Chapter Three

Adam's concern over Simon's visit evaporated as he, Molly, and Josie planned a birthday party for Fionn. He was turning twenty-four on February 9, and as Molly informed them, it had been three years since Fionn had last been able to celebrate his birthday. Two years earlier, Fionn and Molly had been making arrangements to bury their father. Last year, they'd been preparing to leave San Francisco in the wake of Fionn's acquittal for attacking Molly's ex-fiancé. Josie and Adam assured her they'd do Fionn's birthday right this year.

Fionn had more than earned the lumber he'd need to build his washroom, so Adam and Josie ordered a large copper bathtub from San Francisco as his gift. They were worried the stage coach wouldn't be able to deliver it over the mountains that time of year, so they toasted the occasion with two of the last jars of hard cider when it arrived just days before Fionn's birthday.

Fionn would never consent to a party, so Josie, Adam, and Molly conspired to surprise him. On the afternoon of the ninth, Ben dragged Fionn into the high country with him to check his traps. They took Pip and Conall along, too – after Ben's close call the previous winter, he never rode into the mountains in the snow without Pip. Josie came home a little early from town that day with Molly in tow to help set up for the party. Due to the weather, it was only a family affair, but with the additions of Patience and Molly, Cartwright family affairs were growing rather large. There almost wasn't enough furniture for everyone to hide behind when Ben and Fionn arrived at the ranch house after their long, cold day in the high country. As it was, Hop Sing's shoes stuck out from behind the dining-room curtain.

Everyone laughed when Fionn nearly fell backward in surprise as they revealed themselves with a chorus of "Happy birthday, Fionn!" But Fionn got the last laugh when he said, with a poker face worthy of a card shark, "Thank you, everyone, but it's not my birthday."

The hilarity died immediately. Josie went pale.

"But, Fionn, isn't your birthday February 9?" she asked.

"'Tis," he replied, sticking his hands in his pockets. "But today's the tenth."

The family glanced around at one another, their faces asking each other how they all could have made such a huge mistake. Fionn smiled politely through the whole exchange, but when he caught Adam glancing at the calendar near Ben's desk, his cool expression crumbled, and he broke out in laughter.

"If you could only see the looks on your faces!" he cackled. "Of course today's the ninth!"

Eight faces went from alarmed to relieved in an instant.

"Good one, Fionn," Hoss said, shaking Fionn's hand. "You really had us going there!"

Everyone agreed that Fionn had played the moment masterfully and were congratulating him until Hop Sing herded them all over to the table to eat. It was awfully crowded with eight people around the table and one Chinese cook flitting all around, but Hop Sing had made a big pot of chili, which required only a bowl and a spoon, so it was easily eaten in tight quarters.

Despite his reservations about taking anything from the Cartwrights, Fionn grinned from ear to ear when Hop Sing brought out a huge birthday cake with white icing and placed it before him. Everyone shouted "Happy birthday!" again while Fionn blew out the twenty-four tiny candles Hop Sing had managed to fit onto the confection. He grinned even more broadly when Molly, Little Joe, Ben, and Hoss and Patience piled presents in front of him when everyone had finished with their cake. He enthusiastically tore into the gifts, revealing a pair of leather gloves from Molly, a bottle of whiskey from Joe, a checkers set from Ben, and a thick fisherman's sweater from Hoss and Patience. Finally, Josie took him by the hand and led him into the guestroom, where she and Adam had stashed the bathtub. Fionn's jaw dropped when he saw the enormous basin.

"Adam," he said, his eyes never leaving the bathtub, "I think we're goin' to have to build a bigger washroom than we'd planned!"

Adam chuckled and laid a hand on his future brother-in-law's shoulder. "Come on, Fionn, you know me better than that. You think I didn't check the measurements several times?"

Fionn chomped down hard on his lower lip and turned to shake Adam's hand. "Thank you," he said in a husky voice. "This is truly wonderful."

"Thank Josie, too," Adam replied. "Half of it's from her."

"Oh?" Fionn raised an eyebrow. "Which half? The top or the bottom?"

Josie giggled. "The front, actually," she said.

"Ah, good on ya, Josie." Fionn pulled her into a tight hug. "So when are you goin' to help me try it out?" he whispered into her ear.

Josie snorted and buried her face in Fionn's shoulder so her family wouldn't see her blushing. She had just pulled herself together when a frantic pounding on the front door stopped everyone in their tracks. Hoss got there first and flung it open to reveal a pale and shivering Matthew Marquette. Adam's heart leapt into his throat when he came around the corner and saw Hoss pulling Ross's younger brother into the house.

"Josie!" Matthew sputtered. "I need Josie!"

Josie burst out of the guestroom and dashed over to Matthew. She laid a hand on his forehead, but he shook her off.

