Disclaimer: Alias Smith and Jones does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit.
Any references to people, places, businesses, etc. are entirely fictitious.
A/N – story presumes the details on the wanted posters are not entirely accurate. Story exists in the same story verse as Kid Plans and South By Southeast, but should also stand alone.
Terrible Trouble
-x-x-x-x-x-x
The next morning, Heyes strode from his hotel down the streets of Cheyenne looking for Finest Firearms. The man in buff colored pants, a black shirt and dark jacket walked right past the book store and didn't even notice the elderly woman hurry outside. The newspaper boy on the corner caught his attention first.
"Extra! Extra! Extra!" shouted the young lad, "Shootout in Thunder Ridge!..."
Dark brown eyes blinked. Surely Heyes hadn't heard that correctly.
"Gimme a copy," ordered Heyes as he pressed a dime into the newsboy's hand.
Heyes gasped as he read the headline. Three inch tall type read SHOOTOUT IN THUNDER RIDGE, the line below read KID CURRY KILLED, in still smaller type below, the article began Porterville deputy injured in shootout with notorious gunslinger… Heyes knew that both of those statements couldn't be true. But which one? The slender man dropped the paper and started running towards the train station.
"Sir," called the elderly woman as she picked up the paper and tried to follow the fleeing man, "you've dropped your…"
A glance at the headline left Katie Smythe gasping too. The plump woman put a hand to her chest. The dark haired man turned the corner and disappeared from sight. Katie staggered forward still clutching the newspaper. Turning down the corner street, she made her way towards the gunsmith's shop. A little bell tinkled over the doorway as she entered.
"Henry," cried Aunt Katie.
Henry Curry moved as fast as his damaged leg would permit. He caught his mother-in-law as she collapsed.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
The ten o'clock morning freight train wasn't meant for passengers, but Heyes was desperate. He didn't care about the railroad's rules. The train was headed northwards. Heyes boosted himself into a car just as the engineer pulled the whistle. The engine huffed and chugged out of the station. The dark haired outlaw leaned back against the freight car's wall with a sigh. Heyes slowly slid down the side of the wall until he sat upon the floor. There, he wrapped his arms around his knees and placed his head down. The journey to Porterville would take at least six hours. Heyes tried very hard to not think about what was really important, but visualizing bank floor plans didn't help at all.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Heyes galloped into Uriah Cole's stable yard just as the sun was setting. No one in Porterville had been able to tell him anything about the shootout beyond the fact that Sheriff Trevors was in Thunder Ridge.
"Joshua," greeted Uriah. The big burly blacksmith took the reins of Heyes' rented horse.
"Where's my partner?" asked Heyes as he dismounted.
Uriah's eyes followed the turn of Heyes' head. The dark haired man's worried gaze fixed upon the small wooden building nearby. The faded gray sign could still be read despite the peeling paint, Luther Morrison Esq. Undertaker.
"Aww no Joshua," soothed Uriah, the big man pointed towards the big boarding house. "Thaddeus is at Mrs. Henderson's."
A beefy hand thumped Heyes on the shoulder in an attempt at comfort. Heyes staggered for a moment, but whether from the blacksmith's solace or the sudden overwhelming sense of relief he felt or just exhaustion from riding so long, so hard, was anybody's guess.
"Would you rub down the mare for me?" asked Heyes. "And…"
"I'll tend to the horse, you go check on your partner," nodded the blacksmith. "I'm sure Thaddeus will be fine when he wakes up."
"Thaddeus is sleeping?"
"Doc Beauregard used a different word," said Uriah looking downcast for a moment, then the big man smiled a gap toothed grin, and repeated, "I'm sure Thaddeus will be fine when he wakes up."
"Doc Beauregard?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Heyes took his black hat off as Mrs. Henderson ushered him into the large guest room at the end of the hall. Lom sat in the chair by the bedside. A chubby round man in a gray suit with thinning wisps of even grayer hair sprouting haphazardly from his scalp stood with his back to the door. The man didn't turn when Heyes entered.
"Joshua," greeted Lom as he moved to stand.
Heyes stepped closer. He could now see Kid. The muscular blond lay sprawled on the big double bed, partially covered by a pale blue blanket. A narrow bandage circled Kid's right bicep. Several bandages tightly crisscrossed a trail around his torso. Kid's left leg extended from beneath the quilt. The doctor peeled back the bandage on Kid's thigh and smiled in satisfaction.
"How… how is he?" stammered Heyes. Kid was so still. Heyes could barely make out the gentle rise and fall of Kid's chest.
