Revenge

A Sequel to The Contract

By

AZgirl66

Chapter 4- The Birthday

A/N: Someone has let me know that some reviews aren't posting. Know that this will work itself out. AND! I got a new grandson overnight! My daughter and baby are well. Today is a great day. Enjoy! I do love this chapter.

"Adam," Kitty whispered in her morning voice, gently shaking her son's shoulder just before sunrise, "time to get up, my middle prince."

Adam rubbed his eyes, looking around his room trying to orient himself. "Mama," the small boy smiled, one of his front two teeth missing, "is it-"

Kitty gently covered his lips with two fingers and used the universal "shh" sign with her pointer finger over her lips. She peeled back his covers and motioned for him to follow her, glancing at Matthew, Jr. on the top bunk.

The stealthy mother silently closed the boys' bedroom door, but not before making sure Ezra was sound asleep as well. She clasped Adam's hand in her own as they descended the wide staircase, making sure to avoid the squeaky spots on the steps. Once at the bottom, Kitty smiled brightly and knelt, hugging her small, sweet boy tightly in her arms. She held his face in between her two palms and whispered, "Happy birthday, Sweetheart."

Adam loved his mother's birthday ritual. The morning of each child's birthday, the adoring mother would wake up the birthday boy or girl before the sun came up for some special, private time.

Kitty picked up a tray containing hot chocolate for Adam and coffee for her, accompanied by two sweet rolls.

"C'mon, Son," she whispered as she motioned with a nod toward the front door.

The dawn's early light was just beginning to peek over the horizon when the duo stepped onto the porch. Kitty placed the tray on a side table and sat comfortably in her rocker. Adam, dressed only in his long, blue and white night-shirt, eagerly leapt into her lap, snuggling into her dressing gown for a proper cuddle.

Kitty kissed the top of his brown curls, sighing, "Happy birthday, Adam Russell. I can't believe you are six whole years old," she rubbed his back as she searched his eyes. She so desperately wanted her son to feel how much she loved him. She wanted him to know she was grateful he was hers.

"I'm so glad I am, Mama. I LOVE my birthday! Ya know why?" his clear blue eyes sparkled.

His mama tilted her head back and poised her finger upon her chin, "Well," she teased, "could it be because you get chocolate cake?"

"No…" the boy shook his head.

"Could it be because you get presents?" Kitty tapped her finger on his nose.

"No…" the boy giggled.

"Could it be because Daddy, Uncle Festus and Grandpa are taking you fishing?"

"No…Mama, you're a bad guesser," Adam wrapped both of his arms around Kitty's neck and laid his head onto her chest, "This is why I love my birthday. Just you and me out here on the porch for a while. Nobody else."

Tears came to Kitty's eyes as she held her boy close, slowly rocking him as she did when he was a baby.

"Mama?" he broke the silence.

"Yes, Baby?" she whispered through her silent tears.

"Tell me about when I was borned."

Kitty smiled. "It's 'born', and of course, I'll tell you about that wonderful day," she was always nervous to recite the story to Adam. So many emotions went into his birth story, not all of them happy.

"It was a rainy evening when my labor started. I was scared because you were over two weeks early," Kitty began. I was terrified because you may have looked like one of the men who tortured me. What would I have done?!

"Your daddy was by my side the whole time. He held my hand and rubbed my back. Uncle Festus looked after Addie and Matthew for us, just like he watched all of you when Maggie was born," she smiled as she continued to rock her sweet birthday boy.

Adam took a big swig of his now-cooled hot chocolate, "Miss Abelia was here, too, when Maggie was borned," he looked up, sporting a big chocolate mustache.

"She most certainly was. Uncle Festus needed some help that time," Kitty winked at the wide-eyed boy.

"Don't stop there, Mama! Tell me more!" he tucked his legs under his night-shirt.

Kitty held Adam's full attention, "Well, after many hours, it was finally time for you to meet your family. Daddy wanted to be the first person to see you, so Grandpa told Daddy what to do," she smiled as she caressed his soft cheek.

"AND?!" Adam could hardly stand the suspense, even though he had heard this same story his last couple of birthdays.

"Shh," Kitty warned, "you don't want anyone to interrupt our private time, do you?"

"No, Ma'am," he whispered, taking a big bite of his sweet roll.

"When you were born, Daddy was the first person to see you. He was so excited to see your sweet face, and to find out if you were a boy or a girl," Kitty took a long, slow sip of her coffee. She reflected, he was going to have t' be the one to break it to me if you'd had brown eyes and black hair. He was going to have t' be the one to keep me from completely falling apart if you weren't his child. Although, I know he would have loved you no matter what.