"Ain't me!" he said. "It's Dell! Josie, her baby's coming!"

Josie's eyes widened, and she spun on her heel and tore up to her bedroom to retrieve her medical bag. At the same time, Adam and Little Joe snatched up their coats and hats and darted out to the barn to saddle horses. Ben threw an arm around Matthew's shoulders and led him to the blue armchair next to the fireplace.

"It's too early, Mr. Cartwright, it's too early," Matthew moaned, burying his face in his hands.

Ben poured the young man a large brandy.

"It'll be all right, son," Ben said, handing him the drink. "Josie will take good care of Dell and the baby."

"Me too," Hoss said as he pulled on his coat. "I'm goin' with her. Patience, you be all right stayin' here tonight, sweetheart?"

Patience nodded and gave Hoss a kiss before he raced out the door to saddle up Chubb, grateful that he and Patience hadn't come over in their wagon that evening.

Josie flew back down the stairs, her medical bag clutched in her right hand. She gave Fionn a swift goodbye kiss and then dived into her coat, hat, scarf, and gloves before dashing out to the barn with Pip trailing along.

"I should go," Matthew said, getting to his feet. Ben pushed him back into the chair.

"Not yet, you're not," he said. "Babies take their time coming. You just sit there and warm up a while."

The front door flew open yet again, and Adam shoved Little Joe inside ahead of him.

"We're leaving, Pa!" he called. He kissed Molly, grabbed his, Hoss, and Josie's guns off the sideboard, and ran back out, slamming the door behind him.

Ben, Fionn, Molly, Patience, Little Joe, and Matthew were left in a suddenly very quiet great room with nothing to do but stare at each other.

"So!" Fionn said at last, clapping his hands together. "Who wants another slice of cake?"

It took Josie, Adam, Hoss, and Pip nearly two hours to battle their way through the snow to the Marquettes' ranch, all three of them praying the whole way for the safety of Delphine and her baby. When they finally arrived at the Silver Dollar Ranch, they handed off their horses to one of Ross's ranch hands and burst into the house without knocking. Adam hollered Ross's name as he, Josie, and Hoss tore off their coats, hats, scarves, and guns.

"Up here, Adam!" Ross called back from the second floor.

Three pairs of booted feet and one set of fuzzy paws thundered up the stairs. Josie had never been in the Marquettes' home before, but Delphine's moans of pain told her immediately which was the master bedroom. The door was ajar, so Josie let herself in, followed closely by her cousins and Pip.

"Josie, thank God!" Ross said. He grabbed Josie's arm and yanked her over to Dell's bedside.

"How you doing, Dell?" Josie asked, brushing a lock of sweaty blond hair from the woman's forehead.

"I've been better," Delphine panted with a tight smile.

Josie smiled back. "I bet you have been." She turned to the men. "Adam, how about you take Ross downstairs and get him a cup of coffee?" Ross locked his knees when Adam tried to lead him from the room. "It's ok, Ross," Josie said. "I'm just going to examine Dell. I won't let you miss anything important. Have a nice cup of coffee and maybe a bite to eat, and then you can come right back."

Ross kissed Delphine's forehead and followed Adam from the bedroom, Pip trotting along behind them. Once downstairs, Adam sat Ross down at the kitchen table and set a kettle on the stove. Ross dropped his forehead onto the table.

"Thanks for riding out, Adam," he mumbled into the wood. "You didn't have to."

"Don't be daft, Ross," Adam replied. "Of course I did." He sat at the table across from his friend, and the two men waited in silence for the water to boil. Either Dell was no longer groaning or they were too far away from the master bedroom to hear her. The silence was agonizing. Adam kept glancing at the kettle, wishing it would hurry up. At long last, Ross spoke up.

"Where's Matthew?"

"Oh, he was half frozen when he got to our place, so Pa kept him. He'll send him back once he's thawed out a bit."

Silence descended again. Adam's thoughts kept turning to the laboring woman upstairs. He and Ross had been best friends since they were awkward, lanky kids. He'd been the one to introduce Ross and Delphine ten years ago. He knew how badly they wanted children, and now, after years of praying for a miracle, Dell was laboring prematurely. His stomach twisted, and he almost didn't notice when the kettle finally began to steam. Before serving the coffee, he poured a generous helping of whiskey into each of the cups. Ross's face twisted when he tasted it.

"Easy now, Adam," he said, attempting a wry grin. "Don't you remember how much trouble we got into with that bottle of whiskey when we were kids?"

Adam chuckled. "How could I forget that? I've never been so sick in my life. Poor Hoss thought I was dying."

Ross finally managed a real grin. "I still can't believe we thought we could build a flying machine."

