The evening turned to night, with a maid occasionally coming through the open doorway to offer a brief update, which mostly consisted of telling them that according to the doctor, labor was progressing normally and Kat was doing all right. Oliver and Paulina eventually stretched out on two of the couches with blankets and pillows that a maid had brought to the room earlier. But Henry couldn’t relax. Sometimes he could sit for a while, but he never could have slept. More often he was prone to pacing and wringing his hands, wondering if he would ever see his precious Kat alive again, wondering if their child would survive this ordeal and be born without any kind of deformity. Each time his mind wandered into fear, he fought to battle that fear with prayer, trying sincerely to trust that God knew the plan for Kat’s life—and his own—as well as that of this child. Without that belief he felt certain he would surely lose his mind. Overcome with exhaustion but too distressed to get any rest, he mostly sat with his head in his hands, trying very hard to remain positive and believe that his time with Kat was not yet over and that all would be well with the baby.

Not long after the clock in the library had chimed four, Henry heard footsteps enter the library and shot his head up to see Amala instead of a maid.

“What?” he demanded, bolting to his feet.

He didn’t say it loudly, but Paulina and Oliver both sat up, which meant they’d either been awake or only dozing lightly.

Henry saw tears in Amala’s eyes and undeniable strain in her expression, but he couldn’t tell if it was joy and relief in her countenance or if she had something unthinkable and grievous to report. He held his breath, grateful she didn’t hesitate another moment before declaring, “Kat is fine; the baby is fine.”

Henry fell back into the chair, made dizzy by the assault of relief. He silently thanked God while Oliver and Paulina laughed and embraced each other tightly. Henry looked up again at Amala when she added, “It was very difficult for her.” Oliver and Paulina both paused in their joy to listen. “But Dr. Cowell was wonderful, and it’s his hope that this will not set her back too terribly much.” Amala nodded at Henry. “You can go up now.” She turned to the others. “And you can see Kat and the baby in an hour or so, the doctor said. If you want to rest some more, I’ll come and get you.”