Chapter 7: Telling Matt
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em!
Matt could feel his heart pounding in his hearts, all his senses on high alert as he stepped up to the door of the Deubox home. He wasn't even sure if she was here but the way his heart was thudding in his chest he was almost sure that she was. Slowly, he raised his hand up and tapped the knocker.
Inside the house, Kitty had heard someone rap on the door. She looked about for her cousins maid, Camiel, but not seeing her, Kitty went to the door and opened it. When she saw who was standing there, her only reaction was to faint.
Matt was sure that he looked as suprised as Kitty felt, when that door opened and there she stood, looking as beautiful as always. He had just been about to speak when she fainted and now he was sitting on his knees, holding her head in his lap, hoping the fresh, though humid, air would bring her around and it was where Charlotte found them. She too had heard the door was was coming out of the sitting room, saying "Camil, who's at the..." her words dropped off when she saw Kitty on the floor her head in Matt's lap. "Oh my goodness!" she cried. "What happened to Kitty?"
"She fainted ma'am." Matt said softly, stroking Kitty's cheek. "I figured she'd be surprised but not that surprised."
"Oh," Charlotte tittered like a little girl, "Well, I'm sure you can lift her, lets take her up to her room and let the shock wear off."
Matt lifted Kitty into his arms and was just started up the stairs with her when she came around. "Matt? Matt what are you doing here?" She asked, running her fingers under the lapel of his coat and around the back of his neck.
"Shh. We'll talk after you rest, ya kinda fainted on me down there Kit."
Kitty felt her heart jump into her throat, had Charlotte told him? However her mind was put at ease when he spoke again.
"I guess you were kinda surprised to see me huh?"
Kitty nodded and gave him a weak smile. Noting that they had reached the top of the stairs she said, "You can put me down Matt, I'm not a child, I can walk."
Matt continued to walk and ignored Kitty's comment. "Which room Kitty?"
Kitty decided not to fight with him and said, "The last one on the left."
Matt carried her down to the room and laid her on the bed. "I'm going to go apologize to your cousin, why don't you rest a few minutes and get over the shock of seeing me." He smiled at her and Kitty thought she would melt into a puddle right there. If there was anything that their baby inherited from either of them she hoped it would be Matt's smile. She watched him turn and walk out, closing the door behind him before she got up and began to pace, she was stuck now, there was no where to run and she was just going to have to fess up and tell Matt the truth.
Matt walked back down the stairs to be met by Kitty's cousin, a baby cradled in her arms and a little girl clinging to her skirts. She also had Matt's flowers. "I'm assuming these are yours?" she asked, a bit of humor lighting her eyes.
Matt nodded and smiled, slightly. "Thanks. I brought them for Kitty but I kind of forgot 'em when she passed out like that?" He asked the next question slowly, "Ah, has she been feelin' alright?"
"Oh yes, fine." Charlotte said, running a hand over the dark head of her daughter, who was pulling at her skirts. Then to the little girl, "Yes, sweetheart?" The girl said something that Matt didn't hear because he was to busy looking around the grand house. In fact he was so busy looking around that he almost didn't hear Charlotte. "Mr. Dillon?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if you could take Joshua for me."
"Oh." Matt looked at Charlotte and then at the infant. He didn't have much practice with children, in fact hadn't ever really been around them but he swallowed his fear and held out his arms. Charlotte laid the baby there and Matt pulled the little fellow closer to his chest. Then he stood their a little dumbly as Charlotte took the little girl by the hand and lead her to another room.
Kitty didn't stay down to long, she wanted to talk to Matt. He was here and she just wanted to get the whole thing taken care of. She got up and when she come down the stairs the sight before her made her cry. Matt, her cowboy, was standing in the foyer, holding baby Joshua. That sight made her throw away all her cares and concerns and she went down the stairs. "Matt." She said quietly, not wanting to startle him.
"Oh." Matt said, looking up from the child in his arms. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine Matt." Kitty said, dismissing his concern. "You look awful sweet holding that baby."
