Sorry for the delay again everyone but real life has just been stressful lately! Thanks for all your reviews and here's the next chapter!!

"Oh God…" Rebecca gasped, pressing her hand to her stomach as pain coursed through her. "Oh God, no…" She stumbled forward, reaching out to catch hold of the edge of the bed before collapsing onto her knees. She felt a warm, sticky sensation at the top of her thighs and let out a cry of fright.

The bedroom door opened suddenly and Michaela came rushing in, dressed in her nightgown. "Rebecca?"

"Michaela…"

"What is it?" Michaela hurried over to her and crouched down next to her friend.

"I don't know…"

"Can you stand?" She wrapped her arm around Rebecca's waist and tried to gently lift her to her feet, but the pain was clearly too much and Rebecca sank back down again.

"I can't…" she whimpered, "I can't…" Michaela grabbed her stethoscope from where it was lying next to the bed. "It hurts…oh…it hurts…it's too early, surely it's too early…"

Michaela pressed the instrument to her friend's stomach and was dismayed to hear that the baby's heartbeat was rapid. "Rebecca, can you lean back for a moment?" She assisted Rebecca to lean her head against the bedside dresser and then lifted her skirts. "Your waters have broken."

Rebecca looked fearfully at her, "But it's too early!"

"We have to get you into bed," Michaela said, businesslike.

"But it's too early!" Rebecca repeated, her voice rising into a wail. "No…" her face crumpled as another wave of pain hit her.

"You're having contractions," Michaela explained. "We need to get you into the spare room. Can you get to your feet?" Rebecca tried to push herself up from the ground but failed. "Roll over gently onto your knees," Michaela instructed, "and then ease yourself up." Rebecca did as she was told and Michaela placed her hand under her arm to help her up. Slowly, they began shuffling towards the bedroom door.

Rebecca stopped suddenly and turned back to the bed where her husband still lay, oblivious to what was going on around him. "I want to stay with Preston!"

"You can't right now," Michaela replied. "You have to do what's best for you and the baby and, right now, that means getting into bed."

"But…"

"It's what Preston would want," she added.

Sobbing, Rebecca allowed Michaela to steer her out of the room and down the hall to the vacant spare bedroom. "This shouldn't be happening…" she cried as Michaela guided her towards the bed. "Not like this…"

"I want you to lie down," Michaela instructed, "and I want you to try hard not to push."

"Please Michaela…" Rebecca sobbed, "please make it stop…" She climbed as best she could onto the bed and Michaela pushed her skirts up and opened her thighs. "Is the baby coming?" Michaela didn't reply. "Michaela, is the baby coming?!"

Michaela looked at her over the tops of her knees. "Yes," she said, "yes it is."

"No…oh God no…" Rebecca moaned. "No…!"

"Rebecca, you have to calm down," Michaela said, "I need you to focus on not pushing."

"Preston! I want Preston!"

"I need to get my bag, Rebecca, I'll be right back." Michaela flew out of the bedroom and rushed down the stairs to the living area where she had left her bag. As she lifted it, she heard another scream coming from the bedroom and she ran back up as fast as she could. Coming back into the bedroom, she saw Rebecca now on her knees on the bed, her face contorted with pain. "Rebecca, don't push!"

"I have to! I can't…ahh…."

"Don't!" But Rebecca was bearing down, her face growing redder with each passing second. "Stop pushing!"

"I can't…" she cried. "I can't…" And in that moment, she didn't care about herself, didn't care that she might lose her own life doing this. All she could think about was that her baby wanted life and she had to give it.

XXXX

"I don't know how you can sit there reading as though nothing were happening," Alice said, glaring at her husband sat opposite her in the train carriage. They were only a few miles from Denver and only another day away from their son.

Preston Senior looked at her over the top of his book. "What would you rather I do? Sit staring out of the window at the non-existent scenery?"

"It's as if you don't even care."

"Of course I care, but we still have many hours to travel and you're doing yourself no good by constantly worrying."

"Our son could be dead by the time we get there!" Alice exclaimed.

"Preston's a fighter," her husband said, turning back to his book. "I have absolute faith that he'll make a full recovery."

"And if he doesn't?"

There was a long pause before he spoke again. "If, God forbid, the worst should happen, we will deal with it as best we can."

"Rebecca must feel wretched. I can only imagine what she's going through in her condition."

Preston Senior let out a long breath, "Rebecca's a strong woman. I've no doubt she's coping admirably with the pregnancy. After all," he added, "she's carrying a Lodge."

XXXX

Rebecca covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

Michaela finished cleaning up as best as she could and then turned back to the small bundle lying in the wicker basket on the floor. It was almost as though she was merely sleeping and if she stared long enough, she could almost see the blanket move with non-existent breath. A little girl, perfect in every way, except life.

It had been a quick labour. Too quick. Over in a matter of hours as the sun had started to rise. Far from being concerned for Rebecca's health during the delivery, it had become quickly obvious that the baby was not going to wait any longer and was in some distress. When she had slid from between Rebecca's legs, Michaela had instantly been able to tell that there was no hope, despite Rebecca's repeated screams for her to make the baby breathe.

"You need a stitch," Michaela said quietly, but Rebecca drew her legs up under her and continued to cry. "Rebecca…"

"Go away," the younger woman said, her voice full of raw pain. "Please."

