The tepid water helped the dryness in his throat but he felt groggy and disoriented.  He looked about with some confusion as she spoke to him.  The only part of it that made any sense to him was the time of night.  She hated the place? And what was it she was saying about a baby?  It all seemed blurred together.  He felt stupid being unable to catch the meaning of what she’d said and then she was gone.  ‘Where and why had she left?’ he wondered as he collapsed back on the bed.  He was hot and sweaty and the bed linen was clinging to him as he moved restlessly on the bed trying to find some comfort.<br/><br/>“What the hell?”<br/><br/>Suddenly Sam sat upright in the bed.  His fingers combed repeatedly back through his sweaty hair as he grimaced.  He swung his legs to the left and let them dangle over the side of the bed as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs and his face in his cupped hands.<br/><br/>He repeated her words which had finally sunk into his brain.  “We’re not having a baby?  What baby damn it?  A baby now?”  He remembered that she’d said she could be pregnant but surely wasn’t totally sure on it.  “So baby you’re sure now?...or you’re not going to have any?  Damn where’d you go off to Irene?”<br/><br/>As dark as it was, Sam lit a candle and pulled on his britches.  He wandered into the tub room and knelt beside the tub and wet his hands in the water and washed it over his face a couple times, and let it dribble down over his hot skin, which helped with the heat and his thinking.  He decided to go look for her.  He walked back into the room and took the candle with him as he opened up the door into the hallway.  The saloon seemed even darker than the room.  It clearly was very late as there was no one about . . . no but there was someone was about.  He could hear the padding and scuffling noise of feet on the stairs.  He walked over to them and in the dim light of the candle made out Irene walking up the stairs with the chamber pot in her hands.<br/><br/>“Darlin?  Are you okay?  I’m not sure I got all of what you were saying to me.  Where’d you go off to?  And . . . what was it you was saying about a baby?  Let me take that pot huh?  Shall we sit or at least dangle our feet in the tub to cool us off?  Damn but it’s hot. I’m sorry baby . . . I’m not as sharp as I want and need to be.  Come here honey.”<br/><br/>Sam took the pot from her and wrapped his free arm around her and kissed her softly.  Even with as hot as it was, she felt good in his arms.<br/><br/>“Let’s go inside Irene and try to cool off and sort things through . . . we might as well since we’re both awake now and you’ve got stuff on your mind.”<br/>