Chapter 23 Reunion

Author's Note: Beverly, thank you so much for your review.

The Dillon House

The weekend passed by too quickly. Before anyone knew it, Monday evening had arrived. Mark's memory still had not returned. There were two different plans. Plan A was to take Mark to town to meet his pa, if his memory had returned. Plan B was to keep Mark at the house and bring his pa to him, if his memory had not returned. Plan B also included having Doc around to be there to explain Mark's situation to Lucas. It looked like plan B was going to be the winner.

"I should probably get going." Matt tightened his gun belt around his waist and placed his Stetson on his head. "I wanna make sure I'm there before the train gets arrives."

"Do you still plan on taking Mr. McCain to the jail to explain things before you bring him here?" asked Kitty. That was the plan, but Kitty wanted confirmation one more time.

"Yeah, I want to prepare him as much as possible before we bring him here," Matt responded. "I also need to explain to him why we didn't wire him before now. I'm not looking forward to that."

"Daddy, just hurry and bring Mark's daddy here, so he stops using my daddy," said Ruby.

Matt and Kitty looked at each other and then at Ruby. They knew Ruby had been jealous on Saturday when Matt took Mark fishing and not her, but they thought she had gotten past that. Obviously they were wrong. Their daughter was still dealing with feelings of jealousy. Matt wanted to get to town before the train arrived, but felt he needed to deal with the situation at home first. He bent down on one knee so he was at eye level with his daughter. He saw the tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Matt's heart broke at the sight of Ruby's tears.

Not wanting to cry, Ruby wiped her arms across her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. "You like Mark better than me, and I'm your fresh blood."

Matt gave Ruby a little smile. "That's flesh and blood, and no, I do not like Mark better than you."

"You took him fishing and not me," Ruby remarked as she tried to prove her claim.

"That doesn't mean I like him better," said Matt. "I'm trying to help Mark get better. Don't you want him to get better?"

"Yes," Ruby softly answered.

"Why do you want him to get better?" Matt questioned.

"Because he's my friend, and he's nice," Ruby stated matter of factly.

"That's why I want him to get better," Matt responded.

Mark spoke up. "I guess I'm a problem."

Matt stood up and turned towards Mark. "You are not a problem."

Kitty chimed in. "Uncle Matt is right. Ruby is just dealing with a bit of jealousy." She looked at Ruby. "But I think she's feeling better." Ruby nodded her head.

"I really need to get going, if I'm gonna get to town before the train." Matt left the house.

Dodge City

The distant sound of a train's whistle could be heard. Matt stood on the platform waiting for the train's arrival. It was agreed that only Matt would meet Lucas at the train and then bring him to the jail. At the jail, Doc, Festus and Newly would be waiting. The louder the whistle blew, the more anxious Matt became. He told Mark not to worry about meeting his father, but Matt was starting to understand how Mark felt.

The wheels of the train screeched against the metal tracks as the train pulled into the depot. Matt had no idea what Lucas McCain looked like. Asking Mark would have been of no avail. Matt watched the passengers file off the train. One passenger caught Matt's attention. He was a taller man, almost as tall as Matt. This particular passenger was carrying a rifle. That had to be Lucas McCain. Not too many men walked around carrying a rifle. Most men that were armed carried some sort of pistol in a gun belt. Lucas McCain had a reputation with his rifle.

Matt walked over to the tall man with the rifle and approached him. "Mr. McCain?"

Lucas surveyed the man before him. The man was slightly taller than he was. Lucas saw the badge and instantly knew he was looking at Marshal Matt Dillon. Lucas immediately knew why this man had the reputation that he did. His presence alone demanded respect. "Yes. The badge tells me yer Marshal Dillon." Lucas put his travel bag down and extended his hand. "It's nice ta meet ya."

Matt took the offered hand. "Same here."

Lucas had been without his son for several weeks. He did not want to be without him any longer. "Where's Mark? Where's my son?" He was surprised the Marshal didn't have Mark with him.

