Now What?

I wasn't happy as I walked home after breakfast the next day. I had just spent my morning meal finding out there wasn't really anything I could do about Jack and his being at my house. I had options, just as the lawyer had said, but none I was willing to live with. I basically had two choices. One was to keep Jack and hope that Jim was actually going to do what he said he was. The other was simply refuse to keep him. If I decided to do the latter, Jack would be turned over to the proper authorities and they would try to find Jim. I'd already decided I couldn't bring myself to tell Jack he was going to be sent to a home; no kid deserves that. So I was going home to tell my wife that for all intents and purposes, we had another child. At least until I could find Jim, and I had to find him.

When I got back to the house, Doralice was cleaning up from breakfast. Bret was there, doubtless getting breakfast before heading home for some sleep, and holding one of the girls. Jack was at the table taking in the all the action around him with wide eyes. I felt sort of sorry for him; this was probably much more than he was used to, and last night certainly had been. Maudie had once again screamed all night and kept most of us from getting any sleep. Jack had gotten up during one of my shifts and asked if she was going to cry all night. When I'd told him yes, he'd just sighed and gone back to his room. He didn't look anymore at ease now than he had then.

"Morning," I greeted as I walked in. Bret and Doralice returned the greeting, Jack stared at me. I went over and kissed my wife. When I pulled back Doralice gave me a questioning look and I shook my head slightly. I needed to talk to her but, I thought it would be best if Jack wasn't around.

"Do we need to talk?" she asked softly.

I nodded. "Later."

She nodded and continued washing dishes. Meanwhile, I took my daughter away from my brother. "She's an angel," he said with a grin as he passed her over. "I just can't believe the things Y'all say about her."

"If only she was always this quiet," I said after confirming I had Maudie.

"Wasn't quiet last night," Jack muttered.

"No, she wasn't. They're still learning when its time to sleep and time to be awake."

"I tried explaining to Jack about colic this morning," Doralice added giving the boy a smile. "I'm afraid I didn't do very well."

I was surprised when Jack smiled back at my wife. "It don't make much sense."

"No, it doesn't," Doralice agreed.

Jack gave the baby I was holding a wary look before sighing again. He got up from his seat and went over to Doralice. He said something to her quietly and she nodded before he started drying the dishes she'd washed. There was a smile on his face again and I couldn't help but wonder at the difference between the boy when he was around me and when he was around Doralice.

"How were things at the saloon last night?" I questioned Bret as Jack and Doralice continued with the dishes.

He grinned. "More peaceful than things were here, from what Doralice says, but I didn't sleep last night either. So, if you don't need me for anything, I'm going to get some sleep too."

I looked down at my daughter who was sleeping so soundlessly and peacefully and envied Bret his night at Maude's and the sleep he was about to get. I wouldn't mind a nap myself. I shook my head. "No, go on home. And thanks for covering for me last night."

"No problem. I'll be there tonight too if you need me."

"I may have to call on you."

"Just let me know; I'll be there either way. See you later." He stood and kissed Doralice on the cheek. "See ya, Jack."

Jack jumped slightly when Bret spoke to him and offered a quiet goodbye. The smile was again gone, and I noticed he looked about as ill at ease with Bret as he did me. "Can I go to my room?" he asked Doralice when he finished what he was doing.

"Of course," Doralice told him. He gave me another look before heading off down the hall. "Poor boy," she said as she watched him go.

"What makes you say that?" I asked her.

She looked at me incredulously. "How can you not say that, Bart? He's been thrown into a strange house with strange people, and crying babies."

I looked down at my daughter and smiled. "He has my sympathy there. He seems to be dealing with it alright though."

"He doesn't have much choice, does he? It's just a pity he has to deal with it at all." I couldn't argue with that. "Come on," she said reaching for my hand. "Let's put Maudie in her cradle and then you can tell me what the lawyer said."

That was the last thing I wanted to do, but I let her lead me into the girl's room where Belle was already sleeping. I kissed Maudie before passing her over to Doralice and giving Belle a kiss.

"Should I talk fast?" I asked when we were in our own room.

Doralice laughed, but I could tell by looking at her she was worn out. She reached out to me as she sat on the bed. "You don't have to do that. She was up most of the night so I'm sure she'll sleep a couple hours at least. Long enough for us to get a nap in any way."

