Chapter 18- Unspeakable Bonds
After making sure Lydia was asleep, Kitty joined Ezra in his living quarters. She found him in his sitting room, writing in his journal while enjoying a nightcap.
He smiled when he saw her enter the room, "Well, how did it go, pretty lady? Did she just stare at the foot of the bed?" he closed his notebook.
Kitty rounded his overstuffed chair, dragging her hand slowly across the back of it. She poised herself on the chunky armrest, leaning in as if she were going to whisper.
"She talked," Kitty firmly stated, grinning as she did so.
"She did?!" the doctor turned to completely face his friend.
"Yes. She didn't say much, but she did ask me something interesting."
"Tell me, please," Ezra reminded her of one of her children, eager to hear a story, "I just can't believe she spoke!" he ran his fingers through his hair, fidgeting in his chair.
"I began with my name and told her that I had been through something similar. I explained that I'd been with Mannon for months and he'd continued to attack me, even after discovering I was with child," Kitty paused for a moment. She spontaneously reached for the man's scotch and took a long, slow sip.
Ezra studied her movements carefully. I hope I haven't asked too much of you, my friend.
"She asked me questions about my pregnancy. Did I keep the baby? Do I love her? I explained how she was Matt's. Ezra," Kitty finished his libation, "do you think it's possible Lydia is pregnant?"
He sighed, leaning back in the chair, "There's a chance. She's been here three weeks and hasn't bled."
Kitty strode across the room, refreshing Ezra's glass and pouring one for herself. As she approached him, she asked, "How long was she with her captor?"
"Two months," he gladly accepted his refill as she resumed her seat on the arm of the chair.
Kitty slowly exhaled loudly and crisscrossed her arms over her breasts, "Mercy, my chest hurts."
"Are you totally weaning?" he asked, eyeing the uncomfortable redhead while taking a small sip of his drink.
"I don't want to," she grimaced as her eyes met his, "That's why I hope t' not be gone too long."
"You can express the milk t' keep your supply up," he offered, nodding toward her chest.
"Huh?" she scrunched her nose.
"Express it. One of two ways. You can use your hands, just to get enough milk out to rid you of your discomfort, OR, you could use a breast pump."
"A what?"
Ezra sighed, using his hands to describe the object, "It's a pump that looks like a box. The box houses a hand sized bellows that you squeeze-"
"This sounds complicated," she interrupted, shaking her head as she took another sip of her drink.
"I have one in my office. Follow me, Madame," he grabbed Kitty by the hand, escorting her through his living quarters into his private office. He disappeared for a moment and returned with a small box and what appeared to be a large, glass cup with some rubber tubing that ran between the two pieces.
"Ezra, this looks crazy," Kitty laughed, shaking her head back and forth, "Where does the milk even go?"
"Right here," he pointed to a small receptacle under the glass.
"Hmph," Kitty studied the apparatus, turning the glass in a circular motion, "So I just cup this over my breast?"
"Yes, just like this," Ezra took the glass cup from Kitty's hand and gently placed it over her clothed breast, "then you start pumping the bellows with your hand to build suction. I promise it will keep you in milk until you get home to Scarlett."
"Maggie," Kitty corrected as she gently pushed away his hand holding the glass cup, "my nine-month-old is Maggie."
"My apologies. I'll learn these names lickety-split," he blushed.
"Don't think anything of it," she quipped, "I get confused myself sometimes."
"Oh, my," Ezra said under his breath, biting his bottom lip, noticing Kitty's milk-stained blouse.
Kitty closed her eyes and lowered her head in embarrassment as she felt the wetness.
"I guess I pressed the cup a little too hard," he apologized, covering his mouth with his hand.
"No, it wasn't that. I'm just so darn full. Here, gimme that," she smirked, grabbing the pump from his hands, "I'll see ya in the morning."
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"Don't you fret about it one bit," Kitty soothed, rubbing Lydia's back as the young brunette retched into a chamber pot, "There isn't anything here that I can't clean up."
Lydia tried to catch her breath in between heaves, whimpering as she did so. When the vomiting had finally ceased, she threw herself back onto her pillows, crying silent tears.
As calmly as she could, Kitty turned her head away from the full pot she carried, doing her darndest to breathe through her mouth.
She mustered a smile, reassuring, "Let me get ridda this in the water closet and I'll see about a warm bath for you. I'll be right back."
"Ezra!" Kitty flung open the door to the doctor's private office, "You're gonna have t' examine Lydia today. I'd bet my ranch she's pregnant."
"Did she get sick again?" he asked, approaching her from behind his desk.
"Again?!" Kitty squawked, jamming her hands onto her hips, "You mean t' tell me she's been getting sick to her stomach already?"
"This is the third time this week," he frowned.
"Well, I'm gonna need ya t' help me get a warm bath ready," she turned to exit the office, but Ezra gently grabbed her by her wrist.
"She hasn't wanted t' bathe at all, Kitty."
"There's a new sheriff in town. And she gives baths."
