Vacation

Chapter 1

Evening was fast coming to Dodge. The worst of winter was behind them now, and daytime temperatures had been comfortable for a week or more. The approach of night still brought an accompanying chill to the air, but in a short time the cold bite of a Kansas winter would be a long distant memory. It would soon be replaced by intense summer heat which would descend on Dodge City to plague residents and nearby ranchers alike.

A loan figure in a well worn felt hat and shabby brown coat was carefully shuffling his way along the boardwalk. He carried a tattered medical bag in his left hand and was headed for the jail ostensibly to play a game of checkers with his friend the US Marshal. Deep down he should have admitted to himself that he had a mission other than checkers on his mind, but then again maybe he wouldn't have even gone that far.

He didn't bother to knock on the heavy wooden door. Instead he just pushed it open and walked on in. The rattle of keys accompanied by raised voices came from the cells out back, a sure indication that the marshal was busy. He bided his time by removing his hat and jacket and then setting up the game board. Soon the door separating the office from the cells opened and his checkers partner appeared.

"Everything all right Matt?" he asked as he set the last of the pieces in place on the board.

"Yeah, just Ben Temple complaining about the food." Matt replied as he hung the jail keys on a peg by the door to the cells. He produced two shot-glasses from the desk drawer and set them on the table to one side of the checkerboard.

"You'd better get that bottle of snake bite out Doc. You know where it is." He pulled a chair up to the table as he spoke.

Doc had the whisky uncorked, and poured two fairly generous servings by the time the marshal took his seat.

The game was played in all seriousness for a while with very little conversation. Matt easily won the first round and reset the board while Doc downed the remaining whisky from his shot-glass. The physician watched as his companion carefully placed each checker piece on its appropriate square. This would be as good a time as any to start the conversation that was uppermost in his mind, and the real purpose behind his visit.

"I stopped by and checked on Kitty on my way here." He twitched his face as he reached to move one of the black pieces.

"Is she doing any better Doc? I plan to go by and visit later this evening."

"She's over the worst now Matt." The physician paused to take a breath while trying to think of the best way to give importance to his words. "She needs a vacation. That's all there is to it. She needs to get away from the dust and dirt of Dodge City for a while. It would do her more good than any medicine I have if she could just spend a few days breathing clean air."

It was dark outside now, and the lamplighter had already made his rounds. One of the gas lamps sent light intended for the street, into the dimly lit office. Black, straight-line shadows were cast by the window bars which interrupted the light's passage into the marshal's domain. The shadows landed on the surface of the heavy wooden desk where Dillon usually sat reviewing wanted posters, composing reports and doing other endless paperwork that went with the job of United States Marshal. Doc couldn't help but notice how similar the shadows looked to the bars on the jail cells out back. There was a soft glow coming from the fire in the stove and the smell of burnt coffee hung listlessly in the air. Matt got up to light an oil lamp. He took his time removing the chimney, striking a match and lighting the wick. He wasn't trying to avoid the doctor's comment. He just wasn't sure how to reply.

Doc was one of the few people who could back the marshal into a corner with words. Somehow Matt knew he was expected to come up with a reply and nothing would make the feisty physician back down. He knew from experience that ignoring the doctor's statement would not make it go away. Eventually he'd have to say something to appease the man.

"Maybe she can go spend a few days at Jake Wirth's place, his wife is always asking Kitty to go for a visit. Even Bess Roniger invites her all the time," he suggested carefully. "I'd be happy to drive her out there if she'd like to go.."

"Matt you're not listening to me, or maybe you just don't want to hear what I have to say." The physician got up from the table and stood to face Matt who was trying desperately to find something on his desk to study.

"She needs a vacation, not a few days helping Mrs. Wirth fix meals for 30 dirt-ridden ranch hands, or helping Bess take care of all those rambunctious children. That was a serious bout of flu she had and I'm telling you that her cough will never clear up unless she gets at least a week away from that smoky saloon and all those drunken cowboys."

