Sarah Jo walked with Kat as far as the front door, and then watched her leave. Kat had closed her out completely, and Sarah Jo was worried about her state of mind. Turning around, she went back to where the three doctors were standing around. "This is not good," she said solemnly. "And knowing Kat, she won't say a word about this to either Methos or Duncan."

"Why not?" asked Helm. Alex and Giles both looked curiously at the little nurse. They were men; they could not fathom Kat's possible motives for leaving the father out of it.

Sarah Jo shook her head. "You don't understand, do you? To have a child of her own has been a life long wish, and she would be happy about that, but to have it fathered by one of two men in casual encounters would be devastating. They may like her, but neither one of them want to even attempt to take Connor’s place. So, she is left alone and hurting, and if she has to, she will have this child completely on her own."

"But you yourself said it was a casual encounter. Neither man had the expectation that she would get pregnant, so why would they assume she did, unless something told them it happened?"

She shrugged. "Casual or not I think they should be told. She shouldn’t have to go through this alone. Maybe one of them will find it in their hearts to be there for her. Father Alec and I talked one day. He's worried that she is so depressed over Connor’s death that she might even be leaning towards being suicidal."

Helm's mouth opened. "That is rather severe, isn't it? As far as I can tell, Methos and Duncan are not totally ignoring the woman; in fact, I saw Methos nod to her just yesterday. He seemed polite and friendly."

"He just didn't rush to jump her bones," said Alex softly.

Sarah Jo sighed. "What good is a polite nod of the head when your heart is shattered? Its not good for her to be alone right now. She had a relationship with a man for over 400 years! His death has left her basically without a reason to keep on going. Maybe this child will give her back a reason."

"Which is a good thing. But to blame the father of the child for not being her dead lover. . . " Helm stopped and spread his hands.

Giles nodded somberly. "He has a point, Sarah Jo. Life goes on. And in this case, it is really going on. She would have rather have had Connor be the father of her child, but if not him, then why not someone else she loves and respects?"

"She doesn’t blame them," she said, "but she reached out for them for some solace, and then realized they didn’t really want her as more than just a casual friend, so she never pushed the issue. They should still be told. Then it will be up to them to work it out with her. She is stubborn enough not to ever open her mouth to either one of them. So, who gets to break the news?"

The three men shuffled around. "Normally that is something the patient must handle," Giles said.

"It is almost inappropriate for one of us to do it," Alex agreed.

"I can't believe this!" Sarah Jo said, her eyes flashing. "Cowards!" She then turned on her heels and stomped out of the clinic, heading over to the hotel. If the men wouldn't do it, she would have to herself.

The three doctors looked at each other. Giles looked the most upset. Helm stood and started clearing up. "Don't worry," he said soothingly, though he did not look at his colleague. "She's a new nurse and does not understand all the ins and outs of privilege. She'll learn."

"She's also really emotionally tied to it," said Alex. And, with that bit of understatement out of the way, they got back to work.

Other than a few polite greetings, Sarah Jo had not ever really talked to either of the two men in question, but that wasn't going to stop her. And right now she was mad at the doctors for refusing to help, and not too pleased with either Duncan or Methos at the moment. Entering the hotel, she hesitated, reaching out with her senses for any trace of a buzz.

Lupe was cleaning up the tables from the morning rush. She stopped and stared at the nurse, her nostrils flaring. "Please leave your anger outside," she said softly but firmly.

"Sorry," Sarah Jo said with a sigh, then put a firm cap on her irritation at having the doctors basically refuse to help tell the men. Living with an empath capable of reading her had taught her to do that a long time ago.

Lupe's clear gold eyes never wavered, but she nodded. Again her nose moved, as if smelling Sarah Jo's emotions. "Very good, human," she said. "Who are you searching for in such a fire?"

"I need to talk to Methos and Duncan both about something important," she said. "Something they need to know."

Lupe nodded. "I do not know where Duncan is, but Methos is at work, in the Town Hall." She glanced at the clock. "If you wait, he will be exercising Sangria at 10. He does it every morning."

"Thanks," Sarah Jo said, turning to leave and head to the Town Hall.

Methos was sighing over his work, and looking at the clock. He lived for those mid-morning workouts. When would it be time? Could he slip out early? Not likely. Montoya would know. He growled and shuffled papers in frustration.

Glancing out the window, he saw the strawberry blonde nurse walking towards the building, her jaw set in an unhappy line. Rising up from a nearby desk, Duncan joined Methos in watching her as her buzz alerted them both.

"What's up with her?" Duncan asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think I am going to like it."

"She could be angry with Montoya," Duncan offered with a weak smile.

Montoya greeted her pleasantly when she came in the door, but with a barely polite reply, she swept past him, heading straight for the office Duncan and Methos were in. "So much for the mad at him idea," Duncan whispered. "What did we do now?"

"Grisham?" Methos croaked, wondering what Montoya was doing guarding the door. Was his trusty "servant" digging for gold again?

"I need to talk to you two," Sarah Jo said, not even bothering to say hello. "Alone!"

