A Time to Heal, Chapter 6 "Counting Blessings"

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. 

Festus silently set the breakfast tray on the table in Kitty’s room and tiptoed over to where Doc sat, sleepily nodding off in a chair.  “Doc!” he hissed.

Doc threw his hands in the air with a start.  “Wha…what?”  He shook his head and wearily rubbed a hand over his face.  “Doggonnit, Festus…  You scared me half to death!  Keep it down, will ya’?  You’ll wake everybody up.”

Festus finally noticed Miss Kitty curled up on the chaise, slumbering soundly, her unbound copper red tresses gleaming riotously in the slanting morning sunlight.  Her shoulders were wrapped in a shawl with a quilt draped across her lap, girlishly unpainted, softly-freckled face flushed with sleep but peaceful.  Last night’s tray of half-eaten supper from Delmonico’s sat forgotten on the bureau.

Doc explained in a whisper, “I promised Kitty I’d sit up with Matt if she’d take some sleeping powders and get a little rest.”  He grimaced and shook his head, muttering, “This whole confounded situation has really taken the wind out of her sails.”

Festus nodded and quietly agreed, “I knowed it, Doc, since Miss Kitty ain’t been actin’ like herself a’tall.”

“Well, Festus, Kitty was injured, too.  She had to fight off that no-good bastard Barens not once, but twice!”

Festus’s expression grew hard.  “Whatta’ you mean, Doc?”

“She got banged up pretty bad, Festus.”  Doc finished darkly, “You just can’t see her injuries…”

Festus’s  eyes crinkled with concern.  “Is she gonna be alright?”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine, but it’s going to take a lot of rest and consideration on our parts for her to recover fully.”  Doc scrubbed tiredly at his rheumy eyes.   “She’s been through a lot, Festus.”

“Well, Doc, is there somethin’ I kin do?”

“You’re doin’ it right now, coming here to check on Matt and Kitty…”  He added, “…and bringing them breakfast.  That’s just what they needed.”  Doc rose stiffly from his chair.

“Now, Doc, you kin just head on back to your office and get some rest your own self.  I’ll be glad to set a spell with Matthew.”

“Alright, Festus, I’ll take you up on that offer.  I’m gettin’ too old for this…”  Doc placed his battered hat over his thick, wiry gray hair.

“Now, Doc, I weren’t gonna say a thing about yer age…  I’m bein’ considerate-like on account of Matthew and Miss Kitty here.”  His eyebrows reached toward his hairline.  “Whatcha’ think about that?”

“Thanks a lot,” he answered, shaking his head.  “I appreciate that.”  Doc headed for his bag and measured out another dose of powerful pain killer in a glass.  “If Matt wakes up in terrible pain again, and I don’t doubt that he won’t, you can give him this, alright?”

“I got ‘er, Doc.  Give ‘im this to kill the pain.  Will do!”

“You tell Sam to come get me if you need anything.”

“Don’t you fret none a’tall.  I’ll take care of everthing, you just wait and see.  You ain’t got a thing to worry your head about none…”

Festus opened the door for Doc, who stood contemplating his friend’s words.  “No, Festus, I don’t think I will worry.  I’m sure you’ll take care of things just fine, just like when you tricked those thieves into staying in Dodge until the soldiers arrived on the train.”

Festus’s jaw dropped.  Doc winked and departed, whistling softly, a twinkle in his eye.

Festus gave a tiny, surprised, “Hmmph!” and shuffled over to check on Matthew.  He busied himself straightening Matt’s covers, clucking like a mother hen, and gently felt his friend’s forehead like he imagined Doc would do, to check him for fever.  When Matt made a noise in his sleep and turned his head, Festus quickly hot-footed it back from the bed and decided it might be the best course of action to just let Matthew rest peaceful-like. 

