The snow had continued to fall throughout the night, and all the next day, covering the ground in more than a foot of white powder. Dillon huddled deeper into his coat, pushing his hands further into the pockets trying to stay warm in spite of the frigid wind. Chester stood stoically next to him, shuddering from the cold, but they were the only two who had been willing to come out on such an awful day to attend the funeral of two women whom no one had taken the time to know. As Matt glanced at the older man standing in front of him, he amended his disparaging thought: one person had taken the time; and for his kindness, Doc had been awarded grief.
Dillon tried to shake off the blasphemous thoughts, but found he couldn't. Deep down, Matt harbored anger towards a deity that could so profoundly hurt a man like Doc Adams. And even though Doc had barely said a word, Matt knew that he was suffering inside. He wondered if his old friend would ever be the same; somehow Dillon doubted it. Something made him turn and glance at the big oak tree on the right, and he immediately recognized the profile of the bundled figure quietly standing there. Seeing her brought a slight smile to the lawman's lips, for he knew long before she did that she would be unable to stay away, and for Doc's sake, Dillon was glad.
The preacher's voice drew Matt's attention back to the graveside. "We commend the bodies of our sisters Cassie and Mary back to the Lord from whom cometh all good things, and we commit them to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes; dust to dust. May the Lord bless and keep them, and make his face shine upon them, and be gracious unto them, giving them peace. Amen."
The two men hired by Percy to lower the boxes into the graves and fill them in with dirt, quickly moved to finish the job, in a hurry to get out of the cold. Matt and Chester put their hats back on as the Revered Bell shook Doc's hand, offering a word or two of condolence. Dillon stared at Adams as his friend silently watched the two men shoveling dirt into the graves, Doc's old black hat crushed between his hands. And Matt couldn't silence what was in his heart for the old man. He felt his eyes sting with affection, and angrily, Dillon reached up to wipe away the moisture, for there was nothing he could do to spare Doc from the untold pain of loss.
Out of the corner of his eye, Matt saw Chester make a move toward Adams, but gently he restrained him with a hand on his arm, shaking his head. "I think Doc needs to be alone right now, Chester." Dillon glanced over at the figure under the tree, silently praying that she would be the salvation for Doc's broken heart. "Come on, let's head back to the office; we'll check in on him later, and maybe take him for a drink at the Longbranch."Chester looked back with worry at Doc once more, hesitant to leave him. "Well, if you say so, Mr. Dillon..."
Matt smiled and pat Chester on the back. "Doc'll be all right. Come on..."
She patiently waited until both Matt and Chester, and Percy's men were out of sight before she walked toward the fresh grave, and the broken man standing by it. She observed him from several feet away until she silently moved closer, stopping about a foot or so behind him. He neither turned to look at her, nor moved at all, but his voice, although tinged with the ache of loss, was filled with the certainty of whom he was addressing.
"I wondered where you were."
"I wasn't sure if I was welcome, so I stood over by the old tree."
He shook his head then, looking down at the grave. "I don't think she knew the truth of it, any more than you do. And it's my fault for being so inadequate."
Kitty frowned. "What are you talking about, Doc?"
His voice shook with forlorn regret, and Kitty had to choke back tears of empathy as he said, "I never told her that I loved her; I could never bring myself to say the words, and now it's too late."
"You didn't have to, she knew." Kitty pulled one of her gloves off then, and softly brushed at the curls on the back of his head. "Cassie knew because you showed her." She gently turned him around to face her. "You're one of the most caring and kindhearted men I've ever known, Doc, and I owe you an apology for behaving like such a selfish child. I said some things that I'm not very proud of, but I was afraid that you didn't need me anymore."
His pale eyes looked deeply into her crystal blue ones, wanting so badly to make her understand. "No one could ever replace you, honey, you've got to know that."
Kitty held back the moisture filling her eyes, and she rubbed her hand tenderly across his cheek. "You deserve so much better than this, Doc." Her voice finally broke with the emotion that had been pushing at her, "It should have been me."