Dr. Ezra Roseveare was not surprised one bit that Kitty Dillon had been able to coax Lydia Colburn into the bath tub. Kitty had already turned out to be a Godsend, and she'd only been in Kansas City for three days. She'd managed to get his stoic patient to talk a little. Sure, not about her kidnapping, but he was sure that would come in time. She'd also held down the fort at his office while he went on rounds at the hospital, and she had, as always, proven to be wonderful company.
Ezra gently knocked on Lydia's door.
"Come in, Doctor," Kitty said, pulling up Lydia's quilt to her waist.
"Do you feel better after your bath, Lydia?" he kindly asked. She answered with a simple nod in the affirmative. Okay, better than no response, he thought.
"Lydia and I had a little talk while she was in the tub, Ezra," Kitty informed, turning her glance from the patient to the doctor.
"Oh?"
"Yes," Kitty spoke as a bridge between the two, "I told her you needed t' examine her today. That because she hasn't had her courses over a great period of time, you need to determine if she's with child."
Ezra folded his arms, "Kitty's right, Lydia. I need to examine you."
The brunette frowned, her head falling forward. She whispered, "Is it gonna hurt?"
"It shouldn't," Ezra said, "I'll be as quick and as gentle as possible. And Miss Kitty will stay here the whole time, Okay?"
She nodded, a tear trickling down her flushed cheek.
"Would it help if I held your hand?" Kitty asked, arching her brows.
Lydia nodded and Kitty sat next to the terrified woman, squeezing her hand in solidarity. She leaned over and stroked the young woman's hair, whispering in her ear, "I know you're scared. But I'm living proof that you can and you will be okay."
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Ezra had informed Clarence Colburn that he and Kitty would be out a bit longer for supper. He'd wanted to make sure that the young couple had complete privacy for the whole evening, for Lydia had told him that she wished to inform her husband of her most unfortunate news all on her own.
As the well-dressed couple sat in their secluded booth, Kitty surveyed the upscale restaurant.
"Why does it seem each restaurant you take me to is fancier than the one before it?" she marveled at the opulent chandeliers and fine, French finishings.
"It's my way of thanking you for all of your help. Besides," he leaned over, smiling like a teenaged boy, "I like pretty things."
Kitty blushed, lowering her head.
"I swear, Kitty, you've aged backwards. Motherhood absolutely agrees with you," Ezra fanned his napkin across his lap.
"I thank you for the compliment, but I'm afraid you may need glasses," she smirked.
"No, I don't think so," he signaled the sommelier, "My eyesight is the best it's ever been."
"Tell me about what happened t' you on the reservation," Kitty nodded a thanks to the man that had poured her a sample of her red wine, "That's delicious. You may pour," she kindly instructed.
Once the sommelier walked away, Ezra began his tale, "I stayed nearly three years. It was a little tough at first because some of the men in the tribe saw me as, well, how shall I put this…a sucker."
"Oh, Ezra," She clasped his hand, giving it a slight squeeze, "I'm so sorry."
"Like I said eleven years ago, Kitty, I'm a big boy. I settled into the medicine man routine and my mother and Chief Little White Hair kept trying to match me with young Osage maidens. But no one could hold a candle to Kitty Russell," he held up his glass in a toast.
His redheaded companion chuckled, raising her glass to meet his, "Oh, c'mon now. You give me too much credit. You're pretty special yourself there, Doctor."
They sipped their wine in silence for a moment. Kitty was the first t' speak, "Lydia seemed awfully calm about her pregnancy."
"She's in shock."
"Don't I know that feeling," she spoke mostly to herself, lost in a secret memory.
"Now, Kitty, we discerned pretty quickly that Addie was Matt's child."
Kitty's face fell as she twirled her wine glass stem between two fingers.
"What's wrong, Honey? I'm sorry if I-"
"Monsieur, your escargot and fromage," the waiter addressed Ezra, placing two small platters containing appetizers on the table."
"Mercí," the couple answered in unison.
"How did he know what t' bring? We didn't even order," Kitty marveled.
"I preordered when I made our reservation. I hope you don't mind. Thought we could revisit some of our French cuisine from New Orleans."
She snickered, "I haven't had snails in about a hundred years! Not exactly a staple in Dodge City."
Ezra served a few to his lovely dining companion, asking, "You gonna tell me what you meant by, 'Don't I know that feeling'?"
Kitty couldn't meet his eyes. She sighed, whispering, "When Addie and Matthew were little, I was taken by a group of men…They were brutal."
"Oh, dear God!" he held both of her hands on the table top.
"Their leader wanted Matt to pay for capturing his brother," she finally met his gaze, bright blue meeting chocolate brown, "I came up pregnant, just like Lydia."
Ezra released Kitty's hands after a firm squeeze, "What did you do?" he asked.
"I wanted t' terminate, but Matt and Doc talked me out of it," she used her tiny fork to extract a snail from its shell.
"So that's Adam?" Ezra inquired, eating a piece of cheese, desperately trying to be casual and calm.
"Yes," she beamed, "My sweet Adam Russell."
