Chapter Twenty-One
Tuesday's Child
Rayna's due date dawned on a cold, foggy Monday. Deacon awoke to an empty pillow beside him on their bed. His heart skittered a little as he flung the covers off, pulled some sweatpants on and hurried out to the living room. Rayna was standing at the large wall of windows that flanked the front door, her body engulfed in an enormous T-shirt, her feet and legs bare, staring out across the lake.
"Hey, darlin'. Everythin' okay?"
"Yeah," she said, turning as she heard him enter the room. "I couldn't sleep." She started toward the kitchen. "I made coffee-"
"Hang on. Don't move."
"Huh?"
"Just - stay right there."
Deacon went back to the bedroom and reached into his closet, pulling a brand new camera off the shelf. He had never done much photography, but his sister Beverly had sent him this early birthday gift. "Take lots of pictures of my beautiful new niece," her card had read. Deacon saw that he had a handful of shots left on a roll of black-and-white film in the camera.
Rayna glanced over at him again as he re-entered the living room, her eyebrows raised.
"Look back out the window," he directed.
She gazed across the misty lake, where the morning light was just beginning to reflect off the water. Standing across the room, he raised the camera and sought her form, catching his breath when he did. As always, her beauty astonished him. He snapped half a dozen portraits, finishing off the roll.
This camera would go on to be well-used, with Deacon taking thousands of cherished photos of Rayna and their children over the years, and only reluctantly making the switch to digital a decade later. But the black-and-white picture he took that morning - Rayna in silhouette, heavily pregnant, sleep still softening her features and strands of hair wisping across her cheekbones - would always be his favorite.
"But I don't have any makeup on. And I'm as big as a house!" Rayna would protest a few weeks later, when she noticed the print framed and sitting on Deacon's nightstand. And it was true, he could have gotten his hands on dozens - hundreds - of more flattering photos of her. But it was the early light, and the way it illuminated the faraway look in her eyes, that so endeared this one to Deacon.
It was the promise of that morning - of everything she had given him and everything she was about to give him - that made it so special. He kept it with him always, even tucking it into his suitcase when he traveled. And years later, it would find a favored spot on his desk at Highway 65, the record label named for the road that led to their cabin. It never failed to make him smile.
All of that - all of their long, happy life together - was in front of them. And this particular Monday morning was a red-letter day on their journey.
Rayna looked curiously at Deacon when he finally laid the camera aside and walked over to kiss her and wrap his arms around her.
"What was all that about?"
"Can't I take a picture of my wife?"
"Not when I'm looking like this."
"You look gorgeous, darlin'. You're the prettiest girl in the room."
Rayna smiled and shook her head, her eyes twinkling at him. "Awful early to be teasing me, babe. Hey, you want that coffee now?"
"Mmm-hmmm," he said, kissing her again.
Deacon insisted on making breakfast - orange slices and toast with peanut butter - and serving it to Rayna. "You know what? I'm gonna stay home today. Gonna cancel everything and just be here with you."
"Oh, no," Rayna said, sighing. "Let's just go right on with our routines like it was a normal day, okay? I'm afraid if we sit around waiting for this thing to happen, it never will."
"A watched pot never boils."
"Uh..."
"Somethin' my Granny Dillon used to say."
"Yeah, well, maybe she was right. What've you got going on today, anyway?"
"Well, I got a meetin' later this mornin'. And I planned to drop around the studio this afternoon. Couple of guys thought they might be able to throw me some session work. But I can cancel, like I said."
"Nope. You go right ahead, babe. Just don't forget to keep your phone turned on, is all. I'll call you if anything happens. Otherwise let's just pretend this is a normal, ordinary Monday, okay?"
Deacon was reluctant to leave Rayna, but she had been going a little stir crazy over the weekend, waiting for labor to start and despairing that it never would. Maybe it would be best to get out her way for a few hours. He stood up and began clearing the breakfast table.
"Monday's child is fair of face..." he recited, as he rinsed out his coffee mug and Rayna's milk glass.
Rayna smiled. "Granny Dillon again?"
"Nope, that's one of my mama's favorites. And you know it's gonna be true, what with you bein' her mother."
"Oh, I'd say you might have something to do with her good looks, Deacon," she said, walking over to the sink and sliding her arms around his waist from behind. She leaned in to nuzzle his shoulder and kiss the bare skin at the nape of his neck.
"You think so, huh?" Deacon said, immediately losing interest in the dishes. He dried his hands and turned around to face her.
