PT.21

Orphan Train

Kitty was pacing the room, trying to keep her anger under wraps. Matt was trying his best to calm her, attempting to stop her pacing and ranting. "Kitty, Honey, he's gone. Can you try to calm down and talk to me?"

"OHHH, Mattttt. I am so angry right now. How dare that man come to our home and think he has the right to claim…"

Grabbing her by her shoulders, to steady her, "Kit, I'm just as upset about this as you are. But getting all excited isn't going to help."

"It will for me." She said with a short tone.

Inhaling, Matt knew it wasn't going to be easy to calm her. As he said, he was just as upset but had a little better control of his temper.

"What could he possibly want, after all these years?" She asked.

"I don't know but, honey, we don't have to figure this out tonight."

"Well, I'm certainly am not going to be able to sleep, knowing that man is lurking around here."

"Kit, please take a deep breath. Let's go up and see the new baby. Come on. Please?"

Quickly taking her thoughts back to Becca and the baby, "Oh, alright. For tonight, we can table this discussion." They both headed up the stairs, to see their new granddaughter.

Now the family and few friends, gathered in the room ..all wanting to see the new arrival…

John and Becca sat holding their new little daughter. John looked at the baby then at everyone else. "Isn't she just beautiful?"

"She's perfect." Kitty said smiling.

Festus, of course, was trying to get close enough to try and make the baby smile.

"Ohhh, Festus. She doesn't know what you're trying to do."

"But, Miz Kitty, this here little bitty baby, she'a smiled at me."

Laughing, Mark looked at him and said, "Uncle Festus, its just gas."

"Gas?" Festus repeated.

"Yes, gas. She probably has air in her stomach. She's probably hungry."

Now everyone was trying to hold back a laugh.

Then Festus looked to Becca. "Miss Becca? What'cha gonna call this little bitty baby?"

"Oh, I'm glad you're all here. Since it's Christmas and we were blessed by the grace of God with this little one, we've decided to call her Grace Christina. Mom Kitty and Pa, would one of you like to hold her?"

"Here, Pa." John said handing him the baby.

"Ahh, she's kind'a tiny."

"Maybe. She won't break, Cowboy." Kitty said as she helped, giving him the infant to hold. "That's it just hold her head. There she's fine." Kitty rested her head against Matt's arm. "Ahhh, Cowboy, she is precious."

Matt smiled down at the baby. "Well, welcome to the family, Grace Christina Dillon."

After a few minutes, "Well, I think we should all go and let Becca get some much needed rest."

After all the holiday celebrating, things began to get back to normal in the Dillon household. Mark headed back to town, didn't want to be gone just in case anyone was looking for him.

Sam and Ellie had to go. A lot of work was waiting for them.

Other than the distraction of John Endicott, the family had a perfect holiday with everyone included.

Several days had gone by without any word from John Endicott. He wandered around town, trying to think of how he was going to get to see his children. He refused to believe or take any advice about the three children not being his. He made his way around town, listening and asking questions about the two he felt stole his children away, finding a new lawyer who had just moved to Dodge and set up practice.

Michael Morris, ESQ. He had made his way west, wanting to find a town where his services would be needed. Not knowing anything about the situation, he sat in his office listening to Endicott spinning his tale about how he lost his children, but to this point hadn't told Morris this all happened twenty nine years ago and that the said children were in fact, not children any longer.

"Well, Mr. Endicott, I certainly can look into your situation and then take steps from there. Now, I must ask you this."

"Go on, ask me whatever you want, if it will help me get back my family."

"Ok, can I assume you have a proper place in which to raise these children?"

Furrowing his brow, "Raise them? Why, I don't need to raise them."

Now confused, Morris stood rubbing his chin. "Now, let me get this right. You say your children were taken from you and taken clear across the country and you want to reclaim them from the people who took them in and adopted them?"

"Yes, that's what I've been telling you all along."

"And you say you won't be needing to raise them? Have I missed something here, Sir?"

Scratching his head. "They ain't little children anymore. But all the same, they are my family not that Dillon fella's and the redheaded woman."

"Dillon, you say?"

"Yes, that is their name. My little girl didn't even want to talk to me. They've done poisoned their minds."

"Are you referring to Matt and Kitty Dillon?"

"Yeah, Matt Dillon. That was his name."

"Well, now, wait a minute. Marshal Dillon, I mean Mr. Dillon would never just up and take someone's children away from them."

"Well, he… they did just that. Oh, they didn't know me but…"

"Wait, Mister. Maybe you'd better fill in a few things here."

"Ok, it's like this. I was raising my family in New York and the wife come down ill. And after I lost her, I was grieving somethin' awful. I had to go find work but it was hard and the girl, she was almost grown. It was up to her to take on some responsibility. After all, what do I know to do with little ones?"

