Thanks for all the great reviews; you know they really help me with writing this story. I also want to encourage everyone to go and check out "The West Wind" because it is an AWESOME story!! Oh and I made a bad mistake in my little note in Chapter 4- the first episode was not "Hack Prine" it was "Matt Gets It".

After his little chat with Chester, Matt again went to the back steps of the Longbranch and looked at the scene in the light of day. He still couldn't understand, like Chester, why anyone would want to hurt Kitty. It wasn't like she made a habit out of being cruel to other people. Sure he knew that she and the other girls had their spats but Matt assumed that all women acted that way once in a while, the same as men.

After looking over the steps again and ensuring him that there was no way that what had happened to Kitty could have been an accident he went up the stairs and to Kitty's room. He knocked three times before a harried Doc answered the door. "Oh, Matt."

"Doc. How's Kitty feeling this morning?" Matt asked quietly. He could see that she was sleeping and he didn't want to wake her.

"Well, she was awake a little while ago and she's in quite a bit of pain." Doc said, swiping his mustache. "It's a bad thing that happened to her Matt."

"I know Doc, and I plan on finding out who did it to her." Matt said, his large hands curling into fists. "Can you keep her awake the next time she wakes up?"

"Yes, I suppose I can, but Matt, I must tell you, Kitty will be a lot more comfortable if she's sleeping." Doc said.

"I know that Doc, but I need to talk to her. I need to know if she remembers anything, anything at all." Matt said, turning his Stetson in his hands.

"Well, she told you last night that she didn't see the person." Doc said gruffly.

Matt could tell that the physician didn't really want to allow Kitty out of her drug induced state but Matt needed all the information that he could get from her. "Doc, please, I know she said that she didn't see the person but there are other things, like was the person big or small, did they say anything that would tell me if it was a man or a woman?"

"Well, I guess if she wakes up again, I'll send someone to get you." Doc said.

"Thanks Doc. Say if you would like to leave for a bit, maybe go get some breakfast, I'd be willing to sit with her." Matt said, quietly, his eyes downcast, his cheeks flushing.

It crossed Doc's mind to rib the younger man but then he thought about all he had been through in the last few hours and kept his comment to himself and instead said, "Sure that sound good. I think I just walk over to the café for a bit."

Matt sat down at Kitty's bedside and reached over and picked up one of her hands. He just sat and looked at it for a few minutes. He admired her long, slender fingers and chuckled at the sight of the slight freckles that were sprinkled on her fingers. "Ah Kitty, I wish I knew what happened last night." He said to her sleeping figure.

Sally awoke the next morning to heavy footsteps and knocking. Thinking that someone was knocking on her door, she got up and went to it as quickly as possible, not even bothering to cover her scantly clothed body. She opened it just in time to see her man, walking into Kitty's room. Seeing that made her angry so she quickly shut the door and stomped across her room, she went to the mirror and looked into it. "What can she possibly have that I don't? I give Matt everything he wants and yet he keeps going to Kitty." Sally stressed the word Kitty so hard that if it had been an object in her hands she would have crushed it.

Still furious and stomping, Sally went to her closet and began rifling through the dresses that hung there. She pulled out a yellow satin one held it up in front of herself, and decided that it would work for going over to sweetly inquire about the health of Kitty. Then she fixed her hair, wondering how Matt could be attracted to Kitty with her fiery red hair when he had her with her pretty black hair.

Matt was still sitting holding Kitty's hand when he heard a knock on the door. He assumed it was Doc coming back so he just said, "Come on." And didn't bother to get up.

Expecting Doc, he was rather surprised when the door opened and Sally came into the room. "Good morning Matt." She greeted. Her voice sugary sweet and dripping with sweetness. "How is Kitty this morning?"

Matt looked at the woman lying in the bed next to where he sat and said, without really looking at Sally. "Doc says she'll be ok, but it will be a while before she is totally well."

"Oh well I am so happy to hear that." Sally said, lying once more. "Has she woken up yet?"