Rayna surveyed his taut, half-naked body with a mock-critical eye and then gazed at his smiling face. The look in his eye still made a shiver run through her, more than a decade after she'd first glimpsed it. She slid her hands slowly up his bare chest and then put her arms around his neck, reaching up to kiss his lips.
"Hey, what time do you have to leave for that meeting, anyway?" she murmured, her mouth against his.
"Well, I dunno. Guess it depends on who's askin'."
She grinned at him, slyly. "One of those books said that once you're full-term, sex can sometimes bring on labor."
Deacon eyes twinkled down at her. "Ahhhh, okay. Does that mean you're askin' for my services this mornin'?"
"Mmm-hmmm. How much?"
"Well, I'm in a good mood, so I might be able to give you the family discount. Seein' as how you're in the family way and all."
The cramps started about 3 p.m. They weren't much more painful than menstrual cramps, but Rayna's entire baby bump felt like it was tightening up and then relaxing in a kind of rhythmic pattern.
Rayna hadn't done much since her passionate love-making session with Deacon that morning, but she felt exhausted anyway. She laid down for a nap and managed to sleep a little before the cramps came back. This time, she knew it would be impossible to ignore them.
Was this it? Was it finally happening? Maybe that old wives' tale about sex and labor was truer than she'd dared to hope.
She went out to the kitchen and checked the clock: 4:30. Deacon would likely be in the studio just at that moment. Maybe she could wait it out, she thought, making herself a cup of herbal tea. But after several more cramps, she phoned Dr. Madsen and left a message on her voice mail.
Her doctor called back half an hour later. "It might be the real thing getting started, and it might not be. Due dates are only an approximation, as you know. But since you are due today, it wouldn't hurt to get you in here for a checkup," Dr. Madsen said.
Rayna finally called Deacon, getting his voice mail. She was leaving a message just as Tandy pulled up in the gravel driveway, there to check on her after work. When Rayna told her what was happening, Tandy insisted on driving her straight to her doctor's office.
As they made the half-hour trip, the pains seemed to abruptly stop. "Ugh. Of course! Now they're stopping and I'm going to feel stupid going in there with nothing happening," Rayna said.
"Honey, this is your due date. It's a good idea to see the doctor today anyway, right?" Tandy said. "What I don't understand is, where's Deacon?"
Rayna sighed. She had called his number several more times and each time he had not picked up. "He's at the studio. I think. He's not calling me back."
Tandy shot her an alarmed look, one eyebrow raised. Despite her admiration for Deacon's progress in recovery, Rayna's sister seemed always on the alert for him to relapse. Rayna understood the impulse, but it annoyed the hell out of her. She glowered over at Tandy from the passenger seat.
"Don't give me that look, babe! It's nothing like that," she said. "He went to a meeting this morning. He didn't even want to leave the house today. I had to practically boot him out the door."
"Okay ..." Tandy still sounded tentative.
"Stop doubting him! It's just - you know how terrible he is with that cell phone. He leaves it lying around and can't find it, he refuses to even try text-messaging. Half the time, he takes it with him but he doesn't have it turned on."
Tandy burst out laughing. "He's kind of hopeless, isn't he?"
Rayna laughed, too. "Yeah, well, kind of. When it comes to some things, anyway. Other things ..." The thought trailed off, but the amused note in her sister's voice made Tandy look over at her curiously. She caught the small, satisfied smile on her sister's face and smiled in recognition.
"Ohhhh - he's pretty good at some other things, huh?"
Rayna met her sister's gaze, laughing. "Well, I've been with him 11 years, haven't I? Yeah, I'd say he's pretty damn good at some of those other things, babe."
"As I suspected, Rayna, these cramps are Braxton Hicks," Dr. Madsen said, helping Rayna remove her feet from the stirrups and sit up on the table.
"Brock - what?" Tandy asked from her chair in the far corner of the exam room.
"Braxton Hicks contractions are sometimes called false labor, though that's something of a misnomer. They're not false, they're very real. They're sort of your uterus's way of practicing for its job. Kind of like an athlete, gearing up for a race."
"So they're not the real thing," Rayna frowned, unable to hide her disappointment. She hoped she and Deacon had given labor a kick start that morning.
"I'm afraid not, sweetie," Dr. Madsen said, leaning over to give Rayna a hug. "But I do have some good news. Your cervix is fully effaced and you're almost a centimeter and a half dilated."
