It was a dark smoked filled saloon. Matt Dillon wandered in out of the dark cold night. His side was still hurting from a knife wound he received a few months ago.
He had not been sleeping well of late. The vision of Kitty Russel standing in the Dodge House window, crying, invaded his every waking moment. In fact, she seemed to have stolen his dreams as well.
A stiff drink to warm his insides and he would feel better. He found himself missing old Doc. Doc would have given him something to ease the pain along with a strong talking to about overdoing it. He missed hearing, "You're a damn fool". Matt knew full well Doc was right

The saloon was full of cowboys. It was lively and warm. He made his way to the bar and ordered a beer. He kept his eyes on his beer, for he did not want anyone bothering him.
From behind, he hears a soft southern voice say, "Deal me out."
She rose from the table, strutted over, and leaned on the bar. "Howdy cowboy. Buy me a drink," she said as she slipped her hand under his buckskin coat.
Matt looked up. "Howdy. Beer ok? Can't afford that high-end stuff."
She smiled that old remembered saloon gal smile. "Why don't we drink it in my room?"
Matt turned to give her a good looking over. "I am sure I cannot afford a good looking woman like you!"
She leaned over so he could look down her dress. "Not to worry. Marshals ride for free."
Matt smiled. "They don't call me marshal anymore."
She laughed that laugh that filled the room. "Well, I don't invite men to my room anymore."
The Bartender brought her winnings, set it on the bar. Matt raised his eyebrow as he ran his thumb over the stack of money. "Kitty! You haven't been cheating!"
Kitty winked. "Who? Little old me?"
The cowboy she had been playing with yelled, "She was cheating? Why you old tart!" He went for his gun. "You stinking whore."
Matt pulled his gun before the cowboy cleared leather. "That's enough of that. How much did you have in the game?"
Kitty yelled: "I was not cheating. He is the poorest poker player I have ever seen. If I wanted to, I could have taken him for all his money, his saddle, horse, gun, and his boots."
Matt asked Kitty, "How much of the pot was your buy-in?"
Kitty laughed. "I took my buy-in off the table six hands ago. The last six hands were pure profit."
Matt took the money and gave it to the cowboy. "Stay out of saloons and poker games until you're old enough to wear that gun. Get out!"
The others in the bar laughed as the cowboy left grumbling under his breath.

"Kitty!" Matt said with a raised eyebrow.
Kitty ordered a bottle from the top shelf. "I was just killing time waiting for the midnight train to get in. Come on Matt, I need to talk to you."
Kitty's room was lavish, making Matt uncomfortable. She poured him a strong drink as he hunted a wooden chair to sit in.
She opened a music box and asked: "You remember this some?"
Matt: "That song was playing the last time we danced."

He got up, limped across the room, and took her in his arms. "I think of it often."She felt good in his arms as her legs felt a little weak. Kitty closed her eyes and said the words that had been stuck in her throat for twelve years.

"I left Dodge because I was with child."
Matt stopped dancing. "What?"
Kitty explained: "I was going to tell you, then you got shot in your gun arm during that bank robbery. You could not use your gun hand. All you thought about was the town. You resigned and left town. If I had not seen you on the street, you would not even have told me you were going. Even then you did not tell me where , when, or if ever you would be back.

Doc told me I had to go to a big city hospital to have the baby because of my age and being shot, stabbed and..."
Matt: "Bonner."
Kitty: "Well yeah. I wanted so much to talk to you, but when you got back, you did not come and see me. You just went off somewhere else. I was getting bigger. Doc told me I was getting too far along to travel safely. I wanted to give our baby every chance. So I went.

I was told the child would not make it, so it would be best for everyone if I got rid of it. But I couldn't. I know it was not fair of me knowing how you felt, but I had him.

He was sickly, unable to walk or talk for a long time. They told me he never would. He is your son so he fought hard. Every time he was told he would not be able to do something, he set out to do it."
Matt raised his eyebrow. "You mean I have a son?"
Kitty smiled: "Uh huh. He is eleven, almost twelve. Taller than you. He looks just like you. Has your eyes. A friend is bringing him here on the midnight train."
Matt: "How did you know I was going to be here?"
Kitty: "I didn't. When I got the word you were dying in Dodge, he was away at school. I did not think I had the time to go get him, so I sent for him. You got better. You left me without talking to me again. I had some business here so I telegraphed my friend to bring him here. I wanted to teach him something about the saloon business. I was kind of shocked to see you."
Matt: "You're teaching him the saloon business? '
Kitty: "He grew up in the back of a saloon so I don't think I can teach him to be a preacher."
Matt: "He grew up in back of a saloon?"
Kitty: "I had to work. The doctors and babysitters cost a lot."
Matt: "What does he know about me?"
Kitty: "I told him you are a famous lawman who sent us away to keep us safe. That someday you would send for us."

A knock on the door told them the train was in.
Matt stood on the platform wondering if he would recognize his son. No problem. Kitty's friend turned out to be Festus Hagen, who was boxing the young man's ears as they disembarked.
Festus: "Didn't anyone ever tell yea you don't talk to a lady like that. Why if your mother heard you talk like that she would beat you till the cows come home, don't you see."
Matt stepped forward. Festus looked surprised: "Matthew!"
Kitty came out from the ticket office.

Tears came to the marshal's face. The boy was six foot eight and had light hair. Matt would have known him anywhere. He had her face. The boy was wearing a top hat, a dress shirt with a stiff front decorated with shirt studs, an ascot tie made up as a neckband with wide wings attached with a diamond stickpin, a ditto suit consisting of a sack coat with matching
waistcoat and trousers, and high heel shoes with a narrow toe. Looks like Kitty dressed him Matt thought.

Festus kind of pushed the boy toward the tuff looking badly dressed old man, standing with his hand resting on a six-gun.
Kitty came over: "I know this is not the place to do this but, David Allen Russel, this is Marshall Matthew Dillon. The boy looked like he might be sick." Is he my.. "
Kitty: "Yes, this is your father."
Matt extended his hand. The boy spit on the ground and kept his hand in his pocket. "Big deal. I don't want anything to do with this mutton shunter. Why he ain't nothing but a hornswoggler," he said as he pushed past Matt.
Both Kitty and Festus swatted the boy.
The boy turned on Kitty: "what did you expect? You think I was going to welcome him? He never wanted me. Now that I am old enough to work, he wants me. Well, we don't need him. I can take care of you without him butting in."
Kitty went to swat him again. Matt stopped her. "Give the boy some time. It is a lot to get used to."
The boy turned on Matt. "You did not want her when she was broke. Now that we can finally live well, you come along to take her for everything she has. Then what you're going to disregard her like the old whore she is."
This time all three swatted him.