Dillon thought carefully for a few minutes. He knew Doc was trying to tell him something but surely if Kitty needed some convalescent time there were plenty of options open to her. There wasn't much he could do to make her go somewhere if she didn't want to. On the other hand he had noticed that in the evenings when he was alone with her, and she'd taken off her makeup, her complexion lacked the glow that it usually had. Come to think of it, he'd noticed that her dresses had become loose and ill-fitting and when he held her close he could easily feel her ribs. Even worse, when she coughed her whole body shook.

"What do you suggest?" he asked the physician who was busily tugging at his left ear.

"How long is it since you took a vacation Matt?" It was an innocent question but it set off a flood of alarm bells in the marshal's head.

"Maybe you hadn't noticed, but this job's a lot like yours - I don't get to take vacations."

Matt had turned to face away from Doc, but the physician was not to be deterred. He grabbed Matt's arm to bring him back so the marshal couldn't help but look straight at him.

"Then it's about time you did! You're looking a bit peaky too. Why don't you ask Kitty to go away with you somewhere, even a week would do her the world of good. Doctor's orders!"

The lawman thought carefully for a few minutes. There was a trial scheduled in Wichita next week where he had to go give evidence against the leader of a gang who had robbed a stage and killed the driver.

Somehow Doc knew what he was about to suggest. "And before you say it, going to a trial in Wichita does not count as a vacation, whatever way you look at it."

"Well maybe I could take a few extra days or something - you know I can't leave the town for too long Doc."

"I've known plenty of times when you've been off chasing bandits or various other miscreants across the prairie, and left this town for weeks at a time. And in case you hadn't noticed, it was still standing when you got back. The cattle drive season will be starting in a few more weeks and you know there won't be any time for rest for either of you then."

"But Doc I just can't up and leave."

"It's up to you Matt, but I'm telling you if Kitty doesn't get some time away from the dust and dirt of Dodge City soon, she's going to be a very sick woman. When that happens there won't be much I can do about it. I think it's up to you to help her. After all you know she'd do the same for you."

The checkerboard seemed to be forgotten as Adams picked up his medical bag and hat. He'd delivered his message and now it was out of his hands. "I've got to be leaving now anyway, I've got a busy day tomorrow." With that the physician jammed the old crumpled hat on his head and walked out of the office.

Dillon stood watching as Adams left. The office seemed a cold and lonely place once the door had closed, but he was not a man averse to loneliness. He cleared the checkerboard and set it back in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet. He considered the bottle still on the table for a moment, then poured himself another small shot of the rough alcohol. He took his time capping the bottle and returning it to the cupboard under the washstand, then he sat back down and slowly sipped on the whisky..

After awhile he picked up the half-empty glass and carried it to his desk where he sat studying it for a long time. He was worried about Kitty. He'd noticed her slow recovery following her illness. He'd certainly be happy to escort her to the home of one of her friends to stay for a while if Doc thought that would help her get well. But to take a vacation himself? He just couldn't see how that could be done. That trial was scheduled in Wichita next week, and he'd received official notification by telegram only yesterday. The leader of a particularly vicious outlaw gang who'd been responsible for organizing a group of killers who prayed upon stagecoaches and helpless solitary travelers alike. They had left a string of slaughtered men, women, and even children in their wake. Finally Danny Doyle had been caught - mostly because of Dillon's efforts. He needed to be there at the trial. His evidence alone would make sure the outlaw was convicted and put away for a long time. There was no way he could avoid that responsibility. But what about his responsibility to Kitty? One thing Doc had said hung in his mind - she would do whatever it took to help him in similar circumstances. He knew that was true. But surely this was different. He had a job, a duty that accepted no personal excuses.

He sat thinking for a while until at last he picked up his gun belt and fastened the buckle around his waist. He took his hat from the peg by the door and carefully placed it on his head. His prisoner had given up calling out so must be asleep by now. He wouldn't be gone long anyway. He needed to go see Kitty.

TBC