PT.14

My Family, My Choice

A few days had passed. Dan had wired for Judge Brookings to see when he would be coming through the area. Doc decided to make another trip out to visit Kitty with the pretense of seeing if she was still having the headaches. But he knew, it was also a way to keep Matt abreast on how she was also.

McAndels Ranch

Maggie and Joe were out by the horse corral when Doc pulled up in front of the property.

She spotted him and walked over. "Doctor Adams, wasn't it?"

"My friends call me, Doc. After all you allowed me to call you Maggie."

"That's right, I did. Ok, Doc." And she smiled a bright sparkling smile at him. "So, to what do we owe this visit?"

"Well, young lady, I just wanted to check and see how you've been sleeping and check on those headaches."

At the words, "Young Lady", she stopped for a moment.

Doc noticed something, maybe another flash. "Maggie, are you ok?"

"Oh. Yes, of course. Why don't you come inside and I'll get us something cool to drink? Joe, Sweetheart, something to drink?"

"No, maybe later. I have to get these horses together. You visit with Doc and I'll come up later." He cupped her face in both his hands and kissed her forehead.

Doc just watched them.

As she sat with Doc, "Doc, so tell me. Where are you from?"

He carefully thought before answering. "Baltimore originally, but I live in Kansas now."

He watched her face. At first nothing. "Oh, that's not very far. Joe goes there sometimes. Maybe if we're there, we may run into you?"

"Maybe," Doc said. "I live in Dodge City." He thought he saw a spark of recognition or at least she was thinking.

"Are you married?"

"No."

"Never?" She asked.

"Almost once."

"Oh, cold feet, huh?" Then she chuckled lightly. "Joe says we've been married 15 years. It's hard not remembering, not remembering my wedding, my husband, what we were like, what we were like together. There's a part of me that is scared, Doc. And I don't know why or of what. Not of Joe. He's a good man. He's sweet. But I feel like there is something in the way. I can't explain it. It's so confusing. Like I told you, there's these flashes, pictures, voices… But they don't make any sense. I don't know who the voices are and the pictures don't fit."

"Do you want to tell me about them?" Doc asked her.

"I'm not sure I can?"

"Do you want to try?"

"Where do I start?"

"Anywhere." He said.

"Well, I hear what sounds like a soft voice. Maybe crying? Saying 'Kathleen'. 'Kathleen won't let you.' Then, 'She can't stop us.' Then, someone calling for a cowboy? Oh, I don't know. Doc, someone wants a cowboy to help." Suddenly she grabbed her head. "Ohhhhh ahhhhh!"

"What's wrong?"

"The headache, it hurts."

"Ok, enough. Relax! Here, I'm gonna give you something for that."

"Oh, Doc. I don't want to take anything, it's ok."

"I'm a doctor. It will help the pain. You just lie back here and relax. Better yet, I'm going to take you up stairs and you're going to rest."

"Oh, no. It's almost lunch time."

"I'll talk to Joe."

"Well, ok. Just for a bit."

In town, Broken Arrow

Later, Doc sat with Matt. "We need to talk."

"About what, Doc?"

"I was out to see Kitty."

"Is she ok, Doc?"

"She's doing ok. Matt, I think she's remembering."

"What?"

"In small flashes, and bit and pieces. She doesn't know what it is but it's there. Picture flashes and voices… She just can't put them together yet. And with the head injury, and the headaches, it's making it difficult."

"Can you do anything, Doc?"

"We can't rush her, Matt."

"Ah, Doc, who am I kiddin'? Maybe you were right. Maybe I don't have the right to do anything. You said she was happy."

Doc looked at him in amazement. "What in thunder is wrong with you? You over grown lug. That young lady, who I've happened to watch, mind you, over the last oh never mind how many years, hopelessly devote herself to you. No matter how many times she knew you put that damn badge before anything or anyone else, she still stood by you and put her own life on the line for you! Yeah, you! I'm talking to you!"

"That woman out there isn't Maggie McAndels! She's Kathleen Russell! Kitty! Our Kitty! Your Kitty, you over grown civil servant, big lug. That woman loves you. And I never thought I'd see the day, that one of my duties as a Doctor, would be to have to tell you to wake up and fight for the woman you love, man! Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Kitty needs you."

McAndels Ranch

Later after her short nap, she decided to go looking for Joe out by the horses. Not finding him there, Maggie saddled up a horse and rode out to where she knew the men were working. She soon saw a handful of them. "Hello boys, Joe around?"

