Post by Lobo solitario on Mar 21, 2012 18:02:08 GMT -6
The New America Series
Book 2
Labor Pains
CHAPTER 1
In the roughly decade and a half between the UN disaster at Dove Spring Pass and the short but powerful explanation that Mrs. Linda, Joann, (Reader) Stiff made to her 7th graders, profound changes had been evolving.
The French had fielded two rifle platoons and a mortar squad that day, 96 men in all. Of those they suffered 43 killed and 20 wounded. It made waves. After all, they had signed on to keep the peace, not fight a war. UN commanders became very averse to risking their men in hording enforcement. Countries with problems of their own at home recognized that this was not going to be the gravy train they had hoped for. They started recalling their troops.
The US government, though not calling its self such; in fact almost comically avoiding the term, was nearly as socialist as they come. The man on Pennsylvania Avenue had suspended elections due to the national emergency even before the battle. Now he found himself administering an enterprise which kept its self in power by handing out cookies, but without a functioning bakery. The UN forces had been the only real source of loot to redistribute. His Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA), and a couple of his other volunteer brown shirt organizations, were trying but were woefully incompetent, and were hated even more than the blue hats. Though more basically competent than the volunteer organizations, the FBI, BATF, DEA, DHS and the US Marshal service were not much more successful. When they did make a successful raid, they usually found enough to supply a family, when they needed enough to supply a city.
You can only suck so much blood before the host either finds a cure or dies. If every time a person produces a surplus beyond what is needed to keep body and soul together, you take some of it; if you only take a little, he will usually accept it rather than fight you. If you take too much he will start resisting you and hiding it if he can. If you take it all he will fight you, and burn his own wheat field, if he has to, to keep you from getting it. The administration had reached that point by Anno Domini 2020. Still, those in power cling tenaciously to it, even after the point where it would better serve their continued longevity to let go.
His inability to produce the largess that was not only promised but sorely needed buy millions, who had for generations been conditioned to believe that all that was required to receive was to need, was greatly damaging his popularity. Only the hard core true believers were still with him. When a system is demonstrably failing, and has been for some time, the remaining true believers are generally not the sharpest tools in the shed. The administration was in a death spiral that the best and brightest would have trouble saving, but its best and brightest had abandoned ship long ago.
Other socialist governments, which were the overwhelming majority, weather they called themselves that or not, were suffering much the same fate to greater and lesser degrees. The whole world was in the grip of a depression that made the 1930’s look prosperous. The world’s wealthier nations who had been propping up teetering states around the globe were just plain broke themselves.
Even if there was money, few would accept it. Barter and hard currency were how things usually got done. The dollar was down to about seven cents of its 2012 value. Prices were out the roof, but most wages were stagnant and pensions and entitlements had not risen to any meaningful extent. People in the cities were dying of hunger, in droves. Those in rural areas were faring better but only a little. If you had something to trade, even if it was only a useful skill or simple labor, food could be had.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Amos Jacob Ellis, was born in 1955, the son of a black sharecropper. He lived through the period of the big news making civil rights demonstrations, but participated little. For one thing his daddy had always told him if he went looking for trouble he would probably find it. For another, he had no great hatred for his country or its white citizens. He knew there were things that needed changing; he just seemed to be more patient than most of the zealots the cause attracted. Maybe it was because he believed in judging everyone on his own merits, and most all the white folks he knew were decent people and treated him reasonably fairly. Many he didn’t know but just sort of ran into were pretty uppity, but he just avoided them and did not judge his friends by their standard. Amos never was a very political guy. But it was a mistake to mess with him or his.
Amos was a good student. After high school he decided to get himself a job and a better education. He enrolled in a community college and took jobs flipping burgers, delivering, pizzas, stocking shelves, or sweeping floors. Anything he could do at night, so he could go to school in the daytime.