"He's at my place with my wife and daughter," Matt replied. "I thought a private reunion would be better. But before we go, I'd like to walk over to the jail. There are things that need to be discussed."

Lucas became concerned. "What's wrong? Your telegram said that Mark was fine."

Matt cautiously answered Lucas. "I did. He has no visible injuries."

Lucas interrupted Matt. "Then take me to him."

"You didn't let me finish," said Matt. "Mark has no visible injuries, but he is suffering from amnesia."

"Amnesia?" Lucas questioned. "I think I've heard of that. Isn't that where a person loses his memory?"

"It is," Matt confirmed. "I'd rather discuss this in private. Let's go over to the jail."

Lucas realized that Matt wasn't going to take him to Mark, until after they went to the jail and discussed things. "Alright, lead the way," he reluctantly agreed.

When Matt and Lucas arrived at the jail, Matt opened the door and ushered Lucas inside. As Matt had expected, Doc, Festus, and Newly were waiting for them. All three stood up when the two men walked inside. They didn't know what kind of man to expect, but they certainly were not expecting a man as tall as Lucas McCain was.

Matt made the introduction. "This is Lucas McCain. Mr. McCain, that's Doc Adams and my two deputies Festus Hagen and Newly O'Brien."

"Nice ta meet all of you," Lucas greeted. He gave his attention to Doc. "I have a feeling yer here because of Mark's memory loss."

"Yes," Doc replied. "We thought it would be best if I were here to answer your questions."

"How bad is it?" Lucas asked, referring to Mark's amnesia.

Doc swiped at his mustache. He knew his response was going to tell Lucas that Mark had been with the Dillons for almost two weeks before Matt sent the wire telling the sheriff in North Fork where Mark was. "Mark hasn't had his memory for about two weeks."

Lucas picked up on the duration right away. "Two weeks? He's been in Dodge for two weeks? Why did you wait so long to send the wire? Micah said he sent wires to lawmen in a six hundred mile radius. Dodge City would've been in that radius." Lucas was trying his best not to lose his temper.

It was Matt's turn to answer. "I've tried to rehearse how I was going to explain this to you, but I think the best thing is just to be honest with you. Our telegraph officer, Barney, wrote down the message when Marshal Torrence sent it. He put it to the side when a customer walked into the office. When the customer opened the door and left, a breeze blew the telegram off the counter and under Barney's desk. Barney didn't realize it. Barney had been busy sending the customer's wire and taking wires coming in, so he forgot about that telegram. On Thursday he was tidying up the office and found the telegram. He immediately brought it to me. It was an honest mistake. Barney is a good telegraph officer." Matt thought it would be a good idea to defend Barney.

Lucas ran his hand through his hair. As much as he wanted to be angry, he couldn't bring himself to be angry. Deep down he knew that if Marshal Dillon had gotten the wire the day it came through, he would've sent a wire back saying Mark was in Dodge City. "I understand, and I don't blame you." Another question was plaguing Lucas' mind. "How did Mark lose his memory?"

"His horse was drinking at the trough on my property. The horse stopped drinking and moseyed behind the barn. I didn't know where the horse was leading me, so I cautiously followed the horse. That's when I saw Mark. He was on the ground, unconscious. I called for Kitty, my wife. We determined Mark didn't have any broken bones, so we brought him to the house. Then I went after Doc."

Lucas made a realization. "My son has no memory of his past. That means he doesn't know me."

"I'm afraid so," Matt responded. "Before we knew who he was, we'd been calling him James. But the moment we learned of his identity, we've been calling him Mark. We've told him who his pa is and where he's from. We were hoping hearing that would help bring his memory back."

"We call those trigger words," Doc further explained.

"Mr. McCain, yer a stranger to your son," said Matt. "He's worried about meeting you. He's worried about leaving with you. He doesn't know what kind of man you are. We've been trying to convince him that yer gonna be a decent man."

