"Turn Back Time" Conclusion

While they were riding back, Matt thought back to what Kitty had said before they left. She mentioned something about a girl couldn't do so bad marrying Orkey Cathcart. Would she have married him? She seemed upset when it was time to leave. Matt decided he would ask her about it later that night. Matt was broken out of his thoughts by Doc's voice.

"Whoa," Doc said to his horse. The horse and buggy came to a stop.

"Why didja stop," Chester asked. Matt and Kitty were wondering the same thing.

"It just occurred to me that Kitty shook Orkey's hand before we left," said Doc. "If he's been tending to their pa while he was ailing with cholera, she could've been exposed."

"I didn't even think of that," said Kitty, anxiety in her voice. "I tried to be so careful and stay away from him and the room he was in."

"Doc, are you saying Kitty is in danger of getting cholera?" asked Matt. He couldn't bear the thought of finding her, only to lose her again to something he had no control over.

"I can't give you a definite yes or no," Doc replied. "But I can help to reduce the risk. I have some rubbing alcohol in my bag. Kitty, I want to pour some on yer hands. Rub them together when I'm done." Kitty did as she was told.

"That's going to help, right?" Matt questioned.

Doc could hear the concern in Matt's voice. He wanted to do his best to reassure his friend. "That and the fact that Kitty stayed away from their pa. Kitty, if you start to feel sick, I want you to come to me immediately."

"I will, Doc," said Kitty.

They finally made it back to Dodge. Chester stopped by the jail to drop off his supplies and then took his horse over to Moss Grimmick's. Matt followed Doc and Kitty to the Long Branch. He would worry about unpacking and getting his horse to Moss' later. Right now, he wanted to make sure Kitty got to her room.

Sam smiled when he saw the trio enter the saloon. His smile got bigger when it appeared as though Kitty was alright. "Miss Kitty, I'm so happy that you're back. I took the liberty of straightening up your room. I didn't know if you'd be too tired to do it when you got back."

Truth be told, Sam straightened up the room because he didn't know if seeing it the way it had been would trigger bad memories from a couple of nights ago. Sam didn't want Kitty to see her room in a disarray and be reminded of her kidnapping. He also got it back in order because he didn't know what kind of shape Kitty would be in when she returned. He didn't want her to over exert herself, if it wasn't necessary.

"Thank you, Sam. I really appreciate it," Kitty smiled. She knew the mess that occurred when the Cathcart took her and really wasn't looking forward to cleaning it at the moment. She was grateful that Sam took care of it for her.

"Doc, is Kitty gonna have to be quarantined?" Matt suddenly asked.

"Quarantined?" Sam questioned. That was the last thing he expected to hear.

"The father of the house she was at contracted cholera and died," Doc explained. "I don't think it's necessary."

Both Matt and Kitty had looks of relief on their faces. They knew they had things that needed to be discussed. If Doc had told Kitty yes, she would have done it in a heartbeat. There was no way she would put the ones she loved in harm's way.

Later that night, after finishing his rounds, Matt took the back steps to Kitty's room. He used his key to unlock the door and let himself in. When Kitty first heard the noise at the door, she panicked. Her panic quickly subsided when she saw it was Matt.

"Hey Cowboy," she greeted her man.

Matt walked over to Kitty and took her in his arms. "Hello gorgeous. How are ya feeling?"

"I feel fine. I'm just tired," Kitty replied.

"Are ya too tired to talk?" Matt asked.

Kitty knew Matt would want to talk to her. "No, I'm not too tired to talk. Why don't you strip down to your underclothes and join me in the bed." Kitty walked over to the bed and climbed under the covers.

Matt noticed that Kitty was already in her nightgown. "Alright." He stripped down to his underclothes and joined Kitty in the bed.

"So let's start talking," said Kitty. She and Matt were under the covers, leaning against the headboard.

"I need to know what time you were kidnapped," Matt said.

"Why does it matter?" Kitty asked. "You know who did it and you found me."