At the moment, nothing sounded as good as curling up with my wife for a while, even if it was only a little while. I took the hand she offered and let her pull me onto the bed. "How long has she been asleep?" I didn't really want to get comfortable only to have to jump up in ten minutes to tend to a screaming baby. She'd been fussy when I'd left earlier this morning but not screaming.

Doralice moved close to me and settled in with a sigh. "Not until Bret came in this morning."

I felt an unexpected pang at those words. What was it about my brother that could lull my daughter to sleep when nothing else could? Of course, she had been up all night, but it wasn't the first time Bret had managed to quiet her when nothing else could. I sighed both in contentment for just having my wife close to me, and general weariness.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head. "Just . . . tired."

I felt her hand intertwine with mine. "Too tired to talk about the lawyer?"

"Physically? No. Mentally? Well . . . "

"It didn't go well, then."

"Not as well as I'd hoped. According to Winters, there isn't much we can do. Actually, there's nothing we can do."

"What do you mean nothing?"

I grimaced at the tone of her voice. I could tell she'd been hoping for more than that too. I rolled over on my back and stared at the ceiling. "I mean nothing. Winters gave me two options. We can keep him and wait for Jim to show back up, or we can turn him over to the state and let them deal with it."

"The state? You mean like a home?"

"According to Winters, he doesn't have the authority to keep Jack. Jim said he was to be turned over to me and unless Jim says otherwise me and the state are the only options."

Doralice rolled over so she was facing me again. "Does he know anything about James?"

I shook my head. "No. Jim told him what he told me. He had to be out of town and he'd be back."

"But no details?"

I shook my head feeling like an idiot. Why had I let Jim con me into this? Why hadn't I asked more questions or gotten more information? I was already having trouble trying to find a way to balance out my home, my family, and my job and now I had another child to consider. And what about my wife? Doralice was even more stretched out than I was, and now I was asking her to take this on too.

Doralice started fingering the buttons on my shirt. "Bart, are you thinking James isn't coming back?"

"No," I lied. Actually, it wasn't a lie. There may have been a lingering fear he wouldn't, but I wasn't totally convinced of it, not yet anyway. "Are you?" Doralice didn't answer. I sighed. "Alright, what did Bret say today?" Bret was the only one who could have put those thoughts in her head.

Doralice sort of smiled. "You know how Bret feels about him. I can't take anything he says about James too seriously."

"But?" I asked. Jim's always been charming to my wife. Roguish but charming, and I wanted to keep it that way.

"It does seem odd that he wouldn't tell anyone anything. This is his child, wouldn't he want to make sure he was taken care of?"

I sighed. "He did. He sent him here."

"Why do you think he did it?"

I sighed. That's what I had been asking myself all night. This was Jim's child, I had no doubt about that, but if he no intention of claiming him, why would he send for him? I couldn't see any benefit in having the kid sent to me. If Jim didn't want him, why not just refuse him. One look was enough to tell most anyone the boy was Jim's but was there any way someone could actually prove it? I didn't think so. Even if there was, was there a way a man could be forced to care for his child? The answer I came up with for that question was also no. "I don't know. I've been asking myself that all night."

"So what are you thinking we're gonna do?" she asked.

"I don't know that either. I'm not sure I can get in touch with Jim. I can try but . . . or I can tell Winters we can't . . . ."

"No," Doralice broke in. "We can't do that."

I faced her again. "I'm glad you said that. I don't really like this, but I couldn't tell that boy he had to go to a home. No kid deserves that."

"No, they don't. So what do we do?"

"First I have to find Jim. I'm not sure how I'm going to do that yet, but I have to find him. Until then, well . . . how do you feel about just doing the best we can?"

Doralice smiled. "I think we can do that."

"So we keep him until . . . ."

"Until we can think of something else, yes. But how about some sleep first?"

"Sounds good." I opened my arms to her and she willingly curled up in them.

"You know, he really is a sweet kid."

"Is he? He just stares at me."

Doralice laughed. "You just haven't spent enough time around him. He's actually a little charmer." She sighed and laid her head against my chest. "He reminds me a lot of James," she muttered sleepily.

That thought alone was almost enough to keep me from sleeping. Being exactly like Jim was what I was afraid of.