Fifth and final chapter

Despite Doc's orders, Kitty was lying in bed, wide awake; her mind replaying her dream as well as wondering what it was, Matt had rushed off to do. When she heard the door open, she turned to see the most handsome man she'd ever laid eyes on walk across the room and settle himself on the bed beside her.

"How are you feeling?" He reached for her hand.

"Obviously not as good as you are." She answered with a smirk. "What's got into you? Matt, I've never seen you this dressed up."

Matt ducked his head with a slight blush, before raising it again to meet her stare. "I have something I need to ask you." He told her. "And I wanted to look my best when I did."

Kitty swallowed hard. It couldn't be, could it? "Well you sure look your best. Ask me what?"

Matt nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet bag. Opening the bag, he extracted the gold and ruby ring he had just this day purchased. Having not the words of a poet, nor the gift of a minstrel, Matt decided the best way to do this was the direct way. Pulling her hand towards him, Matt gently slid the ring onto her finger, sealing it with a kiss. "Kitty Russell," he smiled magnificently. "Will you marry me?"

To say that the unflappable saloon owner, who'd seen and heard just about everything, was stunned, would be an understatement. She was way beyond that. "What?"

Though not exactly the answer he was expecting, he congratulated himself that she had at least not said no right off the bat. "I asked if you would marry me."

Kitty rubbed her eyes, certain she must be dreaming again. It couldn't be. Matt was dead set against marriage. He'd told her that more times than once. But no matter how hard she blinked, he was still there beside her, dressed up and smiling, patiently waiting for her answer. "Are you serious? Or are you drunk?"

Matt laughed. "Yes and no. Although I'll have to seriously consider getting drunk if you turn me down."

"Why?" She demanded. "You've never…"

"No, I haven't." He admitted quickly. "At least, I didn't think I did. But, well…" He dropped his head again. He wasn't sure he should tell her that he was proposing because of a dream, no matter how real that dream had seemed.

But he didn't have to.

"You dreamed it too. Didn't you?" Kitty said with a touch of awe. "The babies, the house, us. You dreamed it too."

Matt's head came up in a snap. "You… you had a dream like that?"

Kitty nodded slowly. "That's what I was dreaming before I woke up here. I know it was a dream, Matt, but it seemed so real. I can still feel the weight of the baby in my arms. She was… she was so much like us. Like a perfect combination of the both of us."

"Rachel." Matt smiled wistfully.

"Rachel?" Kitty gave him a startled look. "You named her?"

Matt shrugged. "Guess I did. At least we did, in my dream. I don't know what our little boy's name was or the one born after him. I woke up before I got that information."

If Kitty was stunned by his proposal, she was completely shocked by this revelation. "Are you saying we had three children?"

"In my dream, yes." Matt answered as he leaned over and kissed her. "And I can't ever recall being that happy. And I want that feeling back." Matt looked at her eagerly. "You didn't answer me, Kitty. Will you marry me?"

Kitty nodded as a tear slipped down her cheek. "I guess I have to." She smiled, rubbing her finger gently over the ring he'd placed there. "I mean if we're going to have three children, it might be a good idea."

Xyz

Christmas evening was a jubilant affair for the Dodge City Marshal and the red headed saloon owner. Kitty hadn't been up to cooking, as she always had before, but Matt, Doc , Festus and Newly surprised her, by doing the honors, along with more than just a little help from Ma Smalley. The Long Branch was packed.

The gathering in the Long Branch that night, celebrated not only Kitty's recovery but her and Matt's upcoming marriage as well. Though the news was surprising to just about everyone, it was also welcomed. This was something that most people in Dodge always thought should have happened, a long time ago.

Later, after the meal was done, and gifts exchanged and carols sung, everyone but Matt and Kitty left the warmth of the saloon to return in the cold to their homes.

When the last person was gone and the doors closed and locked, Matt looked over at Kitty. "Happy?"

