A Time of Seasons, Page 3

Chapter Two

  Dalton woke up in the night to the sound of a baby's cry. He looked over at the other bed and saw Misty trying to nurse her. When it became evident the baby needed something else, Dalton got up and walked over to them.

  Misty looked up at Dalton. "I think she needs to be changed."

  Dalton gently took the baby from her. "I'll take care of her." He said as he walked over to the coffee table. He gently laid her down on the blanket and checked.

  Misty watched Dalton smile "Is she ok?" she asked softly.

  Dalton looked over at Misty. "She just needs changing. I was hoping she would need that. When a baby is born, we need to make sure they pass their meconium. It is precisely what I want to see. She is wet too, so that means she is getting something. Your milk isn't in yet. You are giving her colostrum right now. It is thick but not as abundant as your milk will be. However, it is full of great stuff for her."

  Misty watched as he finished changing Rachel. She spoke softly. "I prayed so hard when I was out there. I can't believe your dog found me."

  Dalton looked over at her as he picked Rachel up. Walking over to her, he gently put the baby back in her mother's arms. "What were you doing out there?" he asked gently as he sat on the chair beside the bed.

  Misty looked down at her sleeping baby. She felt tears stinging her eyes as she said. "It was time for me to say goodbye to what could have been and embrace what God has for me now." She paused and looked up at him. "My husband was in the military. We had just found out I was pregnant the day before he was deployed. Two weeks later he was killed in combat."

  Dalton waited for her to finish. He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  Misty finished softly. "Staying in Colorado at a house that was meant to be my home with him was not right. He would not have wanted me to do that. I will always miss him, but I know God has a plan. I'm finally ready to follow that plan. My parents own a ranch outside of Austin Texas. I was on my way home when I got a flat tire. The spare was dry rotted, and there was no cell phone reception. I saw the smoke from your cabin and started walking."

  Dalton closed his eyes at the thought of what could have been. He had never been so glad that he had followed God's direction. He almost canceled this trip when he had heard a blizzard was expected to hit. "God is very good. I'm glad I was here to help you and Rachel."

  Misty looked down at her baby. It was now obvious that with a clean diaper on she was ready to eat. "I'm thinking she is hungry."

  Dalton agreed. He helped her get Rachel latched on again. He smiled as the little girl’s feet wiggled as she ate. "She really does enjoy eating. Her feet are hysterical." He looked back up at Misty. "After she is done, why don't we see if you can make it to the bathroom?"

  Misty smiled up at him and suddenly realized how bizarre their situation was. She chuckled as she answered. "I guess there are some instructions for that now too."

  Dalton laughed. "Yes, there are. We are stuck here for a couple of days, and the last thing I want is for you to get an infection."

  Misty looked at Dalton. He looked young, but she assumed he must be a bit older since he was a doctor. "How old are you?"

  Dalton leaned back in his chair. "Some days I feel like I'm one hundred, but I'm actually only thirty-one."

  Misty grinned. "Wow, you really are old."

  Dalton defended himself. "I'm not that old."

  Misty conceded. "No, you're not. I'm not that much younger than you. I agree though there are days I feel a bunch older than twenty-seven."

  Dalton was actually surprised she was that old. "I thought you were younger than that."

  Misty laughed. "I get my genes from my mom. I am actually a school teacher. It is funny when high schoolers walk into my classroom the first day and seem to be still waiting for the teacher to show up."

  Dalton could see how that would be a problem. He could just imagine how difficult it would be to get their attention. "How many times do you tell them you're the teacher before they believe you?"

  Misty grinned. "I actually wait. It gives me a chance to see who I need to keep an eye on."

  Dalton laughed. "That isn't fair at all."

  Misty gently changed Rachel from one breast to the other. Dalton once again helped her. As Rachel started eating with gusto, Misty looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you for saving us."

  Dalton touched Rachel's little head as he said softly. "You both are more than welcome."

  Misty cocked her head to the side. "Do you live close to here? She had told him a bit about her, but she knew very little about him."

  Dalton shook his head no. "I live in Houston. I work in the medical center there."

  Misty looked at him surprised. "That is crazy you are from Texas too what are you doing here?"

  Dalton looked around the small cabin he smiled as he answered. "This was my grandfather's cabin. I used to spend lots of time here when I was younger. He left it to me in his will."

  "When did you get here?" Misty asked as she took the now sleeping baby from her breast and fixed her shirt.

  Dalton realized how much God had used him as he said softly. "I got here about four hours before you did."

