Fourth Month
Conflicts and Promises
Time. It was something that never seemed to be a luxury for her. Deadlines were always looming over her head . She constantly worked against a clock. It was part of her duty, part of her job, to be able to face and meet those deadlines when it was necessary.
Now she was under a new type of deadline, one that she tried very little to think of, yet it was constantly on her mind no matter what she was doing.
Her baby.
She was always dwelling on what she needed to do, what the next few months had in store, and what she still had to get that she often lost track of what she was supposed to be doing in the present.
As was the case today. She was under Kitt's hood, making adjustments to the turbine engine, when her mind started wandering towards what color to paint the baby's room. The wrench she was using slipped and she banged her knuckles hard against the metal casing.
"Ow!" she exclaimed as she pulled her greasy hand out from the depths of the darkened compartment.
"Bonnie, are you okay?" Kitt asked as he scanned her injured hand. "That's the third time today that you have dropped something inside my turbine."
Bonnie reached for a nearby rag and wiped the grease off her sore knuckles and tried to see through all the grime if she had actually peeled back any skin this time. Satisfied that no blood was about to drip out, she sighed and went to retrieve the fallen tool. "Sorry, Kitt. I can't seem to concentrate today."
"Perhaps you should take a break." He suggested helpfully. "You haven't had one in three hours."
"Then I guess I'm due for one." She agreed as she finally fished the wrench out from where it had fallen. She wiped it down and placed it on the workbench then reached for a bottle of water she kept nearby.
She popped the top and took two hearty swallows of the cool fluid. She noticed that she was drinking more and more water lately, something she hadn't done for years, mainly preferring coffee late at night or early in the morning to keep her alert and awake.
She ran the back of her hand under her chin as she closed the bottle with the other hand. Was it her imagination or was it getting hot in the bay?
She strode over to the thermostat on the wall and checked the temperature. It stated that the room was a comfortable 82 degrees. She frowned at it and returned to her water bottle. Taking another sip, she realized what she really wanted now was some frozen yogurt and pickles.
Knowing that such a desire would most likely go unfilled due to the fact that there was none readily available, she sighed again and began to pour over the diagrams on the workbench. She found her mind wandering again within minutes, thinking how nice it would be to be able to buy the baby some of the things it would need without having to make excuses for where she was going and why.
Michael hadn't questioned her at all lately about her health, and her morning sickness had indeed eased up. She hadn't thrown up in over a week now, and she was feeling pretty good. She smiled slightly as she imagined a scene five months from now when she held a small baby and Michael was giving her a hug and admiring his new child.
The swish of Kitt's scanner brought her sharply back to reality. What was she doing daydreaming like that? She needed to be working, and tuning up the turbine, not fantasizing about something that wasn't going to happen. She shook her head to clear it, took a few more sips of the water, then closed it and grabbed the wrench again.
Kitt had been watching Bonnie and noticed how distracted she had been today. Something was obviously on her mind that was keeping her from fully putting all her vast mental resources on the job. He considered scanning her, but dismissed that idea as an invasion of privacy. Her health had indeed improved over the past week, and she fairly glowed on some mornings. Whatever was on her mind had to be something Bonnie would have to volunteer information for.
She went to work on the turbine again, this time managing to keep her concentration for long enough for her to complete the task. She smiled and pulled herself out of the engine and went to sit inside the car. "Kitt, I want you to power up and let me know how that feels."
He obeyed and the engine hummed to life. "Ah, Bonnie that feels so much better. After that last mission where I was treated like a common 4x4 off road vehicle I was unsure that my turbine would ever function the same again. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Kitt. I'm glad it feels better." She slid out of the car and walked across the room to pick up a small metal box. "I have something else for you today, you can consider it a gift if you would like."
Kitt never did get to find out what was inside the box for on her trip back across the bay she stumbled over an extension cord and the box went flying. Bonnie did too, and landed right on her stomach quite hard. The box clattered to the ground a few feet away.
Panic and fear raced though Bonnie, as she pulled herself to s sitting position and cradled her injured middle. Was the baby okay? She found it hard to take a breath of air and tried to calm her frantically beating heart.
As he was programmed to do whenever a human was in any sort of danger or had any type of injury, Kitt automatically scanned the fallen woman. What he found in the results surprised even him. He pushed those readings aside for the moment to call out to Bonnie. "Bonnie? Are you alright?"
"Yes, Kitt, I'm fine." Was the baby fine? She longed to ask Kitt, but bit her lip, and stood up carefully. "I guess I should watch where I put my feet." She went to pick up the fallen box, but Kitt's next words stopped her as if she had just been slapped.
"I scanned you when you fell, Bonnie, and I think that it is prudent that you know that the fall had no permanent injury to your person. However, the fetus you are carrying might have sustained some type of shock, yet I can scan no real damage." He paused a moment then continued. "You might want to have a visit to a real doctor just to make sure."
Bonnie placed one hand on her abdomen and held back a sigh. "Thank you, Kitt." She picked the box up and placed it on the workbench then returned to sit in the car. "I think we need to talk."
"Indeed. Bonnie, I am very confused." Kitt answered. "Why did you not tell anyone of your condition?"
Bonnie touched the voicebox very gently, stroking it with one finger. "I guess it's because I didn't want anyone to know. I am very scared, Kitt, and usually when people are scared, they don't necessarily make the wisest decisions."
"I have noticed that to be true." Kitt said. "May I ask a personal question?"
Bonnie held up one hand and interrupted Kitt before he could continue. "I know what you are going to ask and the answer is yes. Michael is the father."