"I still can't believe you jumped out of the barn loft!"

The friends laughed at the memory, the tension in the room finally broken.

"My father was so angry," Ross said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, mine, too."

The men were still chuckling when Hoss clumped his way into the kitchen. Ross leapt to his feet. He opened his mouth, but Hoss held up a hand.

"Don't you worry none, Ross," he said. "Dell's doin' just fine. In fact, Josie thinks she'll be delivering that baby in the next hour or so."

"Is the baby ok?" Ross's voice was small and sounded far away.

"Near as we can tell, the baby's just fine," Hoss assured him. "It's a little early, but Josie's pretty sure Dell's eight months along, not seven. Most babies do just fine at eight months. Why, Adam here's an eight-month baby, and look how good he turned out!"

Adam flashed his most winning smile. Ross rolled his eyes.

"Can I see her?" he asked.

"Of course. You go right on up."

Ross tore out of the kitchen, his doctored coffee forgotten on the table. Adam rose to follow him, but Hoss grabbed his arm.

"You stay put, Uncle Adam. Dell don't need every Cartwright in the territory gettin' a peek."

Feeling that life was brutally unfair, Adam dropped into his seat. Hoss patted his shoulder and headed back upstairs.

Each minute was a geological age. About half an hour later, Matthew came home. Adam met him at the door and updated him on Dell's progress. The exhausted young man sank onto the sofa and stared into the fire. Adam followed suit.

Not long after, Delphine's cries of pain rang through the house. Adam and Matthew both jumped. Matthew sprang from his seat, but Adam held him back.

"Stay put, Uncle Matthew," he said, echoing Hoss. "Dell's got everyone she needs up there."

Matthew plunked back down on the sofa.

As Dell's cries grew louder, Matthew clapped his hands over his ears. Adam stood up and paced the living room, and Pip started to whine. But within minutes, Delphine fell silent, and the squalls of a newborn baby filled the home. Matthew burst into tears and leapt at Adam, catching him up in a huge hug. Adam fell backward into an armchair with the force of Matthew's enthusiasm, the young man landing in his lap.

"Get a hold of yourself, man!" Adam demanded, giving Matthew a little push onto the floor.

Matthew was still on his rump on the floor and having his face licked by an excited Pip when Hoss thundered halfway down the stairs.

"It's a girl!" he announced. "Healthy as a horse, too! Dell's doin' just fine. Ross is a little peaked, but he'll be all right." He turned and pounded his way back up the stairs to finish assisting Josie.

Adam buried his face in his hands while Matthew danced around the living room shouting "A niece! I've got a little niece!" Pip chased after him, barking.

Another fifteen minutes went by before Hoss appeared again, inviting Matthew and Adam upstairs to meet the newest Marquette. Refusing to be left behind, Pip followed them up the staircase and into the master bedroom.

Dell was sitting up in bed, her newborn daughter clutched in her arms. She was pale and sweaty, but beaming from ear to ear. Paler and sweatier still, Ross was seated next to her, staring down at his baby girl. Josie and Hoss were off to the side of the room washing up and repacking Josie's medical bag. Much as he wanted to dash to Ross and Dell's side, Adam sidled over to Josie so Matthew could have first claim on the family. He laid a hand on Josie's shoulder.

"How'd it go?" he asked quietly.

Josie turned from the wash basin and grinned at Adam. "Perfectly. Dell did great."

"How's the baby?"

"Also perfect. A little on the small side, but she's got a good set of lungs. I expect Ross and Dell won't be getting much sleep for the next couple months."

Adam pulled Josie into his arms and let his relief wash over both of them. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he buried his face in Josie's hair to hide them.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Josie took a step back and looked up at him. She dug into her pocket, pulled out a clean handkerchief, and blotted a stray tear from his cheek. "Dell did all the work," she said. "All I did was catch. Now, why don't you go meet the little one?" She gave him a nudge toward the Marquettes.

Suddenly shy for the first time in his life, Adam required a second nudge from Josie to get his feet moving toward the bed. Matthew was cradling his niece, but he handed her to Adam when he finally reached them. Adam swept the baby up in his arms in a much more experienced fashion than Matthew had done and stared down at the tiny pink face.

"Hey there, little one," he whispered, his eyes filling with tears again. The baby ignored him and yawned in her sleep. Adam smiled as he looked from the baby to Ross and Delphine and then back to the baby. "Thank goodness you look like your mother," he said more loudly. Everyone laughed except Ross, who blew raspberries at Adam. The baby let out a soft whimper, so Adam handed her back to Delphine. "You are so blessed," he told the new parents.

"I expect you're right behind us," Ross said with a grin.

Adam chuckled. "With any luck." He turned to his cousin. "Josie? Do you need to stay here tonight, or should we get out of the Marquettes' way?"

