Lintwood Farm Chapter 20

And also Chapter 20 x

Chapter 20 March 1943

Ellie was lied on the sofa, a cool wet cloth over her forehead, only days away from giving birth

"Louis stop it" Chrissie shouted at her brother as they walked into the living room,

"I'm not doing anything" Louis continued to punch Chrissie as he did before

"Louis" Chrissie shouted

"Stop it you two" Ellie said

"Come on Chrissie, fight back"

"Louis stop"

"That is enough" Ellie raised her voice and sat up "I am exhausted, I am over heated and I don't need any of this right now, so no more arguing and no more fighting. Now I am about to have a baby and you two are driving me crazy. Enough is enough" Chrissie and Louis looked at each other

"Sorry Ellie" they both said

"That's Ok, now I'm going to lie down upstairs" she got up and headed towards the stairs,

"Ow, oh god, oh my god, ahhh" Ellie screamed in pain

"Ellie, Ellie are you ok" Chrissie and Louis came running out of the living room

"No I'm not, ow, ow, ow" Ellie breathed heavily "I think, I think I'm in labour, ow"

"You're having the baby now, this is so exciting" Chrissie jumped up and down excitedly

"Ok, Ok Chrissie stop, ow" she breathed in and out several times "Chrissie I need you to go get Ian, oh, ow, Louis call the doctor...number on fridge...ahh" Ellie screamed in pain. Chrissie ran out the door to find Ian running towards the house,

"Chrissie I heard screaming, what's going on" he asked

"Ellie's having the baby now" Chrissie said, Ian ran into the house, Ellie was still on the stairs

"Ellie breath ok, that's it, let's get you upstairs" Ian helped Ellie up the stairs,

"Hello this is Louis Pickard, my sister Ellie Dinsdale is having her baby" Louis said down the phone,

"Ellie's having the baby now, yes" Lindsey said standing on the doorway,

"Louis is the midwife on her way" Ian shouted from the top of the stairs

"Yes they are" Louis put the phone down

"Ok bring them straight up when they get here" Ellie screamed from the bedroom.

The midwives arrived half an hour later and were shown straight upstairs. Three hours later they left, Ian came into the living room.

"So who wants to meet the new baby" They all looked at each other, smiled and ran upstairs, Ian followed.

They all quietly walked into Ellie's room. She was sat in bed her hair still damp from sweating whilst giving birth, in her arms laid a little baby starring up at her, wriggling a little and making cute little noises. They all gathered around her bed,

"So cute" Chrissie said

"Is the baby a boy or a girl" Lindsey asked

"A baby girl" Ellie replied smiling down at her daughter

"I'll send a letter to your mother and let her know and I'll find out where Martin is so you can send a picture and a letter to him" Ian left the room

"We don't have a camera" Lindsey stated

"Actually we do, there's one in Dads old study" Ellie replied

"Dad has a camera" Louis looked surprised

"Yes, it will need cleaning but it should still work, Dad always looked after it" The baby started to cry "Lindsey past me a cushion will you"

Lindsey pasted her a cushion and Ellie placed it under the arm that was holding the baby, undid her top and started to nurse her baby,

"Come on sweetheart it's dinner time" after a few minutes her daughter started feeding,

"Why is she sucking on your breast" Chrissie asked

"Because it how you feed a newborn baby, I can't believe she's latched on so quick" Ellie smiled

"Why" Louis asked

"The midwife told me not every baby latches on first time, sometimes it's takes a few tries" Ellie answered

"What are you going to name her" Lindsey asked

"I don't know yet, I'm still thinking" Ellie said smiling down at her daughter

        "I'm home" Jennifer yelled walking through the door, the house was silent "Hello, anybody" the house still silent. She wondered around looking for everyone then went upstairs. She heard voices coming from Ellie's room, she walked in, Ellie was sat at her dressing table whilst everyone else sat on her bed,

"Hello, I was wondering where you all where" she said walking over to Ellie "What are you writing" she asked

