Chapter 6

"Start from the beginning and tell me what happened," Doc said as he and Matt sat in the waiting area.

"Our trip had been going so well. We had the hotel put together a picnic lunch for us and we rented a buggy to go to one of the parks to eat it. We didn't get too far from the hotel when we had to stop because a milk wagon in front of us had to replace a pin. It was no big deal for us to wait. While we were waiting we were hit by a speeding buggy driven by a drunk. The impact threw Kitty off the wagon. She ended up with a gash on her head, a broken arm, bruised ribs, and an injured liver. The doctor wasn't sure if she would need surgery or not. He thought bed rest may be all she needed. He told me about the baby." Looking at Doc, he continued, "You knew about the baby."

"Yes, I did. I confirmed KItty's pregnancy a week before your trip," Doc stated.

"You should have told me," Matt said, staring straight ahead.

"Now Matt, you and I both know it wasn't my place to give you that kind of news. That's something that should come from Kitty."

Matt was about to say something when the doctor came into the waiting area. Both Matt and Doc stood up and waited for the doctor to speak. "Mr. Dillon, your wife made it through surgery. It was her liver. We were able to repair the damages. Being that she is young and healthy, she should be able to make a full recovery."

"And the baby?" Matt asked.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dillon. Your wife lost the baby. The surgery was too much for the baby to survive. There was no way to save both your wife and the baby. We had no choice. We had to perform liver surgery on your wife. Had we not, we would have lost them both. Anyway, I am truly sorry about the baby. Wait about an hour and then you can go in and see her."

All Matt could do was thank the doctor as he took in the news. He most certainly was relieved and grateful that Kitty was still alive. She was his soulmate. On the other hand, he was saddened by the loss of their unborn child, a child he knew about for less than two days, but a child he had grown to love. He was getting used to the idea of becoming a father and was looking forward to meeting his child and fatherhood. Now that would not be happening anytime in the near future.

"Matt, I'm thankful that Kitty will be alright, but I am truly sorry about the baby," Doc softly said.

"I need some air," Matt responded and he walked out of the hospital.

Doc did not follow Matt. He felt it was best to give Matt this time alone to collect his thoughts and get hold of his emotions. An hour had passed and Matt still wasn't back. Doc then decided that he would go and see Kitty. Pulling the chair close to the bed, Doc gently took Kitty's hand into his. The gesture caused Kitty to open her eyes. She was surprised to see Doc sitting there. He was the last person she expected to see.

"Doc, what are you doing here?" Kitty asked, her voice weak.

"Your husband asked me the same question when he saw me. Matt sent a wire that you had been injured. Where else would I be? I'm just so happy that you are alive and are going to be alright," Doc said with tears glistening his eyes.

"Where's Matt?" Kitty was a little shocked Matt wasn't there. He had been there as much as he could be, but now he wasn't.

"After the doctor came out to talk to him, he said he needed some air. I'm sure he'll be back soon." Doc nervously pulled on his ear. He did not want to tell Kitty that Matt had been gone for over an hour.

Kitty noticed the ear pulling, but didn't say anything about Matt's absence. "Did the doctor say anything about the baby?"

"He did, honey. I'm so sorry." Once again Doc gently took her hand.

"Doc, I can't help but feel that this is my fault." Kitty's eyes filled with tears that threatened to spill over.

"How could this be your fault? Matt told me about the accident. It was that drunk's fault, not yours," Doc sternly told her.

"If I hadn't wanted to go on this trip, we would still be in Dodge, celebrating our impending parenthood. But no, I had this idea to use this trip to tell Matt that he was going to be a father."

"Kitty, if I felt that this trip would put you and the baby at risk, I never would have let you go. The trip itself was perfectly safe. Traveling by train was perfectly safe. I want you to stop blaming yourself."

"Doc, where's Matt? He should have been here by now." Kitty was getting anxious.

"I honestly don't know. He just said he needed air and left the hospital. I didn't follow him. Maybe he went back to your hotel. I'll go and check. What hotel are you staying at?"

"The St. Nicholas Hotel on Cover Street, room 437, fourth floor."

"I'll go there and see if I can find him. Don't worry. Maybe he just wanted to get a bite to eat and some rest. When I find him, I'll bring him back here directly."

Doc walked out of Kitty's room and exited the hospital. He could not understand why Matt wasn't at the hospital with Kitty. When he found him, he would find out why. He would have words with Matt Dillon. While walking past the front desk, Doc saw Dr. Samerson and Nurse Thompson. He decided to introduce himself.

"Hello, I haven't had a chance to introduce myself. I'm Doc Adams. I'm a very close friend of Matt and Kitty. I'm also the doctor in Dodge City."

"It's very nice to meet, Dr. Adams. I'm Dr. Samerson, Kitty's main physician." He shook Doc's hand.

"I'm Nurse Thompson." She too shook Doc's hand.

