Danny stood at the door and looked out at the driveway.

He wasn't sure how long it had been since Rafe had pulled his car out of the drive. He started when he felt a touch on his arm and turned to see Sandra standing next to him. "You're a million miles away."

He smiled at her and put his arm around her waist. "I don't know who looked more scared, Red or Amy."

"It reminds me of when we had Ann. I don't know who was more scared then, you or me." She laughed softly. "Now we're old pros."

He laughed in return. "Tell me that again in a couple of months when you're ready to have this little one here." And he put a hand on her expanded form.

"Everything's fine Danny, even the doctor says so. The morning sickness finally went away and you've been so helpful."

"You mean I've been a pain in the ass." Danny grinned at her.

Sandra laughed again and kissed his cheek. "You've been a good attentive husband and I really have appreciated it."

He laughed again before he kissed her cheek in return. "I've been a pain in the ass and you know it."

"You see it your way and I'll see it mine Daniel Walker." She answered him. "But in the meantime, we have a turkey that is still in the oven and we promised the children that they would have their dinner."

He looked at her. "I turned the oven off."

"That's all right. It hasn't been but ten minutes and it shouldn't have cooled off that much. I'll finish the potatoes if you would have the children come out here. Danny and Joseph can help you with the turkey and Sarah can show Ann how to set the table."

"Honey, she's only four." He said with a smile.

"I know that, but it's never too early for her to learn. That way she can show Shelby when she's old enough." Sandra answered him and walked into the kitchen.

She always knows how to finish a conversation. Danny shook his head and headed to the back of the house.

His godson's door was closed and it didn't take much for Danny to figure out that the boy was studying. Rafe always had a hard time with his studies when they were boys and it was a relief to him to know that his son didn't have the same problem. Danny was a voracious reader and it was usually about aircraft, though history seemed to peak his interest as well. Rafe had told him that Danny planned on being a pilot when he was old enough and that Evelyn was disappointed that he didn't want to go to college.

He knocked lightly on Danny's door before he opened it. The boy looked up and smiled. "Are they going to make it?"

"We ain't that far away from the hospital so they have plenty of time." He smiled back.

"I can't remember it, but Dad likes to talk about Mama thinking she was going to have Sarah on my birthday and walking back from the beach, but it turned out to be the next day."

Danny laughed at the memory. "I don't remember ever seein' your daddy in such a panic. But he and your Mama got to the hospital in time for her to have your sister. If you could take a break from studyin' for awhile I could use your help and your brothers with the turkey."

He nodded before he closed his book and stood up. "I was only reviewing anyway. The letters get mixed up sometimes and I need to go back and read things again."

Danny was stunned. "Does your daddy know about that?"

The boy's face flushed and he shook his head. "I know how hard it is for Dad to read sometimes and I don't want him to worry about this."

"You know, for a boy who is almost ten you sound a lot older than you should."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Dad and Mama had to leave Sarah and me behind last year and I know how hard it was for them to do that. And as much as we love Gramps and Grams, Sarah had a really hard time. I missed them too, but I'm Sarah's older brother and she seemed to be looking to me to let her know that everything was all right."

"I'm sure that helped Tom and Sarah quite a lot."

"I tried my best. I can round everybody up for you and we'll be out to help you in a minute."

"I'd appreciate that Danny, thank you." And he headed back up the hallway and into Rafe and Evelyn's kitchen.

Sandra turned to face him with a questioning look. "Are they coming?"

"Danny's goin' to get 'em for me." He answered before he shook his head. "I forget that Danny is only nine because he seems so much older."

She smiled. "He takes his responsibility of being the oldest seriously. And now that he's taken our two girls under his wing, he feels that he's got four kids to look after."

"That ain't right honey. He should have the chance to just be a kid." He frowned.

Sandra touched his arm. "He has been a kid Danny. I know that Ev and Rafe expect more from him because he's the oldest, but they've never tried to make him grow up faster than he needs to."

Danny nodded. "You're right and I know that. It's just that I had to grow up faster than I should have and I don't want to see that happen to him."

"But your circumstances were so much different from his. Danny's been lucky to grow up with parents who love him and a sister and brother who look up to him. Our girls have that too with us." She said gently.

He nodded again. "He's just so serious."

"He's focused Danny. Just like you said Rafe was at that age, when all he could think about was being a pilot."

Danny grinned at her. "How is it that you can see that and I can't?"

"Because you're looking at it from a child's point of view and remembering how it was for you."

He was about to admit she had a point when the telephone rang and he walked out to the living room to pick up the receiver. "McCawley quarters."

"It's a boy." Rafe's voice was on the other end of the line.

Danny answered in surprise as he looked at his wristwatch. "What do you mean it's a boy? It ain't been fifteen minutes!"

"That's what Red said. Fact is by the time I got the car parked and Evelyn got an orderly to get Amy into the hospital, she almost had the baby before they could get her into the delivery room. He's fine and I think he's goin' to have Red's hair."

He sensed Sandra next to him before she put her arm through his. "That kid didn't waste any time, did he?"

"He sure didn't and I think he came faster than Joseph did. Tell Sandra that Amy said that it happened so fast that she wasn't in as much pain as she thought she might be."

"She's right here Rafe and she heard you."

"Evelyn and I will be home soon. Barbara and Dennis are goin' to stay with Red and she told us to have a nice dinner. If it ain't too late, they may come back and see if they can't get Red to come with them for a little while at least."

Danny nodded. "We fired the oven back up and Sandra don't think it will take too long to finish the turkey."

"We'll see you in awhile then." Rafe answered before he hung up.

Danny turned to Sandra. "Did you get all that?"

She seemed a little stunned. "Fifteen minutes."

"Amy's fine and so is the baby."

"It's a boy?" She asked in confirmation.

"A healthy baby boy."

Sandra smiled. "She was so worried this last month because it was finally going to happen and she was scared, like all first times mothers."

"Well it seems to me that if she wanted you to know that, you must've helped her through that."

"I hope so. It was hard when I was about to have Ann and no one was here."

Danny grinned at her. "I like that Mrs. Walker."

"You know darn well what I mean." She answered as her face flushed.

"I know what you meant honey. But at least this one will have the girls around."

"So is it a boy or a girl?" The young voice of Danny McCawley got them to turn around.

"You're daddy called and Amy had a boy. He and your mama are comin' home and we'll have supper when they get here." His godfather told him.

"So what do you want us to do?" He asked.

And as they waited for Rafe and Evelyn to come home from the hospital, Sandra gave them their assignments and Danny kept watch on the turkey.