"A letter to Martin" Ellie put down her pen and stood up,

"How's the baby" Jennifer asked

"Fine, in fact" Ellie walked over to the bed and picked up the little baby Chrissie was holding "Say hello to your little baby niece"

"Oh my god you had the baby, oh she is so cute, can I hold her" Jennifer's voice went all high and squeaky

"Of course Jenny" Ellie handed the baby over to her

"Aww, she is so beautiful, what's her name"

"I haven't got one yet, I don't know what to choose, there are so many names like Brenda, Dorothy, Pamela, Mary, Alice and I don't like any of them, are you listening" Jennifer had been cooing over the baby as Ellie had been talking

"Yes of course I'm listening, you don't like any of the names"

"Can I hold the baby now, I was meant to be next" Lindsey asked

"In a minute sweetie" Ian told her

"I may have a name for her" Jennifer said rocking the baby back and forth

"What names that" Ellie asked

"Bonnie"

"Bonnie" Ellie thought about it for a minute "Bonnie Dinsdale, I like it" She looked up at Jennifer "how did you come up with that" she asked

"Well it was the name of Mrs Latham's daughter, here you go Lindsey" Jennifer handed the baby to Lindsey

"How do you know that Jenny" Chrissie asked

"She came into the shop today after teaching at the other farm, I asked, she told me"

"Well I like the name Bonnie and now I have the name she kind of looks like a Bonnie, Hello Bonnie" Ellie leaned over to talk to her daughter who smiled when she heard her name.

"Look at this mess, we're never going to find the camera in here" Chrissie said as she stood in the doorway to her father's study with Lindsey

"This is worse than the mess Dad made when the doctor told him Mum had died" They both stared at the mess

"Well don't just stand there girls, the cameras not going to find itself. I've finished my letter, all I need now is a photo to send...Whoa I forgot how messy it was in here" Ellie joined Chrissie and Lindsey at the door, Bonnie in her arms,

"You think" Chrissie and Lindsey said together

"This is certainly no place for a new born baby, good luck girls" and with that Ellie turned and walked to the living room

"We're never going to find the camera in here"

"I know Lindsey I've already said that"

     "How's it going girls" Ian entered the study. Lindsey and Chrissie stared at him unimpressed "not good then" he continued

"You try looking for a camera in this mess" Lindsey put a pile of papers on the table whilst Chrissie was looking though draws,

"We've been looking for two hours and found nothing but papers, oh I found it" Chrissie held up the camera. A hour and a half later Ian and Louis had locked themselves in the darkroom Patrick had created years ago,

"I didn't know Dad had a darkroom" Chrissie said as she sat on the sofa holding baby Bonnie

"Dad created it when we first moved here at the end of the twenties, just before Louis was born. Dad always had a keen interest in photography, Ooo look at this picture of Louis as a baby" Ellie showed her a picture of Louis as she looked though the photo albums that had been found in the study,

"Haha he was chubby. Why did we move here in the first place" she asked

"Dad inherited the farm when his Dad died"

"Dad grew up here"

"Yes he did and the village we know today didn't exists when dad was a kid just a little shop in the middle of nowhere. Granddad was a big softy you know, didn't have the heart to kill his animals for meat so he turned it into a dairy farm, it was Dad who started selling to the meat farm to make a bit more money, after Granddad changed the farm they barely made ends meet, we use to have lots of animals, pigs, horses, lots more chickens but granddad sold them on to make money and only left us with cows, sheep and the four chickens" Ellie was looking at photos of the farm in its former glory "It took Dad years to get the farm to the way it is now then he went to war, we don't even grow corn or wheat in the fields anymore"

"I didn't know any of this" Chrissie said sadly

"It's ok, you are young after all"

"I know but dad's not here to tell me the rest of it"

"I know but I know most of it, I can always tell you, I know it's not the same as Dad but at least you get to hear it"

Chrissie smiled.

Lintwood Farm Chapter 19

Here is Chapter nineteen of Lintwood Farm x

Chapter 19 1943

Christmas came and went so fast that year, same with new year and soon it was the night before Martin had to leave. He made sure he had everything ready and waiting by the door waiting to go so he could spend his last evening with his family.