His Mom wanted him to be a doctor; don’t all moms? So he took a beginning anatomy class. He learned that humans were not all that different from pigs. The other big lesson taken from his first semester was that if you wanted to eat well, on a limited income, you had to cook it yourself. He discovered that he was good at it and really enjoyed cooking. He also discovered he had a real hard time staying disciplined at his studies. He hadn’t really messed up his grades, yet. But he could see it coming. There was just so much to distract a young man out in the big wide world, like girls.
He talked things over with his dad and his father suggested a hitch in the service. He would be a little older when he got out, a little more settled, and the GI bill money couldn’t hurt. Amos joined the US Air Force. The Viet Nam war was just over and they no longer had the flood of qualified recruits knocking down their doors to avoid the draft. The recruiter told him he scored high enough to go into just about any field the AF had available. Amos wanted to be a cook. The recruiter could not believe it!
Amos soon learned that an air force cook had as much in common with a chef as a surgeon has with a butcher. He hated some of the things he had to do, but the off hours were fun and he did learn a lot about cooking in volume. And he did grow up and settle down a bit.
When Amos got out he took his GI bill education money and enrolled in one of the better chef schools in the world. He loved it, and as usually happens when one does what they love, he excelled at it. Of course it didn’t hurt that Amos was smart also, in a down home sort of way. He graduated at the top of his class.
The school Amos attended was world class and had no problem placing their students. He soon found himself working at one of the pricier San Francisco dinner spots. He began to accrue a reputation as well as promotions and better compensation. He was definitely no longer a mess cook.
He was contacted by a famous Bourbon Street establishment and offered a position. The compensation package was an improvement over what he was then getting, but the real attraction for Amos was that he would be much closer to his parents and his native Mississippi. Amos was all about family and not only did he have no family on the west coast, he really didn’t fit into the Bay Area lifestyle at all. Amos wanted to go home.
The restaurant on Bourbon Street was where he met Lilly. Lilly was a server at the establishment. She was working her way through nursing school. Lilly was warm and personable and after their first date Amos knew he was interested. After six months and a couple visits to her daddy’s farm he knew she could split wood, knock a quail out of the air, bait and set a crawdad trap, clean a fish, and milk a cow. After all that she would clean up like a princess for a night on the town. Lilly would defiantly do to run the river with.
Six months after he asked her they were married.
Six months after that he got a call from his dad. Seemed some guys with mustaches and sun glasses had shown up in town asking about him. They had talked to a couple of his old teachers and his high school football coach. Didn’t seem to willing to reveal much about themselves or why they were asking though. Then he got a call from the head master of the chef’s collage, much along the same lines. He told everyone he had no idea what it was about and that he was not in any sort of trouble that he knew of.
Then a few of the other employees said they had gotten similar calls. Soon after that the owner announced to the entire staff that they were going to be graced by a visit from the President of The United States. He would be having dinner with them three days hence.
The Secret Service showed up early on the day of the dinner and went over the place with a fine toothed comb. They searched for who knows what with electronic gizmos. They spoke to the whole staff about what was and mostly what was not acceptable when the president was in the building.
The president had lobster which Amos thought a bit unimaginative for a man who was supposed to be a southerner dining in New Orleans. The president asked to speak with the chef and Amos complied just as he would for any customer. The president graciously praised the dinner and Amos thanked him sincerely. Lilly, who had been chosen, due to her previously demonstrated ability to keep a clear head, and grace under pressure, to be their server, thought the whole thing was just the cat’s pajamas and talked about it for a couple of days. Then the whole thing passed away, or they thought it had.
About a month later a nice young woman presented herself at the Ellis’s front door at a little past nine in the morning, about two hours before either of them were scheduled to come in to the restaurant. She identified herself as Alisha Crain, personal assistant to the first lady. She was, of course, asked in. She declined the proffered coffee, juice, and soda. She explained that she was there on behalf of her employer, the first lady, who would very much like to speak with them both. She was inviting them to lunch at the White House in ten days. Alisha had for them two round trip tickets to Washington DC., reservations for two nights at one of the best hotels, and a check for six thousand dollars expense money. This was all; they were assured from the first lady’s personal funds and not being paid by the taxpayers. If for any reason the date was not acceptable to them it could be changed.
