Chapter 4

For the first couple of days Kitty's wound seemed to be healing. However, things would take a turn for the worse. Four days after the shooting, Kitty's arm seemed to be bothering her more than usual. Kitty wasn't too concerned. She remembered Matt saying the third day was always the worst for him. She figured it was the fourth day for her. Besides, she had been using that arm more than she probably should have been. She told herself she would have to make sure to rest that arm more.

That evening her arm was really bothering her. Kitty did not want to say anything to Matt. She did not want to worry and upset him. She promised herself she would go and see Doc tomorrow. She climbed into bed with Matt and both fell asleep.

Several hours later Kitty's moaning woke Matt up. He could hear the pain in her moan and figured she probably rolled on her arm. He would do that when his arm was injured with a bullet wound. Matt went to turn on the lamp on his side of the bed to see if she was okay. When he did, he noticed that she was still asleep. But upon further expectation, he could see a sheen of sweat on her face. He gently put his head on her forehead and was shocked to realize that she was burning up with fever. He tried to wake her up, but failed to do so. The last thing he wanted to do was leave her, but he knew he had to get Doc. Matt got out of bed and quickly got dressed and left Kitty's room.

Matt reached Doc's office and took two stairs at a time to reach the top landing. He didn't care how it looked that he was coming from Kitty's room in the middle of the night. Matt knew that Doc had his suspicions about him and Kitty, but right now that didn't matter. All that mattered was getting Kitty help.

Knowing it was in the middle of the night and that Doc was asleep, Matt was able to refrain from pounding on the door. Matt knocked on the door, calling for Doc. "Doc! Doc!"

Doc had been in a deep sleep when he heard his name being yelled. He quickly put on his pants and grabbed a shirt on his way to answering the door. "Hold on! I'm coming!" Doc opened the door and saw Matt on the other side. "Matt! What's wrong?"

"It's Kitty. She's burnin' up with fever,"Matt frantically said.

Doc wasted no time. He grabbed his medical bag and followed Matt back to Kitty's room. Climbing the back stairs and entering Kitty's room, Doc noticed Matt's vest draped over a chair and his hat on the peg by the door. He suspected Matt and Kitty were a couple, and that Matt spent his nights with Kitty. Doc was happy for them. However, if Matt ever did anything to hurt Kitty, Doc would make sure to give Matt a piece of his mind. But Doc knew he had nothing to worry about. He could see that Matt loved and adored Kitty. Doc realized right now was not the time to dwell on Matt and Kitty's relationship status.

Doc went over to Kitty and gently shook her to try and wake her up. "Kitty? Kitty? It's Doc."

Doc could see that he was not going to succeed in waking her up. He could see the sweat that glistened on her face, indicating she had a fever. Putting a hand to her forehead, Doc knew the fever was high. He had to find the culprit of the fever, but he had a pretty good idea what it was. Doc took Kitty's arm that had the bullet wound and removed the bandage. What he saw made him cringe. There, under the bandage, the wound was angry and red.

Matt noticed the same thing. "Doc?" He questioned.

"There's no doubt in my mind that this is the cause of the fever. This wound is severely infected," said Doc, still examining the wound.

"I thought it was healing fine. I thought you were keeping an eye on it." Matt's voice was laced with anger and Doc heard it.

"It was healing fine, and I was keeping an eye on it. Sometimes these infections show up no matter what you do to stop them. Now there's no point in starting an argument. Right now we have to get the fever down. That's the most important thing. Fill that basin with cold water, dip that cloth in it, wring it out, and place it on her forehead. We'll have to constantly do that to make sure the cloth stays cool."

"Should we move her to your office?" asked Matt as he did what Doc told him to do.

"No, she's better off staying here," Doc replied.

A few days went by with no change in Kitty. The fever continued to rage. Doc knew that the infection had to be throughout her body. He wanted to do everything he could to help Kitty, but logically he knew there was little else he could do. The girl he thought of as a daughter was dying. He didn't know how to tell Matt, but he knew he had to tell him.

Matt was sitting in a chair next to Kitty's bed, holding her hand. The forlorn look on his face tore Doc's heart into pieces. Doc walked up to Matt and put his hand on his shoulder. "Matt, son, I'm afraid there's nothing more that can be done. I expect Kitty to pass by morning."

Matt turned to look at Doc. He couldn't believe what Doc was saying. "Are you sure? There has to be something more we can do. I can't lose her, Doc."

"If there was more I could do, I would in a heartbeat."

"Is she in pain?" asked Matt.

"I honestly don't know. If she is, death is the only thing to take the pain away." Doc wanted to give Matt some alone time with Kitty. "I'm going to go to my office for a bit to give you some time alone with her. She may be unconscious, but I believe she can still hear you." Doc left the room.

Alone with Kitty, Matt began to speak. "Kitty, I don't even know where to begin. The moment I saw you in that cafe, I knew that I had lost my heart to you. There have been other women in my life, but what I felt for them is nothing compared to what I feel for you. You are my soulmate. I really don't know how I'm going to live without you in my life. I was always convinced that I would be the one to leave the relationship first because of a bullet. Are you in pain? Because if you are, that's the last thing that I want. Doc said if you are in pain, death is the only thing to take the pain away. I know you're a strong woman, but if your body is telling you it's time to go, it's alright to do so." Matt stood up and gave Kitty a kiss on her forehead. He then sat back down, took her hand, and laid his head down on the bed next to her, tears streaming from his eyes.

Doc returned about a half an hour later. When he entered Kitty's room, he saw Matt with his head next to Kitty. Matt had fallen asleep. Doc used this time to speak to Kitty. "Kitty, this big lawman here loves you, but I guess you already knew that. Kitty, I want you to know that I love you like a daughter. You're the daughter I never had. When you go, you'll be taking a piece of my heart with you." Doc leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Kitty's forehead.

Like Doc predicted, Kitty passed away just before dawn. Matt felt completely numb, but at the same time was full of emotion. He was full of both sorrow and anger. The sorrow was for himself. His life would no longer have Kitty in it. He knew she was out of pain and with the Lord, but he was angry at the Lord for taking her. It was not time to take her. His anger multiplied when he thought of Carey Post and the bullet that caused this.

Word of Kitty's death soon spread around Dodge. They couldn't believe the beautiful saloon woman was gone.

Matt didn't want Kitty to be buried in a plain pine box. She deserved something better. He told Percy Crump he wanted the best coffin he had available. He didn't care what the price was. Percy showed Matt the best he had, and Matt told him he would buy it. Percy had always liked Kitty and told Matt he wanted to help pay for the coffin. There were others in town, Doc, Bill Pence, Wilbur Jones, and Chester, who wanted to do the same.

The funeral took place the day after Kitty died. Matt and Doc found a place on a little hill to bury her. Practically the whole town was there to pay their final respects. After the funeral Matt went back to his office. He packed his gear for a trip to Elkader. He now had more of a reason than ever to go after Carey Post.

TBC