A bunch of nurses were buzzing around the cubicle they'd brought me into, hooking up monitors and talking in hushed voices.

I sucked in a breath. "My mother is outside waiting. Can she come in? Is the baby okay?"

The doctor had been paged a few minutes ago and stepped out of the room and now no one was answering my questions. I wanted to call Raylan, but Mama had my purse and my cell phone, so I couldn't. As distracted as she was over everything with Glen, I wondered if she'd think to call him. I felt tears threatening and willed myself not to cry.

"Don't you worry. You're gonna be fine, and so's this baby." An older nurse, with kind brown eyes and graying curls escaping from her ponytail leaned over me. She rubbed an alcohol swab across my arm and took a syringe from the bedside tray. "I'm Dianne. The doctor wants us to start some steroid shots. They'll help your baby's lungs. Then we'll start an i.v. with a drug to stop your labor."

I stroked my belly, wishing the baby would move or kick. She was oddly quiet. "Will it work?"

"Hopefully," she said. "We'll know in a bit. This is going to sting." She jabbed the needle into my upper arm.

It did. I bit my lip as she pressed a cotton ball to the spot and covered it with a bandaid.

"Jeremy's going to start your i.v. He's the best. You just relax and let us take care of you. Don't you worry about your baby. See this monitor?"

She pointed to a machine emitting a steady beep. "That's your baby's heartbeat. He - "

"She," I corrected.

Dianne smiled. "She's doing just fine. Did I hear you say your mama is out there?"

I nodded.

"I'll check on getting her in here. Is there anything else you need?"

"Could I have some water? I'm really thirsty."

She wheeled a tray over beside the bed and sat a cup and pitcher on it. "There. I'll get you some ice in a minute. I'll be right back, okay?"

"Thank you."

I focused on the steady beep of the baby's heart and closed my eyes, trying to take deep breaths as Jeremy hooked up the i.v. Dianne was right, he was so good that I when I opened my eyes to see what was taking so long I was shocked to see the needle was already in. I smiled at him and white teeth flashed in Jeremy's dark face.

"See, I am the best," he said with a wink. "You're all set to go." He turned to leave just as the curtain parted.

"Excuse me," he said, stepping aside as Raylan pushed his way past.

"You okay?" Raylan's face was flushed, his eyes concerned. "Your mother called me. Is the baby alright?"

God bless my mama. I pointed to the monitor. "She's fine. I'm a little shaky, though." Seeing Raylan brought the tears I'd been trying so hard to hold back.

"I'm not ready for this," I sniffled. "I don't want to have her now! Premature babies can have all kinds of problems and..."

"Shhh." Raylan leaned in and kissed my forehead. "No tears. What did the doctor say?"

"She got paged before she could tell me anything," I told him. I met his eyes. "I'm scared, Raylan."

He squeezed my hand. "Me, too."

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

"Well, I'm not just going to sit here," Mama fumed, pacing in front of the curtain. "It's been two hours and we still haven't seen that doctor. Surely there's someone around here who can tell us what's going on." She pushed back the curtain. "I'm going to talk to the charge nurse again."

I shifted on the bed, careful not to jar the i.v. "The nurse said everything is fine. The drug seems to be helping. The contractions aren't getting any closer together and..."

"That's the nurse," Mama snapped. "I want the doctor in here."

"Mama..."

Raylan's eyes slid to mine. "You hungry?"

"I guess I should eat something," I said. "I haven't had anything since breakfast." It was almost three in the afternoon.

He turned to my mother. "Why don't you run down to the cafeteria and get her something?"

"You're just trying to get rid of me! I only want to know what's going on. Don't you?"

Raylan put a hand on Mama's shoulder and guided her out through the curtain. Even though he lowered his voice, I could still hear him.

"You're upsettin' her, Elaine. The nurses have been checkin' on her and if they were real worried they'd get a doc."
Mama sighed, loudly. "I know you're probably right. I just feel so helpless." She stopped, and the tone of her voice changed. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how she was. Raylan left so quick I didn't get a chance to ask what was goin' on."

