“Are you serious?”
“What? That’s what boys do when they go out to play, Tristan. You oughta know that. It’s Cowboy Christmas. Not only do the cowboys get to ride and win, they also get to play.”
“What happened with Harris?”
“I’m not sure, but King said something about him confronting Bullet again.”
“You don’t think Bullet and King ended up…”
“Ended up what?”
“You know…with other women?”
“Of course not, where did that come from?”
From Harris. That’s where. He was the type of man she couldn’t trust to go out with the guys, because he’d end up with another woman. Why did Harris always have to taint her opinion of Bullet. It was completely unfair, and while she knew it in her head, her heart led her down a different path.
1980
“I think I’m pregnant.”
Bill was glad she told him to sit down, because if he hadn’t, he might’ve collapsed. “But I thought you couldn’t.”
“The doctor said he didn’t think I could.”
“Is it safe?” If Dottie put her health in jeopardy in order to have a child, Bill didn’t know what he’d do.
“I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow to confirm that I am really pregnant. I want you to go with me. We can ask questions then.”
What if the doctor told them it wasn’t safe? What would they do? Would Dottie want to abort the baby? Knowing his wife, she would never take the life of their child. Even if it meant her own life was at risk.
Neither got much sleep. When Bill saw faint light through the window curtains, he got up and fed the animals. Dottie’s appointment was at nine. He had to keep himself busy until then, or he’d go crazy.
“Your test came back positive,” said the doctor.
Dottie held Bill’s hand so tight, while they waited, she near cut off his circulat
ion.
“I’d like you to have an ultrasound so we can determine how far along you are.”
When the technician called Dottie’s name, Bill stayed in his chair in the waiting area.
“Come on, Bill Patterson, this child is as much your responsibility as it is mine,” Dottie winked at him.
In the exam room, the technician rubbed gel all over Dottie’s belly, and then ran a wand over the gel. A black and white image appeared on a screen that was partially obstructed from Bill’s view.
The woman studied it for a few minutes, hitting buttons on a keyboard near the screen, and then recording information on a chart.
“When was your last menstrual cycle?” she asked Dottie.
“I don’t quite remember. I think it was three months ago. I didn’t think about it until the other day. I guess I wasn’t payin’ that much attention.”
Bill wished he hadn’t been in the room for this part of the exam.
“Do you want to know the sex of your baby, or do you want to wait?”
Dottie looked at Bill. He couldn’t tell whether she wanted to know, or didn’t.