The Outlaw's Son

Restless

CHAPTER 8 - Restless

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to a very sweet fan who's been reading my books. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and to send a message.

Also, for any one who cares, if you leave a comment on any chapter giving me some critiques you will get a shout out on the next chapter! I am constantly reading over the chapters before I upload so I miss a lot of things. All help is appreciated so this will be a little way of showing it! :) Thank ya'll for reading and voting!

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There was no sleep for most of us. Jacob had screamed all night and kept everyone awake. I even heard some coyotes close by, like they were answering the call. Paw was trying to keep Jacob calm so Mama could rest, but it wasn't happening. I gave up on sleep and walked across the hall to their room. "What's wrong with him?" I asked as I rubbed my eyes that were glazing over from sleepiness.

"He's got fever, baby." Mama said as she sat up in the bed and leaned against the headboard. She took him from Paw and unwrapped him from his blanket. I noticed how flushed his skin was.

"How do you fix it?"

"Well, his little body is fightin' somethin' that I can't see. It's been a few hours, so if he doesn't start to cool down we're gonna have to set up somethin' like we did when Annabelle was sick. He's gotta sweat." Mama said as she looked up at Paw, who was in the chair beside the bed. He nodded and propped his elbows on his knees while rubbing his scruffy face.

"How are you gonna make him sweat?" I asked. I was still looking at his skin as I walked to the edge of the bed. He was so pink.

"We'll put some chairs together and put some sheets over it, like a tent. Your Mama will get inside with him and we'll make a fire outside to heat some water over. We'll put it inside the tent so the steam will fill it up." Paw answered, partly through a yawn.

"The steam will help his breathin', too." Mama added as she brushed her fingers over Jacob's black hair. I wondered what I looked like as a baby. "Britt, do you wanna hold him?"

I shook my head quickly, smiling. I was actually a little scared to hold him. He was so tiny. "No, ma'am. I'm afraid I'll drop 'em or somethin'."

Mama smiled at me and patted the spot next to her on the bed. I sat down and she picked Jacob up and slowly handed him to me. He didn't weigh much at all. He settled into the crook of my elbow and I stared at him. The last time I held a baby was when Ariyah was born. I remembered Mama making me sit on the couch and not move while I held her.

"Your Mama didn't let anybody hold you when you were a baby, and if she did she worried the whole time." Paw laughed from the chair. I smiled involuntarily. "The only time she didn't gripe about it was when we stayed with your Aunt Elizabeth. You were passed 'round them women like a bottle of whiskey in a saloon."

"I remember that." Mama said as she looked up to my face. "You were such a good baby. You only cried when somethin' was wrong."

"What did I look like?"

"Just like this. All my children look their father, except for Ella. She looks like me." Mama laughed. I grinned when Jacob stuck his hand in his mouth and seemed to calm down a little. His face was still red from crying, but the tears were drying. "You'll always be my baby, Britt. I don't care how much of a bad ass you think you are."

Mama's comment caught me off guard and my mouth opened a little as I looked up to see her face. She smiled widely and I started to laugh.

"You were a mama's boy when you were little." Paw said with a grin.