AN: Some readers like to know length. This is 13 chapters. I can't post faster than a chapter a day, but if I miss a day something terrible has happened in my life!

Dodge City, Kansas

Festus opened his mouth to speak, but a sound - half moan/half sob - escaped his lips instead of words. He tossed back a fortifying shot of whiskey and took a steadying breath. "Ah still can't hardly believe it. Nothin' – nothin's gonna ever be the same." Doc looked across the table through red rimmed eyes, his own whiskey glass in hand. He wanted to offer words of comfort, but his own dark sorrow was too intense. Festus slowly shook his head, "Doc, tellin' Mathew's gonna be awful, awful hard, an' you're the one that hasta do it. He's gonna be back any time now." Doc briefly closed his tired eyes and sighed. "I know Festus, I know. It might just be the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Still, I know it's best that it comes from me." Doc shifted his gaze to Sam Noonan, grimly seated beside Festus, gulping down a beer. "An awful lot has fallen on your shoulders, Sam. You know the workings of the Long Branch best, and with no instructions or will to go by, you'll just have to do your best. Like I told you before, you're not alone. If you need help with anything, I'm here – Festus too." Sam pressed his lips together, his craggy face more deeply lined than ever. "Thank you Doc. I know for sure Miss Kitty would want her saloon closed out fair and clean. It's the best way for me to honor her memory. I figure if I sell everything - inventory, piano, tables and the rest - I can pay off all the business debts, and give some extra weeks of salary to the Long Branch workers, to tide them over 'til they find something else. I believe Miss Kitty would want that." Festus and Doc nodded solemnly. Sam's voice dropped to a husky whisper. "At the end of the month I'll hand the keys over to the land office, and whoever rents the building next can start whatever kind of business they want. It's so hard to …" The batwing doors swing open and the three men turned. Their already grim faces darkened. Matt was back.

Dillon stopped just inside the doors. Tension filled his body. The Long Branch was oddly quiet. He spotted Doc, Festus and Sam at a table, in the otherwise empty saloon, and strode over. "Glad to see you three, but it's awful quiet here. Sam you're not even tending bar, and where's Kitty? She's usually around this time of evening." Doc saw Matt unconsciously pat the outside of his coat pocket. He probably had a gift for Kitty in there. "Matt, sit down."

Doc's tone was strained and somber. Matt frowned. "What's wrong?" Doc pointed to a chair, "Sit. Please Matt, just sit and listen, This is – it's hard enough."

Matt slid into the empty chair between Sam and Doc. "I'm sitting, what's wrong? Tell me, and I'll get to fixing it."

"Matt, there is no fixing this." Doc fought to keep his voice from breaking. "It's Kitty, and - and there's no easy way to say it. Matt, there was an accident. Kitty is dead."

No one spoke. Matt didn't move. He heard Doc's words, but his mind couldn't absorb them. Kitty couldn't be dead, she was a healthy woman still in her 20's, She was vibrant and …

Doc slid a sheet of paper in front of Matt. "You'd better read this letter." Matt glanced down. The writing was feminine and clear, but he couldn't make sense of it. Random words flew up at him – Kitty, accident, buried, regret. Matt shook his head. "Just tell me what it says." Doc steeled himself. "Matt, I'm sure you remember Kitty talking about her friend Peggy. They were kids together in New Orleans, and Peggy married a Kansas farmer named Owen Kramer. They settled in Meade to raise a family, and Kitty visited every few years, when she had time." Matt nodded. "I know all that." Doc ran a hand across his mustache, "Well - when you left town a couple of weeks ago, she figured it was a good time for one of those visits. She planned to be home before – before you got back." Doc blinked back tears. He couldn't fall apart, he needed to be strong for Matt. "When she was there, Matt, she – she and Peggy went out riding one evening. Kitty was on a steady mare, but the horse got spooked by a rattler and reared. Kitty flew off and hit her head on a rock. Peggy ran to her, but she was already dead. She must have died instantly. Owen and Peggy buried her on their property. They say it's a – a beautiful spot at the top of a hill. They welcome anyone who wants to visit the grave."

Matt stared straight ahead. His voice was flat. "Why didn't they send her body back to Dodge?"

"Well Matt, they knew she wasn't married, and had no blood relatives here. They wouldn't have known who to send the body to. Listen to me Matt, we're planning a memorial service here in Dodge, and we need your help with that. It will be good for you, good for all of us. After that, we'll will go and visit Kitty's grave. You and me - we'll go together."

Silence hung over the table. Minutes passed. Doc gently set a hand on Matt's shoulder. Startled by the tenderness, Matt brushed the hand aside and jumped to his feet. "Kitty can't be dead. She can't be." He stormed out of the saloon. Festus started to follow, but Sam held him back. "I think you should let him be for now." Doc nodded. "Give him some time by himself. He has to find his own way to accept the truth."

Meade Kansas

Carrying a carefully carved cross, Owen Kramer walked up the gently sloping hill next to his house. His wife Peggy followed, head bowed. They came to a mound of dirt at the top of the hill, and Owen picked up a rock. "Peggy, take hold of the lower part of this cross and hold it steady. I want to be sure to hammer it straight." She used two hands to guide the bottom of the dark wooden cross, and with a few strong taps with the rock, Owen drove it straight down into the dirt. Satisfied that the cross was secure and perfectly upright, he tossed the rock aside. "This is a lot better than the two sticks I tied together as a makeshift marker. I used the best wood I could find around here, and carved real careful. The lettering came out fine." Owen moved his finger over the letters that he'd carved. KITTY RUSSELL – going across. REST IN PEACE – going down. "A cross like this shows respect, that's why I worked so hard."

"People will be coming from Dodge to visit the grave." Peggy wrapped her arms around her tiny waist. "There were people she cared about, and who cared about her."

"We'll welcome whoever comes. It's fitting they see a cross that shows respect."

"Owen, I'm never going to see Kitty again. I – I …" Owen wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and pulled her close. "Kitty is in a better place than she's ever been in. Remember that. Come on, we'd best get home. Our three boys are waiting for us.

TBC