Kitty's Love Story

Chapter 3

Doc Adams was mixing powders with his mortal and pestle when he heard the door open from behind. "Don't you worry, Doc here'll git ya fixed right up," said the unmistakable voice of Festus Haggen, holding Bill up on one side as Burke held the other. They helped Bill hobble over to the table, Kitty following closely behind them. Bill fell onto the table and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"What happened?" Doc asked, surprised to see Kitty. He had seen her off this morning, heading out on that long awaited vacation to Kansas City with Matt. His mind raced with possibilities.

"He's been shot," Kitty replied urgently. "Upper leg. We tied the tourniquet as tight as we could, but he's lost a lot of blood."

"We?" Doc repeated, looking around. "Where's Matt?" Festus and Burke had been wondering the same thing.

Kitty shook her head. "He's fine. I'll explain later, Doc. Please, you've got to get this bullet out of Bill's leg."

Bill? Doc glanced down at the pale man taking deep, shaky breaths on his table. He didn't look familiar at all. Where did he come from, and how did Kitty know him?

Those were questions that would have to wait. "Let's get a good look at this," Doc said, reaching for a pair of scissors. He first cut loose the red soaked tourniquet, then the pant leg from the bottom up, until he had reached the gaping hole in Bill's thigh. Doc scrubbed his moustache and looked concerned.

"If it nicked an artery as I suspect, I'll need to operate immediately He can't afford to lose much more blood."

Kitty Russell was painfully familiar with the treatment of bullet wounds. She had been here too many times before, anxiously standing at this same table as Doc instructed her what to do. She knew the drill well and instinctively reached for the chloroform.

Festus and Burke helped position the patient on the table as Doc prepared his instruments. Kitty reached down and gave Bill a gentle kiss on the forehead. "You're going to be fine," she whispered soothingly. "I'll be here when you wake up."

Her three friends exchanged glimpses of confusion at Kitty's tender gesture toward this strange man. Where in the hell was Matt Dillon?

GSGSGSGSGSGSGS

Doc quietly cracked open the door and peeked into the back room. Bill was still sleeping soundly, and Kitty was still sitting patiently next to his bed. It was late, way past normal bedtime, and he knew she had to be exhausted. Doc started to close the door but stopped himself. It was none of his business, but he decided to ask anyway. Kitty may need a sympathetic ear.

"I expect him to be out for at least another hour," Doc said, stepping into the room. "Why don't you go get some sleep and I'll sit here with him."

"Thanks Doc, but I'd rather stay," she replied.

Doc gave her an understanding nod before pulling up a chair beside her. He sat down and lovingly put his hand on her arm. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Kitty sighed. "I suppose I owe you an explanation."

"You don't owe me anything," Doc insisted. "You're supposed to be on vacation, and when you came back without Matt, with a stranger who had been shot…well, I couldn't help but worry. About both of you. Just know I'm here if you need me."

Kitty gave him an appreciative half-smile. "Matt had to go to Hays to testify at an appeal. The message was waiting for him at the stage office in Kinsley. I don't know when he'll be back."

She at least owed him that much. Matt was his closest friend, and there was no reason to needlessly concern him.

"I sure am sorry about that," Doc replied sincerely. "I know how much you were looking forward to that trip. So was Matt."

It was true—Matt had been looking forward to that trip every bit as much as she had, and she knew he wouldn't have left her there if he had a choice. She decided it would make her feel better to tell Doc the whole story. He was such a good listener.

"I was so angry. I told him he could go to Hays, but I was going on to Kansas City. That I had earned that trip," she continued. "Bill was on the stage to Tanner's Creek and we got to know each other a bit. When we got there, a man was waiting for us. I don't know who he was. He had some vendetta against Matt, but they must never have met because he thought Bill was Matt. He put a gun to my head and threatened to kill me…" She stopped to compose herself, reliving the nightmare. Doc put his arm around her and squeezed her shoulder.

"It's alright," he assured her. "You're safe now."

"He saved my life, Doc," she said emotionally, looking at the motionless figure in the bed. "He had a chance to get away, and he didn't take it. He risked everything for me."

"And I thank God for that," Doc remarked, almost under his breath. "The surgery went well, Kitty. His vital signs are good. He's a strong man. I expect he'll make a full recovery."

Kitty smiled through tears. "That's why I had to get him back here. I didn't trust anyone else to help him."

"You bet," Doc replied with a wink, followed by a tight hug. "I'm going to get a little shuteye in the other room. You come and get me if he wakes up, okay?"

Kitty nodded. "Thanks Doc."

Doc left the room, saying a silent prayer of gratitude that a man apparently as noble and courageous as Matt Dillon had accompanied her on that stage. He didn't like to think of what could have happened.

Kitty put her folded arms on the bed and rested her head on top of them. She had now been awake for nineteen hours and was thoroughly drained from the harrowing events of the day. She closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't a restful slumber, with jumbled dreams of vague distress and uneasiness. She awakened to a soft brush across her face, as though being tickled with a feather. She swatted at it a couple of times before her eyes opened and she realized it wasn't a feather, but a hand. Bill was conscious and gently stroking her cheek.

Kitty quickly sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Well hello," she said warmly. "It sure is good to have you back. How do you feel?"

"Like I could run a race," he joked, sounding weak but perfectly coherent. "Where am I?"

"You're still in Doc's office, in the back room," she answered. "He says you're going to make a full recovery."

"Thanks to you," Bill replied with a slight chuckle. "I doubt Mr. Kiley could have handled this at The General Store."

Kitty took his hand in both of hers. "Thanks to you, we're both alive," she said emphatically. "I'll never be able to repay what you did for me."

Bill looked into her tired, beautiful blue eyes and smiled. "Never say never," he mused.

TBC