Chapter 7

“Didn’t NOT try to get yourself fat, bloated and miserable,” Abigail teased.

“Yeah!” Esme crowed. “Didn’t NOT try…”

“Christmas is really going to be hard this year,” Kaja said.

“Yeah,” Esme agreed, all laughter escaping the room.

“I mean, my family… They, they still haven’t even tried to reach out to me,” Kaja mumbled.

“You still got a family,” Esme stated.

“Oh! Boo hoo hoo,” Abigail exploded. “Oh! Let’s all sit around and feel sorry for ourselves! Let’s not look at what we do have. No! Let’s look at what we don’t have.”

“What? What we got?” Kaja challenged.

“You have each other. You have each other. You have your best friend, right there, loving you, caring for you, doing everything they can to make you happy. Well, guess what? There’s people all around don’t have even that,” Abigail yelled.

“And you are in charge of finding those people and doing what you can to make them happy this Christmas,” Esme declared after a long moment of silence.

“What?” Abigail asked.

“You’re last exam was yesterday,” Esme said. “When’s the next semester start? You need to be in charge of the Fletcher Christmas Foundation.”

“That, this is my last semester; I graduate with an Associates in Nursing,” Abigail said.

“What?” both Kaja and Esme shrilled?

“Abigail, what? Why, why didn’t you tell us?” Kaja demanded.

And by the next morning, the Ghost of the Christmas Bitch was back, screaming and cursing and terrorizing her servants. The new nurses arrived and within two hours one of the nurses tendered her resignation. Three hours after the first nurse left, the second one also tendered her resignation.

“Okay, Ess; budget,” Abigail demanded. “For the Marta Fletcher Christmas Foundation.”

“And don’t you dare treat the nanny like that,” Kaja demanded, marching as well as her nearly nine months of pregnancy would allow. “Dr. Martin is sending another two nurses here.”

“Nanny?” Abigail asked, looking up from her laptop computer.

“Yeah. I mean, we, we’re going need some help; none of us have ever been mommies before,” Kaja explained as she ignored Esme’s attempts to justify her unjustifiable behavior.

“Uh? What? What am I?” Abigail snapped, her anger apparent.

“What?” Kaja asked. “You, you’re doing the foundation.”

“”You bitch,” Abigail spat, her eyes brimming with tears. “Really? You, you’re really going to let some stranger come around our babies? You going let someone who doesn’t know, doesn’t love you around our babies? Our babies?”

“Well, I guess not,” Kaja said quietly.

The matronly woman that came to the Fletcher Mansion was sent away with two hundred dollars and an apology from Kaja. Bundling against the chill, the woman shrugged.

Dr. Martin refused to send any other nurses to the Fletcher Mansion; he had his reputation to think of. Abigail called the Dean of Nursing at Central Maine Lutheran College and the dean was only too happy to send three recent graduates to the home.

“And you. You are not to talk to any of them,” Kaja threatened Esme.

“What? What?” Esme asked, genuinely baffled. “Why not?”

“Because, you psychotic pregnant bitch, you are a monster,” Kaja said.

“I what?” Esme said, shocked.

“Ess, if I didn’t love you so damned much, I would have killed you a thousand times over,” Kaja said.

“Abigail,” Esme screamed. “Abigail, get in here!”

“What? God bless, what is it?” Abigail asked, hurrying from the small office Esme had created for her and the Foundation.

Abigail listened as Esme complained about Kaja and her unreasonable assertion that she was a bitch. No, no, the words Kaja had used were ‘psychotic bitch’ and ‘monster.’ Abigail looked at Esme and at Kaja.

“Okay. What am I supposed to say?” Abigail asked. “Ess, Raoul has quit almost every day this week. Betty, the downstairs maid? Runs and hides in the kitchen when you come storming downstairs. I’ve only seen Freda twice; she is terrified to come into this wing of the house. Those two nurses? Didn’t make it one day with you.”

“Everyone hates me!” Esme burst into deep racking sobs of self-pity.

“Thanks, Abigail,” Kaja smirked. “Guess who’s going to have to mop this one up?”

By lunch-time, Esme had regained her composure. By supper, she forgot about her worries that everyone hated her.

The three hopefuls from Central Maine Lutheran College had one attribute, two attributes the previous two nurses did not have. One, they had very limited experience so did not know they should be not be treated to Esme’s profane outbursts. And two, they were hungry. A hungry person with a mountain of bills will put up with unpleasant circumstances and situations.

