CHAPTER 2

A little more than a month later, everything seemed to settle into a new routine for the Buck family. Caleb, now an officially licensed driver, had begun dating on weekends, something that found him spending more time away from home than at home. Dara had taken to preparing the youngest three children to a routine of dedicating a specific amount of time each day for improving their reading and math skills so that they would be fully ready when it came time to enroll them in preschool. Combined with the time that the children spent at the Outreach Center that their mother had helped to found, attending various learning programs for children their age while their mother worked, it wasn't shocking that the trio were highly intelligent and highly informed.

Given the time that she did spend in contact with the children of the Trinity community, the fact that Dara found herself exposed to the various illnesses that circulated through Trinity, especially those easily spread by children. Thankfully, her children never seemed to suffer from anything more than the usual cold, coughs and sniffles. Dara, on the other hand, was a different matter entirely, she never seemed able to escape the more severe symptoms of the flu and viruses that she found herself exposed to. Despite having taken Matt Crower's suggestion the year after Rinie's birth and taken a flu shot, it became obvious that such measure were futile since she had promptly developed a secondary lung infection which placed her in the hospital.

Considering the face that there had been a late Summer virus that seemed to be making it's way through the children of Trinity, Lucas wasn't surprised when he realized that his wife had been ill for a few days. Deciding that she was in need of a check up and knowing that the day would be a quiet one with all of his deputies on shift, he took the children with him to his office, allowing Dara the opportunity to go for a checkup. Realizing that the faster she was seen, diagnosed and began medication, the fast she could get back on track with her normal routine, Dara called to make certain that she could be seen before dressing the children and sending them on their way with their father before she prepared for her own appointment. Two hour later, Dara walked through the door of the Fulton County Sheriff's office to find Ben Healey working the front desk.

Ben had been one of Lucas' deputies for over ten years and he, like everyone else in Trinity, liked Dara immensely, especially given the changes that she had helped to bring about where her husband was concerned. Although he had wondered, when Lucas first met Dara, if she wasn't simply going to be another conquest for him; Lucas, himself, had made no qualms about the fact that his intentions were to spent his life with her as his wife. Bringing his attention back to the present and noticing just how pale she seemed, Ben asked sympathetically;

"What's the matter, Dara; not feeling too good today?"

Nodding she offered;

"You have no idea, Ben."

Motioning in the direction of Lucas' office, she asked;

"Where are my husband and kids, Ben?"

Nodding towards the doorway to Lucas' office, Ben offered;

"There in Lucas' office, would you like me to take them and get them a soda of something?"

Dara felt grateful for his inspiration as she offered him a slight smile of gratitude;

"Thank you, Ben, that would be a good idea."

Approaching the door, she rapped on it lightly before entering to find herself the center of a barrage of small arms as her children rushed to hug her before demanding anxiously;

"Are you feeling any better, Mommy? You're gonna be alright, aren't you?"

Kneeling to hug her children to her, Dara couldn't help but smile as she offered a slight laugh;

"Yes, babies, I'm going to be just fine."

Glancing over her shoulder to Ben, who was standing in the doorway, she wasn't shocked when he took his cue to offer;

"Hey, how about if I take you guys and we'll go get something to drink and maybe even a donut."

The trio turned to their mother, their eyes filled with eagerness at the prospect of an unexpected treat from one of their favorite people, as they waited for her approval. Nodding, she shooed them from the room as Ben pulled the door closed to give Dara and Lucas privacy. Rising from his desk chair, Lucas came around the desk to pull his wife into a close embrace as he asked;

"What did Crower say, darlin? This is just the flu, right?"

Dara pulled away from her husband to walk over to the large window to look outside as she gathered her thoughts and courage before sighing heavily as she stated in a worried voice;

"Lucas, I don't have the flu, I'm pregnant again."

Staring at her in shocked silence, Lucas tried to decide the best way to approach the subject on his mind as he observed;

"I thought that you were still on birth control pills."

Glancing over her shoulder, Dara couldn't help the look or tone of sarcasm as she replied;

"I was; however, I'm apparently one of those lucky women who seem to fall into the five percent group that still manage to conceive while on the pill."

Walking up behind her, Lucas encircled her with his arms as he laid his cheek against the top of her head to ask softly;

"Darlin, are you happy about it?"

Turning to look into his eyes, Dara admitted in an unsure voice;

"I don't know, I mean, we already have four children and I thought that the idea of another baby would be, to say the least, unsettling to you."

Shaking his head, Lucas offered her a smile as he confessed;

"I happen to like the idea of another baby."

Kissing her gently, he placed his hand against her cheek as he continued;

"And I happen to think that you're sexy as hell when you're pregnant, or course I happen to think that when you're not pregnant too."

Searching his eyes for his sincerity, Dara demanded in a serious tone;

"So you don't mind that we're having another baby?"

