A Time to Heal, Chapter 7 "Healing Hands"

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. 

“He smells like a horse, Doc,” Kitty entreated.  “He’s gotta have a real bath if he’s gonna’ stay in my bed.”  A lone, manicured eyebrow crept upward to emphasize her point.

“Well, Kitty, I don’t see why not.  His wounds are healing very nicely.  I’ve never seen anybody in my life who heals as fast as Matt Dillon…” 

“Hmph...” Kitty observed wryly.  “It’s a good thing…”

Doc scratched his head under the edge of his hat and screwed up his face in thought.  “He’ll need some help getting into the tub though.  He’s been flat on his back for four days and is still medicated to boot.  I’ll get Festus up here to help.  You ask Sam to fill the tub.”

“Thank you,” she breathed, and headed downstairs to locate her bartender.

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“Lean forward, Cowboy.”

Matt groaned appreciatively as she vigorously scrubbed his broad, muscled back.  “How one man can get so dirty just lying in bed is beyond me,” she teased. 

“Beats me,” he grinned at her.  “Whoa, take it easy there, Kitty.”  His breath came in a hiss, “I think one of Gore’s men pounded me there pretty good.” 

“Sorry, Matt,” she apologized, gently kissing the spot on his arm that had been tender.  “That better?”

“The only way you can make it better is if you head a bit north…” he breathed and moved closer, capturing her lips in his own.  “Mmm…” he hummed.  “I’ve missed you…”

She pulled away in surprise.  “Missed me?  I’ve been right here the entire time.”

“Yeah, but not, you know…  Here.”  He leaned back and smiled suggestively. 

She dunked the soapy washcloth back in the water.  “Matt, you’ve been hurt bad.  How could you be thinking about…”

“Oh, I could be flat on my back…on my deathbed…and thinking of you, Kitty.”  

She emptied a pitcher of clear water over his clean, soapy hair, threading her fingers admiringly through his thick, wet curls.  “Matt, you realize it’s only been four days since we…” 

“Kitty, sometimes four days can seem like a whole lot longer to a man.”  He scrubbed his hands over his face before waggling his eyebrows roguishly at her.

“Apparently so,” she chuckled.  She slicked her hands over his shoulders and arms, enjoying the feel of his bare wet skin against hers.  “How are you feeling today?  Are Doc’s powders helping the pain?  I’m so glad you’re not taking that laudanum anymore.”

“How could I not be feeling wonderful with the first-rate care I’m getting around here?”  Her eyes sparkled at his words, and he leaned towards her for a soft peck on her inviting lips.  “I’ve got the world’s finest nurse…”  His kiss deepened and it was her turn to moan in appreciation.  He pulled her closer and crushed her voluptuous breasts to his dripping chest, sweeping his hot tongue into her slick mouth.

“Mmmm…” she hummed and then pulled back.  “Wait a minute…” she said breathlessly.

“What?”

“Doc will kill me.  He said no funny business.”

Matt smiled crookedly and answered, “I assure you I find nothing funny about this situation in the least…”  He reached for her again.

“No, Matt, seriously!  You wanna bust some stitches?  I’m telling you, Doc would kill me.”  She raised her eyebrows at Matt.  “I nearly died when he gave me that particular doctor’s order.”

Matt snorted. 

“It’s not funny, Matt.  You should have Doc lecture you about your private affairs sometime.”  Kitty looked down at her dress.  “Aw, now look at that.  I’m soaking wet…”

Matt stretched his arms and laced his hands behind his head.  “You could take it off.”  He winked at her.

She stood and started unbuttoning the front of her gown while Matt grinned enormously.

“Don’t look so pleased with yourself, Mister.  I’m just taking the dress off so I don’t ruin it.” She draped the damp garment across a chair to dry and approached him in her cotton petticoat and corset, putting her hands on her hips.  “Now lean back, and let me finish.”

Matt’s expression turned to one of consternation. 

