A Randall Hero. Judy Christenberry

Lucy was exhausted. “Let me take the baby. I’ll put her in a bassinet.”

      “Thank you,” Lucy said.

      As Caro exited with Emma, John told her, “I’ll stay with Lucy until she falls asleep. Then I’ll go talk to my parents.”

      “Are you going to leave then, John?” Lucy asked.

      He heard the fear in her voice, and he said, “No, I won’t leave you, Lucy. My parents are waiting here. I’ll just visit them for a little bit while you sleep.”

      “I know I’m being a baby about you staying. I promise I’ll get stronger, but right now I can’t quite be brave.”

      “You don’t have to. I’m here.” He took her hand in his and insisted she go to sleep. After several minutes, he slipped his hand away and waited to see if she would wake up. When she didn’t, he left the room. In the hallway, he found a nurse. “I’m going to the waiting room to talk to my parents. Let me know if she wakes up.”

      “Okay. Do you want to take the baby to show them?”

      “Can I do that?”

      “Caro said you could.”

      “Yeah, I’d like that.”

      John figured his parents would like to see the baby. His mother would be excited about the tiny infant, and his father’s protective urge would be aroused.

      Besides, he liked holding Emma.

      When he reached the waiting room, he saw his parents sitting quietly. He stepped into the room, holding Emma, and his parents jumped to their feet. He couldn’t help the proud smile he wore. “I want to introduce you to Emma,” he said, pulling the blanket back a little.

      “Oh! Let me hold her,” Camille Randall said.

      He immediately handed the baby to her. He and his father crowded around. It was amazing to him that his parents didn’t demand an explanation. But he would give them one anyway. “I’m not the father.”

      Griff Randall looked at him sharply. “Then who is?”

      “A man named Cecil. The important person of the two who created this baby is the mother.”

      “Who is she?”

      “She’s Harry’s sister.”

      “What?” Camille said. She appeared stunned.

      “I said she’s Harry’s sister.”

      “But how did you know her?” his father asked.

      John replayed the past twelve hours for his parents. “She’s scared and doesn’t know what to do. Her husband beat her, hoping to provoke a miscarriage.”

      Horrified, his parents stared at the infant in Camille’s arms.

      “Oh, no!” Camille said, holding the baby closer.

      “We’ll protect her and her child, of course,” Griff said.

      John realized how wonderful his parents were. He felt sure they would’ve said the same thing if Lucy wasn’t Harry’s sister, but he was glad there was a family connection.

      “I know I’m supposed to be running the ranch, Dad, but could you fill in for a day or two? Lucy feels alone right now. I can give her some assurance that she and her baby are safe.”

      “I’m sure Harry would appreciate that, John,” Griff said. “I can take care of the ranch for a few days.”

      “Thanks, Dad. And, Mom, I told Lucy she and the baby could come to the ranch at least until Harry got back.”

      “Well, of course they can. She can take your sister’s old room and the baby can go in the one next door. It’ll be perfect. I’ll get started fixing it up this afternoon.”

      “Don’t go to extremes, Mom. I don’t think Emma will know the difference and Lucy will just be grateful to be safe.”

      “No, I won’t. I bet she hasn’t gotten any baby things for Emma. She likely wouldn’t since she was on the run. I can make those arrangements, too.”

      “All right, but don’t overwhelm her. She’s not used to a family like ours.”

      “Oh, no, just the necessities for this little darling.” Camille looked down at the baby sleeping in her arms. “She’s almost like my own grandbaby. What about Lucy’s parents?”

      “Harry told me they got divorced a long time ago. Lucy didn’t mention either of them.”

      “Then we’ll be this little girl’s grandparents, at least for a little while.”

      “Let me hold her a minute,” Griff said, reaching for the pink bundle. He peeled back the blanket to get a good look at her. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

      “Yeah,” John agreed. “Caro says if she holds her own, she can go home with Lucy.”

      “How much did she weigh?” Camille asked.

      “Six pounds one ounce.”

      “Oh, yes, she’ll need to grow a little.” She cooed at the baby, “Listen, little Emma, you drink all your milk so you’ll weigh a little more. Then you can come home with your mommy.”

      “You think she heard you, Mom?”

      “You never know, John. Babies understand a lot more than we might think.”

      “Okay, I’d better take her back to her mother, in case Lucy wakes up and thinks her baby is missing. I’m not sure when I’ll be home, Dad. Thanks for taking over for me.”

      “No problem. We’ll call it family leave.”

      John was smiling as he carried Emma back to her bassinet. She stretched in his arms, as if she was trying to grow. “Not too fast, Emma. You need to be a baby for a little longer. That way you can have lots of cuddling.”

      When he reached the room, Lucy was asleep and he settled Emma in her own small bed to sleep alongside her mother.

      When he came out of Lucy’s room, Caroline caught him. “Mike wants to talk to you. He said he could come here if that would help.”

      “Yeah, it would. Shall I call him?”

      “I’ll let him know.”

      “Okay, I’ll be in the waiting room.”

      After letting Lucy’s nurse know where he’d be, he settled on one of the sofas in the waiting room, glad his parents had gone home. At least now they knew he hadn’t brought a woman pregnant with his child to the hospital as a surprise. But he almost wished Lucy was his woman. She seemed so gentle and caring and…lost. He felt a need to be responsible for her.

      Mike walked into the waiting room. He must’ve driven down to get there this fast.

      “Did that old man talk to you?”

      Mike came to an abrupt halt. “Did you have something to do with that?”

      “He’s the one who brought us to town.”

      “I didn’t know that. But I wanted to talk to you about the woman you brought in.”

      “Didn’t Caro tell you?”

      “Tell me what?”

      “Who she is. She’s Harry’s sister.”

      Mike stared at him blankly. “You’re kidding.”

      “No, I’m not.”

      “Did you ask her for proof?”

      “No, I didn’t. I’m not a lawman.”

      “Damn it, John, you can’t just take her word for it.”

      “Do you know her married name?