Methos and Duncan looked around the office. "I hadn't realized we were entertaining a group," said the elder man.

She tilted her head back in the direction of where Montoya had been. "What I have to say is none of his business."

Methos closed the door to the office. "I will agree to that, without hearing your news. Now, will you be seated, or are we pulling out the blades?" His eyes were amused, but held something else, more deadly, underneath.

"Not funny," she said. "You know I've never even had a sword in my hands. Neither has Kat. And speaking of the Lady Katherine Ann Dixon," she said, stressing the word 'Lady', "It might interest you to know that she is pregnant. And one of you two men is the father."

Duncan fell into the chair. "It's yours!" he said. "We know you are fertile now!"

Methos shook his head. "Unless I am the only Immortal male whose seed has gone fertile, it does not follow that it is mine."

Duncan looked away. He looked abashed. He still felt bad about the fight that he and Katherine had had. He had blown it big time with her when he had accused her of only wanting to be with him because he had Connor’s quickening rattling around inside of him when he and Katherine had tried a repeat engagement.

Sarah Jo stood quietly, watching the interaction between the two of them. Sighing, she turned to leave.

"Sarah," Methos said, stopping her at the door. "Tell Kat I'm sorry. I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"So has she," Sarah Jo said sadly. "So has she. Father Alec told me he was concerned about her. She was depressed before, and now...." She shook her head. "I better go find her. Its not good for her to be alone right now."

Methos nodded. Then he looked at Duncan. "I hope to whatever there is controlling all this that it is your kid. As much as I'd love to be a father - as many times as I can - I think I have all I can handle on my plate at the moment."

"We may never know," Duncan said, shifting his feet nervously.

Sarah Jo shook her head. "Does it matter which one of you it is? Does it really matter? But if neither one of you will be there for her, she is stubborn enough to try to do this all on her own, both of you should know that."

Methos looked at her sternly. "Of course it matters! Who ever said we wouldn't be there for her?"

"Maybe one of you will find it in your heart to be there for her eventually, I really hope so. But you just said you have too much on your plate to handle it, and Duncan here is obviously not wanting to admit its even a possibility. I have to go," she said. "She needs someone to be her friend right now."

Methos stood. "The reason I said that is because, If I find it is my child, I will be following her as closely as I am Faia. And believe it or not, Katherine would not like it any more than Faia does." He laughed sadly. "Katherine has wanted a baby for 400 years, Sarah Jo, but not my baby. And not Duncan's, either. Although she did want it to bear his name." With that, he sat sadly in the chair. The message was clear. Neither wanted to be father, because Katherine would not accept either.

Sarah Jo shook her head sadly. It was obvious neither man was going to seek the new mother-to-be out or to even offer to be there for her if she needed it. It looked like Katherine was on her own. Slipping out the door, she walked out of the town hall and headed to the house that she shared with Kat.

Methos looked at Duncan. "She thinks we've abandoned her. How long has she known Kat?"

Duncan began opening his mouth to answer, and Methos waved him away. "Not as long as we have. You and I both know if we go near her she'll eat us alive. If only Connor were here."

"But he's not," Duncan said bitterly. "Connor is dead. And I was the one that killed him. I took the man that Kat had loved for most of her life away from her. Even so, Katherine forgave me. As Connor’s kinsman, I'm the closest thing she has to him and I drove her away, hurting her even more in the process. Maybe if I beg her forgiveness, she will let me help her. Sarah Jo's right. It doesn't matter whose child it is. One of us needs to accept responsibility for it."

"And if it is born with this?" Methos asked, touching the tip of his nose gently. He was right; Methos and Duncan looked nothing alike. Duncan might take responsibility, but the baby still might be Methos'.

Duncan shrugged. "Even then." He was a chieftain's son, raised from the beginning to be responsible. He had been willing to be there for Anne when he had found out she was pregnant with another man’s child, so why not Kat? At least there was a chance this time that the child would be his. "I'm going to see if there is anything I can do."

"I think it is her decision to make," Methos said. He had expected MacLeod to be this bullheaded, but of course, he thought he was right.

Duncan left the building, following the path that Sarah Jo had taken. He found the nurse sitting dejectedly on her front porch step. As Duncan walked up to her, she looked up with tear filled eyes. "She's gone. She left a note saying she needed to be alone to think things out... and that not to worry, all in all, it’s been a good life."

"Shit!" said the Immortal. He sat beside her. "What if it is my baby?"

She reached out and took his hand in hers, squeezing it for support. "I don't know, Duncan. It looks like she has decided to face this alone."

"I could handle her facing it," he said. "I don't know about her *not* facing it."

Sarah Jo shuddered, remembering her conversation with Father Alec about his concern for her mental well being and that he thought she might even be suicidal. Unfortunately, not facing it was a very strong possibility. "Hopefully this child will give her a reason to live, Duncan. Oh dear God, how I hope so."

"I'd hope so too," he said, suddenly emotional, but that letter . . . Maybe my child - or Methos' - isn't good enough for her." He stood, walking away so she would not see him cry.