Uh-oh, Glen was here. At least it would give Mama somewhere else to focus her energy.

"Winona's going to be fine," Mama said. "You can just go on and get out of here. Go do whatever it is you do that I don't know anything about." Mama pushed her way back in, standing by my bed with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Lainey," Glen's voice pleaded as he followed her. "Get a cup of coffee with me? Let me explain."

"You could give him a chance," Raylan said.

"You just want to get rid of me," Mama repeated.

"Get out, all of you," Dianne said, sweeping the curtain aside. "Except Daddy here. He can stay. Baby Mama don't need your drama. She needs quiet and rest. Dr. Romano was called to do a C-section. She's all finished and she'll be down in a few minutes. Until the doctor is done with her examination you can wait in the lounge or the cafeteria."

"But, I'm her mother!" Mama protested.

"Out." Dianne pointed.

"Well!" Mama huffed. She leaned down and gave me a kiss. "I'll be right outside."

"Mama," I said. "Doesn't Glen deserve a chance to explain? Why don't you get some coffee with him?"

"I'd suggest decaf," Raylan muttered.

Mama shot him a glare, but Glen stepped up and lay a hand on her shoulder. She didn't shake him off.

"Come on, Lainey," he said. "Please?"

"Oh, alright. I might as well." She took her purse from the chair with one glance back at me and a small wave, she left with Glen.

"Alone at last," Raylan said.

Dianne laughed. "I like him," she said to me. "He's a keeper." She winked and patted my leg under the blanket. "I'm going to see if I can get you something to eat. I'm pretty sure the doctor is going to admit you, but that can take awhile."

She left and Raylan paced at the foot of the bed. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and glanced at it.

"Expecting something?"

He shook his head. "Not really. Glen's here and Marco is probably home sleeping it off."

"Sleeping it off? What? He got drunk at lunch?"

"Yeah," Raylan said.

I raised an eyebrow.

He shook his head. "I know. The kid has a problem." Raylan kept pacing, stopping every few minutes to look at Franny's heartbeat flashing on the monitor.

"You're making me nervous."

"Sorry." He ran a hand through his hair, then pulled a chair over close to me and sat, taking my hand and squeezing it lightly. "I hate hospitals."

I squeezed back. "Me, too."

Before the nurse could come back with food, the doctor came in. She nodded to Raylan and checked the i.v., then looked carefully at the monitor.

"How are the contractions?" She said as she checked my pulse and blood pressure.

"Better."

"Better how? Less frequent or less intense?"

"A little of both, I guess."

"Good. The drugs are working then." She pulled up the sheet and my shirt and pressed firmly on both sides of my stomach. "The baby is in breech position," she said, still poking. "We're going to keep the meds going overnight to try to stop this. She may turn on her own, but if you go into full labor, she's small enough that we may be able to turn her. If not, we might have to do a c-section."

She made a note on her chart. "They'll be down in a little while to move you up to maternity. If things go well, you might be able to go home late tomorrow, but you'll be on strict bed rest until you deliver." She snapped the chart shut. "We'll give you the second steroid shot in the morning, regardless."

Raylan pushed to his feet, standing beside the bed. "And if things don't go well? What're we lookin' at?"

"Like I said," The doctor's voice took on a condescending tone, as if she were talking to a slow learner. "There's a chance we'd have to do a c-section."

Raylan's jaw tightened, and I knew he was biting back an angry retort. I wished the nurse would come back, I much preferred her bedside manner.

"What about the baby? Will she be okay?" I said. "This is our first."

The doctor sighed and flipped the chart back open. "You're 30 weeks and 2 days - at this point those days make a difference. I'd say the baby is close to four pounds, if we get both steroid shots in, she should do well. She'll probably spend a few days in the NICU - the neonatal intensive care unit - but most babies this age are home in two or three weeks."

She set down the chart and washed her hands at the sink. "I want to do a quick exam and see how dilated you are." She glanced up at Raylan. "You can stay or wait in the hall."

I could see the tension in his neck and shoulders as he sank back into the chair beside the bed and reached for my hand. "I'll stay."

