Chester saw the two men leave the cabin, shotguns in hand. He had planted himself far enough away that he could move on his horse and not be detected. He quickly mounted his mare, and moved to higher ground, leaving Buck in sight for the men. It would be better if they didn't yet know that Matt Dillon had an ace in the hole. In the end, it might be the only thing to save them. Chester dismounted, tied up his horse, and watched as the two men searched the perimeter of the cabin. Finding only Buck, the men were satisfied that Dillon had shown up alone, and after tying up the horse, they disappeared back inside the cabin.

Goode waited until darkness had set in before moving himself back down in the dense foilage next to the house. Near as he could tell, Dillon had been in there for about half an hour, and there hadn't been much movement. The savory scent of stew once again wafted toward him, and his stomach growled. If only the wind were blowing the other way...

Kitty was asleep, curled up against Doc, who suddenly appeared fragile and old to Matt. Dillon shut the door quietly behind him, and walked over to the bed, gently shaking Kitty's shoulder. She awoke, and without a word grabbed Matt around the neck, burying her face into him. Dillon pulled her into his arms and held her until he no longer felt her shuddering with emotion. Slowly he pushed her away and looked into her wet eyes.

He kept his voice soft, "Are you all right?"

She nodded. "Yes, but Doc's not so good."

"Where did they get him?"

"The neck. He lost a lot blood, Matt." Kitty studied Dillon for a moment, and could sense that there was something he was keeping from her. "Matt...what's going on?"

He drew in a large breathe and stepped away. "The man out there, Timmonds... I killed his brother six years ago during a bank holdup."

"So he brought me and Doc out here as bait to get you."

"I wish it were that simple." She frowned and he took her hands in his own. "He wants me to choose, Kitty." He had to look away. "He says he'll kill only one of you if I choose which one."

She tried to keep the fear from her voice, "What happens if you don't?"

"He says he'll kill both of you."

"Oh hell, Matt, he'll do that anyway."

Adams broke in, his voice filled with fatigue, "Matt...it's got to be me."

Dillon sat down and gently rubbed the doctor's shoulder. "It's not going to be either one of you; I'll find a way out of this, Doc."

Adams shook his head. "Matt, I ain't doin' too well, and a few hours one way or the other isn't going to matter, especially if it can save Kitty's life."

Matt's voice belied an unaccustomed fear, "What are you saying Doc?"

"I'm dyin' Matt, and there ain't nothin' to be done about it."

Stunned, Kitty sat on the other side of the bed, and grabbed his hand. "Doc... no..."

He saw the hot tears rolling down her beautiful face, and he felt remorse; but he had to hurt her in this moment in order to save her. Adams smiled sweetly and pitched his voice low, "Don't you cry, honey. I'm too old to lose this much blood is all..." He fought to keep his own emotion in check, and his throat tightened, "Just don't you cry..."

Kitty dropped his hand and quickly stood, turning her back to the two men. She leaned against the nearby dresser, her shoulders shaking with sadness.

Doc, his own eyes filled with exhaustion, turned to Dillon. "See to her, Matt..."

Without a word, Dillon walked over to Kitty and took her in his arms. She clung to him, sobbing.

"Shhh, take it easy, Kitty." He rocked her in his arms until he felt her relax against him, then he gently separated them. "We need to figure this out."

She glared at him, wiping away her tears. "There's nothing to figure out." Her voice remained soft, but caustic, as her anger rose, "He's lyin', Matt. Doc would say or do anything to keep you from having to live with the guilt of choosing him - and he knows you'd have to - and I know he'd say or do anything to keep me alive." She glanced over at the unconscious man, and then back at Dillon. "He's lyin'..."

Dillon had to face up to the truth, no matter how painful. "Kitty, I honestly don't know if I can get us out of this one."

"Then we all go down. But we'll do it together."

Doc's voice was weak, but audible. "No."

She turned to face him. "You're not going to sacrifice yourself, Doc, and that's final."

"Matt, explain to her why this makes sense..."

Dillon sat down next to Adams. "I'm sorry, Doc, but I'm not giving you up either. Not without a fight."

The door opened and Timmonds walked in, smiling. "Well, Dillon? Who's it going to be?"

Before Matt could speak, Doc answered, "It's me, Timmonds." Adams glared quickly at Dillon, a warning to remain silent. "He's chosen me."

Timmonds fixed his gaze on the tall marshall. "That true, Dillon? You've chosen the old Doc here?"

It was as if time had stopped, and Matt could no longer distinguish between reality and the surreal. And Dillon suddenly found himself without words...