Matt – Later that Night

Matt, Mike and Beau sat on the ground eating a sparse dinner of jerky with dry biscuits, and washing it down with tepid water. The night air was so hot that no one even suggested building a fire to make coffee, and the only light was moonlight shining down through the haze.

No one spoke until Beau brushed off his hands and stood, "I'm going to try and get some sleep. It won't be easy in this heat, but we want to be up and riding early." He grinned, "I'm feeling good about things. I'm sorry about Willie, I really am but I'm a man who looks at the positive. Willie had a better end than hanging would have been, and now there are only four others left for you to deal with. See you in the morning."

Mike watched Beau walk away and whispered to Matt, "He sure is an odd one. His reaction to his brother's death – well I've never see anything so cold hearted in my life."

"I know what you mean Mike."

McGuire fell silent before asking, "Do you trust him Matt?"

"Can't say that I do."

"Me neither. I've been wondering how his brother found you. Beau chose the campsite and told you where that stream was. It's possible he had Willard waiting there. Another thing, I wanted to form a posse to go after the gang, but Beau insisted it just be us. He said his brothers would smell a posse a mile away. Matt, it could be a trap."

"Could be. It could also be that Willard figured out where we'd be and Beau is right about a posse being a bad idea. We won't know until we see this thing through."

Mike chuckled grimly, "That's not much comfort Matt, but you're right. We won't figure it out by talking. Like we Irish say, You'll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind."

Matt gave a short laugh, "Mike, you Irish have a saying for everything." Mike nodded, "Indeed we do. It's one of the blessings of being Irish." He swallowed the last bit of jerky, "Well that wasn't much of a meal." Suddenly his eyes lit up, "Matt, remember the dinner Kitty made the last time I was in Dodge. Your lovely lady found out it was my birthday and cooked up quite a feast for the three of us. That was a wonderful meal and a grand time. I said I'd sing for my supper and she laughed that golden laugh of hers and accepted."

Mike sang softly:

A man may drink and not be drunk

A man may fight and not be slain

A man may court a pretty girl

And perhaps be welcomed back again

Matt smiled at the sound of Mike's fine tenor voice floating quietly into the night and the memory of that dinner. He looked at the Irishman, "That was a fine time, and I'm sure you know how much Kitty loves your company and your singing." Matt paused and then smiled again, "I do recall a time though when that voice of yours caused some trouble. Remember that saloon in Abilene? You were singing so loud that the gamblers wanted you thrown out because they couldn't concentrate. The next thing I knew there was a free-for-all."

Mike nodded with mock seriousness, "Well I felt a bit insulted, and my temper got the better of me. That's been known to happen on occasion as you might know." Matt nodded, "Yep, I've noticed."

Mike laughed again, "I realize that my friend. You've witnessed my temper getting the best of me more than once. You know, having a temper is something Kitty and I share. We've discussed it you know."

Matt raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Indeed we have. Say Matt, it's been a few months since I've seen Kitty. I hope she's well."

Matt's thoughts went to Kitty and he was suddenly serious, "She's fine Mike. It's late my friend we should turn in."

Matt settled on his bedroll, folded his hands behind his head and stared into night sky. Sleep wasn't coming anytime soon.

Dodge – The Next Morning

Inside Delmonico's restaurant Joe Delmonico set a pitcher of orange juice, several sweet rolls and two egg sandwiches on a tray. He handed the tray to his first and thus far only customer of the morning, "There you go Bess."

She thanked him and hurried down the street determined to get Doc to eat. He hadn't moved from Kitty's side since yesterday's surgery. It was obvious he was worried. He'd been sure that Kitty would wake a few hours after the operation, but aside from reaching a semi-conscious state and calling for Matt, she hadn't stirred.

Bess climbed the stairs to Doc's and as she pushed the door open spoke with a cheery energy she didn't feel, "Doc it's time for breakfast and I won't take no for an answer. You didn't have dinner last night."

Doc's eyes were on Kitty as he responded gruffly, "I'm not hungry."

Bess ignored his words, "What I say to my kids holds true for you – I don't care if you're not hungry, I don't care if you don't like this food, you're going to eat. If you don't, you won't grow up to be strong and healthy."

She set an egg sandwich on a plate, filled a glass with juice, and shoved the plate and glass into Doc's hands. "This is for starters."

Doc smiled in spite of himself and accepted the offering.

Bess sat next to him and took a sip of juice as she gathered her words. "Doc I've been wondering. Did anything happen in surgery that would leave Kitty unable to have a child?"

Doc took a bite of the sandwich and chewed. It felt dry and tasteless in his mouth. "Bess, I didn't have to remove her ovaries, but there may be a lot of scar tissue that could possibly prevent pregnancy. I just don't know. Right now her well-being is my only concern. I need her to wake up."

Kitty flung an arm above her head, "Matt, Matt are you all right?"

Doc set his breakfast aside and spoke soothingly, "Everything's all right Kitty. Everything's fine." He took hold of her hand. His eyes widened and he blurted out, "Oh, no." He quickly felt her forehead.

"Bess all of a sudden she's burning up. I used carbolic acid to prevent infection, but using too much is dangerous. I…" His voice broke. Bess looked at Doc and spoke with a firmnesses born of raising children, "Don't you dare blame yourself for anything. Like you said, we are going to see her through this."

Doc removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. He put his glasses back on and nodded, "Yes, we are. Fill a bowl with water. The first thing we'll do is start cooling her down so her fever doesn't reach dangerous heights."

He wet a strip of cloth and wiped her fevered forehead and arms muttering under his breath, "Damn it Matt, you should be here."

Matt – The Same Morning

The men rose early, and just before sunrise Mike went down to the stream to refill the canteens while Matt and Beau saddled the horses.

Beau looked at Matt and grinned, "You know marshal I know an easy way for you to rid the world of the Wilson gang. When we get to the cabin make sure they're all inside, secure the doors and set fire to the place. The wood is so dried out, that cabin will light up real fast."

Matt tightened the girth on his horse without looking up, "Beau that's your style. I work within the law. We want to arrest your brothers and have them stand trial."

Beau's grin widened, "I was only kidding marshal." He paused, "Of course my method is tried and true."

Before Matt could respond Mike returned, "Sorry that took a while. The stream is getting dryer by the second."

Mike handed 2 canteens to each man and climbed onto his horse.

As they started to ride, Beau looked at Matt and Mike and smiled again, "We'll be at the hideout by mid-day."

Matt didn't answer. He was getting tired of Beau Wilson's grin.

TBC

AN – If anyone is interested, Mike was singing a traditional Irish folk song called – The Parting Glass.