"Mardi Gras Misunderstanding"

Chapter Three

At the beginning of the following week, John Chapman stopped by Matt's room on his regular hospital rounds, accompanied by the two prominent physicians who were in charge of the lawman's care.

"Kitty," he said and beckoned to her.

Kitty squeezed Matt's hand and slipped into the hall to join the three doctors. "What's wrong, John? He's not getting any better, is he?"

"Well, it's not quite as bad as all that. The broken ribs are healing nicely and the fever's down. As for his knee, we won't really know until he puts his weight on it, but I'm hopeful Dr. Zeigler here was able to stabilize it somewhat."

Turning to the tall young man on his left, he continued, "Doctor Picard has some other concerns he'd like to discuss with you."

The young Creole gazed at the beautiful redhead for a moment, trying to determine how best to present his concerns. Obviously the big man in the hospital room and this woman were close, although how close he couldn't possibly have guessed.

"It's not his physical status I'm concerned about, ma'am. It's his mental state that worries me. I've studied psychiatry, the human mind, extensively at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. And I've seen several cases similar to this one at the teaching hospital there."

"John?" Kitty turned troubled eyes to her old friend. "Do they think Matt's crazy?"

In spite of the seriousness of the moment, Chapman had to smile. Giving a nod toward the big man visible through the slightly open door, he replied, "Kitty, there's no person on this earth saner than that man in there, although only God knows how he's managed to keep his sanity considering all that he's seen and had to do."

Dr. Etienne Picard took up the conversation. "No, ma'am, I am not suggesting that your...friend...is crazy. I am, however, suggesting that for some reason his mind has chosen to take a rest. Perhaps it is as Dr. Chapman alludes--that, in his line of work, he has seen and had to do some terrible things--and now that he is in an unconscious state, his mind likes it there and wants to stay. That may not be the reason at all, but I feel relatively certain that his mind is escaping from something, something he prefers not to face."

"But Matt's been unconscious lots of times, and he's always come back before. He's been a lawman for over twenty years. Surely his mind wouldn't just now decide that it can't deal with his job."

"You never know. The machination of the human brain and mind is still very new and uncharted territory for most doctors. I've been fortunate to have had more experience with it than most, but I don't presume to have all the answers. Let me try to explain it to you this way. There is no physical reason for his lack of response to medical treatment; therefore, we need to consider a mental reason."

"And if we don't find one?"

Picard paused, choosing his words carefully. "Then, barring illness, he could live the rest of his life as you see him today. He's a strong man, and could have many years left. But he would live them in an institution for the insane unless a family member claims him and agrees to care for him."

Kitty's eyes fluttered and her lips turned white. Her body swayed and she would have fallen save for John Chapman's supporting arms. "Hang on, honey. It's going to be all right."

Dr. Picard brought the chair from Matt's room and helped Chapman ease Kitty into it. Dr. Zeigler, the orthopaedic surgeon, who had been a silent observer to this point, poured a glass of water from the pitcher in Matt's room and handed it to her.

She drank the water and looked up at the kindly gray-haired man who reminded her of Doc. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her pale cheeks. "It's not his job. This is all my fault," she whispered. "I did this to him."

"Kitty, you don't know..."

"I do know, John. You...you don't know the whole story."

Picard and Zeigler looked at each other, realizing there was information here that might be useful.

Dr. Zeigler pressed a gentle hand against her shoulder, "Perhaps, Miss Russell, if you could tell us the whole story..."

She took a deep, bracing breath and nodded.