Read Online Walking to the Stars by Laney Cairo - Free Book Online Page A

quickly, mess and ash and blood, then, when the cord had stopped pulsing, he clamped it and handed the scissors to Girdagan.
    Two minutes old, and the baby was cradled safely in Girdagan's arms, nuzzling at her breast, breathing well, and Nick said, “Congratulations, Girdagan, on your baby girl."
    Medical protocol was to check for tears, but the birth had been so controlled and gentle, and the humpy was so dirty, that Nick just couldn't justify it.
    Faces appeared at the blanket, letting in the cold air, curious and delighted, and Lilli shooed them away with a couple of growls while she coaxed the baby to attach to the breast.
    It took a while for the placenta to deliver, but Girdagan was losing only a little blood, so Nick didn't use an oxytocin injection.
    He stayed for an hour, until Girdagan and the new baby were both curled up in front of the fire dozing, then he took Lilli aside, out of the humpy into the stingingly cold air.
    A trough was set-up under the tank outlet now, but Nick opted for washing his hands in the water he carried in the back of the van. Lilli washed her hands too, and Nick said, “I'll be back tomorrow, to check on the baby. Make sure that nothing dirty gets near the baby or Girdagan, and keep the dogs out of the humpy."
    He watched Lilli make her way tiredly back to the humpy. The baby would probably survive; she was a good size and breathing easily, her chances were good.
    The sky was lightening, it was almost morning, and Samuel was nowhere to be seen.
    The generator shed seemed the likeliest place, and when Nick peered in, Samuel had bits spread across the ground and was working by the light of an oil lamp with a smoky wick.
    He looked up as Nick squatted down beside him. “I heard the baby crying,” Samuel said, and he sounded choked up. “Is it all right?"
    "Mother and daughter are both safely asleep now,” Nick said, and he curled his hand around Samuel's shoulder. “Ready to go home for a few hours, at least until I have to come back to check on mother and baby?"
    Nick had to help Samuel stand up, without else anything for him to pull himself up on in the shack, and certainly the shack wouldn't take his weight. They had a strange, sleep-deprived moment when Samuel paused, his weight still leaning against Nick, then he stepped back, steadying himself with his crutches, and it passed.
    Talgerit was asleep, curled up with one of the dogs, when Nick found him, so Nick left him there; Talgerit could come back with them later on and collect his car then. Right now, Nick just wanted to go somewhere warm.
    Josh was awake when they got home, stirring porridge and frying up leftover hogget, slabs of bread waiting on a plate on the table. It was a blessed relief to sit down at the table, in daylight, and watch Josh spoon porridge into bowls for the three of them.
    "Thanks for cooking enough for all of us,” Nick said, when Josh pushed a mug of tea across the table to Nick.
    "No problem,” Josh said. “I didn't actually, I was just feeling hungry after the game yesterday. I'll make myself another batch in a moment. Why is Talgerit's heap beside the shed?"
    "It's not a heap,” Samuel said, proving that he wasn't actually asleep and shoveling porridge and jam into himself at the same time. “It's actually a 1982 Mercedes 300 D, with a long block. It's a magnificent piece of machinery, the ultimate precision engineered car, which is presumably why, decades later, it's still running, despite being asked to burn whatever Talgerit can get his hands on."
    Josh stared at Samuel. “That's precision engineered? I heard it pull up during the night, and it sounded appalling, like a boyee was rumbling through the yard."
    "I'll have a look when I've had some sleep,” Samuel said. “Reckon that I can get rid of the banging at least. Of course, he's probably running it on mutton fat, and there's not much I can do about that."
    "Good luck,” Josh said. “I'm going to take the sheep from the shed back to