The Last Stand

Chapter 10

by

Four of Hearts

Matt and the seven remaining men from the posse made their weary way along Front Street. The whole place had changed. The street was now lined by piles of old furniture, wagons, barbed wire, barrels, crates and heaps of other bulky items that had been stacked in such a way that as they rode along towards the Long Branch the street became increasingly narrower and narrower. Matt dismounted from his horse and could hardly find a way through the barricade to get to the entrance of the saloon.

Opening the heavy wooden door at last, he first noticed several ladies inside who never would've set foot inside this place of business before. His eyes searched for Kitty as he removed his gloves, stuffing them into his coat pocket. He spied that shining red hair first, wound into a thick braid spilling down her slim back, soft tendrils mutinously escaping around her face. She was deep in conversation with Doc at the far end of the room. Matt listened quietly as they tried to decide where Doc's operating table should go. Doc was adamant that he needed light from the windows but Kitty was sure it would be safer placed along the back wall.

Suddenly Doc spotted him, his rheumy eyes lighting up as he placed a hand on Kitty's arm and nodded his head toward where Matt stood. She turned and sat perfectly still for a moment, and in her face Matt saw the incredible relief and joy that he had been returned safely to her once again.

Matt removed his hat and said simply, "Kitty..." but his clear blue eyes, crinkling at the corners, told her all she needed to know. She hurried across the room and grabbed him in a bear hug, making him grunt and laugh, and he wrapped his long arms around her and squeezed her tight.

Kitty tiptoed up and Matt leaned over as she whispered in his ear, "Welcome home, Cowboy." His only reply was a crooked smile and a caress of his thumb on her soft cheek. Suddenly becoming aware of the curious eyes around the room, she reluctantly let him go.

Doc made his way over, beaming happily, and he clapped Matt on the shoulder, shaking his hand. "Glad you're back, young feller!"

"Thanks, Doc. I've got somebody who needs some medical attention. Let me go see where he went to."

Suddenly Quint appeared through the front door with a makeshift sling on his left arm. Doc ordered, "Come over here and sit down, young man, and let me have a look at that."

Quint answered tiredly, "Sure, Doc," and was willingly led by Mrs. Cooksey, clucking like a mother hen, over to the examining table.

While Doc fussed over his patient, Matt spoke quietly to Kitty. Although he had really wanted her to leave and go to the fort, he was proud that she had decided to stay and fight, and he had to admit to himself that it was good to have her near. "So tell me what's been going on."

"Well… Mayor Whitaker took over organizing the barricades, Louie is out back pouring some concoction into bottles with the help of Mrs. Ayers, and Elmer went with Mr. Jonas on some other errand he wouldn't tell me about. Doc and I and the other women here," she stopped to indicate Mrs. Cooksey and the mayor's wife, Lavinia Whitaker, "have set up this makeshift hospital. Doc already brought one patient who couldn't make the trip to Fort Dodge over here from his office by stretcher and now Sunny has gone into early labor. Anything else I can tell you, Marshal?" She gave him a wry smile.

"No, that about covers it." The corners of his mouth turned up, but his eyes turned serious. "Kitty, I really wanted you to leave, but at the same time I'm glad you're here." He put his arm around her shoulders. "This is going to be a tough fight. We didn't turn Santiago's men back. We just slowed them down. A few were killed. We lost one man, young Carl Dean Halsted..."

"Oh, no, Matt..."

"Yeah, and one more brave kid, Nash McGuire. Kitty, he stayed behind to cover our escape. I hope he's still alive, but his chances aren't good. Santiago probably has fifty more men left. That's what we're up against. We've only got about twenty men from Dodge."

Kitty looked up at him. "You forgot the women, Matt. We have four very determined women here to back you up. That will count for something."

"I'm sure it will, Kitty." He smiled warmly at her. "I'd hate to be an outlaw who got in the way of Ruby Ayers."

She chuckled.

With a solemn expression, he continued, "The Comancheros will probably be here in about an hour or so. Quint managed to upset their plans a little so that gained us some time."

The physician had just finished wrapping Quint's arm. The wound was not serious and the blacksmith was more than willing to take part in the upcoming battle. Doc was just drying his hands on a clean towel when Lavinia called down from the balcony,

"Doc, Kitty... Sunny is in a lot of pain. I think this baby is ready to be born."

Doc looked at Kitty. "Come with me," he said urgently, then grabbed his bag and headed for the stairs.

"I'll see you later," Matt called after the saloon owner as she turned to follow Doc, and his stomach knotted just contemplating the danger she was in if they weren't able to turn these vicious men back. Kitty glanced over her shoulder at him and he saw a brief, private smile cross her face, the secrets of her heart spilling out just for him through those eyes as blue as a prairie sky. Then, with renewed determination to defeat the Comancheros, he hooked his thumbs in his belt, heading outside to find the mayor and give him the details of their encounter with the outlaws.

