The pain was intense. It would run up my stomach, and I would lean over in pain. At first, the contractions were not that painful and were far apart. As the hours ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace, the contractions became unbearable and closer together. My hips ached and the pain intensified as I leaned forward.

My jeans were soaked after my water broke, so I went upstairs and changed into an old sundress. If I was about to give birth, I think this would be the best thing to wear.

I spent the day curled up on the couch or on one of the dining room chairs. I kept looking out the window. I was praying that somebody would come inside early. I hoped Charles' knee was bothering him and he would come in. I hoped Jimmy would want to come in and check on me. I needed somebody now.

The pain became too much to handle. I went to our room and laid down on the bed. I curled my fingers into my scalp. I tried to control my breathing as another contraction overtook my body. My eyes were stinging with tears.

I was terrified that I was going to give birth alone in this house. I did not know when to push or how to cut the umbilical cord.

What if it was a girl? I would have to hold onto my baby girl for hours before Jimmy would come in and snap her neck. I would not be able to hold my child and know that she was waiting for death. I could already see myself holding onto her and screaming as Jimmy tried to take her away from me.

I could not believe my ears as I heard the kitchen door open.

"Jimmy!" I screamed.

I listened to him run up the stairs. I cradled my stomach with my arm and sat on the bed. His hair was tousled and his eyes were wide when he saw me.

"Julie." He ran over and kneeled next to the bed. He put his hand on my arm and was rubbing it. "What's wrong?"

"The baby is coming," I said.

His fingers curled into my arm. His jaw dropped and I watched as panic washed over his face.

"Okay," he said, getting up off his knee. He pressed his lips against my forehead. "Lean back on the bed and relax."

Jimmy stacked his pillow on top of mine. He was gentle as he put his hands on my shoulder and pushed me back.

"Don't worry," Jimmy said. He took a deep breath. I could tell that he was just as nervous as I was. "Just relax. I'll get Dad. He'll know what to do."

He turned on his heels before I had the chance to answer. I closed my eyes and tried to control my breathing. I could hear them running around downstairs. The baby would be here soon.

When I opened my eyes again, I felt the weight of somebody at the end of the bed. Charles was sitting there, with a stack of towels, and a textbook open beside him. His lips were curled into a wide smile.

"Time to bring my grandson into this world, Juliet," Charles said.

A nervous giggle escaped my lips. Jimmy came into the room with another stack of towels. What were they going to do with all of these towels?

Tommy strolled into the room behind him. It made me mad to see him so calm. He smirked and then winked at me. I let out a deep breath and dropped my head on the pillows. I knew that he was thinking about our conversation at the top of the stairs. He believed that after this I was going to leave Jimmy for him.

"Thomas, go up there and take care of Juliet," Charles said.

I muttered a curse under my breath. I would rather him be by my head rather than between my legs, but I wished that he was not in the room at all. I wanted Jimmy up here comforting me, but I had no choice.

Another contraction spread across my stomach and down between my legs. I gritted my teeth together. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed Tommy's hand. He sat down on the edge of the bed next to me. He threw his arm over my shoulder and I reached for his other hand as the next contraction hit.

"Ready to break Jim with this girl?" Tommy whispered into my ear.

I shook my head. He chuckled and buried his face into my neck. I looked down at Jimmy to see him furrowing his brows together.

"Tommy!" he shouted.

Tommy pulled his head out from my neck and I closed my eyes. A new contraction hit and this one was much more intense. I howled out in pain and tightened my grip on his hands. Tommy gasped out in pain. He must not have been expecting it.

I did not open my eyes until the birth was over. Charles told me when to push. I squeezed Tommy's hands and cried out in pain. There was a great amount of pressure. Whenever I stopped pushing there was a sharp stabbing pain in my stomach. Every time I would push the pain would lessen.

All of the energy was gone from my body when I heard my baby cry. I let out a deep breath and smiled. My baby was healthy and breathing.

I opened my eyes again to see Tommy. He was staring at the end of the bed. I wanted to sit up and look at my baby, but I could not find the strength to move. Tommy took a quick look at me before storming out of the room.

"Julie," Jimmy said over our baby's cries. "It's a boy."

--

As soon as my baby was in my arms, I forgot all about the pain. I had my beautiful baby boy with me.

A boy.

I knew it had to be a boy.

Jimmy sat next to me on the bed with his arms wrapped around my body. Charles had washed the baby off before handing him to me. The baby was wrapped in one of the knit blankets. I barely noticed Charles smiling as he left the room.

We had our family now. Our own family. Charles and Tommy were my family too, but this was different. Jimmy and I now had a child. We could now raise our own family.

I couldn't stop smiling as I looked down at my boy. I could not believe how tiny he was. I was afraid to hold him too tight and squish him. He looked so fragile. He had a small circle for a mouth and a button nose. Thin strands of dark hair covered his pale scalp. His eyes were large, and it reminded me of Jimmy's.

"He's got your eyes," I told Jimmy.

"He's got your nose," he said.

I turned my head and kissed Jimmy. When I looked down at my baby, his eyes were closed and his eyes were blissfully asleep. I tried my best to keep my arms still so that I would not wake him.

"We still need to come up with a name," Jimmy said.

"Yeah," I muttered.

I was too distracted by my angel in my arms.

"Have any ideas?" he asked.

My jaw dropped. I could not believe that Jimmy would let me make such an important decision. He really did trust me. I did not think it was possible, but my lips spread into a wider smile.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course," he said. "He's your baby too. I just don't want his name to be like James Junior. I don't like it when parents name children after themselves."

I nodded as I looked down at him. Picking out a name was a big responsibility. I never thought that Jimmy would let me be in charge of this.

What would I call him when dinner was ready? What would I call him as I tucked him into bed at night? What would Jimmy call him if he needed extra help outside? What would they call him when they would go out hunting?

"Hunter," I said.

"Hunter," Jimmy repeated. "I think it sounds pretty good."

"You like it?"

"Yeah," he said. He pressed his lips against my temple. "It's good. You did a good job, Julie."

"Thank you."

My jaw stretched and my eyes watered as I yawned. My body ached from fatigue and my eyelids were heavy. The last thing I wanted to do was sleep. I wanted to stare at Hunter all day.

"You should get some sleep," Jimmy said.

"Not yet," I said.

"Yes," he said. "Yes, you do. You're exhausted. You need sleep. Hunter will still be here when you wake up. I'll take care of him while you're sleeping."

Before I could say anything, Jimmy stood. He reached down and pulled Hunter out of my arms. I wanted to warn Jimmy to be careful with him, but I knew that he already aware of that. My arms seemed empty without Hunter.

Jimmy was holding Hunter in his arms. His hair was hanging out from behind his ears, but he did not have any free hands to tuck the strands back.

"There's no crib," I said.

"Dad and Tommy are building one downstairs," he said. He looked up from Hunter and over to me. "They'll bring it up when you're awake. They want you to rest too."

"You bought a crib?'

"No. We had one in the basement. Now get some sleep."

"Okay."

I slid down the bed and settled myself into a ball on my side. It felt like I had just been punched in the stomach, which I tried to ignore. I watched as Jimmy cooed at our baby as he walked out the door. Fatigue soon overtook my body.