Roger Delivers a Baby

The overnight ride through Wyoming with lonesome Bill and the third hitchhiker, Starla (from Day 8), is all true except when we get to the delivery-of-the-baby part in Utah. That is made up. Sorry troops, this author has never delivered a baby. But Roger Winans has! After four or five edits I got the medical procedure down; the rhythm of the words and the emotion of the moment felt right. It seemed to work, so I left it in. This actually came about on a suggestion from my wife. She read the story of Bill’s fascination with Starla, and commented, “Roger can deliver Starla’s baby, don’t you think? That chapter needs a good sendoff.” Yes! I thought. In real life, just as the book states, Starla appeared from out of nowhere. She was six months pregnant (instead of nine), and after she rejected Bill, disappeared on us after the ride was over without a word. From a reading perspective that was too sapping. Delivering the baby gives the story a proper lift. More explosion. It gives the female police officer a chance to say, “You guys are are inspiration to us mortals, both of you.” And it gives Otto a chance to shake his head at Roger and say, “Sons, you got tricks up your sleeve that would baffle Houdini.”