Jimmy woke a few times in the night. Twice it was when Faith shifted away from him to use the chamber pot and another it was when her arms tightened hard enough around him to nearly squeeze the air from his lungs. She wasn't awake but a part of him rejoiced that in her sleep she would cling to him as she whimpered through a nightmare. That jubilation was short lived though as her whimpers formed words.

"Jimmy, help me," she squeaked as though frightened to even call for him. He supposed she had been. Calling for another man's help while her husband was in a jealous rage would have only fueled the violence. "Please, help me."

Jimmy stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head lightly.

"I'm here," he whispered, "I know it's too little and far too late but I'm here."

Her whimpering stopped as if she had heard his words and maybe she had at that and she nuzzled closer to him. He finally fell into a good sound sleep after that.

The sun was just beginning to lighten the horizon when Faith woke once again needing to make water. She was going to just use the chamber pot again but glancing out the window and seeing the beginnings of a new day caused her to think otherwise. She once again shoved her feet into Jimmy's boots and clomped out to the outhouse. Feeling better she set to making some breakfast.

Jimmy was having a wonderful dream. He wouldn't remember it once he woke up but he knew it was good. It was the kind of dream that even though you couldn't remember what happened in it, you woke with a smile. And he did wake when the smell of coffee hit his nose. He quickly pulled his clothes on and headed toward the smell. Jimmy found Faith standing at the stove dishing a plate of food. He stopped not wanting to startle her but she had heard him moving around anyway.

"You're just in time," she said, "I was about to come and wake you for breakfast."

Setting the plate on the table she nodded for him to sit and he did. When she sat his coffee down she did the thing he would have least expected. She bent down and kissed his cheek.

"I love you," she whispered.

He was able to catch her hand before she could move away. He kissed it and pulled her toward him.

"I love you too," he said and then kissed her belly, "Both of you."

Faith surprised him again by placing a hand on his face and holding it to her middle. Then she released him and went on with getting her food. Again Jimmy noted that she ate little.

"Is your stomach upset?" he asked concerned, "Are you ill?"

She smiled looking up from her plate and the hand without a fork in it went reflexively to her belly.

"No, I just have a tiny foot wedged in where food would normally go. There's just not a lot of room right now," she explained, "It'll get better when the baby is out."

"So that's normal?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, "Very normal. At least I'm not sick all the time like I was with Adam. I threw up every single day with him. This one I've mostly felt pretty good. I wonder if that means anything."

Faith was just musing to herself really. She hadn't had much time to think on her pregnancy for most of it but her ponderings made Jimmy worried because he didn't know what it could mean.

"Like what?" he asked barely hiding fear that was driving him almost frantic.

"They say that carrying boys and girls is sometimes different," she clarified, "I am only wondering if this might mean I'm having a girl. Of course most women you talk to tell you every child is different to carry so there's probably nothing to be speculated about. It's fun to sort of wonder though."

"Is that what you want? A girl?"

"God's giving me a second miracle, Jimmy," she answered, "I'm not going to start getting picky with details. I'm just wondering. It's a long time to have such a mystery and I guess I'm just getting excited and impatient to meet whoever this is. I would imagine you'd probably prefer a boy, though."

"I hadn't really given it much thought," he told her honestly, "I mean I guess having a son would be nice, someone to carry on the name and all but then I see how sweet little Mary is and I start thinking that it don't really matter too much. You said I have maybe a month and a half or two months yet so maybe by then I'll have an opinion one way or the other."

Faith smiled but it faded once they heard the knock at the door. Her eyes were panicked as she looked across the table at him.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," he said patting her hand as he stood, "Probably just Teaspoon again or something."

Still he grabbed one of his Colts before peeking out the window. He exhaled and put the gun back into its holster. Then he opened the door.

"Good morning, Jenny," he said quietly stepping back for her to enter the house.

"Morning, Jimmy," she said in a hushed tone and gave him a quick hug, "Buck told me about, well, I don't know…"

She was obviously trying to figure out how to put it. Buck had told her about a woman named Faith. She was pretty sure the woman was not his wife so Jenny wasn't quite sure how to refer to her.

"Come on and meet her," he said using an arm around her shoulders to guide her to the kitchen. "Faith, I have someone for you to meet."

Faith looked up and Jimmy was smiling widely with his arm around a pretty blonde woman who was also smiling. The blood ran from her face. He had lied the day before. There was another and she was pretty and shapely and not beaten and broken. Faith forced a smile anyway.

"Sweetheart, I want you to meet Jenny Cross, Buck's wife," he said, "Jenny, this is Faith Lassiter."

Faith felt silly for a moment. Perhaps she should stop looking for trouble where there wasn't any but then if she had been looking out for trouble six months before she wouldn't have been blindsided by it when it knocked her upside the head.

