Chapter 27 - Nat with Adam

Adam, ever since he learned to walk, seemed more inclined to run. It was hard for me to run my business and keep up with him, especially when our two older kids were in school. Abby helped before and after school, but a nine-year-old girl needs time to be a child. Therefore, I was happy when Nat volunteered to take his baby brother with him and his friends Lester Pruitt and Tommy Harker on an unseasonably warm first Saturday in November. They were going to spend the afternoon exploring the old Nelson farm just south of town. Adam was excited to be sitting in front of his big brother on a horse and Nat promised to keep a sharp eye on him when they got there. What could possibly go wrong on an abandoned farm only three miles from town?

The answer was everything, as I found out when Lester and Tommy came bursting into Doc's office where I was helping him patch up Burke, who'd been wounded slightly when Adams Express was robbed, although you'd never know it from the way Burke was carrying on. Matt was forming a posse with Lionel and Festus to go after the two robbers, but had listened enough that he told the two boys to tell me what happened. I had to believe he was concerned, but it was one of those times I'd never get used to when the badge came first.

"Mrs. Dillon," Lester blurted out between pants for breath, "Nat says they're not hurt, but you've got to come back with us with a rope to get them out. We asked Mr. Dillon first, but he told us to tell you."

"Get them out of where?" I asked, fearing the worst. "If they're not hurt, why do you need a rope?"

"There was this well under some rotting boards and they fell through when Nat caught up to Adam. He's sure fast for a baby."

"We looked down it," Tommy added. "It's not deep enough so you'd get hurt, but too deep and steep to climb out of. We tried to reach down to pull them up, but it was just too far."

"Kitty, the boys are probably right about them not being hurt, but I'll come along just to be sure. We can use my buggy. Burke, have you got some strong rope in your office?"

"You know I do, Doc. I'll show you where it is if you think I'm strong enough to leave your office."

"Burke, it was just a crease. You just need to keep your arm in a sling for a few days. Quit your lollygagging. The sooner we get that rope and head out to the Nelson place, the sooner Kitty will feel at ease."

Doc was right. I was far from feeling at ease. I was worried about my sons and mad at my husband – their so-called father. Of course, I should have been used to it by now. That darned badge; it always came first. It's not that he hadn't told me that from the day we first went beyond a casual greeting as we passed in the street. He'd missed countless picnics, social events and even holidays in the past because of that badge, but this was different. His sons' lives could be in danger and he was leading a posse – a task his deputies could easily do without him.

Doc had finished with Burke, so we all left his office for the stable. I'd known Doc would come with me, so I didn't bother trying to find any able bodied man who hadn't joined Matt's posse. My determination as their mother and Doc's horse and buggy would have to do. If we couldn't handle it, Nat's friends would soon arrive with Carl Pruitt and Oliver Harker, their fathers.

I reckon I should have left the small posse I'd gathered in the hands of my two deputies, but the robbers had headed south out of town, so I stuck with them for a bit. Besides, I was afraid they would choose the Nelson place as the most likely spot to stash the money and I wanted to catch them before there was a chance my boys might get mixed up in it all. It would be better if Kitty didn't see me ride out of town, so I sent Nat's two friends to talk to her in Doc's office. She'd be mad, but she'd get over it – I hoped. After all, I was going after my boys not just the robbers.

The two men we were after left a clear trail. They were headed straight for the Nelson place. Even Lionel, who was still learning to read sign, could see it, but he didn't put up too much of a fight when I told him to ride on past with the remainder of the posse, except Festus, to a small abandoned mine before circling back to the Nelson farm.

We approached the farm cautiously. I sent Festus around back so he could come in from behind what remained of the house and barn while I came in from the front through a stand of trees that would get me close enough to hit whatever I had to shoot at even without my rifle. From my hiding spot I could see Nat's horse tied to one of the remaining upright fence posts. I also saw the two men I was after and their horses, but not the boys. Since the two horses were on the opposite side of the shack, I believed the men hadn't realized there were two boys in the well. That proved to be the biggest mistake of my life. They had the boys lying flat on the ground behind a downed section of fencing and grabbed them as soon as I announced myself.