Kitt added this piece of information to his data banks. If Michael was the father, he was going to have to be told, right? He decided to ask Bonnie. "When are you planning on telling Michael?"
She looked around the interior of the car and imagined Michael on a mission. Would he be able to do his job if he knew he had a baby on the way? Could he put his life on the line if he knew it meant he would never see his own child? Knowing Kitt was waiting for an answer, she shrugged. "I guess I will when the time is right. He is in enough danger without having to have his mind on me all the time." Her hands touched her middle again and stroked it gently. "I know I can't hide this fact forever, but I can't really put Michael's life in danger either."
She tried to keep her voice calm as she continued to try to explain. "Besides, Kitt, he told me one time that he didn't want children. And you have to understand that this one will carry his DNA, which means this child will look like Michael Long, not Michael Knight. I don't know if he is ready to deal with that."
She waited now to see what Kitt would say. Now that she had voiced some of her concerns, she felt a little less scared, and more grounded in the reality of her situation. By saying it out loud to someone besides Dr. Hunter it made it more real to her. More permanent, as if once the genie was out of the bottle, there was no bringing it back. True, she could erase Kitt's knowledge of her situation but she would never bring herself to do that.
Kitt processed all he had been told and tried to come up with a suitable response, but his knowledge of human mating was limited to just facts and raw data. Finally at long last he spoke up. "Bonnie, I think I can understand what you are trying to tell me. Is safe to assume that the basis of your fear lies in the probability that Michael might not be happy with a child?"
"Exactly, Kitt." She got out of the car and closed the door, then leaned against it. "What do I do if I tell him and he wants no part of it? What if this baby ends up pushing him away?" She laid her head upon Kitt's roof and finally the uncertainty that had been eating her up inside all rushed out of her in a tangle of words and emotions. It didn't seem to be the least bit strange to her that she would be confessing her deepest, darkest doubts to the car. "I love him with all my heart, Kitt."
Kitt knew he was limited to what he could say to help Bonnie. He had no hands with which to comfort her. "Bonnie, I don't think Michael would be that cruel." He chose his words with great care and tried to put as much emphasis on what he had observed to be true. "I know for a fact that he loves you very much and would do anything for you."
Those words seemed to be the catalyst that broke behind the fear Bonnie was using as a shield to keep the truth hidden. Upon hearing them in Kitt's gentle voice, she finally broke down and cried. Slow, fat tears dripped down her cheeks to land on the roof of the car where they puddled then trickled down the side. "Oh Kitt, I so wish that was true."
Kitt opened his door, "Come sit down, Bonnie, and I can show you that it is." He waited to see if she would accept his invitation.
She did and tucked her graceful legs into the car, sniffing and trying to wipe away her tears, using her already wet hands.
"Here, Bonnie, try these." Kitt opened the glove box to show a few of Michael's handkerchiefs stowed there. Bonnie was caught between a sob and a chuckle of laughter upon seeing them.
"I didn't know Michael carried these," she replied as she took one and closed the compartment door. "Are you sure they aren't Devon's?"
"He put them there the week after he recovered from his near bout with pneumonia last winter." Kitt explained. "He said tissues were too messy."
Bonnie wiped at her face and blew her nose gently. "I remember that. That was the first time he got me to admit that my feelings for him were real."
"Exactly my point, Bonnie." Kitt said and turned on his monitor. "Here is some more 'proof' if you will, of Michael's feelings for you."
The screen flared to life with a visual of Michael driving. "Kitt, I want you to know, and just you, so don't you tell anyone just yet, just how much Bonnie means to me. I've never been happier before in my life. Even when I was with Stevie, something still seemed to be missing from my heart. I now know what that was. It was love, Kitt, plain and simple. Stevie loved me, but her love had conditions to it. One of the conditions was that I give up you. You are a part of my life, and it nearly killed me to have to leave you. I never want to have to face that again."
Bonnie watched, entranced at what she was seeing. Kitt on the visual was now speaking. "I hated to see you go, Michael, but I wanted to do what would make you happy. Isn't that a part of love?"
Michael was shaking his head slightly. "Yes, and no, Kitt. Wanting someone to be happy is indeed part of love, but forcing choices that later can be regretted isn't. That's why I love Bonnie so much. She never would make me choose between you or her. She loves me for who I am, not who I was. She is always there for me, and even when we disagree, she still finds ways of letting me know the love is there underneath it all." He smiled a faint smile, the ends of is mouth curling up just the slightest. "And that, Buddy, is love."
The screen darkened, and Bonnie found herself wiping away a fresh stream of tears with the end of the crumpled handkerchief. "Does he know you taped that?"
A very slight hesitation; then a softly spoken, "No."
She smiled and reached forward to place a kiss right upon the voicebox. "Thank you, Kitt. I'm glad you did."
Kitt felt like he could Turbo Boost into the air without any help or speed or anything right at that moment. "You are quite welcome, Bonnie. That was just one of many conversations that we have together on our long trips. He talks about you quite often, so I don't think you can use the excuse that telling him will make him think of you more. He does quite enough of that on his own."
She nodded and felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. Kitt was right. She was using her own doubts to keep news that Michael was obligated to know. "Okay, I'll tell him. First chance I get, Kitt. But I want you to promise me that you will not say anything at all about what you have learned today until I tell him."
Kitt hesitated. Was she asking him to lie? "Bonnie, you know I'm incapable of telling a lie."
She waved a hand at the dashboard. "Then don't do it. Just change the topic or find some way to distract him. I know you can do that, you've done it before. Just don't say one word to him about the baby, or my being pregnant, okay?"