When you are an American and you are asked to come to the White House, you pretty much need to go, even if you don’t like the people living there. While Amos and Lilly were not of the president’s party and they thought his personal conduct rather scandalous, and a national embarrassment. And although they thought his wife a bit of a shrew, their country, in some form or other seemed to be calling. Despite their inquiries Alisha let it be known that no farther details would be forthcoming until they came to lunch. So, they agreed and Alisha left her personal contact information and said she would be in touch to handle farther arrangements. What the hay, if nothing else they could see the sights of DC. On Hillarie’s tab!
The limo arrived at the hotel at twelve noon. Alisha road in the back with the Ellis’s. The conversation was pleasant small talk. They rolled through the gate at the White House like they were expected, which they were. Alisha introduced them to the first lady and after the obligatory inquiries into the suitability of their flight and accommodations they were shown to a small patio area, where lunch was served. A simple lunch of French onion soup and turkey sandwiches’.
The first lady got right to the point. She and the president had been very impressed by Amos’ culinary skills. The senior White House chef was retiring and they would like Amos to be his replacement. The White House had done their home work. They knew that Lilly was perusing a nursing degree and could guarantee her acceptance into a very good nursing school in the DC area, with a full ride. They were prepared to improve upon Amos’ compensation package by over 10%. It was pointed out that White House domestic staff does not usually change with the residents. This was a carrier position and quite a plumb for someone as early in his carrier as Amos.
Still, the offer would have been a non-starter had Amos not had a sister and two brothers in the DC and Northern Virginia area. Amos was all about family.
Amos and Lilly had accepted the offer and now he was on his third president. He considered this one the biggest mistake that had ever held the office; Amos knew his history, so that was saying a lot. What was especially painful was that Amos felt the man was embarrassing all black Americans. As near as Amos could tell he was a straight up Marxist, masquerading as a moderate socialist. He had forced a single payer medical care system through the congress, destroying the best health care system in the world. He had destroyed the US economy, and just when relief seemed in sight, he suspended elections and was showing no signs of stepping down. This guy was so oily you could wring him out, add some lye and make soap!
Carl and Iris Reed, Amos’ sister and brother in law lived in Reston Virginia with their three children. Both were civilian employees at the Pentagon. Amos and Lilly had not been blessed with children. Carl and Iris’ daughter Shawna was the apple of Amos’ eye.
It does not take a village to raise a child; what it takes is a family, and extended family is very helpful. When a young person finds themselves in such an embarrassing or shameful predicament that they can’t bear to tell their parents, they need an aunt, an uncle, or a grandparent they can go to. Shawna went to her aunt Lilly.
The Ellis’ and Reeds were solid, conservative, god fearing, black families. They raised their children to do the right thing because it was right, not out of fear of punishment or reprisal. Shawna loved her family, she wanted to make them proud, not cause them pain. She had been able to do that most of her life, with hard work and diligence. But everyone makes mistakes. The calm mater-of-fact way first her aunt Lilly and then her uncle Amos handled the news about the baby gave Shawna courage to talk to her folks about it.
Shawna, Darnel, and their respective families agreed that the teenagers were not ready to strike out on their own with a new baby. Something that might have been matter of fact two generations earlier. Shawna would stay with her parents, continue her studies, and have the baby. Darnel and his family would help with financial support, and everyone would see where the whole situation would go when the couple got older and a bit more mature.
Shawna’s parents both being employed at the Pentagon, her uncle being a chef at the white house, and her aunt being a nurse at Bethesda, the family was somewhat insulated from the hardships and shortages plaguing the bulk of the people. One thing they were not insulated from was Americare.