Josie studied Delphine's face and saw the color returning to her cheeks as she cooed over her baby. "I think we could get out of the way."

"Don't be silly," Ross said. "It's past midnight and well below freezing out there. We've got plenty of space. Please stay."

Adam caught Josie's eye, and the cousins reached a silent agreement. "All right," Adam said. "Pa won't worry if we don't come home tonight. He knows a thing or two about new babies."

Josie grinned and finished tucking her equipment into her medical bag. Once she was all packed up, Matthew led the three Cartwrights to the guestrooms.

The Marquettes' house was nearly as large as Ben Cartwright's. Though only Ross, Dell, Matthew, and now the baby lived there, the five bedrooms had once also accommodated Ross and Matthew's parents, now deceased, as well as the middle son, Henry, who had a blacksmith business in Carson City. Adam had no doubt that Henry and his wife would soon be paying a visit to Virginia City.

"Ross and Dell got this one all set up as a nursery." Matthew pointed to a closed door as they ambled down the hallway. "But you all can set up in these two. This one's got two beds." He pointed toward another door and heaved a heavy sigh. "The beds are all made up. Adam, you know where everything is around here. You all right if I go to bed?"

"Absolutely," Adam said, laying a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Get some sleep."

Matthew nodded and trudged back the way they'd come, disappearing into a bedroom at the end of the hall.

Hoss swung open the door of the bedroom Matthew had pointed out, and all three of them tried to go through the narrow doorway at the same time. Josie's head knocked against the doorframe, and Adam bit back a cry of pain as all of Hoss's weight came down on his foot.

"Josie, this is the room with two beds," Hoss said, ignoring his brother and cousin's pain and poking his head into the room. "Why don't you take the other one?"

Josie slipped under Hoss's arm into the room. "Hoss? Have you taken a look at these beds? They'll be a tight fit even for Adam. You'll hang off the end."

"Huh, guess I will," Hoss mused.

"Take the other room," Adam said. "The bed in there is bigger. Josie and I can bunk in here."

Hoss nodded and smacked right into his brother as he turned around. Adam sighed.

"Oh, sorry, Adam," Hoss said. "Get all clumsy when I'm tired. 'Night you two."

Josie and Adam bid Hoss goodnight before they each collapsed onto one of the small beds.

"We should wash up," Adam muttered, staring up at the ceiling. "Washroom's two doors down on the right."

"Good to know," Josie replied. She stuck her feet up in the air and pulled off her boots without sitting up. The boots hit the floor with a clunk, and Josie slid under the covers.

"I'll second that," Adam said. He pulled his boots off, too, and crawled under the covers of his own bed.

"I feel kind of bad for running out on Fionn's party," Josie said with a yawn as Adam blew out the oil lamp.

"Yeah, but he understands," Adam replied. "He's awfully proud of you, you know."

"Really?"

"I would have thought that was obvious. You're his primary topic of conversation."

Josie was grateful for the darkness. It meant Adam couldn't see her blush.

"I think the boy needs a hobby," Adam chuckled, somehow knowing anyway that Josie was blushing.

"He's been talking about getting a small flock of sheep."

"Sheep? What in the world does he want sheep for?"

Josie shrugged even though Adam couldn't see her. "I asked him that exact question."

"And?"

"And he said, 'Because I'm Irish.'"

Adam laughed at Josie's perfect imitation of Fionn's accent. "And in Fionn's mind, that's a perfectly reasonable explanation," he said, still chuckling. "Well, good luck with your sheep, Fionn." He shook his head and yawned. "Goodnight, Josie."

"Goodnight, Adam." Josie rolled over into a more comfortable position, and she and Adam were both asleep within minutes.

Before they left the next morning, Josie gave both Dell and the baby another thorough examination. Both mother and baby were doing great, and Josie encouraged Delphine to get out of bed and moving around again.

"If you have any trouble nursing, don't be ashamed to ask for help," she said as she packed up her stethoscope. "Charlotte Larson is a miracle worker when it comes to nursing. She know more about it than I could ever hope to."

Adam knocked on the door, and Josie called him in.

"Just wanted to say goodbye before we left," he said. He shook Ross's hand and kissed the cheeks of both Dell and the baby. "Have you thought about what you're going to call her?"

Delphine smiled up at Ross. "Giselle," she said in her French accent. "After my grandmother."

Adam grinned as he and Josie agreed that Giselle was a beautiful name.

"Come on, you two," Hoss said, appearing in the doorway. "Let's leave the new family be. Ross, you all need anything, you scoot yourself right on over to the Ponderosa, you hear?"

Ross promised he would, and after a final round of goodbyes, the Cartwrights headed home.