Now Morris began thinking. Morris had become good friends with Mark once he decided to take over Doc's practice. They were about the same age. "If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Endicott, Melinda, John and Mark are the children you speak of?"

"Yeah. My Lindy, she'd grown to a pretty gal and John, well, he is the spittin' image of me."

"I'm sorry, Sir, but you have no standing here. I suggest you take a ride to the Dillon's, if you want to know them again. Maybe it will happen. But as far as the law, there's nothing I can do. The Dillon's adopted them all legally."

His temper flared. "You too, huh?" He rose, looking at Morris. "Well, I'll show you all. I'm their Daddy." Then he stormed out of Morris' office.

Endicott made his way over to the Long Branch. The lunch time crowd was starting to come in. Sam spotted Endicott coming through the door. "Can I help you, Sir?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, coffee."

"We have a few specials you might be interested in. Would you like a menu?"

Endicott stared at Sam, studying his face. "Say, don't I know you from someplace?"

"Could be, Sir. I've been in Dodge many a year. And I believe we met on Christmas night."

"Christmas night, you say?"

"Why yes, don't you remember? When you came to the Dillon ranch?"

"Ok, yeah, now I remember. You were that big fella that answered the door."

"That's right. Miss Kitty and Marshal Dillon are good friends and have been for…"

"Ah, never mind." Endicott said. You're just be another one that thinks I shouldn't have my children."

After an hour or so, Endicott looked around the room and motioned to Ellie. "Say, where can a fella get a drink around here?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sir. Dodge City is practically a dry…"

"Ahhhh, sheessh!" He got up and left without waiting for his bill when Sam tried to stop him.

"Hey, wait a minute. You didn't pay." Just as Sam finished, Endicott turned swiftly and took a shot at Sam with a full fist but nothing with any strength.

Sam took hold of him and tried to hold him from swinging again. "Now, look here, fella, I don't want to hurt you so…"

As they were standing on the boardwalk, Newly saw what was happening. "Hey, Sam, what's going on here?"

"Well, Newly, this here fella tried leaving without paying and just now took a shot at me."

"Now, fella, if you're really down on your luck right now, we can overlook you skipping on your bill."

"Ah, I don't need your charity."

Newly tried talking to him, thinking he needed help with something or another. "Sir, if you'll just calm down, my friend Sam here is just trying to help you out."

School was letting out just about that time and Melinda made her way down Front Street. "Hi, Uncle Sam, Uncle Newly."

This irritated Endicott. "What do you mean, Uncle Sam and Uncle Newly?"

Melinda spotted him. "Oh no."

"Lindy, these two here ain't your kin."

"Yes, they are, at least to me."

"Now, girl, you listen to me. I'm your father."

"NO! No, you're not! My father is my pa, Matt Dillon and I told you at the house. You are dead to me! Momma and Pa, they raised us very well in a loving home. They took great care of us. You have no business here so please leave us alone. All of us!"

She walked away and he began to follow her, grabbing her by the arm.

Quickly, Newly intervened. "Now, just you wait. Take your hands off the lady. She asked that you stop bothering her."

Endicott was in no mood to be brushed off, not by Melinda or Newly. Quickly, again losing his temper, he turned and swung at Newly.

Newly swung back, landing Endicott in the street.

Slowly gathering himself and getting to his feet, his nose and mouth bleeding, he brushed off his clothes, looked around, then spotted the doctor sign, swinging at the foot of the stairs. Walking up, trying to hold his fingers tight at his nose, he knocked on the door.

"Come in." Mark hollered. "It's open!"

"Hey, Doc, need a bit of help here."

Mark quickly sat him down looking at his nose and trying to see if it was broken. "This just happen, Sir?"

"Yeah, down stairs. That fella with the little tin star socked me."

"Newly?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, that's what that other fella called him."

"Well, looks to me like you have a broken nose. I'll splint it up for you. Just be careful not to hit it again. Let it heal. OK?"

"I'm not planning on hitting it again. Wasn't planning it this time. First, my boy took a poke at me then this man with the tin star. And all I was trying to do is talk to my Lindy."

"Lindy?" Mark repeated.

"Yeah, my Lindy. My girl."

"Do you mean, Melinda?"

"Yeah, yeah. I always called her Lindy."

"Melinda Dillon Montgomery?"

"No, that ain't right. Her name is Melinda Endicott."

"Endicott? We haven't been Endicott for oh, twenty nine years. What do you want with my sister?"

"You're sister?"

"Yeah, Melinda, John and I are siblings."

"What's your name, boy?"

"Mark. Dr. Mark Dillon."

"Ohhhhh, Little Mark?"

"Who are you? And how do you know our names used to be Endicott?"

"Well, boy, I'm your father."

Mark stared at him with eyes wide, unable to say a word.

Endicott just studied Mark's face.

TBC