The crushing weight of the massive tree branch pushed Kitty deeply into the cold swampy ground.
A few moments before, she and Doc had been smiling, chatting, and enjoying their buggy ride through the country. It was a lovely fall day in November, the sun warming them after a cold night and the past week of steady rain. Doc was taking the off-trail, "scenic route" due to Kitty's urging.
They were on their way to spend the night with Grace Snyder, due to give birth in days. Kitty was eager to visit her ex-saloon-girl friend, now a happily married wife with two small children. Doc was a little concerned about Grace's swollen ankles, and wanted to ensure she was staying on bed rest, or at least, as much as possible. Doc realized how unrealistic bed rest was for a farmer's wife with two small children, and had loaded several meals from Delmonico's in the back of his buggy.
The days of constant pounding rain had saturated the ground, and particularly the banks along the overflowing river. The giant old oak tree had grown beside the river for countless years, and now had several lower branches almost as big around as a man. With each rain-filled day and night, the ground had been becoming looser and looser around its roots.
The buggy was slowly approaching a narrow wooden bridge across the swollen river. Upstream, the heavy rains had caused a swirling mass of debris to collect.
"Kitty, we should be there in about another hour. Grace is going to be so happy to see you. I'll even tell her that YOU cooked the food, if you want!" The small older man laughed and bumped his left shoulder against Kitty sitting beside him.
The sun glinting on her bright red hair, Kitty looked up, smiled and closed her eyes, basking in the long-absent warmth of the sun on her face.
"No, Doc, don't worry, Grace already knows that I don't cook," she laughed. This was a running joke between Doc and Kitty, and each enjoyed it.
Doc looked over at the smiling, happy young woman enjoying the sun, and marveled anew at her radiant, unselfconscious beauty. He loved her like a daughter and took a father's pride in the person she was, aside from her physical attributes.
Patting her arm, he smiled, tipped his face back and enjoyed the sunshine with her, lulled by the clopping of his horse's hooves.
Kitty and Doc were jolted out of their peaceful reverie by the sudden loud groaning, creaking, then crashing of the huge tree as its roots gave way. The terrified horse shied and bolted, throwing both passengers from the buggy. Doc rolled away from the tree, Kitty towards it.
As soon as the horse raced across the bridge, the buggy swaying side to side, the clot of tree branches and debris upstream came roaring down, smashed into the bridge, and demolished it.
The main trunk of the falling tree missed Kitty, but she was slammed into the wet ground by one of the larger branches across her upper legs. The breath was knocked out of her by the sudden impact.
Doc was stunned by his fall, but quickly recovered and frantically stood up and looked for Kitty.
"KITTY! KITTY! Where are you?!" He took in the fallen tree covering the nearby ground, the missing horse and buggy, and the demolished bridge.
"Doc! I'm…I'm over here!"
Doc pushed aside the branches until he could see Kitty trapped under the heavy branch across her upper legs that was pushing her down into the soggy ground. He stood still for moment, staring, mind racing with how to rescue her.
"Hold on, Honey, I'll get you out." He knelt down next to her, checking her upper body for injury. Futilely, the small man pulled on the branch as hard as he could. How he wished for Matt's big-as-a-mountain body for just five minutes.
The day was growing chilly as the sun moved across the sky towards the cold night. The saturated ground had cushioned the impact of the tree on Kitty's legs but was now causing her to shiver through her thin blouse as Doc tried to free her.
Taking off his suit jacket, Doc draped it over Kitty's upper body as he struggled to move the branch. When he pulled on her from behind, his hands in her armpits, she would bite her lip and wince. He kept trying, getting more and more frustrated as the time passed.
"It's not working Doc. Maybe you should walk somewhere for help. My legs are going to sleep."
"Kitty, I am NOT about to leave you! And with the bridge out, there's nowhere to go except back to Dodge. Matt and Chester will come looking for us once my horse returns to the stables.
She was silent, and when Doc once again knelt by her head, he worried how pale she was, and how cool her skin felt as her eyes did not open to his touch or voice.
"KITTY!" He slapped her face and her eyes opened, looking up at him groggily.
"I'm sorry, Doll, but you need to stay awake."
"I'll try, Doc. I'm so tired and I don't even feel cold now." Her sad blue eyes met his and then slowly closed again.
"I've got to get her out of here! I'm not a big, strong man, but I have a good strong brain. Hmmm…I need some kind of lever and fulcrum."
Hurriedly looking around, he found a long, stout stick, and a large, broad-based rock. He took them over to the heavy branch atop Kitty, and put the stick on the rock, pushing one end of the stick under the large branch. Then he rolled another large rock close by.
Using all of his strength, the small man pushed down on the top end of the stick, the lever, atop the rock fulcrum. On his sixth all-out effort, the branch lying on Kitty lifted enough for Doc to stretch over with his leg and kick the other large rock under the branch to hold it up.
After pulling Kitty out from under the branch, he quickly undressed himself down to his long john bottoms and vest. Then he undressed her completely and put all of his dry clothes on her limp, cool body.
He checked her legs for fractures, but fortunately found her to be only bruised.
Wanting a dry and highly visible location, Doc climbed onto the huge fallen tree trunk and then carefully pulled Kitty up next to him. Hugging her tightly to try to warm her, he prayed for Matt and Chester's arrival as the air grew colder with each passing minute.