Coming Home: A Gunsmoke Fan Fiction

Mike

He trained his eyes on Matt Dillon as he spoke to his horse. The horse turned his head toward the voice as if he were listening and under the horse's watchful eye, Lester Dean set up his rifle rest and loaded the rifle.

"Oughta be a law about the law. This un here, though, he's got sand to 'im most of em don't have. Still and all, gonna lose his life. They don't never learn." With that, he perched his rifle on the rest, aimed and fired. Matt Dillon hit the ground with a thud.

On his belly, Matt crawled toward the pistol that had been thrown from its holster during the fall from his horse. Lester Dean rode to where Matt lay struggling to reach his gun and dismounted for a closer look.

As Matt reached for the pistol, Dean rendered him unconscious with a blow to the head from the butt of his rifle. He knelt next to Matt's prone body and rifled his pockets, removing his badge as a souvenir. He mounted his horse. "They never learn." With those words, he rode away, leaving an unconscious Matt lying in the sweltering sun.

Three days later, Matt opened his eyes. He was in an unfamiliar room made cozy by the smell of son of a gun stew simmering on the stove and biscuits in the oven. A woman with red hair that reached to her waist stood over the stove and looked up when Matt groaned.

"You're back with the livin' I see." She smiled and went to him, bringing a cool, damp cloth to wipe his face and some water for him to drink.

Matt pulled back from her and looked at her questioningly. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"My name is Mike Yardner. You're in my home where you been since Sutler and I found ya in the desert. Ya look a might worse for wear I'm afraid. I think the important question is, who are you? Ya got no papers on ya."

Matt paused and realized he had no answer to her question.

She continued. "Where ya from? Who shot ya?"

Matt's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. Confusion washed over him in waves. "I don't know."

"You don't remember nuthin?" Mike could hardly believe it. She had heard about things like this happening but had never witnessed it or known anyone it had happened to.

"I guess not." The harder Matt struggled to remember, the more elusive the information seemed.

"I heard about this happenin' but seein it in front a me. Ain't that somethin'?" She was stunned.

Matt didn't know where he was but he felt that he didn't belong in this place. "Sorry to have troubled you ma'am. I'll be leaving."

Mike chuckled. "You ain't fit for travelin'. That ankle cain't be walked on and that lump on yer head will keep ya down for a bit."

Matt realized his struggle to rise was futile as he couldn't move his leg much less stand on it and the dizziness was overwhelming. He lay back down. "Did you say your name was Mike?"

She shrugged. "I was supposed to be a boy. I'm gonna call you Dan cuz Daniel came into the lion's den and that's what you'll be in if you take light to circumstances hereabout."

In answer to Matt's question, Mike explained how she and Sutler, her dog, went out searching for him after his horse wandered onto her property. Matt slowly sipped some of the water she had brought him.

"Ya know I may not remember who I am or how I got here but I'll tell you one thing. I never knew anybody called Mike who looks as good as you do."

She eyed him suspiciously. "You wanna know sumpthin'? I shoulda never picked you up. Never."

Matt smiled wanly and drank his water.