Chapter 4 Only A Nightmare

Present Time

Kitty woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. It was just a dream. No, it wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare, a horrible nightmare. At least that's what Kitty hoped it was. It was so real, so vivid. Kitty looked at her surroundings. She wasn't wearing Matt's shirt, nor was one of his shirts on her pillow. That was a good sign. In her nightmare she had Matt's shirts with her. She hoped her dream wasn't some sort of premonition. Kitty woke up from her nightmare, but she was still living one. Matt was still missing. She had no idea if he was still alive.

The nightmare was bad enough, but what bothered Kitty even more was not being able to remember Matt's face. How was that even possible? Kitty fiercely loved Matt with every fiber of her being. They had been together for ten years. It was impossible for her to forget him so quickly, yet the dream said otherwise. Maybe her not remembering what Matt looked like was some sort of punishment for her temper and for jumping to conclusions that Matt purposefully broke their date the other night. Kitty laid there tossing and turning, trying to imagine what Dodge would be like without Matt, what she would be like without him. She couldn't do it. She didn't want to imagine it. The thoughts almost made her physically ill.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, Kitty threw the covers off of her and made her way to the water closet. She splashed some water on her face and went back to her room to get ready for the day. The morning sun was just below the horizon.

It was in the early afternoon when Doc walked into the Long Branch, carrying a telegraph. He walked up to the bar, where Kitty was standing. Doc placed the telegram on top of the bar. "Kitty, a wire came from the Marshal in Amarillo. He talked to Matt. He's letting them through."

So far her nightmare was just a nightmare, not a premonition. Matt was still alive. Kitty took the piece of paper and read it herself. It wasn't that she didn't believe Doc. She just had to see it in words that Matt was alive.

"They're halfway to the border,"Kitty said, her voice thick with worry. "Why haven't Thad and Festus done something?"

"They'll do something when the time comes," said Doc. "Don't worry about it."

"Of course they will," KItty sighed. "I don't know what's the matter with me."

"It's probably the same thing that's the matter with me," said Doc, patting Kitty's hand. "We're just chewing ourselves to bits when all we can do is wait."

"If it's this bad for us, think of what it must be like for Matt," said Kitty, looking down.

"He's been in tough spots before," said Doc, trying to make Kitty and himself feel better.

"Not like this," said Kitty.

"Oh yes he has," said Doc.

"I keep telling myself they're just using him as a shield," said Kitty. "But if they're the kind of men people say they are, then what's stopping them from killing Matt when they get to Mexico?"

"Well, well they… they wouldn't do that," Doc stuttered. "There wouldn't be any reason for them to do that." He shook his head.

"I laid awake last night trying to imagine what Dodge would be like without Matt, what I'd be like," Kitty said softly. "I just couldn't. I couldn't imagine. Then suddenly I couldn't remember what Matt looked like. I couldn't remember his face." Kitty looked at Doc. She was on the verge of crying. "Doc, I couldn't even.." She was unable to finish.

"Now just hold it right there," Doc gently commanded. "I'm gonna tell ya something. I've lived quite a bit longer than you, Kitty. I know somethin' to be true. If you think something hard enough and strong enough, you'd be amazed that it turns out the way you think it will and the way it ought to. Here's what I mean. You and I are going to hold on to the thought that Matt's going to be okay. We're going to hold that thought until we see him walking through that door." Doc paused and looked Kitty in the eyes. "Is that alright with you?"

"Alright, Doc," said Kitty. She was trying her best to find that strength.

Doc patted Kitty's hand. "Can we have some coffee?"

"You bet we can," Kitty smiled.

Kitty went to get the tray with the cups and the pot of coffee. She contemplated whether or not she should tell Doc about her dream. Should she mention it while they were enjoying their coffee? Kitty realized the answer was no. She and Doc were going to enjoy a cup of coffee. Describing her dream would certainly take away the enjoyment. Right now she needed to strongly focus on Matt coming back to her, coming back alive.

Doc watched Kitty as she went to go and get the coffee. He didn't dare tell her that he shared her worst fears. If those men were as bad as their reputation described them, then there was a good chance they would kill Matt once they were in Mexico. No! Doc chastised himself. He couldn't fill his head with that thought. He had just given Kitty a speech on grabbing onto hope and how things can happen if you truly believe. Right now, he needed to listen to his own speech and put it to work.

A couple of days later Doc and Kitty's positive thoughts paid off. Doc entered the Long Branch with a face splitting grin. He was practically walking on air. In his clenched fist was a piece of paper. Anyone who closely observed the paper, could see it was a telegram. Looking at Doc's face, Kitty knew that he was bringing wonderful news.

"He's alive," Kitty stated. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. She more or less said it to herself.

"Yes," Doc confirmed. "This telegram is from Matt himself. The telegram came from Lamb County, near the border. It says that he and Thad will be back in Dodge in several days."

"Where's Festus?" Kitty inquired.

"He went on to Jetmore," Doc answered. "He still had business to do there."

"I forgot about his trip to Jetmore," Kitty commented. A second later another thought came to her. "How is Matt going to get back to Dodge? His horse is here. He can't walk back in several days. It's way too far."

"Matt initially sent two wires. One was to the two of us, saying that he was alive and when he would be back. The other one was to Moss Grimmick asking him to send a man on one of his best horses, along with Matt's own horse. Moss came to me and the two of us decide Blake Tillman was the best choice. Blake agreed. He's going to meet Matt and Thad on their way back. Matt is going to be riding a borrowed horse from Lamb County. A deputy of Sheriff Amos Hockley is riding with Matt and Thad. When Matt and Thad meet Blake, the deputy will take his horse and Matt's borrowed horse back to Lamb County. Matt will ride his own horse back to Dodge," Doc explained.

"All that was in two wires?" asked Kitty. She knew that it probably wasn't, but she still asked. Kitty also remembered Matt mentioning Sheriff Amos Hockley a time or two.

"Of course not," Doc responded. "A few wires have been going back and forth during the last hour or so. I wanted to make sure everything was set before I came to give you the good news."

Kitty had to wait several days for Matt's return. She could wait. The last several days had been pure hell. Kitty had no idea if Matt was dead or alive. Now that Kitty knew Matt was alive, those days of hell were over. These next several days of waiting were going to be like a child waiting for Santa Claus to come on Christmas. Kitty was looking forward to opening her present when he arrived.

TBC