She was so focused on getting the AI to promise to remain silent that she didn't see Michael step into the bay.
"Bonnie…"
"Kitt," she said sternly. "Promise me."
He was backed into a corner and he knew it. "Alright. I promise."
"Good, as I want to be the one to tell him."
"Tell me what?" Michael said as he stuck his head into the window.
Bonnie yelped and jumped at least a foot into the air, smacking her head into the roof of the car. "Dammit, Michael, I wish you wouldn't DO that." She reached up and rubbed at the top of her head with one hand. "You nearly made me jump out of my skin!"
He was already grinning hugely as he helped her out of the car. "I'd much rather see you jump out of that car and into my arms." He held them open and she stepped easily inside and embraced him even as she swatted his behind.
"You are such a charmer, you know that?" His body was warm against hers and for a moment it was just as it always had been, just her and him and love.
"Of course, Sweetheart." He squeezed her once more then released her. "Now what was it you wanted to tell me?""
Faced with the moment, she almost resorted to her previous panic, but a glance down at Kitt brought her resolve back up. "Well, Michael, um, I do have something very important to tell you and I want you to be completely honest with me when I'm done, okay?"
"Of course, Angel." He took one of her hands in his. "I give you my word that truthful is all I will be."
She bit her lip, and swallowed the fear that was rising inside her. All she had to do now was say two little words. Just because those two words were 'I'm pregnant' was nothing to fear. She took a deep breath. "You love me, right? No matter what, you love me?" It was supposed to come out as a statement, but it was voiced as more of a doubting question.
He kissed her on her forehead. "That's an understatement if I ever heard one. Don't you agree, pal?" He turned his attention away from her to look at Kitt.
"Yes, Michael, I more than agree."
Bonnie smiled, this could actually work. Kitt was right, Michael wouldn't be that cruel to her. She took another deep breath and steeled her resolve. "Good. Okay, here goes nothing." She locked her eyes with his, and opened her mouth, it was go for broke time now. "Michael, I love you very much and I'm…"
The rest of her statement was interrupted as Devon burst into the bay, his suit jacket flapping behind him wildly as if he had been running all the way from the mansion. "Michael," he panted. "There you are. I've been looking all over the place for you." He took another gasping breath. "We need you in the field right now. We just got word that two women have been shot and the suspect is a friend of the man you arrested not that long ago. I think you remember the man who shot Stevie, Kurt Rolands? Well this guy is out for your blood, Michael. He's shooting innocent people down at the bank until you arrive in person."
Michael's face hardened. "Of course I remember Kurt. How could I possibly forget that scum?" He dropped Bonnie's hands. "Whatever you were going to have to say will have to wait. I can't put other people at risk for me." He kissed her once very quickly and dove into Kitt. With a press of the button, he fired the car up. "Kitt can you scan the police frequencies and patch me through to him?"
"Yes, Michael." Kitt said as they sped off, leaving twin streaks of coated rubber on the cement slab behind them.
It all happened in a split second, and Bonnie was left standing there, her proclamation dead in her throat. She sighed heavily.
"I do hope I wasn't intruding on something important," Devon said after finally realizing that something had indeed been going on in the bay before he had burst in.
Bonnie shook her head and pulled her hair back into a ponytail which she secured with a rubber band from a table nearby. "It's okay, Devon. It can wait." It's waited four months so far, she thought mentally. What's another day or two? "What he's doing now is more important."
"Good." Devon said with a slight smile. "Care to join me in the main house for a cup of tea while we await word on how long it takes Michael to apprehend this monster?" He proffered his elbow in a very gentlemanly way.
"Certainly," she said and linked her arm with his. "Shall we take bets on this one?"
He appeared shocked for a moment then realized she was joking. "Only if the profits go to charity, my dear." He winked at her and then led her up to the main house, giggling like a schoolgirl on her first date.
It actually had taken two weeks for Michael to catch the monster and get him thrown in the pen with his buddy. Two long weeks that had taken him out of California, across Arizona and into New Mexico.
Two weeks that had seen him shot at, chased, almost kidnapped and twice separated from Kitt. In the end though, he had won and the criminal had been captured.
During those two weeks he hadn't had enough free time to even think about home or what Bonnie had been about to tell him, but after the mission was over, he had plenty of time.
It was on the long drive back that the subject finally came up in conversation as he was reaching for topics to keep him awake on the journey home. He had been deep in thought when he remembered how the mission had started.
"Hey, Kitt?"
"Yes, Michael?"
"Do you ever think about how much we give on these missions? How far away sometimes they take us?" Michael asked while resting one hand comfortably on the gull-wing. They were traveling at some 80 plus MPH, which for Kitt was nearly a crawl, and he was more than comfortable with putting only half his attention on the road ahead.
"Every time, Michael. Sometimes they take us places that cars were just not meant to go. Like across water, or into airplanes." He answered with only a bit of humor added. He still hadn't really forgiven Michael for taking him up in the airplane that time, even if it had been to rescue Bonnie. Cars were not meant to leave the road, and he took every opportunity to remind Michael of that fact.
Michael chuckled, "Yeah, buddy, I hear ya." He patted the multicolored dash lightly. "I have no plans to go skydiving anytime soon, so stop worrying."
"I'm not worried," Kitt said.
"Uh-huh. And I'm the King of France."
"Nice to meet you, Your Royal Highness," Kitt quipped. It was times like this that he enjoyed the time with Michael, where they were just two friends sharing a bit of life's random thoughts. He was proud of the fact that his humor program had grown since he had been first introduced and Michael had likened him to nothing more than Darth Vader's bathroom.
