by: Marty Chrisman
Shelby stepped out of the shower and quickly dried off. For a moment she paused, gently running her hand over the slight slope of her stomach. She was starting to show. It wasn’t noticeable to anyone else yet especially when she was dressed. She hadn’t exactly been thrilled when she found out she was pregnant but now she was fiercely protective of the child she was carrying.
She had called Dr. Applebee and she had an appointment to see him this morning. She found herself wondering how long it would take before the news of her pregnancy started making the rounds in Hazzard. She knew there was going to be gossip, especially since one of the Duke boys was the father of her child. And the fact that she was staying at the Duke farm would only add fuel to the flame. Not that Shelby really cared what people thought or said. But she didn’t want to cause Uncle Jesse or Daisy any unnecessary disgrace or embarrassment.
She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved denim shirt. Running a brush through her hair, she pulled it back and fastened it with a clip. With a final look in the mirror, she unlocked the bathroom door and went downstairs for breakfast with the family. The boys had already eaten and were outside doing their morning chores, leaving only Daisy and Jesse still in the kitchen. Daisy smiled when Shelby sat down at the table and sat a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of her.
Shelby’s stomach churned uneasily at the sight of the food. Morning sickness was definitely one thing she could do without especially since she seemed to have it morning, noon and night sometimes. As if sensing how she felt, Jesse looked at her with a faint smile and said “Don’t worry….it won’t last forever.” Shelby smiled thinly as she took a bite of her eggs.
After breakfast was over, Daisy started on the household chores. Shelby wandered outside and into the barn. She smiled brightly when Lobo whinnied softly from his stall, sensing her presence. Walking over to the big black horse, she laughed softly as he nuzzled at her face affectionately. “I missed you…” she whispered, gently rubbing her cheek against the horse’s velvety muzzle.
“He missed you too.” Luke’s voice said from behind her, momentarily startling her. She hadn’t realized that he was in the barn. “I was just getting ready to take him out and put him in the corral.” Luke stepped up beside Shelby and slipped a halter over Lobo’s head. Shelby stepped back as he opened the door to the stall and grabbed the halter, leading Lobo out of the stall. Together they walked out of the barn and around to the opposite side of the barn to the corral that the boys had built especially for the black horse. Opening the gate, Luke let go of the halter and gently slapped the horse’s hindquarters. With a toss of his head, Lobo went into the corral and Luke closed the gate.
Smiling, he turned to look at Shelby. “You’re up early.” He said
“I have an appointment with Doc Applebee this morning.” She told him
“What time?”
“Ten”
“Do you mind if I come along?”
“You don’t have to, Luke.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to.” Luke told her firmly
“Okay.” Shelby said somewhat reluctantly.
“Then I better go get cleaned up.”
Shelby leaned against the top rail of the corral, watching Lobo grazing, as Luke turned and walked back towards the house. For three months (almost 4 now) she had been dealing with her pregnancy alone. It felt strange to suddenly have Luke involved too. Sighing, Shelby walked over to the old picnic table beside the house and sat down, staring off into the horizon, lost in her own thoughts.
* * * *
“You’re pregnant.” The doctor had the clinic had said. “Around two months, I’d say.”
Shelby had simply stared at him for a moment, then thanked him as he went out the door. Sliding off the exam table, she had quickly pulled on her clothes and left without talking to anyone and without making another appointment. She had been hoping that she was simply late. Her periods had never been regular and skipping a period once in awhile wasn’t unusual for her. But she had gotten worried when she noticed other signs this time, the nausea in the mornings and the tenderness in her breasts.
She knew Luke was the father. He was the only man she had been with in the past two years. She cursed her own carelessness. She had never intended to sleep with him but when he touched her and he kissed her, she had let things get out of hand. For the first time in a very long time, she had let down her guard and given herself to him willingly and without question. And now, she was going to pay for that little indiscretion.
She had struggled with the decision to tell Luke about the baby. It had taken her almost a month to get up the nerve to write him the letter. She wasn’t afraid of him denying the child. She knew he wouldn’t do that. That wasn’t the kind of man he was. Shelby had made a promise to herself a long time ago that she would never let any man get close enough to hurt her and until she met Luke Duke she had been able to keep that promise.
* * * *
“Shelby?” Luke’s voice said, startling her. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn’t heard him come out of the house. She glanced up and for a moment, her breath caught in her throat. His hair was still wet from a shower and he was dressed in his usual attire, faded jeans and a blue shirt with the top three snaps undone. There was no denying that he was a good looking man that could make any woman’s heart beat a little faster.
“Sorry…guess I was thinking about something else…” she said. She shoved herself to her feet, purposely ignoring the hand he held out to help her. Luke followed her over to her car, climbing in on the passenger’s side as she slid under the wheel.
“Look, Shelby…” Luke said with a quiet intensity as she turned on the engine and pulled out of the drive “I know this isn’t easy….for either one of us. But we can’t just ignore each other and pretend that nothing happened.”
“I know.” Shelby said a trace of irritation creeping into her voice “I just didn’t think it was going to be this awkward.”
“Neither did I.” Luke admitted, turning to stare out his window at the scenery. . They both fell into an uneasy silence as Shelby headed for town. Shelby was the first to break the silence. Glancing at Luke, she said,
“I’m sorry….I just don’t know how to handle all this…”
“You could start by letting me help you.” Luke told her “Instead of trying to shut me out.”
“I’ll try….okay?”
“Okay.” He said with that crooked sexy smile that Shelby had missed so much.
Doc Applebee’s office was located on the first floor of his house in downtown Hazzard. Shelby found a place to park in front and she and Luke went inside. Doc’s receptionist , a pretty blonde in her early twenties named Laurie Stern, looked up and smiled brightly when she saw Luke walk into the waiting room. Like most of the girls in Hazzard she’d had more than her share of fantasies about the Duke boys. She eyed Shelby with mild curiosity wondering who she was and why she was with Luke.
“Hi, my name’s Shelby Lynn. I have a ten o’clock appointment with the doctor.” Shelby said.
“Uh…fine. Have a seat. He’ll be with you as soon as he can.” Laurie said, pointedly ignoring Shelby and smiling at Luke warmly. She had the good grace to blush when Luke ignored her and walked away with Shelby. She didn’t know who Shelby was but Laurie decided she didn’t like her. Luke usually at least flirted with her a little that was part of his nature. She found herself wondering why Shelby was here to see the doctor and why Luke was with her. She decided she’d sneak a peek at the doctor’s file after Shelby left.
Fifteen minutes later, Dr. Applebee ushered Shelby into the inner office while Luke waited in the waiting room. Doc had know the Duke family since the boys were children and he was close friends with Jesse. He knew why Shelby was there to see him but he didn’t realize that Luke must be the father of her baby until he saw the older Duke boy with her. He was mildly surprised to say the least but it was none of his business. His only concern was Shelby and making sure that she had a healthy uneventful pregnancy.
A quick exam showed that she seemed to be in good health and the pregnancy was progressing normally. He gave her a due date of July 15th, a little over five months from now. He did discover one mild complication that surprised him and shocked the hell out of Shelby. He was positive that she was carrying twins. He arranged for her to go to the hospital in Capital City for an ultrasound to confirm his suspicions.