Festus puttered over and sat down gingerly in one of Miss Kitty’s fancy chairs, where his eyes lit on the chair’s owner still sleeping snug as a bug in the chaise next to him.  She surely was a sight for sore eyes, that Miss Kitty Russell.  She was as purty as an April sunrise with her dazzling red hair and bright blue eyes.  Festus would be mighty appreciative if he had a smart, looksome woman like her waiting for him at the end of a hard day’s work.  Matthew was a lucky feller indeed. 

When he recollected back, was it only two days past?...it pained him mightily to think of the pure heartache in her sweet face when she had thought poor Matthew was dead.  It purt near broke his own heart clean in two.  He’d meant it when he’d knelt before her and swore to bring those killers to justice, even if it took him till the end of his days.  He’d do anything for Miss Kitty.  She and Matthew and even old Doc were probably the best friends he’d ever had in all his born days.  They was good people. 

Buried deep in his woolgathering, he hadn’t noticed two drowsy, sapphire eyes slowly flutter open.  “Festus?”  Kitty’s sleep-scratchy voice quietly called.

Festus sprang up, hat in hand.  “Mornin’, Miss Kitty.  Sorry iffin’ I woke ya’.  I’m a’relievin’ Doc fer a while whilst he goes and gets hisself some shuteye.”

Kitty pulled herself slowly up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, and tugged her shawl more tightly around her thin nightgown.  “When did he leave?”

“Oh, he ain’t been gone long a’tall.  Not more’n ten minutes or thereabouts.  Why, you was a’sleepin’ like a baby.”  He smiled as she covered a yawn.  “I didn’t wanna wake you up, you looked so peaceful-like.  You need all the rest you can get, Miss Kitty.  Doc says you plumb been through the wringer.”

“Oh, he does, does he?” One dark eyebrow shot up and she shook her head.  “What did he tell you, exactly?”

Festus fiddled with his hat brim as he perched once again on the edge of the chair beside her.  “Oh, not a lot, Miss Kitty.  He said you was bothered by that Barens feller.”  Festus squinted as he met her eyes evenly and softly added, “He said you was hurt purty bad.” 

Festus suddenly noticed faint bruises on Kitty’s neck where it met her shoulder.  She followed his gaze and hastily shifted her shawl to cover the marks.

“I’ll be all right, Festus,” she said dismissively as she tucked her sleep-tousled hair behind an ear.

“I know you will, Miss Kitty.  I just want ya’ to know iffin’ there’s anything I kin do fer ya, you jest let old Festus know, alright?”

Her eyes softened as she remembered Festus’s solemn declaration at her feet the night of the raid.  Festus had been as torn up about Matt’s supposed death as she had been, she believed.  Kitty cleared her throat and asserted, “Doc says you were the one who got the raiders caught.”  She looked into his eyes.  “He says you tricked them into believing there was gold coming in on the seven o’clock train, when it was really full of soldiers.”

His mouth turned up at the corners a tiny bit as he hastened to say, “Oh, ‘pshaw, Miss Kitty.  It weren’t nothin’.  Anybody coulda’ outsmarted them good-fer-nothin’ rascals.  Why, old Matthew woulda’ done it hisself if he’d a not been feelin’ so poorly.”

Kitty adjusted the quilt on her lap and sighed, then reached across and took Festus’s rough hand and looked him straight in the eye.  “Festus, this whole town owes you a debt of gratitude for saving their belongings and gettin’ those outlaws caught by their own greed.” 

He looked down at his lap and replied, “Aw, Miss Kitty, you don’t hafta’…”

“Don’t tell me what I have to do, Festus Haggen.” She squeezed his hand harder and added, “I appreciate everything you said to me that…awful night…”  Her voice caught in her throat.  “…and all that you did for Matt, too.  You’re a true friend and a good man, Festus.”

Kitty leaned over and kissed his stubbly cheek as his eyes took on a look of pure wonderment.

“Now, Festus, I think it’s time you left so that I can get dressed.  Is that breakfast you brought?”  She tucked a wayward red curl behind her ear again and said, “I’m starving, and I bet Matt will be , too.  I’ll make sure he eats and that he knows you were the one who brought it to him.”

