I'm finally updating again! I hope you like this chapter…time to find out about the baby's name! Personally I love it, but I know I'm biased…anyway, enjoy chapter 12!

12 – February 8th

"Evie, look at these baby shoes! Aren't they adorable? Damnit, they're way too expensive! Why does everything cost so much?"

"Sybil, you do realize you've been gushing all afternoon-"

"Look! This cardigan is so precious!"

Evie sighed. "I'm kinda tired."

"What? You can't be! We've only been here at the mall for a couple of hours!"

"Exactly! I'm surprised you ain't tired…I thought you could be giving birth anytime now?"

"I'm due next week and yes, I'm tired, but I can't get enough of these clothes!"

Evie smiled. "I'd've liked to share your enthusiasm when I was expecting Julie. Back then, I was…mad at Steve for knocking me up, I think."

I wasn't sure I understood what she meant. "But you two got married…he didn't leave you on your own to look after the baby…"

"It's the least he could've done." Evie retorted.

I didn't reply. She sounded bitter. "I guess we can leave now…" I suggested quietly.

"You sure? You don't wanna buy anything else?"

"I think I bought enough baby clothes. I'd better go home and tidy the house…or try to, at least."

"Okay, let's go."

Evie dropped me off and as soon as I entered the living room, I sat on the sofa. I was suddenly feeling tired. I started going through the bags, looking at the things I had bought for the baby, until I felt very sleepy and decided I'd lay down for a while.

"Sybil? You alright?"

Sodapop gently shook me till I awoke. "Hey…what time is it?" I mumbled groggily.

"It's 7. I just got home…I've woken you 'cause Pony says when he came home at 5 you were sleeping, and two hours have gone by, so… I was worried something was wrong."

"7 already?" I slowly got up, yawning. "I didn't mean to sleep this much."

"Take all the sleep you can get, I bet in the next months we won't get any."

"You're so pessimistic. The baby could be a real angel, you know? Just like me when I was young." I joked.

"I really hope he takes after you, because I, on the other hand, was never quiet…and I probably didn't let my parents sleep much, either."

The following couple of days went by slowly. I was constantly feeling tired and I started thinking life in the past centuries for women had to suck, if they were constantly pregnant.

Unlike many women, though, I didn't wake up in the middle of the night to rush to the hospital. Soda and I went there in the early afternoon and only many hours later, at 10.14 to be exact, on February 8th, our baby was born. He was so beautiful: he had blond hair and blue eyes (although most babies have blue eyes when they come to life) and he bore a close resemblance to Sodapop. I could see that perfectly.

When the following day Ponyboy came by to see his nephew, I was in a room with Soda, holding the baby.

Ponyboy smiled as he looked at him and asked: "So, what's his name?"

I smiled as I held him in my arms: he looked perfect. "Soda, you tell him."

Soda grinned as he stopped staring at our baby for a second to look into his brother's expectant eyes: "Jesse James. Jesse James Curtis."

"Jesse James? It's a neat name, how come I feel like I've already heard it before?"

"You probably did." I replied. "Jesse James was an outlaw, a cowboy. In the 19th century…well, he's got a kind of complicated story, but basically, we liked the name."

"Sure, the outlaw! I think I read something about him…man, Dally would've loved the name." Pony smiled fondly at the thought of his old friend. Soda smiled, too. "Yeah, he would have loved it. Hey, Pony…don't you think the baby…don't you think Jesse James looks like me?" he sounded proud while asking that, even if I could tell he didn't really need Ponyboy's confirmation. I thought Jesse James looked like him, too.

"I don't know, Soda…it's hard to tell, he's so small!"

"Just look! It's crystal clear he's the spitting image of…of me!" Soda insisted.

As Pony and Soda debated about our baby's looks, I held him and stared at him, completely satisfied. Jesse James was simply wonderful and not just because he looked like Sodapop…yes, that was part of the reason…but the truth was, he was the expression of the love Soda and I felt for one another…and he was perfect…

"Sybil, you should rest. Let me hold him!"

"I'm fine, Soda…" I let him hold Jesse James though. Soda looked so proud…and the happiest I had seen him in a long time.

I didn't even realize I was slowly dozing off. When I woke up, hours later, it was night. I found a note from Sodapop on the bedside table.

Sybil,

I stayed until 10.30 but since you were sleeping so well I didn't feel like waking you up only to tell you I was going home for the night to sleep some. I'll be back tomorrow morning very early to stay with you and Jesse James, you won't have the time to miss me!

-Sodapop

I glanced at the clock. It was 2 am. I thought I'd go see Jesse James. He was in a small room with other newborns and as I stared at him behind the glass, I wished I could hold him. He was so small…

Someone bumped into me. "Sorry…"

I was going to say it didn't matter, but then I realized who it was. "Josh? Josh Becker?"