When Shawna presented at the clinic that was the official portal through which she was to access America’s new health care system she was told that although there was a waiting list she should not worry as she would be able to have the abortion before the end of the first trimester. Shawna told the clinicion that he did not understand, she fully intended to have her baby. The clinician told her that they should schedule the abortion anyway in case she changed her mind so she could be moving up the list. It could always be canceled later. He also told her that, sense hers was not the expected default choice of an unwed teen mother, her case would have to be reviewed by a Medical Treatment Review Board; just a formality. She was given a stack of forms to fill out, through which she was supposed to be able to have her wishes heard by the board. She was uncomfortable with the whole process to say the least.
She pestered the clinic to start the appropriate prenatal care her aunt Lilly was telling her she should have. The clinic just said they could not start any course of treatment until it had been prescribed by the board. The next time she went to the clinic she was told that the board’s recommendation was that the best outcome for all concerned would be accomplished by aborting the fetus. When she demanded an appieal she was told that the present time period for an appieal to be heard was just over one year. Her schedualed abortion date was less than a week away.
Shawna was hysterical, but she was very clear on one thing, she would birth this baby. The family got her calmed down. They would look after their own. Her aunt Lilly was an RN, and while not a prenatal specialist, could read up and ask questions of her collogues. Her grandmother was a midwife and would have as much input as the dilapidated state of the US mail would allow. Her uncle Amos was quite calm through the whole family meeting, deadly calm, one might say.
Things went along smoothly and predictably for Shawna. Her weight gain was about normal, her blood pressure stayed in bounds. After all women had been having babies for hundreds of thousands of years.
After a couple of false alarms her water broke. Like many first deliveries it did not seem as if it would be a quick thing. After several hours of labor Shawna’s pelvis was nicely dilated the baby’s head seemed to be in the right position and everyone was ready for a new generation to make its entrance into the world. Shawna was still holding strong, if tired, the next serious of spasms should do it. Then Lilly noticed Shawna’s left leg was swelling and looking a bit discolored.
Shawna took a breath gave a great push and Jacquelyn Mandy Reed was born!
Book 2
Labor Pains
CHAPTER 1
In the roughly decade and a half between the UN disaster at Dove Spring Pass and the short but powerful explanation that Mrs. Linda, Joann, (Reader) Stiff made to her 7th graders, profound changes had been evolving.
The French had fielded two rifle platoons and a mortar squad that day, 96 men in all. Of those they suffered 43 killed and 20 wounded. It made waves. After all, they had signed on to keep the peace, not fight a war. UN commanders became very averse to risking their men in hording enforcement. Countries with problems of their own at home recognized that this was not going to be the gravy train they had hoped for. They started recalling their troops.
The US government, though not calling its self such; in fact almost comically avoiding the term, was nearly as socialist as they come. The man on Pennsylvania Avenue had suspended elections due to the national emergency even before the battle. Now he found himself administering an enterprise which kept its self in power by handing out cookies, but without a functioning bakery. The UN forces had been the only real source of loot to redistribute. His Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA), and a couple of his other volunteer brown shirt organizations, were trying but were woefully incompetent, and were hated even more than the blue hats. Though more basically competent than the volunteer organizations, the FBI, BATF, DEA, DHS and the US Marshal service were not much more successful. When they did make a successful raid, they usually found enough to supply a family, when they needed enough to supply a city.
You can only suck so much blood before the host either finds a cure or dies. If every time a person produces a surplus beyond what is needed to keep body and soul together, you take some of it; if you only take a little, he will usually accept it rather than fight you. If you take too much he will start resisting you and hiding it if he can. If you take it all he will fight you, and burn his own wheat field, if he has to, to keep you from getting it. The administration had reached that point by Anno Domini 2020. Still, those in power cling tenaciously to it, even after the point where it would better serve their continued longevity to let go.
