JOHN AND ROSE
Chapter Thirty-Six

December 24, 1930

Rose sat down in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, her arms wrapped around her enormous middle. The baby was due any time, and she couldn’t wait.

Looking around the room, her eyes fell upon the Christmas tree in the corner. It was smaller than the trees they had had in past years, in order to save money, but at least they had one. Many families weren’t so lucky. The presents under the tree were sparser than before, too, but there was something for everyone.

Rose stretched out her legs, enjoying the warmth of the fire. At least they were all together for the holiday. Mary was home for Christmas, and had surprised them by going to Mississippi first and convincing Nadia to come home with her. Nadia had decided to stay at the university for the holidays this year, to save her family the cost of bringing her home, but Mary’s unexpected visit—her sister’s first visit to the university—had changed her mind, especially when Mary had offered to cover the cost of the trip herself.

Mary was doing well as an actress, rising faster in her career than Rose had. While she was not yet a star, she was pretty and had a talent for comedy, something that attracted people to her movies in these hard times. Her studio had extended her contract, and although she had not yet been told, was considering giving her a starring role in an upcoming musical picture.

Nadia was doing well at the university. It was her third year, and she was concentrating on becoming a teacher. She had always been good with children, and wanted to pass on her knowledge and skills to them. While she was aware that teaching could be a difficult profession, it was one that she was well-suited for.

Christopher would be graduating from high school in June. It amazed her how fast the time had gone by. It seemed like only yesterday that she had cradled her newborn son in her arms, and now he was almost grown. In just a few weeks, he would be eighteen, and, although he had promised them that he would finish high school, after that he wanted to strike out on his own, just as his father had almost twenty-four years earlier. Christopher had never been told much about Jack, but the wanderlust seemed to have been passed on from father to son. Rose knew that she couldn’t stop her son from going out to find his way in the world, but she feared that he would face a much harsher world than his father ever had.

Rose heard the front door open and close, telling her that her husband was home. In his efforts to keep Anders Cedar Rapids solvent, he had been working almost every day, even Christmas Eve, although Rose had talked him into taking Christmas Day off. After all, it wasn’t every day that the whole family gathered together, and Christmas was special.

Awkwardly, Rose pushed herself to her feet and went to greet him. Things had been tense between them since she had announced her pregnancy. John was worried about the future, and rightfully so. They had been doing well enough, and better than many, but there was no telling what the future would hold. The stock market had rallied briefly earlier in the year, giving them hope that the financial depression would be short-lived, but then had fallen again, and had shown no signs of recovering. It wasn’t even just a certain portion of the American people who were affected—almost everyone felt the effects in some way, some more than others. Nor was it just the United States that was effected—things were bad all over the world, and had been for a long time in some countries. There was no telling how long the Depression would last, how bad it would get, or what it would take to finally end it.

In spite of his worries about the future, though, John had accepted the baby she was carrying, just as she had known he would. He wouldn’t reject or abandon one of his own just because times were hard, anymore than he had when he was just starting out in America. Whenever the family had a little extra money, he had added it to what Rose had already set aside, making sure that they would always have what they needed. There were few luxuries anymore, even though they could have afforded them in the short term, but they had what they needed.

And they had each other. Some families had been divided by the difficult times that they faced, but the Calverts had been lucky. Even with Mary and Nadia grown and living on their own, they were still a family, still together. Mary and Nadia kept in contact with their family members in Cedar Rapids, though they didn’t often see them, and even Elizabeth Anders kept in touch with her son-in-law and his family.

She had been the only one unable to join them for Christmas, as business matters had kept her in New York. But she was doing well, better, perhaps, than the Calverts, who had so many mouths to feed. The Anders corporation as a whole had been hit hard by the Depression, but she had managed to keep it solvent, even though she had been forced to sell off parts of it. The main offices and factories were still under her control, though, as were the more stable branches of the company—including Anders Cedar Rapids. Although John was the president of the Cedar Rapids branch, he ultimately answered to her, and it was the efforts of both of them that had kept it from collapsing.

Sighing, Rose went to greet John, trying to put her worries out of her mind. There was nothing they could do to change the current situation, or the future, so they would just have to take each day as it came, just as she had been doing for almost nineteen years.

