Three days later, Angel Eyes was awakened by Emma tugging repeatedly on his shoulder. It was still dark and he couldn't figure why she didn't just wait until morning for whatever it was she wanted.
"Wake up, wake up, I think it's time!" Emma urged. "I've been having pains all night."
"Time for the baby?" He was still clearing the sleepy cobwebs out of his mind.
"Yes, of course, silly," she replied. "You're about to become a father."
Angel Eyes sat up with his legs over the side of the bed for a few moments before pulling his pants on.
He shambled over to the guest room, carrying a lit candle in a holder, to where Tom had spent the night.
"Get up, kid," he growled. "You need to go get that midwife right away. And after that, go get your mother. Take the carriage horse."
Tom didn't waste any time getting ready to go. Within moments he was out the door and in the barn saddling the horse.
As soon as Tom had left, Angel Eyes returned to the bedroom, where Emma was up pacing the floor.
"Think you ought to be on your feet right now?" he asked in concern.
"Yes, it's fine," she assured him. "Janie said exercise was good for me. Besides, it helps me from thinking about the pain."
She tensed up as another pain hit her. Easing herself down on the side of the bed, she rocked back and forth.
Not knowing what else to do, he sat down beside her and began rubbing her back. She leaned into him, and he just held her until the pain had passed.
Before too long, there was a knock at the side door, ending their tender moment.
"I'll go see who it is."
Cautiously, he moved soundlessly to the door after having first grabbed his revolver, easing the hammer back. He looked out a window, and saw it was only the midwife. Returning the hammer to its original position, he opened the door.
"I came as soon as I heard," Janie said breathlessly. "How is Emma? How far apart are her pains?"
"She seems all right, considering," he replied. "I don't know how far apart the pains are, but she
told me she'd been having them most of the night before she woke me up."
"It will likely be many hours before the baby comes," she said, looking at the bare chested man. "You should get the rest of your clothes, a blanket, and anything else you need to be comfortable out in the sitting room. You'll be waiting quite awhile."
Angel Eyes was a bit taken aback by the midwife's take charge attitude, but did as she asked. After putting the rest of his clothes and boots on, he went to the front porch to smoke his pipe.
About an hour later, Lavinia Baker arrived with Tom. The younger children has remained at the mercantile with their father. Thomas Baker, Sr still had not forgiven Emma for living what he called a sinful life and he was determined to keep his two youngest from being exposed to it.
Lavinia carried a large basket full of food, which she offered to Angel Eyes. "I figured you and Tom would get hungry while you're waiting for the baby. There's some chicken, biscuits, and apple pie. Emma told me you are right partial to chicken."
"I am," he affirmed. "Much obliged."
She then hurried to the bedroom, eager to help her grandchild enter the world. He went into the kitchen and stowed the food in the root cellar, so it would stay cold until they were ready to eat.
He stepped back out onto the porch and resumed smoking his pipe. A few moments later, Tom joined him, carrying two mugs of coffee.
"Thanks, kid," Angel Eyes said. Pulling out a small flask from an interior pocket of his jacket, he poured a bit of whiskey into his coffee. Holding the flask up, he asked, "Want some? It'll make the waiting easier."
"My mother would skin me alive if I drank whiskey," Tom ruefully admitted.
"All the more reason to have some," the older man told him. "Trust me, she's not going to know. She's got other things on her mind now."
"All right, then," the teen hesitantly agreed, holding up his mug.
Angel Eyes poured him a modest amount, then chuckled as he tasted it, then spluttered.
"Take little sips until you get used to it," he instructed. "It's an acquired taste."
Tom eventually fell asleep after sampling a bit more whiskey, which was what the expectant father had intended. He was in no mood for small talk with the eager teenager, but preferred to sit quietly as he waited to become a father.
After a couple of hours, he went into the kitchen to have some of the food Lavinia had brought. Next, he cleaned his revolver at the kitchen table to pass the time. Finally, after many hours had passed, he began pacing near the bedroom door.
Emma's intermittent screams unnerved him and he wished the ordeal would be over already. He went back to the porch so he could smoke his pipe in peace.
As he re-entered the house, he heard a baby crying. Lavinia bustled toward him impatiently.
"Oh, there you are," she called out. "Come meet your son."
"I have a son?" he asked, stunned.
"Yes!" Lavinia affirmed, daring to take his arm. "Come on, Emma is waiting for you!"
A moment later, he entered the bedroom, where Emma held a small bundle, and Janie bustled around tidying up.
"Come in and see," Emma said shyly. Looking at her mother and Janie, she asked, "Could you leave us alone for a few minutes?"
"Let's go have us a cup of coffee, shall we?" Lavinia said to Janie, as they filed out of the room to give the new parents some privacy.
After the door had closed behind the two women, Emma smiled up at Angel Eyes and turned the bundle around so he could see the baby's face. *William Sentenza, meet your son, Lee Thomas Sentenza."
He looked down, at a total loss for words. This tiny human being was part of him and he'd do anything to protect him.
A wave of unfamiliar emotions passed over him as he beheld his son.
"Would you like to hold him?" Emma asked softly. "Come sit by me."
He sat down gingerly on the side of the bed next to her. She gently placed the baby in his arms, showing him how to properly hold his son, guiding his large hands to properly support the baby's neck.
As he looked down at the newborn's face, he was filled with awe. Just a year ago, he could not have imagined becoming a father, yet here he was. When he met Emma, they were both out for just temporary fun and games. Now, both their lives were changed forever, all because of the small life he held in his hands. For the first time in his life, there was someone who depended on him.
Lavinia Baker spent nearly two weeks with the new parents, mostly caring for her daughter as she recovered from childbirth, as well as doing all the cooking and cleaning.
Angel Eyes stayed mostly out of sight, spending several hours each day in town at the saloon. He said nothing about just having become a father while
In town. He considered his private life to be just that and not the business of any of the townspeople of Cactus Flats. He'd tell Jesse the next time he saw him, but that was it.
Lavinia went home once Emma was out of bed and had recovered enough to resume her normal activities. He did not return to his own bed, as the baby had yet to sleep through the night, and he got a better night's sleep when he stayed in the spare bedroom.
Angel Eyes spent a little time each day with his son, but so far, the baby slept most of the time. After several weeks of this, he began to feel the familiar antsiness that indicated that it was time to find a new job.
But before he'd hit the trail again, there was one important thing he needed to do; teach both Emma and Tom how to shoot and to reach at least a basic level of proficiency. It wasn't that he was expecting trouble, but he'd feel better going off on his next job if they knew how to protect themselves.