"What did Daddy say, Mama?" he polished off his hot chocolate, licking his lips.

Kitty held Adam's chin between her thumb and pointer finger and looked so deeply into his eyes, she could swear she saw directly into his very soul. Tears slowly formed in her eyes, and she gasped, "Your daddy wiped you off, looked at me and started to cry," Kitty had to pause, her emotions getting the better of her. He scared the daylights outta me when he did that. "Then he said, 'It's a boy, Honey! A beautiful boy with my color eyes and sadly, my nose!'"

"What's wrong with Daddy's nose?" Adam seemed worried.

"Not a thing, my middle prince, not a thing. Daddy was just trying to be funny," Kitty raised her ginger eyebrows and crinkled her nose.

"What did ya think when you held me, Mama?" Adam played with the tie of her dressing gown.

"Daddy brought you t' me, so I could formally meet you," Kitty inhaled deeply, wiping away an errant tear, "and I immediately fell in love with you. You were our first baby to look just like your daddy, and that made you so special." I hope you never know exactly why that made you so special, Son. I hope to always protect you from my past fears.

"Ezra looks jus' like Daddy, too," Adam interjected, nodding his head.

"He most certainly does, Baby," Kitty pulled her birthday boy into her chest to continue rocking him. She closed her eyes, reflecting, I'm so happy your daddy made me stop and think. I can't imagine my life without you, my sweet boy.

The sun was now above the horizon, and the others would be waking soon. Kitty could tell Adam had fallen back asleep, as his breathing became deeper and his body became limp. She blessed his forehead with a single kiss. If you hadn't been born, my heart would have a huge hole in it.

XXXXXXXX

The Dillon household was in full swing within an hour of Adam's private time with his mother. She'd tucked him back into bed and woke up Matthew and Addie to begin their morning chores.

Matt was dressed and ready to head out to the big barn when Kitty entered the kitchen, the sun brightly lighting the room.

"How was your birthday time, Honey?" Matt searched Kitty's eyes.

She stood in front of her handsome husband and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand, "It was wonderful. Just like Adam," she grinned with her lips tight.

The big man pulled her close and ran his hands down her back to encircle her waist, "You're the best mother in Dodge City, ya know that?"

Kitty looked into her husband's eyes, "I don't know about that, Cowboy. But I do know that I lost my mother at a young age, and I always want my children to remember having special time with me," she stood on her tip-toes and kissed him softly.

"Yuck," Matthew, Jr. whispered as he walked into the kitchen.

"I heard that, Matthew," Matt admonished, pulling Kitty to his side while keeping his arm around her waist. "Would you rather milk and feed the cows and goats this mornin' or help me and Uncle Festus feed the horses?"

"I don't care, Daddy. Let Addie pick," he picked up a sweet roll from the table and crammed it all into his mouth.

"Let Addie pick what?" the freckle-faced girl asked while pushing the sleeves of her dress up to her elbows.

"Your chore for the morning," Matt said as he sat for an extra cup of coffee. He didn't like to miss a minute when his children began to filter into the kitchen from their slumber. He figured he'd already missed enough of their lives while he was away for work.

"I'll help Daddy and Uncle Festus," she stated, while taking a lady-like bite from her sweet roll.

"I hep Daddy, too!" Scarlett shouted, as she announced to the whole house she was awake, padding into the kitchen with her bare feet.

"Scarlett, I need your help here," Kitty picked up her nightgown-clad toddler, kissing her on her wayward curls.

"Otay, Mama," the lively moppet noisily kissed her mother's cheek, wrapping her arms around her neck. Kitty sat on her kitchen chair, Scarlett claiming her lap as her resting place.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Ezra ran into the kitchen, "Can I help ya feed?" the little boy was hurriedly tucking his shirt into his pants.

"You can feed the chickens and collect eggs. Let's go, Son, Addie. We need t' finish quickly so I can take Adam fishing for his birthday," Matt wiped his mouth with his napkin and kissed Scarlett on her cheek before heading out the front door, three of his children skipping behind him.

How did I get so lucky that this is my life? Matt thought, grinning to himself, grateful for his houseful of Dillons.

XXXXXXXX

Kitty stood on the front porch, dressed in a pale blue day dress, her hair pulled into a ponytail, Maggie in her arms. She could hear the quartet of Festus, Doc, Matt and Adam coming around the side of the house before she could see them. She smiled brightly, knowing that her third-born child was having a wonderful sixth birthday.

"Mama, Mama! Look what I caught!" Adam ran toward her as soon as he spotted her, holding up his bounty of three decent sized fish, dangling from a string. He was beaming, his nose slightly sunburned.

