By that time, quite a few of the town’s figurative old ladies have shown up outside Lucinda’s small trailer with offers to help.

And though I warn them to have a car prepared with towels laid over a back seat to take Lucinda to the hospital if the birth goes sideways, I can see why women romanticize doing it this way inside their home.

The old ladies not only prepare the car and park it right outside Lucinda’s trailer, but they also do everything from cheering her on outside her windows to bringing over everything I need from the medical trailer and fulfilling my orders for sanitized towels.

Meemaw even brings over paper plates with pieces of celebratory cake to hand out while I’m cleaning the new mom and the baby up. She must’ve started baking as soon as she heard Lucinda had gone into labor.

There’s a lot to celebrate. My first post-partum exam of both Baby and Mom turns out great. Lucinda doesn’t experience any vaginal tearing or excessive bleeding. So, I feel A-OK with allowing her to stay at home with her new baby.

Though, I do mention to Crazytown afterward that the community might want to contract with a nearby midwife or doula who could come out for births like this.

“Births aren’t exactly my specialty, and I don't want to risk losing a mother and child due to my lack of knowledge. Plus, there's a ton of pregnant women in this new town of yours.”

I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised when he answers, “Well, you'll have to talk with your man, Waylon, about that.”

I rub at my temple and reply, “You know what, never mind.”

I say a quick goodbye to Lucinda and get out of there to keep myself from exploding like I did in the general store.

But other than that, I'm feeling pretty good as I walk back to Meemaw’s house.

Yes, I would prefer the services of a doula for this trailer town. But delivering new life into the world was exhilarating—

I freeze when I see Waylon. I was so focused on my victory, I didn’t notice him sitting there on Meemaw’s front porch.

He’s jacketless and once again dressed in camo pants. But he has on a white T-shirt to go with it, unlike the last time he paid me a shirtless visit at Meemaw’s.

Still, the expression on his face is almost as intense as it was that morning.

He rises from the porch and closes the distance between us to loom over where I’m standing. “What’s this I hear about you paying me a visit right before you trashed Charlie's store and delivered Lucinda's baby?”

CHAPTER 12

I'm not prepared for Waylon to be here, asking why I came to his trailer.