Kitty stepped out onto the boardwalk in front of the Longbranch, and breathed in the chilly air. It was filled with the damp heaviness that comes before snow. Matt had risen early and was gone before any prying eyes might see him departing the saloon; but his absence had left the bed feeling cold and empty. She looked toward Doc's office, and saw no movement, but the low flickering light in the bedroom window told her he must have fallen asleep in the chair by the bed during the wee hours of the morning. Shaking her head at his stubbornness, she wrapped her coat around herself a little tighter and walked quickly toward Delmonico's. It was shortly after six in the morning, and there were few people out and about. She ordered two breakfast plates worth of food and carried the tray up to Adams' office, setting it on the desk, where the untouched tray from the day before still lingered.
Kitty muttered to herself as she moved the old tray aside, "Honestly..."
She put some wood in the stove and lit a fire to take the chill out of the air, and busied herself for awhile longer by making some coffee. If she handed him a steaming cup of the liquid when she woke him, he might not balk as strongly over the meal she was going to force upon him. When the coffee was ready, she poured a cup and headed toward the back room, opening the door quietly. She entered, set the cup on the bedside table, blew out the lantern, and shook her head at the awkward angle his body was leaning in the uncomfortable chair.
Kitty shook his shoulders softly, her voice a quiet whisper in his ear. "Doc?"
Startled, the doctor jolted awake, the jarring movement further straining his already stiff body, causing him to grunt painfully.
She balanced him by holding his shoulders for a moment. "Easy handsome, I don't think moving too fast this morning is gonna feel too good."
He stretched his neck slightly, trying to release the strain. "Probably not," he grumbled.
As he straightened further in the chair, exhaustion overwhelmed him, so he didn't complain when he felt Kitty's hands gently stretching out his back muscles, neither aware of the patient quietly observing them from the bed.
Kitty's voice was mildly reproaching, "You haven't had any sleep for two days, Doc, you need a break." When he didn't answer, she cajoled further. "You're going to eat breakfast, and then you're going to lie down for awhile and get some sleep, and I don't want any arguments. I'll spell you with Cassie." He still said nothing, so she squeezed a sore muscle very tightly, eliciting a groan. "Are you listening to me?"
"Yes, I heard you." He slowly stood then, turned, and looked into her concerned face. "You don't mind?"
She shook her head at him, brushing a gentle hand through his hair. "Of course I don't mind, Doc. Now come on, take your coffee, and let's eat something."
Cassie slammed her eyes shut before either of them noticed her watchful observance. Doc picked up the coffee cup from the table, and after one more look at Cassie, he followed Kitty out into the main office, closing the door gently behind them. He shuffled over to his desk, and Kitty set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. The smell of the food made him realize how long it had been since he'd eaten, and he dug into the plate with more gusto than Kitty had expected. She ruffled the curls on the back of his head.
"Glad to see you have an appetite this morning, Curly."
Kitty sat near him, and started working on her own breakfast. After watching him nearly devour the food on his plate, she silently pushed some from her plate onto his. He smiled at her.
"I'm a little more hungry than I thought."
"You eat as much as you want, Doc, you're making up for lost time." She watched him for a moment, then changed the subject. "How's Cassie doing?"
"She woke up briefly, in the wee hours."
Kitty set her plate down. "She did? What did she say?"
"Not all that much, she's kinda weak, ya know." Kitty stared at him, and he knew he had to continue, "She doesn't seem to remember too much about any of it. What concerns me the most, is that she's consciously trying to blot out her emotions, and act like nothing matters to her. It's not healthy for a young girl to do something like that..."
"Dell Stevenson's not her real father, Doc."
Adams looked at her then. "She told me that, but how did you know?"
"Mary Stevenson told Matt."
Doc couldn't keep the emotion from his voice, "She's as sweet as a little kitten, you know. So innocent. Poor little thing don't deserve what's happened to her. Not at all. Instead of some animal trying to hurt her, she needs a father, someone to protect her."
Kitty's timbre was a mix of surprise and slight irritation, "You sound like you wanna take on the job..."
He looked at her sharply. "Somebody has to..."
Her brow furrowed. "Doc, you sound serious."
His eyes softened considerably, "I am."
Deciding that it was his lack of rest talking, and not entirely sure what to make of her own swirling emotions, Kitty pat him on the back.
"Come on, handsome, it's time for you to lie down, and get some sleep."
She pulled him up and guided him to his exam table. He slipped onto it, rolling onto his side, facing away from her. Kitty picked up a blanket from a nearby chair, and covered him with it. She stroked the back of his head lightly with her hand.
"Close your eyes and get some rest."
His voice already sounded sleepy, "You'll stay with her?"
A red eyebrow arched up in annoyance, but she kept it from her timbre, "Don't worry about a thing, I'll take care of her. And you..."
Doc's breathing quickly dropped into a steady rhythm indicating he was in a deep sleep. Kitty pulled the blanket a little tighter around his neck, and walked into the back room, to sit with Cassie. She looked over at the young woman, and felt sudden resentment. The emotion shocked her, and Kitty stared at the young face, framed by cascades of dark hair, trying to understand it. But as she studied the girl, she realized that it wasn't her youth or her looks; it was the fact that Doc was so taken with her.
And Kitty felt ashamed.