"Well, I'll be," Kitty retuned his smile, "How did my other fellas do?" she looked up at the motley crew of the adult men she loved.

"Adam was the best fisherman of the day, Kitty," Doc answered, hobbling onto the porch, "He caught three, the rest of us only two each," he kissed her on the cheek.

"Give me them theyre fishes, Adam. I'll clean 'em all for yer mama," Festus winked at Kitty.

"I'll help ya, Uncle Festus," Adam happily offered, racing down the porch steps after his beloved Uncle, his fish flapping his pant leg.

Doc sat on one of the porch rockers, nodding for Kitty to join him.

"How ya feelin' today, Kitty?" Doc asked, patting her knee. He swiped his mustache, hoping she felt alright.

"I'm good, Doc. Really good," she smiled at him, adding, "Would you like to hold Maggie?"

"You don't have t' ask me twice. Give 'er here," he held out his arms, "and yes, I washed my hands in the creek."

Kitty transferred the infant to her grandfather. She adored watching him with her children, but lately it was making her feel melancholy. It seemed that in the blink of an eye, the man she'd known for twenty-four years appeared truly elderly. It was difficult for Kitty to acknowledge in her heart that their remaining time with Doc was dwindling.

XXXXXXXX

The dim yellow glow from the lamp flickered, seemingly dancing against the walls as Matt entered his bedroom. He quietly shut the door, noting Kitty was propped against the big, brass headboard, finishing nursing the baby. He sat on the edge of the bed to remove his boots. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of Maggie's satisfactory suckling.

"What's so funny?" Kitty asked, smiling as Matt propped himself against the headboard alongside her.

"I think we need t' limit Maggie's time with Festus. She eats as loudly as he does," Matt whispered.

"Matt!" Kitty whisper-scolded, "That's not very nice," Kitty paused, thinking for a moment, "But you're right. She feels free t' let me know she likes the brand of milk I peddle."

Both parents silently giggled. Kitty tilted her head and caressed the baby's cheek as Matt gently rubbed his youngest's soft, red curls.

"God, Kitty, you make the most beautiful babies, I swear," his eyes twinkled as he gazed into his wife's eyes.

"We, Matt, we make the most beautiful babies," Kitty seriously commented, stroking her husband's slightly sunburned face.

"Well, you do all the hard work, I just show up for the fun part," he mischievously smiled, taking the sleeping infant from her mother's arms.

"How was fishin'?" she asked, buttoning up her thin cotton nightgown as she headed for her vanity.

Matt placed Maggie in her cradle, turned toward Kitty and whispered, "He had the time of his life, Honey. That boy is so easy t' please. When he and Festus dug for worms, you'd a thought they struck gold," he strolled up behind her, placing his hands upon her shoulders. The big man examined his wife's reflection in the looking glass as she brushed her voluminous red locks.

"Thank you for giving him t' me, Kitty," Matt's expression was serious.

Kitty studied Matt through the reflection. For a moment she was frozen. She swallowed hard, keeping his gaze through the looking glass and replied, "I…I don't know what t' say t' that, Matt. 'You're welcome' seems a little contrite."

Matt's hands remained on her shoulders as he turned her whole body around. He squatted in front of her and said, "You don't have t' say anything. I just want you t' know that I love that little boy with all my heart. I love this whole houseful of children with all my heart. I just hope that you understand that I'm so sorry-"

Kitty placed her hands on Matt's cheeks, interjecting, "So sorry…for what, Cowboy?" her eyes began to fill with tears.

"That I made us wait so long for this. How on Earth did I think I had the right to deny you this life? To deny me this life? My God, Kitty, if it weren't for Miss Buckshot, we could still be wasting time. We wouldn't know what these children look like. How they make us feel…"

Kitty threw her arms around her husband's neck and hugged him with all her strength.

"Oh, Matt, please don't be angry with yourself. I knew how it had t' be…I went along with it because I loved you so much," she loosened her grip on him and let her glistening blue eyes meet his, "I could've pushed, but I didn't want you that way," she cast her eyes down.

"I was a fool, as Doc has reminded me many times," Matt lifted her chin.

"Ya sure were," Kitty grinned as he wiped away the lone tear that trickled down her alabaster cheek.

"I'm wiring Washington on Monday," Matt firmly stated, standing and slowly leading Kitty to their bed.

"You are?" she said softly, lifting both of her ginger eyebrows nearly up to her hairline, "Don't tease me, Cowboy."

He backed Kitty up to the edge of their bed, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist and whispered, "It's time I become a full-time rancher and full-time father and husband, Honey. I've done my time. Besides," he softly kissed her on the curve of her neck, "have I ever teased you in the bedroom?"

TBC