Dodge City 2 days later

Kitty and Doc were in Delmonico's when Festus walked in with a telegram, "I had Barney send a telegraph to the sheriff at Hayes. Here's his answer. He handed it to Doc who read aloud, "Still awaiting arrival of Marshal Dillon."

Kitty was clearly distressed, "You're worried too Doc aren't you?"

Doc rubbed his mustache, "No, no – I'm sure he's just fine. Like I said before there are any number of reasons for him to be delayed and Matt can handle just about any situation."

Festus wanted to distract Kitty, "Say Doc, didn't you say there was another time you had doings with Matthew before you came to Dodge."

Doc smiled a little knowing what Festus was trying to do. "Well yes. Let me tell you about it. About a year and a half, maybe a little more than that, after Wheeler, Texas, I was in Jefferson, Oklahoma. I was still a wandering doctor. By now I was thinking I'd better just pick a place to practice or go back to Baltimore. I was about to enter the saloon there when I heard a voice from behind call out, "Doc, does that offer to buy me a drink still hold?"

Festus interrupted, "Hold on there Doc. How come you're always either in a saloon or goin into one?"

Doc raised his voice, "Festus don't interrupt. Anyway, as I was saying, I heard a voice and it only took a couple of seconds for me recognized the young man I had met in Wheeler. He was looking more mature, and if possible even taller and stronger."

"Well it's Matt isn't it? I never did find out your last name."

"Dillon, and what about that drink?"

I was kind of amused, "The offer is still good."

We went in, sat at a table, and got our drinks. Matt was the first to speak, "Doc, are you in this town for a reason, or did you just get lost one night and find yourself here?"

I admit, I was a little embarrassed, "You are never going to forget that night are you?"

Matt smiled and shook his head.

"Well, I came here to see if it's a place I'd like to settle in and practice medicine. Lots of places need a doctor, but I want to settle in a place that seems right to me."

"Sounds kind of picky to me Doc. How will you know the right place anyway?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm beginning to wonder that myself. What about you? You still traveling with those cowboys?"

"I did for a little while, but then I moved on, worked on a ranch or two, rode shotgun some, did a little tracking for the cavalry – traveled around."

"Aren't you a little young for the cavalry to take on as a tracker?"

"Guess not, they hired me and never complained about my work – excuse me Doc, I don't like the way those men are treating that lady.'

I watched as Matt strode over to where three men were laughing at a saloon girl, one of them was holding her by the arm so tightly that she couldn't move.

Matt towered over them and said quietly, "I could of sworn I heard that lady tell you three times to let her go."

The man holding her laughed, "This ain't no lady."

"Like I said, the lady wants you to let her go, let her go."

The man gripped the girl tighter, "Look I don't recognize you, so I figure you're new around here so I don't blame you for not knowing who I am. Name's Jim Walker. My dad's Nelson Walker – us Walkers own everything in these parts, including the law."

"We'll Mr. Jim Walker, you don't own me - let her go."

Walker was clearly annoyed, "Well I'll just go ahead and let her go long enough for me and my friends to teach you some respect."

Walker took a swing at Matt, which he easily dodged coming up to punch Walker in the gut. One of Walker's friends jumped on Matt's back. Matt elbowed him hard and then he grabbed the third man and threw him against the wall. Walker was up and Matt finished him off with punches to the stomach and head that rendered him barely conscious.

Matt turned to Walker's friends who were standing shakily on their feet, "You'd better get Mr. Walker home and tended to. He's an important man."

The two men dragged Walker to his feet and half carried, half walked him out of the saloon. One of them turned back, "This ain't finished."

Matt ignored the last remark and turned his attention to the saloon girl, "You alright miss?"

The girl smiled with relief, "Now I am. Thank you."

Matt nodded, returned to our table and sat down, taking a long drink of beer.

I was amazed, "You sure do seem to find trouble. Is it like this wherever you go? Want another beer, I'm still buying?"

"Nope and yes, thanks."

A couple of hours later, we finished drinking and talking, and were about to go our separate ways when we agreed to meet for breakfast late the next morning

A while later, I was reading in bed when there was a knock on the door."

"Who is it?"

"Matt Dillon."

I opened the door and saw that Matt had been stabbed in the shoulder. "Come in, come in. Someone from the Walker ranch pay you a visit?"

Matt nodded, "Two men."

I started cleaning the wound, and having seen Matt in action twice now I couldn't help but ask, "How do they look?"

"They're fine Doc. I disarmed them and sent them on their way. I didn't see a reason to kill the messengers."

I finished cleaning out the wound and wrapped it tight, "It looks good Matt. I'll just make a sling for you."

"Nope, I don't like wearing a sling."

I wasn't pleased to hear that as you can imagine, but didn't want to argue, "No point in making you one if you won't wear it, but I'd like to check on that shoulder tomorrow after breakfast."

Matt took some money out of his pocket and handed it to me, "Doc, this should cover it, but I won't be here tomorrow, sorry about breakfast but I'll be heading out at first light."

"What's so important that it can't wait a day?"

"Well Doc, I've been considering doing something and now I've decided it is something that I really have to do. I'm not going to wait."

"What's that?"

"I'm going to become a lawman."

Well you could have knocked me over with a feather, "What? A lawman? Even if you are serious, I'd bet real money that you are too young."

Matt looked right into my eyes with that determined look that I'm now so familiar with, "Yes, I'm serious and about that other concern – I'll lie. See you Doc."

Matt walked out the door and the next time I saw him was years later in Dodge.

Matt

Matt was making his way slowly to Hayes City with Max Hooker, a convicted murderer and Jason Long, one of the men who had tried to help Hooker escape.

They were slowly making their way down a muddy hill. With every step the horses took mud splashed up. Matt was thinking about how a straightforward 4-day trip had turned into a pain in the butt. He couldn't wait to get to Hayes to be able to send word to Kitty that he was on his way back. Suddenly Long's horse lost its footing and went down. Long was pinned under his horse and the horse was panicking.

The man was clearly in pain screaming, "My leg's broke, help me, help me."

Matt dismounted and went over. He saw immediately that he would have to shoot the horse.

He took out his gun, "Be still Long." He fired and the horse died quickly. Matt knew that there was no way he could free Long without Hooker's helpß.

"Hooker, get down off that horse. I'm going to take your handcuffs off long enough for you to help me free your friend here. Don't try anything, or you're a dead man."

Hooker smiled to himself thinking, "That marshal forgot I'm a dead man anyway. I'm going to take any chance I can get."

Matt and Hooker managed to lift the horse enough to release Long. "Hooker, you're closer to him than I am, grab hold beneath his armpit with one hand and pull. Long do your best and push with your arms."

It took some doing but Long was free.

Matt had his gun out, "Hooker, get over here." Instead of walking Hooker ran and shoved Matt down into the mud. He was near Matt's horse and reached up to grab the rifle that was hanging there. Matt was on his feet as Hooker had his hands on the rifle.

"Hold it."

"No, I'll kill you here or die here." He turned towards Matt and was about to fire. Matt had no choice and fired first. Hooker was dead.

Matt, now covered in mud muttered to himself, "What a pointless trip." He turned to Long with a sigh, "I'll bury him, build a travois and drag you into Hayes."

TBC