Pete heated up some coffee while that was heating he bathed Matt's face free of the beads of perspiration that coated him. He got some water down Matt's throat, then looked to his own wound the bullet had gone clean through an easy fix he thought for Doc Adams but Matt's would be different especially the chest wound. He perked up when he heard the wagon arrive; he looked up to see Franz and Rolf approach. "How is the Marshal?"
"Not good, we've got to get him to Doc Adams in Dodge," Rolf's face was grim he liked the marshal. "Thank God you brought a wagon," they lifted Matt into the wagon which wasn't easy as Matt was over six feet tall and weighed just over sixteen stones, Pete mounted his horse and rode behind the wagon as they raced back to the farm, Elsa brought out some more blankets they wrapped them more securely around Matt. Elsa had Pete strip his shirt and bound his wound which as he suspected wasn't bad, she fashioned a sling for him.
"Rolf, you fetch the marshal's horse," Rolf jumped down from the wagon, he went in the barn, he saddled Buck and led him out, then tethered him behind the wagon Rolf got in the wagon and sat alongside Matt as they raced to Dodge, four hours later they stopped to spell the horses and check on Matt, his breathing was laboured; as soon as the horses had got their wind back they rode on another four hours and they raced up Front Street coming to a halt outside Doc's. Festus, Newly and Shane came up at the run, they lifted Matt and carried him up the stairs to Doc's, Doc was waiting at the top he opened his door and indicated the examination table.
"Doc, is Matthew goin' to be all right, he cain't die. Stay in the buggy," Festus's voice was almost pleading in his sorrow that he may lose a man he considered a good enough friend to be almost a Haggens.
"Dear God; Festus fetch Kitty I'm going to need her help and besides that you know she'll want to be here," Doc said, Franz helped Doc strip Matt down; they covered him with the blankets. Festus came back with Kitty.
"Oh, God Matt, Doc what happened?"
"Near as Pete can figure is that the rustlers' they were after were watching them. Kitty, you take his hand while I tend Pete, I'm not going to go hunting the bullets in Matt until he's made up some blood," Kitty nodded besides there was no way in hell she'd go anywhere else; Shane took Festus and Newly to one side.
"We've got to find them," Shane said, both Festus and Newly nodded, "who's the best tracker?"
"Festus and when we can get him Tobeel, he's a Kiowa and Matt's friend," Newly said.
"Right, you go fetch Tobeel, then Festus and I will go with him to track those men, Newly will you watch the jail?"
"Of course, I can get Burke to help out as well," Newly left to find Tobeel, Festus said he'd go fetch the horses; Shane turned to Doc and Kitty.
"Doc, Festus and me, we'll be riding out to find those men," Kitty looked closely at Shane she liked him, there weren't many bounty hunters who could claim any friends in Dodge, but Shane was sure one of them.
"Will you be able to get them back here alive?" Doc asked knowing that Shane would try to anyway.
"Have to cross that bridge when we get to it; I'll sure try to bring them in alive they might be wounded some. Kitty, you tell Matt we'll be back," Kitty nodded; Shane left the office Festus by then had brought their horses and Newly had found Tobeel who sat his pony to the left of Festus. "You're Tobeel," Tobeel nodded; "did Newly tell you what happened?"
"Newly tell me Matt hurt bad; I help you make trail find men who hurt Matt. He friend to Tobeel, friend to Kiowa," Shane smiled and mounted his horse, the townsfolk watched as they rode out to the north, Emmett Bowers rode up as they set out, he smiled he'd known that Festus would go and that Tobeel would but hadn't expected that Shane would go too. Emmett went up to Doc's office, he greeted Doc and Kitty.
"Doc, how are they?"
"Well, Pete's fine, Mrs Hoffmeyer did a fine job binding his shoulder up, just keep his arm in that sling for two to three weeks, he'll probably be a little stiff for a while after that."
"Fine that's just fine, what about Matt?"
"Well that's a different question; the leg and shoulder wounds I can treat easily but the chest wound's a different kettle of fish. You see he's lost a lot of blood before I go into his chest I'm going to need him to make the blood he's lost back."
"I'll send you in some beef to make broth with, he should make the blood back with that."
"That'd be about the best way, thanks Emmett, we'll get him through it no doubt about that," Doc said more in hope than anything else, he replaced the cloth on Matt's forehead and took his pulse. Emmett left Doc and Kitty to tend to Matt and too Pete to the ranch with him.
"Doc, do you mean it that Matt will recover?" Doc looked steadily at Kitty he knew how she felt about Matt and there was no way he was going to let her lose hope.
"Yes, we have to believe he'll recover, don't we, Kitty," Kitty's faint smile encouraged him; "Kitty I want you to go get some sleep, tomorrow we'll start on getting those bullets out," Kitty rose she squeezed Matt's hand and left for the Long Branch. As she walked down the stairs to the street she saw the townsfolk waiting she knew they wanted to know about Matt.
"He's holding his own, Doc's going to operate tomorrow," there was a semblance of relief in their eyes. "Anyone want a drink come in the Long Branch and you'll have the first drink on the house," they followed Kitty into the saloon. "Sam, one drink for everyone on the house," Sam watched Kitty walk up to her room as he served everybody the drink of their choice, he asked the men how Matt was and they told him what Kitty had told them, he smiled.