December 24th, Esme complimented Raoul on his excellent goose. She invited the staff, including the two nurses on duty to join herself, Kaja and Abigail for the Christmas meal.

“See? This, this is the Ess I’m madly in love with,” Kaja whispered to her wife.

Esme handed Holiday bonuses to each employee. The two nurses were startled, pleasantly surprised when they also received bonuses; they’d been employees of Kaja Neige for less than two weeks.

“And when Carla comes in…” Esme said to Kaja.

“Clara,” Kaja corrected, accepting the envelope for the third nurse.

“You know, they have medication for whatever it is that you have,” Esme teased.

“Yeah? Well, I wish they had medication for whatever it is that you have,” Kaja retorted. “Raoul, this goose is just wonderful.”

“Heartburn! God I got heartburn so bad,” Esme whined as she and Kaja tried, unsuccessfully to get comfortable in their bed.

“You? I, I swear I’m going throw up,” Kaja sobbed. “I’m so tired. You hear? I am just so tired but I can’t even fall asleep.”

Suddenly, Kaja gasped, blue eyes wide. She grunted, then groaned, looking about frantically.

“Kaja, what? What is it?” Esme shrilled, alarmed.

“I, oh! Oh that, God!” Kaja wheezed, sinking back into her pillows.

“What? What happened?” Esme demanded to know.

“Nothing,” Kaja said, wiping at her leaking eyes. “Just go to sleep.”

“Would if I could,” Esme said.

“So, tell me again what you’re going name our little boy?” Kaja softly asked, resting her hand on Esme’s grossly distended belly.

“Trouble. With a capital ‘T,'” Esme declared.

“No, come on,” Kaja said, rubbing Esme’s belly.

“Chaos? No, no, I’m naming him Stress,” Esme said.

“Baby, seriously,” Kaja chided her lover. “Our baby boy needs to know his mommies love him and treasure him.”

“I like Rudolph; that was my real father’s middle name,” Esme said softly. “Rudolph Fletcher Neige.”

“Joy,” Kaja said, resting her hand on her own belly. “Because of the joy she will bring to you and me.”

Then Kaja suddenly gasped again. Esme did not even wait to ask what was wrong; she punched the call button.

“Yes ma’am?” Dana, the youngest and prettiest of the three nurses asked, bustling into the room a moment later.

“It, it’s nothing, Kaja groaned.

“Oh? You got your degree when?” Dana snapped. “Mrs. Neige, I think I’ll determine if it’s nothing or not.”

“Ha!” Esme crowed, seeing Kaja put into her place.

“Guess what?” Dana said a moment later. “Mrs. Neige, you’re in labor.”

“So, it’s not nothing,” Esme smirked, then gasped, big blue eyes wide. “Wait! She, she’s in labor?”

“Mm hmm,” Dana said, pressing the call button to summon Orly Rosen, the other nurse on duty.

“We’re going to have a baby?” the heavy set nurse cheerfully asked, hurrying into the room.

With two nurses hustling about, Kaja was quickly prepped for what was to come. Esme tried to help but was quickly ordered to sit in a chair on the other side of the room. Petulantly, she called Abigail; Esme could see she would need reinforcements to inform these two nurses who was in charge.

“Our baby’s coming? Oh, how wonderful!” Abigail said, rushing into the room.

“Uh huh,” Kaja said, feeling safe and secure and frightened and anxious and fearful all at the same time.

“Oh, oh Kaja, I love you so much!” Abigail declared and kissed Kaja’s forehead.

“They got me sitting all the way over here,” Esme complained.

“Out of the way? Good,” Abigail said. “Dana, Orly? What can I do?”

“Sit and wait. Nature needs to take its course,” Dana said, assuming the role of team leader.

“This pad is sticking to my butt,” Kaja complained.

“It’s a waterproof pad,” Orly explained.

Dr. Martin and Clara, the third nurse arrived to the Fletcher Mansion a few moments apart. Dana had called the doctor when Kaja’s contractions were five minutes apart.

“Let’s see,” Dr. Martin said, smiling. “A Christmas baby; how wonderful!”

Kaja just groaned. Esme again complained that she was relegated to the sidelines. And again, the six others in the room told her to stay put.

“Hey, Ess, go get us some coffee or something,” Abigail ordered.