*****

Rose awoke abruptly, enveloped in the layers of blankets and quilts. John slept peacefully beside her, more relaxed than usual with the knowledge that he did not have to work tomorrow, did not have to worry about the company or the people he was responsible for.

As she pushed herself into a sitting position, he stirred, reaching for her. When he found an empty pillow, he awoke, blinking in confusion.

"Rose? What’s going on?" he mumbled, sitting up beside her.

Rose wrapped her arms around her stomach. "I think I’m having the baby now."

"You’re having the baby…now?"

Rose nodded, swinging her legs around to the side of the bed. "I think you’d better go and call the doctor."

"It’s three AM on Christmas morning!"

"Unless you want to deliver the baby yourself, I suggest you go and call him. It probably won’t be the first time he’s worked on Christmas."

"I’m going." John crawled out of bed, reaching for his robe. "Will you be all right until he gets here?"

Rose smiled slightly. Now that the birth was imminent, he was no longer worried about the future, but about the present.

"I’m sure I’ll be fine. Perhaps you can wake Mother before you call him. I’m sure she’ll want to know that her new grandchild is about to be born, and if I do have any problems…well…she’s had me. She knows something about childbirth."

By the time John stepped out into the hallway, the whole household was awake. Their conversation had been louder than he had thought, and everyone was gathering in the hall or poking their heads out of their bedrooms, wondering what was going on. Even Jane was awake, rubbing her eyes sleepily and peering at him from Nadia’s arms.

"Go back to bed, everyone," he told them, waving everyone except Ruth back. "I’ll be back here shortly. Your mother is having the baby."

At that, everyone pushed past him into the room he shared with Rose. John sighed in consternation. He could command respect at work, but his family was not so willing obey, especially when there was something as exciting as a new baby on the way.

He looked in one more time before going downstairs. Rose smiled at him a little sheepishly, then shrugged and waved him on. She certainly wouldn’t lack for company while waiting for the doctor.

*****

Rose cried out, gripping the blankets and bearing down. In spite of the chill of the December afternoon, she was drenched in sweat from the hours of laboring.

John had escorted the doctor upstairs forty-five minutes after he had called him. The whole family had still been gathered around Rose, Mary and Nadia fascinated by the process of childbirth and trying to explain to Jane what was happening in a manner that wouldn’t frighten her. Christopher had been embarrassed by what his mother was going through, but was unwilling to leave her until the doctor got there, in spite of the fact that she also had his sisters and grandmother with her. Ruth had, once again, been trying to give Rose advice, much to Rose’s consternation.

Dr. Lauersen had finally succeeded in shooing away everyone except Ruth, who refused to miss the birth of her fifth grandchild. Rose had looked pleadingly at her, begging her to go out with the others, but Ruth had been adamant. Rose had finally consented to her mother’s presence when Ruth had promised not to give her any unsolicited advice.

The birth was near; Rose could feel it. It had taken her until her third child, but she finally knew what to expect. Pushing herself up on her elbows, she looked at Dr. Lauersen, who nodded, confirming what she already knew.

"Just a little more, Mrs. Calvert, and you’ll have yourself a Christmas baby."

Rose took a deep breath, looking gratefully at her mother when she placed several pillows behind her to prop her up. Gritting her teeth, she bore down, feeling the baby squirm in protest.

"Just a little longer, little one, and you’ll be free," she whispered, clenching her jaw as another contraction started.

It seemed to take forever. Slowly but surely, however, she was making progress. By the time the clock chimed five, Dr. Lauersen announced that the baby’s head was showing.

Relieved, Rose bore down again, pushing until it felt as though she was trying to push her entire insides out, crying out in pain. No matter how many times she went through childbirth, it was still hard.

In minutes, though, she felt a sudden surge of relief as the baby slid from her body, followed by the wail of the newborn. Outside the room, she heard footsteps stop just outside the door as John ceased his worried pacing.

"It’s a boy!" Dr. Lauersen announced, cutting the cord and allowing Rose to see her infant. Still panting from the exertion, she took him, holding him close against the evening chill. Ruth looked down at her daughter and newborn grandson, beaming with pride.

Rose examined the baby. The boy was tiny but strong, wailing furiously and waving his tiny arms and legs. His head was covered with thick, dark hair, much like his father’s, and his face bore an unmistakable resemblance to John’s.