“What?” She frowned at him when he didn’t answer.  “What’s the matter, Matt?”

“What happened to you, Kitty?”

Her mouth dropped open as soon as she realized what she had done.  She’d been hiding her bruises from Barens' attacks very well these past four days, but now she’d gone and let the cat out of the bag.  She knelt down beside the tub and sighed.  “Now, Matt, you were hurt so badly.  I didn’t want to worry you with a few little bruises.  I’m alright, really.”

“Where did you get those bruises on your arms?  What happened to you?” he repeated sternly, but then took her hand in his and sighed, “Please.  Tell me, honey.”

“I guess I got into it with one of Gore’s men.”

He looked at her wordlessly, waiting patiently for her to continue.

“Twice.”  She self-consciously tucked a wayward red curl behind her ear.

“Which one, Kitty?”

“Now, Matt, I’m pretty sure he got what he deserved.”  She looked down at her hands and picked at a hangnail.  “It was Barens.”  Kitty’s face turned hard.  “Doc said he was shot.  Killed.”

“Well, good, dammit.”  Matt’s frown deepened.  “ What the hell did he do to you?”

“Nothing, Matt.  Why, Doc charged in and knocked the tar out of him!”

“Doc?  Really?  Why didn’t he tell me…?”

“You’ve not exactly been yourself for the last few days, Matt.”

“Yeah, you’re right…”  Squinting  earnestly at her,  Matt took her chin in his hand and pulled her face close to his.  “You promise me he didn’t…”

“I promise,” she breathed.  “Nothing a little paint and powder won’t cover.”  She kissed his mouth lightly.  “Unless I go getting undressed in front of people…”

“You’d better not be getting undressed for anybody but me, sweet girl.”  He pulled her lush bottom lip into his warm mouth. 

“I won’t…  Promise…  Cross…my…heart…” she mumbled into his lips.  Matt’s hands strayed to her soft breast and she pulled away again.   Kitty warned, “Mattt…”  He sighed and sat back reluctantly.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she said firmly.  “I’ll go get Doc and Festus to help…”

“No, I think I can handle it, Kitty.  Besides…” Matt grunted, slowly and stiffly pulling himself up out of the water as he held onto her shoulder for balance.  He grinned sheepishly, and she was met eye to eye with his reason for not wanting his friends to help him out of the tub.  “I don’t think Doc and Festus can help me with this.”

“Oh,” she murmured.  “Is that a gun you’re pointing at me, Marshal, or are you just glad to see me?”

“Very funny.”  He tugged her up beside him and enveloped her in a dripping, man-sized hug.  “Oh, what you do to me, woman.”

“Me?  Why, Marshal, I did no such…”

He smothered any further reply by sliding his hungry lips over hers in a hot kiss that lasted until she could no longer breathe.

She gasped, “Wait…” 

“What now?”

“We’ve got to get you dried off.”

“Really, Kitty?  I’ve got other things in mind.”

“No, Matt.  What if Doc comes back to check on you?  And Festus…”

She grabbed a towel and tried not to smile at his obvious disappointment as she began drying his broad chest, taking great care around his bullet wounds and bruises.

“Hold out your arms,” she ordered, rubbing his smooth, warm skin, fragrant with the clean smell of soap.

“Now turn around.”  She swept the towel over his well-defined shoulders, down his strong back, to the firm, round backside she loved so well.  Matt Dillon cut a fine figure of a man, if she did say so herself.  She walked back around to face him and got on her knees.  He groaned involuntarily.

“Matt…”

“I know, honey.  I know…”

“Stitches, remember?”

“But I don’t have any stitches in my…”

“Very funny.”  She bit her lip as she rubbed the soft towel across the firm evidence of his desire.

“Good golly, Kitty, you’re torturin’ me.”

“Sorry.”

She dried his long legs, her silky unbound hair brushing against his sex, and he sucked in a breath.

