Ten

Adams jumped up from the chair when he saw Matt entering the room, "Matt, what in thunder … you dang fool, here sit down."

With Dillon in the chair, Doc checked his pulse and took a quick look at the shoulder, "Well at least you didn't open up the wound."

Dillon's eyes were fixed on Kitty, "What's wrong with her Doc?" he started to ask but stopped when he noticed her head move and her eyelids flutter open.

Kitty woke to find herself in Doc's infirmary bed, wearing one of the old man's scratchy cotton nightshirts and nothing else. Her head was pounding and she rightly assumed she'd hit it when she fainted. She slowly turned her head to see Matt sitting in the chair next to her. He looked pale to her despite his sunburned face. She stretched out an unsteady hand to comfort him.

Moving to the far side of the bed, Doc sat down, "Well hello there young lady," he said softly. She ran her tongue over her lips, her throat felt scratchy and her mouth dry. She asked, "Is Matt okay?"

"Well, he'll be a little stiff for a few days, but nothing he hasn't been through before, I'm more worried about the shock."

"What do you mean Doc?" she asked worriedly, trying to sit up, Doc gently pushed her back to the pillows. "I mean young lady; you gave him quite a shock tonight."

She nodded, "I don't know what happened, I guess you should know this isn't the first time I've felt like that. I was wondering …" she glanced at Matt, she didn't know if this was the right time to bring this up, but she continued anyway, "If I'm going through the change of life or something …"

Adams nodded grinning now, "You might say that Kitty,"taking her hand in his he said, "Matt and Kitty, it's hard for me to admit a mistake, but it seems I have a big one to admit to the two of you."

"Doc?" she was puzzled and still a bit woozy and she wished he would just say whatever it was he had to say.

"When I told you all those years ago that you could never become pregnant, well … I was wrong." She looked at him while the reality of his words slowly sunk into her heart and mind.

"What are you talking about Doc?" Matt asked totally confused.

The words came from her lips with surprised awe, "I'm pregnant?"

The old man nodded, and a wonderfully giddy smile of happiness lit his face while tears twinkled in the corners of his eyes. "I must be getting old," he chuckled, "to have missed this so completely, my dear I'd say you are over four months pregnant, and from my examination everything looks just fine. We're going to have to be extra careful with you. I want you off your feet for the next few weeks to build up your strength again…"

Matt interrupted Doc, "She's going to have a baby?" And as Doc Adams had predicted the shock was starting to take hold.

The doctor nodded his answer.

"Are you sure?" Dillon questioned anxiously.

"About as sure as I can be about anything, young fella, you're going to be a daddy."

Kitty stared at the man she loved and he stared back, and their faces lit up as they both smiled together. Dillon shook his head in amazement suddenly laughing out loud with the joy and wonderment of it all. Moving from the chair to the bed he pulled her to him using his good arm. The old man watched and listened and thought the music of their tear-sweetened laughter the happiest song he'd ever heard.

After a moment the old man got up, figuring they deserved some time alone, but before he left, he leaned over and kissed Kitty tenderly on the forehead and gave Matt a fond pat to his back. "Congratulations." He said shutting the door softly behind him.

"Move over Mama, Papa's climbing in." Matt said as he lay down beside her. He winced at the jolt of pain when he jarred his shoulder, but the discomfort had no effect on the joy he was feeling.

Just watching him made her wince too, carefully she moved closer to him until she was resting her head on his right shoulder. Her hands wrapped around his hand. "Over four months," she repeated incredulously. She started doing a little calculating, "Do you realize when this baby was conceived?"

"I haven't had much of a chance to think about it." He admitted, even in the dark she knew he was smiling.

"Just before I got sick, Oh Matt, if this baby could survive that, she can survive anything." He could hear the smile in her voice too.

"Oh, it's a she is it?" he teased.

"Umhmm, we already have a son Cowboy."

"So we do…" he was quiet for a breath, and then whispered for her ears alone, "it looks like we've been given a second chance Kitty."

Doc checked on his patients an hour later, they were asleep head to shoulder, hand in hand.