Matt slowly inhaled before answering. "When I came here with Sam the morning after you were taken, I saw your nightgown on the chair. It was obvious you hadn't gotten ready for bed yet. If I know what time you were taken, then that will let me know where I was."

"It was shortly after you left the second time," Kitty answered.

Matt closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them and looked at Kitty. "I was still in town. I sat down on one of the chairs outside of the jail when I left here. Doc stopped by and we had a short conversation. I was tired and decided I'd rest a bit until the saloons closed and before I headed over to my room. You were being kidnapped and I sat there and did nothing."

Kitty knew what Matt was starting to do. "Matt Dillon, don't you dare start blaming yourself for what happened. And before you start telling me you're not, I know that you are. It happened. There's nothing that could've done to stop it."

Matt continued to silently chastise himself. He was asleep on the jail's porch while Kitty needed him. It would have been different if he was out of town, but he wasn't. Why didn't she scream for help? He was about to ask her, but thought better of it. If she was able to scream for help, she would have.

"But there was something I could've done." Matt saw Kitty's questioning expression and continued. "I should've stayed with you and not gone to my room. If I had the ability to turn back time, that's what I would've done."

"First of all, you don't have the ability to turn back time. Even if you did, Matt, that wouldn't have stopped them from coming," Kitty told him.

"It would've stopped them from taking you," Matt said. "They would've seen me and not dare try anything. And if they did, I would've shot them."

Kitty thought about that. If Matt had been with her that night and shot the men that tried to take her, she would've been grateful to him for saving her. But after spending the short time with the Cathcarts and getting to know them, she was glad it didn't turn out that way.

"Let's say they saw you and you didn't shoot them," said Kitty. "Who's to say they wouldn't try it again?"

"I would've taken them to jail and locked them up for breaking and entering and attempted kidnapping. Plus, I would hope they wouldn't try it again because they thought I would be there the next time. Speaking of jail, why didn't you want to press charges? You had every right to do so?"

"Trust me. When I was first taken I was all set to press charges," said Kitty.

"What changed?"

"I don't know. It's hard to explain. While I was there, I came to realize they weren't bad people. They were decent people that made a bad decision. I guess I also felt the death of their father was punishment enough."

"I guess I can understand that. I noticed you were wearing a dress a different dress than the one you were wearing that night. Where did you get it?"

"Orkey gave it to me. I think he asked Sweet Billy's girl Luella to find me a dress."

Matt listened to Kitty's answer. He didn't recall seeing a young woman, besides Kitty, around the property. Was Luella a kidnapping victim like Kitty was? Did she need rescuing? Matt immediately answered no to those questions. He knew if she did need rescuing, Kitty would have told him.

Kitty tried to stifle her yawn, but failed. Matt saw this and wanted to let her go to sleep, but he needed to know one more thing. "Kitty, before we came back to Dodge, you said that a woman could…"

"A woman could do a lot worse than wife with an Orkey Cathcart," Kitty finished for him.

"Yeah. You were obviously upset when you said it. You also seemed upset when you told us we could take you home. Kitty, were you seriously considering marrying Orkey Cathcart?"

Having a hard time believing Matt would even think that, Kitty was about to give him a piece of her mind. But when she saw the look in his eyes, Kitty changed her mind. Her answer had to convince Matt that she never considered marrying Orkey.

"Matt, I never once considered marrying Orkey."

"Then why did you say what you did? Why were you so upset when it was time to leave?"

"When I said that, I was thinking about the girl that Orkey would settle down with. The only reason I seemed upset was because I was exhausted from the last couple of days. I'm sorry if I sent you the wrong message. You know you're the only man for me."

"Why don't you let your man take you in his arms, so you can get some much needed sleep."

"Sure thing. I have a feeling we could both use some sleep."

Matt eased himself down further into the covers. Kitty followed suit. She snuggled close to Matt and laid her head on his chest. Matt wrapped his arms around her and breathed in the fresh scent of her hair. Kitty was safe and in his arms. Best of all she never had any intentions of marrying Orkey Cathcart. He still wished he could turn back time and make it so none of this had happened. But since he couldn't, Matt decided to savor the present.

The End