"I want to thank you for all you've done to make it possible for Kitty to still be with us."

Doc's conversation with Dr. Samerson and Nurse Thompson ended. Doc was walking towards Cover Street, when he happened to pass by a saloon and looked inside. He couldn't believe what he saw. Matt was in there sitting at the bar, a mug of beer in front of him.

Walking inside, Doc confronted Matt. "Matt what the hell are you doing sitting in a saloon when your wife is in the hospital, recovering from major surgery?"

"I'm surprised you found me." Matt took a sip of his beer.

"It was by accident. Kitty asked about you. I told her I would check your hotel. As I was walking to your hotel, I just happened to see you here. Now, do you want to tell me why you're here?"

"I needed time to think," Matt solemnly said.

"You needed to think while drinking in a saloon?" Doc asked with anger and annoyance in his voice.

"I'm not drunk, if that's what you're wondering. This is my first beer. I've been nursing it for the last hour," Matt said, running his finger around the rim.

Doc shouldn't be surprised about that. He knew Matt would not allow himself to get drunk. Matt always wanted to be in control of himself. "Tell me what you're thinking."

Matt did not want to tell Doc what he was thinking, but knew his friend would keep asking until he did. "If you really must know, I can't help but blame Kitty for the loss of our baby. She knew she was pregnant and still went on this trip. Had she told me about her pregnancy, I never would have let us go on this trip. We should be home in Dodge, celebrating, not here."

"You and your wife sound exactly alike."

Matt turned towards Doc and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Kitty blames herself for the death of your unborn child. She said the same thing that you just did, that this trip never should have happened and that you should be in Dodge celebrating your upcoming parenthood."

Matt wasn't expecting to hear that from Doc. He looked at Doc and Doc continued speaking. "Matt Dillon, I'm going to tell you exactly what I told Kitty. What happened is not her fault. The train ride and the trip itself was completely safe for both her and the baby. If I knew that they would be in danger, I would have told her not to go. However, that wasn't the case. Now your wife needs you. Go back to that hospital and be with her."

Knowing that Doc meant business, Matt stood up from the bar stool and left the saloon. He made the short journey back to the hospital. He entered and went straight to Kitty's room. The minute he saw her small frame in that bed, guilt encompassed him. How could he ever have blamed her for what happened? She did not need his blame. She needed his love and support, and that's what he was going to give her.

Kitty saw Matt enter the room and was very pleased to see him. "Matt, I'm so glad you're here. I know the doctor told you everything, including about the baby. I'm surprised you weren't here earlier. Where have you been?"

"Yeah, he did. I just needed to get some air."

"You blame me for this, don't you?" Kitty asked.

The look on Matt's face gave her his answer. Matt knew Kitty could read him like a book. There was no hiding anything from her. "I feel so embarrassed and guilty to admit it, but I did." Matt quickly continued. "But I don't anymore. I wasn't thinking rationally. You are not to blame for this. Doc and I talked. He told me you blame yourself for this. Like I said, you are not to blame for this. You need my love and support, not my blame. I never did ask if the baby was a boy or a girl."

"I wasn't far enough along to know that."

"Oh," Matt said as Doc entered the room.

"Have you two had a chance to talk?" Doc asked.

"We have and I think everything's going to be alright," Matt said. Kitty agreed.

The doctor told Matt and Kitty that Kitty would stay at the hospital for several more days before she would be released. They asked if it would be okay for her to travel back to Dodge City by train. They told the doctor they would be traveling in their own stateroom. The doctor told them that should not be a problem. Confident that Kitty would make a full recovery, Doc stayed one more day and then took the train back to Dodge. He didn't want to leave Dodge without a doctor for too long.

A few weeks passed by and Matt and Kitty were now back in Dodge. They were in their room above the Long Branch, laying in bed, when Kitty spoke. "I've been thinking, Matt."

Matt was absently rubbing Kitty's back. "What about?"

"I was thinking we could get a wooden cross for our baby. I know we don't know if it was a boy or a girl, so we really can't name the baby. Maybe we could have Baby Dillon engraved on it, along with the date he or she passed away. I really want to have some kind of memorial. I also think it would be a closure for us."

"Kit, that's a fine idea. We'll get the cross and when we have our own house, we'll place it outside. If a child is brought about through love, then I have no doubt that we will have more children."

"We most definitely have an abundance of love between us," Kitty said as she leaned up to share a soul shattering deep kiss with Matt.

Matt and Kitty got the wooden cross with the engraving "Baby Dillon. September 17, 1871." They kept the cross in their room, with the intention of placing it in their yard next to their house, once they purchased one. That event had been a difficult one in their marriage for them. They knew marriage was not always perfect and that there would be more difficult moments. However, they also knew that marriage had points of light, stars, to experience. Ad astra per aspera. To the stars through difficulties.

The End.