Michael laughed. "Touche."
He then grew serious. "You know, I've been wondering just what Bonnie was going to tell me before Devon ran in. I've come up with a few ideas but none I'm really certain of."
Kitt remained silent, letting Michael voice his thoughts. He had no intention of going back on his promise to Bonnie, and now he began thinking of ways to sidetrack his partner, should the need arise.
"I kept thinking, just what could be so important that she doubts her love for me, and you know something, buddy? I've got it narrowed down to four choices."
Again Kitt remained silent.
Michael let out a noise that was a bit of a 'harumph' type of sound. "No use playing silent on me, Kitt. I know you know what is going on." He tapped the voicebox gently. "Why not let me in on the secret, and then she won't have to go through the whole drama again when I get home."
"I can't do that, Michael." Kitt said sadly.
"Ah-HA!" Michael exclaimed. "I was only guessing that you had been talking about her problem when I walked in, but I wasn't sure. So you do know what is going on."
"Yes, Michael, I do." Kitt's voice had lost all it's cheerful humor that it just moments before had displayed.
"So why don't you just tell me? Kitt, come on, you saw how tough it was on her the first time to get up the courage to even begin to say whatever it was she was going to say. Can you put her through that again?" Michael tried to reason with the AI.
"I can't do that, Michael. Bonnie asked me not to." Kitt decided to try to change the subject as Bonnie had suggested. "Would you like to listen to some music to help pass the time? I hear some of your favorite bands have put out some new songs."
"No, Kitt, I do not want to listen to music. I want to talk." Michael was now losing his previous good humor. He was not about to be outsmarted by his own car. "Here why don't you drive for a bit?" He pressed the Auto Cruise button and Kitt immediately took over. "I want to stretch out while I talk to you."
He stretched his legs as far as they would go and reached his hands above his head. He knew if he was going to get any information from the car, he would have to be tricky about it. Once he was done and comfortable he began his plan of attack for information. "So, Bonnie told you not to tell, right?"
"That is correct."
"But she didn't say that I couldn't try to guess, right?"
"Again that is correct, but Michael I would rather you not try. We will be home in less than an hour and then you can get what you need to know from Bonnie herself."
"Well I've got little else on my mind at the moment, so indulge me, Pal." He folded his hands behind his head and started asking questions, rapid fire.
"Does it have to do with us? Us meaning Me and Bonnie."
"Yes."
"Does it have to do with you?"
"No."
"Does it have to do with Devon?"
"No."
"Is she upset because of it?"
"Obviously, Michael."
"Does she think I'm going to leave her?"
"Possibly."
"Is she ill?"
"No."
"Is she worried for the future."
"Yes."
"Does she love me?"
"Michael, of course she does."
Michael frowned. "Did she tell you that?"
"Yes," Kitt said. "She's very much in love with you."
"Okay, just checking. Now where was I? Hmmmm.. she loves me, thinks I'm going to leave her, but she's not sick. It doesn't involve you or Devon, and she's very worried about the future. What other questions can I ask?"
"Ones that take us away from this subject would be nice." Kitt said as he steered around a bend in the road. "I really don't feel comfortable discussing this, Michael, and you know I can't lie."
Michael smiled. "That is precisely what I'm counting on."
Kitt tried one last time to appeal to Michael's sense of proprietary. "Please, Michael, don't make me do this."
"Then just tell me, Buddy. I won't tell her you told me, and everything will be fine." Michael said as he tried to trick the intelligence behind the car.
"No, Michael. She made me promise."
Michael whistled. "Whoa… A promise to Bonnie is like a death sentence." He grinned. "Suit yourself then."
"Does this mean you are going to drop the subject?" Kitt asked hopefully.
"Not on your life, pal."
"I was afraid of that." Kitt deadpanned.
"Ok back to the questions. Is this news harmful?"
"Depends on how you look at it."
"Do you know how I will react?"
"No, but I might use the word stunned or shocked." Kitt said helpfully.
"Is it news I might like to hear?"
"There is no way to tell."
"Does the news mainly center around me or Bonnie."
"It affects both of you in different ways." Kitt tried to squirm out of that question.
"OOOOkay." Michael took a deep breath. "It's one of two things. Either Bonnie is planning on leaving the Foundation again, and wants me to go with her…"
He thought that scenario over and over again in his mind, but somehow that didn't seem to fit in with how Bonnie had been feeling lately. She loved her job and she loved Kitt. She loved playing 'mother hen' to her 'baby chick' and taking car of the car.
The next thought to hit Michael's mind was like running into a brick wall. Playing Mother. Dr. Jeremy Hunter, OB/GYN. Throwing up, feeling tired, cranky, moody. Being scared to face him. Worrying about the future. The damn vitamins. Good God, the vitamins. The PRENATAL vitamins. Michael took in a deep breath of air and was suddenly glad that he wasn't driving the car.
Kitt had remained silent while Michael was doing his thinking and he suddenly realized that Michael had figured out what the big announcement was going to be. He saw Michael suck in a deep breath of air. Kitt feared Michael was about to pass out when his longtime pal spoke quietly.
"You don't have to tell me, Kitt. I think I just figured it out for myself." Michael brought his palms to his face and gently sagged against them. "You don't have to say a word, Buddy, and you can tell her you kept your promise not to tell me." His voice was muffled, and sounded shaky.
"Thank you, Michael."
"How much longer until we arrive?" Michael asked as he scrubbed at his eyes before lowering his hands.
"About 20 minutes."
"Good, then she will still be awake. And I can finally confront her and ask her why the hell didn't she tell me the moment she found out she was pregnant."
