Buck leant painfully against the mount he had chosen to take his wife into town. His left leg didn't support him half as well as he hoped it would, and his hands were freezing more by the minute. He had sworn that outdoors he would wear gloves at all times in the winter, and even in the summer should the weather be bad. But in his hurry to get a horse and cart ready he had forgotten all about that, and his fingers were already too stiff to secure the harness. The horse stomped nervously and didn't like the way his master used his strong body for leverage. Buck knew the animal was annoyed with his behavior, but he just couldn't stand up on his own. His fingers fought to tighten the straps and cinches, while he leant on his right leg and the horse. He had the reins on a hook by the door, and hobbling over to it was harder than he had expected. In fact so much harder he moved his right leg too fast, which sent him crashing to the icy ground before he reached the door. He screamed into his arm and bit his teeth together in pain. His left leg hurt like hell, and moving was out of the question. He couldn't pass out, or Kate wouldn't make it to doc's in time. But the dots blurring his vision wouldn't go away, and before long he was lost in a mystery world he had no control over.

Kate hushed her daughter and stroked her head. "It'll be okay, you'll see, mommy's just in a little pain right now," she explained but Sherry was crying still. "Daddy's gonna come round with the buckboard soon and we'll all go into to town. You like town, don't you?" she asked and her little girl nodded through the tears.

Kate nodded too and leant back against the couch, rocking her daughter with her when the contractions started again. What's taking you so long, Buck?

Buck's eyes opened slowly and for a long minute he tried to recollect what had happened. When he realized he was lying on the ground inside the barn, with a horse standing only two feet from his head, he was gripped by panic. He sat up quickly and tried to ignore the pain in his leg, but it was very intense and when he moved to stand he gave a shout in pain. But he refused to give up, because Kate needed him. He gritted his teeth and leant against the wall, while his head spun violently. It took several minutes before he could stagger toward his horse again and finish what he had started. As long as he didn't move or let his whole left foot touch the ground, it was okay. He only let his toes down and tried to keep the rest of the leg above ground.

When the reins were finally secured he felt the panic rise anew. He had to get the horse out to the buckboard, but he couldn't walk. He looked down on his leg and saw blood in a growing stain about in the same place his leg had been broken before. And now it was re-broken. He panted and pushed the fear of pain aside, grabbing the horse's mane with a tight grip. "Be still now," he begged. "Please, be still."

He swung his right leg over the horse with one strong movement, and though it hurt he was soon mounted atop the harnessed horse. He carefully pressed his right heel in his side and the horse moved obediently to the door. Buck managed to open it without dismounting, but his leg was throbbing hard by now, and he pain was close to unbearable. He leant forward on the horse and his frozen fingers held a tight grip of the mane to stay up. He reached the wagon just when Kate came out on the porch.

"Buck!" she cried and tried to run toward him, but the next contraction brought her to a sitting position on the porch.

"Kate, I'll be fine!" Buck cried back, and slid down from the horse as slowly as he could. "Stay inside!" he screamed when the pain shot through his leg in the landing.

Kate watched her husband hobble painfully back and forth while securing the horse to the buckboard, and it was the most dreadful sight she had ever witnessed. She didn't miss the blood on his left leg, and though she couldn't actually see the bulge where the bone pipe was poking out of his leg, she could imagine it in her head. And the pain she felt around her abdomen and back wasn't half as bad as the pain she imagined he was feeling. But the next contraction had her change her mind.

"Buck, the baby's coming!" she panted and gripped a post on the porch in a futile attempt to rise. Her daughter was crying behind her in the wide opened door.

Buck's heart was torn in three directions. He wanted to leave the horse and run into her arms and support her, but if he didn't get the wagon fixed the baby might never see daylight at all. And the sounds of his devastated daughter ripped through his soul like knifes.

"It's done!" he cried finally and tried to mount the driver's seat.

But the leg was hurting worse now, and had it not been for the horse standing there again as his support, he would have fallen. He felt like he would faint again, and his vision blurred with tears of pain.

"Kate!"

Kate heard him the first time, but she couldn't move. Her bulging stomach was hurting too bad to move and she was fighting hard not to push. The baby couldn't come before they reached the doctor's office.

Buck pulled himself up on the wagon with a scream in pain and clasping the reins was all the faithful horse needed to walk. Buck pulled him to a hard halt at the porch and Kate reached for Sherryleen's hand. The little girl dried her tears and felt somewhat safer in the presence of both mom and dad, but their faces looked angry and pain stricken, and there were tears in their eyes too. She did what she was told and jumped up on the wagon from behind.

"Kate, can you?" Buck asked and Kate nodded between two tight and hard waves of pain.

"Just get me to the doctor so your child can have its way," she mumbled and ironic as it was it still made both adults smile.

She couldn't explain how, but she climbed onto the wagon next to her daughter and enveloped her with her shaking arms.

"It's gonna be okay, sweetie. Daddy's gonna take care of us," she soothed and heard the reins slap the horse's rump.

The wagon rolled fast down the street, and though most of town was asleep, those who were still up looked out through their windows to see what was going on. Kid was one of them.

"Buck!" he hollered, but the wagon had already turned a corner and was disappearing toward the doctor's surgery. Kid picked up a pace and hurried after them, knowing in his heart something was wrong.

Buck's world swam violently, and pulling the horse to an abrupt halt was all he could muster. He sat half conscious on the driver's seat and heard himself hollering for doc to come out. By the time he did, several of the townspeople were gathering around the panting horse to witness the event. Buck turned to see Kate and Sherryleen being helped off the wagon but he didn't know who did that. Whoever it was, must have been his savior, for the next thing he was aware of was darkness.

Kid carried the passed out father into the clinic while the doctor and his wife helped the mother and daughter. Rachel and Lou were approaching just in time to see the unlikely family disappear into the now very lively clinic one by one.