The little man turned around. Heyes stared at the stranger, he hadn't met Mrs. Henderson's newest boarder before. Keen eyes stared back. Beauregard looked Heyes up and down.
"Who are you?" demanded the doctor. "Are you family?"
"Yeah," answered Heyes. "And who are you?"
"I'm a doctor! Neville Beauregard," sniffed Beauregard. "Now be quiet so I can check his pulse."
Heyes didn't say anything as he watched the man. Beauregard resumed his hold on Kid's wrist. After a short while the man nodded, then pulled out a stethoscope. Beauregard listened to Kid's chest and nodded again. Finally, the man used his thumbs to push back Kid's eyelids. Heyes waited, but this time the man didn't nod, he sighed and turned back towards Heyes and Lom.
"No change since yesterday," said the doctor with a small shake of his head.
"Yesterday!" exclaimed Heyes. His dark brown eyes sought out Lom for confirmation.
The sheriff nodded while the doctor started packing up his bag.
"I'll come back tomorrow, but there's really nothing more I can do," said Beauregard. "He will either wake up on his own…"
"Or what?" asked Heyes. "What do we need to do to get him to wake up?"
"Nothing. Either he wakes up on his own," said the doctor with sorrowful eyes, "or he doesn't."
For a moment, Heyes couldn't breathe. Then he felt an unreasoning surge of anger. This couldn't be happening! He slammed the door behind the departing doctor and rounded on Lom.
"Do you want to tell me what happened? I thought you were just going to deliver some papers!"
"We were, it was supposed to be simple," sighed Lom softly. "We had a subpoena for a man to appear in court on suspicions of bank fraud. McIntyre must have seen us coming. The desperado bushwhacked us."
"Desperado? McIntyre?" asked Heyes. The former outlaw recognized the name. "You don't mean Henry P. McIntyre of the Wells Fargo Bank auditing division, do you?"
"Yeah," replied Lom. "How do you know him?"
"Met him in Hanford once," sighed Heyes. He turned to look at his wounded partner. "I didn't think the man was fast enough to get three shots off against Kid."
"That man couldn't get one shot off against Kid in a fair fight," snorted Lom. Gesturing towards Kid's leg, Lom explained. "McIntyre started taking potshots at us when we rode up to the homestead. Kid got hit and I…"
For the first time since arriving at Thunder Ridge, Heyes took a good look at his friend Lom. The sheriff's bloodshot eyes told of a sleepless night. Heyes wasn't the only one worried about his partner.
"It's a wonder Kid stayed on the horse," continued Lom. "He pulled his gun, but that's when McIntyre grazed him in the arm."
"And," prompted Heyes in the silence that followed.
"Kid's aim was a bit off…"
"Understandable, seeing as how he just got shot in the arm," growled Heyes.
"McIntyre's hand was bleeding and he was squalling like a stuck pig," responded Lom. "I was gonna take them both to the doc in Porterville, but Kid said there was a new doc in Thunder Ridge, and it's closer. So we came here."
"But… but… what happened to Kid?" asked Heyes gesturing towards the bandages wrapped around his partner's chest. "How did he get shot in the chest?"
"He didn't," replied Lom. "Kid said he was fine, that he could ride. I bandaged up his arm and his leg as good as I could before we left McIntyre's place."
"Then how…, what…," spluttered Heyes in confusion. He scowled at Lom. "The paper said Kid Curry was killed in a shootout at Thunder Ridge."
"What?" asked Lom. Then the sheriff's face clouded over. "That dang young fella from the paper. He was here. When the three of us rode into town, McIntyre started shouting about Kid Curry, I guess some of the folks listening musta thought he was Curry. Everyone here knows Kid as Thaddeus."
"Wait a minute, are you saying McIntyre is the dead man over at the undertaker's?" asked Heyes.
"Yeah," answered Lom. The lawman sighed. "McIntyre turned really red in the face and just up and died. Doc called it a stroke."
Heyes nodded, understanding how the misidentification happened.
"If Kid didn't get shot in the chest," asked Heyes, "what are all those bandages for?"
"Three cracked ribs," answered Lom. Desolate black eyes looked at Heyes pleading for forgiveness. "I shouldn't have let him ride…"
Heyes rocked back on his heels. Looking at his partner, he barely heard the rest of Lom's confession.
"Kid passed out. He fell off his horse, broke Uriah's fence railing, and one of the posts hit him on the head. He's got an awful goose egg."
