Jimmy had been mulling over something for the last week, not sure how Lou would react when he finally decided to speak to her of the matter. The opportunity to talk to her finally presented itself one afternoon while they watched Ellie playing along the edge of the swimming hole not far from town. Sitting and feeling relaxed in the shade of the old oak, Jimmy broached a topic he hoped Lou wouldn’t get upset with. “Um, Lou?” he asked. Lou was leaning back on her hands, watching as Ellie tried to catch a frog that was faster than she was. ‘Hmm?” she replied absently not really listening to him. Lost in his own thoughts he didn’t notice she wasn’t paying attention to him when he started to speak. “You know how much Ellie means to me, right Lou? I’ve always thought of her as my own daughter, even though I know she’s Kid’s.” The mention of her dead husband’s name caught her drifting attention, causing her to glance sideways at her husband of three months. It was unusual for Jimmy to bring up Kid’s name, knowing that it was still hard for her to talk about him, even after all this time. “What about Kid?” she asked, giving him her full attention. Jimmy looked up at her unsure but repeated himself. “I said I know Ellie is Kid’s daughter, but I really want to make her mine. Legally that is, but I want to know how you feel about it before saying anything to her, with your permission of course.” Shaking her head, trying to sort out what Jimmy was talking about; Lou had to ask, “What are you talking about Jimmy? Make what legal? And what’s it got to do with Ellie?” Frustrated, Jimmy gritted his teeth and asked her, “Haven’t you been listening to a word I said? I want to adopt Ellie.” Lou’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. She had not seen that one coming. “You want to adopt Ellie? Why?” “Why? You should know the answer to that one already Lou. ‘Cause I love her that’s why. Because I want her to have the same last name as you and I do. It’s not like she had her father’s last name,” he bit out. At the narrowing of his wife’s eyes at the last comment, Jimmy knew he had said too much. Trying to defend himself he offered, “Well, she does have what was your last name. No one ever knew his.” Counting to ten under her breath until she wasn’t so angry, Lou pondered what he had just said. “You’re right Jimmy. Ellie does have my last name. Kid had refused to tell anyone his last name. I still don’t know what it was,” she paused watching her daughter splashing along the edge of the pond. “What would we have to do to have you adopt her?” she asked with interest, a sign that she was receptive to the idea. The way he sat up and started motioning with his hands as he talked, clued Lou in on how much time he had given the idea of adopting her daughter and how much it meant to him to do so. “Teaspoon said all we will have to do is petition the judge to allow me to adopt Ellie. He said that since Kid…well, you know, that as long as you are willing to allow the adoption than the judge should grant it without any problems.” As Ellie picked up her shoes and stockings and started back towards where they were sitting, Lou leaned over and gave Jimmy a quick kiss and said, “I think it’s a wonderful idea Jimmy. It means a lot to me to know that you would like Ellie to be your daughter and I’m sure she will feel the same. When would you like to tell her?” “How about tonight, before bed?” he asked, thrilled at the idea of Ellie becoming his daughter. Lou nodded in agreement as Ellie ran the rest of the way to them calling, “Look Momma, look Uncle Jimmy, I found a garter snake.” Lou shuddered as her daughter held out the snake with pride while Jimmy admitted, “Sure is a beaut’ Ellie!” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ “Uncle Jimmy? Would you tell me a bedtime story?” Ellie begged, having decided his stories were much more exciting than her mothers. “I’d love to tell you a bedtime story,” Jimmy told her swinging her up on his back for a ‘horsy ride’ as she would call it. “But, first your mother and I would like to talk to you about something important. When we’re finished, I promise you another story about when your mom rode for the Pony Express.” Jimmy turned with a grin to look at Lou as she protested, “You shouldn’t fill her head with such nonsense Jimmy.” “How can it be nonsense when they’re all true?” he asked with feigned hurt. Lou just pulled the blankets back on Ellie’s bed so that her husband could deposit the child in it. Once Ellie was ensconced under her sheet, both Jimmy and Lou sat down on different sides of the bed so they could discuss Jimmy’s adopting her. “You know how when Jimmy and I got married, my last name changed from McCloud to Hickok right?” Lou asked the child. “Yes,” Ellie replied with such seriousness, it almost made her mother laugh. “Well, Jimmy has something he would like to ask you.” Ellie turned to look at Jimmy questioningly, but remained silent. Jimmy was a bit nervous actually speaking to Ellie about adopting her. ‘What if she doesn’t want to be my daughter?’ he wondered but the look of love she gave him as she watched him, waiting for him to tell her what he wanted sent those fears rushing away. “See, Ellie,” Jimmy began, looking at Lou, who nodded her encouragement, and reached over to pat his hand in comfort. “I would like for you to have my last name also. To really make you my daughter, not only in my heart like you are to me, but in name also, like your momma’s. We’d be the Hickok family. Would you like that?” Both adults sat watching Ellie ponder his words before she asked, “Does that mean I can call Uncle Jimmy daddy then?” “Only if you would like to call him that,” Lou assured her, knowing that Ellie had always longed for someone to call daddy like her friends did. Looking somewhat unsure, Ellie looked towards Jimmy, wanting to know how he felt about that. “Do you think that would be okay, Uncle Jimmy? I’ve never had a daddy before…” Jimmy’s heart welled with joy at the child’s request. With the biggest smile, Jimmy answered happily, “I would love for you to call me daddy, if that’s what you would like to do Ellie. I think I’d like that as much as I will love calling you my daughter!” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The next morning the trio entered the courthouse to make an appointment to see the judge later that afternoon. Ellie was so wound up from the knowledge that she was going to have someone to call daddy that it made even Teaspoon laugh when they stopped to visit with him before the appointed time at the courthouse. “Grandpa, can you believe it? I’m going to have a daddy!” Ellie sang in her childish voice running into Teaspoon’s office and hugging him. “Well isn’t that just wonderful sweetie!” the man declared eyeing the child’s mother and soon-to-be father. “I take it, things went well?” Teaspoon asked Jimmy with a grin. “Even better,” Jimmy replied with pride. “We see the judge in about twenty minutes to see what we need to do to make this happen.” “How do you fell about all this Lou?” the older man asked, searching the woman’s face knowing that it had to be a little bit hard on her knowing that soon Kid’s child would legally be another’s daughter, even if she did love the man about to adopt Ellie. With a smile, Lou looked him in the eye and said, “Kid would be proud to have Jimmy as Ellie’s father. So am I. He loves her like she is his own daughter already.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ The visit with the judge took only fifteen minutes. The judge was familiar with the story of Kid’s death and knew Jimmy from his work as a deputy with Teaspoon at various times. All that was required were a few signatures on several forms and he would see that the adoption of Ellie McCloud was officially noted and she would be known from then on as Ellie Hickok. Jimmy let a sigh of relief as he held the door to the courthouse open for Lou and Ellie to pass through. “God, do I feel great! I have a daughter! Thank you both, for allowing me to be a father.” He gathered the little girl up in his arms, giving her a kiss, and leaned over to his wife gently kissing her also. “I don’t think this day could get any better…I have my two best girls in the whole world right here with me!” Jimmy grinned, happier than he had ever been before when Lou gave him a devilish grin and with a twinkle in her eyes said, “Oh, I think I know how to make it even better Mr. Hickok” Jimmy’s eyebrows shot up and he gave her a funny look before asking, “How?” Lou grinned and stood on tiptoe to whisper something in his ear. As she moved back afterwards, she started to laugh as she saw the look of surprise and disbelief cross his face. “You’re sure?” he asked a bit unsure waiting for her nod before adding, “A baby?” Looking from Lou to Ellie who was still in his arms, Jimmy let out a whoop, dancing Ellie around in his arms as she giggled, chanting, “We’re having a baby, we’re having a baby.” When he stood still once more, Jimmy asked Ellie, “What do you think about that Ellie? A little brother or sister for you to play with…” Ellie was thrilled. “Now you will have two children to call you daddy!” With a smile, Jimmy put his arm around Lou and murmured, “So I will.” Drop me a note and let me know what you thought!