As usual, Mama was right. Three days later, when Katya came home after checking on the nanny goat and her kid, she found Alina in bed and her mother putting water on to boil.
“Grab some sheets,” she barked. “Do you know where Kolya is? It’s time!”
“He should be coming home from the collective any minute now.” Katya pulled off her coat and hurried to do as commanded. Alina tensed and groaned as another contraction tore through her.
“This baby is coming fast,” Mama spoke over her shoulder. “I need you to go fetch Lena.”
“I want Kolya!” Alina yelled. The tendons in her neck popped out against her pale skin as she bore down with another contraction. “Go get him, Katya! Now!”
“I will.” Katya yanked on her coat and went back into the cold. Walking through the snow took a lot more effort during late pregnancy, but she was glad to have something to do that would help Alina. She made it halfway back to the collective farm headquarters and almost to Lena and Ruslan’s house when she saw Kolya walking home.
She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, “The baby is coming!”
He froze, then sprinted toward her.
“I’m going to fetch Lena,” Katya said. “Alina needs you now, though!”
He skidded to a stop and grabbed her by the shoulders. “How bad is it? Is she all right?”
“She is in pain, but she’s doing well. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.”
“Don’t worry?” He dropped his arms and glared at her. “She’s all I have left in this world. How could I not worry? Now hurry and go get Lena!”
He ran toward home and left Katya staring after him. Anger heated her face, and she bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. At least you still have her! she wanted to yell after him. To scream. But she didn’t. How could she judge his grief? He’d lost so much, too. His mother. His father. Pavlo. She shuddered under the weight of that anguish, and as quickly as it had flared, her rage dissipated. She gripped her swollen belly and took a deep breath. She and Kolya might have shared Pavlo’s loss, but it didn’t make it any easier to bear.
Emotions in check, Katya trudged on toward Lena’s house as fast as she could go. Lena ushered her in to warm by the pich while she prepared her things and peppered Katya with questions. “How far apart are her contractions? Did her bag of waters break? When did the labor start?”
“I’m not sure,” Katya repeated several times. “I got home from work and came right back out to get you.”
“You poor dear.” Lena patted her cheek. “This must be a bit frightening for you. Well, don’t be afraid. What you see for Alina today may not be the same for you. Every woman labors and handles pain differently.”
Katya nodded. Right now, she didn’t feel like she was handling her pain very well. Her feet ached, her back throbbed, and she only wanted to get back home and sit down.
Lena wrapped a heavy shawl around her shoulders and head. “Ruslan, I’ll be back later,” she called into the back room. “I’m going to help Alina have her baby.”
Lena helped with many of the births in the village, even though she’d never had children of her own. She moved fast for an older woman, and in no time, they were looking upon a scene very similar to what Katya had left earlier, only this time Kolya kneeled next to the bed, holding Alina’s hand.
Upon further inspection, Katya could see that Alina had calmed significantly. Mama must have brushed her hair back for her, and her clear eyes were focused on Kolya.
She gave a low moan. “Lena! This baby is coming soon!”
“Well, let me see if you are right.” Lena paused to make the sign of the cross in front of the wall where the holy icons usually hung before bending low over Alina. After a few minutes of silent assessment, she shook her head. “No, it will be some time yet. Try to rest when the pain wanes.”
Time marched on as Alina struggled, and the household waited. It wasn’t until the sun rose the next morning that Lena finally declared Alina ready to push and the house filled with the sounds of Alina’s efforts. Groans and screams of pain tore from her lips.
The look on Katya’s face drew her mother’s attention. “Don’t judge her too harshly,” she admonished. “You wait. When your time comes, you will be the same. Birthing a child is not an easy task.”
Katya pursed her lips and bit back a retort. She would not scream; she would welcome the agony of birth. To feel something besides grief, besides despair, would be a joy, no matter how much physical pain it brought. And with that pain would come a small piece of Pavlo. For that, she would endure all the pain in the world.