the guy by his jaw until he was on his toes.

"Sorry Margie... I won't do it again. I promise!" He gasped out.

"Good, now you can go tell everyone else in this mud-pit that if I ever hear that name again I'm going to get irritable. Trust me partner; you don't want to make me irritable. We clear?"

"Yes clear...!" He tried not to wet himself.

"John... its fine; you can let him go." Maggie put her hand on him. "He doesn't know any better. They called me Marge in school. I changed to Maggie years ago."

"Fine... you hear that? I'll let you go now as long as you don't try anything stupid. Beat it sod buster." John dropped him and faced his lover. "Yes...?"

"You big oaf... I do love you." She hugged him as she watched as Randy Gellman ran down the hall to the restroom.

"What's going on here?" a huge man shouted as he stomped down the hall. Next to him was a woman the height of Charity but with the build of Maggie.

"Mom... Dad, I didn't know if you were going to make it." Maggie smiled at her parents.

"Timed it just about right, I'd figure. Remember I've been through this a time or two. Besides, I had to find a place to park the rig. Who's been hurting my little girl?" He asked as he gave her a bear hug. "So, who's the man you were hanging all over like some love sick fool?"

"Maggie, it's time!" Allen poked his head out and saw his in-laws. "Mr. and Mrs. Tyndale...."

"I'll be out here. This is for family only." John said and headed to the waiting room.

"Quit looking all cow eyed at him and take me to see your sister." He ordered and scowled at John's back.

If he hurt his baby, he'd have to kick his ass. It might take some doing he thought, but it was the principal of the thing. No one but him seemed to understand how fragile his Margret was. She might have gotten his size, but she also got her mother's tender heart.

It amazed him how the girls were opposites. Charity, who just a mere slip of a thing, got his manners, but her mother's height. He used to call her, his tempest in a teacup. She was mean when she lost her temper.

Randy, who was coming out of the bathroom, kept holding his neck and rubbing it. "I should call the Sherriff and report him." He hissed, leaning against the wall. "All I was doing was asking a simple question."

The nurse, who saw the whole thing, came up to him. "Here, let me look." She lifted his jaw and looked for any damage. "He didn't even bruise you. Quit being such a wimp. If you called my pregnant woman that, I'd done worse." She turned her back on him and stomped off. She had more important things to do.

Forty five minutes later, John looked up as Maggie came in with tears in her eyes. "It's a girl." She said quietly. "A perfect little girl, with rosy cheeks and blonde hair. They haven't named her yet. Allen had insisted it would be a boy and was going to name him Allen Junior."

"Come here Babydoll." John held his arms open to her. "You look tired. Did you get all the particulars for Manny and Wilma? I'm sure they'll want to know." He kissed her head and rubbed her back and she leaned against him.

"Mom and dad will bring it when they come. I have enough for now. Seven pounds and six ounces and sixteen inches long. She's so tiny." She was sniffling into his shirt. She couldn't believe that in less than eight months she would be doing the same thing with their first.

"Okay, why don't you go and say goodbye so I can take you home and put you into bed." He pushed her back and kissed her nose.

"Sounds like a capital idea. Pick me up at the entrance. I don't know where you parked the truck. We can get something healthy to eat a Carl's on the way home."

"Your wish is my command, oh sexy one." John bowed and patted her butt to send her on her way. She bit her lip as she watched him walk away. She didn't know how she could love someone so much in such a short amount of time. Sighing happily, she went to tell her family goodbye.