Shaking his head, Lucas confirmed;

"Nope, I do not. Now, why don't we gather our other three babies and then we'll find Caleb and go celebrate."

Opening his office door, he called for their children to gather their belongings as he notified Ben that he was off duty for the evening before ushering his family out the door. They had only been gone a few minutes when the bell over the outer door chimed, announcing the presence of someone in the office. Glancing up from his paperwork, Ben recognized the stranger who had come in a few weeks before; something easy to do given the fact that anyone wearing a long black leather duster coat, especially as warm as it was, and a black cowboy hat pulled low over his eyes, which Ben was sure were as black as the rest of his attire. Pushing down the cold chill he felt creeping up his spine at the sight of the man, Ben inquired;

"Can I help you, sir?"

Glancing at Ben from under his hat with a look of cool disdain, the stranger asked in a distinctively deep voice;

"Yeah, you can tell me where I can find Lucas Buck."

Looking the stranger up and down, Ben sized him up and decided that he didn't like the idea of giving him personal information, such as just exactly where Lucas Buck lived. Deciding to try and sidetrack the stranger, Ben shook his head;

"Sorry, mister, but you just missed him. I think that he and his wife were planning on taking their family out for dinner tonight. He'll be back in the morning."

A flicker of surprise crossing his face, the man demanded;

"You mean to tell me he's married?"

Nodding, Ben supplied;

"Yeah, he has four kids too, why?"

Shaking his head, the stranger admitted;

"No reason, I guess. I just didn't think that he'd be the family man type, that's all."

With that, he turned on his heel and left without another word. Ben couldn't help but shudder involuntarily, although he wasn't sure exactly why, he couldn't help but get the distinct impression that he had just seen serious trouble leaving.

Uncertain as to just how they should broach the subject of another addition their already large family, Dara had asked that Lucas break the news to their children. After they had given their orders to their waitress, Lucas crossed his arms on the table top as he began by advising;

"Guys, your mother and I need to talk to you about something."

Noting the knowing look on Caleb's face and assuming that his eldest child had already guessed what the topic was going to cover, Lucas turned his attention more towards the youngest three children. Despite their age, there was no doubt as to how intelligent and quick witted they were, especially given the fact that all three were beginning to learn how to read, as well as having knowledge of various subjects that most children their age were yet even aware of. His tone indicating the serious nature of the discussion, Lucas asked the trio;

"Do you three know what the word 'pregnant' means?"

Despite being the youngest child, Rinie had somehow been delegated to the role of spokesperson for she and her two elder siblings, that being the case, she spoke up;

"Yes, Daddy, it's what a woman is when she's going to have a baby; isn't it?"

Unable to help the smile of pride he felt at his youngest child's intelligence, Lucas nodded;

"Yes, baby, that's exactly what it means. Well, when Mommy went to see Dr. Matt today he told her that is what is wrong with her, that's why she hasn't been feeling well lately, she's going to have another baby."

Dara couldn't help but feel as is she were sitting on pins and needles as she carefully searched the faces of her children, hoping that they wouldn't be upset over the news. Knowing how highly the trio held their brother's esteem, she wasn't shocked when Rinie turned to Caleb to ask;

"Caleb, do you think that it's a good thing for Mommy to have another baby?"

Seeing the look of anxiety on his mother and father's faces, Caleb turned to his sister and nodded as he pointed out;

"Yes, Rinie, I think that it's a good thing. And just think about it, that means that you won't be the baby anymore and that you'll have a little brother or sister like me, Riesa and Alex."

Noting the look of intense consideration on the little girl's face, Lucas and Dara weren't shocked when she motioned for her sister and brother to huddle together for a hushed discussion. Dara had no idea that she had been holding her breath until they were finished and all three turned to their parents, happy smiles on their faces as Riesa offered their joint opinion;

"We think that it would be nice to have another brother or sister, just as long as you and Mommy still love us too."

Relieved, Dara vowed;

"You guys know that you have nothing to worry about, right? My having another baby doesn't change how much Daddy and I love you all."

All three nodded in unison as Alex confirmed;

"We know that, Mommy."

Glad that the issue of the new addition had been settled, Dara found that she was able to enjoy her meal once the waitress had brought their orders. Once their meal was finished and they were on their way home, it wasn't a surprise when the younger children fell asleep in the back seat. When they reached home, Dara had attempted to lift Rinie, but, both, Lucas and Caleb shook their heads as Lucas stated emphatically;

"Darlin, you don't need to be carrying these babies in your condition, especially considering how much they're growing and the fact that they're getting heavier. You go on in and get their beds ready and Caleb and I will bring them in."