"I remember the night before we came here" Lindsey said starting to reminisce "me and Jenny cried the whole time"

"Don't you'll make me cry again" Jennifer said sitting on the sofa

"I think tonight should be a happy night, we can do all the crying and that tomorrow, Chrissie where's your gas mask" Ellie asked her sister

"Upstairs in my room, I'll go and get it"

"Good, you need it on you at all times you never know what might happen" Chrissie got up and ran out the room. She returned a few minutes later with a small brown cardboard box with a piece of string around her shoulder,

"Can we play Monopoly please" she said as she sat back down

"Of course" Martin got the game out of the cupboard and set it up, they played for the next few hours, some of them in pairs, Ellie cuddled up to Martin before they all went to bed.

"It was a nice night wasn't it" Martin said as he and Ellie got ready for bed

"Yes it was, goodnight Martin" Ellie kissed him and went to get into bed

"Ellie I know you're still upset, I wish you would talk to me"

Ellie sat on the bed looking out of the window she turned to look at him,

"There is nothing left to say, I've said everything I have to say on the matter, nothing can change it, It's something we have to live with" She looked at Martin "Lay with me" she said

"What, but Ellie the baby..."

"The baby will be ok" she took his hand and lead him to the bed.

Everyone gathered at the front of the house the next morning to say goodbye to Martin. He gave both his sisters a hug each,

"You both look after each other and behave yourselves"

"We will" Jennifer said

"Don't die" Lindsey said tearing up, Martin hugged her again

"I'll to my best, I promise" he replied, he then said goodbye to Louis and Chrissie, then to Ellie,

"You have to promise you will do whatever it take to survive" Ellie said kissing her husband,

"I will, I will return, this war can't last any longer, it just can't" He kissed her again, the knelt down and kissed her bump

"Be good for mummy. I will be back to meet you I promise" he stood up and said one last goodbye to everyone before heading up the drive with Ian who was accompanying him to the train station. Everyone went back into the house. Ellie collapsed on the stairs in tears. Jennifer also in tears put her arms around her,

"It's ok Ellie, he will be back, he promised" She hugged her sister-in-law as the others sat on the step in front of them to comfort her.

    Ian returned home a few hours later to find the house very quiet. Lindsey, Chrissie and Louis were sat in front of the fire doing their homework whilst Ellie and Jennifer sat at the dining room table going through paperwork for the shop, they looked up as he stood in the doorway,

"Did Martin get off ok" Ellie asked

"Yes he did" Ian replied, Ellie nodded and turned back to the shop paperwork. Ian went back into the living room and put another log on the fire,

"There you go you three, keep warm"

"Thanks dad" Lindsey said "was Martin ok" she asked

"Yes, he was a little teary but hey who wouldn't be. Oh and the butchers son was also off to war as well"

"Who Charlie Brook" Chrissie asked

"Yes, though he kept giving Martin mucky looks"

"That's because he's jealous Martin's married to Ellie and not him" Louis said

"He's had a thing for Ellie for a few years now" Chrissie put in

"But he never did anything about it" Louis bounced back "Snooze you lose" Chrissie and Louis laughed.

"Don't be mean you two" Ian laugh a little himself  "feelings can't be helped, you will realise that when you are older and also that sometimes you don't always get the person you want" Ian sat down on the sofa with a book " Louis once you are finished we are going to tend to the cows, ok"

"Yes Ian, I'm nearly done anyway" Louis replied.

