"Oh my", Mamma gasped.

"We have to get her dried off and warm right away", said Papa.

Carrying Kiera to my room on the opposite side of the hovel, I gently encouraged her to try and stay awake.

"I know you're very tired but we have to get you changed", I said, setting her down on my pallet. "Come on, you've got to sit up, amore mio"

"Amore mio?", asked Kiera half-asleep.

"It's Italian for "my love", I explained. "Remember when I told you that both sets of my grandparents came to Illinois from Italy? My parents taught me their language too." Kiera nodded.

My room was slightly bigger than the hovel's main room. My pallet, camping lantern and drawstring bag were situated in one corner, while another makeshift stove stood further away.

When I got a fire going for us, the shadows of its flame flickered dimly onto the sheet metal wall.

There was also another small wooden crate which held some clothes, extra blankets and a few other miscellaneous things. I had a banjo as well.

"I still have the basket I slept in when I was a baby", I said. "I'll line it with some of the blankets so ours can use it too."

As we curled up next to each other and I turned off my lantern, Kiera thanked me for my family having taken her in.

"I just wish I could offer more", I thought.

Over the course of Kiera's pregnancy, while Papa and I did what we could for us all to get by, Mamma helped her to adjust to living in the encampment.

Kiera learned to prepare and cook whatever edible roots and small game were brought home, to forage for nuts and wild fruits, wash dishes and clothes at the river, help keep things clean in and around the hovel and to sew outfits and cloth diapers for the baby to wear.

After her baby bump appeared and her belly started to grow, however, it became harder for Kiera to move around without much discomfort.

She also constantly had to pee, her ankles were swollen and she needed a lot of rest. Because she was emotional too and cried frequently, we all had to remain as patient and understanding as possible. Still, her pregnancy wasn't without its happy moments.

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From feeling our baby's kicks beneath my hand, to talking to them and placing little kisses on Kiera's bump, those moments were the most wonderful of all. Since we didn't know the baby's gender and therefore didn't have the perfect name chosen yet, I'd begun referring to them as "piccolo". In Italian, this means "little one".

June 4th, 2006

"Emile...Emile, wake up!", came Kiera's voice as she was shaking me.

"Huh...what?", I muttered.

"I'm having contractions!", she exclaimed.

"Oh my God...she's in labor!", I thought.

The next several minutes involved me helping Kiera out of bed, walking her into the main room...and then there was a loud splash as her water broke.

"I'm sorry...", Kiera whimpered about the mess.

"It's alright, I'll take care of it", Papa assured her.

Before we laid Kiera down on the pallet my parents shared, Mamma helped her out of her pajama pants and covered her lower regions with a blanket. In the meantime, I hurried to grab all we'd need for the delivery. Moaning, Kiera's hands clasped at her belly.

"Deep breaths, tesoro", Mamma soothed. "Breathe...that's it...good."

"IT HURTS!...IT HURTS!!!", Kiera cried.

"You're doing great, Kiera", Mamma told her.

"Push, amore mio...", I encouraged as she gripped my hand tightly.

"EMILE, I CAN'T DO THIS!", Kiera screamed.

"Yes, you can, come on, keep going...", I said.

One long hour after another inches past and then...

"Waaaah...WAAAAAAAH!"

"It's a girl!", said Mamma.

Through joyful tears, Kiera and I watched as our daughter squirmed and listened to her wailing fill the room. When she was cleaned off, dressed and swaddled, our baby was placed in Kiera's arms for the first time. She had my dark brown hair and Kiera's big blue eyes.

"What should we call her?", whispered Kiera.

"I like the name Valentina", I replied. "It means healthy and strong." Kiera gave a tired smile.

"I think it suits her", she said. "Would you like to hold her?" I nodded.

Moments later, with our daughter in my arms, I felt like the luckiest man in the world.

"Hello, Valentina", I told her softly. "I'm your Papi."