Chapter 3

As Matt stepped out of Doc's office, he pulled his coat tighter around him. The sky was still refusing to snow, even though it was surely cold enough for it. But Matt relished the cold. It helped alleviate some of the exhaustion that had wrapped around him like a cloak and cluttered his mind with things like… Babies.

The dream came back to him full force. He could still see Kitty with the tiny baby wrapped tightly in her embrace and the happy smile on her face. Shaking his head, he willed those thoughts away and headed down the street to the jail. It wasn't a certainty that Kitty would even live, much less have a child.

His child.

His and Kitty's.

xyz

Kitty heard the crying again. Her baby needed her. Forcing herself to her feet, she stumbled into the other room to once again find Matt, as before, with their daughter against his shoulder. "I heard her cry."

Matt nodded. "Just a wet diaper." He smiled tenderly down at the wee babe. "She needed daddy's attention for a little bit." A look of concern suddenly crossed his face and Matt quickly stepped over to her. "Honey, are you alright? You look a little pale."

Kitty didn't reply for a moment as she took stock of herself, but finally she nodded. "I'm… I'm just a little tired, I guess. I've not gotten much sleep, with you gone and her with the colic."

"I'm sorry, Honey." Matt smiled as he patted her stomach. " But I'm here now. Hopefully by the time the next one gets here, my retirement papers will be in and we'll deal with all this together."

Kitty looked down to see that she was indeed pregnant again, her swollen stomach proof of his words. Chuckling she reached over and kissed him. "I sure do hope so." She said. Just then she felt the most amazing thing, she'd ever felt. "Matt!" She said in a voice filled with awe. "Give me your hand."

"Why?"

"Just give me your hand." She said. When Matt extended his arm, she grabbed his hand and placed it against her stomach. Just then, as if on cue, the baby kicked hard. "Feel that?" She smiled beautifully. "It's our son. He's kicking."

Matt chuckled as he leaned over to kiss her. "Our son, huh?"

Just as the pain hit and everything else was obliterated from Kitty's mind.

xyz

Matt jerked up from his pillow and looked blearily around the room. Although he thought the cold had sufficiently aroused him enough to actually get something done, he'd soon found different, once he was back in the warmth of the small jail building. It hadn't been long before he'd taken refuse in the cot, vowing to only take a short nap before he cleaned up a little and went back over to Doc's.

How long he'd been asleep he wasn't sure. He didn't know when he'd laid down. For several moments he looked around trying to figure out what had brought him from his slumber, when finally he realized it was Kitty. She was crying out in pain.

Getting to his feet, he walked around to the door that led to the cell area and opened it. Only there weren't cells beyond that door. A bedroom was revealed to him when he opened it. His bedroom. Walking in, he found Kitty sitting on the side of the bed. Kitty was holding tightly to her stomach and moaning pitifully. "Matt," she cried. "Matt, you gotta go get Doc. It's time, Matt. The baby's coming."

Panicked, Matt turned back for the door, but saw to his relief that Doc was just coming in. "Doc, thank God!" He exclaimed. "It's Kitty. The baby's coming. It's her time."

"Alright, Matt." Doc said calmly. "Tell you what. You go get some water boiled and I'll tend to Kitty. Well, go on." Doc urged him when he hesitated. "Don't worry, she'll be alright."

With an uncertain nod, Matt turned back towards the old pot-bellied stove by the window, to find it gone, replaced with a sleek newer stove complete with four burners on top and an oven. The water was already on top of the stove and ready to pull off.

Matt didn't question the sudden appearance of the stove, nor of the neatly kept kitchen, it was sitting in. Somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind he knew he was dreaming. But it was a pleasant dream and he didn't want to disturb it.

As he pulled the pan of water off of the heat, he heard a small voice behind him. "Daddy?"

Turning, he saw a small miniature version of Kitty standing behind him, holding tightly to the hand of an even smaller version of himself. "Is Mama gonna be alright?" The child asked. "Her's been hollerin' an awful lot."

Kneeling, Matt pulled both children into his arms, hugging them tightly for a moment. "She's going to be just fine, Rachel." He smiled at the beautiful little girl with golden red ringlets and her mama's smile. "It's just that your baby brother or sister is taking time in getting here. But don't you worry, Granpa's in there with her and she'll be alright."

"Matthew?"

Matt turned towards the voice as the kitchen and the children disappeared to be replaced by the grizzled countenance of Festus Hagen looming over him.

"Matthew? When'd you git here?"

Matt sat up quickly, nearly knocking Festus back on his feet. "What time is it?" He demanded.

Festus gave him an odd look and pointed towards the clock behind him. "Jes about half past 10 in the evenin'." Festus answered. "I didn't spect you to git back this soon. Miss Kitty's sure gonna be awful glad to see ya. She was afeared ya wouldn't get home atall fer Christmas."

"Christmas?" Matt rubbed the last of the sleep from his face, trying to make sense of everything. "It's Christmas?"

"Not till mornin'." Festus grinned. "But its shore enuf promisin' ta be a purty day what with the snow and all."

Matt digested that news for a moment. "Festus, is Kitty alright?"

Festus frowned at the question. "She were when I see'd her last, Matthew. She were a frettin' about you a being out in the weather and all, but she was right as rain, otherwise."

Matt was now certain everything, including Kitty's assault, had been a dream. But still it had seemed so real. "Festus, do me a favor, will you?"

"Sure, Matthew. What ya need?"

"Go over to Doc's office. See if he's up. If not, get him up and have him come on over to the Long Branch."

Festus looked at him in alarm. "The Long Branch! Why? Ya think Miss Kitty might be a needin' him or something?"

"I don't know," Matt answered truthfully. "But I'm going to find out. Now go. And hurry."

As Festus ran from the jail, spurs a jingling, Matt hastily grabbed his coat and hat and ran as fast as he could, down to the Long Branch.

TBC