Clay waspacing around the room he shared with Raimundo. Raimundo was trying to concentrate on getting to sleep, but the noises coming from the cowboy's movements were not helping at all.
"Clay." Raimundo muttered. After a few minutes, he didn't get any answer and was getting frustrated. "Clay!"
The second time didn't work either. Raimundo threw the covers off of him and stood up and calmly walked over to Clay.
"Clay, I'm, going to respectfully ask you," He paused for a minute to make his point. "What the hell are you doing man!"
"Sorry there Rai, didn't mean to wake ya up."
"Wake me up! I never got to sleep because of you're pacing."
"I'm sorry Rai, that's all I got to give ya okay!" Clay said with hell in his voice.
Raimundo was taken back by Clay's tone with him to say the least. Clay was the most respectful person you'd ever meet and it was so out of character for him to lash out like that especially over nothing.
"Whoa cowboy, take it easy."
"I gotta get outta here."
"Clay, what's goin' on?"
"Nothin' Rai."
"I know what nothin' is Clay, and that's not nothin'. Tell me what's going on."
"I got problems at home, I need to go now and I don't know how I'm supposed to do that."
"Have you talked to Master Fung?"
"I can't talk to Master Fung about this,"
"Okay," Raimundo said trying to think. "Dojo!"
"What?"
"Go see if Dojo'll take ya. Five bucks says he will."
"What if he tells Master Fung?"
"Go make a deal with him then cowboy, use your head."
"Thank ya Raimundo, if anybody asks you never saw me and you got no idea where I'm goin'."
"Alright, Be careful Clay."
Clay finished putting his boots on and ran out towards the Temple to find Dojo.
"Dojo!..Dojo! Wake up Dojo damn it!"
"Whoa Clay! Where's the fire! Who's stealing the Shen-Gong-Wu!"
"Nobody Dojo, calm down before you wake everyone up. I need ya to take me back home to Texas."
"Why?"
"Please Dojo." Clay said with pleading eyes.
"Alright, alright just this once."
"Thank you Dojo." Clay said breathing for the first time in the whole conversation.
"Get on."
Dojo took Clay back home to Texas where they saw Clay's Father was sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch as Dojo started for the ground. Clay jumped off of Dojo before Dojo landed completely on the ground, Clay only did that when something was seriously wrong, it almost put the fear of Master Doshi in him.
"Daddy! Daddy is she alright!"
" I wouldn't be worryin' about her if I were you boy, I'd worry about my own hide!" The older manscreamed turning a couple shades of red.
"Not right now Daddy," Clay said holding his ground. "Tell me where she is." He said as demanding as he dared to get with his father.
"She's at the Hospital,"
"Well, I got to get to her Daddy, where's the car!"
"You're momma took it gettin' her there, you'll have to wait here."
"I didn't come all the way here just to wait. I promised I'd be there! Come on Dojo."
He jumped on Dojo and Dojo took off as quickly as he could, it wasn't any secret that Dojo didn't like being at the Bailey's ranch.
"Hey, Clay. What's going on with your dad?"
"I don't want to talk about it, but Dojo you gotta promise me that you won't tell Master Fung, Kimiko,Omi, Raimundo, nobody that I'm back in Texas you hear?"
"Why?"
"Just promise me Dojo, You can't tell anybody. Alot of things depend on it."
"Okay, I won't tell anybody, but you have to tell me what I can't tell anybody else."
"I can't Dojo, I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Ah, it was worth a shot." He said as he landed on the roof of the hospital. It was a small town, so of course the hospital was built to fit. " Be careful Clay."
"I will Dojo, thank you."
"You want me to wait for ya? So you can get back to the temple?"
"No, Dojo, I'll be awhile."
"Are you commin' back at all Clay?"
"Maybe, I don't know just yet,"
"Clay."
"Dojo, I can get back on my own. Now I gotta git. Thanks for the ride."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clay climbed down the fire escape of the hospital and ran through the front doors and into reception.
"Howdy Ma'am. Can you tell me where I can find Calleigh Carver?"
"Just one second son,"
"She's in maternity, second floor down the hall to you're left and you'll see the sign."
"Much obliged Ma'am."
After an eternity in th elevator he got to the maternity floor and saw his mother sitting in the waiting area.
"Momma!"
"Clay," She hugged him, quickly. "Clay, I'm so glad you're here. I didn't think you were commin'."
"Momma, where's Calleigh? Is she alright? What about-"
"Clay, she's in with the doctors, now."
"Is anybody in there with her?"
"No, honey, she wanted you. If she didn't have you, she didn't want nobody else."
"What room is she in momma?"
"205," He headed off. "Clay,"
Clay opened the door of 205 hoping Calleigh'd be in there. He saw her and walked over careful not to startle her.
"Calleigh."
"Clay! Oh God Clay, I'm so glad to see you. I didn't think you were commin'!"
"Excuse me sir, who are you?"
"My name's Clay Bailey, sir. I'm.-"
"Sir, I think you should see this-"
"What is it?" He said looking over at the fetal heartrate monitor. "Oh my, increase the I.V.,"
"What's goin' on?" Calleigh asked with a fear streak in her a mile wide.
"The baby's heartrate is too high Ms. Carver, we're doing the best we can to stablize it."
"Oh god,"
"Calleigh, it's alright, just an unexpected turn, it'll be okay." Clay said trying to reassure her.
"We've got it stablized, Looks like your fiance here was right,"
He's not my," She gave up, knowing he wasn't listening to her, she turned her head towards Clay and looked at him for a minute, just appreciating the fact that he was there, that he was home.
"I love you Clay,"
"Love ya too, why didn't you think I was commin' Cal? I promised I'd be here."
"I dunno, it's just somethin' you're Daddy said,"
"What'd he say Calleigh?"
"Somethin' about you wouldn't give up your Showdown's for this."
"Are you kiddin'? I will always be here when you need me Cal, "
"Promise?"
"I promise."
A couple hours later Clay and Calleigh were the happy parents of a baby boy. All of the doctor's had cleared out and the two were alone with their son.
"He's..He's..He's somethin' " Clay said at a loss for words.
"He doesn't have a name." She said looking at him with those dark brown eyes of hers.
"Well, what do ya wanna name him darlin'?"
"Aiden."
"Aiden?"
"Yeah, it was my brother's middle name. "
"You wanna name him after Charlie? Are you ready for that, I mean he's only been gone for six months."
"Yeah I know he's only been dead for six months Clay, that's why I'm using his middle name and not his first."
"Well, I guess we could name him that out of respect for Charlie, but what about his middle name?"
"Youcan get that one."
"How about Dane? Aiden Dane Bailey?"
"I like it."
Clay was happy, genuinely happy, he had a son and a chance at a wife. In the back of his mind he knew he had to make a choice between the Temple and Texas, but he had no clue how he was going to choose between saving the world, and his own flesh and blood.