Flame Series #18: Physician Heal Thy Self

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Ten Years Ago

It was Saturday night and the Long Branch was living up to its reputation as the liveliest bar in town. The Q-Trax crew had arrived a week ago and this was their last night before heading back to Texas. Most of them were only interested in draining every ounce of fun that was left in the day. All but the two in the far corner. Vengeance gnawed at the taller one, poisoning his mind as well as his body.

"Trip, I don't know about this." Squinty little eyes roamed around the bar, watching the lady barkeep. "You sure he'll be here? They got some pretty women at the Lady Gay too, ya know."

Pale blue eyes slid to one side casting a hateful glance toward his partner. Being a few years older didn't garner any respect for the anxious little man. "Was you born this stupid, Dak, or do you really work at it?" The lanky younger man polished off his beer and grabbed the waitress to bring him another. As she walked away, the stunning redhead came back into view. "He's married to that one right there." Trip cast a hateful glance in her direction. "This is always his last stop of the night."

"You best slow down on those beers if you're gonna try and outdraw him." Dak Suthers slid his wiry little frame down in the chair when Trip shot him another searing glance. There would be no calling out or anything resembling a fair gun fight. Still, the nervous side kick felt it was his duty to warn his friend again. "Even a back shot is risky with Dillon. He's fast Trip. Real fast. I seen him."

The little blonde returned with two more beers and Dak dug in his pocket for the money. It was enough of a break for Trip to rethink his plans. "Yeah, I seen him in action too but…I don't got no choice. My nephew has lost too much. Dillon taking my brother to be hung was the last straw."

Trip Singer picked up the fresh mug and watched the foam settle into a thin, white line. He eased back in his chair, watching the redhead and the old man in the rumpled suit. Their lives seemed so perfect, while his brother's family was all but destroyed. The marshal had arrested Foley Singer a week after his son Darcy's nineteenth birthday. Foley had proclaimed his innocence on every step up to the gallows, but the lever was pulled and Jake Brumley's accused murderer fell to his death.

Poor Darcy had already lost a younger brother in a drowning accident. Inconsolable over the loss, their mother had hung herself shortly afterward. And now he had lost his father. This young man had some justice coming to him and his Uncle Trip made a promise to get it for him.

DOCDOCDOCDOC

Doc pushed through the batwing doors. His objective was a beer and a little conversation with the gorgeous redhead at the end of the bar. He slid into an empty spot next to her and gave her arm a friendly touch. "Busy tonight, huh."

Kitty turned with a smile, glad to see a friendly face. "My cash box is happy, but my feet are killing me." She glanced back at the craggy-faced man behind the bar. "Sam, I'll bet Doc could use a beer."

"Already got it covered." Kitty gave him her stamp of approval with a wink. A smile worked its way to the surface, through the deep lines of the big man's face. Nothing pleased him more than to see his boss happy.

Doc nodded a thank you to the bartender as he lifted the cold mug to his mouth. He licked the foam from his lips with a sigh of satisfaction. The older man settled back against the bar, letting his gaze peruse the clientele. "Where's that big public servant you're married to?"

Kitty cast him a scolding glance. "There was trouble at the Lady Gay. He'll be back later." She stepped closer to Doc, to avoid a stumbling cowboy working his way to the bar. "I have some news that will get you out of that grouchy mood."

"Who said I was grouchy!" He swiped at his mustache annoyed that she could read him so well.

"I did. And Matt did and Festus di…"

"All right! If you all would be minding your own business, you wouldn't be watching me. Why don't you just tell me this wonderful news?"

"Calleigh finished her finals and she's coming home this weekend."

Kitty was right. In a heartbeat the old man went from grumpy to excited. An uncontrollable smile stretched that bristly mustache clear across his face. "When?'

"When, what?" Only one man in Dodge possessed that husky deep voice. The marshal slipped around behind his wife. He leaned against the bar, casually sliding his hand along the counter until it was comfortably around her waist. Matt nodded to Sam, as he pushed the brim of his hat back on his head.

"Would you pour me one of those?" Sam quickly obliged before moving to the other end of the bar to attend to a couple of cowboys. As Matt leaned down reaching in front of Kitty to get his beer; his lips brushed past her ear. "You look gorgeous…stop it."

The look. The touch. The whisper. They ignited a fire in her eyes that burned all the way to her toes. Kitty Dillon leaned back, resting against the muscular chest of her own personal guardian. Doc watched duplicate smiles appear on the two faces confronting him. Smiles that bordered between innocent and carnal—as though they were sharing some sort of secret.

"Well if you two are going to start that – I'm going home!" Doc swiped his moustache, mainly to hide the satisfied grin that wouldn't go away. Nothing had pleased him more than when that thick-headed lawman finally smartened up enough to marry that girl. Of course, he gave his granddaughter, Calleigh more credit for the decision than the marshal. Doc's huffing to make a grand exit was just for show - until he heard the approaching jangle of Haggen spurs. Then he was serious about leaving. "I'm going home before he starts in on another one of those long, convoluted tales."

With the redhead comfortably leaning back against him, the marshal and his wife watched the old physician head toward the door. All eyes were facing away from the man with the gun at the other end of the bar.

Matt leaned down keeping his voice low and his words just between the two of them. "You know Festus is going to drag him right back in here."

