"Look. I just told ya. James wanted to rob the store. Not me. He made me do it!" Billy sat at the little table in the law office. He fussed with a few checkers that were left by Festus and Doc.

"Nobody can make you do anything, Billy. It's a personal choice what you do with your life." Matt said unpretentiously as he walked from behind his desk and stood next to the young Charles boy.

"You don't know James..." Billy didn't lift his head - he just spoke to the table and the checkers in his hands.

"May you should yell me then..." Matt crossed his arms and waited but the boy said nothing.

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Doc pushed himself up from the floor and touched his throbbing cheek and bloodied eyebrow - he was astounded at the amount of blood on his hand. Slowly the doctor got to his feet and the room swayed. Balancing himself on his desk and then the door jam, Doc moved into the back room to look at Festus, who hadn't moved an inch. Doc gently knelt next to his friend and looked at his injuries. Doc wiped his clean hand across his moustache. He shook his head out of discouragement. Lilly watched him from the bed. "Is he all right, Doc?"

Doc looked up to his other patient and shook his head. "I don't know, honey." Doc stood. "I have to get some help..." he said while placing a blanket over Festus. "Who did this, anyway?" Doc looked down into the sad grey eyes that looked up to him. "It was James. I'm awfully sorry the hurt you too..."

"Don't you worry about me. You just lay there quietly." Doc smiled and patted Lilly's hand before leaving the room.

Doc steadied himself as he grabbed a clean cloth from his medical bag and held it to his bleeding eyebrow. He had to get Matt. He looked down at this toupe jacket and thought he must have made quite the image as blood covered his left lapel and the collar of his white shirt. He stepped out on to the landing and the cold night air caught him by surprise -it stung the cut above his eye. Slowly and somewhat wobbly he made his way down the stairs and along the boardwalk, holding himself upright with everything he could lay his hand on.

After a few moments in the cold night, he thought he was going to be sick to his stomach which each footstep. He couldn't ever remember being hit so hard. With a deep breath, Doc stepped off the boardwalk and made his way over to the jail house. He almost made it, that was until he tripped trying to step up to the boardwalk in front of the brick building. He crashed to the ground.

Matt heard the commotion and shook his head. "Louie...it's too early for you..." Matt slowly walked to the door and opened it and at first upon looking straight out saw no one. It wasn't until Doc tried to stand again that Matt realized who was in need of help. "Doc! What in the world happened to you?" Matt took Doc by the arm and helped him in and to a chair.

"James Charles, is what happened!" Doc barked while looking at James' brother.

Matt pulled Doc's hand away to have a look at his injury. "That's a hasty cut, Doc."

"I know. Don't worry about me right now. Festus is up at the office. James broke my water jug over his head..." Doc attempted to stand but Matt placed his hand on the doctor's shoulder keeping him put. "I'll get Kitty and we'll look after him. You don't move."

"Hump..." was all that the disgruntled doctor could muster as he watched Matt quickly leave the office, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Sorry about the deputy and yer eye..." was all that Billy could say. He was filled with hate for his brother, so much so, he wasn't sure what he'd say or do, should he see him. He turned his back to the doctor.

Doc sat quietly and studied the young man then he spoke, "There's an awful lot you can do to right this situation, you know."

Billy slowly turned around. "Like what?" Billy had been crying and awkwardly tried to hide his tears from Doc.

"First you can tell the Marshal where your brother is and turn in the money that you stole from Mr Jonas."

"There's just one problem with that..." Billy sat opposite Doc. "I don't know where either of them is..."

Doc could understand. "Well, we know that James' is here in Dodge somewhere. I'm sure that he'll show up somewhere soon, and my guess it will be where every Lilly is..." The doctor could see he touched a raw nerve in the young man opposite him.

"He lays one hand on her and I'll..." Billy looked up shapely to the doctor. "Doc. I'm the one that loves her...not James..."

"Seems everyone loves Lilly. Poor Festus..." Doc shook his head.

"What do you mean by that?" Billy was almost ready to spring to his feet.

"Festus wants to marry Lilly. He doesn't know that you love her..." Doc smiled. "I'll try and break it to him later." Doc sighed. "It'll tear him apart..."