"Drop your guns," I yelled as I came out from cover, my rifle raised. "I'm the US Marshal in Dodge. You're under arrest for robbing the freight office and shooting the manager."

"Marshal, I'm afraid we can't comply," the larger of the two replied. "Instead, you drop that rifle and unbuckle your gun belt unless you want to see these boys with a bullet in their brains. We saw their horse and found them when we went to check if the well was a good place to stash the money. They were quite willing for us to get them out. Looks like the effort was worth it. They make excellent hostages."

I did as I was told. I was taking no chances with my sons' lives.

"I thought you'd cooperate. Now kick them both toward us."

"All right, now what? If you want a hostage, take me and let the boys get on their horse and ride away. Nobody will stop you if you have a US Marshal."

"Now that's a tempting offer. The little one's driving me crazy with his whimpering. Walk forward with your hands where we can see them and we'll move closer with the kids. Course, we wouldn't even think of turning them loose until we were sure we had you."

I was in luck. Maybe I'd get a chance when they set the boys scampering to signal Festus and make my move. It didn't appear they knew I had any connection to the two boys, that is, until Adam spoiled it.

"Pa," he cried and started to pull away from the man holding him.

He was a big man, maybe three inches shorter than me, but burlier. He gave Adam a vicious blow with his pistol, knocking him cold, and then began to kick him. I raced forward just as Nat tried to get to his brother. The man holding him was as tall, but not quite as heavy as the other. Still, he was quick. He knocked his pistol against Nat's head, knocking him to the ground. I continued to race forward, grabbing my rifle from where I'd tossed it, no longer caring about anything but my boys. The big one was still kicking Adam, so I fired, sending him sprawling just as Festus came up behind the other one and Doc and Kitty arrived.

I hadn't killed him, just wounded him enough to stop him from hurting Adam anymore. I wanted him alive so I could beat him with my bare hands and then kick him until my strength left me. Kitty and Doc would do what they could for Nat and Adam while I beat the big man for maybe killing my youngest. I dropped the rifle just as I reached him, grabbed him by his shirtfront and kicked his pistol away, but not very far. I then pounded him with my fists until he fell to the ground. Once he was down I kicked him in the head, in the ribs and in his wounded shoulder.

"Matthew, he can't hurt Adam anymore and the other one is done too. "You've got to stop."

I was tiring, so I did what Festus asked. Incredibly, the man had more fight left in him. He rolled toward his gun and grabbed it. I picked up my rifle as the bullet whizzed by me and fired at him, killing him. The smaller one, while Festus was momentarily distracted, grabbed the pistol his partner no longer had any use for and turned to fire at Festus. My deputy was quicker. The second outlaw also lay dead.

By the time I got to my family, Kitty was sitting on the ground holding Adam and weeping while Doc was looking him over. Fearing the worst for Adam, I walked over to help Nat, who was still a bit dazed from the blow to his head, to sit up. Nat, despite the head injury and an ankle he'd twisted, didn't need me to stay with him. I left him and pushing back the fear went to the baby. It wasn't until I got down low enough that I could tell if he was alive or dead. He was breathing, but shallowly, his little body a mass of bruises. He wasn't crying. Just drawing breath was too much of an effort. I think he would have stopped trying if it weren't for his mother's comforting arms gently surrounding him, as she rocked back and forth doing his crying for him.

"Matt, Kitty, it could be worse," Doc said. At least his skull isn't fractured, although I don't know how it's not. I'll know more after we get him home. Kitty, I'm depending on you to hold my godson as steady as possible on the ride home. Matt, does Nat need me right away? If not, you can help him onto his horse and ride home next to him."

"Doc, I think he'll be ok. He was sitting up on his own. Kitty, we have to believe Adam's going to be fine," I said as I tried to coax her to her feet with our baby still held gently in her arms. "Let's get the two of you over to Doc's buggy, so we can get him home."

"Don't you even talk to me, Matthew Dillon," she said, refusing to move. "If not for you and that badge, none of this would have happened."

