"I'm not eager to go through that again anytime soon," Jackson said.

"You ain't just whistling Dixie," she said, a sweaty and tired mess.

Jackson had driven Allegheny to the midwife, who was about 45 minutes away, only to find out she was away on another call. He'd left a note on her door and they'd gone back home. But the midwife hadn't made it in time.

He had been forced to deliver the babe and though he'd been given a rundown on what to do in just such an occasion, hearing about it was never the same as experiencing it. He'd seen animals giving birth a time or two, but though they might not have looked totally comfortable doing it, they hadn't seemed to be in too much pain. Allegheny had taken 5 hours and had been in immense pain without even an aspirin to relieve her of the agony. He had wanted to help her, but all he could do was hold her hand and he had.

He looked at the perfect little bundle in her arms. How could such an innocent being come from 2 such sinful creatures? Then again this baby had been born into sin like every baby was, but Jackson made a covenant with God that this little blue-eyed, dark-haired baby was going to know the path to righteousness. Christ and the people in the Bible would be his friends from childhood. And though there was the fearful thought that he might not choose a righteous path, it wouldn't be because he didn't know better like it had been with him and Alleghany. He would know.

It was the voices they heard first, coming from outside. They looked at each other confused at the sound of lively chatter. It wasn't something they were used to hearing outside their house. Their first thought was that it was the midwife come to check on them, but the sound of boys' voices, lots of boys voices. ruled that out.

Jackson went to see who it was, but Allegheny had guessed the visitors before the bedroom door swung fully open. "Momma, Daddy!"

Every one of her brothers had come. Liburn, Albert, Marlin, Green, and Jules were standing in the middle of the room.

"There's a dog for each boy outside!" Liburn, the youngest at 5, shouted enthusiastically.

"I think Jackson and I'd like to keep our dogs, thank you," she said with a smile. She hugged each of them as they came one by one to her bedside. "What are ya'll doing here?"

"Getting a look at our first grandbaby. What did you expect?" her father asked. "The truth is Jules here got himself a fancy government job. And though things are still tight, they weren't so tight we couldn't come for a visit."

"Good for you, Jules. Well, ya'll've got good timing. Our son just came into the world about 45 minutes ago. We're just waiting on the midwife to check things over," Allegheny said.

Her mother could see the sheets had yet to be changed. "Okay, you men folk. Take the babe just for a moment. There'll be plenty of time for visiting. Just let me handle things in here."

When alone with her daughter. Her mother lifted her cool, nut-brown hand to Allegheny's forehead like she was still a child and asked, "Are you happy? I've felt so bad about you having to marry a stranger and having to move away. I wish I could have been here for your wedding."

"I never thought I would be, but I am. Very much so."

"I can tell. Married life agrees with you."

"It does now. There's just one thing I need from you."

"What's that?"

"Show me how to cook."

Her mother laughed. "I knew you'd regret not knowing one day. I'd be glad to help you learn some things while I'm here."

After her mother had helped her clean up and change the sheets, they invited everyone back in and returned the baby to his mother's arms.

"You thought of a name?" Green wanted to know.

She smiled at Jackson. "We have. Christian."

"Ain't that a character from Pilgrim's Progress?" Green was a big reader too. He was determined to read all the classics and had already read more than most 8th grade boys ever would.

She laughed. "I guess it is. It's our hope that he'll take that journey."

"You're a Christian?" Green asked. "I thought the book was kind of weird."

Allegheny wasn't put-out. "Why don't you read the Bible, Green. It's as classic as they come. I discovered God in its pages."

Her family was all uncomfortable with this talk except for Liburn, who was his hands and knees, studying a bug. But Allegheny had hope they would all eventually come to Christ. After all, if God could call her to Himself, He could call anybody.

It was just Allegheny, Jackson, and little Christian alone again that night. Everyone had gotten a chance to hold the baby and fawn over him. The midwife had come at last and okayed Allegheny and the newborn. Allegheny's family was camped out in the living room, having brought their own pillows and blankets with the intention of staying a full week to Allegheny's delight.

Jackson brushed the plump little cheek of his sleeping son with his knuckles. Their sweet baby boy was going to grow up and leave the house one day. And though he doubted Alleghany would ever choose to leave again, marriages between brothers and sisters in Christ could still fail because people weren't perfect and death could always separate them in this life. No person in his life was guaranteed to always be there.

But he was at peace. You couldn't always hold onto people, he'd learned, but you could hold onto faith and eternal life. Jesus was the something, the someone, he could keep because he belonged to Christ now. He and his wife and child were being kept by God.

The End