Matt was sitting at the table cleaning his Colt when the door opened. He turned and saw Mrs. Delmonico smile and say, "Good afternoon Marshal."

"Mrs. Delmonico, what brings you here? Have a seat."

"Thank you Marshal. I need protection."

"Protection?"

"That's right Marshal. Protection. I just know I'm going to be killed."

"Mrs. Delmonico, what makes you think that?"

Both Matt and Mrs. Delmonico turned as the office door opened again and Festus came shuffling in shaking his head and mumbling, "Ol' scudder has the sense of the rump end of a mule," then he looked up and saw Matt and Mrs. Delmonico sitting.

"Festus, do you mind. We have company."

"Well I seed that. Sorry Mrs. D."

"Sometimes Festus forgets his manners."

"Aww, that's okay Marshal. I'm used to it."

"Hey now, I'm always a perfect gentleman when I'm a eatin' my steak. Ain't I Mrs. D?"

"Of course you are Festus. I wasn't talking about you."

"Spheww, I was plum worried there for a minute," Festus said and grabbed the pot of coffee.

"Marshal, will you help me?"

"Mrs. Delmonico, I'll do my best. But can you tell me who's trying to kill you?"

"Kill ya? Did I heared right?"

"You did Festus."

"Mrs. D., that's just stupid. Who'd in their right mind want to kill sweet little ol' you?"

"My son."

"Blakely?" Matt said in surprise.

"Why he couldn't hurt a flea jumping on him from a scaredy cat!"

"Not Blakely, Festus. Donovan."

"Donovan? Mrs. Delmonico, I didn't know you and your husband had any other children."

"We don't Marshal. We just have Blakely." Mrs. Delmonico said as she got up and walked to the window. "This is something I'm not proud of Marshal, but when I was not proper, I had Donovan in disgrace of my family. I wasn't ready to be a mother. But I tried until he was five years old and couldn't do it anymore. The look on his face when I left him at that orphanage. I've never seen him since. That was until yesterday. He came in to have breakfast and I dropped the whole pot of coffee when I saw his face. He smiled. But it was the way he smiled. I could tell."

"Now Mrs. Delmonico, don't you think maybe you're reading into this a little too much?"

"I knew you may not believe me Marshal. Thanks for your time. I don't expect you to understand. I'll just be going."

"Now I didn't say that. Festus, walk Mrs. Delmonico home." Matt said as he got up and grabbed his hat.

"Will do, Matthew. But where you gonna be?"

"The Long Branch. Seeing what I can find out."

"Thank you Marshal." Mrs. Delmonico said and followed Festus out the door.

Matt stepped into the Long Branch and surveilled the surroundings like he had never been in there. Then he stepped up to the bar.

"You look like you need a beer Matt. Sam." Miss Kitty said with a smile. Sam turned and pulled the tap. "Long day?"

Matt tipped his hat back as he turned around to lean on the bar. "You could say that."

"What's on your mind Matt?"

"Here you go Marshal."

"Thanks Sam. Kitty, did you know Mrs. Delmonico had another son."

Kitty turned her head to take a sip of her coffee. Matt watched her expression. He could tell Kitty knew.

"You mean Donovan."

"You already knew. How come nobody else did?"

"Well Matt, what happened is not the kind of thing a woman wants to talk about. Can talk about. Especially Mrs. Delmonico."

"She obviously told you somewhere along the way."

"I hear and see a lot of things within these walls Matt. Why do you ask about Donovan anyway?"

"He's back Kitty."

"Back? How do you know Matt?"

"Mrs. Delmonico came to the office and told me. Kitty, she said she knows he's going to kill her and wants me to protect her. Festus just walked her home."

"Kill her? For doing the right thing? She didn't have a choice but to do what she did. Now he holds that against her?"

"Apparently it's been brewing for some time." Matt said as Festus came shuffling in and stood beside Matt.

"I tell ya Matthew that Mrs. Delmonico is one of the sweetest shemales in Dodge but she kin talk yer ear straight off yer head!"