"And Beauregard didn't bandage Kid's head?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Lom stopped in once more before leaving to go back to Porterville.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" asked the sheriff.
"Yeah," replied Heyes from his sentinel post in the chair by Kid's bed.
The mastermind had been thinking. If the newspaper in Cheyenne had picked up the story of the shootout from the wire service in Porterville, other papers might also report the story. He had to get in touch with a friend.
"Would you send a telegram to Clem?" asked Heyes.
It was probably the longest telegram Heyes ever wrote, but Lom didn't ask him to shorten anything. Urgent. Please come to Thunder Ridge. Don't believe everything you read, but please come to Thunder Ridge. Soonest possible.
After Lom left, Heyes settled back in the chair. He watched the gentle rise and fall of Kid's chest. And Heyes whispered words straight from the heart.
"Please wake up Kid, please wake up."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Stage from Porterville's arriving," informed kindly Mrs. Henderson as she poked her head in the doorway. "You go and see if your friend is there, I'll watch Thaddeus."
Heyes hesitated. Doc Beauregard had just left. The medical man had removed the bandage from Kid's arm, and indicated the bandage on Kid's leg could come off tomorrow. But when Heyes asked the doctor about Kid waking up, the man stopped talking. Heyes didn't want to leave Kid. Mrs. Henderson crossed her arms and gave him a pretend frown.
"I'm not taking no for an answer," insisted the motherly older woman. "You need some fresh air."
Heyes walked towards Uriah's. The sometimes weekly stage could be seen coming down the ridge from Thunder Pass. Heyes leaned against the fence railing and watched as the driver reined in the horses. Whoa! Muffled female voices sounded from within the coach. Heyes stepped forward to open the door, but the door was shoved open from within. A tall blonde woman dressed in dark violet stepped out of the stage. Matt glared at Heyes. She stepped forward almost stepping on his toes.
"You were supposed to watch out for him," she hissed. Then Matt turned and stalked off towards the undertakers.
Heyes tried to stop her but a second woman wearing a blue and white travelling outfit stepped down from the stage. The tiny brunette threw her arms around Heyes' neck. Clem wept loudly for public appearance and demanded even more loudly, for all in hearing range, to know the whereabouts of her cousin. But with her lips pressed close to Heyes' ear, Clem whispered, "Where's Kid? Tell me he's alright!"
"This way Clem," urged Heyes.
As the dark haired pair hurried side by side towards Mrs. Henderson's boarding house, the door slammed shut at the undertakers. Matt stomped out angrily. The tall blonde crossed the street towards Heyes and stopped directly in front of him. She put her hands on her hips, elbows jutting out at either side and frowned menacingly.
"Where…" began Matt.
"Sssh," hissed Heyes in a low voice.
The slender man slipped his arm into hers as if they were at a social gathering and pulled Matt close.
"Don't blow this," warned Heyes. "Thaddeus Jones and Joshua Smith might want to continue living in this town."
Beside them, Clem put her hands on her hips and glared at the tall blonde woman, then she glared even harder at Heyes.
"Joshua," sniffed Clem as she narrowed her hazel eyes, "who is this woman?"
"Introductions can wait," insisted Heyes. He grabbed both women by the elbows and steered them towards the boarding house. "Both of you, inside."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Mrs. Henderson looked up as Heyes, Clem and Matt entered Kid's room. The older woman looked a little puzzled.
"Joshua," asked Mrs. Henderson, "won't you introduce your friends?"
"Certainly Mrs. Henderson," replied Heyes. With a gesture towards the diminutive brunette on his left, Heyes began, "Allow me to introduce Miss Clementine Hale…"
Clem stepped forward raising her hands on either side of her face.
"I came as quickly as I possibly could," babbled Clem, she fanned herself and wailed, "my poor dear cousin…"
Heyes rolled his eyes at Clem's theatrics, but they got the desired effect. Mrs. Henderson's face softened in concern. Clem moved even closer to Kid, settling herself in the chair that Heyes had recently vacated. On Heyes' right, the tall blonde woman stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Since my fiancé's partner seems to have forgotten my name, allow me to introduce myself," said Matt in a low tone.
"Fiancé?" repeated Clem in surprise. She shot a look at Heyes, but the Kansan shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea what Matt was pretending.
"I'm Matilda Markham," informed Matt as she moved to the side of Kid's bed opposite Clem. Heyes watched as the blonde stroked a long fingered hand down the side of Kid's face. He blinked as a barely perceptible movement seemed to register on Kid's face. Heyes was watching Kid so closely, he almost missed hearing the tall woman add, "Matt to my friends."
