"A Forgotten Face" This is a MM from "Hostage" (Season 11)
Chapter 1 Feeling Guilty
Kitty sat in front of her vanity looking glass, slowly taking the pins out of her hair. The other night she went to bed upset that Matt did not return after his rounds to have that shot of whiskey with her. The invitation was clear, even though Matt knew he didn't need an invitation to go and see Kitty after rounds. They had been together for ten years. Kitty's mind wandered back to the conversation between Matt and herself and the previous events that had taken place.
The Other Night
Matt and Kitty sat at a table in the Long Branch listening to Ollie sing Darling Nellie Grey, if you could call that singing. Not able to take it anymore, Kitty rose from her chair, grabbed Ollie's hat, put it on his head and ushered him out of the saloon. Ollie somewhat protested, but he still left. After Ollie left, Kitty once again joined Matt at the table.
"I could've closed an hour ago," Kitty sighed.
"He sure made that last beer last a while," Matt chuckled.
"I just hope business picks up soon," said Kitty.
"Speaking of business," said Matt. "I need to finish my rounds." Both Kitty and Matt got up from their chairs and walked to the batwing doors.
"That wind really picked up," Kitty observed.
"Yeah," Matt agreed. "A man could catch a chill on a night like this."
"If there's any danger of a man catching a chill, a good shot of whiskey before bed would do him a world of good," Kitty smiled.
Matt liked where this flirtatious conversation was going. He looked over his shoulder, making sure Sam was too busy to be paying attention to his and Kitty's conversation. "You don't know where I could get a prescription like that filled?" he asked.
"That's a hard one. The Long Branch is closed," said Kitty. "But we could probably keep the latch off for charitable purposes."
"I'll try to remember that," said Matt as he put on his Stetson and left the saloon. He wanted to get done with his rounds quickly. He was looking forward to returning to the Long Branch, more specifically returning to Kitty.
Smiling, Kitty closed the Long Branch doors and locked them, but left the latch alone. She knew Matt had a key to the doors of the Long Branch and could let himself back in when he finished with his rounds. Kitty decided to help Sam clean up. She figured it would make the time go by faster. Sam and Kitty finished their tasks, and Matt hadn't returned.
Kitty thought Matt would have been back by now. She was sure he understood that she wanted the two of them to share a shot of whiskey down in the bar and not upstairs in her room. Every once in a while the two of them would share a drink in the bar after closing time. There was something about sharing a drink in the bar after closing hours, when everyone else had gone home. The only light would come from a candle that Kitty would place on the bar. They would take a shot of whiskey, heavily explore each other's mouths with passionate kisses, and then make their way up to Kitty's room. That was Kitty's plan tonight. But when she opened the doors and walked out, not seeing any sign of Matt, she was disappointed.
"Is something wrong, Miss Kitty?" Sam asked.
"I thought I had a date," Kitty answered. "I guess I was mistaken. You better lock up, Sam."
Earlier That Day
Kitty was even more upset and irritated the next morning when Matt didn't even show up in her room that night. She felt as bitter as the coffee in her cup. She couldn't believe that he basically stood her up. Kitty almost felt embarrassed because of it.
While she was sitting in the Long Branch drinking a lousy cup of coffee, Festus walked in. He was looking for Matt. After finding out why Festus wanted to know where Matt was, she lent Festus the ten dollars he needed. Festus promised he would pay Kitty back. His promise included a rat and a raw piece of liver. Kitty figured that's the way Haggens made their promises. Kitty knew Festus would honor his promise.
Shortly after Festus left, Barney came over from the telegraph office with a piece of paper. It was a note that had been attached to the door of the office. Barney came to the conclusion that Kitty was the best choice to show the note. Kitty couldn't believe what she was reading. Matt had been taken hostage by Lon Gorman She sent Sam to find Thad and her saloon girl to get Doc.
Thad and Doc arrived at the Long Branch within a minute of each other. Once Doc read the note, a plan was put into action. Barney would send the wires and Thad would go and find Festus. Before Doc left, Kitty had asked him if he was scared. Doc honestly answered that he was.
Later in the afternoon Kitty was sitting with Doc at the Long Branch, sharing some whiskey. As much as she enjoyed having a drink with Doc, today she had her mind on Matt's situation. She figured they should've heard from Festus and Thad by now. Doc was trying to keep her calm.
Present Time
Now she sat in front of her vanity, continuing to look at her reflection. Guilt was coursing through her body. Why did she assume that Matt had stood her up the other night? He had never purposefully stood her up before. She wasn't considering the dances and socials he had to miss. Kitty knew if he could, Matt would have taken her to those. Yes, there were times when he couldn't come to her after rounds because he ended up with an occupant at the jail, but he always came to the Long Branch the next day explaining what happened. Matt not coming to the Long Branch the next morning should have sent warning signs to Kitty, but she was too stubborn and mad to pay attention to that.
Kitty got up from her vanity chair and started to remove her dress and the other layers of clothing underneath. Stripped down to just her undergarments, Kitty slipped her nightgown over her head. She didn't even bother to button the two small buttons.
Walking over to her bed, Kitty turned down the covers, and climbed in. Once she was situated, Kitty adjusted the covers over her body. She turned to her left and looked at the spot that Matt occupied when he was with her. Kitty took his pillow and brought it to her face, inhaling the scent that was Matt. His scent brought her comfort, but at the same time it brought her sorrow. What if his scent on a pillow was all she had left of Matt? Realizing that could be a reality, Kitty put the pillow down. She was afraid that if she kept breathing in his scent, the pillow would quickly lose it. Kitty closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep, but sleep had a hard time coming. She eventually fell into a fitful sleep and started to dream.
TBC