Chapter 16 Repent and Forgive
Mike's Ranch
Les did not realize Mike had company until he heard Kitty get up from the table and ask Matt if he was alright. He looked away from Mike and saw Matt Dillon standing there. Les was in shock. He thought for sure he had killed the Marshal. He had no idea what the Marshal was doing there. Panicking, Les went for his pistol. Matt saw this and drew his gun. Matt was much faster and shot Les in the arm. Les grabbed his arm and went down.
"No!" Mike screamed, going to Les. She looked at Matt. "Why did you do that? Why did you shoot him?"
"I reckon I deserve it, Mike," Les answered before Matt could say anything. He looked up at Matt. "Dillon, I thought for certain that you met your maker when I shot you in the desert. I was wrong."
"What?" Mike questioned.
"He was trailing me for three days for shootin' a man in Dodge City. That man was a cheater. He deserved that bullet. Anyway, I had ta stop Dillon's pursuit of me, so I shot him." Les's breathing was shallow and labored. Mike knelt down next to Les. "I told ya the story about my momma, people call her Elizabeth, and how she never had a daughter. Maybe this baby will be a girl and she'll have a granddaughter."
Doc walked over to Les and examined his arm. "The bullet is lodged in there. It's gonna have to come out. I don't have any medical equipment. I'll have to use what I have here. Kitty, go find a knife and hold the blade in the fire to sterilize it."
Kitty walked over to the kitchen area and found the size knife that she was sure Doc would need. Doing as Doc instructed, Kitty went to the fireplace and held the blade in the flames. She kept it there for several minutes and brought it to Doc.
By this time, Les was sitting at the kitchen table. Doc had ripped Les's sleeve to get better access to the wound. Doc waited until the knife had cooled down. He didn't want to burn his patient.
Doc looked over at Mike. "I don't have anything to give him for the pain, but I have to get this bullet out. Do you have any strong whiskey around here?"
"Yeah," Mike answered. She walked over to one of the cupboards and pulled out a bottle of amber colored liquid. "Here." She handed the bottle to Doc.
Doc took the bottle and gave it to Les. "Drink this. I'm not sure how much it's gonna help, but it's better than nothing."
Les took some huge swigs from the bottle. "Alright, I think I'm ready. Let's get this over with."
Using the knife, Doc was able to easily dig the bullet out. Luckily for Les, the bullet wasn't too deep. Les did flinch while Doc was working, but the pain would have been worse, if Les didn't drink the whiskey.
"I don't have anything to close up the wound. The best thing I can do is cover it, so it doesn't get infected," said Doc. "Kitty, you know the drill."
Kitty didn't have to think twice. She tore pieces of her petticoat and handed them to Doc. Doc took the pieces, tore some of them, and placed them over Les's bullet wound. He used the longer pieces to keep the shorter pieces in place.
"This is only temporary. You'll have to see a doctor and have him stitch you up and check for infection," instructed Doc.
Mike stood by and watched Doc get the bullet out of Les's arm. The events that took place hit her like a ton of bricks. Mike grabbed her stomach and doubled over in pain. Doc saw this and immediately went to her. He ushered her over to the big chair in front of the fireplace. Mike sat down, but after she did, her eyes grew wide. Mike's water just broke.
"My water broke," Mike whispered, her eyes full of fear.
"Let's get you into bed," Doc told her. "Kitty, come help me." Kitty went to help Doc.
Doc and Kitty got Mike into her bedroom. They helped lower her into the chair. Kitty helped Mike change into a nightgown, while Doc turned down the covers on the bed and rearranged the pillows. With the covers turned down and Mike in her nightgown, Doc and Kitty assisted her to the bed. Mike leaned against the pillows and took some deep breaths. She knew the birth of her baby was inevitable.
Matt was alone with Les. Matt had already taken Les's guns, so Les would not be a treat to him. Everything that took place in the last hour or so seemed to be a blur.
"Are ya gonna arrest me?" Les asked Matt. "Evans Vincent was a cheater. He deserved that bullet. He went for his gun. It was only a matter of time before his cheatin' ways caught up with him."
"You put me in a tough decision. The law says I have to take you in so you can go to trial for what you did," said Matt. He saw the disappointed look on Les's face. "But once in a great while, even I know it's better to go against what the law says."
"Thank you, Marshal," said Les. "I'm much obliged."
"I think you'll be of better use to the people in there, than you would be in jail or hanging from a rope," said Matt.
"I plan to take to the sunlight with Mike and our baby," said Les.