Doc and Kitty arrived at Sunny's room in time to see her double over and clutch her bulging stomach. Doc pulled his watch from the pocket of his well-worn vest and noted the time. Once the contraction had passed he had her lie down again so that he could carefully examine her abdomen. He could feel the baby easily but things were not as they should be.

He turned to Kitty, wiping his hand across his face and looking serious as he gave a small shake of his head. She whispered in his ear the news that Matt had given her about the Comancheros' imminent arrival. He paled a bit, but then patted her arm comfortingly, not saying a word. Galen Adams was a doctor, not a fighter. He had patients to care for and there was nothing he could do to stop the impending invasion.

It was almost five minutes before the next contraction came. He took the young girl's hand and waited until she could relax again, then he tried to explain to her what was happening. "Sunny, your baby is trying to come into the world feet first. This is not the usual way a baby is born and it will make the delivery a little more difficult, but if you work with me and do what I say there is a good chance that everything will be all right." As he spoke he removed the wire spectacles from his face and placed them back in their case.

"I'm scared, Doc." The girl's voice quavered and she looked at him with tear-stained cheeks.

"You let me do the worrying." Other than that he had no suitable reply for her so he just patted her hand. Unconsciously, he pulled on his ear with his left hand and reached out with his right to check her pulse. The action gave him time to think. There was no way that this baby was going to come into the world without his constant attention. At the same time there were going to be casualties from the upcoming battle that would require his skills.

Doc pulled Kitty aside and spoke to her quietly. "Kitty, I can't be up here and downstairs at the same time. I want you to clear that table in your office and find some clean sheets and towels, and ask one of the ladies to get some water boiling. We will deliver Sunny's baby down there." He tried to sound confident like he knew this would turn out fine, but deep inside he was worried. A breech delivery was never easy and this one was not taking place under ideal circumstances.

Kitty left and went along to her own room to grab the clean linens Doc had requested. Then she headed downstairs to her office to prepare for the delivery. She was surprised when Lavinia appeared and volunteered to help her. She did not expect that. Neither did she want to have to tell the mayor's wife that this was going to be her grandbaby.

The women had the room ready by the time Doc and Delilah Cooksey had slowly and awkwardly walked Sunny down the stairs and into Kitty's office. They had found a few old quilts and folded them to place on the table hoping to make it a little more comfortable. Then they'd spread a clean sheet over the top.

While Kitty was helping Sunny get settled, Doc went to check on the patient he had brought from his office. He was truly amazed that this man had lived long enough to reach adulthood. Maybe he had been lucky and had contracted a milder form of the disease than most of the few hemophiliacs he had seen. The patient had been placed on a cot behind the bar, where they thought he would be reasonably well-protected from any stray bullets. Doc checked his pulse, the dressing on his leg and felt his forehead for fever. "It looks like you're doing fine, Tim, but I want you to stay very still and quiet. There's gonna be a lot of noise and commotion going on around here soon, but it is important that you stay right here, just quiet and easy, till all this is over. I know your wife and kids went out to the fort so they should be safe."

"Maybe I should have gone with them, Doc."

"No, that wouldn't have worked, son. A wagon ride that far would have started you bleeding all over again, and I wouldn't be out there to look after you. So you just lie there and take it easy."

The young man smiled up at him with worry creasing his forehead, "Thanks, Doc."

The physician shuffled his way between the cots that had been set up by the women and made his way back to the makeshift delivery room. Sunny's contractions were only two minutes apart by the time he arrived. Taking out his stethoscope he plugged it into his ears and placed the bell on her abdomen to listen for the baby's heartbeat. So far, so good. It sounded strong and not too fast. He washed his hands and set out the instruments he might need so that Kitty could have them ready for him to use.

The girl was nervous. This was her first baby and she had no idea what to expect. He tried to explain things to her, but the pain and the fear prevented her from concentrating on his words.

Suddenly, ominous noises came from out in the street, the unmistakable sounds of gunfire. Kitty's eyes met Doc's, and she anxiously gripped his forearm. Doc knew she was thinking of the marshal out there amidst all the bullets flying.

"We'll survive, Kitty. We have some tough folks out there, and Matt is good at taking care of himself." He tried to sound encouraging, and Kitty willed herself to let go of Doc's arm and concentrate on the birth at hand.

Sunny cried out as the next contraction hit. The noises outside were getting louder and from somewhere in the distance there came a deafening, ground-shaking explosion. Kitty jumped and clamped her hand to her mouth so as not to cry out. Fortunately Doc's patient seemed unaware of anything outside of her own pain.

He examined the girl for the fourth time. The baby was slowly making its way towards the outside world. No matter how many times he had done this – and goodness knows he had delivered more than a thousand babies – there was always a thrill at bringing a new life into the world that nothing else could replace. Of course, occasionally there was not a happy ending. Nature didn't always play by the rules, and he never forgot those times either. Hopefully, this was not going to be one of them.

Someone was outside in the saloon calling for him. He looked up at Kitty. "Go see what they need, and make sure none of those men come back here."

