Note: As I usually write slightly later Gunsmoke stories, this story takes place in within the early days of Festus arriving in Dodge and a more agile Doc.

Chapter One

"Whoa!" Walter hollered from the driver's seat on the stage coach as it rumbled toward the stage stop in Spearville. The old driver pulled hard on the reigns while pushing down hard on the brake with his right foot. The horses cantered to a stop and dust billowed up around the stage.

Kitty and Doc waved the dusty air in front of their faces as the dust and leaves flew up at them. "A little bit of rain would sure help cut the dust." Doc grumbled.

Kitty smirked at the physician. "You're certainly grumpy today." Doc shot a glare back to her. There was a tiny hint of humour in the look he gave her. "Humph." He continued. "You'd be grumpy too if you had to sleep on that "thing" I did last night." He scratched his temple.

Kitty couldn't help but giggle. "Sorry 'bout that, Doc." She blinked her eyes and pat him on the shoulder. "I thought for sure they said they would keep you a room. I guess that old sofa in the lobby was pretty lumpy, huh?"

Doc straightened his back and looked Kitty in the eye. "I've had oatmeal for breakfast with less lumps!" Kitty shook her head and smiled. "Well, it didn't kill you did it?" She added.

Doc ran his knucks over his stubbled chin. "No...but it didn't do my back any good, I can tell ya that." He said stepping toward the stage coach handing his carpet bag to the driver. He then took Kitty's two bags and handed them off to Walter.

The driver quickly tied the luggage down. "We will be leaving for Dodge City as soon as these horses are switched over." Walter informed the doctor and Miss Kitty.

Doc waved his hand in acknowledgement and turned back to Kitty. "I'll be glad to get back to Dodge. Despite it's reputation, it sure beats some of these other frontier towns. And it has my bed!" Doc wiped his left hand over his moustache.

Kitty smiled at the old man. "You're getting soft."

"Huh?" Doc asked in surprise.

"You are getting soft. You never minded these so called frontier towns before." Kitty looked at Doc with a hint of humour in her voice. She was in the kind of mood to kid around with Doc and he was in the perfect mood to get all fired up.

"Hum...well, I guess I just got used to a soft warm bed and decent meals." He lifted his black felt hat and scratched his forehead. "Come on, let's board and get home. All this talk is makin' me home sick!"

Kitty chuckled again while accepting his help to climb up and into the stage coach. Doc climbed in behind her and took a seat while closing the door. "Yup. Home sweet home. That's for me." He muttered.

With a snap of the reigns, the driver got the stage into motion. Dust swirled up behind the coach as it left Spearville. The late autumn day meant another stop over at a stage stop between Spearville and Dodge. The winding roads were impossible to navigate by night.

Doc slipped his pocket watch from his vest pocket and read the time. It was 8:40 in the morning. He quietly calculated that the next stop to change horses would be in about 4 or 5 hours. Then they would ride on to the over night stop between.

Kitty watched him and said nothing at first. She knew what he was thinking. "So?"

"So what?" He looked out from under his hat.

"When do we get into Dodge?" She said flatly.

Doc mused for a moment. "Oh, sometime late tomorrow."

"Doc. I want to thank you for coming along with me to see that Mary Rose got to that specialist in Wichita. I sure hope that she's gonna be all right."

Doc placed his watch back in his pocket. "She's got the help she needs. She'll be just fine." He ticked his head. "I sure wish that I had the equipment that clinic has. No telling what I could do with that!"

"You do just fine with what you have, Doc. Yer getting soft again." Kitty looked at him with her pale blue eyes. "Now I suppose you want to move to Wichita?"

Doc pulled back. "Pshaw!"