I must apologize for leaving Doc and Festus out of the scene with Linda, but I was so excited that I was writing again and hadn't written since before my sister's illness took over. I miss her so very much and I'm writing for her and our Mother. I hope you will forgive me of that discrepancy, I may end up doing a flash back, or not. Smile.

KR

Kitty lay on her bed, with Shay beside her sleeping soundly. But Kitty was wide awake, thinking about what had happened earlier. She had gone to breakfast with Matt and Shay. Doc was walking with them as was Festus, but Kurt Welling asked Doc to ride out to his farm as his son, Jesse had fallen and gotten hurt. Festus had volunteered to ride out with him, and they headed back to Doc's office, where he checked on his patient once more before leaving. But what bothered her most was Linda Bellamy's hateful words towards an innocent child. She knew that Linda was still hurting from the loss of her child and she knew that she herself would never be able to get over such a thing had happened to her. But she would never have been so cruel to a child. Linda still blamed her for Kathleen's death, and she was the one that had tried to help.

Shay moved her head on Kitty's breast and Kitty gently kissed her on the head. She had been sleeping for a while and Kitty turned over to gently lay her in the bed, next to Matt. Instantly, Shay turned onto her side, moving closer to Matt and she watched as Matt seemed to instinctively move over to her and gently placed his hand on her back. Kitty smiled at the two of them and she decided to just sit there and watch them as they slept as she was not tired. She just did not know how to handle Linda any longer.

The morning light slipped through the curtains and Kitty was laying on the bed, finally asleep. Matt knelt by the bed and Shay sat on the bed beside her mother. She looked at Matt and then at her sleeping mother. "Go on, wake Mama up. Give her a kiss." Matt said and Shay smiled and climbed closer to Kitty who was peeking through her lashes watching as Shay gently leaned up on her and kissed her on the cheek. Kitty pretended to wake up and smiled at her.

"Good morning my little one." She said as Shay looked back at Matt.

"We've been waiting for you to get up. Merry Christmas." Matt said.

"Mury Kismus." Shay said to Kitty who sat up and pulled the baby into her arms.

"Merry Christmas, my Loves." Kitty said as she took Matt's hand. He smiled at her and kissed the back of her hand. Shay looked up at him and he kissed her cheek.

"We have breakfast from Ma in the saloon, cause Doc, Festus, Sam, Burke, and a few other friends are going to join us Christmas Brunch." Matt told her.

"Is it that late?" Kitty said getting out of bed.

"It's only about 7:30, but this littlin' woke me before the sun was barely out of bed." Matt said smiling at her.

"Mama, Kismus chee." She said to her mother as she reached out to her. Kitty gently took her daughter into her arms and sat back against the headboard and saw the tiny gold bracelet on Shay's wrist.

"Matt?" She asked him.

"I just thought that she should have one just like yours. I want her to have things she needs and on occasion, things that she wants." He said proudly. Kitty smiled as a tear fell from her eye trailing down her cheek.

"I love you, Mathew Dillon." She said as she leaned in for a gentle kiss which was interrupted by Shay's laughter. Matt smiles at her and Kitty gets out of the bed and gets ready for Brunch, and for opening presents.

Matt, Doc, Festus, Kitty and Shayona sat at one table. There were a few others who had joined them for Christmas breakfast. The little group were enjoying their breakfast and joking and laughing, when Thad came into the saloon. He walked over to Doc and leaned down and whispered into his ear. Doc shook his head and wipe his mouth with his napkin. "If you'll excuse me, I seem to have a patient." He is not telling them that White Eagle was in distress and Ma Smalley had sent for Doc because she was unable to do anything for him. But Shayona held her doll in her hand, and she watched the old man leave. Matt knew that it had to be him, as did Kitty, but they did not want to upset the baby.

"Sally." Kitty called to Sally. Sally put the tray on the counter and walked over to Kitty and the party.

"Yes, Miss Kitty?" She calls to her.

"Would you mind taking Shayona up for her nap?" She asked her.

"Of course, Miss Kitty." She said as she reached out to Shayona, but Shayona slid off her mother's lap and took Sally's hand and together the two of them headed up the stairs. About midway up, Shay stopped and put her face between the railing.

"Zammm.." She called to Sam and when he looked up, he smiled brightly, and she waved to him and he waved to her. The room erupted in laughter once again and Sam just ignored it.

"She really likes Sam." Festus said.

"She loves with her whole heart, Festus. It's the way of her people." Kitty said as Sally and Shayona disappear into Kitty's bedroom.

"Why'd Doc have to leave so quickly; he didn't even finish his breakfast." Festus said as he took Doc's full plate and put it in front of himself then placed his empty one where Doc had been sitting.

"I Think White Eagle is not getting any better." Kitty said looking sadly up at the door to her bedroom. "I need a cup of coffee." Kitty said looking into her empty cup. She got up from her seat.

"I'll get it fer ya' Miz Kitty." Festus said getting up and taking the coffee pot and heading over to Sam. Who just sat a fresh pot on the counter for their table. Matt gently touched Kitty's hand. Festus walked back over to the table and placed the pot of coffee on the table. He started to sit down when Sally came out the door.