     "Are you sure you get this Jenny"

"Yes I'm sure"

"Good I'm going to hand things over to you now so if there is anything you are not sure of you can ask me before I get too busy and tired" Ellie and Jennifer finished going through the paperwork of the shop,

"That's great, thanks Ellie. I think I know everything  now, it's just time consuming" Jennifer replied

"I know but unless you know or have anything to make it all faster and easier then let me know, until then we are stuck with the written hand and our heads" they both gave a little laugh

"There probably will be one day" Jennifer said

"Yes, most likely after we're long gone" Ellie said in reply

"Most likely yes" they both smiled

      "My god, it's cold out" Louis said stating the obvious as he came in from the barn,

"Well what do you expect, it is winter Louis" Ellie said trying to get up "Can I have some help please" Jennifer and Louis rushed to help Ellie get up

"You can't be that heavy already" Ian said walking into the room

"You're not having twins are you" Jennifer asked, Ellie stopped dead and stared at her,

"I bloody well hope not" she finally replied

"Sorry I was just curious"

""Well as far as I'm aware I'm only having one, so please don't scare me again thank you" and she went into the kitchen.

Ellie laid awake that night staring at the ceiling, her arm stretched out over Martins side of the bed wishing he was lying next to her. A tear ran down her cheek. Elsewhere in the house Jennifer, Lindsey and Ian were also wide awake. Meg the dog lied at the end of Chrissies bed looked up as Lindsey got out of bed and walked towards the window. She got up and followed sitting down against her leg. Lindsey patted her on the head,

"I hope Martins going to be alright Meg" Lindsey said sitting down under the window, she cuddled up to Meg who cuddled back.

"Lindsey, Lindsey" Chrissie shacked Lindsey

"What" she replied

"Why are you sleeping under the window" Chrissie asked

"What, I've been here five minutes" Lindsey relied

"It's morning, you've been there all night " Lindsey jump up, throwing Meg off her. She looked out of the window to find it was indeed morning and the sun trying to peak through the clouds . She looked at Chrissie,

"I was worried about Martin"

"We all are, Ellie's not even awake yet, I guess she was awake most of the night with worry"

"I miss my brother" a tear rolled down Lindsey's cheek

"I know, I miss him too" Chrissie gave her a hug.

The next few weeks were quiet ones, everyone got on with what they were meant to be doing, no complaints, rain or shine. In lessons Lindsey, Chrissie and Louis had asked Mrs Latham to teach them about life on the front line so they knew how Martin would be living and soon had notes full.

"Life is very hard, constant watches on the enemy, guns always at the ready, all the mud and water that is collected in the trenches, Chrissie" Chrissie had raised her hand,

"Mrs Latham, how do you know so much" she asked

"Because I have already lived though one war, the Great War, both my brother and fiancé fought for our country, we wrote to each other every day, they detailed every bit of their lives and the lives of others on the front line, though things may be different now, you will have to ask Ian about that"

"What happened to your brother and fiancé" Lindsey asked

"They died, my brother in battle, my fiancé in a Prisoner of War Camp, I never saw them again after they left" she started to cry

"I'm sorry I asked Mrs Latham" Lindsey apologised

"It's ok" she replied "anyway after the war I married my dear Arthur's best friend who survived the prisoner of war camp but died before this war started" she had to sit down

"Did you have any children" Louis asked

"Yes but she died as an infant" more tears rolled down her cheeks as she remembered the pain she longed to forget

"Mrs Latham I'm so sorry" Lindsey gave her hug.

"Why so quite you three" Ellie asked as they ate dinner that night,

"Oh nothing, just got nothing to say" Chrissie replied

"Ok, how was school, what have you been learning about" Ellie asked

"Life on the front line" Lindsey said trying to cut her lamb "why is this so hard to cut" she stressed

"Give it here" Ian said and Lindsey passed her plate to him

"You know if you wanted to know about life on the front line Ian could have told you" Ellie said

"We know but Mrs Latham's brother and former Fiancé fought in the Great War" Chrissie replied

"Did they now"

"Yes, they both died too"

"What a sad story" Ellie put her cutlery down "is that why you've all been so quiet"

"Yes it is, remembering made Mrs Latham cry, it was very sad" Chrissie told her sister

"What happened to her husband, I'm guessing she married seeing as she goes by Mrs and not Miss" Jennifer asked

"Yes she did but he died just before this war started" Chrissie explained "Another loss she's suffered as well as her daughter as an infant"