Warnings: Things do not get better, but worse. Not-so-subtle hints at male/male goings-on and mpreg.
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"Men can get pregnant?" Ezra asked, dumbfounded."It seems so, Ezra," Nathan replied. He was studying his glass intently, and Chris, Ezra and Josiah were watching him with equal interest.
Ezra, for once, was at a loss for words. "But -- I -- I -- but -- how is that possible? How could that happen?"
Josiah scratched at the stubble on his chin and said, "Well, Ezra, when two people love each other very much, sometimes they want to express that love in a --"
"That's not what I meant, Josiah!" Ezra snapped. "I mean, it goes against reason and... and nature, doesn't it? Men can’t get pregnant."
Nathan shifted uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his neck, keeping his gaze locked firmly on the table before him. "Well, as far as I knew, a body can't conceive without the proper organs. Men just aren't set up that way usually, you're right about that. No ovaries, no vagina." He indicated his own midsection as an example.
Ezra stared at Nathan. "But Vin..."
"I guess Vin has 'em now," Nathan said, shrugging and sounding unconvinced. Chris snorted, and when the others looked at him, he just grinned. Nathan momentarily regretted asking them here to discuss the situation, but it wasn't really like he had an alternative. Vin was already starting to show, and doubtless Buck would be wandering around in a stupor for at least the next couple of days, so he would get no help there.
At least JD wasn't here. His reaction on hearing the information would have guaranteed that everyone in the vicinity would know about Vin and Buck's predicament. He still didn't know how he'd break the news to the boy - the idea that Buck could, and probably should, do it himself hadn't occurred to him.
Silence fell for a moment before Josiah spoke up. "So, Buck and Vin are going to have a baby? I suppose stranger things have happened. I didn't think I'd really see the day where Buck willingly accepted that kind of responsibility." Chris chuckled softly in agreement and settled back in his chair, as though this were all a matter of course for him.
Nathan humphed. "Buck might not be the father."
If Nathan were trying to drop as many shocking statements into the conversation that created an awed quiet and directed all attention to him, he would be having a wonderful time. As it was, he just felt awkward and gossipy. He managed to feel a brief, sharp moment of satisfaction at having finally gotten a reaction from Chris, who, like the others, was staring at him in bafflement.
He recovered his composure quickly, tilting his hat back and smirking. "Who else but Buck could get another man pregnant?"
"There's a chance, though I don't know how high, that the child - from what I gather - might belong to The Powder Man."
Silence, again. "Who?" Chris asked.
Nathan shrugged. "I think he was with Dicky O'Shea's crew, back with the wagon train?"
Chris frowned. "Dicky O'Shea?"
Ezra finally snapped out of his momentary trance to glare at Chris. "You don't remember him? We spent a ridiculous amount of time on that wagon train. It was dirty and horrible, and the Powder Man almost blew us all up." Ezra swiveled his attention back to Nathan while Chris scratched his head in confusion. "Vin's pregnant by that man? How -- how --?"
"Ezra, if there's one thing I think I've made clear so far, it's that I have no idea 'how' any of this happened. If you want to know, you'd have to ask Vin."
Ezra perked up, his face clearing, and Nathan turned on him quickly. "Don't you dare, Ezra."
They stared at each other for a moment before Ezra dropped his gaze and fiddled petulantly with the edge of a napkin.
"The Lord works in mysterious ways," Josiah said sagely, with an equally sage, all-encompassing hand wave. Nathan nodded in agreement and watched the ripples in his drink as he swirled the glass slowly, unaware of the smile Josiah couldn't keep off his face.
Ezra still couldn't seem to get over the shock of Nathan's initial revelation. He stared down at his lap and moved a hand curiously over his stomach, muttering to himself. He cocked his head curiously at Nathan and asked, "Would there be any way to tell if a man had those... spare parts?"
"Hell, I don't know, Ezra! If you asked me yesterday if there was a way for a man to get pregnant, I'd have told you no way on this earth, but I'm wrong. From what I could see, Vin's not any different from you or me. He didn't let me poke around a lot, though; he seems to be touchy on that account."
"I don't even know why you're asking so many questions about it. If you aren't having relations with a man, you shouldn't be worried." Nathan shook his head and muttered "nosy" while Ezra's eyes darted between the men at the table.
Chris, mid-drink, choked and slammed his glass down, coughing roughly. Josiah, startled, pounded him heavily on the back, which accomplished little besides nearly break Chris' nose on the table. The coughing subsided while Nathan offered his help by calling "are you all right?" and looking concerned. Chris finally sat back, took a deep, shaky breath, and pulled his hat brim low over his brows.
Ezra sent another quick, earnest glance around the table. "I think I need to go talk to the happy couple. To offer my congratulations." Chris gave another involuntary hiccough.
"I wouldn't recommend it, Ezra. I don't think they're in the mood for anything glib," Nathan warned.
"Whatever would make you doubt my sincerity?" Ezra asked, managing to honestly look offended.
Nathan simply gave him a wry look and continued, "Don't talk to anyone else about it, either. The last thing they need is Mary or one of the other townsfolk to get wind of this."
"Well, I have no idea what makes you think I'd do that. I'm simply going to wish them the best, and then, if anyone wanted to find me to talk about certain pressing matters, they would be able to find me behind the stables." He rose, brushed off his sleeves, tugged at the end of his jacket, pointed a significant look at Chris, and walked out.
Josiah and Nathan both quirked curious looks at Chris, who stubbornly kept his eyes shadowed by the brim of his hat. He ducked his head and readied himself for another swig of beer, resolutely not looking at his companions.
"So," said Josiah, smirking at Nathan, "who wants to tell Ezra he's starting to get a kind of glow about him?"
This time when Chris choked on his beer, Josiah didn't stop laughing for a full ten minutes.
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Feedback - Finnigan Geist, May 2006