"Remind you of someone Matt," Miss Kitty said with a smile and sipped her coffee.

"Yeah, sounds like Festus might have met his match."

"Now wait jus' a cotton pickin' minute. You two ain't sayin' what I think you are sayin' is ya?"

"I don't know Festus. What is we sayin'?" Miss Kitty asked and Matt laughed.

Festus looked with his eyes squinted and his chin up and said, "I knowed it was about me somehow and while I ain't quite put my finger on it yet..."

"Festus, just have a beer. Sam." Miss Kitty said.

"Much obliged Miss Kitty," Festus said and smiled as he took that first sip.

He put the mug down as Doc walked in laughing and looking at him.

"What's got you snickerin' like a hyena out in the prairie?"

"You, that's who. You have a little something in your mustache. You might want to take care of that Festus. It's not very becoming."

Festus took his sleeve and wiped his lip and said, "You ol' scudder. You ain't very becoming yerself. Always complaining. Ain't you got doctorin' to do."

"I did. Just delivered Mrs. Baker's twins. A girl and a boy. You should have been there Festus. Instead you are just holding up Sam's bar."

"I have ya know I did my good deed fer the night. Mrs. Delmonico made it home safe 'cause of me."

"Is that so?"

"Darn tootin' it is. Without any sight of Donovan."

"Donovan? What's he doing in back Dodge?"

"You know about him too, Doc?" Matt said with a concerned look.

"You mean you didn't? I thought everyone knew."

"Apparently more than probably should."

"Doc, Matt says Donovan is going to kill his mother."

"Now Kitty. That's not exactly what I said. I said Mrs. Delmonico said she knows he's going to kill her. There's a difference."

"Matt, I think Festus is finally rubbing off on you. If it had not come out of your mouth, I could swear that sounded like one of Festus's conundrums."

"Doc, I ain't never conned no one."

Doc turned and looked at Festus while rubbing his mustache. "Oh, you haven't, have you? What do you call coming in here almost every night and getting someone to buy you a beer? You probably didn't pay for that one."

"Golly bill Doc, Miss Kitty told Sam to give me this here beer."

"See, my point exactly."

"Oh Doc, let Festus be."

"Doc, you should know by now, you're not going to win when Festus is around," Matt said and Festus grinned.

Then the doors swung open and in walked Donovan. He didn't get any looks except from Kitty, Matt, and Doc.

"That's him Matt." Kitty said in a way so Donovan couldn't notice her lips move.

Festus turned to Matt and whispered, "He looks as if the suds are still stuck behind his ears. He couldn't shoot a flea off a dog's hind end. And Mrs. Delmonico knowed he's gonna kill her?"

"You heard her Festus."

"Yeah, but Matthew, looky at him. He looks no more gun carrying than Louie without a bottle to sip on!"

"Well Festus, maybe he isn't going to kill her with a gun."

"I didn't think of that."

"You didn't think at all," Doc said and laughed.

"This ain't even yer conversation Doc. You's always a'listenin' on other people's bidness. Ain't you got better things t' do!"

"You know, I do. I'll just go back to my office and read than stand here and be harassed by a Hagen!" Doc said and turned for the swinging doors.

"And I ain't a'rassing you! You ol' scudder!"

Doc didn't even pause before he hit the doors. He just kept walking.

"Now Festus, don't you think you were a little condescending to Doc?" Miss Kitty asked and took another sip of her coffee.

"Conde-whoing? There we go again with this con thing. I ain't conning nobody!"

"Festus, just drink your beer." Matt said with a laugh. That laugh suddenly turned to seriousness.

"You Dillon?" Donovan said in a cracked, almost high-pitched voice as his boots skidded against the floor and he faced Matt.

"I am."

"I understand my ma paid you a visit."

"You must be Donovan."

Donovan smiled and tipped his hat back. "Figured she'd tell you I was in town. Good thing this old coot walked her home."

Festus squinted the evil eye at him and began to say something but Matt stopped him.

"Just so happens I asked Festus to walk her home."