His inability to produce the largess that was not only promised but sorely needed buy millions, who had for generations been conditioned to believe that all that was required to receive was to need, was greatly damaging his popularity. Only the hard core true believers were still with him. When a system is demonstrably failing, and has been for some time, the remaining true believers are generally not the sharpest tools in the shed. The administration was in a death spiral that the best and brightest would have trouble saving, but its best and brightest had abandoned ship long ago.
Other socialist governments, which were the overwhelming majority, weather they called themselves that or not, were suffering much the same fate to greater and lesser degrees. The whole world was in the grip of a depression that made the 1930’s look prosperous. The world’s wealthier nations who had been propping up teetering states around the globe were just plain broke themselves.
Even if there was money, few would accept it. Barter and hard currency were how things usually got done. The dollar was down to about seven cents of its 2012 value. Prices were out the roof, but most wages were stagnant and pensions and entitlements had not risen to any meaningful extent. People in the cities were dying of hunger, in droves. Those in rural areas were faring better but only a little. If you had something to trade, even if it was only a useful skill or simple labor, food could be had.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Amos Jacob Ellis, was born in 1955, the son of a black sharecropper. He lived through the period of the big news making civil rights demonstrations, but participated little. For one thing his daddy had always told him if he went looking for trouble he would probably find it. For another, he had no great hatred for his country or its white citizens. He knew there were things that needed changing; he just seemed to be more patient than most of the zealots the cause attracted. Maybe it was because he believed in judging everyone on his own merits, and most all the white folks he knew were decent people and treated him reasonably fairly. Many he didn’t know but just sort of ran into were pretty uppity, but he just avoided them and did not judge his friends by their standard. Amos never was a very political guy. But it was a mistake to mess with him or his.
Amos was a good student. After high school he decided to get himself a job and a better education. He enrolled in a community college and took jobs flipping burgers, delivering, pizzas, stocking shelves, or sweeping floors. Anything he could do at night, so he could go to school in the daytime.
His Mom wanted him to be a doctor; don’t all moms? So he took a beginning anatomy class. He learned that humans were not all that different from pigs. The other big lesson taken from his first semester was that if you wanted to eat well, on a limited income, you had to cook it yourself. He discovered that he was good at it and really enjoyed cooking. He also discovered he had a real hard time staying disciplined at his studies. He hadn’t really messed up his grades, yet. But he could see it coming. There was just so much to distract a young man out in the big wide world, like girls.
He talked things over with his dad and his father suggested a hitch in the service. He would be a little older when he got out, a little more settled, and the GI bill money couldn’t hurt. Amos joined the US Air Force. The Viet Nam war was just over and they no longer had the flood of qualified recruits knocking down their doors to avoid the draft. The recruiter told him he scored high enough to go into just about any field the AF had available. Amos wanted to be a cook. The recruiter could not believe it!
Amos soon learned that an air force cook had as much in common with a chef as a surgeon has with a butcher. He hated some of the things he had to do, but the off hours were fun and he did learn a lot about cooking in volume. And he did grow up and settle down a bit.
When Amos got out he took his GI bill education money and enrolled in one of the better chef schools in the world. He loved it, and as usually happens when one does what they love, he excelled at it. Of course it didn’t hurt that Amos was smart also, in a down home sort of way. He graduated at the top of his class.
The school Amos attended was world class and had no problem placing their students. He soon found himself working at one of the pricier San Francisco dinner spots. He began to accrue a reputation as well as promotions and better compensation. He was definitely no longer a mess cook.
He was contacted by a famous Bourbon Street establishment and offered a position. The compensation package was an improvement over what he was then getting, but the real attraction for Amos was that he would be much closer to his parents and his native Mississippi. Amos was all about family and not only did he have no family on the west coast, he really didn’t fit into the Bay Area lifestyle at all. Amos wanted to go home.
The restaurant on Bourbon Street was where he met Lilly. Lilly was a server at the establishment. She was working her way through nursing school. Lilly was warm and personable and after their first date Amos knew he was interested. After six months and a couple visits to her daddy’s farm he knew she could split wood, knock a quail out of the air, bait and set a crawdad trap, clean a fish, and milk a cow. After all that she would clean up like a princess for a night on the town. Lilly would defiantly do to run the river with.