Her words pierced him as sharply as a blade, and his already battered heart began to break. He grabbed her face between his hands, forcing her to look at him.
"Don't you say that." The anger in his voice frightened her, "Don't you ever say that to me again. Don't you dare believe that I care less for you than I did Cassie, or imply that I could somehow choose between you--" Doc's voice became husky with impassioned emotion, "You don't know how precious you are to me. The only reason I haven't crumbled to pieces over this is because of you, Kitty." The tears that had formed in his eyes began to spill over, onto his cheeks. "If I ever lost you too...I couldn't bear it. I just couldn't..."
And his heart began to shatter right there before her. Kitty enclosed her arms around his neck, pulling him tightly to her. Shaking from grief, Doc's arms found their way around her waist, and he buried his face into the crook of her neck, sorrow pouring out of him faster than he could breathe. Holding him close, Kitty ran her fingers soothingly through his hair.
"Oh Doc, it hurts me so to see you like this..."
After a short time, Kitty felt his breathing begin to calm, and his body relax slightly against hers. She leaned her chin on his forehead, still gently stroking the curls on the back of his head with her hand.
"It's gettin' a little cold out here, Curly, what do you say to you and me headin' in?" He nodded against her, but didn't trust himself to speak. She rubbed her hand over his back as she placed a light kiss on his forehead. "Come on, handsome, it's time to go."
She wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and he one about her waist, and together they began walking up Front Street, a comfortable silence stretching between them. As they passed by the General Store, young Tommy Collins was standing outside, looking longingly through the window at the jar containing the horehound sticks. Kitty suddenly grabbed Doc's hand tightly in hers, pulling him toward the boardwalk. Just before she stepped up onto the wooden boards, she let go of his strong hand, leaving him on the street below. Doc watched with fascination as Kitty plastered a slightly dour look on her face.
"Say, aren't you Tommy Collins, Brad and Rita's son?" The little boy nodded profusely but found he couldn't speak in the presence of the tall redhead staring down at him. She continued, her hands on her hips, "Do you have any money?" The little blonde head shook emphatically back and forth, and Kitty found it tough to keep the smile from taking over her lips. "Here," she said, placing a nickel into the little boy's palm. "Now don't you spend that!"
As the young child ran into the store, Kitty's laugh rippled through the cold air, and for the first time, Doc Adams perceived his legacy. When Kitty turned around to face him, a big grin on her face, Doc was staring up at her with tears of pride shining in his pale blue eyes. The smile on her lips quickly faded.
"Doc, what's the matter?"
He simply shrugged, his voice stating a tender fact, "I love you."
Kitty's face dissolved into a soft emotion, and he held his arms out to her. She grasped his hands, letting him help her back down to the street, touching his lips lightly with hers before hugging him. She pat him on the back and looked into his gentle blue eyes.
"How about a drink, handsome?"
"Are you buyin'?"
She laughed, once again putting an arm around him, turning him toward the Longbranch. "I guess I can afford to buy you a drink..."
"Well gosh, I sure hope so. I'm countin' on you to support me in my old age, in my rockin' chair on the porch."
She let the sarcasm drip off her timbre, "What I'd like to know is how many other women you're stringin' along, promising them the honor of supporting you in your old age..."
His eyes narrowed at her. "Since ya put it that way, I ain't tellin' ya."
He winked at her, and she glared at him. "You're incorrigible, you know that?"
"I'm not takin' any chances with you, because you've gotta support me in my old age, in my rockin' chair on the porch."
She shook her head, laughing. "I give up!"
He nodded. "You'd better, or I'll turn you over my knee!"
She looked at him sharply. "You know, I believe you actually would."
"Darn right."
From the boardwalk in front of the General Store, with a horehound stick hanging from his mouth, Tommy Collins watched Kitty Russell and Doc Adams disappear through the doors of the Longbranch. Whether he knew it or not, he had become an integral part in keeping the legacy of Dodge City secure.
The End