"Miss Kitty!" Sally called from the door. "Come quick." She said looking back into the room. Kitty, Matt and Festus rush up the stairs to Kitty's room. Sally stood by the end of the bed. Shayona stood by the window, crying and singing her father into the great-hunting grounds in the sky. (None of this is proven belief by me. I have heard things here and there. And I am either too lazy to find out or I don't really know where to look. I think we will go with the latter.) Kitty rushed to Shayona who held her hands up to the sun, singing in a small voice which trembled with sadness.

"What is she doing?" Festus asked as Matt knelt on the other side of Shayona.

"She is singing the way to The Great Hunting grounds. Making a place for her father in the heavens." Kitty said looking back at Sally and Festus. Sally had tears streaming down her face and Festus had to swipe at a tear or two. Matt looked at Kitty.

"Her father? He's still at Doc's." Matt said. Kitty looked tearfully at Shayona and then at Matt.

"She knows. He is gone." Kitty gently turned Shayona around to face her.

"What happened, Shayona. Why are you singing that song?" Kitty asked her as she turned her to face her. Shayona's face was wet with tears.

"My father has moved on." She said simply and looked out the window up towards the sun then turned to her mama. Kitty was now sitting on the floor and held her arms out to her child who came to her and sat on the floor between her legs. Shayona took her hands and held them up towards the sun and they both sang one last verse of the song together. Kitt then wrapped her arms around her and held her tightly. Matt, Festus and Sally were all now sitting on the floor, hands gently touching Kitty's arms as in support for the two of them.

"I am here, my heart, I will never let you go again." Kitty told her as she held her tightly.

Doc examined White Eagle closely as he had seemed to be improving, but then this, he suddenly died. As Doc looks closer, he notices a small hole in shoulder and takes some residue from the surrounding area. He takes the sample and goes over to the scope where he examines it. It did not take him long to recognize the reaction and the residue to be a poison from a cactus. White Eagle had been murdered here in Dodge. He had to tell Matt and Kitty.

Yellow Wolf sat in the small, abandoned house at the end of town. He was hiding with his three braves, and he would wait till the time was right to get the child. And as a bonus, he would take her mother too. He would wait, he had already waited almost ten years for Redhaired woman. He would wait a while longer. Just a little while longer.

He watched from the upper window, as the old white-haired man came down the steps and he knew by the hurried look in the old man that he knew that White Eagle had been poisoned. He would have to leave this place and take up hiding somewhere else, but where?

Doc entered the saloon which still had patrons in it enjoying their Christmas dinner. Kitty and Matt were sitting at a table with Festus, just talking. Shayona was upstairs finally napping with Sally keeping watch over her. He saw the three of them sitting in the back and headed for their table. Kitty knew instantly that White Eagle was gone. She had known when Shayona had told her he was gone, that she was speaking the truth. He came over to them and sat down, taking Festus' beer and drinking it down. No one said anything, as this was something he had never done before.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Kitty asked.

"How could you possibly know that?" Doc asked her.

"Shayona told us." Matt said.

"Okay, someone wanna tell me what's going on. How could that child know her father was gone? He died about forty minutes ago and I just got done looking him over." He takes Kitty's whiskey which she had not touched and drinks it down. "He was murdered." He said simply.

"Murdered, by whom? Why?" Matt asked.

"I don't know why, but it was definitely poison which I believe to be prairie berries." (AKA Silver Leaf Nightshade) "I found the residue on his wound in the shoulder. A wound, I might add, was not there two days ago." Doc pulled an amulet out of his pocket. It was a leather piece with a Wolf burned into the leather. "I found this on the floor, under the bed." He said handing it to Matt. Kitty was sitting next to Matt and she saw the engraving on the leather.

"Yellow Wolf." She said looking at Matt and he saw the fear in her eyes. He must have hurt her badly for Kitty to be afraid of him because she wasn't afraid of much. That he knew for certain. Matt gently laid his hand over Kitty's and he felt a slight trembling in it. But his touch calmed her.

"Why would this Yellow Wolf kill White Eagle and try to kill a child?" Doc asked them.

"I don't know why he'd want to harm Shayona, she is loved by Chief Walking Bear and his wife Little Dove and by being his grandchild she is protected by the tribe." Kitty said to them. She had spent many years with them as a captive learning their ways and beliefs. "Even if Chief Walking Bear were dead, his people would never harm her, she is theirs and their responsibility. Something must be wrong?" She said looking at them.

"Maybe we should find this party and see if there is something we can do to help." Festus said to them.

"You would not be allowed into the Village and besides that, they move about, they are hard to locate once they pack up and move." Kitty said. "I know, I looked for them for nine months straight before I ran out of money and had to let go of her forever." She looks up at Matt. "I can't let her go again, Matt, I can't." She said as a tear fell down her cheek. He just squeezed her hand in agreement.

Linda Bellamy had heard about Kitty's distress. She did not deserve to have a child. That child should not be here, Kathleen should be here, enjoying her life, not that little savage.

TBC

I must stop here. I have got to figure out where to go from here. I am still having trouble with my losses. I probably need counseling, but I do not want to make time for that. I am my own worst enemy. Yes, that is the depression talking. I miss my Mother and my Sister more than I can say.