"Kitty, you know that's not true. Yes, I rode off with the posse, but I came directly here with Festus because of the boys. Those two dead men already had them when I arrived. After my stupid mistake, I did all I could to keep the boys safe. It's just that things happened so fast after Adam yelled for me. I would have killed that animal as soon as I got here if I'd known what he was going to do and that's a fact."

My words had no effect. She was still fuming and unforgiving.

"Is that a fact? You thought that badge was all you'd need. They'd simply surrender to you and forget about the boys and one still a baby. This time I'm not sure I can forgive you."

Of course if Adam didn't make it, I'd have a hard time ever forgiving myself. She would have continued to stand there, glaring at me if the rest of the posse hadn't arrived. Instead, she let Floyd and Lathrop lead her over to Doc's buggy while Festus and Lionel took care of tying the two dead outlaws across their saddles with their own rope and the rope Kitty and Doc had brought with them. Lionel picked up the saddlebags with the money and looped them over his saddle. I'd completely forgotten about it. Instead, I walked over to my older son. He'd pulled off his boot to try to ease the pressure on his now swollen ankle. It was his right ankle, the same one he'd sprained out on the prairie by our ranch more than two years ago. I helped him to his feet and he leaned on me as I led him in the direction of his horse.

"Do you think you can ride back to town alone? If not, I'll put you up in front of me and we'll tie yours to Doc's buggy."

Nat mounted his horse with some help and, after I'd gathered my gear, we rode side by side behind Doc's buggy. The rest of the posse had already taken off with the dead outlaws. The distance was short, but it was a long trip into town. When we stopped in front of the Long Branch, Kitty, still holding Adam, and Doc got down from Doc's buggy and walked through the doors of the saloon right up the stairs to our flat without looking back. I followed with Nat leaning on me for support, still carrying his boot in his hand. I helped him get the other boot off once he was lying in his bed. Then I took strips of cloth from an old rag and wound it tightly around his ankle. I was about to leave him to see about Adam and Kitty in the other room when he stopped me.

"Pa, you reckon ma will ever stop being mad and forgive us? I don't know if you noticed, but she only looked back once during the whole trip back to town and that was only to glare at us."

"It will take some time, but I reckon she will, though I don't believe she's as mad at you as she is at me. Still, I could be wrong, you know."

I left Nat's bedroom and walked toward our bed in the main room where Kitty was sitting against the headboard with Adam lying beside her while Doc checked him over again. She didn't bother to raise her head as I entered and walked forward to sit down on the bed close to them, but far enough away so I wouldn't interfere with anything Doc needed to do.

"Go away Matt. Go back to your son and leave me to mine."

"Kitty, I can understand you being mad at me, but Nat needs his ma. He thinks you're mad at him."

"I am mad at him. He promised to look after Adam and instead let him fall into a well."

"You know how fast Adam is. Nat fell into that well too and got hurt while keeping Adam from being hurt. I'll stay with Adam while you go talk to our older boy."

"I'll do no such thing! If you think your son needs comforting, go back to him and if he's so concerned about Adam, he can hobble in here. And don't think you're sleeping in here tonight. You can join your son in his bed or go sleep in your office."

I looked at Doc, who barely nodded, and then off toward the kitchen area where Abby was preparing supper just to keep busy. I could see the tears in her eyes and knew she'd overheard. She left the stove and walked past our bed into her brother's room, barely glancing at her ma and baby brother or me. She stopped only a moment in front of Doc, who was at the table closing his medical bag, just long enough for him to answer her unspoken question. It was mine too, so I asked.

"Doc, I told Kitty back at the Nelson farm that we had to believe that Adam would come out of this, but will he?"

"Matt, I just don't know. He took quite a beating. His whole body's one big bruise and he does have a number of broken ribs and broken bones in his arms and legs too. He also has a bad concussion. The only thing he has going for him is that blow with the gun barrel didn't fracture his skull, that, and his youth. Still, I can't guarantee he'll even wake up. We'll just have to see what happens overnight. I'll be back in a few hours."