Kitty nodded. "Ecstatic. I don't think I've ever had a better Christmas in my entire life." She looked down at the ring on her finger before looking back up at Matt with a slight frown. "You do want this don't you?" She asked suddenly. "I mean… you… you didn't ask me… because I was hurt?"

Matt reached over and pulled her into his arms, cradling her against his chest. "I asked you because I love you." Still seeing doubt in her eyes, he bent down and kissed her, putting into it all of the feelings he often found so difficult to express. "Kitty," he breathed when their lips finally parted. "I'm not much in believing in portents and omens but I think that dream I had, and the one you had too, was just that. It showed us both, I think, just what we could have, how good it could be for us. I want that, Kitty. I want it real bad. Everything else pales in comparison."

Smiling in relief, Kitty wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tightly. "I want it too. I love you, Matt Dillon."

Xyz

"Daddy! Daddy!" Five year old Rachel yelled as she raced across the room and jumped into her father's arms when he came in. "Yer here!" She had been waiting forever, it seemed to her, for him to come home. "Granpa's in there." She pointed to her parent's bedroom. "Mama's sick."

Matt looked up in alarm at Festus who'd garnered babysitting duty for Rachel and her four year old brother, Tommy. "Is it…"

"Her times come, Matthew." Festus grinned. "Ol' Doc's in there with her now."

Setting his daughter back on her feet, Matt kissed her cheek. "Stay here with Uncle Festus, little one, and I'll check on your mama. I'll be right back." Quickly stepping over to the bedroom door, he opened it a crack and stuck his head in. "Kitty? Doc?"

"Matt!" Kitty gasped as her next contraction chose that moment to assail her.

Matt rushed on into the room, closing the door behind him. "Oh, my God." Doc was at the end of the bed and Ma Smalley was at the head, holding Kitty's hand as she struggled through the pain.

"Calm down, Matt." Doc told him as he pulled the sheet back over Kitty's legs after examining her. "The baby's not here yet. But it won't be long. Kitty's doing just fine."

Moving over to the bed, Matt bent down and kissed his wife. "I'm sorry, honey." He apologized. "I knew I should've stayed here today, instead of riding out to deliver those papers to Jake Worth."

Kitty shook her head. "You didn't know it'd be today, Matt." She smiled. "Besides, you're here now. You're not late."

"No, you're not late." Doc agreed with a grumpy scowl at the law man. "But you are in the way. You get on out of here now. You can't be of any help staying here. Go on out and boil some water or something."

Matt looked uncertainly down at Kitty. "Kitty…"

"Go on, Matt." She smiled at him. "I'm fine. I'll be okay."

"Marshal," Ma tugged at his shirt sleeve. "I promise, I'll come get you if we need you."

Matt paused for a moment longer before giving his wife one more kiss and leaving the room, heading into the kitchen. Maybe something so innocuous as boiling water would help to calm him down. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "You'd think a man who'd been through this twice before would be calm, cool and collected." He muttered. But right then, he knew he was anything but.

When he walked into the kitchen, he started for the stove but found there was already a pot of water on the stove. A fairly new stove with four burners on top and an oven. It was just then that he remembered his dream of six years ago. His Christmas dream, he had come to call it. The one that showed him how wonderful his life would be, if he was only willing to take the chance.

"Daddy?" Matt turned and saw his daughter and son, as he expected to. "Is Mama gonna be alright? Her's been hollerin' an awful lot."

Kneeling, Matt pulled both of his children into his arms. "She's going to be just fine, Rachel. It's just that your baby brother or sister is taking time in getting here. But don't you worry, Granpa's in there with her and she'll be alright. I promise."

As Matt hugged his children tightly to him, he knew what he'd told them was true. Kitty was going to be alright. He was going to be alright. Although most people would scoff at his reasoning, he didn't care.

He knew.

A Christmas dream showed him and he now believed in dreams, especially those that came at Christmas time.

The End.