Captive Hearts 2

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Staring at the woman he had assumed left him, Matt wished, for a moment, that he had remained sitting. His knees grew weak as his heart raced and a slight sheen of sweat appeared on his brow. "Kitty," he managed as he tugged his hat off in respect. Pale, thin and haggard looking she was still the most beautiful woman he thought he had ever seen.

"I'm going to leave you two to talk," Higgins said as he swiftly moved towards the door.

Neither man nor woman responded as they stared at each other.

Shaking his head, Higgins exited the office and closed the door the softly behind him.

"What do you think, Sir?" Clark asked, tipping his head towards the door.

Higgins sighed. "I don't know, Sergeant," he said. "I just don't know."

The sound of the closing door broke the trance the two seemed to be in and Matt immediately stepped back. "Well, uh… here.. uh.. have a seat." He stepped away from the couch so that she could sit down.

"Thank you," she mumbled. She settled herself down and looked back up at Matt. Though he would always be, to her, the most handsome man in the world, she could tell the past year hadn't necessarily been good to him.

"You're looking good, Matt." She said. "Guess things are going well for you." She couldn't seem to organize her thoughts well enough to say anything else.

Matt thought to reply the same, but realized what poor taste a comment like that would be. Instead he nodded, his heart in his throat. What was he supposed to say, to do? Finally, "I didn't know, Kitty." He said sadly, softly. "I didn't know. If I had of…"

"I know, Matt." She stopped him. "I… I…" she bit her bottom lip and tried again. "I was going to spend some time in Ballard, with Claire. Kinda clear my head a little, you know? When you came back and pinned that badge back on and your arm still wasn't good…" She looked at him earnestly. "I was coming back, Matt. I wasn't leaving for good. I promise you that."

Nervously she rose and paced towards the window. "Hannah had been after me for a while to buy into the Long Branch so I thought it was perfect timing. I'd let her run the place while I just took a breather from…."

She took a ragged breath. "The stage was held up; the driver and the only other passenger were killed. They took me." She looked down. She wasn't sure what she would see in his face and not sure she wanted to know. "My fault, I suppose, for not telling anyone where or when I was going."

"Kitty,…" Matt started but the door opened and the Major stepped back in.

Seeing the looks on their faces he ducked his head. "I'm sorry," He apologized. "If you all need more time…."

"No," Matt said quickly then looked back over at Kitty. "Look, I.. uh…I'll go on back to Dodge and make arrangements at the Dodge House for a room there for you and then come on back here and pick you up in a wagon. Okay?"

Desperately trying not to cry, Kitty shook her head refusing to meet his gaze. "You don't have to do that, Matt. I.. I know you're busy. I'll be fine here until I figure something out. That is as long as it's okay with Major Higgins."

"Certainly," the Major agreed. "I'm sure we can accommodate you for a while, Miss Russell."

Matt stood, nervously running his hand around the brim of his hat. "Well, then…I guess I'd better get on back to Dodge."

Kitty kept her back to him and simply nodded. 'Good bye, Matt." She said softly.

Matt turned for the door, but something in the way she stood there, framed in the window with the sunlight setting her hair on fire, stilled him. She looked so much like the picture he had kept in the back of his mind for the past year.

Turning to the major, he jerked his head to the outer office. "Major, you want to give us a minute?"

"Sure," he smiled encouragingly to the lawman and left, once again closing the door behind him.

Throwing his hat onto the major's desk, Matt took two strides and crossed the room, pulling Kitty into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest. "Look, Kitty. Don't do this. You belong in Dodge, not an army fort."

Kitty sagged against him, finally letting the tears and her weakness show. "Oh, Matt." She sobbed.

"Sssshhhh." He whispered. "We're gonna work it out, Kitty. I promise you we will. But first," he pushed her back slightly so he look at her, "first we have to get you back to Dodge. You need to come home, Kitty."

Kitty stiffened slightly, looking up through her tears. "Do I still have a home?"

Matt knew what she was asking. It wasn't a physical place she was referring to. "Let's get you back to Dodge." He answered with a sigh. "We'll figure it out from there."

More than anything, Kitty wanted to say yes. She wanted to be back in the safety and security of the world she knew in Dodge. But she couldn't. Too much had happened in the previous year.

Shaking her head, she finally pulled away from his embrace. "I can't, Matt." She said, feeling a little dizzy, her stomach suddenly convulsing in cramps. "I think its better that I stay here for now."

Making an effort to distance her self from the temptation of his arms she straightened and started for the door. But her steps faltered and she began to fall, clutching tightly to her stomach.

TBC