After the Storm 13

I don't own these characters; I just like to spend time with them. No other profit to be had than that.

MKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMK

The room was darkened and soundless as they entered, briefly disturbing the tomblike feeling within. Kitty was lying deathly still on the narrow bed, in the center of the room. Pale and thin her beautiful red tresses fanned out dull and lankly on the pillow. She was but a shadow of the beautiful vibrant woman that had left Dodge City eight months prior.

Doc looked over at Matt, seeing a wounded look of grief and guilt. Taking Kitty's right hand, Doc kissed it softly, before gently laying it back on the bed beside her. "Matt," he whispered, disturbing the odd silence in the room "I'm going to go talk to Dr. Lewis for a few minutes. You stay here with her and I'll be right back."

Matt swallowed back the lump in his throat and nodded, his eyes never left her face. It was only after Doc left, that he reached up and brushed away the moisture collecting in the corners of his eyes.

Sitting down in the chair beside her bed, he reached over and took her hand, and as Doc had done before him, kissed it. Only he didn't relinquish it, instead he held on for dear life, afraid of losing the connection.

"Kitty," he said tenderly, "I know I'm late, and I know you must hate me for what I did, but I'm here, and I'm going to make it up to you Kitty. To you and our child."

Kitty didn't respond. "I promise," he continued, "I'll make it up to you and take us all home, but you've got to get well. Our child needs you. I need you. Please honey, please wake up."

Kitty continued to lie unresponsive. If she knew he was there she gave no sign of it, save a lone unnoticed tear falling silently down one cheek.

Doc came back in the room, but remained at the door, as he sadly watched the two people he loved more than anyone else in the world. Unbidden tears sprang from his eyes, and he struggled to wipe them away before speaking.

"Matt," he said softly.

"Yeah," Matt answered, his eyes never abandoning her face.

"Dr. Lewis gave me Kitty's home address as well as her business address. Would you like to go find your son?"

Slowly Matt raised her hand back to his lips, kissing it tenderly before laying it back onto the bed beside her. Standing up he turned to Doc with his first genuine smile in eight months. "Yes sir, I would," he said.

MKMKMKMKMKMK

Finding the tavern had been easy, but finding the strength to enter was not. Matt stood outside for a moment musing on the name. 'The Tin Star'. He appreciated the irony. Squaring his shoulders finally and taking a deep breath, he entered and asked the bar keep for Nathan Hancock.

"I'm Hancock" a man said from behind Matt. 'Can I help you?"

Matt turned to find a shorter, stocky man with slicked back dark hair and a pencil thin mustache and bowtie, giving him an uncertain smile. "My name's Matt Dillon," Matt said.

Nathan's smile disappeared and a glower took its place. "Follow me," he said coldly, leading the way into his office. As soon as they entered, he closed the door and turned angrily towards the man that had hurt Kitty.

'What do you want here?" he demanded. "Kitty's in the hospital or don't you care?"

"Now look here," Matt said, I just came to find my son. I've already been to the hospital. I was told you could help me."

"Help you?" Nathan sneered. "Like you helped Kitty?"

"You don't understand…" Matt started, but Nathan didn't let him finish. His anger boiled over in a flash as he pulled back his fist and took a swing.

Matt saw the punch coming and easily ducked it. "Look mister," he said, sidestepping another. "I'm not here to fight, I came here….." he didn't get to finish as Nathan finally landed a hard blow to his chin.

Without thinking, Matt reacted, pulling back his arm and punching Nathan solidly in the middle. Nathan flew backwards, landing almost on top of his desk.

"Hold it!" Matt yelled, as he wiped blood from his cut lip with the back of his hand. Glancing at his shoulder, he saw a stain of crimson on his new jacket.

Nathan ignored him and ran toward him again, but Matt was ready for him. Taking another side step, he reached out and grabbed Nathan by the arm, driving him back again towards the desk, where he held him tightly against its hard edge.

"I said hold it," Matt grunted. "Listen to me. You don't understand. I love her dammit. I was only trying to protect her."

Matt stared earnestly into the man's eyes and finally after a moment he felt Nathan relax. Matt let him go and stepped back trying to catch his breath. "This has been the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, but I had to do it. I had to protect her. She wouldn't leave, even though her life was in danger in Dodge. I had no choice. She wouldn't go otherwise."

Nathan held his tongue, as he stared at the bleeding man in front of him.

"Kitty may hate me," Matt gasped breathlessly "and she may not take me back, but at least she's still alive and so is our baby. Can't you see? That was the only thing that was important? I couldn't let anything happen to her, even if meant never seeing her again."

Nathan heard the sincerity in his tone and saw the truth in his troubled dark blue eyes. "I'm sorry," he gasped. "I didn't know."

Matt grasped his shoulder as he looked for a chair to sit in. He didn't know that Doc was behind him, until he felt his friends hand on his arm. "Here Matt" he said. "Let me have a look at the shoulder."

"It's alright, Doc," he tried to pass it off, but the pain was sharp.

Doc ignored him and helped him off with his jacket and shirt, while Nathan stood aghast looking on. "Did I do that?" he asked fearfully, seeing the blood.

Matt shook his head. "No," he said thru gritted teeth, as Doc began to work on his shoulder. "I got shot a few days ago, trying to stop the men that were threatening Kitty."

Nathan looked stunned. "Did you get them?" he asked, swallowing hard as Doc removed the bandage and he saw the first real gunshot wound of his life.

Matt nodded. "Yeah," he said, "I got em. That's why I'm here now. Kitty and my son are safe now. If she'll have me back, I'm taking her and my boy back home with me, where they belong."

TBC