"But I need to…"

"Go away!" Rebecca screamed, rolling over onto her side and burying her face in the pillow. Michaela stood up, knowing that it would do more harm than good to insist now, and moved towards the door. "Take it with you."

She stopped and turned back. "What?"

"Take it with you!"

Michaela wanted to refuse, knowing that Rebecca should see her baby, but she knew better than to argue at this stage. She walked back over to the bed and gently lifted the basket before leaving the room. She carried her downstairs and laid the basket next to the fire before brewing some tea. She made two cups and carried them back up the stairs, heading first for the main bedroom.

The moment that she opened the door, she could tell something had changed. Hurriedly setting the cups down, she drew back the blinds and then moved over to the bed. Preston's breathing was even and, when she touched his forehead, she felt to her relief that his fever had broken. "Thank God," she whispered, though she couldn't help feeling that what he had given with one hand, he had taken away with the other.

"How are they?" Sully asked later as he and Colleen arrived at the house. Michaela had filled them in on the events of the morning and Colleen had even insisted on holding the baby, crying as she did so.

"Preston's fever broke a few hours ago," Michaela replied. "He's resting comfortably."

"Does he know…?"

"No." Michaela looked at Colleen. "I think it would be wise for you to fetch the Reverend," she said. "There's…arrangements that have to be made and…well…perhaps he can talk to Rebecca."

"Sure Ma," Colleen replied.

"She still upset?" Sully asked.

"Oh Sully…" Michaela stepped into his arms. "She's devastated, understandably and…she won't even look at the baby," as she spoke, she glanced at the basket still sat by the fire. "And with Preston still sick…"

"She just needs time," he reassured her.

"I don't know if I should tell him," she said. "I don't know if it's my place."

Sully pulled back and looked at her. "You have to tell him, Michaela. Rebecca's in no fit state to do it right now and he has a right to know."

"But he's not fully recovered yet," she argued.

"I know that. He'll be weak but he'll be awake and the first thing he's going to wonder is why she ain't at his side."

Michaela nodded. "You're right. I know you're right."

"I spoke to Horace," Sully continued. "Preston's folks are on their way here. Should be arriving in the next day or so."

"They'll be relieved he's alive," Michaela mused. "I just wish the same could be said for their granddaughter."

XXXX

It was evening before Preston opened his eyes for the first time and slowly came to. In those first few moments of awakening, he felt as though his head had been cleaved in two, throbbing painfully even in the dim lamplight. His throat was raw and dry, his lips chapped from dehydration and even muscle in his body ached.

Squinting in the light, he could make out a figure at the other side of the room. At first, he thought it was Rebecca, but as his eyes adjusted he saw that it was in fact Michaela. "Michaela?" he said, his voice thin and scratchy to his ears.

She moved over to the bed beside him. "How do you feel?"

"I've felt better," he replied honestly. "What…what happened?"

"You've had influenza," Michaela explained, filling a cup with water and helping him to drink from it. "The last few days you've had us all worried. But your fever broke early this morning and you're doing much better. I've no doubt that you'll be fully recovered in a few days."

"Rebecca…" he said immediately. "Where…?"

"She's in the other room," Michaela replied, "she's…resting."

"Is she all right?" he asked, laying his head back down.

"Yes, she's…" Michaela paused, "she's as well as can be expected."

Despite his symptoms, Preston didn't fail to miss the implication in her tone. "Has something happened?"

"Well…"

"Has she contracted it too?" he demanded, his voice increasing in pitch. "Have I given her this? Is she sick?"

"Preston…"

"Rebecca?!" he called out her name. "Rebecca!"

"Ssssh, please…" Michaela tried to quieten him. "She's asleep and you need to preserve your strength."

"But what's happened?!" he demanded.

"Rebecca…" Michaela paused, hating the news she knew she had to deliver and yet knowing there was no-one else capable of doing it. "Rebecca went into labour last night."

"Labour?" Preston's eyes widened. "But surely it's too early? And she was supposed to have a caesarean section…you said so yourself…"

"I know, but there was nothing I could do…"

"She's had the baby?" he looked at her questioningly. "She's had the baby and she's all right?"

"Yes, but…"

"Thank the Lord…" he sank back into the pillows and closed his eyes.

"Preston…" Michaela's voice shook. "I'm so sorry but the baby…the baby didn't survive."

He opened his eyes again, "What?"

"It was just…just too early and…and I'm so very sorry…"

"No…" he said, "no, but…"

"There was nothing that I could do."

"I don't understand…"

Michaela felt her eyes fill with tears. "It was just…just too early and…what are you doing?" Preston pushed back the bedclothes and tried to swing his legs over the bed. "Preston…"

"I have to see her," he declared, grabbing onto the bedside table to help pull himself to his feet.

"You need to rest!" He stumbled and then pitched forward onto the floor. "Preston, you're not well enough to get out of bed!" she exclaimed, crouching beside him to help him to his feet.

Preston shook her off, determination filling him despite the terrible weakness. "I'll crawl if I have to!" Pulling himself awkwardly to his feet, he traversed his way around the bed towards the door and out into the hallway.

"At least put this on!" Michaela insisted, throwing a shawl around his shoulders. He accepted it silently. "Preston…" she said, as he reached the door of the other bedroom. "Rebecca's very upset and she might…" Before she could finish, however, Preston had pushed the door open and stumbled inside.

There was a lamp flickering in the corner of the room, casting a warm glow, but all it highlighted was the empty bed.