Now both sisters looked confused. "How can that be?" Rayna asked. "I haven't felt anything besides those weird cramps."
"Well, that's great. That means your body is getting ready to birth this baby and you didn't even know about it." Dr. Madsen smiled. "You probably ought to eat light and stick close to home for the near future. And make sure Deacon does the same - stays close to home, I mean. He can eat all he wants. But if I had to guess, I'd say I'll be seeing all three of you again real soon."
Rayna had made arrangements for both Tandy and Deacon to be in the delivery room for the baby's birth. She smiled over at her sister, her eyebrows raised in excitement. "Wow - that is good news! Now, if I could just figure out what happened to-"
At that moment, Deacon's insistent voice rang through the hallway outside the exam room.
"Where is she? I gotta see her!"
Kathy, Dr. Madsen's nurse, knocked on the exam room door and then quickly flung it open, a panicked-looking Deacon crowding in just behind her.
"Ray! Are you okay, baby?" He rushed into the room, nearly pushing Kathy aside in his hurry. "I'm so sorry, darlin'-" he began, enveloping Rayna in a bear hug.
"I'm okay, babe."
Dr. Madsen smiled and laid a hand on his back, patting it soothingly.
"She's just fine, Deacon, I promise," she said.
Deacon drew back and kissed Rayna's forehead, then turned to the doctor, his brow furrowed. "What's goin' on? Is somethin' wrong?"
Dr. Madsen went through the explanation she'd given Rayna and Tandy, ending with the same admonition about sticking close to home. She looked at Deacon, particularly emphasizing the last part.
Deacon turned to look at Rayna, his gaze indignant. "I tried to, Doc! I told her I wanted to stay with her, but-"
"And I told you to keep your phone on, Deacon!" Rayna objected, exasperated.
"She called you over and over-" Tandy started, but the doctor held up both hands, calling for quiet.
"Hey everybody, calm down. Nerves can get pretty frayed at times like these. Let's just keep our eyes on the prize. Okay?"
The three of them stopped for a bite to eat on the way home from the doctor's office, the scuffle effectively quelled by Dr. Madsen's wise counsel. Tandy and Deacon both declared that they were starving, scarfing down cheeseburgers and fries, but Rayna took her doctor's advice and nibbled on a salad.
"I'm not really very hungry anyway," she explained, just as Deacon began apologizing for the tenth time and explaining how they wouldn't let him bring his phone into a recording session. He vowed all over again not to leave her side until the baby was born.
"It's okay, babe, we knew you'd show up," Rayna said, shooting Tandy a meaningful look.
"Oh yeah," Tandy chimed in brightly. "We weren't worried at all. Neither one of us."
Tandy had decided to spend the night at Rayna and Deacon's house so she would be on hand in case labor started. She stopped at her condo to pack an overnight bag - Rayna's had been packed and sitting by the front door for a week - and then drove up to the lake house. The three of them gathered in the den to watch, "When Harry Met Sally," one of Rayna's and Tandy's favorite movies. Deacon and Tandy dug into bowls of chocolate chip ice cream, but Rayna declined dessert and only made it through about a third of the film.
"Sorry, guys, I'm beat," she said, heading to bed around 9:30.
"Night, darlin'," Deacon said, getting up to give her a kiss. "You need anything?"
"Nope, I'm good. You finish the movie and I'll see you in the morning."
"Or maybe before that," Tandy said, smiling. "Dr. Madsen made it sound like we're going to have some fireworks around here pretty soon. And maybe sooner, rather than later."
And Dr. Madsen was right. The contractions started at 2 the next morning, about 20 minutes apart. Rayna knew immediately that they were different than the cramps she'd had the afternoon before, mainly because these really did hurt. The pain at first was mild enough so that she could doze in between them. By the time 5:30 a.m. rolled around, however, they were closer to 15 minutes apart and she knew she would not get any more sleep that day. She inhaled sharply as a pain hit, then tried to breathe deeply through it, as her birthing instructor had taught her.
When the pain gradually receded, she rolled laboriously over to face Deacon, who was slumbering beside her, completely dead to the world. She hated to wake him up - he looked so peaceful - but she was afraid to go through another contraction by herself.
"Babe," she whispered, reaching around to rub his back.
He groaned and shifted his weight a little, but did not open his eyes.
"Deacon, wake up," she said, shaking him lightly.
He stirred again and slipped his arm around her. "I love you too, darlin'," he mumbled sleepily, sighing and dropping right back off.