By the time Doc returned, the cold, uneaten supper remained on the stove and Kitty was just as cold toward me. There was no change in Adam either. There was nothing to give me any hope of him waking or her thawing.

"I told you to stay away. Don't try to be the father now when it's too late. You know what you and that boy of yours did. If my son dies, you and your son can leave and go live in your jailhouse or out at the ranch. I'll sell the Long Branch to Floyd and Lily and move away with Abby to forget I ever knew you. She'll get used to being without both brothers."

"Kitty, blaming Matt and Nat for what happened to Adam isn't going to make him survive. All you're doing is making them feel worse about something they had no control over, but being the people they are, they can't help but feel there must have been something different they could have done. Nat couldn't anticipate the rotten boards over that well and even if he had, the only difference is that those two pieces of filth would have had four boys instead of two. As to that monster, I would have killed him if Matt hadn't. He's the one you should be hating, not Matt. He's the one who tried to pistol whip and kick a boy who isn't even two to death because he was scared and kept whimpering, and, when he saw his father tried to run toward him."

Doc's words had no effect. I still felt guilty and Kitty was still mad. He left again, after giving Kitty something to help her sleep, with a promise to return in the morning.

I shared Nat's bed that night, although I kept listening for any sign of a change in Adam, and had just walked into the main room when I heard a knock at the door. It was Festus and Lionel.

"Matthew, is there any change with the young'un? We was fixin' to go to church with Miss Eileen and was wonderin' if there was anythin' we could tell folks. I wouldn't expect you to come seein' as how you'd all want to stay with Adam just in case he was to come 'round."

"Thanks, but there's no change. Just tell everyone how much we appreciate all they're trying to do, but right now we need to be alone. Some things you simply have to deal with on your own, you know."

Doc walked in through the closing door as Lionel and Festus left. He shut the door behind him as Abby came out of her bedroom. She looked at Doc, who started to cross the room to check on Kitty and Adam, and hugged me. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying herself to sleep. All I could do was hug her back before she too walked over to join Doc at the bedside. Kitty barely looked at her. She looked at me, but I wish she hadn't. She was definitely not happy to see me. She gave Nat the same look as he hobbled in from his room.

"I saw the look you gave pa and Nat just now and I heard what you told pa last night," Abby began. "I need to know if I can still call you Ma. I can't go off with you and forget I have a big brother. From what you've said, I'm not sure where I belong. You and pa took Nat and me in and pa gave us his name, so you cared about us at one time. I realize Adam is special cause you birthed him and didn't expect you would birth any baby. Last night you said Adam was your son and Nat's pa's son. Well, Nat's my brother. We're blood kin and we share the name of Dillon. Does that mean, if the worst happens and Adam dies, I'll be forced to choose between living with pa and Nat or with you? Then I have to choose pa and Nat. You blame Nat and pa for what that monster did to Adam, but do you also blame me? I wasn't even there. All I've tried to do is help, but all you've done is ignore me. Well, it's just not fair. It's not fair to pa and Nat and it's especially not fair to me. We love Adam as much as you do. Everyone in town knows he's pa's son as much as yours. All they have to do is look at him to see who his parents are. Nat and I may not be blood kin, but you and pa fought in court to give us the Dillon name and that means Adam's our baby brother. That's all I've got to say. Do you have an answer for me?"

"Abby, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me? Of course you're still my daughter. I hope you'll always call me Ma. I got lost in my on grief and worry and did ignore you and your feelings. I was also unfair to Nat and your father. I was looking for a way to cope with what was done to Adam, especially if I lost him. It was easier to blame them then to accept that what happened was a combination of an unfortunate accident and the actions of, as Doc and you said, a monster. I forgot the rest of you love Adam as much as I do and that your brother and father, being who they are already blame themselves for what happened. I only deepened their pain and caused you totally unnecessary grief. All of you, please forgive me."

We all sat down on the bed surrounding Kitty and Adam. Doc lifted his stethoscope and smiled. The reason was soon obvious. Adam stirred and opened his eyes.

"He's going to be fine," Doc announced.

"Mama, Pa, hurt," Adam said in response and then started to loudly cry.

We were a family again.