“The water,” Elizabeth groaned, trying to rise.
“Easy now,” Cutter told her. “Jo will know what to do! We’ve gone over it enough!”
Elizabeth closed her eyes. “You’re right,” she relented. Laying her head back against the pillows, she forced a smile. Cutter’s words were reassuring, but his tone was frantic, and she knew that she would need to remain strong to coach him.
All at once, Katie came racing in, with Shiftless barking at her heels. “He’s bleedin’, Aunt Lizabeth! He’s bleedin’!”
Within seconds, Jo appeared as well. “Katie Elizabeth, get that dog out of here!”
“Oh, yes, ma’am!” Katie slapped her little leg, calling Shiftless. “Come on, boy! Come here!” Grasping the dog by the collar when he came close enough,
Katie dragged him from the room. Jo followed her as far as the door, closing it behind Katie, and then she turned to Elizabeth. “That man!” she declared.
Elizabeth’s face whitened as dread, along with another contraction, ripped through her. “Good night!” she moaned. “He’s stabbed himself!” Again, she tried to rise.
Cutter forced her back down to the bed, glaring at her.
“No. No. Nothing like that,” Jo assured her.
“Then what?” Elizabeth asked, giving in to a little hysteria. “He wasn’t bleeding when I left him!”
“Dammit, Liz, don’t worry about Brady!” Cutter broke in. “You’re bringing our baby into this world, and that’s all you need to be thinkin’ of just now.”
Elizabeth’s gaze returned to her husband. “Our baby,” she whispered reverently, and then another contraction squeezed her, and she gritted her teeth until it ebbed. When it was over, she swallowed and opened her eyes to look into Cutter’s. His expression was full of concern.
“Cutter’s right,” Jo told her. “You don’t need to be worrying over Brady. Besides, it’s just that I socked him one,” she disclosed. “Just an itty-bitty nosebleed is all he’s got.”
Both Elizabeth’s and Cutter’s gazes snapped back at Jo. “You socked him?” they asked simultaneously.
“Well, yes! You’d think he’d’ve learned by now to keep those dirty paws o’ his off o’ me!” She smiled at Elizabeth, winking.
“You see, I knew you were gonna be a little busy, so I thought I might bandage him myself... and the idiot pinched me.”
“Where?” Cutter demanded, his gaze jerking up.
“Now, Cutter, he didn’t mean any harm,” Jo replied. “It’s the red-eye that gets him roused. He can be a perfect gentleman when he’s sober.”
Elizabeth grimaced. “Trouble is, he’s rarely—” she grunted as another contraction besieged her “—sober!”
she screamed, clutching desperately at Cutter’s arm.
“Lucky man,” Cutter said savagely.
Elizabeth blinked, surprised by the remark, and tried to remember to breathe. Her eyes felt as though they were crossing.
“Why is that?” Jo asked.
“Because... if I weren’t busy playing doc just now, I’d break the son of a bitch’s nose! As it is, you’d best get out there and tell the yack to leave before I’m tempted to finish the job you and Shiftless started.”
Elizabeth grunted, concentrating on the soothing sound of Katie’s voice outside the door. She was speaking gently to Shiftless, and she imagined that Katie was petting the dog, as well—much as Cutter was doing to her just now. She wished he would quit, but didn’t have the heart to tell him to get his hands off of her!
“Don’ worry!” Katie crooned. “Don’ worry! Everything gonna be all right... You seeee... Aunt Lizabeth don’t wanna go to heaven yet! She don’ want to!”
Dear Lord, is that what she thought? Did she think her mother had had a choice? Elizabeth vowed to speak to Katie as soon as she was able—make her understand that no one would leave her by choice. She was just too special. She looked beseechingly at Jo.
Jo nodded, understanding Elizabeth’s silent plea. “I’ll stay with her,” she said, “but first I’ll fetch water and blankets.”
Seven weary hours later, Cain Michael McKenzie was born into his father’s hands. Clutching his son protectively, Cutter ran to the door, shouting, “We have a son! A son!” He came back to the bed and dropped to his knees.
