*~*One Year Later*~*

"William, do you really think it's a good idea for me to be so far away from home this close to being due?" I asked nervously.

"Doll, we will be at Election day, the Dr is always there. If anything happens, he'll be there. Don't you worry your pretty little face, alright doll?" He reassured.

"Alright, husband, I trust you." I said.

We rode off to the festival on our wagon. I had already been 7 months pregnant, which meant Roseanna was due soon. I was beginning to feel pain a lot and the Dr said the baby may come early, so I needed to stay stress free. It was so easy with William, he spoiled me so bad, it was crazy. I never wanted for anything. He worked hard on his dads timber yard, and everyday whether he liked it or not, I brought him lunch. He would always tell me it was too dangerous for a pregnant lady to be out by herself. I told him that I'd be fine, but once I got there, he wouldn't let me leave until he did.

"I love you, Cassandra, and you too little guy." He said to me and my belly.

"How do you know it's a boy?" I laughed.

"Because, I'm smart, I know these things."

"You're just cocky is all." I laughed.

"I just already have a boys name picked out is all."

"What is it?"

"Coleman Anderson Hatfield." He smiled.

"I like that name" I said and kissed him.

We arrived at the festival and looked around and bought a few things. A lot of the women came up to me and gave me their blessing. Cap done the shooting contest this year and won, though the McCoys fought that he cheated, so we just walked away. They all made fun of me, and Will wanted to kill them, but I told him it wasn't worth it. They were just mad that Will and I were happy and they couldn't be.

The festivities were soon coming to an end as William and I heard both families egging each other on. Making remarks back and forth as Mom and dad Hatfield walked past the McCoy couple. I thought they were acting like a bunch of morons. In only 15 minutes later as William and I were joking around with Uncle Jim at the moonshine stand about my pregnancy we hear a loud gunshot. We hurried over to the sound only to be greeted by a most gruesome seen.

Uncle Ellison Hatfield had been shot in the stomach. I immediately started throwing up at the sight and William went to grab me, but I waved him away to be with his family. When I looked up Anse was directing William to help put Uncle Ellison in the wagon.

"We got em Anse! We got them damn McCoys!" I heard Tom yell. William and the rest of them immediately jumped on their horses and rode off to where the McCoys were being held. I went on with Levicy to help get a bed ready at their home for Ellison. I couldn't believe that someone would actually hurt this man. He was so gentle, it made me sick to think about it. How could anyone be so heartless? This would really hurt William and the rest of the family.

All of a sudden I felt a sharp pain in my back and I yelled out.

"What's wrong girl?" Levicy asked worried. I didn't want her attention focused on me so I said it was nothing. That is until another one came five minutes later. I couldn't help but scream out in pain and clutch my belly protectively. All at once water gushed out of me and I thought I had peed on myself.

"Levicy what's going on? What's wrong with me?" I cried.

"Oh no, Cassandra, you're going into early labor. The stress must have caused it." She explained.

"What do I do? I'm so scared!"

"It's ok, honey, we're almost home." Great, now William would have to worry about both me and his uncle. It made me feel horrible that I couldn't in someway keep this baby inside of me awhile longer.

We got to the Hatfield home and in all of my pain, I still managed to to help Levicy make the bed up for Ellison. We saw the rest of the men ride up with the three McCoys that hurt Ellison. Another pain in my back sent me to the ground this time. I was writhing in pain as everyone walked into the house with Ellison in tow.

"Ma! What's wrong with her! What's wrong with Cassie!" I heard William yell.

"It's nothing, Will. Don't...worry...about..me." It was hard for me to get it all out. I had to say each word between breaths.

"She's going into labor, William." Levicy explained.

"I need to ride her into town to a mid-wife then." Will replied.

"There's no time, William. Her water's already broke. It's only a matter of time now before that baby come. The stress from seeing Ellison like that threw her into early labor."

They quickly got me to another room and into bed. Levicy said she herself and Will's sister Nancy would have to deliver the baby because the Dr. was working on Ellison and there was no time to send for a mid wife or my brother. I would be two months early. That would mean there wouldn't be a lot of hope for the baby surviving and that scared me.

"God dammit! I should have listened to you Cassandra. You said it was a bad idea for you to be away from home and you was right. I can't lose my uncle and the baby. I couldn't bear it." William said, but I couldn't stop screaming now. The pain was excruciating. I now had my legs up and open to deliver this child.

"William, go be with your uncle and your father. I'll take care of Cassandra and the baby." Levicy said.

"But ma-"

"Go!"

"Levicy, it hurts! I feels like there's a lot of pressure down there!" I managed to scream out. Nancy had a cold water cloth over my forehead because I was sweating so much.

*~*Caps POV*~*

Everyone could hear poor Cassie screaming throughout the whole house and even outside. The Dr said Ellison was so out of it that he wouldn't be able to hear it. It wasn't stressing him out, so that was a good thing. I couldn't stop pacing the floor and pulling at my hair. Hearing her in that much pain killed me. I didn't like it, I felt bad that I got her out today. She should have been at home.

"I don't know what to do, pa. I feel helpless. I can't help my uncle and I can't help my wife, who's in more pain than I can imagine." I said to my Pa.

"Cap, there's nothing you can do right now, son. Just let your Ma and sister do what they can." He replied.

"What if the baby dies? Or her even?"

"Son, I know this is tough for you right now, it is for all of us, but pacing around here ain't gonna make it any better." We then heard the door burst open and Uncle Jim said that McCoy was here. Great, he couldn't have picked a better time could he?

"Anse I've come for my sons." Randall McCoy said.

"Your boys stabbed my brother 26 times and then shot him." Pa said.

McCoy went on to explain how Kentucky law is the same as West Virginia.

"I guess Cassandra is having her baby?" McCoy tried making small talk with us about Cassie and I didn't like it. I started to step forward with my rifle, but my pa stopped me.

"I don't believe it's any of your business about my daughter-in-law, McCoy, seeing as how you won't even acknowledge your own pregnant daughter." My Pa said to him.

"My daughter is now dead to me." Randall kept going on about seeing his sons and my pa said no, that only their mother could. I eventually went back into the house when my pa took my rifle away to point it at Randall. All I wanted was to see my wife.

"Almost there, Cassie! Just push a little harder!" I heard my mother yell. I walked into the room to see that Cassandra was as pale as a ghost compared to her normally tanned skin. She was covered in blood and sweat, her eyes dark. I went to her and held her hand for comfort.

"It's gonna be alright, my darling. You're going to be ok." I assured her. With one final push she finally got the baby out, but didn't hear a cry.

"Why isn't my baby crying! What's wrong with it!" Cassandra screamed. The Dr then ran into the room and took the baby from my mother. He turned it over and smacked it's back, and somehow it worked because the baby began to cry. A sigh of relief escaped my wife's lips as she laid back. The Dr cut it's cord, finally.

"It's a boy!" He announced.

"I knew it, baby, I told you we'd have a boy." I said to her as she reached her arms out for him. In all of her pain and suffering, she still managed a bright smile.

"Coleman Anderson Hatfield." She said as she looked up. I sat up in the bed beside her in awe at what we had created. The most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on.

I got up and took the baby with me outside of the room so that the Dr could stitch Cassie up. He told us that we couldn't have intercourse for 6 weeks. I didn't like the idea of that, but what the Doc says goes, I guess. Normally Cassie and I would have sex up to 4 or 5 times a week. I had to admit, she was into some weird stuff, but I didn't mind it at all.

Everyone got a chance to meet my son and hold him. It was the best and the worst day of my life wrapped into one.