Conflicts and Promises
Time. It was something that never seemed to be a luxury for her. Deadlines were always looming over her head . She constantly worked against a clock. It was part of her duty, part of her job, to be able to face and meet those deadlines when it was necessary.
Now she was under a new type of deadline, one that she tried very little to think of, yet it was constantly on her mind no matter what she was doing.
Her baby.
She was always dwelling on what she needed to do, what the next few months had in store, and what she still had to get that she often lost track of what she was supposed to be doing in the present.
As was the case today. She was under Kitt's hood, making adjustments to the turbine engine, when her mind started wandering towards what color to paint the baby's room. The wrench she was using slipped and she banged her knuckles hard against the metal casing.
"Ow!" she exclaimed as she pulled her greasy hand out from the depths of the darkened compartment.
"Bonnie, are you okay?" Kitt asked as he scanned her injured hand. "That's the third time today that you have dropped something inside my turbine."
Bonnie reached for a nearby rag and wiped the grease off her sore knuckles and tried to see through all the grime if she had actually peeled back any skin this time. Satisfied that no blood was about to drip out, she sighed and went to retrieve the fallen tool. "Sorry, Kitt. I can't seem to concentrate today."
"Perhaps you should take a break." He suggested helpfully. "You haven't had one in three hours."
"Then I guess I'm due for one." She agreed as she finally fished the wrench out from where it had fallen. She wiped it down and placed it on the workbench then reached for a bottle of water she kept nearby.
She popped the top and took two hearty swallows of the cool fluid. She noticed that she was drinking more and more water lately, something she hadn't done for years, mainly preferring coffee late at night or early in the morning to keep her alert and awake.
She ran the back of her hand under her chin as she closed the bottle with the other hand. Was it her imagination or was it getting hot in the bay?
She strode over to the thermostat on the wall and checked the temperature. It stated that the room was a comfortable 82 degrees. She frowned at it and returned to her water bottle. Taking another sip, she realized what she really wanted now was some frozen yogurt and pickles.
Knowing that such a desire would most likely go unfilled due to the fact that there was none readily available, she sighed again and began to pour over the diagrams on the workbench. She found her mind wandering again within minutes, thinking how nice it would be to be able to buy the baby some of the things it would need without having to make excuses for where she was going and why.
Michael hadn't questioned her at all lately about her health, and her morning sickness had indeed eased up. She hadn't thrown up in over a week now, and she was feeling pretty good. She smiled slightly as she imagined a scene five months from now when she held a small baby and Michael was giving her a hug and admiring his new child.
The swish of Kitt's scanner brought her sharply back to reality. What was she doing daydreaming like that? She needed to be working, and tuning up the turbine, not fantasizing about something that wasn't going to happen. She shook her head to clear it, took a few more sips of the water, then closed it and grabbed the wrench again.
Kitt had been watching Bonnie and noticed how distracted she had been today. Something was obviously on her mind that was keeping her from fully putting all her vast mental resources on the job. He considered scanning her, but dismissed that idea as an invasion of privacy. Her health had indeed improved over the past week, and she fairly glowed on some mornings. Whatever was on her mind had to be something Bonnie would have to volunteer information for.
She went to work on the turbine again, this time managing to keep her concentration for long enough for her to complete the task. She smiled and pulled herself out of the engine and went to sit inside the car. "Kitt, I want you to power up and let me know how that feels."
He obeyed and the engine hummed to life. "Ah, Bonnie that feels so much better. After that last mission where I was treated like a common 4x4 off road vehicle I was unsure that my turbine would ever function the same again. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Kitt. I'm glad it feels better." She slid out of the car and walked across the room to pick up a small metal box. "I have something else for you today, you can consider it a gift if you would like."
Kitt never did get to find out what was inside the box for on her trip back across the bay she stumbled over an extension cord and the box went flying. Bonnie did too, and landed right on her stomach quite hard. The box clattered to the ground a few feet away.
Panic and fear raced though Bonnie, as she pulled herself to s sitting position and cradled her injured middle. Was the baby okay? She found it hard to take a breath of air and tried to calm her frantically beating heart.
As he was programmed to do whenever a human was in any sort of danger or had any type of injury, Kitt automatically scanned the fallen woman. What he found in the results surprised even him. He pushed those readings aside for the moment to call out to Bonnie. "Bonnie? Are you alright?"
"Yes, Kitt, I'm fine." Was the baby fine? She longed to ask Kitt, but bit her lip, and stood up carefully. "I guess I should watch where I put my feet." She went to pick up the fallen box, but Kitt's next words stopped her as if she had just been slapped.
"I scanned you when you fell, Bonnie, and I think that it is prudent that you know that the fall had no permanent injury to your person. However, the fetus you are carrying might have sustained some type of shock, yet I can scan no real damage." He paused a moment then continued. "You might want to have a visit to a real doctor just to make sure."
Bonnie placed one hand on her abdomen and held back a sigh. "Thank you, Kitt." She picked the box up and placed it on the workbench then returned to sit in the car. "I think we need to talk."
"Indeed. Bonnie, I am very confused." Kitt answered. "Why did you not tell anyone of your condition?"
Bonnie touched the voicebox very gently, stroking it with one finger. "I guess it's because I didn't want anyone to know. I am very scared, Kitt, and usually when people are scared, they don't necessarily make the wisest decisions."
"I have noticed that to be true." Kitt said. "May I ask a personal question?"
Bonnie held up one hand and interrupted Kitt before he could continue. "I know what you are going to ask and the answer is yes. Michael is the father."
