Nine
It was warm for October, and the ranch house had held the heat of the day. She and Christopher had taken their supper to eat on the porch at the corner table, afterward they lingered enjoying the early twilight. The moonless sky foretold a dark night and she brought a lantern to sit on the table so Chris could play in the cool evening a little longer.
The young dog had been officially dubbed `Puppy' for want of a better name. The mongrel came when he was thus called, so it seemed he was satisfied with the title as well. In the yard in front of the porch Christopher threw a ball for Puppy to fetch.
"Did you see that Miss Kitty?" Chris asked her. "Watch him, he'll bring the ball right back to me."
He tossed the ball to demonstrate, and Puppy enthusiastically chased after it tumbling once or twice over his own big feet. He slobbered over the ball until he finally got a good grip on it, and then ran all the way around the house, dropping it behind Chris. Turning on his heel he shouted, "See, I told you he'd bring it back." But when he tried to grab the ball, Puppy snatched it back and bounded away with it again.
Throwing up his hands in dismay, the little boy joined Kitty on the porch and sat next to her looking thoroughly dejected, She ruffled his hair, and said with good humor, "Well he did bring it back … he just didn't let you have it…"
At that Christopher had to giggle too, "Guess he's got some learning to do … huh Miss Kitty?"
"I guess so Christopher, but you keep working with him, he's turning into a fine little dog."
They both looked up when the heard a rider approach, it took a little while before they could make out the shape from the shadows, finally Christopher recognized the mule. "It's Ruth!"
"Miss Kitty, Miss Kitty…" Hagen shouted a fair distance away; he pulled Ruth to a stop and slipped from the mule's back at the front gate.
"We're up here on the porch, Festus, What's wrong?"
Hagen hurried up the pathway stopping in front of them, "Matthew done got back to town, he brung them two Sharlows with him…"
She stood up her heart was thumping and a queer feeling was making itself known in the pit of her stomach, "Why isn't he with you?"
"He done took a bullet in the shoulder, been carrying it around with him for a spell."
"How bad is it Festus?" She was trying to keep panic in check; Dillon had taken a lot of bullets over the years and she was acutely aware of Christopher who was standing next to her. She knew for his sake she had to remain calm.
"Ol Matthew's tough as an ox, but Doc asked me to bring you in, but don't you go worrying none…"
Willie had heard a rider coming in and came running up from the bunkhouse with his rifle in hand. She called out to him, "Matt's back, but he's taken a bullet, I'm going into town with Festus, could you hitch up my buggy please?"
"Yes'm" he replied, turning to run back toward the barn.
She took a deep breath willing calm control to her voice, "Chris I want you to stay here with Willie, while I go in town to see Marshal."
He had never defied her so it came as a surprise when he did so now, "No Ma'am, Miss Kitty, I'm coming with you." His voice was firm despite his young years, and a maternal instinct she wasn't aware existed, warned her to let him have his way.
"Fine, go on to the barn and help Willie with the buggy then see to your dog…"
The ride into town on the dark roads seemed intolerably long, "Can't you go any faster Festus?" She complained.
"Miss Kitty, I aim to get you to Matthew in one piece and to do that on the here black night, we gots ta go slow, like I tolt you, Matthew's strong as an ox, he'll be fine." She wanted to scream back at him, but she held her tongue, for she could see what this was doing to Christopher. As difficult as it was for her, to the little boy it must have seemed like his worst nightmares revisited.
There was a large group of town's people gathered in the street, waiting to hear word on Dillon's condition. They cleared a path for the threesome. She ran up the stairs pulling Chris behind her and threw open the door. Dillon was on the operating table, and it was apparent he'd lost considerable blood. Adams looked up briefly from his work and then returned to the problem of extracting the bullet. She moved to the space next to the roll top desk, where she had watched him perform numerous surgeries on the man she loved. But now she had Christopher and she couldn't bear for him to have to go through this again. "Festus," she requested, "Could you please take Christopher over to Ma Smaley's to spend the night?"
He nodded and said, "Come on Pardner, Let's me and you see if Ma has one of her extree special apple pies on hand…I got me a powerful hunger fer one of them, I'd guess a big feller like you could eat almost as much as me."
The little boy looked reluctantly up at Kitty, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" he asked.
She shook her head and smiled at him, "He'll be fine, sweetheart, I promise you."
Festus grabbed his hand and gently pulled him from the room, "Did I ever tell you about the time my Aunt Floyd got her big toe stuck in Uncle Hootie's rifle barrel?"
Kitty stared at Matt lying so still on the operating table, several days growth of beard covered his jaw, trail dust clung to his body and she thought he must have lost fifteen pounds since she'd seen him last.
