Matt and Festus froze at the sound of the gun blasts. Festus pointed up the stream ads the source and nudged Ruth in the direction. Matt quickly followed. They both pushed their tired animals hard.

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Kitty stood in stunned silence. She starred at the animal and then her attention turned to her friend. Doc hadn't moved an inch. Kitty was certain he was dead. She dropped the gun and hesitated to move to Doc, fearing the worst. "Doc?" she whispered as she slowly made her way up the bank and crouched next to the man she loved more than her own father. "Doc?" she coaxed him to wake up or show some sign of life. Her eyes filled with building moisture and she leaned forward unleashing a steady stream of tears onto Doc's chest. She sobbed hard.

Slowly a weary hand creped up and rested on Kitty's back. Her wet face lifted and looked down into the tired crystal blue eyes of the doctor. "Oh, Doc...I thought I lost you!" her hand trembled as she touched his cheek.

The doctor's salt and pepper moustache slowly curled upwards in a slight smile. "It'll take more than that to do me in, honey. Now mind you," he chuckled, "I thought I was done for with you pointing that gun at us..."

Kitty pulled back and couldn't help but laugh while swatting his shoulder playfully. They both heard the riders approaching and Kitty stood up to see who it was. She waved her arms in joy. "Matt! Festus! Over here!" she shouted.

Both men pushed their mounts harder and as soon as they were close enough leaped down and raced toward their two friends. "Kitty! Doc!" Matt said pulling Kitty up the embankment while watching Festus tend to Doc. "You okay, Doc?" Matt asked.

"'Fraid he can't hear ya Matthew. He's plumb worn out. We better get him back ta Dodge. He needs work on this here leg of his..." Matt joined Festus and between the two of them got the doctor up on to Ruth were Festus pulled himself up behind to steady his old friend. Matt tied Doc's medical bag to the saddle horn of his horse and helped Kitty up onto his saddle. They headed to Dodge as quickly as they could.

They arrived within the hour. Sam and Thad watched them ride up Front Street. "Sam, Thad, help Festus get Doc up to his office, will you?" Matt asked as he help Kitty down from his tall horse then get down himself. He held Kitty by her shoulders and looked longingly into her eyes. "Say, just what were you two doing out there anyway?" There was a twinkle in the marshal's blue eyes.

"Oh, Doc said he'd get me some new furs. That's all." Kitty said dryly.

"Hum..." Matt responded. "Any luck?"

Kitty shook her head as she and Matt headed up the stairs to Doc's office. "Na...the one I was looking at was kinda mangy." She smiled back to Matt who couldn't help but laugh. "Is Doc gonna be oaky?" he asked as he opened the door to the office allowing her through first. "Matt. He would make a formidable foe!"

Matt adjusted his hat back on his head and nodded. "I believe that." he said while he watched Festus work on his leg. Doc had regained consciousness. "What in thunder are you doing to me?" he barked at Festus.

The hill man stood and looked at Doc. "Well any blind ninny could see that I"m tryin' to get some of this infection out of these wounds of your's!"

Doc looked down at this swollen leg and then back over to Matt and Kitty. "Kitty? Are you just gonna stand there?"

Kitty laughed and walked toward Doc and kissed him on the forehead. She looked at him with deep affection. "Doc. We'll take care of you."

With a slight huff, Doc layed back down on the examination table with a slight smirk on his face. He knew that Kitty was right. He would be taken care of, after all he was back home and among his dearest friends.

The End