Before she could respond, a coward's bullet suddenly ripped through the barroom chatter and into the broad back of Marshal Dillon. Kitty heard her husband moan as he crumpled against her. Blue eyes filled with terror, as she turned coming face to face with the back-shooter. Before he could fire that kill shot, Kitty pushed Matt down, putting herself in the path of the deadly bullet.

Sounds of gunfire hurried the jangling spurs inside, in time for Festus to fire the shots that brought down the gutless assassin. Dak crouched in the corner; those squinty eyes now open wide. He watched as the old man in the wrinkled suit rushed back to the wounded couple. Matt was struggling to pull himself up enough to get to Kitty. "Is she all right? DOC! Is she all right" The words escaped through clenched teeth partially from the pain but mostly fear for his wife.

Sam had already made his way around the bar and pulled Kitty into his arms, "She's bleeding pretty bad, Doc."

The seasoned physician gave Matt a passing glance as he knelt beside the wounded woman. With three decades of medical practice under his belt he could tell with a glimpse that the marshal had suffered a side shot. By the way he was moving and the amount of blood seeping through his shirt, the old man seriously doubted if any major organs had been hit.

Not that it would have mattered. Even if the big man had been gravely wounded, he still would have demanded that Kitty be taken care of first.

The scruffy man in the jangle spurs had put three shots into the back shooter. Dak finally found the courage to crawl over to his partner, only to discover he was still alive, but badly wounded. "Hey you! Doctor man. He's still alive. You gotta help him."

It was doubtful that he even heard the young man's pleas. Doc's only concern was Kitty. "She's having trouble breathing. Sam, I need you to kind of drape her over your shoulder, like you would a baby." Doc tore the satin fabric away from the ugly wound allowing the dark red liquid to stream down her side. Blood tainted the air with the smell of copper. While the stench of sulfur still clung heavy around them. Patching up the marshal had become second nature after all these years, but not his Kitty.

"Hey doc, he's dying." For the first time in his life, Dak found the courage to yell at someone-but it was too late. "Doc!"

"Get her up to my office. Festus, help Matt." Doc had turned to follow his patients when Dak made a grab for his arm.

"You gotta look at my partner. He's dying!"

Doc glared at the man blocking his path. "Him dying is his business. Mine is saving her." He jerked free of the scrawny hand wrapped around his wrist and hurried after his friends.

MDKDMDKDMDKDMDKD

"Now be careful!" Doc hovered over his red headed patient while Matt pulled her forward to slip another pillow behind her back. "Gently. Gently you big oaf! Don't jar her like that."

"Doc" Kitty tried to defend the marshal, but her breathing was still labored, rendering her incapable of much more than a whisper. "Please don't be mean to him. He was injured too."

"Humph! Nothing more than a flesh wound." The words were harsh but the tone was caring as he took another look at the big man to reassure himself that Matt was healing properly. "I'm going to make a fresh pot of coffee. You two behave."

Matt watched the grumpy man shuffle out of the room, before pulling a chair up next to the bed. He rested one hand on the pillow, letting his fingers ruffle through her hair. His other hand lay across her stomach with their fingers woven together.

"You should have let me wire Calleigh to come home sooner."

Kitty managed a weak smile. "She had already made plans to be home today. There was nothing she could have done, so why upset her?"

Matt stared at the pale face. "You know, of course, Doc and I will get hell for this. She won't yell at you while you're all puny."

Sapphire eyes hid under heavy lids as she feigned an expression of sympathy. "Oh, poor babies!"

Behind his laughter, fear and concern overshadowed his handsome features. The silence that fell between them said more than he could put into words. Matt wanted to plead with her-beg her-to never to do something like that again. Just the thought of her sacrificing herself for him, caused his heart to pull a heavy beat.

But those words never saw the light of day. No power on earth could force her to stand by while he was in danger and they both knew it. Matt squeezed her hand. "Would you at least promise me to be careful?"

"Was I just supposed to watch him shoot you again?" She stared up at him with eyes so full of love, he thought his heart would explode.

"Well if you do that again…" He paused, leaving a playful kiss to her lips. "I swear, I will turn you over my knee."

"Is that a promise?" Kitty's giggling consumed her breath which led to a fit of coughing.

"What's going on in there!" Doc instantly appeared in the doorway. "What did you do to her?" It was more accusation than question. "Am I going to have to make you leave?"

Matt shot upright in the straight back chair. "No sir." He knew that little man, not half his size, would have his butt out of that room in a heartbeat if he were to upset his favorite patient. It must have been a believable response, because Doc went back to finish brewing the coffee.

"Did you find out who shot us?"

"Name was Trip Singer. I sent his brother to prison last year and t hey hung him for killing a neighbor. Some old man - Brumley I think his name was. Singer swore his brother was innocent and blames me for his death." Matt shrugged, never understanding that brand of logic."

"What about his partner?" Kitty reached up, running her hand along the strong line of his jaw. "Is he going to seek revenge too?"

Matt took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. "He left town yesterday. Looks like I'm not in danger and you won't have to protect me anymore."

"Well somebody better protect you!" A very angry, very worried young redhead stepped into the room. "Who is going to explain why I wasn't told about this?"

TBC