Chapter 13 Doubts

Mike's Ranch

Mike observed the shocked looks on the three faces staring back at her. She tried to gauge the looks on all three of them, but she especially focused on Kitty. Mike wanted to see how Kitty was reacting to the shocking news that her husband had gotten another woman pregnant. Mike was pleased with what she saw. Kitty had a look of shock at horror on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Mike asked. Her attention was focused on Kitty.

"Is something wrong?" Kitty repeated. "You make false accusations that my husband is the father of your child, and you have the nerve to ask if something is wrong."

"I'm not making any false accusations," Mike asserted. "I'm claiming the truth. Your husband impregnated me. The child that I am carrying belongs to him"

"Look. Before this goes any further, let's go inside," interrupted Doc. "It's mighty hot out here for a woman at this stage of her pregnancy."

Doc may not have viewed Mike as his favorite person, but right now his duty as a doctor was taking over. He had to make sure that Mike and her unborn child stayed healthy. Even if Mike was not Doc's favorite person, the child she was carrying was innocent in all of this. He or she should not have to suffer any ill fate.

All four had stepped inside the house. It was much cooler inside than it was outside. Mike led them over to the kitchen table. They each took a chair and sat down. While sitting at the table, Kitty couldn't help but stare into Mike's bedroom and see the bed sitting there. Mike took notice of this.

"Are you wondering if I conceived this baby with your husband in that bed?" asked Mike. She didn't wait for an answer. "Yes, the baby was conceived in that room."

Matt finally found his voice and spoke up. His shock finally seemed to have worn off. "Mike, that is not my baby. That is not our baby. I never slept with you."

"How can you sit there and deny it?" Mike asked. "Look at me. How else would I have gotten pregnant?"

"I don't know," Matt replied. "Maybe you were already pregnant when you brought me to your home."

"Really? Do you really think that's possible?" Mike inquired. "Think about it. If I had already been pregnant when I brought you here, then this baby would have been born by now. And plus, you would have eventually seen that I was pregnant. I probably would have started to show."

Matt knew he was reaching when he suggested that Mike could have been pregnant before he came to her ranch. If that were the case, the baby would have been born by now. No, Matt had to admit that Mike was more than likely not pregnant before he came to the ranch.

"Well then another man has to be the father," said Matt. "Because I am not the father."

"This baby is due in a few weeks," Mike pointed out. "That would put the time of conception around the time you were here. If another man was the father, then another man would have been here when you were here. Did another man ever show up while you were here? Did I ever portray myself as a woman that would get into bed with a man the moment I met him"

"No to both of those questions" Matt replied with a sigh.

Kitty sat there listening to the conversation between Matt and Mike. Hearing the questions and answers between Matt and Mike were not doing anything to help to calm her fears. Kitty wanted to believe that Matt did not sleep with Mike Yardner. She wanted to believe that Matt wasn't the father of Mike's unborn child. But it wasn't getting harder and harder to do so.

Doc also sat there listening to the conversation between Matt and Mike. Like Kitty, he just wasn't sure what to believe. Doc wanted to believe that Matt would not have slept with another woman, that Matt wouldn't do something like that. But Matt wasn't himself when he was staying with Mike.

"I will admit one thing," Mike confessed. "I am the one who did the instigating. I'm the one who enticed Matt into my bedroom and into my bed. However, it didn't take much convincing. He came more than willingly. It's not my fault he can't remember or that he claims he can't remember what he did."

The room was silent, until Doc had a question that he wanted to ask Mike. "Who's your physician? Who's been doctoring you during your pregnancy?"

"I haven't been seeing a doctor," Mike replied.

"Haven't been seeing a doctor?" Doc was astonished. "You're pregnant. Why on Earth haven't you been to a doctor? Don't you care about the welfare of your baby?"

"My baby is growing just fine," Mike answered. "I feel him or her moving everyday. In fact he or she is making his or her present known right now." Mike placed her hand on her stomach where she could feel the baby kick. She looked at Matt. "Do you want to feel the baby kick?" Matt silently shook his head no. "Maybe some other time. So tell me. What do you plan on doing about this baby?"

"Mike, I don't plan on feeling the baby kick," Matt stated. "In regards to the baby, Kitty and I need to talk. We need to talk in private. We're gonna go back to the hotel and discuss things. We'll be back tomorrow afternoon."

Mike wasn't going to complain. She was actually pleased with what Matt had told her. Yes, Matt did say he was leaving to talk things over with Kitty, but it was the first time he didn't deny he was the father. It was quite possible that Matt was starting to believe that he did father her child. That was exactly what Mike wanted to happen.

Kitty noticed the same thing that Mike noticed, that Matt suddenly did not deny the baby being his. Was it that Matt thought it was quite plausible that he was the father? If Matt's thoughts were headed that way, then that meant he did sleep with Mike Yardner.

Matt, Kitty, and Doc left Mike's house and got up onto the wagon. Matt gently snapped the reins to get the horses moving. He maneuvered the wagon towards town. They had been riding for a few miles before anyone spoke a word.

"Doc, do you think it's possible that Matt could be the father? Is it possible that he slept with Mike, but doesn't remember doing so?" asked Kitty. She really needed to hear Doc's answers.

Before Doc could give his answers, Matt wanted to make sure he said his piece. "Kitty, I don't know how many times I can say it, but I did not sleep with Mike Yardner. You and I have known each other for almost twenty years. During that time, have I ever lied to you? I know I've said and done things that have let you down, but I have never lied to you. What's it going to take for you to believe me?"

"Matt, I believe that you wouldn't lie to me about sleeping with Mike. If you knew you slept with her, I truly believe that you would admit to me," said Kitty. She could see Matt wanted to say something, but she put her hand up to stop him. "But you weren't yourself. You had amnesia. Doc, back to my questions."

"Kitty, when we first learned about Matt's amnesia, I said that the mind is very complex. I'm afraid I can't give a definite yes or no answer to your questions," Doc answered.

"I understand," sighed Kitty. She was disappointed in Doc's response. If Doc was one hundred percent sure that Matt wasn't the father, he would've said so.

Doc could hear the disappointment in Kitty's voice. "I wish I could help. I really do. Look. Town is up ahead. Drop me off at the hotel and the two of you take the wagon and discuss things further. It's probably best if you don't discuss things in your hotel room."

A short time later they rode into town. Matt drove the wagon to the hotel and dropped Doc off. Doc got off the wagon and went inside the hotel. Ascending the stairs to his room, Doc prayed that Matt and Kitty would be able to calmly talk things over, but he had to wonder how calmly things would be. Both Matt and Kitty could be stubborn. Matt told Mike that he and Kitty had to talk about the baby. Doc knew that Matt and Kitty needed to talk in private, but oh how he wished he could be there.

"Kitty, let me go to the livery stable and let the owner know that we're going to be needing his wagon a little while longer. I don't want him to think we stole it," said Matt. "Then you and I can talk."

"Okay, Matt," said Kitty.

Matt drove the wagon to the livery stable. He jumped down from the seat, walked into the stable, and let the owner know he would be needing the wagon longer than he planned. The owner was fine with that. Matt returned to the wagon and once again took a seat next to Kitty. He clicked his tongue and snapped the reins. The horses went forward. Matt's plan was to take Kitty and himself out into the desert. He figured that would be a good place for them to talk.

TBC