Jack knew that Mary was all shook up as soon as he saw her. She told him hours later that it wasn't so much childbirth or pain that made her uncomfortable, so much as the vaguely sexual noises that Karen had been making. "It just seemed so… private," he'd remember her saying. "I felt like I was intruding on a special moment."

Two mornings later, Mayor Thomas was making his rounds, announcing that Karen had given birth to a healthy baby girl. It was an unspoken custom in Mineral Town that the mayor would begin telling good news -birth, marriage, going off to college, and such- at its place of origin, to get the facts straight. Then as he told everyone the good news, each household would give as they could afford to, and Thomas would return to the news' starting place and give them the donations as a gift on behalf of the town. In tougher years, Barley was fond of telling people, you would receive grain; apples and oranges if you were lucky! But in Jack and Mary's day, it was much more acceptable to give Thomas money, and to go visit the person he was collecting for at their home to give them other gifts.

Unsurprisingly, Lillia's home was filled to the brim when they arrived, so much so that the chickens were locked in their run and the welcome wagon spilled out into the yard. They had set up a small tent near the back where you could sit in the rocking chair with the new baby, as well as a bassinet for her so she could catch a break here and there. One folding table was set up for food gifts, another folding table for everything else.

Jack and Mary arrived with a buttload of cloth diapers and other non-glamorous necessities, as well as a bottle of wine for Karen, when she could drink again. They received more hugs than they ever thought possible. Jeff was lit. He was hugging and kissing every person who passed through the gates, delirious with joy. Sasha was only slightly tipsy, her usually impeccable bun down in a low ponytail, her face flushed in contrast with her sandy blond hair. She thanked Mary for visiting her daughter when Karen was beginning labor, although Mary was ashamed to have left.

While people were dancing to music and making toasts to the new parents, Jack made his way to Rick and Karen for congratulations and a quick peek at the cause of all the excitement.

"Hey, we're so glad you made it!" Rick exclaimed, although he looked exhausted. "You know, Gotz finished the crib just in time. Do you wanna see it?"

"Can I see the little bundle first?"

"Of course." Rick spun around haphazardly, only to realize that Karen was right behind him. "Oh, I thought you had the baby."

"She's in her bassinet!" She came over to give Jack a hug, and thank him again for paying for their crib.

"Hey- wow, you look amazing. You really had a baby last night, and you look like this? What does it feel like to not be pregnant anymore?"

They shot the breeze for a few minutes, and as Mary was finally escaping Karen's parents, Jack was just reaching into the bassinet to scoop up the little darling. She was a tiny pink potato in his arms, but fragile, terrifying, and enchanting. He turned around, and when he saw Mary, he grinned from ear to ear. His eyes were glossy. "Isn't she just beautiful, Mary?"

Mary smiled politely and nodded. "Do you wanna hold her, Mary?" She heard Karen ask.

"Oh, that's alright. She's absolutely beautiful. But I'm not good with babies; god forbid I should drop her or something!"

"You won't drop her," Karen chided playfully. "If you want, you can sit in the rocking chair, so you're more comfortable."

"You can, but without the baby, because I'm keeping her!" Jack laughed.

They left in such a state that Jack could legally have driven home had they needed to, but it would've have been smart. Mary was more or less completely sober. "I'm really glad you had fun," she said, in an ambiguous, flat tone.

"God, did I. I really have to tip the sprites better for coming on such short notice."

The next morning, Jack beat his hangover with as much water as his stomach could safely handle and a pair of sunglasses. He took care of his animals and then called Gotz to join them, much as he had upon first arriving at the farm. With a rough blueprint drawn on a napkin, and a quick eyeballed measurement of the field, Gotz gave him an estimate of what it would cost to have an integrated drip irrigation system installed. Jack was appalled, but he shook Gotz's hand and sent him off with a boxed lunch.

"Hey, you're up late," Jack called, as his girlfriend finally emerged from the house. "What's up?"

"I've been up for a couple hours, but you were busy. Can we talk?"

Jack's stomach sank. "Sure." He joined her inside, where they sat on the neatly made bed.

"You looked so happy holding Becca, and I'm really, really worried."

"Why?"

"Because you're gonna be a great dad, and you want to be a dad."

"Well, thank you."

"And I don't want kids right now, definitely not for at least a few years. And even then, I don't know if I ever will."

"But why?"

"That's not really a question I can answer, and it's not really a question that you should ask."

Jack frowned. "I think it's pretty reasonable to ask why."

"But it's not," Mary said hotly. She was quick this morning. "You ask a woman why she doesn't want kids, but you'd never ask her why she does want kids."

"Bullshit; of course I would."

"You wouldn't ask someone why they want a certain drink at a restaurant, or why they like a certain car. You wouldn't ask someone why they never went to college, or why they've got a cat instead of a dog. You just say 'live and let live.' You'd say, 'To each his own.' But god forbid a woman doesn't want children, because then it's a question of why."

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Jack felt confused and angry all at the same time.