Knowing Doc had everything under control, Kitty excused herself from the room. "Doc, I'm gonna go and see if Matt needs any help." Both Doc and Kitty knew that Kitty didn't plan on helping Matt. More than anything, she needed to talk to him. Kitty walked out of the bedroom.
"Doctor Adams," Mike said, once her contractions stopped.
"Please, call me Doc. That's what most people call me," Doc said.
"Doc, my baby is coming a month early," Mike confessed.
Doc sat on the bed and rubbed his hand over his mustache. "I kinda suspected you weren't due to give birth anytime too soon."
"You did?" asked Mike. "What made you think that?"
"The fact that you never saw a doctor until now," Doc replied. "You didn't want another doctor to confirm when your due date was."
"I wanted Dan in my life so badly, but now I've put my baby's life at risk," Mike quietly said.
"Mike, there is no Dan. That's Matt Dillon, and he already has a life in Dodge City," Doc explained. "But there is a Les Dean, the father of your baby."
Mike looked at Doc as though she suddenly saw the light. "Please don't let my baby die. It's too early."
"Don't worry. Your baby is going to be fine. I've seen plenty of babies that decided to come a month before they were supposed to come," said Doc, trying to sound as reassuring as he could.
Doc rose from the bed and walked to the widow. He silently prayed that he didn't make an empty promise to the woman who was in labor. Doc did not have his medical bag with him, so he had no way of listening for the baby's heartbeat. He wasn't lying when he told Mike he had seen plenty of babies born a month early. Most of those babies were fine, but Doc or another doctor had monitored the pregnancy of the mothers.
"How's everything goin' in there?" Matt asked.
"Mike's in labor," Kitty answered. She looked at Les. "So you're the one that shot Evans Vincent and Matt." Kitty was not in the Long Branch when the shooting took place. She never saw Les Dean.
"Yeah," Les replied. "I thought for sure I had gotten away. I never would've imagined that I would be sitting in the same room with the Marshal a few months shy of a year later."
Kitty looked at Matt. "I need some air. Come join me."
"Sure," Matt replied as he followed Kitty outside. They walked towards the barn.
"I saw the expression on your face after Mike's speech about you not being the father the baby deserved," said Kitty. "I thought for sure her words were getting to you and the plan we came up with was about to go out the window."
"My expression had nothing ta do with what Mike had said," Matt told Kitty. "I was reacting to the sound of Les's voice. I could hardly believe I was hearing him."
"I know that now," said Kitty. "I also know that's why you pushed me off to the side and put your hand on your gun. You knew that there could be trouble. You seem to have a sense for when trouble is around. I guess that's one of the things that makes you such a good lawman."
"I'm not going to arrest Les. His plan is to stay here, and I think that is for the best," Matt told Kitty "Should we go back to the house?"
"We probably should," Kitty replied. "Doc may need my help."
Matt and Kitty walked back towards the house. They could hear Mike cry out in pain as the contractions racked through her body. You could hear that her time was getting close. Matt and Kitty walked inside the house.
"Alright Mike, this baby has decided to make its entrance. I want you to bring your knees back and up, put your chin to your chest, and start pushing," instructed Doc.
Mike did as she was told. She gripped behind her thighs, put her chin to her chest, and bore down. Mike pushed as long as she could before needing to take a breath. Pushing didn't take away the pain, but it seemed to alleviate it.
"That's good, Mike. I can see the head," encouraged Doc. "When the next contraction hits, I want you to push like that again."
When the next contraction hit, Mike complied. With this push she was able to deliver the baby's head. Once again, she had to stop to catch her breath. Doc cradled the small head in his hands, so he could guide the baby as the rest of it was born.
"Mike, you're almost done," promised Doc. "Once you push the shoulders out, the rest of the baby should slide out with ease."
Mike was ready for this to be over. She was ready to meet her baby. Taking a deep breath, Mike pushed with all her might. One shoulder made its way out and then the other shoulder. As Doc had said, the rest of the baby slid out with ease. Soon Mike felt she had nothing more to push on.
Doc gave the baby a good thwack on its bottom and it began to cry. Looking around, Doc found a clean towel. He used it to wipe the baby as much as he could. Doc found another clean towel and wrapped the crying infant up in it.
"Congratulations, you have a healthy baby girl," said Doc. He gave the wrapped bundle to Mike.
Mike eagerly took her daughter and placed the baby to her breast. Motherly instincts that Mike never knew she had were taking over. She looked at her daughter with awe and started to cry. Mike was instantly in love.
"Mike, you're not done yet," said Doc. "You still have to deliver the afterbirth. You'll feel contractions again. When you do, I want you to push."