"It's so nice to meet you, Jenny," Faith said warmly and she did mean it too although she was scared. Here was this nice lady who was married all proper and then there was Faith. Faith was married alright but not to the father of her child. Her black eye was still visible. If the floor had opened up and swallowed her whole at that moment, Faith would not have complained. "Would you care for some breakfast?"

"No thank you, Faith," Jenny replied, "I still get a little queasy in the mornings."

Faith saw Jenny's hand go to her belly which had yet to give clues to her condition. Faith wasn't sure how she had forgotten that.

"How far along are you?"

"Almost three months gone," Jenny said.

"Well, I'm going to let you two ladies talk for a little bit," Jimmy interjected before slipping from the room. Faith understood the gesture and in any other circumstance would have appreciated being allowed a little private girl time for baby talk and such but right then she still wasn't all that confident in the situation.

"Thank goodness it's just us girls now," Jenny said with a smile, "Men don't understand how we want to talk about our babies and things like that. Buck doesn't anyway. He's excited and all but he doesn't want to talk all the time about it. I guess it makes sense that he can think of other things since it's not growing in his body but still it's so nice to have another woman to talk to. Lou doesn't get into town as much as I'd like and Rachel, well, I feel bad talking to her. She was with child once and I guess it came too early or something."

Jenny looked like she might cry speaking of Rachel's heartache. Faith started to feel a glimmer of hope that she might have an ally here in Rock Creek.

"Look at this," Jenny observed, "I come to visit and do all the talking."

"That's alright," Faith said softly, "It's nice to hear another perspective on everyone. I've only met Buck and Teaspoon—and Jimmy, of course."

"Well, you have only been in town a couple of days. You'll meet everyone in time. I wasn't sure if it was too forward of me to come out and see you but Buck told me you weren't very well when you came to town and really he probably told me more than you would want me to know. I just wanted to come out and see how you were settling in. I know Jimmy would take as good of care of you as he knew how but then sometimes another woman knows what a woman needs. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Faith answered honestly, "How much did Buck tell you?"

"Enough to know that I am very glad you made it here," Jenny said seriously the smile disappearing from her face. "He said your husband was mean to you and hurt you and that the baby is Jimmy's anyway. I am so glad you made it to us. And now it makes more sense how Jimmy was acting since he's been back. He's just been so sad. I think Teaspoon knew why but he never said anything to the rest of us. Now I understand. He looks so happy to have you here."

Faith only allowed a small smile at that. She still wasn't sure of things and she felt she needed to be as noncommittal as possible right then.

"I'm sure Buck must be over the moon that you're expecting," Faith said needing so desperately to have the attention be off of her. She was mortified that Jenny knew so very much about her. Faith felt ashamed and like the worst mother in the world to have allowed her unborn child to endure that situation and she just couldn't bear to talk about her own circumstance at all.

"My goodness, yes," Jenny gushed, "He's already making a cradle. I told him there was plenty of time but he's really excited."

Jenny paused and studied the woman she wanted to think of as her new friend. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Faith, please don't worry what people might say or think, especially the family. We're the last people who are ever going to judge anyone. You got free of a bad situation and that's what's important. Some people are going to be small minded and stupid but you have the rest of us and every one of us has something we'd rather not have to hear about every day of our lives."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

Jenny laughed a little at that.

"Jimmy hasn't told you all about us, has he?" Jenny asked.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Faith replied, "I know your father runs the store in town and you married Buck."

"Well, aside from the fact that plenty of the town busybodies would love to make a big deal out of the heritage of my husband," Jenny explained, "I spent a good deal of my life raised in the Lakota tribe. I still prefer many of their ways to the white man's. It makes me different and people with such small minds don't like different a whole lot. But that reminds me…"

Jenny hopped up and went back toward the door where she had dropped a small sack. Grabbing the sack, she made her way back to the table and to Faith.

"I understand if you don't want them—they won't make things easier with some people—but I thought these could help," she said reaching into the bag and pulling out a pair of moccasins, "Buck said your feet were very swollen. I know that's normal and all but I figured your regular shoes were probably too constrictive."

"Where did you get these?"

"I made them," Jenny said, "It's not all that hard."

Faith didn't even know how to respond. There had been so little kindness for her for such a long time. In fact since well before Jimmy had first spoken to her in town. She had been tolerated and pitied but still she knew the talk that went on behind it. She shouldn't be living alone with her son and then when he died it seemed all the more reason for others to think she should just snatch up the first eligible bachelor who wandered by. Jimmy didn't talk to her because he was looking to marry her. He didn't offer to help her with her things because he thought her incapable of doing it or in need of his pity. When she had first offered herself to him he had tried to resist. No one had been so gentle with her feelings but still he had been the only one. Until now. Sure Buck had gotten her to the doctor's but he was the deputy after all and he couldn't leave a pregnant woman passed out on the boardwalk. But this, this was just thoughtful for the sake of being thoughtful. And it came from someone who didn't even know her except for some of the worst things anyone could know. Tears formed in Faith's eyes and for once she didn't try to stop them or hide what she was feeling.