  Misty realized how close she and Rachel had been to dying. He was starting the fire about the same time she was looking for direction. She shuddered as she thought about what could have happened. "God came through big today."

  Dalton corrected her as he took Rachel and put her in the dresser drawer he had made into a makeshift crib. "God always comes through big. We just don't always get to see it."

  Misty yawned as she agreed. "I'm glad I got to see it this time. Why are you here instead of in Houston?"

  Dalton smiled as he answered. "I just needed some one on one time with God. I have been working crazy hours and feel so disconnected. I bought a devotional and brought it with me so I could spend time bonding with Him."

  Misty curled onto her side and looked at him. She smiled. "Maybe we can do the devotional together. There is no reason we can't bond with God together as long as Rachel and I are here."

  Dalton was okay with that. "I think that would be ok but right now you need to go to the bathroom."

  Misty allowed him to help her to the restroom. He explained what he expected her to do to keep her stitches clean. When she was done, she set the squirt bottle on the sink and washed her hands. She was so tired. When she walked out, he helped her back to bed and tucked the covers around her again. She closed her eyes as soon as her head hit the pillow. She felt him touch her forehead and smiled. "Goodnight again Dalton..."

  Dalton smiled as he walked over to his bed. "Goodnight again Misty…"

  Dalton pulled his covers up and looked over at Misty and Rachel. The thought of what could have happened to them made him shudder again. He breathed a prayer of thanks. The idea of this new mother and little baby dying in the cold, harsh Colorado winter was heartbreaking. He closed his eyes and thought about the long hour it had taken to get little Rachel into this world. Misty had been such a trooper. She didn't scream or yell until the final push. She had been tired from her hours of walking, and he had been concerned she would fade on him. When her body had given her a breather between contractions, she would close her eyes and rest. He knew when a contraction was coming because she would open her eyes and listen to every word he said. It had been a very long hour, but she had made it.

  "Dalton…?" Misty said softly from across the room.

  He was surprised to hear her voice. "Yes Misty."

  "You won't just leave me, will you?" she asked softly.

  Dalton looked over at Misty. "I won't leave you Misty. It will be ok. You can go to sleep I'll stay right here."

  Misty reached over her bed and patted Jamie's head. "She didn't leave me until she heard your voice. I knew she would come back with you."

  Dalton smiled as he watched Jamie give Misty's
hand an affectionate lick. "She has never run off before. I should have known something was up."

  Misty turned onto her side and looked at Dalton. She had mourned her husband, but the one thing she had always struggled with was her anger that he did not come back. Tears stung her eyes. "I don't deserve Rachel."

  Dalton could not believe she had said that. "Why would you say that?"

  "I was so angry with Brent. I was so mad that he didn't come home. A part of me knew that wasn't right, but I could not help but be angry. We had talked so many times about him leaving the army, but he didn't. I was so proud to be his wife. I was proud that he was a soldier. I feel guilty that I encouraged him to stay when that was what he wanted to do."

  Dalton spoke gently. "Anger is a part of grief. You can't blame yourself for that. You can't dwell on the 'what ifs.' For reasons we may never know, God allowed Brent to die. Once you are able to leave that fact in God's hands, you will learn to fly again."

  Misty watched the flames from the fireplace play off the wall. "I wish I could understand why."

  Dalton was not sure how to answer her. He had never been in love. He understood being lonely and had asked God many times to send him a bride. He had to agree. "It would be nice to understand the why."

  "What have you prayed for Dalton?" She whispered.

  Dalton looked across the room at her. He had never told anyone his feelings. He spoke softly. "I have always done what God has expected me to do when it comes to…saving myself for marriage. I would be thrilled to find love to find a woman who loves Christ and spend the rest of my life with her."

  Misty rolled onto her back again. She looked at the ceiling and whispered. "Maybe we can stay friends after this and keep each other company. We don't live that far apart. Dalton, I don't want you to leave us."

  Dalton knew his work schedule was busy, but at that moment he also knew he was tired of being lonely. Being friends with Misty was something he wanted very much. "I think I would like that. I won't leave you."

  Misty rolled back over to her side. She didn't say anything but looked at the man who had saved her and Rachel's life. She had known him less than a day but the thought of him not being near her scared her. At a time when she had needed someone the most, he had been the one sent to her.

  Dalton watched the play of emotions cross Misty's face. He smiled at her. "Rachel is going to be up again soon. We should try to get some sleep."

  Misty looked at him and said softly. "Goodnight Dalton."