Kitty took a deep breath and did her best to hide her exhaustion as she stood at the bar and polished glasses. But Sam noticed it nevertheless. "Miss Kitty, why don't you go upstairs and get some rest? Just about everyone down here is asleep or close to it."

"Oh, I appreciate that, Sam." Kitty smiled at him gratefully. "But I've got a load of dishes to do back there and I need to see what I've got to make breakfast for all these folks. You know it'll be morning before too long."

"Miss Kitty, it's already morning." Sam nodded towards the clock, which read 2 :01. "Honest, nobody's going to be stirring much for a few more hours, go on upstairs and at least take a nap. The dishes will wait until one of the girls gets up and we'll worry about breakfast then."

"Well, what about you?" She asked. "You haven't had any more sleep than I have, maybe less."

"I'll settle in a cot right here by the bar and snooze a little." Sam assured her. "If someone needs something I can hear them and if not, I'll get as much rest as if I were home."

Kitty wasn't sure she believed that but she was really too tired to argue with him. "Alright, then. I'll go on up. But if you need me for anything…"

"I'll call you." Sam grinned.

Shaking her head at him, Kitty grinned back. "I'll be back down in a couple of hours."

When Kitty reached her room, unsurprisingly, she found Matt had already gotten up and left. Knowing him, he was probably back out in the storm trying to see if there was anyone else he could help. That thought worried her. Though she had no doubts that he could take care of himself in normal circumstances, this was storm was beyond the norm.

Deciding to let that thought go, Kitty quickly kicked off her shoes and removed her dress. She left everything else on and climbed wearily into bed. She was practically asleep before her head hit the pillow. But her rest didn't last. An hour later, she was dragged from her slumbers by the sounds of gunfire. It took her a few minutes to get her bearings but when she did, Kitty quickly threw on a clean dress and her shoes and hurried out onto the balcony.

The gambler, Deakins, was back. Standing somewhat shakily in front of the bar, he was holding a gun on Sam and Festus, demanding to know where Matt was. Studying the scene closely, Kitty could tell that Festus was hurt, judging by the blood on Festus' arm. And from the way he was leaning, apparently the gambler was hurt as well.

"Now, you… you tell… me… where that Marsh… al is. I… I want him, now!" He waved his gun between Festus and Sam and whirled around, pointing it at a suddenly pale Burke when he moved back a step. "I… I swear, I'll… I'll kill you if you… if you move."

Kitty could see the man was badly hurt, but that only made him more dangerous. Quickly stepping back into her room, Kitty opened her top dresser drawer and removed the pistol she kept there. She had no intentions of killing Deakins, but she had to somehow stop him.

Moving quietly back onto the balcony, Kitty raised the gun and pointed at the floor just to the left of the gambler's feet. She hated to put a hole in her floor, but it was better than putting one in a person, even that person. Squeezing her eyes shut at the last second, Kitty pulled the trigger and fired.

Instantly, Deakins turned in her direction, gun raised. His attention turned to her, gave Festus all he needed to take a flying leap, landing on the man's back and knocking him senseless. "You alright, Miss Kitty?" Festus hollered up at her as he turned the man over and grabbed the gun he'd held.

"I'm fine, Festus." She called back. "But you're not. You arm's hurt."

"Awe, it ain't nothing." He shook his head. "Sam, ya got some rope or something I kin tie this yahoo up with?"

"I'll get something from the back." Sam answered and quickly moved in that direction.

While, the suddenly awake refugees of Dodge, looked on in amazement, Kitty made her way down the stairs and moved over to where Festus stood, holding the gun on Deakins until Sam returned. "I thought Matt killed him." She swallowed hard looking at him.

"Yeah, Matthew did too." Festus shrugged. "Guess he was a mite tougher than we thought. Maybe he'll be tough enough to last til Ol' Doc gits back to town."

Kitty bent down and moved the man's jacket aside, looking at the gaping hole in his side. "I don't think so, Festus. He looks like he's lost a lot of blood and that wound looks pretty bad."

"Well," Festus shrugged. "Matthew said he got him good. Guess he done that alright."

Sam returned with the rope but Kitty shook her head at him. "Don't need it now. He's gone." She sighed as she got up and looked around. "Sam, can you get a couple of men to help you take him out of here? Maybe out in the alley at least? With this storm, he should be fine there for now."

"Sure will, Miss Kitty." Sam laid the rope down and looked over at Burke and another man. "Come on, men. Let's get him out back."

"Festus." Kitty reached out for him. "Let me look at that arm."

"Aw, it ain't nothing, Miss Kitty." Festus pulled away, but Kitty refused to release her grip.

"Un huh.'' She arched a brow at him as she directed him to a chair. "You're bleeding, Festus, which means it's something. Now sit down here and let me look at it. I swear, you're as bad as Matt."

"Tain't nothing I don't deserve. Betcha Matthew wouldn't'a got caught out like I did here." Festus grumbled as he sat down. "I was jes a snoozing right on whilst that Deakins just come a slinkin' on in here like he had a right to. Why, I…"

"You're just as exhausted as the rest of us are." Kitty stopped him as she quickly cleaned his arm and wrapped a towel around it. "And against a angry man with a gun, I'm not sure Matt could've done better. So quit beating yourself up over it. There, it's the best I can do for now."

"Thank ya, Miss Kitty." Festus glanced at his arm and got up. "Don't guess ol' Doc coulda done no better."

"Well, I don't know about that." Kitty sighed. "But since neither he nor Matt is here, I guess we'll just have to do the best we can."

Festus looked over at her with one squinted eye. "Wha'd'ya mean, Matthew ain't here? I figgered he was a snoozing upstairs."

"Fraid not, Festus." Kitty sighed. "He was gone when I went up an hour ago. He must've gone down the back stairs."

"Well, where to?" Festus wanted to know. "With that there storm a huffin' like it is, there ain't much place he could go to."

"I know." Kitty answered with a shake of her head. "I know." She hated the idea of Matt being out in that blizzard but she had no idea of what to do about it. About the only man in town who stood a chance in that tempest was Matt and if he was lost, anyone going after him would be as well.

"Guess, I oughta go a lookin' fer him." Festus didn't really expect her to agree but he was willing and thinking of going anyway, whether she agreed or not.

"No, Festus." Kitty shook her head. "It's way too bad out there now. It's bad enough Matt is out there without you going too."

"Mayhap I could find em." Festus reasoned.

"Uh huh." Kitty nodded. "And 'mayhap' you could get lost or worse. No, Festus, please. Please just stay here. Okay?"

Festus didn't like it, but he knew she was right. "Yes'm." He finally sighed. "I'll stay."

"Thank you." She smiled but the emotion didn't reach her eyes and it never would if, after the storm passed, Matt didn't return.

TBC