Our eyes met. "Thank you," I whispered, linking my fingers through his.

-o-o-o-O-o-o-o-

My eyes flickered open and it took me a moment to remember where I was. The room in the maternity ward was gorgeous, with two floor-to-ceiling windows to let in the light, a whirlpool tub in the small bathroom, and a small sitting area with a love-seat, recliner, and good-sized flat screen television. Raylan had been watching a baseball game when I fell asleep, but now the TV was silent and he was nowhere to be seen. Sunlight was slanting from beneath the curtains. I must have slept all night.

I reached for the water on the nightstand and took a sip. I really needed to go to the bathroom, but I wasn't sure how to maneuver with the i.v., or if I was even supposed to get up at all. I pushed the call button and a petite blonde nurse, her own baby bump covered by pink scrubs, came in a few minutes later. She helped me use the bathroom and told me that 'my husband' had gone out for coffee. I didn't bother correcting her.

"I told him not to mess with the cafeteria. The coffee here is beyond awful."

I hoped he would think to bring me some. The nurse, who's name was Callie, checked all the monitors. "You're doing well. Dr. Romano wants us to give you another shot of steroids. I'm going to get that and I'll be right back. She'll be in shortly."

She must've read the look on my face, at the mention of the doctor, because she smiled sympathetically. "Dr. Romano has zero people skills, but she's a great obstetrician." She patted her stomach. "She delivered both my sons and she'll deliver this one, too. I wouldn't have anyone else."

"You have three kids?" I couldn't imagine.

"Well," she laughed. "Two-and-a-half." She sighed. "Another boy."

The baby gave a kick and I ran my hands over my stomach. "We're having a girl."

"I was hoping this one would be a girl, but no such luck." She smiled. "I'll be right back with that shot and some breakfast, okay?"

The phone buzzed on the nightstand. "Morning, Mama," I said, answering.

We'd had a long talk last night after they moved me into my room. She and Glen had made peace, of a sort. She'd asked him to move out, so he was going to stay with one of the guys in the band for awhile. Stella, however, would have to stay at the house since this guy's apartment didn't allow pets. Naturally, Glen would be over to see her, and Mama, pretty often. I figured Mama would forgive him eventually. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.

"How are you sweetie? I'll be there as soon as I get a few things done around here and take a shower."

"I'm fine. Don't worry. Raylan's here - well, he went for coffee, but he'll be right back. They might even let me come home today."

"You think so?"

I shrugged. "That's what the doctor said yesterday."

"Well, I'll be there in a little while."
"Okay, bye Mama." Raylan came in just as I set the phone down, wearing the hat and carrying two cups of coffee. He'd evidently been to the house to change.

He leaned in and gave me a quick kiss. "Decaf," he warned me, handing me the paper cup.

"It's better than nothing."

Callie came in with breakfast. "Ham and cheese omelet, toast, a fruit cup, and milk," she announced. "Not bad." She rolled up the sleeve of my gown and gave me the shot. "Now I'll get out of your hair for a bit."

The omelet was good, but Raylan ended up eating half of it. He was starting in on the toast when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Yeah, Glen. What's goin' on?" He listened, and his eyes flickered to mine. "You shouldn't go over there by yourself. Just a minute." He held his hand over the phone. "Marco's not answering his cell. Glen's worried and wants to go over to his place."

"Go," I said. "I'm fine. Mama's coming soon."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure...besides," I smiled. "If you go I can watch something besides ESPN."

"Alright. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes or so," he said to Glen. He slipped the phone back into his pocket. "You sure you don't mind?"

"I don't mind, Raylan." I yawned. "I'm kind of sleepy anyway."

"Okay." He smiled. "You take a nap. Marco's probably just sleepin' it off and I'll be right back." He lay a hand on my belly and bent over to give me another kiss. I slid my fingers into his hair and held him there for a moment.

"Be good, Cowboy." I said when our lips parted.

He slid the hat on and winked at me. "I'm always good."

We were both laughing as he walked out the door.