Kitty

It was late morning when Kitty slowly walked home from Doc's office, thinking about his advice. It was advice that she would without a doubt follow.

To ease her mind, the first thing she did when she arrived at the suite of rooms she and Matt had been renting at Ma Smalley's, was to go into the bedroom to check herself for bleeding or staining. She was relieved to find neither.

Sitting on the side of the bed, she thought about her life. She had always enjoyed running the Long Branch. It was interesting, challenging and goodness knows there was rarely a dull moment, but for years now she had also yearned for a home and family. Home and family had for so long been in the category of "some day," that she hadn't really thought about how it would all fit together.

Now that Doc had presented the idea that she might have a difficult pregnancy, she had to think about it. She smiled to herself realizing that she would have had to think about her pregnancy in respect to running the Long Branch in a month or so, when she started to show. Men didn't want to see a pregnant woman in a saloon, she knew that for sure.

She also knew that after giving birth, her focus would be on her baby – their baby – hers and Matt's. Of course, she'd only been sure she was pregnant for a little over a week, and hadn't had time to think about any of these things.

Now all of her thoughts pointed to the same conclusion. She needed a working partner. She didn't want to sell the Long Branch outright. She loved the business and wanted to keep her options open for the future, but right now a working partner would be ideal.

Her thoughts flew to a woman she had really hit it off with at the saloon owner's convention. Her name was Hannah, and at the convention they had exchanged knowledge, shared ideas and had a lot of laughs. Hannah was smart, experienced and had a sense of humor. She wanted to settle in the west, and had asked Kitty to let her know if any business opportunities opened up in Dodge.

Kitty stood up. It felt right. She was sure that Hannah would be a perfect partner, and decided that there was no time like the present. She walked to the telegraph office and wrote out a telegram to send to Hannah, who she knew was still in St. Louis– Want working partner in Long Branch Saloon. Need answer fast. Kitty Russell

After sending the wire, Kitty felt a little better. She couldn't keep her worries about Matt and the possibility of losing the baby out of her head, but she could work on the things that she had some control over.

Matt

Matt had been walking around the edge of the room, compiling a mental list of criminals who wished him ill. He wanted desperately to keep his body active, and mind working. Being light headed from lack of food and water, he would periodically put his back to the wall and slide down to a sitting position to rest. When he felt ready he'd push himself up, turn so his left shoulder was against the wall to guide him, and start walking around the perimeter of the dark room again. He was up and walking when door creaked open and his three masked visitors entered. The first man, who as usual entered holding a lantern and a guy, didn't see Matt sitting in his usual place and became agitated. Swinging his lantern about wildly he started yelling, "Where are you? Where are you?" When he saw Matt standing at the far side of the room he shouted angrily, "What are you doing over there? You aren't supposed to be moving around. It isn't allowed."

Matt had a dim recollection of the voice, but couldn't place it. He wanted to keep the man talking, "What do you mean isn't allowed? Who doesn't allow it?"

The man's face was red, he was livid and his voice rose, "It isn't allowed in solitary confinement. We gave you too much space, way too much space."

One of the others took the man's arm and said quietly, "Jerry, calm down. It will be all right. We'll fix it so he can't move around, please calm down, and don't be mad."

The man called Jerry lowered his voice but it was still filled with fury, "All right. You two sit him down where he belongs, and tie his ankles together. Give him some water, but no food, he has to learn to behave."

The men pointed their guns at Matt and motioned for him to go back to where he had been sitting. One of them tied his ankles together, and then held a canteen up to his lips. Matt drank as long and deeply as he was allowed. The canteen was removed and the two men started walking away. Jerry suddenly grabbed one of them by the shoulders, and threw him against the wall. He slapped his face saying angrily, "No more mistakes – do you hear me?" The third man put his hand on Jerry's arm, "Calm down. It was nobody's fault. Everything is all right." Jerry spit in the man's face before he turned and walked out of the room. The other two looked at each other briefly and followed.

Sitting in the dark, now unable move to a standing position, Matt at least knew who had instigated his capture. 25 years before, when he was a very young deputy in Abilene, he had come upon Jerry Dawson viciously beating up a ranch foreman. The foreman was down and unconscious, but Jerry had continued to punch his face. Matt pulled him off, but the arrest hadn't been easy. Dawson had fought hard and drawn a knife. After Matt's testimony Dawson had been sentenced to 15 years in prison. Years later, Dawson's name came up in a conversation with the prison warden, and Matt was told that Dawson had been a problem from day one. Time after time he had viciously attacked other inmates. After each attach he had been put in solitary confinement with meager rations. The time in solitary was lengthened with each infraction. Then Dawson beat up a guard, and was sentenced to an additional 10 years. Matt figured that Dawson blamed him for it all, and was retaliating by imposing solitary confinement on him. He didn't know what Dawson planned to do with him next, but figured it wouldn't involve releasing him. As for the other two men, he had no idea who they were, but they seemed young and oddly inexperienced, as if holding a gun on someone was something new.

Festus and Newly

It was early afternoon, and Festus and Newly were again going over the route Matt would have taken the night he disappeared. They went to every door he would have checked and every window he would have looked into. Again they found no clues.

Festus was frustrated, "Ya know, if either of us went missin Mathew'd have it all figured out."

Newly shook his head, "Festus, we don't know that. Matt hasn't been able to solve everything he's tried to. He'd be the first to admit that."

Festus shook his head, "Newly, I know Matthew ain't perfect, but I'll tell ya somethin, if one of us went missin – he wouldn't let it go."

Newly looked at Festus, "We won't it let go either."

Festus nodded with a sigh, "I know that Newley, I just wish we had somethin new to say to Miss Kitty."

TBC