Lucas slowly nodded his head. He wasn't expecting this. He planned on going to Dodge City to get Mark and everything was going to be fine. "I take it your jail cells are back there, and the man who took my son is in one of them."

Festus felt it would be okay if he answered. "Yer right about the jail cells, but the man that took yer boy ain't back there."

Lucas couldn't believe what he just heard. "Why not? He kidnapped my son. He should be locked away."

Festus put his hand up to calm Lucas down. "Jest take it easy. Yer boy was alone when Matthew found him. Me 'n Matthew tried tracking back where yer son came from, but we ain't come up with nuttin'."

"Festus is one of the best trackers around here," Newly added.

"Mark couldn't help us. He has no memory of who took him or where he came from," Matt pointed out. "We were hoping you could help us."

Lucas sighed. "I'm afraid I can't. I never saw the man. I was hit from behind. I guess this means whoever took my son will never face justice."

"I wouldn't say never," said Matt.

Lucas was skeptical they would ever find the man, but at the same time he was worried that whoever took Mark would try it again. "Look, I've waited long enough. Can I please see my son?"

"Let's go," said Matt. "I figured you wouldn't have a horse so I took the liberty of getting you one from Moss Grimmick's stable. That horse and mine are tethered to the hitching post outside. Doc's gonna follow us in his buggy."

The Dillon House

Ruby had been going to the window multiple times since her daddy left. On this one particular trip to the window, Matt, Lucas, and Doc were coming up the path to the house. "They're here! They're here!" she exclaimed. "Mark's daddy looks tall like daddy." Ruby ran outside.

Matt and Lucas had dismounted their horses and Doc got out of his buggy. Ruby went up to her daddy. "Daddy, I've been waiting forever for you to get home."

"Forever huh? That's an awful long time ta wait," Matt told his daughter. "Ruby, this is Mark's pa. His name is Mr. McCain."

Ruby craned her neck to get a full view of Lucas McCain. "You're tall like my daddy," she observed. "My neck is gonna get sore if I keep looking at you."

Lucas chuckled and bent down to Ruby's level. "Is this better?"

"Yes," Ruby replied. She offered her hand to Lucas. "My name is Ruby Dillon. Nice ta meet you, Mr. McCain."

Lucas was impressed by the little girl in front of him. He took her hand and shook it. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Ruby."

Kitty went to follow Ruby, but stopped when she noticed Mark's hesitation. She held out her hand to Mark. "You can't stay in here forever. Your pa must be a decent man, otherwise Uncle Matt wouldn't have brought him."

Mark looked at Kitty's hand and placed his hand in it. "I reckon yer right. Let's go outside and meet my pa." Kitty gave Mark an encouraging squeeze and led him outside.

Lucas stood back up when he saw Mark come outside. He assumed the woman Mark was with was Mrs. Dillon. Lucas had no doubt where Ruby got her red hair. Mrs. Dillon was a strikingly beautiful woman, but Lucas' focus was on his son. He wanted to go and grab his son, but stayed back. Lucas didn't want to frighten Mark. Right now, he was a stranger to Mark.

"Hello, Mark," said Lucas.

Mark let go of Kitty's hand after they were outside. He stood there and stared at the man standing next to Uncle Matt. Suddenly it was as if the veil had been lifted and light was allowed to shine through. Mark recognized his father. He recognized the rifle he always carried with him. "Pa," he whispered. Willing his feet to move, Mark ran towards Lucas. "Pa!" Mark exclaimed.

Lucas ran towards Mark. When he reached him, Lucas picked Mark up and held Mark against him. "Oh Mark, my boy." Father and son clung to each other.

Matt, Kitty, and Doc looked at each other as they witnessed the reunion between Lucas and Mark McCain. After a couple of weeks of not having his memory, it appeared as though Mark's memory had returned.

TBC