The Man Inside the Iron Fence (The Boy in the Woods Pt. 2)

Chapter 27 - Daddy

November 1942

Someone grabbed Jonathon's shoulder and began shaking it vigorously.

"Johnny!"

It was Helen's voice. He rolled over, and opened his eyes, but the lamp by the bedside table was on, making the room too bright and he squeezed them shut.

"Johnny, you have to wake up. It's the baby!"

He sat up straight and squinted at her. She was standing next to the bed in her nightgown. "What about the baby?" he asked loudly.

"It's time! The baby is coming."

He jumped out of the bed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"How soon?" he said, going to find clothes.

"I don't know. Probably not for a while, but you need to get the doctor."

He put on a pair of pants and threw a sweater on over his pajama shirt. Once he was dressed, he was about to leave the room, but he stopped when he saw Helen's face. She looked frightened. "Are you alright?" he said, going to her.

She gave him a trembling smile. "I'll feel better when the doctor gets here."

He put his arms around her and held her tight. "I'll get him here as soon as I can," he said, wanting to reassure her as much as himself. "And I'll send Annie up here."

"Okay," she said, her voice muffled in his sweater.

He rubbed her back, until he felt her relax. "Why don't you get in bed," he said, letting go. She climbed in and he covered her with the blankets. "Annie will be here soon," he said, and leaned down to kiss her. When he straightened, she smiled up at him with a mixture of gratitude and worry. She was still scared. He needed to hurry and get the doctor.

In the hallway, he decided to go through the back bedroom since it had a staircase leading directly to the kitchen. Since Billy had left the week before to join his unit, Annie had been sleeping in Ingrid's old bedroom off the kitchen.

It was a decision she and Helen had made together so she could be there to help in case the baby came in the middle of the night, and in that moment, Jonathon was grateful. If there was ever a time when he didn't want to face something alone, it was now.

Outside Annie's bedroom door, he knocked. When he didn't hear anything, he knocked harder. "Annie, wake up!"

He heard a mattress squeak through the door. "What is it?"

"The baby is on the way," he said loudly. The door opened, and Annie appeared, clutching her robe tight to her neck. "Go wake James and send him to get the doctor. I'm going to call to tell him it's time."

"I'll go right away," she said, and he headed to the phone.

Listening to it ring over and over, his anxiety rose. Why wasn't he answering? Doctors were called in the middle of the night all the time, weren't they? Surely he'd have his phone set someplace where the ringing would wake him.

"Hello," he heard a male voice say groggily.

"It's Jonathon Blackwell, Dr. Williams. My wife says the baby is on the way."

"Very well," he said, already sounding more alert.

Annie came through the front door and the Duesenberg's engine roared to life as she closed it.

"My man is leaving now. He should be at your house before too long."

"I'll be ready."

"What about the nurse?" Jonathon said, hating that he sounded panicky.