Love's Haven by Catherine Palmer Read Free Book Online

chin propped on his fist, staring at the floor between his boots.
    “Now, first place the baby right here,” the nurse suggested, deftly tucking the little bundle into Mara’s lap. “All babies have a natural sucking instinct, so the moment you touch the side of her face, she’ll turn toward you.”
    Again, Mara glanced at Brock. Head down, he was still intently concentrating on the floor. She focused on her baby. Tiny mouth pursed, the little one didn’t seem to have the slightest interest in nursing. Mara knew she would have to forget about the man in the room and concentrate.
    “How can I get her to open her mouth?” she asked.
    “Stroke her cheek with your finger,” the nurse said. “See? There you go. Oh, she’s hungry all right. Look at that!”
    Mara smiled with satisfaction as her daughter settled comfortably. A sweet contentment filled Mara at thethought that she was nourishing her baby. In the past nine months, God had provided a precious bond between mother and child. To Mara’s joy, she realized that bond had not been severed by birth. In fact, she felt closer to her baby now that she could look into her daughter’s tiny face and could see she was actually giving a part of her physical self to sustain this tiny, amazing life.
    In a recent Bible study, Mara had learned the names God gave Himself through the ages. One name— El Shaddai —referred to a nursing mother’s breast. God saw Himself as nourisher, sustainer, fulfiller, the teacher had explained. And Mara now saw that in somewhat the same way as God cared for His people, she was tending to her child. The realization made her feel closer to her Lord, and to her baby, as well.
    “This liquid is called colostrum,” the nurse spoke up. “It’s the first, most nourishing fluid. The colostrum helps provide natural immunities for your baby.”
    “What about milk?”
    “Your milk will come in by tomorrow, I imagine,” the woman answered. “But you want your daughter to take as much colostrum as possible.”
    “This feels…all right.”
    “ Today it does. But tomorrow may be a different story. Most women experience quite a bit of soreness in the first days of nursing. I’m going to give you some special cream. I recommend you rub this in several times a day. Maybe your husband could do it for you?”
    The nurse swung around to look at Brock, who jerked his attention from Mara to the window. He appeared to be fascinated with a tree that still had a few golden leaves clinging to it.
    “I don’t think so,” Mara whispered to the nurse. The baby had dropped off to sleep, her eyelids as delicate as rose petals.
    “Whatever is most comfortable for you. I’m going totake her back to the nursery now, Mara, but I’ll come around later in the day to see if you need help again.”
    “Thank you.” Mara pulled her gown together and tied the strings. “I’d really like to keep her here with me.”
    Mara heard the longing in her voice as the baby was lifted from her arms.
    “She needs to be warmed up again. It won’t be long before you’re in your own room, and you can spend all the time you want with her.”
    As the nurse walked toward the door with the baby, Mara turned toward Brock. At this moment of loneliness, she couldn’t help wishing for her husband. Then she remembered she had Brock Barnett. He certainly wasn’t Todd, but he was all she had. He would have to do.
    “Stay?” she asked him, suddenly exhausted again.
    He nodded.
    “By the way,” the nurse asked. “What’s your daughter’s name, Mara?”
    “Abigail,” Mara said softly. “I’ll call her Abby.”
    “That’s a beautiful name.”
    As the door shut, Mara studied her hands as they lay limply across the empty space where her baby had nestled. The wedding ring Todd had given her circled a pale finger. She felt tired and alone.
    “Abby,” she repeated, lifting her focus to the small window. “It means, ‘Her father was joy.’”
    Brock nodded, his face solemn.