When Dr. Lauersen had Rose and the baby cleaned up and cared for, Ruth went to let the anxious father in, finding, to her surprise, that the whole family had gathered around the door.

"How is she?" John asked, looking anxiously around Ruth at Rose, who was lying in bed with the baby cradled in her arms.

"She’s fine, John. You have a healthy new son."

John went inside to see Rose, while the older children gathered around the door, trying to get a look at their new brother.

John sat down on the edge of the bed beside Rose, gently lifting the baby from her arms. He looked down at his newborn son, his face softening. This was a moment he had never expected to see—the birth of a son, one who looked so much like him that he could have been him forty-three years earlier. Rose saw his look and smiled.

"Are you still sorry we had another baby?" she asked, sitting up and looking at the baby in his arms.

John shook his head. "I was never sorry…not really. I was just…worried about the future. It’s so uncertain…"

Rose touched his arm. "I was concerned, too…but I’ve believed for a long time that you can’t worry too much about the future. It will come, whether you worry or not. It’s better to think about each day as it comes…and to make each day count." She smiled. "Someone told me that a long time ago…and it’s as true now as it was then."

"You’re right," John admitted. "It can be hard to remember that sometimes, though."

"I know, especially if you’ve spent your life worrying about the future…but take it from me, sometimes you just have to take things as they come." She paused, taking the baby back as he began to fuss. "What do you want to name him?"

John thought for a moment. He had thought about possible names for the baby, but there had only seemed to be one that would be right for his son. Unbidden, memories of the story that Elizabeth Anders had told him about Miriam’s true parentage came to mind, convincing him that the name he had chosen was right.

"His name is Peter. Peter John Calvert."

*****

After Dr. Lauersen had left, the Calvert family moved their Christmas celebration into John and Rose’s bedroom. They had put off opening presents or eating any of the Christmas feast Ruth had prepared until after Rose had the baby.

Everyone gathered around and on the bed, while little Peter slept in a bassinet near his mother’s side, and after dinner, set to opening the handful of gifts that they had bought that year.

Later, after Mary and Nadia had put Jane to bed, the adults and Christopher gathered again in the room, sipping eggnog. The two girls sat on the bed, Mary holding her baby brother, while John and Christopher sat close.

"You know something, Mom?" Mary asked, smiling as Peter wrapped a tiny fist around her thumb.

"What, Mary?"

"We didn’t have as much stuff this Christmas as we had before, but it was better." She passed the baby to Nadia. "I didn’t think we’d have everyone here this Christmas, but we did, and we even got a new baby brother as a Christmas present. This is better than any presents we’ve had before, or anything I’ve found in Hollywood."

"I’m glad you enjoyed this Christmas, Mary. Too many people think that Christmas is nothing without stacks of presents, but we did pretty well anyway, didn’t we?"

"Yeah. I’m glad I came out here for Christmas."

"Me, too," Nadia added. "I was going to stay at the university to save money, but when Mary showed up and wanted me to come to Cedar Rapids…well—I just couldn’t turn that down."

"Especially since I was paying for it," Mary teased her.

"Hey, at least you’ve got a steady job. I’m just a student."

"Well, we all managed to get together," John interjected. "Nadia, any time that you want to come home, just let us know. We’ll arrange something."

"I know, Dad. I just didn’t want to cost you too much money. I mean, you’re paying for my college education, and there was a new baby on the way."

John grimaced, feeling a little guilty that his thoughts had been along those same lines. But to Nadia, he said, "You’re welcome here anytime. You know that. And so is Mary."

"Thanks, Dad. I’ll remember that." Nadia looked at Rose, noticing that she was almost asleep. Tugging on Mary’s arm, she lowered her voice. "Merry Christmas, Dad, Mom, Grandma Ruth. We’re going to let Mom get some sleep."

Mary and Nadia kissed Rose and their father good night, then left, gesturing imperiously to a reluctant Christopher to follow them. Ruth got up and left a moment later, leaving John, Rose, and Peter alone.

"Merry Christmas, Rose," John whispered to his sleepy wife, laying the baby in his bassinet. "Mary was right…this is the best one we’ve had."

Rose opened her eyes drowsily. "Yes, it has been. Merry Christmas, John…I love you."

"I love you, too, Rose."

Chapter Thirty-Seven
Stories