Rayna smiled to herself and leaned over to kiss him. "Deacon, it's happening; I think I'm in labor. I'm pretty sure we're going to meet our daughter today."
In the end, it was only by clinging to him that she got through the worst of it. His large, dark blue eyes, worried but full of compassion, became her focal point during the long, excruciating day. His voice, low and gentle - softly encouraging her to "relax, relax" - became her anchor.
Instead of continuous agony, the contractions of labor were like a distant summer storm, or a giant wave glimpsed on the horizon, far from shore. Each one would roll in slowly, becoming stronger and more violent as it crashed around her. Willing her entire body to go limp, and resisting her natural impulse to tense up in resistance to the pain, made it at least possible to cope. She remembered childhood summers spent on Caribbean beaches, and her father telling her how foolish it would be to wear herself out swimming against a riptide. Now, instead of fighting the current, she listened to Deacon's voice and looked into his eyes, breathing in and out as slowly as possible. And then she let the pain carry her along, rather than fighting it.
At first, Rayna was able to rest in between the contractions, but as the hours ticked by they began coming faster and faster, the wall of pain moving in swiftly to engulf her and hold her in its thrall for longer and longer periods as she panted and tried to stay afloat, feeling like a drowning swimmer.
"Oh! It's starting," she would whimper. Tandy would run to wring out a cool washcloth and Deacon would kneel beside her on the bed and take her hands, or stop her as she walked and hold her shoulders so she could rest her forehead against his own. Each pain shook her to her core before it finally receded, leaving her weak and exhausted.
Deacon kept track of the contractions in the journal he'd been given at their birthing classes. Sometime in the late morning, Tandy pulled him aside while Rayna lay on the couch after a particularly tough one. Unlike Deacon, she hadn't gone through Lamaze and she was completely unprepared to witness labor.
"Hadn't we better get her to the hospital, babe?" she asked, white as a sheet and visibly shaking. "I don't know how much more of this I can stand to watch."
Deacon looked grim. "Tell me about it. I wanted her to go straight for the drugs, believe me. But you know Ray, she's a hell of a strong woman. She's bound and determined to get through as much of this herself as she can."
Tandy wrung her hands and sighed, deeply distressed. "My god! I'm scared to death she's going to lay down during one of these things and have the baby right on the floor, Deacon!"
He shook his head and took Tandy in his arms, holding her for a moment and then stepping back. "Naw, she's not there yet. The contractions are still 10 minutes apart. We're supposed to go to the hospital when they're five minutes apart. But I'm gonna call the doc again anyway."
In all, Rayna labored for nearly 12 hours before she agreed to anesthesia. When they got to the hospital it was after noon. Once the nurses checked her, and Dr. Madsen stopped by and checked her again, she and Deacon walked the corridors, Tandy alternating between trailing behind them in a state of misery and retreating to the hospital cafeteria for coffee. Rayna leaned against Deacon, or up against a wall, when the pains hit, feeling like she was trapped in a nightmare that would never end. Yet it wasn't until the pain was nearly continuous and Rayna's blood pressure rose alarmingly that Dr. Madsen gently suggested she think about an epidural.
"You're progressing, but slowly, Rayna. That's typical for a first baby. You're at 5 centimeters, so we could be talking about many more hours of heavy labor, and then you've got to get through transition. I just don't want you so exhausted that you won't be able to push this baby out, when the time comes."
Deacon could have kissed the doctor, because he could see that her opinion was the turning point for Rayna, who was lying in a hospital bed by this time. She nodded weakly and closed her eyes.
"You're the most determined woman I ever seen, darlin'. But you're doin' the right thing," he whispered, kissing her forehead. A little while later, an anesthesiologist bustled in and sent Deacon out of the room so he could do his job. When Deacon was allowed back inside, he nearly fell over. Rayna was sitting up in her hospital bed, smiling and chatting with the nurse at her bedside.
"Hey babe!" she greeted him, and then waved at Tandy, who had followed him back into her room.
"Everythin' okay?" Deacon asked.
"Never better," Rayna said. "What a relief! I shouldn't have been so stubborn."
Deacon held his tongue, knowing far better than to pop off with an I told you so. He looked at the nurse. "How's it goin'?"
"It's all looking good. Labor's progressing just like we want it to," the young nurse said. "In fact, I think this is a good time for you to go down to the cafeteria and have something to eat. Maybe grab a cup of coffee while you're down there. We could be in for a long day."