“Baby, I don’t think I can stand up much longer.  You’re killin’ me.”  He gave her an apologetic grin.  “Just remember, I’m not quite myself yet.”

She threw the towel on a chair and pulled him by the hand into the bedroom where she turned the quilt back.  “I changed those dirty sheets while you were in the tub.  Under the covers, Cowboy,” she ordered.

“Only if you come with me.”  He gave her a small, hopeful smile.

She placed a delicate finger on her lips, pretending to weigh her options, until he unceremoniously pulled her down on the bed.

She protested, “Hey, watch it!  I think you’re definitely getting your strength back, big man.”

He rolled on top of her and breathed into her ear, “Only if I get to use it on you, honey.”

“Be careful, Matt.  Don’t overdo it.”  Suddenly she froze and looked at him questioningly.  “Is the door locked?”

“I dunno,” he mumbled as he nibbled on her neck.

“You’re under the influence of pain killers.  You wouldn’t care if Jesse James himself came walking through that door.”

“Nope,” he said as he worked his way up to her ear.  “I sure wouldn’t.”

“Well, I do.”  She wriggled out from under him and walked to the door, giving him a wide-eyed “I told you so” look when the door proved to be unlocked.

“Matt Dillon, you have got to settle yourself down,” she said reprovingly, hands on hips, as she returned to the bedside.  “You need to rest.  You don’t need to be fooling…”

Matt sat up and swung his legs around to the floor, one foot planted on either side of her.  Being confronted by that much naked male skin proved to be Kitty’s undoing.   She groaned as Matt pulled her tightly against him and kissed her deeply, his strong hands caressing her bottom, then sliding eagerly between her legs.  Suddenly, she gasped in pain and broke the kiss, shying away from his caresses.

“What’s the matter, Kitty?”

“Nothing, Matt.”

“What do you mean, ‘nothing’?”  His tone was anxious and his eyes clouded with unhappy realization.  “You didn’t just get into a tussle with Gore’s man, did you?”

She looked up at the ceiling, her eyes filling with tears.  Her voice was no more than a whisper.  “No, Matt.”  She wrapped her arms protectively around her waist.  “He tried…”  She took a deep breath.  “He tried to rape me.” 

“He didn’t…?”

“No, Matt, he didn’t.  I told you, Doc hit him and got him off me.”  She sighed.  “He just hurt me a little is all.  I’m a little sore.”

“Let me see, Kitty.” 

“It’s really nothing…” she protested.

He took her chin in his hands and looked directly into her eyes.  “Kitty, you don’t have to be brave for me.  I don’t want you to try and hide anything from me, you hear?”

Hot tears sprang to her eyes and she choked back a sob as he gently unwound her arms from her body.  Matt slowly pulled at her corset laces and loosened her stays to expose her bruises, too many to number.  He turned her slowly and kissed them one by one, on her shoulders, back, arms and breasts.  He untied her petticoat and drawers, pulling them slowly down to the floor to find more angry yellow-green discolorations.  “Oh, sweetheart…” he breathed. 

He laid her back on the bed, hovering over her to kiss her injured thighs tenderly.   He laid his head on her stomach and stroked her legs while she cried softly, her fingers tangling in his hair.   He murmured quietly against her belly, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help you.”

“It’s okay, Matt.” she whispered.  “I’d say you were considerably worse off than me.”  She gave a crooked smile.  “Besides, Doc took pretty good care of me.”

“I owe Doc one,” Matt muttered darkly.

Her blue eyes softened as they stared into the distance.  “Yeah, I need to tell Doc how much I appreciate what he did for me.”’

Matt kissed her soft belly and reached over to pat the pillow next to his.  They slid under the covers together and lay blissfully skin to skin.  Sliding a knee between his warm thighs, Kitty gently kissed his lips and nestled against his chest, adding quietly, “But…you’re here now, Cowboy, and that’s what counts.”

End.

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