Chapter 16

I got up to check on Jeffrey an hour or so later and he was sleeping peacefully. The dressing I'd applied was clean and dry so it looked like all had gone well. I did contemplate moving him to the back room but doubted I could manage that by myself. Consequently I had no choice but to doze at the desk as I'd done countless times before.

Two hours or maybe a little longer passed before I awoke to find my young colleague trying to sit up on that examination table.

"Whoa there!" I called out while trying to convince my aging bones to stand upright.

"I think my head is going to burst." Somehow Jeffrey had swung his feet over the side of the table and was sitting there nursing his head with his right hand.

"It's called a hangover. Hold on and I'll make some coffee." I helped him ease down until his feet were on the floor and waited a moment to make sure he was steady before turning him loose.

"You can go lay on the bed in the back room if you like," I told him.

"No thanks, I'll sit here." He settled into the chair he'd occupied last night. "I'm sorry Doc... about last night. I hope I didn't say or do anything... I've never been drunk before. I don't remember anything."

"Just as well," I assured him. "I was able to take care of that wound and you didn't complain one time." I saw him relax and smile a little as I turned around to tend the stove. It was almost out and I needed to get it going before emptying the old grounds from the coffee pot and spooning in some fresh. I laughed to myself that Chester would have considered that unforgivable.

"What did you find?" he asked, gesturing towards his shoulder.

"A few ruptured sutures and a small pumping artery. I tied it off and left part of the wound open to drain. It should be fine. Let me see it tomorrow."

About the time the pot of coffee began to boil the sound of a tuneless whistling accompanied by jangling spurs came heading up my stairs.

"Festus," I called as I opened the door - "do you have to make so much noise this early? It's barely daylight. Do you sleep in those things?" I pointed to the rowels on the boots that seemed to be a permanent part of him. He gave me that squinty-eyed look before stopping to peer around the room.

"You got Dr. Jeffrey hidden somewhere around here?"

"Yes, but he doesn't need to be bothered by you right now."

"I was thinkin' he looked a might sorrysome when I dropped him off at Ma's. I done told him it wouldn't do no harm for him ta see one more sawbones, even though he was a doctor his ownself."

He stopped and sniffed the air like an old hunting dog.

"Now that wouldn't be a fresh pot a' coffee you be a makin', Doc?"

"Festus!" I'd forgotten my own advice about keeping the noise down.

"Let him in Galen, as long as he's quiet." Poor Jeffrey must still be feeling the after effects of the whiskey.

"Well that's real welcomin' of you, Dr. Jeffrey," the deputy replied as he tripped noisily over the basket containing wood for the stove. All I could do was glare at him.

"Sit down before you wreck the place!"

"Now Doc don't get yer hackles up an' twisted. I was only tellin' Matthew and the others that you would have been there to meet them all off that there train last night, but you was off deliverin' britches to Red Sutter's place. Now if'n you'd 've asked me I'd a been only to glad to do that for ya' so's ya' could'a been here to see 'em all home, don't cha see."

"Delivering britches! What on earth are you talking about Festus?"

"Waal that's what ol' Newly tol' me you was a doin'."

I had to stop pouring coffee into mugs for a moment. I handed one to Jeffrey and he looked up with a half smile. "Didn't you say something about a breach delivery?"

I looked back at Festus then pushed a mug of coffee into his hand.

"Breach not Britches," I grunted at him. "Now drink your coffee!"

"Much obliged, Doc," was all he said.

I carried my coffee to the desk. Jeffrey was struggling to get his shirt back on and I stepped behind him to assist. I also took the opportunity to check the bandaging I'd put in place to protect the wound. It was still dry. So far it hadn't bled though.

"I think you need to go back to Ma' Smalley's and get a few hours sleep." I told him. "How's your head?"

"It's clearing," he assured me.

"Let Festus see you home. He might as well do something useful. I'll stop by and check on you later."

As they walked to the door I stopped Festus for a moment.

"Ask Matt to come up and see me when he gets time."