"No. I'm not leavin' Rayna," he declared flatly, his jaw tightening with determination.
The nurse looked at Rayna, taking in her narrow hips and pelvis. "Mr. Claybourne, your wife is going to be in labor for quite a while yet. And frankly, you look like you could use a break." She leveled a critical eye at him: His hair was disheveled, he hadn't shaved and his clothes were rumpled. "How long since you've eaten?"
He looked vague and realized that he couldn't remember.
"You had a cheeseburger last night," Rayna piped up. She turned to the nurse. "He hasn't eaten anything since around 9. He had ice cream."
"Darlin', I'm the last thing you should be worryin' about right now-" Deacon started, but the nurse's glance stopped him.
She walked over to Deacon, taking his elbow and lowering her voice. "Listen, things are moving along here, but we've still got time. Do you want to be there for your wife, or do you want to pass out during the delivery? I've seen it happen, believe me."
Tandy looked at him. "Go on, Deacon, I'll stay with her. Daddy's out in the waiting room. I'm sure he could use a cup of coffee about now."
Deacon looked less than thrilled at the prospect of a one-on-one with his father-in-law, but Rayna finally decided the matter.
"Babe," she said, reaching for his hand, "you've been amazing. I could never, ever have gotten this far without you. But I'm good right now."
"Darlin', I made you a promise. That I wouldn't leave you."
"You did, and you've kept that promise. I'm really going to need you later. Go have something to eat and Tandy will call you if anything happens while you're gone. But Deacon - just keep your phone turned on."
Deacon and Lamar went down to the cafeteria together, an odd couple if ever there was one. Lamar was uncharacteristically chatty, talking about how he and his own father had huddled together, cigars at the ready, both times Virginia Wyatt was in labor. Back in those days, the menfolk wouldn't have dreamed of invading the delivery room, Lamar noted, sounding nostalgic.
Deacon mostly listened, grateful that he didn't have to contribute much to the conversation, a strange mixture of exhaustion and tension fighting inside of him. In his left hand, he kept his phone clutched tight, checking obsessively to make sure it was on. Every time he felt himself relaxing, he remembered the anguish in Rayna's eyes that morning. In fact, since her labor had started, he had felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. He hated seeing her in pain.
After half an hour, he had gulped down a cup of coffee and a sandwich, and heard all he could stand about the good old days. He parted ways with Lamar at the interminably slow elevator and made a quick call to Linnie Mae, updating her from a few hours earlier, when he'd called to tell her that they were leaving for the hospital. She was excited and upbeat, and made him promise to get back to her as soon as he had any news. Then he took the stairs two at a time up to Rayna's room.
She was still smiling, though the exhaustion showed around her eyes. Deacon took up his place in the chair next to her bed, holding her hand, as the nurse got called into another room and Tandy went out to check up on Lamar and call Bucky to let him know what was happening.
"I'm so sorry, darlin'."
"Deacon - what are you apologizing for now, babe?"
"For this," he said, gesturing at the IV in her hand and the machines hooked up to her body, all of them beeping and flashing. "For puttin' you through all this. The pain, the stress, just - everything these past nine months. I feel responsible for this whole thing."
She laughed. "Yeah, well, that's because you are responsible, babe. But it's kind of late to be worrying about it now."
Deacon drew in a deep breath and blew it out, dropping his head into his hands.
"Hey. Look at me." Rayna stroked her hand through his hair. "There's no reason to be sorry. I want this. I've always wanted it, having a family with you. For a while I thought it was never going to happen, and I was so sad, thinking we missed our chance. But we didn't miss it. And today we're finally going to meet our daughter, Deacon. Our daughter. This sure isn't easy. But I couldn't be happier."
The afternoon dragged on, time seeming to move in slow motion while Rayna continued to labor. She was too uncomfortable to concentrate on conversation or TV, but not really in pain. Then, around 6 p.m., Dr. Madsen came in to check her again and time suddenly sped up dramatically.
Rayna was over 7 centimeters, she declared, adding, "I think it's about time to have this baby!"
The nurse who had come on shift late in the afternoon began transforming the labor room into a delivery room, turning the space from spare bedroom to surgical suite. Everyone gowned up, including Tandy and Deacon. The head of Rayna's bed was lowered and her legs and feet were propped up.