"Now that's just wonderful," gushed Mrs. Henderson. Then, the business woman got to practicalities. "Will you ladies be sharing a room? Or need separate rooms?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
"Fiancé?" squawked Clem in a high pitched voice as the door shut behind Mrs. Henderson. The tiny woman stood up, leaned over Kid's bed and demanded, "Why did you say fiancé?"
"You're already the cousin," reminded Matt softly. She continued to look at Kid, just stroking the side of his face.
"You could have said sister," retorted Clem as she gestured towards the woman's blonde hair.
Heyes stepped closer to Clem and pulled her back.
"Clem, not now," chided Heyes softly, before he turned on Matt. "Matilda Markham? Are you using your grandmother's name as an alias again?"
The former outlaw crossed his arms over his chest and stared at the woman on the other side of Kid. Clem glared at Matt and crossed her arms as well.
"No," replied Matt without moving her gaze from Kid's face. "My divorce was finally granted. I didn't want to go back to using my maiden name. Judge said I could have any last name I wanted, so I picked Gramma's."
"Why are you here?" demanded Heyes.
"I came as soon as I read the news in the paper," answered Matt softly. Then she looked up at Heyes. Her blue eyes drilled into him. "How long has he been like this?"
"Three days," replied Heyes. At the unspoken question in her eyes, he added. "The only movement he makes has been to swallow water."
"And you've been by his side all that time," stated Matt with the certainty of past experience. Clem turned her glare towards Heyes as Matt asked, "Have you had any sleep?
-x-x-x-x-x-x
"No," insisted Clem pushing Heyes into the next bedroom. "You get some rest! We'll both watch Kid."
"But, but…," protested Heyes.
"And I'll watch her!" promised Clem.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Heyes stretched out on the bed for the first time since he'd picked up that awful newspaper. He rolled over on his side facing the wall that adjoined the room where his partner lay.
"Kid," whispered Heyes, "you've got to wake up. We promised Grampa."
Brown eyes closed, and a worried man drifted into an uneasy sleep where he revisited a memory that a devastated boy had long ago locked away.
Arthur Heyes shouted at the boys to get in the root cellar. Then the Dublin born school teacher picked up his axe and headed towards the main house. Moira followed Han's younger sister Cleo out onto the porch. Han saw his mother hurry Cleo in the direction of his father. The girl looked back once, but then started to run in earnest. The sound of a rifle cracked. Cleo fell in the dusty yard between her mother and father.
"Cleo!" screamed Han. The thirteen year old started out of the cellar doorway, but Grampa pushed him back.
"Stay here!" commanded the family patriarch.
The root cellar door slammed shut. More shots fired, horses squealed in agony. Arthur Heyes' voice could be heard bellowing.
"Dúnmharfóirí!"
Han tried to push the door open despite Jed's efforts to hold him back, but something, or someone, blocked the door. It seemed like a long time until all was silent except for the pained screams of a horse. The door scraped. Grampa, holding a hand against his bloody lower abdomen, stood framed in the opening. Behind him, Han could see the house and barn burning. Bodies lay in the farmyard.
"Put the horse out of its misery," ordered Grampa.
Han stared at the devastation, unmoving. It was nine year old Jed who took the pistol from Grampa and walked over to the squealing animal. One more shot blasted and there was silence.
"Bring Arthur, Moira and Cleo to the root cellar," gasped Grampa. The mortally wounded man leaned against the door frame. "I don't want any critters messing with their bodies while you boys go to town."
A big black crow settled on the broken fence post and eyed one of the dead marauders as Grampa spoke.
"Town?" asked Han.
"Yes, go tell them what happened here," whispered Grampa as his body slowly slid down the jamb. "Watch out for each other. Try to stay out of trouble, but do whatever you need to survive! Stay alive!"
"Heyes," called a soft voice. "Heyes. Wake up Heyes."
Heyes bolted straight up and cracked his head against Clem's.
"Ow!" Heyes exclaimed as he rubbed the top of his head. Beside him, Clem rubbed her chin.
"Are you alright?" asked Clem. "You seemed to be having a nightmare."
"Yeah," nodded Heyes. Then he shook his head and ran his hand through his dark hair. "I mean yeah, I had a nightmare."
Heyes gave a small smile to the hazel eyed woman beside him.
"Not quite sure about the alright part," admitted the sensitive man.
"Sometimes," said Clem softly, determinedly looking at the floor, "sometimes it helps to talk about things."
