HIS | Arthur Morgan X Reader

The Next Steps

A/N: A short chapter to tide you over as we prepare for the next part...

*cracks knuckles*
She's gonna be a big one.

Rain beats down hard against the tent's fabric, Arthur sits below, listening to the sounds of the storm and trying to think his way out of an ever-deepening hole. The saloon had been a bust, besides the woman telling him the O'Driscolls were nowhere around here he was no further forward; and now, with the storm raging on outside, the hopes of him tracking the men who fled camp were washed away. He was alone, and so far from the woman he loved, so far from his unborn child, so far from protecting them.

So far from happiness.

A crack of thunder shakes him from his thoughts, and he hears Bodecia whinny nervously from her tethered spot outside. He felt guilty for standing her in the rain, but he couldn't risk sheltering her under the trees, not with the lightning.

"Easy girl, don't worry, it'll pass." He soothes whilst raking his fingers through his damp hair.

His mind begins to wander as he watches the rainfall. How was she doing? Was she safe, warm? Is she carrying a boy or a girl? Can she see this storm too? Probably not. She's so far East the weather is surely different up there. Whatever the answers he just hopes she's safe and warm.

________________________________________________________________________________

The pain may have eased but your mind hadn't.

Were you losing your baby?

Charlotte and Keiron had been quiet since pulling into Annesburg, finally. Their constant chatter had been an attempt to calm you, but you hadn't really taken it in, instead, you'd been in silent prayer the whole ride. Not really the religious type you'd felt the need to pray to any god that would listen for your baby's safety.

"Please don't leave me too." You whimper quietly to yourself as you begin to hear, and smell, the town draw close.

You pull the collar of your shirt over your nose to block the burning smell of coal.

"I'd say you get used to it, but you never really do." Charlotte calls back to you whilst wrapping a bandana around her nose.

The image amuses you as you think back to all the times Arthur and the gang had donned bandanas for less innocent reasons, ironically here no one would bat an eye if they strolled in here to rob them with their faces covered. You scold yourself for the thought, realizing your mind still very much was set in the gang's old ways.

"We're here Miss."

Keiron helps you down gently from the wagon and you frown when you see where you are.

"A gunsmith?" You ask confused as Charlotte ushers you inside.

"Annesburg ain't exactly a popular home destination, only folks here are miners and their families, so the Doctor has to make his living other ways, he runs the bathhouse too," Charlotte states matter-of-factly.

"Miss Charlotte, so good t-.... Oh, my let's get her in the back. This way, quickly." An elderly man with a bushy mustache greets you.

Seeing your condition, he turns and unlocks the door to a back room as Keiron helps guide you in. He lights a lamp, and you see it somewhat resembles a makeshift surgery, scalpels and instruments hang from the walls a vial of various colored liquids catches the light from the shelves. Staring around the room, you're pleased to see, despite its rustic appearance, that it's clean.

"Upon the table dear, that's it. Now are you the father?" he turns to Keiron.

"Me, uh no. I'm no one." Keiron shakes his head quickly, his eyes wide and nervous.

"He's a friend." You correct, smiling at him and causing him to blush.

"Well son, you'll have to wait out there." He commands whilst rolling up his sleeves and turning to you. "How long have you been bleeding Miss?"

"Just this morning, we came straight here." Charlotte answers for you, a slight mask of panic across her face.

"And how far along are you?" he frowns whilst gently probing your stomach.

"I don't know for sure; I think five months."

"And when was your last check-up?"

"I uh...Well, I've never had one."

You begin to feel like a fraud for not knowing more about your pregnancy. The way Abigail talked and from the other expectant mothers you met, they seemed to know everything they could about their unborn child. When it was expected, what herbs to take, some even claimed to know the gender though you couldn't possibly fathom how. Yet here you were, unaware for months you were even pregnant, and with only a vague idea, thanks to Swanson, on when you were due.

The doctor frowns and places a stethoscope on your stomach, its cold metal causes you to flinch. Charlotte takes your hand in hers and you fight the urge not to cry, despite her company you feel alone, Arthur should be here with you, holding your hand and making everything right.

The examination seems to take forever, but you realize it's just your nerves making it seem that way, you watch every move the doctor makes, trying to decipher if his facial expressions are good or bad. Finally, he turns to you and sighs.

"Well, you haven't lost the baby."

You close your eyes and thank whatever god had listened to.

"But we're not out of the woods yet. Your baby is too eager to join the world it seems but it's not physically ready. I've got some tonics that can help slow it down, but they won't stop it, you'll need to take it easy otherwise that baby's going to be born too soon. Take this once a day with food and stay on bed rest until the baby comes."

"But that's four months from now!" you take the tonic, but your head begins to reel as you realize, he's condemning you to four months in bed.

He shakes his head and points towards your stomach. "You're not going to make it four months, that baby is coming in the next two months at most. As I said, these tonics will buy the baby time, but they won't stop it."

"And in two months... will my baby be okay when it's born? I mean, will they survive?"

He places his hand gently on your belly and smiles. "Let's give it every fighting chance we can okay...Bedrest and tonic once a day."

Fun fact: my boyfriend is the one who introduced me to the game and has been offering ideas on what should happen next (but I've never let him read the story in full haha! - should I? ;) )
What do you think will happen next?