The bullet safely extracted Doc started stitching him up, as he did so he said to Kitty, "He'll be fine…it took me a while to get the wound cleaned out, and the bullet was lodged pretty deep, but he'll be fine. I gave him a fair amount of pain killer, so he'll sleep for awhile." She smiled with relief, but suddenly she felt the room begin to spin around her, the back of her neck felt clammy and the all too familiar waves of darkness started to swell around her.
Newly began the task of gathering up the bloody sheets while Burke held open the laundry bag, O'Brien straightened his back and turned toward Miss Kitty. He saw her body sway and her eyes roll back, he rushed to catch her before she fell, but was too late. The corner of Doc's desk made contact with her head just before she hit the floor.
Adams glanced in her direction, and then continued with his suturing, confident O'Brien had the situation under control at least for the moment, and knowing his first duty lay in closing Matt Dillon's wound.
O'Brien did a perfunctory exam on the unconscious woman and then said to Burke who was hovering at his side, "Let's take her in back." And together the two men picked her up and carried her to the infirmary room.
Meanwhile, Doc finished with closing Matt's wound, and wrapped a bandage around his shoulder. "Burke." He shouted. "Get in here, and keep an eye on Matt for me."
"Sure thing Doc." he replied, hurrying from one room to the next; he took his position next to the lawman. There was nothing Nathan Burke liked better than to be part of the action, and he was smack dab in the middle of it tonight. He was pleased as punch.
Doc was frowning as he grabbed his medical back and went to the back room. He'd been worried about Kitty since that morning in Delmonico's. He'd felt she was over doing things with the wedding so soon after her appendicitis attack. He recalled his concern with her pallid complexion at the dinner party, and he hadn't missed the slight tremor to her hand on recent occasions. She had worked with him side by side, tirelessly taking care of Thad and now Christopher not to mention the added responsibilities of starting up the ranch. This was a case of pure exhaustion; he reassured himself, just a case of plain and simple pure exhaustion.
Newly moved from the bedside and Adams took his place. His skilled hands checked for head injury, noting the large knot from her contact with the desk. He took her pulse and raised her eyelids to look for signs of concussion. He studied her face for a moment and then did a visual exam of her body. The expression on his face showed his puzzlement and confusion. His instincts as a physician were telling him something he knew to be impossible.
Newly asked, "What is it Doc?"
He shook his head. "I'm not going to make any guesses at least not until I've done a thorough exam." With Newly's help they removed her outer layer of clothing draping her with a white sheet for modesty's sake.
She was still unconscious and Adams didn't know if it was due to the head injury or her body's need for sleep. Doc shook his head and swiped his moustache, "I don't trust that damn fool Burke, go on in by Matt, I don't want him moving around and opening up that shoulder.
When Newly reappeared in the front room Burke asked, "What's wrong with Miss Kitty?"
Newly shook his head, "Doc's still examining her."
The laudanum was beginning to wear off as the lawman on the table made his first moves toward consciousness. O'Brien did a routine check of his pulse and found it strong and steady.
The jingling of spurs on the wooded stairs announced his arrival even before the door opened. "I got Christopher all settled in at Ma's." He said in a loud voice as he entered the room.
Both Newly and Burke shushed him.
"Where're Doc and Miss Kitty?" he wondered.
"She fainted and hit her head on the desk." Burke blurted out.
Lying on the table Matt Dillon gradually became aware of his surroundings. He was aware of the pain in his shoulder and the bulky bandage covering the wound. In his semi-conscious state he could have allowed the medication to pull him back into the black dreamless state but he fought it. Maybe it was the hard table or the shoulder pain or the sound of voices. He was straining to hear what they were saying. He fought the drug harder, urging his body to move. A low moan escaped from his lips at the movement, and the pain brought him to full consciousness.
He heard Burke saying. "Doc's checkin her out now."
He forced his eyes open, looking around the room he searched for Kitty. Festus moved quickly to his side. "Matthew welcome back you ol' scudder, you're sure a sight for sore eyeballs."
"Where's Kitty?" Matt asked fighting Hagen's straight arm as he tried to sit up.
"You jest rest easy Matthew, Miss Kitty's in the back room a jawin' with ol' Doc." Hagen soothed.
"Yeah Marshal, she fainted and hit her head, Doc's checking her out, I bet he's been with her for 45 minutes."
"Hush up Burke." Festus hissed, hoping Matt was too groggy to make sense out of the freight agent's words. But Dillon had and he grabbed onto his deputy's arm and pulled himself up.
"Marshal, you're going to open up the wound," Newly warned moving in on Dillon.
"To HELL with the wound!" Dillon uncharacteristically swore, and then scowled at his friends, "Are you going to help me up or not?"
Festus and Newly looked at each other and then each took a side and helped him off the table and then walked him to the bedroom door.
"Well, OPEN IT." Dillon ordered, he was weak and shaky but nothing could have kept him from that room.