Kitt added this piece of information to his data banks. If Michael was the father, he was going to have to be told, right? He decided to ask Bonnie. "When are you planning on telling Michael?"
She looked around the interior of the car and imagined Michael on a mission. Would he be able to do his job if he knew he had a baby on the way? Could he put his life on the line if he knew it meant he would never see his own child? Knowing Kitt was waiting for an answer, she shrugged. "I guess I will when the time is right. He is in enough danger without having to have his mind on me all the time." Her hands touched her middle again and stroked it gently. "I know I can't hide this fact forever, but I can't really put Michael's life in danger either."
She tried to keep her voice calm as she continued to try to explain. "Besides, Kitt, he told me one time that he didn't want children. And you have to understand that this one will carry his DNA, which means this child will look like Michael Long, not Michael Knight. I don't know if he is ready to deal with that."
She waited now to see what Kitt would say. Now that she had voiced some of her concerns, she felt a little less scared, and more grounded in the reality of her situation. By saying it out loud to someone besides Dr. Hunter it made it more real to her. More permanent, as if once the genie was out of the bottle, there was no bringing it back. True, she could erase Kitt's knowledge of her situation but she would never bring herself to do that.
Kitt processed all he had been told and tried to come up with a suitable response, but his knowledge of human mating was limited to just facts and raw data. Finally at long last he spoke up. "Bonnie, I think I can understand what you are trying to tell me. Is safe to assume that the basis of your fear lies in the probability that Michael might not be happy with a child?"
"Exactly, Kitt." She got out of the car and closed the door, then leaned against it. "What do I do if I tell him and he wants no part of it? What if this baby ends up pushing him away?" She laid her head upon Kitt's roof and finally the uncertainty that had been eating her up inside all rushed out of her in a tangle of words and emotions. It didn't seem to be the least bit strange to her that she would be confessing her deepest, darkest doubts to the car. "I love him with all my heart, Kitt."
Kitt knew he was limited to what he could say to help Bonnie. He had no hands with which to comfort her. "Bonnie, I don't think Michael would be that cruel." He chose his words with great care and tried to put as much emphasis on what he had observed to be true. "I know for a fact that he loves you very much and would do anything for you."
Those words seemed to be the catalyst that broke behind the fear Bonnie was using as a shield to keep the truth hidden. Upon hearing them in Kitt's gentle voice, she finally broke down and cried. Slow, fat tears dripped down her cheeks to land on the roof of the car where they puddled then trickled down the side. "Oh Kitt, I so wish that was true."
Kitt opened his door, "Come sit down, Bonnie, and I can show you that it is." He waited to see if she would accept his invitation.
She did and tucked her graceful legs into the car, sniffing and trying to wipe away her tears, using her already wet hands.
"Here, Bonnie, try these." Kitt opened the glove box to show a few of Michael's handkerchiefs stowed there. Bonnie was caught between a sob and a chuckle of laughter upon seeing them.
"I didn't know Michael carried these," she replied as she took one and closed the compartment door. "Are you sure they aren't Devon's?"
"He put them there the week after he recovered from his near bout with pneumonia last winter." Kitt explained. "He said tissues were too messy."
Bonnie wiped at her face and blew her nose gently. "I remember that. That was the first time he got me to admit that my feelings for him were real."
"Exactly my point, Bonnie." Kitt said and turned on his monitor. "Here is some more 'proof' if you will, of Michael's feelings for you."
The screen flared to life with a visual of Michael driving. "Kitt, I want you to know, and just you, so don't you tell anyone just yet, just how much Bonnie means to me. I've never been happier before in my life. Even when I was with Stevie, something still seemed to be missing from my heart. I now know what that was. It was love, Kitt, plain and simple. Stevie loved me, but her love had conditions to it. One of the conditions was that I give up you. You are a part of my life, and it nearly killed me to have to leave you. I never want to have to face that again."
Bonnie watched, entranced at what she was seeing. Kitt on the visual was now speaking. "I hated to see you go, Michael, but I wanted to do what would make you happy. Isn't that a part of love?"
Michael was shaking his head slightly. "Yes, and no, Kitt. Wanting someone to be happy is indeed part of love, but forcing choices that later can be regretted isn't. That's why I love Bonnie so much. She never would make me choose between you or her. She loves me for who I am, not who I was. She is always there for me, and even when we disagree, she still finds ways of letting me know the love is there underneath it all." He smiled a faint smile, the ends of is mouth curling up just the slightest. "And that, Buddy, is love."
The screen darkened, and Bonnie found herself wiping away a fresh stream of tears with the end of the crumpled handkerchief. "Does he know you taped that?"
A very slight hesitation; then a softly spoken, "No."
She smiled and reached forward to place a kiss right upon the voicebox. "Thank you, Kitt. I'm glad you did."
Kitt felt like he could Turbo Boost into the air without any help or speed or anything right at that moment. "You are quite welcome, Bonnie. That was just one of many conversations that we have together on our long trips. He talks about you quite often, so I don't think you can use the excuse that telling him will make him think of you more. He does quite enough of that on his own."
She nodded and felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders. Kitt was right. She was using her own doubts to keep news that Michael was obligated to know. "Okay, I'll tell him. First chance I get, Kitt. But I want you to promise me that you will not say anything at all about what you have learned today until I tell him."
Kitt hesitated. Was she asking him to lie? "Bonnie, you know I'm incapable of telling a lie."
She waved a hand at the dashboard. "Then don't do it. Just change the topic or find some way to distract him. I know you can do that, you've done it before. Just don't say one word to him about the baby, or my being pregnant, okay?"