"It's a pretty awful story," said Heyes.
"I've got some awful stories of my own," reminded Clem.
Heyes hesitated. The tiny woman reached out and cupped the side of his face in her palm. Words seemed to flow out of his mouth without his bidding as Heyes told Clem about the day he and Kid put his parents, sister and Grampa inside the root cellar. When Heyes' voice finally trickled to a stop, there was a moment of silence before Clem spoke.
"That's not all though," whispered Clem. "There's something more, isn't there?"
"Yeah," admitted Heyes bleakly. "In tonight's dream, I put Kid in the root cellar too."
"No," said Clem firmly. She straightened up briskly. A determined little chin jutted out. "You just put that right out of your mind. That's not gonna happen! We won't let it!"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Jenny Black arrived the next morning. A hung jury long ago had restored her freedom, but Jenny was still trying to rebuild her shattered life. The rancher driving the buckboard wagon hurried to help her down. Heyes heard the kind man offer to come back and take her to the train again whenever she needed a ride. The small blonde woman waved the rancher goodbye and grabbed a slender man as he walked towards the boarding house.
"Jenny!" exclaimed Heyes as he tried to breathe through the tight hug. "What are you doing here?"
"I read the papers," replied Jenny with a shudder as she released him. She turned to look at the undertaker's building. "I came to..."
The blonde woman's voice failed and her chin quivered. In sudden understanding, this time it was Heyes who hugged her.
"Kid's not there," informed Heyes. The dark haired man turned Jenny to face the boarding house. "Remember, his name is Thaddeus Jones now, but he's not up for visitors just yet."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Wheat and Kyle rode into Thunder Ridge that afternoon. Preacher and Lobo arrived just before sundown. Lobo had a practical suggestion.
"Has anyone tried smelling salts?"
"Doc Beauregard never even suggested it!"
-x-x-x-x-x-x
"His nose twitched, a little bit," said Kyle. "I'm sure of it!"
"What else can we try?"
The pungent odor of a raw onion was followed by a whiff of Jenny's strong Parisian perfume. Clem's vanilla extract was next. Throughout the evening, a variety of odiferous objects were tried and discarded. Mrs. Henderson drew the line at the dead skunk.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Mr. and Mrs. McCreedy and their two year old son Cesar arrived on a private stage from Red Rock Texas early the next morning. Georgette Sinclair arrived slightly before noon.
"You'll have to share a room with your friend Clem and Miss Markham. I do allow three to a bed," informed Mrs. Henderson. At George's protest, the woman shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I gave the last private room to the McCreedy's.
Sheriff Coltrane from Clarendon Texas arrived later that afternoon, accompanied by Lom. Whether it was professional courtesy or just two old friends riding along, Heyes wasn't quite sure. Lom's eyebrows went up at the site of the Devil's Hole gang.
"Don't want no trouble boys," growled Lom with his best official glower.
"We ain't leavin'," objected Wheat. His chin jutted out as he continued, "least ways, not until we know Kid is alright."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
Heyes left all the new arrivals to fend for themselves. He went to check on his partner again. Heyes met Clem in the hallway leading to Kid's door.
"What are you doing out here?" asked Heyes.
"Looking for you," replied Clem.
"You left Matt alone with Kid!" exclaimed Heyes as he hurried past her and moved down the corridor. "She's dangerous!"
"Heyes, she came all the way from Texas just to see him. What do you think she's gonna do to him?" demanded Clem.
Heyes pushed open the bedroom door. The sight that awaited him was not something he'd ever thought to see. Matt leaned over Kid's bed. Her lips firmly pressed against Kid's mouth. At the sound of the door opening, Matt raised her blonde head up and looked at Heyes and Clem. The tall woman's face reddened. Heyes stepped into the room.
"What are you doing?" snapped Heyes.
The tall blonde woman ducked her head and somehow managed to look both defiant and embarrassed.
"Nothing," said Matt in a low soft voice, "You'll think I'm being stupid."
"I'm the one brought the goat in here, remember?" reminded Heyes. "And I'm seriously thinking about sneaking a skunk inside, in spite of Mrs. Henderson's objections. Nothing's stupid if it wakes him up!"
Matt didn't meet his eyes, instead she looked back at Kid. She gently traced the side of Kid's face. Heyes caught his breath. Was he imagining things? Or did Kid's face lean in towards her palm?
"When I was a little girl," she whispered, "my mother used to read stories. There was one about a sleeping princess."
