Chapter Six
Bright sun streamed in the window and woke her. The clock said nine. She wrapped the covers back around her and buried her nose in them so she could smell Matt. Gone three hours, and already she wanted him again. No doubt she could smell him. She treated herself to a replay of their love, smiling as she remembered that just 24 hours ago she had been hoping for a kiss.
Stepping out of bed, she stroked the spot where he laid with her only a few hours ago. She wondered how far Matt and Buck had ridden by this time. She hoped he would be careful. The open prairie was a risky place. And in his job only two years, Matt already had a dozen less than desirable men who would love to see him dead.
Brushing her hair, her mind now calmly considered what she and Matt had done. Somehow, she was inspired to think of talking with Doc. She wasn't scared, she knew she didn't have to be scared with Matt. But she was 20 years old and he only 26. Having a baby now was not in either of their plans. My God, she was hoping for a kiss! Maybe Doc could help her, if she could get up the courage to talk with him. The thought made her brush more slowly than usual, thinking about nothing else besides what she could say to Doc. Would she have the courage to open up to him? He was so kind, he was so fatherly to her. And he was so smart. She decided there was no other good choice. This was the farthest thing from her mind two days ago!
She curled her hair and put on one of her soft, pretty blue dresses. The one she usually wore shopping. She could change into her work dress later. There would be plenty of time. As she walked out of the Long Branch she considered stopping to build a pot of coffee. But Bill hadn't come in yet, and she thought better of it. Didn't want to take time to change her mind. She needed to talk with Doc.
When she walked up the stairs to Doc's office, she didn't have to knock or even worry about bothering him. He was just ushering Mrs. Wallace and her son Billy out the door. She smiled and nodded at them, and her eyes met Doc's.
"Kitty! How nice to see you this morning! Mrs. Wallace was just leaving. Billy had a nasty wasp sting, but he's going to be fine." He gestured at the two walking down the stairs. "Come in, come in! Can I get you a cup of coffee? How about something at Delmonico's?"
"I'm not hungry, but I sure could use that coffee," she replied. He noticed right away that she didn't want to take her eyes from his. Afraid to let go of the security this kind man could offer.
"Sit down, young lady, sit down!" and he closed the door behind her. He poured each of them a cup and when he turned back to her he saw that she was still standing.
"Doc, I came here to ask for help. I need your help. Ummm . . . as a Doctor." She took the coffee, and he could see that her hand trembled. He was glad he hadn't filled it to the top.
He took her arm gently and looked at her. The sparkle in her blue eyes was tinged with hesitation.
"Kitty, do you need to get on the exam table?"
"No, no. I'm fine, I just need to talk with you. I've got to blurt this out because I might lose my courage. You can decide then if I need to be on the table."
And before she could start, he walked quickly over and locked the door.
Turning back to her, he put his hand on her arm and guided her to the chair next to his at the desk.
"I can tell how important this is, Kitty. Sit down here with me. And for heaven's sake put that coffee cup on the desk before you spill it."
Kitty looked down at her hands and rubbed them together, but only once, before directing her gaze right back at Doc.
"Doc, I . . . Doc . . . Matt and I made love yesterday afternoon. And again all through the night. And again this morning. Not just once, so many times. I didn't have the courage to stop him . . . No, that's not true . . . . let me go back. I didn't want him to stop. Neither one of us did. That just wasn't an option. So now he's ridden off to Hays, and I'm left here in your office to ask for your help. Is there any way you can make sure I'm not pregnant? I'm scared I could be pregnant. I don't want to be pregnant now. I want to be pregnant later on, when I can take care of a child. I would lose my job right now. I can't be pregnant and work in a saloon. And I don't want Matt to feel trapped. I don't want that for either of us, Doc. I'm so sorry to dump all this on you after the fact, I know, I'm so sorry!" and her voice trailed off, finally breaking eye contact and knowing that this kind man now held her deepest secrets.
He put one hand on hers, and with the other raised her chin and looked deep into her eyes.
"Kitty, this is no surprise to me. I knew when I saw you two last night at the Long Branch that this had started. There was no mistaking the way you looked at each other and the way you both smelled of each other. I smiled at you then, and I'm smiling at you now. You've given me your confidence, and your trust. It's well placed. I can help you, and I will help you. There's no need for either you or Matt to be afraid, or to do anything other than enjoy this time in your lives."
"So now I'll talk with you as a Doctor. You and Matt are perfect for each other. What you found together, you will repeat over and over. This wasn't one encounter. It was the beginning of your lives as a couple."
"We have to talk about yesterday first, so let's start there. Do you know about Malden? Did you take any Malden?"
"Yes. I know what it is. I took it for the two months in Wichita when my boss thought he could pleasure himself on me any time he wanted. The other girls shared with me. . . " she paused, and drew a long breath. "But I haven't been with any man since I've been in Dodge. Not at all. I don't have any Malden. I had no plan to make love with Matt when I went to Spring Creek with him yesterday. I wasn't prepared. Things just happened."
"Do you remember when you finished your last course?"
"No, something near a week ago or so, but no, not exactly."
And what time were you and Matt first intimate yesterday?"
Kitty stumbled with her words. "Uhhh . . . I'm sorry Doc, I wasn't ready for that question, uhhh, I think it was probably around two o'clock. We had walked back from the fishing hole about then."
"Kitty, here's the explanation from your doctor. To answer your question, there's nothing I can do to make sure you're not pregnant. You're fertile starting about a week after your course. It's possible you were fertile yesterday, or even last night, or maybe not until this morning. This is one of the greatest miracles of nature. If Matt fertilized an egg, you'd be pregnant. To be sure, I'd have to examine you. And it's too soon. We need to wait about three weeks. If you are pregnant, I can send you to an experienced specialist in Kansas City to do a uterine flush and end the pregnancy. This is usually hard on the mother, and I don't want to put you through it if I don't have to. And it would definitely be something that Matt would need to agree to because it would be his baby too. Do you understand that?"
He saw the welling of moisture in her eyes. "Yes. I would want him to know, too," she said softly.
"Here's what I recommend, Kitty. I want you to use that cup of coffee to take one of these Malden tablets right now," and he walked over and extracted a tablet from a large bottle on his shelf. You used it in Wichita, so you know what it does. Malden makes the uterus a hostile place for a fertilized egg. The egg can't attach, and it passes. You need to take one of these tablets within 12 hours of any sexual activity with Matt until you both decide you want a family. Do you understand that?"
"Yes, but it's been more than twelve hours. I didn't even have any in my rooms."
"That's why I asked you about your last course. Now don't argue, just swallow that tablet. Fertilization could have occurred at any point, or not even at all. There's no way to know this soon."
She complied, and he went on.
"Kitty, we're going to wait and see if you're normal this month. You could be late, that sometimes happens in this situation. But if you miss an entire month, then we need to talk with Matt about what he wants. Meanwhile, the Malden will protect you in the future. You need to understand that it has no cumulative effect. You must take it within 12 hours. And you need to tell Matt you're taking it, too, so he doesn't worry."
He counted out 30 tablets and labeled a vial for her.
He took a deep breath and put his hand on hers again, then added quietly, "I'm so fond of you two! I want you to be happy and enjoy each other. It's wonderful to see you two together, just wonderful!"
"Doc, do you think Matt is thinking about this, out there riding across the prairie?"
"I know he is, sweetheart. There's nothing else on his mind right now."