The next two hours were a blur, as even more powerful labor pains came on and Rayna's epidural began to wear off. There was little to be done, since the on-call anesthesiologist was in surgery, and labor was not considered an emergency. Thankfully, Rayna was focused now on pushing, not on pain, though she cried out in agony more than once. The doctor and nurse began encouraging her and breathing along with her, as they counted the seconds down during each mammoth contraction.
The effort was exhausting for everyone, and Rayna began to despair of the baby ever being born, getting weepy and squeezing Deacon's hand so hard that it hurt. He stayed beside her, whispering: "Almost there, darlin', almost there. Keep workin' at it. I'm right here with you."
Deacon glanced over at Tandy in between contractions. She was pale and looked as though she wasn't going to make it. He started to get up and walk her out to the waiting room, but a commanding note in Dr. Madsen's voice stopped him.
"Come here, you two! Take a look - our baby's crowning."
He got up and stood behind the doctor. Tandy did the same, just as another major contraction came on, and suddenly her face lit up with surprise and joy.
"Oh my god, Rayna! I can see her! I can see the baby's head!" Tandy gasped. "Push, push - she's almost out!"
Rayna grimaced and bore down harder, collapsing when the contraction ended. She reached feebly for Deacon and looked over at him as he sat back down next to her. "Can you see her, babe? Really?"
"Yeah, I can, darlin'," he said, smiling and kissing her hand. He looked into her eyes. "You can do this, baby, I know it. It ain't gonna be much longer now."
At 8:24 p.m., nearly 17 hours after labor had started, Baby Girl Claybourne finally made her way into the world. Dr. Madsen grasped her firmly under the arms and held her up, squalling and covered in blood and ooze. Rayna and Tandy were both crying with relief. Deacon simply stared, wiping away tears, his eyes riveted on the baby.
"Here's our girl! She's perfect, Rayna," Dr. Madsen said through her surgical mask, her eyes crinkling up around the corners. Then she looked over at Deacon and winked. "You two sure made a beautiful baby."
A nurse spread a sterile pad across Rayna's chest and the doctor laid the newborn on it. Rayna's arms automatically closed around her as Deacon and Tandy crowded in from either side, all of them examining her from head to toe but almost afraid to touch her, as if she really were an alien being.
The doctor and nurses were busy finishing up the delivery, but after a few minutes, a nurse scooped the baby up and took her aside, cleaning and weighing her, then fastening a hospital I.D. around her little wrist. She dressed her in a diaper and a pink t-shirt and wrapped her in a pink-and-blue striped hospital blanket.
"Seven pounds, three ounces. And 20 inches long," she announced, carrying the swaddled baby back across the room and settling her in Deacon's arms. "Here she is, daddy."
His eyes grew wide and he clutched the tiny bundle close to his body, holding her more carefully than even his most prized guitar. He gazed at the red-faced baby, who was still screaming, then up at a joyful Rayna.
"Well, she's sure got a powerful set of lungs on her. Maybe she'll be a singer, like her mama," he said, laughing. Then he looked back down at the baby, his voice getting softer, and spoke to her. "Hey, little darlin'. We've all been waitin' on you a long time today. We're awful glad to meet you, sweetheart."
The baby's cries tapered off and she grew quiet. Deacon continued on, encouraged, a shy smile on his face.
"I'm your daddy," he said. Then he angled his body so the baby was facing Rayna and Tandy. "Your mama's right here. And that's your Aunt Tandy over there. You got a whole lotta other folks real excited to meet you, too. We all sure do love you a lot."
Slowly the tiny eyelids, which had been squeezed into slits, opened up, revealing a pair of unfocused, dark blue eyes. The pink, rosebud lips pursed, lending the baby's face the still, thoughtful expression that would always be her own.
"Hey, would ya look at that?" Deacon said slowly, looking up at Rayna in astonishment. "It's almost like she's listenin' to me, Ray."
He looked over at Dr. Madsen, who nodded at him. "She is; she knows your voice. You must have been talking to her for a while."
Deacon's astonished smile stretched from ear-to-ear. "Yeah, I have been. I just - I wasn't sure she could really hear me. But I guess maybe she could!"
He looked at Rayna, beaming, and she smiled back at him, then held out her arms. Deacon stood up and nestled the baby into the bed beside her, leaning over to kiss Rayna's forehead and then his daughter's.
"She's a Tuesday's child," he murmured, looking into Rayna's eyes. "Tuesday's child is full of grace."
"Yes, she is," she said, looking fully into her daughter's face for the first time. "Hey there, sweet girl. Welcome to the world."