Like the previous times, Mike followed Doc's instructions. When the pain came, Mike delivered the afterbirth. After that part of the birth was complete, Doc decided to give Mike some time to get acquainted with her newborn. He left the bedroom.
"We heard the baby cry," said Kitty. "What is it?"
"It's a girl," Doc answered. "Congratulations, Mr. Dean. You have a daughter."
Les smiled. "Are Mike and the baby gonna be alright?"
"Yeah, they should be," Doc responded. "I can tell the baby is definitely a month early, but she should be fine."
That was music to Matt and Kitty's ears. They knew Mike had told Les he was the father, but hearing Doc say that the baby was born a month early was like the nail in the coffin. This whole nightmare was coming to an end.
"Do ya think I could go and see Mike and the baby?" asked Les.
"Let me ask Mike if she's up for some visitors," Doc answered. He returned to the bedroom. "Mike, Les would like to come in. Is that okay?"
"Sure, Ask them all to come in," said Mike. "Before you go, could you go into the top drawer of my chest of drawers. I have some baby items in there. I figure this baby can't be naked too much longer."
Doc went to the chest of drawers. He found some cloth diapers and a bunting. Doc pulled both out. There were pins on top of the chest of drawers he grabbed those two. He brought everything to Mike. She unwrapped her daughter, got her dressed, and wrapped her up again.
"Alright, I think she's ready for company," said Mike.
Doc nodded and went back out into the living area. "You can come on in."
Matt and Kitty walked into the bedroom. They saw Mike propped up against some pillows. She was holding a small bundle in her arms.
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Elizabeth Ann Dean," Mike introduced her daughter.
"Elizabeth?" Les questioned.
"Yes," said Mike. "Your momma never had a daughter, so I thought it was fitting ta name her only granddaughter after her. Ann is my mother's middle name and my middle name." Mike looked at Matt. "I want to apologize to you. I was so angry you left me that I was set on getting revenge on you. I now ask that you forgive me."
"All is forgiven. Let's just put this behind us," said Matt. Kitty nodded in agreement.
Les wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he suspected it was why Marshal Dillon and the Marshal's woman were at Mike's ranch. Someday he would ask Mike about it, but not now. Right now there were more important things. He was a new father and hopefully soon a new groom.
"Why don't the two of you head back to town," Doc addressed Matt and Kitty. "I'm gonna stay out here for a couple of days just to make sure everything is alright. You two can come back then and pick me up. And before you come back, you can bring some more baby items. There are things here that will last for a couple of days. I'll write out a list for you."
Doc wrote out the list and gave it to Kitty. She and Matt left the house and got onto the wagon. The ride back was silent, but it was a companionable silence. No words were necessary at the moment.
When Matt and Kitty got into town, they went to the general store to buy things on Doc's list. Matt knew KItty had everything under control. He knew he wasn't going to be much help when it came to buying baby items. So while Kitty took care of things on the list, Matt went over to the telegraph office.
Matt told the telegraph officer to send a wire to Newly O'Brian in Dodge City. The wire told Newly that everything was taken care of in Arizona and that he, Kitty, and Doc should be home within a week.
One Week Later (Dodge City: Kitty's Room)
Matt, Kitty, and Doc had returned that afternoon. They explained everything to Newly, Festus, and Sam. The three men all agreed that it was quite the story. They also agreed with Matt's decision not to arrest Les Dean. He was better off with Mike and the baby.
Right now Matt and Kitty were lying in Kitty's bed. They were basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking. Both were beyond grateful to be together. Both were beyond grateful that the Mike Yardner nightmare was over. Matt had his arms around Kitty, while Kitty had her head on Matt's muscular chest. For twenty years they had made love to no one but each other. Mike's accusations threatened that.
"Matt, why did you shoot Les in the arm? Weren't you afraid he would still try to shoot you?" Kitty quietly asked, raising her head and looking into Matt's eyes.
"It was a split second decision," Matt replied. "If I killed him, then Mike could still come to Dodge and claim me as the father, even though she pretty much confirmed that Les was the father. My hope was, with Les alive, he would want to be with her and the baby and keep them in Arizona. And it looks like that's how it's gonna be."
"You're able to think on your feet," said Kitty. "That's another thing I love about you."
"I can also think while I'm laying down," said Matt. "And right now I think I want to make love to my beautiful wife again."
"You think you want to make love with me again," Kitty teasingly questioned.
Matt's smile spread across his face. "I know I want to make love to you again."
That's exactly what they did for the rest of the night. Whatever exhaustion they had from their trip had magically disappeared. Their lovemaking had rejuvenated their spirits.
The End