"Thank you," she said in a barely audible whisper, "I don't even know what to say. This was so kind."

Jenny saw the tears form in Faith's eyes and thought at first she had made a terrible mistake but understanding came to her quickly and she moved around the table and pulled Faith to her holding her tight and stroking her hair. Sobs wracked Faith's body as she clung to her new friend, the first friend she felt she'd had in longer than she could rightly remember. Jenny sang lightly a tune she remembered her mother singing to her. Possibly it had once been sung in English but her mother had translated it once she learned the language of their new people and Lakota was how Jenny knew it now. The words were soothing but not nearly so much as the tune and she sang and held Faith until the tears slowed and Faith picked her head up. Jenny poured a glass of water and then settled back to the table to wait. Faith needed to talk now and Jenny knew this even though it might take a while for Faith to organize her thoughts.

Faith sipped at the water. And tried to find words. Once when she was a girl she'd had a friend. Sally had been her name. She supposed Sally was still out there somewhere. They had lost touch after their respective weddings and they had both moved away from their hometown. Sally and Faith had shared their deepest secrets. Only Sally knew how close Faith had come to giving up her virtue before her wedding night. And only Faith knew that Sally had before hers. Every heartache of young girls was shared between those two and every joy as well. Faith had moved on thinking that friendship like that was something to be left behind with pigtails and the other trappings of girlhood. She knew some women had that relationship with sisters but Faith's sister was never close to her like that. Finally she was able to come up with something to say.

"You're going to be a very good mother, Jenny," she said at last, "You're a natural. That tune was lovely. I think I've heard it somewhere before. I didn't know it was did you say Lakota?"

"The words I sang were but it's not a Lakota lullaby. I just know the words better that way."

"It's beautiful."

Jenny reached across the table to squeeze Faith's hand and then found a wide smile. Later she would cry to Buck for the sadness she knew Faith had endured. He would hold her and share her sadness. But right now she needed to cheer her new friend.

"I'll bet you haven't been into town much at all and I'll bet you need all sorts of things," Jenny said brightly, "Get dressed and I can show you around. Maybe we can even stop by the schoolhouse around lunchtime and you can meet Rachel."

"C-can Jimmy come too?" Faith asked. She still didn't trust that Aaron wasn't lurking somewhere waiting to catch her unguarded. She may still harbor doubts about Jimmy but she knew he'd defend her from Aaron.

"Of course he can," Jenny assured her, "You get ready and I'll go find him and tell him."

Faith went into the room she now shared with Jimmy and wondered how even a woman who felt cast out from her choice of husband would be so kind to her. There was very little left of the black eye but here she was unmarried to the man whose baby she carried. Surely she was his woman but was he her man? She just didn't know. She moved as quickly as she could to dress and twist her hair up securing it with a comb. She then slid the moccasins that Jenny had made over her swollen feet and smiled at the pretty beads upon them and how comfortable they were. There would be no more shoving her feet into Jimmy's boots when she needed to use the outhouse. She was just heading toward the front door when Jimmy walked in.

"I, uh, I was just," he stammered, "I wanted to make sure you were alright. Thought maybe you'd need some help lacing those boots of yours. Or maybe some help shoving 'em on your feet in the first place."

Faith lifted her skirts just enough that he could see her feet and wiggled her toes inside her new footwear.

"Jenny had it covered," Faith said with some pride, "These are wonderful. Why don't white people wear shoes like these?"

"I guess they do now," he smiled at her, "Jenny's waiting on us."

"You don't mind coming, do you?"

"Frankly," he said, "I don't think I'd like you heading into town without me right now. I trust Buck and Teaspoon with my own life but I think for a while I'd like to see to yours and the baby's myself."

Faith noticed and was comforted by the fact that he was buckling both gun belts around his hips as he spoke. Jimmy saw her watch him.

"It's still what I know best," he said apologetically.

"I don't mind," she told him, "I think I feel safer with them coming too."

Faith began to walk to the door but Jimmy placed his hands lightly on her shoulders bringing her to a stop. He said nothing but slid his arms around her and kissed the top of her head

"I thought you were worried about keeping Jenny waiting," Faith only half protested. It still felt good in his arms.

"Sometimes I just need to hold you a minute. I'm sure she'd understand."

Jimmy released her and the pair went out to where Jenny was waiting on a buckboard. Jimmy helped Faith up and then climbed up himself.

"I must be about the luckiest man in the territory to be in the middle of two such lovely ladies," he said and then they were off toward town.

Okay. I am really glad poor Faith has a friend. And some shoes she can get her poor swollen feet into. Mine were like that with my oldest. Middle of December and the only shoes I could shove those overstuffed sausages passing as feet into were birkenstock sandals...nice. Of course I couldn't have tied shoes either because I couldn't reach my feet over my belly...good times. And all worth it the moment you meet that little someone.-J