"I'll do 'er Doc!"

()()()

Expecting to get a full night's sleep was a privilege I gave up years ago. On the other hand, I'd learned to grab an hour here and there when things were quiet. The bed in the back room was untouched so when Festus left with Jeffrey I went back there and removed my shoes. Making myself comfortable on top of the old quilt, I closed my eyes for maybe an hour or so.

"Are you gonna sleep all day, Doc?"

An all too familiar voice disturbed my brief chance of sleep, but I was so happy to see Matt standing there that I didn't complain.

"So you decided to come home." I sat up and reached for my boots from under the bed. "Where's Kitty?"

"That's a nice welcome. I was going to ask you to come to breakfast. She's going to meet us at Delmonico's." He pulled an envelope from an inside pocket and handed it to me.

"Dr. Harrington insisted on seeing me before we left Denver - something about wanting to follow up on how his treatments worked. I didn't have a choice because we had to wait for Jeffrey to recover from surgery."

I took the envelope and told him to have a seat while I glanced at the contents. It was too lengthy to read the whole report now, but Gabriel summed it all up at the end by saying that the marshal had been very lucky and seemed to be fully recovered. Whether he stayed that way depended on him and the profession he chose. There was another page or two about Jeffrey's injury and details of the surgery Harrington had performed.

I looked at Matt wondering what it was that drove him. Many times I'd thought I had him figured out but then...well sometimes my ideas didn't seem to be the whole story.

"I guess Dr. Harrington says I'm gonna have to spend the rest of my life behind a desk," Matt said as I looked up.

"No actually he says you've been very lucky and he couldn't find anything wrong with you." My friend didn't have anything to say so I continued. "Why do you do it Matt? Why do you keep putting your life on the line for that badge."

He frowned and looked down at his hands before replying. "I guess because Washington can't find anyone else to do it, and where would this town be without someone to stand up for the law?"

"You don't owe this town anything. You've watched over it all these years. You've deprived yourself of a normal life. You have a very small group of real friends and as for the rest of the town...half of them are scared to be your friend and the other half are ready to turn on you in a heartbeat if things go wrong. You don't need to keep doing this to yourself, you know."

He looked at me. "Don't you think that's my business doctor? "

"Yes, but it's mine too. I'm involved too often for my liking. I'm not trying to make you quit your job Matt, I'm trying to make you think. There are other things you could be doing."

I thought he was going to argue with me but he didn't. He stood up and retrieved his hat from the stand behind the door. "If we're going to get breakfast we should be heading that way."

I couldn't judge his mood from the flat, monotone of his reply so I made a hurried decision to grab my hat and jacket and follow without replying.

We walked to the cafe without further conversation. Matt opened the door and walked in ahead of me. He picked his way through the tables, which were already occupied by a selection of Dodge City's finest, each eating his own idea of breakfast. As usual Matt led the way to a table where he could sit with his back against a wall. We ordered coffee and waited for Kitty to arrive.

"Tell me Matt, what happened that night in Denver."

"Which night, Doc?" I knew he was trying to wind me up.

"You know very well which night." I reached over to grab the sugar bowl and added a teaspoonful to my coffee. "That night when Jeffrey got himself stabbed of course," I continued. Perhaps that was unfair of me. Matt probably felt guilty enough over it already.

"There's not a lot to tell." He was carefully stirring his drink and I got the feeling he was waiting for Kitty to join us before proceeding.

"To start with, how did you know where to find this man you were hunting?"

"Amos did that. He made rounds in that part of town every evening. The local law never went there so we figured it was the only place Delaney would strike." My friend stopped to take a mouthful or two from his cup, then sat with his eyes locked on the dark liquid. After a breath or two, he continued in a quiet, subdued manner that I didn't see very often. "Amos almost caught up with him one night. A young woman was being attacked. It looked to him as if two men were involved but he was too far away to be sure. He called out to the attackers and ran towards them. The distraction gave the woman chance to break loose and get away, but Delaney and his accomplice also disappeared into the darkness." He finally looked up at me before adding by way of explanation, "There's a maze of unlit alleyways in that part of town.