"Wait," Ezra nearly choked, his eyes bulging, "he doesn't carry the Dillon name?"
"Of course he does! Russell is his middle name," the redhead narrowed her eyes, "Matt would never do that to me or a baby. No matter what. Besides, Adam is Matt's child, in every way. Thankfully," she swallowed hard, "mercifully, he was born looking just like his daddy, so we knew straight away."
"Oh," the embarrassed man bit his bottom lip, "I'm sorry, Kitty. I guess I jumped to an incorrect conclusion."
"It's okay," she grinned, picking up a piece of cheese, "I suppose I wasn't clear," she changed the subject, "Do you think Lydia's husband will be supportive?"
"I sure hope so," Ezra groaned, "I sure hope so."
After dessert, the handsome doctor escorted Kitty into the lounge for a nightcap. Ordering a stiff drink, he summoned the nerve to ask, "Do you ever wonder about what our lives would've been like on the reservation?"
Kitty offered him a weak grin, shaking her head in the negative, "No. Honestly, I can't say that I have. My life is pretty full," she took a sip of her brandy, "Have you?"
Constantly, he wanted to answer, but he thought better of it. He murmured, flashing her his toothy, dazzling grin, "It's crossed m' mind."
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The large, dark, muscular man stood over the redheaded woman he'd snatched from her place of business the previous day.
"Looks like yer man didn't want ya back as much as I thought he would, Red. Looks like his loss is my gain," he reached down and yanked her by her shoulders to an upright position, cutting the ropes from her wrists.
"Get yer hands offa me!" Kitty wriggled, trying to free herself from his brutal grasp.
Jude Bonner forcefully covered her mouth with his, thrusting his tongue deep into her mouth as she frantically turned her head from side to side.
"Please, stop," Kitty cried, pushing her hands against the incredibly strong man's chest, "You're hurting me!"
"That's the idea, Red," Bonner teased as he tore her yellow blouse straight down the middle, sending buttons flying in every direction.
He haughtily laughed as she tried to cover herself holding the tattered edges of the blouse over her corset. Kitty eyed the opening of his tent and bolted, deciding to take her chances outside.
Bonner continued to laugh as Kitty ran into the darkness, attempting to dodge the Dog Soldiers.
In her frenzy to escape, she spied a tall cowboy on the edge of the camp, his arms encircled around the waist of a young blonde woman. Kitty ran toward the couple, screaming, "Help me, please!" She stopped in her tracks when she realized the tall cowboy in the shadows was her husband.
"Matt!" she panted, "Thank God you're here!"
But her husband didn't respond in any way. He only had eyes for the blonde, tracing her plump lips with his thumb.
"Sadie?" Kitty whispered, unable to believe her eyes, "Matt! You've gotta help me," she'd attempted to run to his side, but she couldn't move. Jude Bonner had his arm firmly wrapped around her waist.
"How does it feel, Red?" Bonner whispered in her ear.
"Matt! Please!" she screamed as her husband lifted the blonde's chin with his crooked finger, leaning in for a long, slow kiss.
Bonner snickered, "How does it feel t' know that someone else took what was yers?"
"Matt!" Kitty screamed, tears flowing down her flushed cheeks, "Matt, look at me!"
"Dillon!" Bonner shouted as he grabbed the redhead in a choke hold, "Don't ya want yer wife back?"
The big lawman first stared at Kitty in Bonner's clutches, then wrapped his arm around Sadie's waist, "Nah," he replied, "you kin have 'er."
Bonner released Kitty from his brutal hold, letting her fall to the ground, her hands rubbing her throat as she gasped for air.
"Hmm, Red. Seems we got a problem here. Seems like yer only gonna be good t' me and my men fer one thing and one thing only."
"Cowboy, please…" Kitty crawled toward him, begging, "please don't leave me. Please, the children need me!"
"I'll send 'em t' ya. Me and Sadie's gonna make our own family," Matt grinned, turning both he and Sadie toward the woods.
"Kitty," Ezra gently shook her shoulders, "Honey, wake up. You're having a nightmare," he sat on the edge of her bed, clad only in his pajama bottoms.
"Don't leave me," she moaned as she fought her way back to consciousness, her head turning from side to side upon her pillow.
"Kitty, please. I'm right here," Ezra coaxed.
"What?!" Kitty bolted to a sitting position; her forehead beaded with sweat. Her wild eyes darted around the room, "Let go a me!" she struggled.
"Honey, it's me, Ezra," he held her face between his palms, his heart breaking at the terror in her eyes.
Kitty began to quietly weep, leaning her head against Ezra's bare chest as they embraced.
"Now what was that all about?" he solemnly asked while rubbing her back, resting his chin upon her head.
"Ezra," she hiccupped, "I think my husband is gonna-gonna leave me."
"Shh," he soothed, continuing his ministrations, "Now don't be silly, Kitty. It was just a dream."
"No," she shook her head, looking him straight in the eye, "I have reason t' believe he's taken a lover. And she's pregnant."
Oh, mercy.
TBC