"Be Careful What You Wish For" These are MM's from "Kitty Shot." (Season 6)

Chapter 1

Matt and Kitty were enjoying breakfast together at Delmonico's. Matt was eating biscuits and sausage gravy, while Kitty was eating rye toast and some eggs. They were both enjoying each other's company.

"It sure has been quiet around Dodge lately. It's almost too quiet. I would actually welcome a little bit of excitement," said Kitty as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Be careful what you wish for," said Matt. "I'm going to take advantage of this peace and quiet and ride out to Fort Dodge. I have to give some papers to Colonel Swanson."

"What time are you leaving?" asked Kitty.

"Oh probably in an hour or so," Matt answered.

"How long do you think you'll be gone?' Kitty asked.

"I should only be gone for an hour. All I have to do is deliver the papers. I don't have to wait for any response or bring papers back," Matt replied.

"When you get back, come to the Long Branch and have a drink," said Kitty.

"I think I just might do that," said Matt.

Matt and Kitty both finished their breakfasts. Matt tossed some money on the table to pay for the meals, and then stood up. He helped Kitty with her chair. Once Kitty was ready to leave, both she and Matt left Delmonico's. Matt walked Kitty to the Long Branch and then went to the jail. Neither of them were aware that Kitty's wish of excitement would come true, and it wouldn't be welcomed excitement.

As Matt had said, an hour later he was getting Buck ready for the ride out to Fort Dodge. He made sure he had the papers that he needed and rode off towards the Fort. Matt didn't mind this part of his job when Dodge was quiet. He had to admit that he was getting bored sitting in his office. He could only do rounds so many times. At least now he was able to get out of the office, even if it was for only a couple of hours. He could always have Buck ride a little slower on the way back and enjoy the fresh air. Matt would've done just that, but he told Kitty he would only be gone for an hour and he would have a drink at the Long Branch when he returned.

After Matt left for Fort Dodge, Chester decided to go to the Long Branch and have a beer. He didn't think Mr. Dillon would mind if he had just one beer. It had been so quiet around Dodge. Chester walked into the Long Branch and saw Kitty standing at the end of the bar talking with Bill Pence. He walked to them and joined in the conversation. Before long, all three were laughing and joking. At one point Chester took two hard boiled and put them up to eyes, making a funny face. This made Kitty and Bill laugh even more.

While Kitty, Chester, and Bill were laughing and having a good time, two men walked into the saloon. Bill left Chester and Kitty to go and wait on them. "What can I get you gentlemen?"

"How about a strawberry tart and some sarsaparilla to wash it down with," the smaller of the two men joked.

Bill wasn't going to waste time on the two men and walked away. The bigger of the two men didn't appreciate Bill walking away. "Hey you!" he yelled. "Don't you try getting smart with us. We don't take that"

"Yeah, not from you or anyone else," the other man said.

Bill walked back to the two men. "Look, if you men want a drink, that's fine. If you've come here to entertain, take it out in the streets."

The bigger of the two men grabbed Bill. "It might entertain 'em, if I put a knot in your head." He then grabbed Bill's head. Luckily for Bill the man's partner calmed the bigger man down.

"Give us a couple of bottles," the bigger man demanded.

"Do you have money to pay for the bottles?" asked Bill.

Both men had looks of unbelief on their faces. "Do we have money to pay for them?" asked the smaller man. He then pulled cash out of his pocket and threw it down on the bar. "That there is Colorado money."

"That's a year's pay from the mine," said Bayloe, the taller man.

"Yeah, we've been saving it up. Now go and get us that whiskey," Helm, the smaller man demanded. Bill went and got the two bottles.

"For a moment there, I thought there was going to be trouble," said Chester, observing the scene at the other end of the bar.

"Sometimes I think the hardest part of being a barkeep is keeping your temper in control," said Kitty.

"Especially with men like that. They're miners. It's too bad they weren't left down in the mine," said Chester.

Kitty softly chuckled. "As long as they can pay for what they break, we have to put up with them."

Shortly after Kitty said that, the two men's yelling caught her attention. "Oh now what?" she asked.

Kitty looked over and saw the two men start to get into a scuffle. Baylor was to the point that he demanded his partner to draw. The other patrons in the bar cleared out of the way. However, no drawing of guns took place. Bayloe seemed to calm down and walked back up to the bar.

However, that wasn't the end of it. Things heated back up between the two men. Since Matt was gone, Chester felt it was his duty to break up the fight. He went over and tried to get between the two men. In doing so, Bayloe took a swing at Chester, knocking him out. Kitty immediately went over to Chester's aid.

"Rotten boy!" she yelled at Bayloe. She was now thinking that Matt was right. She should've been careful about what she wished for.

Helm actually seemed concerned for Chester and went over and looked at him. More words were exchanged between Bayloe and Helm. By that time Bill had also gone to check on Chester. Before anyone knew it, gunfire was exchanged between the two men. Bayloe ended up hitting his partner and Kitty. Realizing he probably just killed his partner, Bayloe grabbed the money off the bar and ran out of the saloon.

Bill just watched in shock as Bayloe grabbed the money and left. It wasn't until he turned and saw Kitty lying there motionless that he knew something was wrong. "Kitty! KItty!" Bill frantically exclaimed as he rolled her over. "Chester, he shot Kitty!" He then checked for a pulse.

That was the last thing that Chester expected to hear. "What? She isn't dead is she?"

"No," said Bill. "She's breathing."

"I'll go get Doc," said Chester as he hurried out of the Long Branch.

Matt had just returned from Fort Dodge and was tying Buck's reins to the hitching post when he saw Chester bolt out of the Long Branch and towards Doc's office. He had never seen Chester move so quickly. Matt was confident that Chester would've moved even faster if he didn't have that bum leg of his.

Matt figured that he too was probably going to be needed at the Long Branch as well, but his blood ran cold when he heard Chester yelling to Doc that Kitty had been shot. That was one of his biggest fears. With all the shootings that went on at the Long Branch, one day a bullet would hit Kitty. His legs felt like lead. His brain was telling him to get to Kitty, but his legs had other ideas. He saw Chester and Doc hurriedly go over to the Long Branch. Finally, his legs no longer felt like lead, and he too rushed over to the Long Branch.

TBC