He stopped speaking and glanced abruptly towards the door. It had just opened and Kitty stood there looking around for us. Matt got to his feet and pulled out a chair for her. I was on my feet too. It was so good to see her alive and well. At least some of that time she'd spent in Denver seemed to have agreed with her. I watched as she smiled at Matt. It was a lot more than a smile. This couple had become so adjusted to hiding their true feelings for each other and using other less obvious signals instead - a slight smile on the lips, a soft blink of the eyes or simply an apparently accidental touch of hands. Most people wouldn't see that, but I did. I'd been privy to events that had brought their real emotions to the surface. Of course I never spoke of those times, even to the two people involved.

Before sitting she reached out her hand towards me and I took it, gently squeezing it in mine. She smiled.

"Good to see you Doc." Her voice was quiet sweetness to my ears. "You too Kitty," I replied.

We all sat and Joe came and took our orders.

"Where's Amos? And Jeffrey?" Kitty asked, looking around as she topped up Matt's coffee cup then filled her own."

"Amos is at the jail keeping an eye on the prisoners," Matt informed us. "He'll join us as soon as Festus gets back from somewhere he had to go. I think Jeffrey is over at Ma's?" He looked questioningly at me.

"He'll probably be sleeping for another hour or two. I'll go check on him after breakfast," I said quietly.

"He's gonna be alright Doc?" Kitty asked with concern on her face. "He was pretty uncomfortable on the train but insisted on traveling back with us."

"He'll be fine after a few days rest."

Our food arrived and I watched as Matt picked up a fork and started eating.

"You're not going to tell me what happened?" I was almost angry to think that I had been here in Dodge for weeks not knowing how my friends were or what was going on.

Matt stopped eating and looked at me.

"I have two men in jail and an escort party arriving in a day or so to take them to Washington. Amos, Jeffrey and I will probably have to go testify at the trial."

Kitty looked up at me and gave the slightest shake of her head. I didn't say anything else but I'd kind of lost my appetite too. Matt finished his meal and stood up. He threw some coins on the table before looking at me.

"I'm going to relieve Amos. Would you see Kitty home please, Doc."

Of course I agreed. Once he'd left, I looked at Kitty.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I think he feels badly about Jeffrey getting hurt like that. You know how Matt blames himself for anything that goes wrong. He was really worried when that surgery took so long. Later Dr. Harrington had a real man-to-man talk with Matt about how lucky he was to be walking around and there was a good chance that if he hurt his back again the outcome would be very different. I think it finally hit home that he isn't invincible, and maybe he should start thinking about something else to do with his life. I saw it in his face Doc. That day I went to the depot and saw him and Jeffrey leave for Denver. It was the first time I ever saw fear on his face. It wasn't fear of the killer he was chasing or..." she had to stop and think how to explain it "... or trying to control a rowdy mob of wranglers. I've seen him do both and never turn a hair. This was different."

She put down her fork and looked at me as if the intensity of her gaze would help me understand. "You know Matt hardly ever complains, but Jeffrey told me that train ride was tough on him. By the time they got to Denver he was really hurting, mostly from muscle spasms in his back. When they finally got there he even allowed Gabriel to give him something for pain, and you know how much he hates that. Fortunately he got better quickly with the regimen Dr. Harrington set up for him at Glenwood. The muscle spasms had stopped by the time I got there and most of the pain he'd been having ever since he'd left Dodge was gone too. I think it played on his mind Doc. He'd found out what happened if he pushed his luck. It wasn't some dire warning just for the sake of it. It was real. He couldn't go back to doing all the things he'd done before and might have to face the possibility of living life without that badge. That piece of tin has been so much a part of him that it's who he is. I think he's lost, and riding out on the prairie to think things over is something that he now has to think twice about."

I reached over and took her hand in mine.

"I'll see what I can do, Kitty. Try not to worry. Out gallant marshal has come through worse things.

TBC