Six months after he asked her they were married.
Six months after that he got a call from his dad. Seemed some guys with mustaches and sun glasses had shown up in town asking about him. They had talked to a couple of his old teachers and his high school football coach. Didn’t seem to willing to reveal much about themselves or why they were asking though. Then he got a call from the head master of the chef’s collage, much along the same lines. He told everyone he had no idea what it was about and that he was not in any sort of trouble that he knew of.
Then a few of the other employees said they had gotten similar calls. Soon after that the owner announced to the entire staff that they were going to be graced by a visit from the President of The United States. He would be having dinner with them three days hence.
The Secret Service showed up early on the day of the dinner and went over the place with a fine toothed comb. They searched for who knows what with electronic gizmos. They spoke to the whole staff about what was and mostly what was not acceptable when the president was in the building.
The president had lobster which Amos thought a bit unimaginative for a man who was supposed to be a southerner dining in New Orleans. The president asked to speak with the chef and Amos complied just as he would for any customer. The president graciously praised the dinner and Amos thanked him sincerely. Lilly, who had been chosen, due to her previously demonstrated ability to keep a clear head, and grace under pressure, to be their server, thought the whole thing was just the cat’s pajamas and talked about it for a couple of days. Then the whole thing passed away, or they thought it had.
About a month later a nice young woman presented herself at the Ellis’s front door at a little past nine in the morning, about two hours before either of them were scheduled to come in to the restaurant. She identified herself as Alisha Crain, personal assistant to the first lady. She was, of course, asked in. She declined the proffered coffee, juice, and soda. She explained that she was there on behalf of her employer, the first lady, who would very much like to speak with them both. She was inviting them to lunch at the White House in ten days. Alisha had for them two round trip tickets to Washington DC., reservations for two nights at one of the best hotels, and a check for six thousand dollars expense money. This was all; they were assured from the first lady’s personal funds and not being paid by the taxpayers. If for any reason the date was not acceptable to them it could be changed.
When you are an American and you are asked to come to the White House, you pretty much need to go, even if you don’t like the people living there. While Amos and Lilly were not of the president’s party and they thought his personal conduct rather scandalous, and a national embarrassment. And although they thought his wife a bit of a shrew, their country, in some form or other seemed to be calling. Despite their inquiries Alisha let it be known that no farther details would be forthcoming until they came to lunch. So, they agreed and Alisha left her personal contact information and said she would be in touch to handle farther arrangements. What the hay, if nothing else they could see the sights of DC. On Hillarie’s tab!
The limo arrived at the hotel at twelve noon. Alisha road in the back with the Ellis’s. The conversation was pleasant small talk. They rolled through the gate at the White House like they were expected, which they were. Alisha introduced them to the first lady and after the obligatory inquiries into the suitability of their flight and accommodations they were shown to a small patio area, where lunch was served. A simple lunch of French onion soup and turkey sandwiches’.
The first lady got right to the point. She and the president had been very impressed by Amos’ culinary skills. The senior White House chef was retiring and they would like Amos to be his replacement. The White House had done their home work. They knew that Lilly was perusing a nursing degree and could guarantee her acceptance into a very good nursing school in the DC area, with a full ride. They were prepared to improve upon Amos’ compensation package by over 10%. It was pointed out that White House domestic staff does not usually change with the residents. This was a carrier position and quite a plumb for someone as early in his carrier as Amos.
Still, the offer would have been a non-starter had Amos not had a sister and two brothers in the DC and Northern Virginia area. Amos was all about family.