"I do huh? Well, I haven't had a lot of practice with it, am I doing alright?" Matt asked, trying to be joking.
"Would you like more practice Matt?" Kitty asked, solemnly.
The lack of amusement in her voice took Matt back a little and he just kind of stared at her for a moment. Then back at the baby in his arms, he was just about to say something when Charlotte came back in the room.
"Thank you Mr. Dillon." She said. "Oh Kitty, your up! How are you feeling dear?"
"Fine." Kitty said. Though she wasn't sure that she did.
"Well, I'll take Joshua from you Mr. Dillon and you and Kitty can go and…talk." Charlotte said, pointedly, her gaze hard on Kitty.
Matt handed the baby over and then looked at Kitty. He was just about to open his mouth to speak when she took his hand. "Come on Matt, lets go into the other room and we can talk." Kitty lead him into the other room and offered him a seat, taking the chair across from him, knowing that if she was close to him, she wouldn't be able to say what she needed to. "Matt, I hope you can listen to me without getting to upset about things." She started. When he didn't say anything she continued. "I guess the easiest way to do this is to just flat out say it, Matt, I'm" her voice faltered a bit and she felt the tears coming to her eyes. "I'm pregnant cowboy." She finally got out.
Matt didn't, couldn't move. He just sat, his hands handing limply between his knees as he let Kitty's words sink in. Pregnant? How? "How-how did this happen Kitty?"
Kitty couldn't help it, she giggled, probably more from nerves than anything before answering, "Well I would hope you would know cowboy, since you were there when it happened."
That made Matt smile and put him a little more at ease and he blushed as well, thinking about just exactly had went on to put them in this situation. "Uhm-uhm how long have you known?"
Kitty began to cry then, "Since I went and seen Doc. Before I left Dodge."
"I see. Didn't ya think I would want to know?" Matt asked, leaning closer to her and taking her hands in his. Hers were ice cold and he rubbed them a little.
"I didn't know what you would think Matt. Honestly, I didn't know what I thought at the time. What do you think?" Kitty said, the tears coming harder then.
Matt looked her straight in the eye, blue on blue contact when he replied, "I think you should have talked to me instead of running off and I think we both have some decisions to make."
After that Matt helped Kitty dry her eyes and told her that they wouldn't discuss it again until the next day. Then they went back into the dining area where Charlotte, Ian and the children were preparing for dinner. Looking at her cousin, Charlotte was wondering what had happened in there and she was sure if her cousin wanted her to know that she would tell her in her own time. "Uhm, would you like to stay and have dinner with us Mister Dillon?"
Matt looked at Kitty and she smiled and nodded. "Sure." He replied. It was then that he remembered the flowers that he had brought with him. Shyly he asked, "What happened to the flowers I had with me when I came?"
Charlotte smiled brightly and then said, "Oh, Camile put them in a vase and put them in Kitty's room for her. They really were beautiful."
Matt smiled and looked at Kitty who smiled back and Matt couldn't remember a time that he thought she looked more beautiful than she did at that moment.
After dinner, Matt and Kitty went up to her room for some privacy where they talked about the comings and goings of Dodge over the last few days and she tried to breach the subject of the baby with Matt again. His only response was to tell her that they would talk about it the next day. Finally it came time for him to leave and Kitty asked, "Where are you staying?"
"Oh down town a few block from here."
"Well I can go back there with you tonight if you would like." Kitty offered, running a hand down his arm.
"No thanks Kitty. I think it would be best if I went alone." Matt said looking down at her.
"Alright. Will I see you tomorrow?"
Matt nodded. "Tomorrow we'll finish our talk, after we've both had time to think about things and what we want."
Kitty took the opportunity then to say, "Matt, when your thinking about things, please don't feel that you need to give up what you love for me, just remember that I'm not trying to trap you or force you into anything you don't want."
Matt didn't comment on that, instead he kissed her head, placed his Stetson on his head and left silently. Hands in his pockets, Matt, slowly walked back towards his hotel, his mind whirling as it circled around one main thought, he and Kitty were going to have a baby and he didn't know what he was going to do.