She was so focused on getting the AI to promise to remain silent that she didn't see Michael step into the bay.
"Bonnie…"
"Kitt," she said sternly. "Promise me."
He was backed into a corner and he knew it. "Alright. I promise."
"Good, as I want to be the one to tell him."
"Tell me what?" Michael said as he stuck his head into the window.
Bonnie yelped and jumped at least a foot into the air, smacking her head into the roof of the car. "Dammit, Michael, I wish you wouldn't DO that." She reached up and rubbed at the top of her head with one hand. "You nearly made me jump out of my skin!"
He was already grinning hugely as he helped her out of the car. "I'd much rather see you jump out of that car and into my arms." He held them open and she stepped easily inside and embraced him even as she swatted his behind.
"You are such a charmer, you know that?" His body was warm against hers and for a moment it was just as it always had been, just her and him and love.
"Of course, Sweetheart." He squeezed her once more then released her. "Now what was it you wanted to tell me?""
Faced with the moment, she almost resorted to her previous panic, but a glance down at Kitt brought her resolve back up. "Well, Michael, um, I do have something very important to tell you and I want you to be completely honest with me when I'm done, okay?"
"Of course, Angel." He took one of her hands in his. "I give you my word that truthful is all I will be."
She bit her lip, and swallowed the fear that was rising inside her. All she had to do now was say two little words. Just because those two words were 'I'm pregnant' was nothing to fear. She took a deep breath. "You love me, right? No matter what, you love me?" It was supposed to come out as a statement, but it was voiced as more of a doubting question.
He kissed her on her forehead. "That's an understatement if I ever heard one. Don't you agree, pal?" He turned his attention away from her to look at Kitt.
"Yes, Michael, I more than agree."
Bonnie smiled, this could actually work. Kitt was right, Michael wouldn't be that cruel to her. She took another deep breath and steeled her resolve. "Good. Okay, here goes nothing." She locked her eyes with his, and opened her mouth, it was go for broke time now. "Michael, I love you very much and I'm…"
The rest of her statement was interrupted as Devon burst into the bay, his suit jacket flapping behind him wildly as if he had been running all the way from the mansion. "Michael," he panted. "There you are. I've been looking all over the place for you." He took another gasping breath. "We need you in the field right now. We just got word that two women have been shot and the suspect is a friend of the man you arrested not that long ago. I think you remember the man who shot Stevie, Kurt Rolands? Well this guy is out for your blood, Michael. He's shooting innocent people down at the bank until you arrive in person."
Michael's face hardened. "Of course I remember Kurt. How could I possibly forget that scum?" He dropped Bonnie's hands. "Whatever you were going to have to say will have to wait. I can't put other people at risk for me." He kissed her once very quickly and dove into Kitt. With a press of the button, he fired the car up. "Kitt can you scan the police frequencies and patch me through to him?"
"Yes, Michael." Kitt said as they sped off, leaving twin streaks of coated rubber on the cement slab behind them.
It all happened in a split second, and Bonnie was left standing there, her proclamation dead in her throat. She sighed heavily.
"I do hope I wasn't intruding on something important," Devon said after finally realizing that something had indeed been going on in the bay before he had burst in.
Bonnie shook her head and pulled her hair back into a ponytail which she secured with a rubber band from a table nearby. "It's okay, Devon. It can wait." It's waited four months so far, she thought mentally. What's another day or two? "What he's doing now is more important."
"Good." Devon said with a slight smile. "Care to join me in the main house for a cup of tea while we await word on how long it takes Michael to apprehend this monster?" He proffered his elbow in a very gentlemanly way.
"Certainly," she said and linked her arm with his. "Shall we take bets on this one?"
He appeared shocked for a moment then realized she was joking. "Only if the profits go to charity, my dear." He winked at her and then led her up to the main house, giggling like a schoolgirl on her first date.
It actually had taken two weeks for Michael to catch the monster and get him thrown in the pen with his buddy. Two long weeks that had taken him out of California, across Arizona and into New Mexico.
Two weeks that had seen him shot at, chased, almost kidnapped and twice separated from Kitt. In the end though, he had won and the criminal had been captured.
During those two weeks he hadn't had enough free time to even think about home or what Bonnie had been about to tell him, but after the mission was over, he had plenty of time.
It was on the long drive back that the subject finally came up in conversation as he was reaching for topics to keep him awake on the journey home. He had been deep in thought when he remembered how the mission had started.
"Hey, Kitt?"
"Yes, Michael?"
"Do you ever think about how much we give on these missions? How far away sometimes they take us?" Michael asked while resting one hand comfortably on the gull-wing. They were traveling at some 80 plus MPH, which for Kitt was nearly a crawl, and he was more than comfortable with putting only half his attention on the road ahead.
"Every time, Michael. Sometimes they take us places that cars were just not meant to go. Like across water, or into airplanes." He answered with only a bit of humor added. He still hadn't really forgiven Michael for taking him up in the airplane that time, even if it had been to rescue Bonnie. Cars were not meant to leave the road, and he took every opportunity to remind Michael of that fact.
Michael chuckled, "Yeah, buddy, I hear ya." He patted the multicolored dash lightly. "I have no plans to go skydiving anytime soon, so stop worrying."
"I'm not worried," Kitt said.
"Uh-huh. And I'm the King of France."
"Nice to meet you, Your Royal Highness," Kitt quipped. It was times like this that he enjoyed the time with Michael, where they were just two friends sharing a bit of life's random thoughts. He was proud of the fact that his humor program had grown since he had been first introduced and Michael had likened him to nothing more than Darth Vader's bathroom.
