in the middle of the night

Josh felt as if this all time low was catching up to him. Now Xander quit at the firehouse. Josh thought he might pass out, but not yet. Although, he was dragging.

He did his best not to think about Tina, nor about the loss of his grandmother. He guessed he could track down his Dad, maybe in Alaska, but he hadn't had much luck yet. He guessed it would always be that way.

If he could just sleep for awhile, he thought that would be all he could need. Although, Minne could thrash around, sometimes. He felt he was in the middle of an earthquake. She would talk in her sleep, and she'd kicked him a few times.

Maybe, this was all too soon. He should have taken some time and done everything alone, but he felt he'd been alone far too long. Besides, Minnie listened to him. She didn't talk back, but then..he never knew what she might say.

Of course, not a word about Blackie...although, he thought he heard her on the phone with him, but she said it had nothing to do with Blackie. It was about her sister Juno, who was out of the country.

It seemed to Josh, everybody was doing off better than him, but he knew things could be worse. And he wasn't sure how he could be on his own with Naddy.

Anyway, sleep was on his mind and he crawled in bed in the dead of night, in his underwear. Things were so still. He thought he might have fell deep into the ocean and plopped right on the soft floor. About hour or so later, the bed was shaking, and he could hear Minnie in a fit of pain. He reached for the lamp and looked at Minnie.

"Is it time?" He wanted to know.

She gave him a funny look and shook her head, no. She made a face of discomfort.

"We better go to the hospital." He then stumbled into his jeans.

Minnie shook her head, no.

"I'm going to have the baby right here." She told him.

"I don't think so." He didn't see that happening. Not on his watch.

"You can deliver it." She told.

"Deliver it?" He winced hard. "No, I've..I've never done anything like that."

"But you could." There went another contraction.

"We have to take you to the hospital." He went looking for her back pack. He thought she had one set aside, but all he found were Naddy's toys and some snacks.

"I can't I'm..I'm gonna have this baby, all by myself then." She was serious.

"NO WAY." His voiced carried. He had always thought she was the most logical person he'd ever met. Maybe.

"I don't have insurance." She gritted hard as a contraction made her gasp. He knew her back was hurting.

"What do you want me to do? Call Blackie?"

"Can't." Her voice tensed. "He went to find Juno."

"Where's Juno?" Josh wanted to know.

"Cairo, I think." She sighed. "Maybe Palestine."

"What?" Josh couldn't imagine her sister in a place like that.

"She was tired of all those dinosaur digs." Minnie sighed.

Josh watched her in pain. He wasn't wasting anymore time. They were going to the hospital.