Getting to her feet, muttering curses under her breath, Esme took two steps then her water broke. Leaving Kaja to the hands of Clara and Dr. Martin, Dana and Orly grabbed Esme and helped her ready herself.

“You just cannot stand not being the center of attention,” Kaja playfully accused.

“Oh, oh shut up,” Esme said as she lay down on the other side of the large bed. “Ew, this pad DOES stick to your butt!”

“What? Did you think I was making that up? OOOOHH~@ Oh damn! That, that hurt,” Kaja teased then gasped and groaned as a very powerful contraction rippled through her.

“Aaieegh! I oh God!” Kaja cried out.

“You’re doing great. You are doing so great,” Dr. Martin encouraged.

“We have the head,” Clara announced a moment later.

“Oh!” Abigail said, sponging Kaja’s sweaty face. “That’s it, that’s it! We’re almost there! Come on.”

“We? We’re almost there? Time for you to take over, then,” Kaja grunted, then screamed.

“That’s it! You are doing so good, Kaja,” Dr. Martin declared.

“I can’t,” Kaja sobbed out.

“Yes you can,” Esme groaned through a contraction. “Yes you can, Baby. You, augh, you can do it.”

And with screams, sobs, and encouragements, Kaja managed to deliver a six pound four ounce baby girl. Clara and Abigail cleaned the infant then wrapped her in her blanket.

“I, oh! Oh my darling, my sweet girl,” Kaja sobbed out as she saw her daughter for the first time. “Oh! Merry, Merry Christmas my little angel! Merry Christmas!”

“So, what are we naming her?” Abigail asked, softly resting her hand on Kaja’s shoulder.

“Lumiere,” Kaja said. “Lumiere Anne Neige.”

“Lumiere?” Dana asked.

“Old French,” Abigail explained, and spelled the odd word. “It means ‘Light’ and is the perfect name for our little light.”

It took another nine hours for Esme to deliver her baby girl. Her shock was real; she truly had believed she would birth a baby boy. By now, Kaja was able to wiggle over, and hold Esme’s hand during the most arduous moments of the birth.

“Oh, oh Ess, she’s beautiful,” Kaja praised when Clara and Abigail brought the baby girl to her mother.

“She is, isn’t she?” Esme said, gazing with wonder at her six pound nine ounce baby.

“So? Now that Rudy don’t have a ding dong?” Kaja lightly teased Esme.

“Snow,” Esme decided.

“Ess, our last name means snow,” Kaja reminded Esme. “So, Snow Snow?”

“Snow,” Esme insisted. “Snow Anne Neige.”

“Mommy? Someone’s hungry,” Abigail said, carrying Lumiere into the room.

“Yes I am,” Kaja admitted. “God, I’m starving!”

“Merry Christmas,” Esme whispered, watching Kaja and Lumiere bonding.

“Merry Christmas,” Kaja agreed, watching her daughter suckle hungrily from her breast.

“Raoul says he’s preparing something extra special for you,” Abigail announced a moment later.

“Thank you,” Kaja murmured, transfixed by her baby girl.

“And he says he’s preparing some poison for you,” Abigail taunted Esme.

“Remind him that it is Christmas,” Esme smirked.

“And speaking of Christmas, Kaja, your family wasn’t too happy with the gift cards,” Abigail said.

“Gift… I didn’t send them any gift cards,” Kaja said, looking up from Lumiere.

“No, I did,” Esme chortled. “They each got a twenty dollar gift card to Newhart’s Restaurant.”

“Ess,” Kaja asked, eyebrow cocked.

“And in the card, you wrote ‘Merry Christmas! Eat me!’

“Ess!” Kaja gasped, then laughed out loud. “You didn’t!”

“Merry Christmas,” Esme said, looking at Snow once more.

“Merry Christmas,” Kaja agreed.

**Author’s Note: I write these stories for my pleasure; I post them here for your enjoyment. Thank you for reading my stories.

I especially thank those that take the time to leave comments, good and bad. I also thank those that rate my words, those that ‘Favorite’ my works.

This is an entry in the Literotica Winter Holiday 2024 contest. Please take a moment to rate this and the other excellent stories that have been submitted for this contest. Thank you.

This is one of those anomalies; there are no characters from any other JimBob44 stories making an appearance in this tale.

Have a swell day. And some of you? Have a swollen day.