This story contains
plot elements from the Season 11 episode of Gunsmoke entitled “Seven Hours to
Dawn” written by Clyde Ware, original air date September 18, 1965. Directed by Vincent McEveety.
Kitty startled awake to the sound of knocking. At first, she didn’t remember where she was… Ma Smalley’s?
Matt… Her throat constricted at the memory. But then she sat up, her chest flooding with
relief at the sight of Matt sprawled on her bed, the quilt rising and falling
steadily with each breath he took. She’d
fallen asleep in a chair next to the bed, pillowing her tousled head on her folded
arms next to him. She needed to be near
him, but didn’t wish to disturb his rest.
The insistent knocking began again. Hastily rubbing sleep from her eyes, she
called out, “Just a minute!” Blood
circulation slowly came back to her cramped legs as she walked unsteadily to
the door. Cracking it, she saw Doc and
Festus peering cautiously at her. She
threw it open and murmured quietly, “Come in,” as she placed her hands on her hips
and arched her back tiredly. “He’s still
sleeping like a log.”
Doc pulled the covers back from his torso as Festus worriedly
looked on. Finding a steady pulse, Doc
began peeling away the bandages to examine his handiwork. Kitty watched warily from a distance as Doc
commented, “Looks mighty good... The
wounds are starting to heal nicely.” Doc
touched the bullet crease on Matt’s temple.
“No sign of infection...yet.” He glanced back at Kitty over his
glasses. “I’d like to get some hot water
and soap and clean him up some more. The
conditions I operated under last night weren’t ideal.”
She wordlessly pursed her lips and went to heat water.
Festus watched the door close behind her and whispered,
“Doc? Is somethin’ the matter with Miss
Kitty?”
Doc hissed back, “What do you mean, ‘is somethin’ the
matter?’ Of course, somethin’ is the
matter. Matt was shot several
times. He nearly died! Don’t you think she’s got a perfect right to
be upset?”
Festus squinted at Doc and replied, “Well, Doc, I knowed
that. Miss Kitty is always pure upset
when Matthew gets hurt, but she ain’t never acted like this afore. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she’s
plumb mad at us.”
“Now, Festus, you’ve got to understand. Kitty’s a woman. And women get their feelins’ hurt sometimes
and we don’t even know what for.” Doc
scrubbed a hand over his mustache and sadly added, “But, Festus, Kitty’s been
through an awful lot this time. She
thought Matt was dead. You understand
that? She thought she’d lost him for
good.”
A glimmer of understanding began to dawn in Festus’s eyes as
he removed his hat and looked down at his injured friend. “Yeah, Doc, I sure do.”
“And I don’t mind tellin’ you that I feel somewhat
responsible.”
“Now, Doc, it weren’t yer fault…” The door opened and Festus quickly amended, “Doc, I think
you did a purty fair job patchin’ up ol’ Matthew here, don’t you think, Miss
Kitty?”
Kitty set a wash basin, soap and towel on the nightstand and
replied, “Yeah, Festus, Doc always patches Matt up real fine. Doc, you mind if I do this?” She wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“No…” Doc quickly
replied, “No, Kitty, not at all. I’m
sure Matt would rather get a bath from a pretty girl than an old coot like me.”
Festus jumped in, “Now you heared him say it, Miss
Kitty. I didn’t call ‘im an old
coot. He done it his own self.”
Kitty’s mouth mutinously turned up at one corner as she
rolled her eyes and said, “Excuse me, gentlemen, but I’ve got a Marshal to
clean up.”
They stepped back as she sat next to Matt on the bed and rinsed
a washcloth in warm water. Gently
cleaning his wounds with soap, she murmured “Shhhh…” when he grimaced in his
sleep and stirred.
His eyes fluttered open, struggled to focus, then lit on her
face. “Kitty?” His voice was ragged with
sleep and pain.
“Yes, Matt?” She lay
the washcloth aside and took his big, rough hand in hers.
“You okay?”
“Yes, Matt, I’m just fine.
But you’re not…” She looked back
anxiously. “Doc, can you give him
something?”
“Of course…just a minute.
I brought some laudanum with me.”
Doc dug in his black leather bag for a bottle of the strong
pain killer. He handed her the medicine
in a glass and Festus hurried to help Matt sit up a bit as Kitty held it to his
lips. Matt coughed as he swallowed it
down without protest. Kitty knew Matt
was hurting bad if he was taking pain medication so readily. She wiped a drip from his bottom lip with her
thumb and Festus helped him settle back on the pillow comfortably.
His whispered “Thanks,” was nearly inaudible as his eyes
drifted closed again. He gave a
shuddering sigh as Kitty continued bathing his pale skin, running the warm
soapy washcloth carefully over his face, arms and chest. He was asleep again before she had dried him
with a soft towel. Kitty leaned over and
gave Matt a lingering kiss on the forehead before she remembered Doc and Festus
were standing quietly nearby.
Ruefully, she looked their way as they pretended to examine
their fingernails. But as she began
gathering up the bath items, she had to smother a yawn.
Doc cajoled, “Kitty, you’re exhausted. I can tell by the look in your eyes. You need to go back to Ma Smalley’s and get
some rest.”
“No, Doc, I don’t want to leave him.”
Festus joined in, “Now, Miss Kitty, what good are you gonna’
be to Matthew if you don’t take keer of yer ownself. We kin shore sit with ‘im fer a spell whilst
you go and git yerself some shut-eye.”
Kitty’s tone was adamant, “No.” Her breath hitched in her chest before she
could continue, “I thought I’d lost him.
I can’t…” Her voice broke and she
quickly turned to the window.
Doc intervened, “Now, Kitty, look here… I’ll tell you what. I’ve still got to bandage Matt back up. Festus and I will stay right here with him
while you just go in the other room and get freshened up.”
Festus chortled, “Why shore, Miss Kitty. Ladies needs a little time to
theirselves. You cain’t be here with
Matthew ever minute of the dadgum day.”
“But, I…”
Doc chided good naturedly, “Look at you, young lady! You’re wearing the same clothes you had on
yesterday.”
“Fine,” she answered with her back still to them.
Festus’s eyebrows raised a notch in surprise toward
Doc. They both stepped back as she
soundlessly stalked around the room, gathering fresh clothing. She stopped with her hand on the bathroom
door and gave one last hesitant look at Matt’s sleeping form before she bustled
into the next room. Maybe after she’d
had a bath and didn’t look a fright, things would look better to her.
To be continued…
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