"Do you know me?" he asked, a bit surprised.

"I'm Sodapop's wife…Sybil Curtis. How come you're walking around in the middle of the night…" I hesitated. I was going to say even if you can't see, but it didn't sound right.

"Walking around even if I'm blind, you mean?" he smiled. "Actually…I'm here in the hospital for some tests…it seems that it's possible that I can regain the use of my right eye, at least a bit."

"That's fabulous! I'm happy for you and Soda will be, too, when he finds out!"

"I hope you're both okay…"

"Yeah, I…we…couldn't be better! Soda and I just had a baby!"

"Great! Congratulations, Sybil!" he smiled, he looked way better when he did.

"Thank you! Do you need any…do you want me to lend a hand with directions?"

"That would be nice. I kinda got lost, even if I thought I'd memorized the way to my room and back."

I took one last good look at my baby before walking away with Josh. We started chatting.

"So…boy or girl?" he asked me.

"It's a boy and he looks a lot like Soda. Actually, he hasn't shut up about it for a second since he saw him…"

"Bet he's proud. What's his name?"

"Jesse James."

"Good choice. It's very manly."

"You think so? It took us ages to find the right name. I wanted to name him Holden so badly, but Soda hates the name. Well…I'm sorry, I'm talking too much…"

"That's okay. I like listening."

"You said…you're going to take some tests…how long are you staying in Tulsa?"

"Not much…I got here last week and I'm leaving in two days. If everything goes well, and they find out they can fix my eyesight, I'll come back in a couple of months, I guess."

"I'll keep you in my thoughts. I hope everything goes well, and…you can come and visit Soda, you know, I'm sure he'd love to spend some time with a friend."

"Are you religious?" he suddenly asked.

"Yes…why?"

"I don't know…I guess I'm asking 'cause I'm not much of a religious person myself, not since I came back from 'Nam…and I was just thinking, maybe you could say a prayer for me, if you feel like it..."

"Sure I will…" I thought about what he had said for a minute. "You know, I usually go to church alone, or with Ponyboy, Soda's brother…I think if only Soda could have a little faith…he'd feel so much better."

"It's hard sometimes."

"I know." I whispered.

--------------------------------------------

"Soda, go get the phone before Jesse James starts crying!"

"I'm going, I'm going!"

"If they're looking for me, tell them I'm not here!"

I was holding Jesse James after I'd finished breastfeeding him. A month had gone by since his birth and things were quite hectic at home. The lack of sleep was starting to get to me and I knew several weeks, if not months, still had to go by before our baby started sleeping more allowing Soda and I to sleep, too.

"Who was that?" I whispered, when Soda reached me.

"I have no idea, they hung up as soon as I answered." He yawned. "Man, I'm so tired."

"I know, I am too."

"Hey, Jesse, what do you think about taking a nap now?" Soda asked. "Your mom and dad are exhausted."

Jesse James looked like he agreed: he fell asleep almost at once and I carefully put him down.

"See? He's listened to me! He's smart!" Soda grinned.

I shook my head. "Come on, let's hit the sack."

"I don't know if I'll be able to sleep. I'm too tired."

"That doesn't make sense, Soda."

"See? I'm so tired I can't even speak coherent sentences." He yawned once again.

We fell asleep almost at once. When Jesse James started crying, one hour and a half later, I immediately woke up. Soda didn't, though: he had to be way more tired than me, considering I hadn't been working in the last month, but he had.

While I was holding Jesse James, trying to make him stop crying, the phone rang. And when I answered, the girl on the other end said she had dialed the wrong number. "Strange calls today. What do you think, Jesse?" I sighed. "Yeah, I must be desperate if I'm to the point of asking questions to my one month old son…but they do say it helps the children's development when their parents talk to them a lot when they're newborns…"

"Sybil? Who are you talking to?" Ponyboy quietly entered the living room.

"To Jesse James. Where have you been today?" I asked, trying to sound interested. I didn't want Ponyboy to feel ignored because of the baby: even if he wasn't a kid anymore, he was important, he was like another brother for me.

"I spent the afternoon studying in the library. You want me to fix dinner?"

I smiled. "That would be great."

Ponyboy smiled, too. "By the way…there's a letter from your brother, here." He handed me the letter.

"Thanks…I didn't even check the mail today." I started reading. "He says he's coming to see Jesse James next week. Only for a couple of days cause he's extremely busy with his job…"

I didn't even know what his current job was. He never settled down for anything and I still found it surprising whenever he showed up to visit. After all, when our mother passed away dad and I hadn't seen him for two years. How much could a man change?