She returned in a few minutes. "It's one of Whitaker's sons, Doc. He took a bullet in his chest, and Harmon Brewer has a flesh wound on his forehead, but I think Mrs. Ayers is taking care of that.

Sunny tried to get up at the sound of the boy's name, "Is it Josh? Is Josh hurt?" but Doc pushed her down again, wondering that Sunny knew Mayor Whitaker's son.

"You have to stay here – think of that baby. I'll go check on him."

"Stay here with Sunny," he told Kitty as he pulled the sheet back over his patient and walked over to the bowl to wash his hands. "We need some more water here – I'll send one of the women in with some."

He grabbed his bag and went to check on the boy. He found Lavinia holding her elder son's hand. He looked pale and frightened. Doc examined him quickly and knew there was probably not much he could do. The bullet was deep in his chest and there was no way to extract it. Even to attempt the surgery would be a useless exercise. As he checked the boy's pulse he looked at Lavinia and saw in her expression that she knew as well. He retrieved the bottle of laudanum from his bag and measured out a dose into a shot glass which he handed to Lavinia, her eyes haunted and her face bloodless. "Get him to take this. It'll help some," he told her as he squeezed her hand sympathetically.

While he waited for the drug to take its effect he checked on Brewer who, of course, claimed that he was ready to go back out and fight some more. There was a lull in the noise right then. Maybe that was good – but more likely not.

Doc returned to the Whitaker boy, cleaned the wound a little and applied a dressing, then he left mother and son to their quiet conversation.

Lavinia sat beside her son gently holding his hand and mopping his forehead with a damp cloth. "It's going to be alright, Josh. Doc is delivering a baby. When he's done, he'll be back to take care of you."

"No, Ma, I don't think there is much he can do for me." The laudanum was clouding his mind. "Ma, is it Sunny's baby he's delivering?"

"Yes," she answered with surprise. "How did you know?"

He did not reply for a moment. She thought he had fallen asleep because he closed his eyes. He suddenly looked at her with firm resolution, his grip tightening on her hand. "I have to tell you, Ma. That is my baby. Sunny and I were… well, we are in love. I wanted to marry her..." His voice faded. "...but I guess you wouldn't understand."

Lavinia sat there frozen for a minute. Her son, the one with such a bright future, wanted to marry a saloon girl. What would Mr. Whitaker say? Love, what a strange word to her ears. Had she ever known love? Maybe Josh was right in thinking she couldn't understand. She squeezed his hand and then turned away. Taking a handkerchief from a pocket of her skirt, she held it to her face, trying to hide her feelings.

"Ma, don't cry." Josh's voice was growing weaker and was accompanied by a small cough. "Sunny will never tell."

FoH

It'd taken almost a half hour before Doc had been able to return to the makeshift delivery room. Kitty could tell by the look on his face that whatever was going on out there in the barroom was not good. Fortunately, by this time Sunny was so exhausted by her labor that she seemed to pay no attention to her surroundings.

Adams checked his watch, still propped where he had left it on the table. They were now well into the third hour of Sunny's labor and he hoped there had been some progress.

Gently he examined her again and at last he managed to locate a miniature foot. Carefully he started to straighten out the tiny leg it was attached to and eased it into the outside world. He could feel Kitty's eyes on him. He smiled up at her and spoke to the mother-to-be, "Now, Sunny, I want you to push really hard the next time you feel the pain come."

He saw Kitty take the saloon girl's hand, "Just hold tight, Sunny," she whispered in the girl's ear.

As the girl started to push once more he managed to find the other foot and bring it down to join its mate. With each contraction the baby got closer to his reach. Eventually he had the baby's buttocks and torso there in front of him.

"It's a little boy, Sunny," he told her and was rewarded with a smile from her strained features. "Kitty, warm a towel by the stove there and hand it to me."

Carefully he wrapped it round the small exposed body. Then he waited. There was just the head left to deliver and that was going to be the most difficult part.

The gunfire outside was continuous now. He could hear shouting and a few screams. Then it sounded like one of the windows of the Long Branch shattered as the sound of breaking glass overpowered the noise of gunfire. He tried to ignore what was happening out there. His focus had to remain on the task in hand.

At last the baby's head came within reach. Gently he worked his fingers along the little body until he could feel it. He almost knew what he would find. The cord was wrapped tightly around the neck and would strangle the baby before it was born unless he could cut it before it moved any further.

"Sunny, I want you to stop pushing. The cord is wrapped around your baby's neck and I need to cut it. Kitty, pass me one of those clamps." Carefully, he worked the clamp up to his fingers that were touching the cord. It was not easy but he managed to get it in place just as the girl started to push again. "No, Sunny! Kitty, get her to take small short breaths. She mustn't push now. Pass me that other clamp quickly."

Sweat dripping from his temples, Doc carefully worked until he had two clamps on the baby's umbilical cord. Keeping one hand in place he reached for the scissors. If he could just cut between the clamps, he could manage to get this baby delivered.

tbc

FoH