"So she did ask you to protect her. Can't see where that yellow belly would though."

Festus again went to say something but this time Sam stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

"Those are some mighty strong words Donovan."

"Sounded like true words to me. Looks like he can barely protect himself."

"Why you good-fer-nothing ninny. If you'd knowed better, you better do the protetctin'."

"Well he speaks too. Not too well, but he speaks."

"Donovan, why'd you come back? I mean really come back."

"Why, to pay my respects to ma, of course, Miss Kitty. Why? Didn't you miss me?"

Matt looked at Kitty with a peculiar look; one she had come to know all too often.

"Can't say that I did. But I'll tell you, your mother sure did. You hurt her Donovan, but she never stopped missing you. She did love you."

"Love me? She gave me away Miss Kitty. You knew that. You even saw me go. How could she love me if she gave me away. You don't know what growing up in that orphanage was like."

"Donovan, let me tell you something," Kitty said as she walked from behind the bar to face him, "Your mother loved you so much she did the only thing she knew she had to do. That's love Donovan. You're hating your mother because she loved you more than you know."

"She sure had a funny way of showing it."

"By putting you in that orphanage? You think that was a funny way of showing love? Donovan, I knew you when you were a boy. You can't tell me even then you didn't realize the hardship your mother endured. Donovan, you barely had clothes on your back. Not to mention Doc Adams' evaluation. Don't you remember him and what he said?"

Donovan hung his head low just a little while still looking at Miss Kitty.

"Uh huh, that look says it all. You just missed Doc. I'm sure he'd have liked to seen you."

"I saw him walking out Miss Kitty. We looked at each other. He knew who I was. He nodded."

"Donovan, listen to me. Look at yourself. Look at the man you are. Don't look back at the kid were. You aren't this man standing here. You never could be a killer. You have too much of your mother in you." Miss Kitty took a step closer and took Donovan's hand. "I think you know this. You feel her every day. That's why you came back. You wanted her to see how you turned out." Then Miss Kitty turned her head to Festus and said, "Festus, would you please go get Mrs. Delmonico."

"Sure thing Miss Kitty." Festus said and fixed his hat before exiting.

"Now Donovan, when Festus comes back with your mother, I want you to take a long look at her. Really look at her. I think you'll see the love right away."

"I don't know Miss Kitty. This may not be a good idea."

"Maybe not, I'll give you that, but Donovan, will you trust me?"

"Miss Kitty, I always trusted you. You were always so nice to me then. Just like you are now."

Festus then walked in and held the doors open for Mrs. Delmonico. Slowly, she stepped inside and stood.

"Turn around Donovan. Look at your mother." Kitty said and stepped backwards.

Donovan turned. He looked at his mother. She stood looking at him. Her hands were folded in front of her with the ruffles slightly covering her knuckles.

Finally, she smiled because she saw what Miss Kitty conveyed. "Donovan," she said and held out her arms.

"Ma," Donovan said and ran to her like he was once again five years old. "I'm sorry ma. I'm so sorry. I thought..."

"Oh Donovan, hush it." Mrs. Delmonico said as she held him. "I'm the one who should be sorry. Not you. I should have tried..."

"Ma, you did. I just didn't realize it until now. Miss Kitty is right. Doc was right. You had to do what you did."

"I never stopped loving you Donovan. I always thought of you every day. Now look at you. My baby is a man."

Donovan let go and looked at his mother with a smile. "I am ma, because of you."

"You hungry Donovan? Come with me. It's time you finally came home."

Matt, Kitty, and Festus all watched as Mrs. Delmonico lead her son out. They all had smiles on their faces. When Kitty turned she looked straight at Matt who was smiling sheepishly.

"What?" Kitty asked.

"Kitty, did you ever think of becoming a psychiatrist?"

"Matt, I already am. I own and run a saloon, remember?"

With a grin, Matt said, "I won't tell Doc you provide the best medicine then."

"Oh Matt, really? Why do you think Doc comes here?" Kitty said then winked.

Matt just grinned as Kitty smiled. He could not top that.