Festus stood wordlessly and grinned.  Kitty rose next to him and impulsively wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, tears stinging her eyes at the utter devotion and thoughtfulness of this rough-hewn hill man. 

“Aww, Miss Kitty,” he effused as he awkwardly patted her back.

She reluctantly let him go and wound her wrap tightly around her, then walked Festus to the door. 

At last, he managed to promise quietly, “I’ll come back later and check on ya’ both, Miss Kitty.  If there’s anything a’tall I kin do fer ya’, all’s ya’ gotta do is holler.”

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“Kitty?”  Matt’s hoarse voice was weak as a kitten’s. 

“I’m right here, Matt.”  She hurriedly rose from the chair she’d placed at his bedside and laid a cool hand on his pale cheek.  “How are you feeling?”

“You really wanna’ know?” he managed to joke softly.

Raking the hair off his damp forehead, Kitty worriedly asked, “Are you hurting?  Doc left you some more medicine.”

“Yeah, Kitty,” he grimaced as he tried to shift his body.  “It’s pretty bad.”

“I’ll give you Doc’s medicine, and then you think you can eat a little?”

“Aw, Kitty, I’m not really hungry.”

She cajoled, “But you’ve got to eat to keep your strength up, and Festus brought it by this morning just for you.”

“Festus, huh…?”  He made a face.  “It’s not possum, is it?”

“No,” she laughed.  “Bacon and eggs.  I had some already.  And there’s broth if you don’t think you can handle the regular fare.”

“Broth would be good.”

“Can you sit up a little?”  She stacked the pillows and helped him raise his head and shoulders a bit, her heart twisting in her chest as he grunted in pain.  “Take your medicine first,” she instructed gently as she held the glass of laudanum to his mouth.  He frowned at the bitter taste but quickly swallowed it down.  Kitty placed a napkin under his chin and carefully placed a spoonful of warm broth to his dry, cracked lips.

He drank it and looked up at her questioningly, his discomfort etching deep lines around his eyes.  “Have you seen Doc today?”

She gave him another spoonful of broth and answered, “Doc sat up with you last night, Matt.  He gave me something to help me sleep, and we both stayed right here with you.”

Squinting meaningfully at her, he asked, “You two okay?”

“Yes, Matt, he explained things to me last night.”  She sighed and wiped a drop of soup from his chin.  “Doc told me that he didn’t have the opportunity to let me know that you were still alive.  There was always someone around who could have hurt you.”  Her stomach lurched at the thought of Doc operating on Matt in her dark cellar, lying alone afterward with no one to care for him while Doc sat guard over her at Ma Smalley’s.

“So you’re not upset with him anymore?”

“No, Matt, everything’s fine.”  She gave him a reassuring smile as she fed him another bite.  “Honest.”

“Good.”

Kitty added lightly, “Festus sure turned out to be the big hero in all this business.”

Matt chuckled, “You can say that again.”  Then he coughed shallowly, holding his bandaged side.

Kitty added softly, “Doc and Festus are pretty good friends to have around, don’t you think?”

“I think you’re right.”  He sighed.  “How much more of this are you going to make me eat, Kitty?”

“Two more bites.”

“Yes, ma’am…”

When he was done, she laid the bowl aside and gently blotted his lips with the napkin.  Kitty wound her fingers through his thick hair and leaned over to kiss his cheek, appreciatively inhaling his familiar scent, unutterably thankful to have him by her side, bullet wounds or no.  Her large blue eyes misted with tears.

Matt’s eyelids fluttered as he murmured groggily, “What’s the matter, honey?”

“Not a thing, Matt…” She took his hand and stroked it gently as he neared sleep.  “I’m just so thankful you’re still here with me, Cowboy.”

“Me too, sweetheart…”

Kitty quietly held his big hand in hers until tranquil, healing sleep claimed him once more.

To be continued…

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