An Eye For An Eye

PT 12

Knocking lightly at the bedroom door,… "Kitty, it's Doc. Can I come in?" As he opened the door Doc saw the position the two were standing in. "What in thunder are you doing out of bed? Matt, what's wrong with you?"

"Now, Doctor, don't be mad at him. He just helped me back in here." Kitty pleaded.

"Helped you back in? From Where?" Doc looked at them both.

"Well, I heard all the noise from down stairs, so I went to see what it was. This big marshal came in and... well he was trying to get me to bed." Now she had a smirk on her face.

Doc wasn't amused. "Young lady, back in that bed and stay there."

She smirked up at Matt. "Well, Cowboy, guess you'll have to collect later."

"Collect what?" Doc snapped.

With a rather straight look,.. "For the payment of this room or for whatever services I owe for." She answered truthfully.

Doc realized what she was thinking. "Young lady, I'm a Doctor, and this big lug is the Marshal here in Dodge."

Come on, now, Doctor," she sighed. "I've worked a lot of places and the law in the town, well, they get what they want, if a girl wants to keep working that is."

"Kitty, I'm not that kind of lawman." Matt protested.

" I told you, you won't be disappointed." She said in a sultry tone.

"I'm sure I won't.." then stumbling for his words,.. "I mean, I'm sure I wouldn't, but…."

She was trying to hold back from laughing. "Relax, Cowboy, I don't bite."

Doc continued to watch her for several days trying not to let her move about town. He explained to Sam and the girls what the situation was. He didn't want to force her memory. He thought it best to let it come back natural.

Kitty woke early, feeling fidgety. She got up and looked around the room. As she opened the armoire she was amazed at all the different dresses hanging in there. "Wow! That was nice of that doctor fella' to put all these in here."

As she looked through them, she pulled out a silk white shirtwaist that had a floral print on it and a navy blue skirt. She held the shirtwaist up to her and as she approached the vanity, shock hit her when she saw her reflection in the mirror. "OH MY! What in the world happened to me?" Looking into the mirror, she saw, looking back at her, a woman that was oh, twenty years older.

She tossed the clothes on the chair and sat down on the bench, running her hands over her face and throat. Then thinking aloud,.. "I don't understand?" Then a thought came to her, "OH, well now, Kitty Russell. Now I can see why that Marshal acted like he did!"

She tried hard to blink her eyes hoping when she stopped the vision she saw in the mirror would be gone. But it wasn't. "I guess this place has plenty of young beautiful girls for him to choose from. Well, I guess I'm gonna have to get myself up and find me a job!"

Quickly she dressed and brushed out her hair, pulling it back in a soft pony tail holding it back with a ribbon that matched the shirt amazed out how everything she put on fit!

Making her way down stairs, it was early so no one was in yet.

Sam came from the back. "Miss Kitty, should you be down just yet?"

"Good morning to you too… ahhh …"

"Oh," quickly he said, "Sam! Ma'am, my name is Sam Noonan. I work here. Can I get you some coffee? It's fresh, just made it."

"Yes, thank you, Sam."

"Coming right up, Miss Kitty."

She was baffled that this man knew her name because she didn't remember meeting him before. As Sam went for the coffee, Kitty stood looking around the room. Small flashes ran through her mind standing there. She forced her eyes shut but then heard, "Morning, Miz Kitty!"

When she opened her eyes, she was wondering who this scruffy looking hill man was and why did he know her name." "Who are you?" She asked looking up and down at him.

"My names Festus… Festus Hagen. I'm the deputy here in Dodge. But you know…" but, quickly he stopped, remembering what Doc and Matt told him, that she wouldn't know them.

Festus walked closer, putting out his hand. "It's Plum nice ta' meet ya? Matthew told me all about ya."

Thinking to herself, "The Doctor? He's nice enough, and the big cowboy .., well, that one is easy on the eyes. But this one… he won't be on any customer's list. But then again if that big looking glass mirror was showing me the truth…. I need to find me a job while I'm here till I have enough to get to New Orleans."

After having coffee, and having a easy conversation with Sam, in which she asked. "Sam? This your place?"

Without thinking, he replied. "No, Ma'am, I'm just keeping it going for you.?

"For Me?" She repeated.

Sam realized what he said and not knowing how to cover it up…. "If you'll excuse me, I have to bring up some barrels from the cellar."

"Sure, Ok, don't want to keep you from your job." She finished up her coffee then headed out the door.

Sam yelled to her. "Miss Kitty, where ya going?"

Quietly she answered. "For a walk."

"But, Miss Kitty…"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Do you think you should be out alone?"

Suddenly a flash, back to the night Matt fell asleep in her bed after their supper. "Sam, did you ask me that before?"

"What do you mean?"

She just shook her head. "Never mind, Sam, I'm fine." She pushed through the doors. She slowly walked down front Street, looking around and stopping at the shops to see what this Dodge was like.

Then she spotted Matt 's office. "Hummmm, that must be the big Marshal's office."

Several flashes went through her mind. One in particular the night she walked into Matt's office to ask him to tell her to say no to Will Standbridge's proposal. But it was just bits and pieces.

She made her way across and opened the door. "Cowboy, I mean, Marshal can we talk? You got a minute?"

Again the flash from that night flowed through her head. "Something is all mixed up here."

"Here, come sit down." He rose. "Ya want coffee?" As he cleared off a chair.

"Sure, ok, Marshal."

"It's Matt." He told her.

"What?" She asked looking up at him.

"You can call me Matt." He answered.

"Oh, Ok, Matt. Nice name. I'm trying to clear a few things in my head, but everything is all out of whack!"

"Look, Kit, you had a pretty serious head injury and…"

She interrupted him. See that 's just it. What kind of head injury? And why can't I remember? And these flashes…"

"Flashes? What flashes?" He asked.

"Oh, well for instance, last night, when you came into the saloon, I was having a flash of a party or something? I was there, so were you. But Why? We never met? Did We?" She was looking at him with a soft look, it melted him through and through.

TBC