Hurrying ahead, Dara unlocked the door and hurried up the staircase to turn back the covers on the children's beds and get their nightclothes ready. Once all three had been undressed and tucked into bed, Dara decided that she needed a bath to ease the tensions from the day. Once she had finished bathing she donned a nightgown before climbing into bed, feeling the beginning of nausea starting.

While Dara was seeking to ease her plight, Lucas found himself discussing the prospect of a new baby with his eldest child as Caleb voiced his concerns;

"Don't get me wrong, Dad, it's not that I'm not happy about another brother or sister, but both times that Mama was pregnant she had a really tough time. I thought that you guys were doing something to prevent her from getting pregnant again."

Staring into his cup of coffee as if it might hold the assurance that his son had no reason for his concerns, Lucas sighed;

"We were; your mother was taking birth control pills, however, they obviously weren't that effective."

Seeing the strained look on his father's face, Caleb stated, rather than asked;

"You're afraid that she's going to have a tough time again, aren't you?"

Looking into his son's face as he took a deep breath, Lucas explained;

"You know, I've never once thought about your mother's age, to me, she's always going to be the same young woman that I saw standing on the sidewalk that day. But, the fact is that she's four, almost five years older than she was that day, although she doesn't even look the age she was then. But, she is older now as well as a history of two troubled pregnancies and two hard deliveries, one of which had to be done by C-section; so yes, I am concerned, to say the least, about her. This isn't going to be easy for her, especially with three young children to keep up with on top of it."

Understanding his father's concern, Caleb nodded his agreement of his statement as he suggested hesitantly;

"Dad, with her history, you know she does have an option."

His eyes flashing angrily at the thought, Lucas shook his head vehemently;

"Caleb, I can't believe that you would even consider that your mother would go along with that and, truth be told, I don't want her to."

Lowering his head in shame over his father's statement, Caleb ventured;

"I'm sorry, Dad, I was wrong for even thinking that."

His face brightened as he gave voice to the thought in his head;

"We could call Mama Lucy to come and help with the kids, like before. I'll help too, but she can be here with Mama while you're at work and I'm at school."

Lucas remained silent for a moment, the truth was that he had entertaining thoughts along similar lines since learning of his wife's pregnancy, especially since she had been there for them during both of Dara's earlier pregnancies. But, she was now in her eighties and Lucas wasn't certain that running after three small children, plus the additional help that Dara would require with running the house might not be too taxing for his grandmother. Turning to Caleb he ventured;

"I'll tell you what, we'll call her tomorrow to tell her about the baby and if she wants to, then she'll come, but otherwise, we won't mention it. We'll let her make the decision if she want's to help; okay?"

Satisfied with his father's suggestion and logic, Caleb offered a simple nod of agreement as he rose from the table;

"Alright, Dad, I know that you worry about Mama, probably more than I do, so I know that you'll do everything possible to make things as easy on her as possible. I better get to bed, goodnight."

Lucas sat for a few minutes, mulling over the discussion he had just had with his son. Realizing that there was nothing more to be accomplished by pushing off sleep, he rose from the table to place his cup in the sink before making his way upstairs, checking on his three younger children before making his way to his own bedroom. As he opened the door he noticed the covers thrown back on the bed, which was empty and, spotting the light pouring from under the bathroom doorway, he realized that his wife was being plagued by nausea. Pushing the door open he found her trying to relieve her nausea, once she seemed to be more in control of her malady, he wet a wash cloth to wipe her face before helping her up from the floor as she splashed cool water on her face. Glancing at her worriedly, he asked worriedly;

"Do you feel a little better now?"

Nodding as she sagged weakly against the counter as she wiped her face with a hand towel, she offered softly;

"Yes, just give me a minute and I'll pull myself up form this disgraceful position."

Shaking her head at her stubbornness and determination, he decided to take charge;

"It's alright, darlin, I'll help you."

With that, he swept her up in his arms and made his way to the bedroom, Dara, feeling much too ill to argue, simply laid her head against his shoulder. Settling her in the bed, he pulled the covers around her before suggesting;

"Do you think that some soda or some crackers might help a little?"

Swallowing hard as she nodded, Dara requested;

"Some soda, please."

Lucas hurried downstairs to the kitchen to bring her what she had requested. Returning to their room he helped her to sit up and take a sip of ginger ale in the hopes that it would ease her stomach. Watching as she fell back on the pillows and placed her arm across her eyes in an attempt to stop the room from spinning. Placing his hand on her forehead to push her hair out of her face, Lucas asked, the concern evident in his voice;

"Darlin, is there anything else, at all, that I can do to make it better?"

Giving a slight shake of her head, Dara reasoned;

"No, we've been through this before so I'm fairly used to it. Let's just try and get some sleep please."

Realizing the truth of her statement, Lucas undressed and climbed into bed next to her before pulling her close to him as he felt her relax against him as they both fell asleep.