Slow Train to Dodge
Disclaimer: Just taking our friends out to play; will put them back when I'm done.
PT.1
Shuffling quickly, hurrying out the doors of the hotel just ahead of the well dressed redhead, the young man carried the arm full of bags rushing to load them onto the stage that was about to leave. Kitty had made a last minute arrangement to board the train instead of her original plan to take the stage back to Dodge after receiving a wire from Doc that Matt had been injured and he thought she should return as soon as possible.
Back in Dodge, Matt lay in the upstairs room of Doc's office with a bullet to his chest. Doc worked for hours digging to remove the lead from his body. Now came the hardest part of his job, keeping this stubborn rather large man still and in bed long enough to let his body heal. Now is when he needed Kitty here in town more than ever.
Once on board, Kitty sat staring out the window, paying no mind to anyone else on board.
Leaning her head against the glass, in deep thought, her mind traveled back to the many times that she'd been terrified, worried about Matt and not sure if this would be the time he wouldn't pull through. But the thought felt as if she were kicked in the stomach. The very thought of her life without… Quickly, she shook the thought out of her mind. All she wanted at this moment was to be back in Dodge. This would prove to be the longest train ride of her life.
Kitty didn't even try to sleep. Her mind was reeling. Doc hadn't given her any details, so she was going over and over in her mind. 'Doc said he was shot, that it was serious! It was urgent for me to return! How bad was this? Was he going to die? Am I going to lose him? Cowboy, I can't lose you. I can't live without you.' Now covering her face with both hands, she took a deep breath.
Kitty once again gazed out the window, thinking back to when she had left for her trip. She was angry with Matt. He had been away for a trial, but should have returned before she left but was delayed. He had been gone for three weeks and she knew her trip was a two week trip. Now she was regretting her angry thoughts. And if she didn't make it back to Dodge in time… What if she didn't get the chance to tell him, to say the things she needed to. Again shaking her head. "Kitty, ol' girl, what are you thinking? You've just got to get back to Dodge."
TBC