Captive Hearts 5

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Matt swallowed hard and stared at the sergeant curiously. "Her baby?" His eyes traveled over to the door that hid her from his view.

"Yes, Sir." Clark answered. "The other white female captive was looking after her while Miss Russell was visiting with you. Ah, I'm sure she won't mind taking care of her for a while longer but… well…"

"A little girl?" Matt asked absently, his mind trying to absorb the information he had just been given.

"Yes, Sir." Clark answered. "Pretty little ol' thing. Of course she's awful small for a seven month old but she's awful healthy." Clark glanced uneasily at the bedroom door. "I guess Miss Russell took better care of the baby then she did herself."

The wheels began to turn and Matt began to calculate the timing. Kitty had been with the renegades for the year she'd been missing from Dodge. If the baby was seven months old….. Matt looked again at the door then back at the Sergeant. "Let me tell Doc where I'm going then I'll come with you and get the baby. We have someone here who can take care of her."

The Sergeant nodded. "I'll be waiting down by the wagon, Sir."

As he left, Matt softly opened the bedroom door and called to Doc, not sure he should or even could enter. "Doc."

Doc pulled a sheet up to Kitty's chin and patted her hand. Sighing deeply, he stood and walked to the door.

"How is she?" Matt asked.

"She's still unconscious. I'm doing all I can." Doc answered. He wasn't sure he should tell Matt anything specific at this point. Not without Kitty's permission.

Matt licked his lips and swallowed hard again. "I've got to ride back out to the fort but I'll be back as quickly as I can. Will she… is she…"

"I'm going to do all I can, Matt." Doc answered. "You go on. She'll be here when you get back."

Matt nodded, donned his hat and left.

Doc stepped across the front room and quickly checked on a still sleeping Pete, before going across to his medicine cabinet and pulling out a few things he would need for Kitty. Returning to the room, he set his bag and supplies next to the bed before crossing to the dresser to wash his hands.

"I'm going to lose it, aren't I?" came a frail, weak voice from the bed.

Turning, Doc saw Kitty was conscious and struggling to sit up. "Here now." He said, rushing to her side. "You just lay back there, young lady. I don't want you moving."

"What difference does it make," she asked. "I'm right, aren't I? I'm losing the baby?"

Doc nodded and slowly sank down on the bed beside her. "I think so, honey. But I don't want you to worry. I'm here and I'm going to take good care of you. We're going to get through this together."

"Where's Matt?" She asked, glancing around the oh so familiar room, she thought she'd never see again.

"He had to go back out to the fort for something. He should be back here before too long." Doc answered as he checked her pulse and listened to her heart. "How's the cramping?"

"It hurts." She replied simply. "But that doesn't matter. Nothing matters much anymore."

"Kitty…" Doc started.

"Doc, am I gonna die?" Kitty asked suddenly.

Looking into her pale, worn face he could tell she was serious. "No!" he declared. "I.. I don't think I can do anything about the baby, but I can about you. Now you believe that, you hear me? You just believe that."

Kitty nodded. "Okay." She groaned as another strong cramp rocked her small frame and she rolled to the side holding tightly to Doc's hand.

"You just hang in there, honey." Doc said, trying valiantly to place his personal feelings aside in order to be the physician she now needed. "You just hang in there. It's going to be alright."

Kitty nodded as the pain eased some and her doctor sat beside her, praying his words were true ones.

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Matt stood pensively in John Higgins office while Clark went after the child, he now more than suspected, was his.

"Matt, I don't know what to say about all of this." John said, watching his friend pace nervously. "If we'd known she was ill…."

"It's not your fault," Matt assured him. "Kitty's stubborn. She wouldn't have said anything. She…" He stopped when the door opened and a young woman entered, carrying a small bundle. Though Matt was no good at guessing ages, the woman looked no more than 25 with dark blond hair and green eyes that regarded him intently as she entered.

Looking at the two men in the office, she glanced down at the baby and then back at Matt, as if reassuring herself of something. Looking once again at the big man in front of her, she nodded. "She's yours alright. Kitty said there was a strong resemblance."

"Ma'am?" Matt asked stepping forward to look at the tiny little girl wrapped up in blankets.

The woman thrust the child forward into Matt's arms when he came close. "Her name's Emma Rose." She told him. "She's small but she's healthy. Kitty took a lot of abuse to make sure of that."

Matt didn't immediately reply, but the baby did. Wriggling in his grasp she opened her eyes and grinned up at the big man holding her, gurgling happily as she kicked her feet beneath the covers.

Peering down into the tiny face of the infant he held, Matt noted how much she looked like Kitty. Blue eyes, rosebud mouth, perfectly shaped nose. But he also noticed, long fingers and a firm jaw line and reddish brown ringlets.

"How is Kitty?" The young woman asked, taking in the expression on the big man's face.

"She was with Doc when I left." He answered not able to pry his eyes from the child he held. His child, he now knew for a certainty. "He'll take good care of her."

"It'll be the first time in a year someone's done that." The woman replied with the hint of an edge to her voice. "I hope it won't be the last." She said catching Matt's eye.

Matt nodded. "It won't be, Ma'am. Not if I've got anything to say about it. It won't be at all."

TBC