Michael laughed. "Touche."
He then grew serious. "You know, I've been wondering just what Bonnie was going to tell me before Devon ran in. I've come up with a few ideas but none I'm really certain of."
Kitt remained silent, letting Michael voice his thoughts. He had no intention of going back on his promise to Bonnie, and now he began thinking of ways to sidetrack his partner, should the need arise.
"I kept thinking, just what could be so important that she doubts her love for me, and you know something, buddy? I've got it narrowed down to four choices."
Again Kitt remained silent.
Michael let out a noise that was a bit of a 'harumph' type of sound. "No use playing silent on me, Kitt. I know you know what is going on." He tapped the voicebox gently. "Why not let me in on the secret, and then she won't have to go through the whole drama again when I get home."
"I can't do that, Michael." Kitt said sadly.
"Ah-HA!" Michael exclaimed. "I was only guessing that you had been talking about her problem when I walked in, but I wasn't sure. So you do know what is going on."
"Yes, Michael, I do." Kitt's voice had lost all it's cheerful humor that it just moments before had displayed.
"So why don't you just tell me? Kitt, come on, you saw how tough it was on her the first time to get up the courage to even begin to say whatever it was she was going to say. Can you put her through that again?" Michael tried to reason with the AI.
"I can't do that, Michael. Bonnie asked me not to." Kitt decided to try to change the subject as Bonnie had suggested. "Would you like to listen to some music to help pass the time? I hear some of your favorite bands have put out some new songs."
"No, Kitt, I do not want to listen to music. I want to talk." Michael was now losing his previous good humor. He was not about to be outsmarted by his own car. "Here why don't you drive for a bit?" He pressed the Auto Cruise button and Kitt immediately took over. "I want to stretch out while I talk to you."
He stretched his legs as far as they would go and reached his hands above his head. He knew if he was going to get any information from the car, he would have to be tricky about it. Once he was done and comfortable he began his plan of attack for information. "So, Bonnie told you not to tell, right?"
"That is correct."
"But she didn't say that I couldn't try to guess, right?"
"Again that is correct, but Michael I would rather you not try. We will be home in less than an hour and then you can get what you need to know from Bonnie herself."
"Well I've got little else on my mind at the moment, so indulge me, Pal." He folded his hands behind his head and started asking questions, rapid fire.
"Does it have to do with us? Us meaning Me and Bonnie."
"Yes."
"Does it have to do with you?"
"No."
"Does it have to do with Devon?"
"No."
"Is she upset because of it?"
"Obviously, Michael."
"Does she think I'm going to leave her?"
"Possibly."
"Is she ill?"
"No."
"Is she worried for the future."
"Yes."
"Does she love me?"
"Michael, of course she does."
Michael frowned. "Did she tell you that?"
"Yes," Kitt said. "She's very much in love with you."
"Okay, just checking. Now where was I? Hmmmm.. she loves me, thinks I'm going to leave her, but she's not sick. It doesn't involve you or Devon, and she's very worried about the future. What other questions can I ask?"
"Ones that take us away from this subject would be nice." Kitt said as he steered around a bend in the road. "I really don't feel comfortable discussing this, Michael, and you know I can't lie."
Michael smiled. "That is precisely what I'm counting on."
Kitt tried one last time to appeal to Michael's sense of proprietary. "Please, Michael, don't make me do this."
"Then just tell me, Buddy. I won't tell her you told me, and everything will be fine." Michael said as he tried to trick the intelligence behind the car.
"No, Michael. She made me promise."
Michael whistled. "Whoa… A promise to Bonnie is like a death sentence." He grinned. "Suit yourself then."
"Does this mean you are going to drop the subject?" Kitt asked hopefully.
"Not on your life, pal."
"I was afraid of that." Kitt deadpanned.
"Ok back to the questions. Is this news harmful?"
"Depends on how you look at it."
"Do you know how I will react?"
"No, but I might use the word stunned or shocked." Kitt said helpfully.
"Is it news I might like to hear?"
"There is no way to tell."
"Does the news mainly center around me or Bonnie."
"It affects both of you in different ways." Kitt tried to squirm out of that question.
"OOOOkay." Michael took a deep breath. "It's one of two things. Either Bonnie is planning on leaving the Foundation again, and wants me to go with her…"
He thought that scenario over and over again in his mind, but somehow that didn't seem to fit in with how Bonnie had been feeling lately. She loved her job and she loved Kitt. She loved playing 'mother hen' to her 'baby chick' and taking car of the car.
The next thought to hit Michael's mind was like running into a brick wall. Playing Mother. Dr. Jeremy Hunter, OB/GYN. Throwing up, feeling tired, cranky, moody. Being scared to face him. Worrying about the future. The damn vitamins. Good God, the vitamins. The PRENATAL vitamins. Michael took in a deep breath of air and was suddenly glad that he wasn't driving the car.
Kitt had remained silent while Michael was doing his thinking and he suddenly realized that Michael had figured out what the big announcement was going to be. He saw Michael suck in a deep breath of air. Kitt feared Michael was about to pass out when his longtime pal spoke quietly.
"You don't have to tell me, Kitt. I think I just figured it out for myself." Michael brought his palms to his face and gently sagged against them. "You don't have to say a word, Buddy, and you can tell her you kept your promise not to tell me." His voice was muffled, and sounded shaky.
"Thank you, Michael."
"How much longer until we arrive?" Michael asked as he scrubbed at his eyes before lowering his hands.
"About 20 minutes."
"Good, then she will still be awake. And I can finally confront her and ask her why the hell didn't she tell me the moment she found out she was pregnant."