This story is intended
for mature audiences due to language, violence, and the vivid depiction of a
consensual adult relationship.
Matt
kicked Doc’s door open with one foot and backed into the office carrying Kitty
in his arms. “Doc!” he shouted. “Doc, we need you!”
Doc
hurried out of his bedroom in his nightshirt, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “What in tarnation? Oh, my heavens…” he said when he caught sight
of Kitty in her torn dress. Matt tried to
set her on Doc’s examining table, but she refused to let go of him. He finally sat down with her in his lap as
shuddering sobs shook her body, her face buried in his neck.
“Shhh…”
Matt soothed, rubbing her back and holding her closely.
Doc’s
face paled; he’d never seen Kitty so upset before. He whispered bleakly, “What’s happened to
her?”
Matt’s
mouth formed a grim line and his eyes grew hard. He could hardly bring himself to utter the
words, “She was attacked behind the saloon.
A bunch of rowdy cowhands. I
killed two of ‘em, Doc. Hurt some more
pretty bad…” His voice drifted off and
his blood turned to ice water in his veins at the hateful memory of finding
Kitty at the mercy of those depraved men.
“How
badly? Did they…?” Doc’s voice broke and
he touched Kitty’s shoulder lightly.
“Kitty, honey, talk to me. What
did those men do to you? Kitty?”
She
pulled away from Matt just enough to look up at Doc with tear-stained
eyes. “What?” she asked. She seemed like a lost little girl, and Doc’s
heart twisted in his chest.
“What
did they do to you, honey? You have to
tell me so that I can help you.”
“It…” Kitty’s breath came in hiccups and her speech
was halting. “It’s not…what you…think,
Doc.” She clutched at Matt’s shirt with
her fists as she continued, “Matt…got there in time. They just…knocked me around…a little is
all.” Doc caught a glance between the
two of them that made him think there might be something more to the story, but
he didn’t press. Kitty fought to control
her panicked breathing, and Matt dug his handkerchief out of his pocket,
tenderly wiping the tears from her flushed face.
Doc
replied instead, “Well, I can see that you got a little banged up, young
lady. Your lip is bleeding for one
thing. Let me clean that up for you.” Doc’s kind, reassuring words made her eyes
fill with tears anew.
When
he turned to his medical supplies, Kitty placed a hand on Matt’s cheek,
searching his face, whispering, inexplicably, “I’m so sorry, Matt. I’m so sorry.”
Matt’s
expression was puzzled as he asked, “For what, honey? What are you sorry for?”
Suddenly
Festus scurried through the door, wide-eyed and clearly agitated. “Everthing went fine, Matthew. The bodies was carried over ta’ Percy’s, and
I got ma’ gun back…”
“Uh,
Festus…” Matt interrupted, “Why don’t we talk about this later?” His eyes glanced pointedly at Kitty, still
curled in his lap, still shaking like a leaf.
Kitty,
suddenly conscious of Festus in the room, attempted to pull her torn dress
together as Doc tended the cut on her mouth.
Doc
added quietly, “Kitty, I want you to go back in my bedroom and put on one of my
shirts until we can get you some more clothes.”
Kitty
shook her head and started to protest.
“But I…”
“No,
now don’t argue with me. I’m going to
examine you and make sure you’re alright, and then I’m going to give you a
sedative to calm you down and help you sleep.”
“But,
Doc…”
“No ‘buts,’ young lady.
You are going to sleep right here tonight so I can keep an eye on you.”
Matt murmured, “You heard the doc, sweetheart.”
Before she could argue, Matt hugged her feverish body
close and brushed her tumbled curls off her face with gentle fingers. She made as if to stand up, but Matt held her
tightly.
Kitty asserted in a still quavering voice, “I’m alright,
Matt, honest. I can…”
He kissed her forehead and stood, insistently carrying
her into Doc’s bedroom. Doc went to find
her a clean shirt as Festus disconcertedly shook his head. He had a feeling this was going to be a long
night.
tbc
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