Brown eyes blinked in surprise. Heyes knew that story. While Grampa Curry spun tall tales, Arthur Heyes read aloud nearly every night to his children. Sleeping Beauty had been Cleo's favorite. The princess was awakened by a kiss.
"I had to try," declared Matt.
Heyes blinked back the sudden moisture in his eyes. For the first time since he had met Matt, mistaking her for a boy, and later thinking her a dangerous murderess who nearly got his partner killed, Heyes felt he was finally seeing a glimpse of the real woman. A woman who wanted Kid to wake up just as desperately as Heyes did. He glanced at his partner. Kid remained still. Heyes swallowed. Desperation, and the magic that is love, made people do the darnedest things.
"I don't think it's a stupid idea," said Heyes softly. Brown eyes gazed directly into her blue eyes. "In fact, I might try kissing him myself to wake him…"
"Appreciate the thought partner," Kid's voice rasped, "but I don't really think that's necessary."
"Kid," exclaimed Heyes joyfully, "you're awake!"
"That's what I'm telling you," replied the long limbed man as he struggled to sit up. Kid looked from Heyes to Clem to Matt. "What's going on? What are you doing here?"
Heyes, Clem and Matt all began speaking at once. Kid's blue eyes blinked as he looked from one person to another as he tried to understand the babble.
"Five days?" asked Kid finally.
"Don't go scaring me like that again partner," replied Heyes with an emphatic nod.
Kid turned to look at the woman standing at his side. Matt had backed up against the wall and stood with her hands clasped in front of her. She kept rubbing her hands back and forth, and it looked like she was biting her bottom lip.
"I missed you kissing me?" asked Kid. At Matt's nod, Kid added softly, "Do you think we could try that part again?"
Matt's face lit up with a happy smile. As the tall blonde woman stepped away from the wall, Clem pulled Heyes backwards by the waistband of his buff colored pants. Heyes just had time to see Matt lean down to Kid and wrap her arms around his shoulders before Clem pulled the bedroom door closed right in front of his face.
"Kid! Matt! Did you see…," spluttered Heyes.
"We're not the only ones who love him," reminded Clem as she put a finger to Heyes' lips.
-x-x-x-x-x-x
"We should tell the others that Kid is awake," suggested Clem after a moment's silence.
Heyes continued to stare at the bedroom door. After days of waiting, hoping, praying, for Kid to wake, it was somewhat disconcerting to be hauled out of his partner's room.
"Come on Heyes," urged Clem.
The bedroom door opened. Matt's face was a little flushed. Heyes glimpsed his partner's smiling face behind her. The tall blonde woman beckoned to Heyes.
"He's hungry, but I don't think he should try standing on his own yet," said Matt. "Together, do you think we can get him to the table?"
Heyes' lips curled back in the first real smile that had been seen on his face in days. The dimpled man remembered his cousin telling him once that love isn't about more or less, it just is. If Kid wanted Matt around, that was gonna be just fine with Heyes.
"How about if I get him dressed first," suggested Heyes. "Then we can take him to supper, together."
-x-x-x-x-x-x
An excited babble of greetings and well wishes erupted when Heyes and Matt brought Kid to Mrs. Henderson's big dining room.
"Careful of my ribs," protested Kid with a chuckle when Jenny hugged him too hard.
Kyle nudged Wheat. Wheat elbowed Preacher, who then backed up into Lobo. The entire Devil's Hole gang grinned to see Kid up and about, but their pushing and shoving worried Heyes.
"At the other end of the table," ordered Heyes. He pointed past the McCreedy family, Jenny and Georgette. "Don't knock anything over."
Heyes insisted on settling his partner at the head of the long rectangular table. Clem brought a footstool to prop up Kid's injured leg. Mrs. Henderson began serving dinner. Heyes found himself seated between Kid and Clem. A platter of roast beef was followed around the table by bowls of mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots. Biscuits disappeared before Heyes got one. Doctor Beauregard looked into the room and shook his head.
"You should be resting," chided the medical man.
"I've been resting!" protested Kid.
Matt, seated opposite Heyes, reached for Kid's hand and squeezed it tightly. Beside her, Sheriff Coltrane's eyebrows went up. The steely eyed man looked across the table at Heyes as if he was somehow to blame for this sudden familiarity. But not everyone stayed for dinner. Lom tapped Heyes on the shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear.
"Heyes," informed Lom. "I'll be coming back in two days with a federal marshal and a judge."
"What for?" asked Heyes.
"A man is dead," reminded Lom, "there's gonna be an inquest."
-x-x-x-x-x-x