"Up over the hill, Ma'am."

"Ok, thanks."

Still not too familiar with the entire property, she wasn't paying attention to what they were doing. But she was enjoying the nice day.

Matt had decided to ride out to the ranch and talk with Joe about Murray, figuring he could feel out the situation a bit and make his next move from there. He heard explosions but didn't know what it was coming from.

The men working were using explosives to break through dams for water. When one of the explosions went off, Maggie was right in the vicinity. They didn't see her. The loud noise spooked her horse. It took off out of control, right for a cliff that was over a small canyon.

Both Joe and Matt saw her headed right for it. Both, at this point were yelling her name. Joe yelling, "Maggie!" Matt was yelling, "Kitty!"

The last they saw, she went off the horse and was nowhere in sight!

Once Doc and Frank realized where Matt had gone, they followed behind, just to make sure he didn't do anything, well, hotheaded.

When they didn't find them at the house, they began looking around the property. Hearing the explosions, Frank wanted to go looking. "Doc, you can stay here but…"

"I'm coming along."

When they got closer, they saw the men running and heard Joe and Matt yelling, "Maggie, Kitty!"

Then they heard her screaming. "HELP! HELP! Somebody, HELP!"

When she went off her horse, she went just over and down the side of the edge of the canyon and was hanging onto a branch.

Matt reached her first. "Here, give me your hand."

"Oh, you!"

"Never mind that, give me your hand."

"I can't let go."

"Yes you can. Don't look down. Hey, look at me. Right here. Honey, look at me. Now give me your hand. I won't let you go. I promise!"

"I can't hold on anymore." She was trying not to cry.

"Honey, listen to me. You trust me. You're not gonna fall."

Slowly, she began to let go. Matt grabbed her hand, she started to slip and she screamed, "No!"

"Honey, I got you."

Quickly, Frank held Matt's legs. "Pull her up, Matt!"

Then he told her to let go with the other hand and grab his. When she did, they pulled her up.

Falling back, he held her tight. "You're alright now. You're safe."

Without thinking, she had her arms wrapped around his neck. Tight!

Matt buried his face in the nape of her neck.

Quickly, flashes of the same pictures from the night on the porch came back.

Joe came running up. "Maggie, Sweetheart, are you alright?"

She stood up, brushed herself off and started to run to him.

He was standing with his arms outstretched. "Maggie?"

Just then Matt called out, "Kitty? Kitty?"

She stopped, frozen in place.

Again Joe called, "Maggie?"

Placing both hands on either sides of her head, hearing both of them calling, "Maggie, Kitty, Maggie, Kitty" Flashes of pictures were going round and round in her head.

Finally Matt said, "Kitty, Honey. I need you. I love you."

Then softly she spoke. "Cowboy?" She began to tremble.

"Yes, Kitty. It's me."

"Are you really here?"

"I'm right here, Honey. Turn around."

Slowly, she began to turn, tears trickling down her cheeks. "Oh, Cowboy!" She started to run but clasped to the ground on her knees.

Matt ran to her. "I'm here, Kitty. I'm right here." Matt wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.

After a few minutes, Doc came over. "Honey, let me look at you."

"Doc?"

"Yeah, Honey, it's ol' Doc."

"Frank?"

"Yeah, Kitty, it's me."

Suddenly, she looked up. "Cowboy," she looked over her shoulder, "give me a minute, will you?"

Joe was standing with his men. Kitty slowly walked over to him.

The men disbursed. "Ma'am."

Placing her hands on his cheeks. "Oh, Joe. I… I... am sooo sorry." With tears running down her cheeks, "I don't know what I can say to you to make this right. How do I make you understand? All I can say is that, Matt to me, is what Maggie was to you. I have loved this man for better then half my life and we've been through so much together. I will never stop loving him, just as you will never stop loving Maggie. I know that because,
I've seen first hand just how much love you have for her and always will."

"My dear sweet Joe. I think a part of me knew, deep inside, I wasn't your Maggie. But if I gave you back a little piece of your life with her then maybe…" wiping away her tears.

"Thank you, Maggie."

"But, Joe…"

"Shhhhh! You will always be in my heart."

Slowly she leaned up on her toes and placed a kiss on his lips. And then she placed her hand on his heart. "Thank you, my dear sweet Joe!"

TBC