Amos and Lilly had accepted the offer and now he was on his third president. He considered this one the biggest mistake that had ever held the office; Amos knew his history, so that was saying a lot. What was especially painful was that Amos felt the man was embarrassing all black Americans. As near as Amos could tell he was a straight up Marxist, masquerading as a moderate socialist. He had forced a single payer medical care system through the congress, destroying the best health care system in the world. He had destroyed the US economy, and just when relief seemed in sight, he suspended elections and was showing no signs of stepping down. This guy was so oily you could wring him out, add some lye and make soap!
Carl and Iris Reed, Amos’ sister and brother in law lived in Reston Virginia with their three children. Both were civilian employees at the Pentagon. Amos and Lilly had not been blessed with children. Carl and Iris’ daughter Shawna was the apple of Amos’ eye.
It does not take a village to raise a child; what it takes is a family, and extended family is very helpful. When a young person finds themselves in such an embarrassing or shameful predicament that they can’t bear to tell their parents, they need an aunt, an uncle, or a grandparent they can go to. Shawna went to her aunt Lilly.
The Ellis’ and Reeds were solid, conservative, god fearing, black families. They raised their children to do the right thing because it was right, not out of fear of punishment or reprisal. Shawna loved her family, she wanted to make them proud, not cause them pain. She had been able to do that most of her life, with hard work and diligence. But everyone makes mistakes. The calm mater-of-fact way first her aunt Lilly and then her uncle Amos handled the news about the baby gave Shawna courage to talk to her folks about it.
Shawna, Darnel, and their respective families agreed that the teenagers were not ready to strike out on their own with a new baby. Something that might have been matter of fact two generations earlier. Shawna would stay with her parents, continue her studies, and have the baby. Darnel and his family would help with financial support, and everyone would see where the whole situation would go when the couple got older and a bit more mature.
Shawna’s parents both being employed at the Pentagon, her uncle being a chef at the white house, and her aunt being a nurse at Bethesda, the family was somewhat insulated from the hardships and shortages plaguing the bulk of the people. One thing they were not insulated from was Americare.
When Shawna presented at the clinic that was the official portal through which she was to access America’s new health care system she was told that although there was a waiting list she should not worry as she would be able to have the abortion before the end of the first trimester. Shawna told the clinicion that he did not understand, she fully intended to have her baby. The clinician told her that they should schedule the abortion anyway in case she changed her mind so she could be moving up the list. It could always be canceled later. He also told her that, sense hers was not the expected default choice of an unwed teen mother, her case would have to be reviewed by a Medical Treatment Review Board; just a formality. She was given a stack of forms to fill out, through which she was supposed to be able to have her wishes heard by the board. She was uncomfortable with the whole process to say the least.
She pestered the clinic to start the appropriate prenatal care her aunt Lilly was telling her she should have. The clinic just said they could not start any course of treatment until it had been prescribed by the board. The next time she went to the clinic she was told that the board’s recommendation was that the best outcome for all concerned would be accomplished by aborting the fetus. When she demanded an appieal she was told that the present time period for an appieal to be heard was just over one year. Her schedualed abortion date was less than a week away.
Shawna was hysterical, but she was very clear on one thing, she would birth this baby. The family got her calmed down. They would look after their own. Her aunt Lilly was an RN, and while not a prenatal specialist, could read up and ask questions of her collogues. Her grandmother was a midwife and would have as much input as the dilapidated state of the US mail would allow. Her uncle Amos was quite calm through the whole family meeting, deadly calm, one might say.
Things went along smoothly and predictably for Shawna. Her weight gain was about normal, her blood pressure stayed in bounds. After all women had been having babies for hundreds of thousands of years.
After a couple of false alarms her water broke. Like many first deliveries it did not seem as if it would be a quick thing. After several hours of labor Shawna’s pelvis was nicely dilated the baby’s head seemed to be in the right position and everyone was ready for a new generation to make its entrance into the world. Shawna was still holding strong, if tired, the next serious of spasms should do it. Then Lilly noticed Shawna’s left leg was swelling and looking a bit discolored.
Shawna took a breath gave a great push and Jacquelyn Mandy Reed was born!