"Doc says twice, but she's in a lot of pain." Matt said still not really looking at the other woman.

"Oh, well perhaps I can bring her some soup or something when she wakes up and is feeling a little better."

Matt looked at Sally then, "I guess that would be nice." He said, all the while wondering about the young woman before him. He took in her dark hair and pretty satin dress and only saw before him another soiled dove that was so common to the dance halls and saloons of Dodge and every other cow town of the plains.

Sally could tell that she wasn't really getting Matt's attention anymore than she had before, even though he was hers. Deciding that she would leave him be for the time being she said, "Oh well you let me know as soon as Kitty wakes up so I can get that soup of here." Sally said.

Matt watched her as she walked out and decided that if she did bring soup to Kitty he would throw it out. There was something about the woman that made him feel that he needed to beware of her, like a rattle snake in the grass. The snake would always give you warning before he struck with the buzzing of his tail, and you always had that feeling, because he never really knew how close that snake was, and that was the feeling that Miss Sally Parker gave to Matt the last few times that she came around.

When Doc returned he passed Sally in the hallway leaving Kitty's room. He rushed in, not bothering to knock and found Matt still setting there.

"Matt! Good, you were in here when that Sally come in here." Doc said. Shaking his head he said, "I'm sorry to say it Matt, but there is something about that girl that just doesn't set right with me."

"You've noticed that about her two huh?" Matt said.

"Not so much noticed but she just gives you a different feeling." Doc said. "I just don't know about her Matt, but I can say that I would watch her."

"Yeah." Matt agreed. "She said when Kitty wakes up she wants to bring her some soup, if I'm not here, Doc, don't let Kitty eat it, just throw it out."

"I think I can do that. Matt, what are you thinking?"

"I can't rightly say right now Doc, I just can't rightly say." Matt said.

He left a short time later and went back to the office. He needed to talk to Chester. Chester was a long time patron of the Longbranch and Matt was sure that he knew most of the girls that worked there well. Matt figured if he talked to Chester and asked him about how the girls that worked in the Longbranch got along.

Matt found Chester outside the jail, sweeping the front steps. "Chester, come on inside a minute."

"Yes sir, Mr. Dillon." Chester said, gladly setting his broom aside to go in and sit with Mr. Dillon. He followed the tall marshal inside and asked, "Mr. Dillon would you like some coffee?"

"Not now Chester. I need to ask you a few questions." Matt said his voice serious.

"Me, Mr. Dillon? Why I haven't done anything wrong." Chester said feeling wounded that Matt was going to question him like a criminal.

"I know you haven't done anything wrong Chester. I wasn't saying that you did." Matt said, taking a chair from the table in the middle of the room, turning it around and sitting down, his long arms lying over the top of it.

Chester also took a chair and let his stiff leg stick straight out in front of him. "What can I help you with Mr. Dillon?"

"Chester, how well do you know those girls that work in the Longbranch?" Matt asked.

"Oh I figure I know most of 'em pretty well. Are you interested in anyone in particular Mr. Dillon?" Chester asked. No one had ever asked him about the ladies at the Longbranch before; he hoped that Mr. Dillon didn't want too many details.

"No, no one in particular Chester, I would just like to know about well, how do they get along? Do the girls fight a lot?"

"Oh I wouldn't know that Mr. Dillon, but I guess they probably fight as much as any group of women would all livin' together."

"Yeah, I suppose your right." Matt said. He hadn't thought about it that way. "Well, do any of the girls particularly like or dislike Miss Kitty?"

That made Chester smile, "Aww, Mr. Dillon, you know everyone likes Miss Kitty. Why she's the nicest girl over there."

Matt smiled at Chester, "Thanks Chester, I appreciate the information."

"Are you done with me now Mr. Dillon?" Chester asked.

"Yeah Chester, you can go back to what you were doing." Matt said before standing and moving towards his desk. He had paper work and thinking to do