Coming Home: A Gunsmoke Fan Fiction

Forbidden Words

The evening was slipping into nighttime as they sat in front of the fire. He was reading the Bible and she was mending clothing. They were both drinking coffee, comfortable with the quiet crackling of the blaze. She sighed contentedly and looked at him. He was so big and strong and healthy, he had come so far since she found him that day in the desert. Her heart burst with love for him. He felt her gaze and looked up, offering her a warm smile.

"Dan," she felt tentative but she had to get the words out.

Sensing the seriousness of her tone, he laid the Bible on the side table and gave her his full attention. "What is it, honey?"

Her fingers played nervously with the garment lying in her lap. "I've given it a lotta thought...you and me, I mean, so I'm just gonna say it to ya plain. Its been six weeks since I brought ya here. Its a month we been together. Since Johnny Yardner...well, till you there was nobody else. Just Johnny."

An odd feeling came over him. He felt as if he knew what she was going to say and he wanted to halt it. He didn't want to hear those words.

"Mike," he felt a panic rising. It was important that she not say those words. "Mike, don't..."

"Dan, I think we should get married. I want more than this. I wanna family, kids. I think we need to get married."

There. It was out there on the table. He felt his head spinning and there was a strange sort of twinkling in his brain. He was sweating and he felt nauseous. He put his hand to his head.

"Dan? Are you alright?" She hurried to the kitchen to get him a cool, damp cloth for his head. "You're burning up with fever." She gave him some water to sip but he couldn't get his body to swallow.

"We're going to town right now. There's a doctor in Dodge City, He can help you."

He massaged his temples furiously. "Dodge City? You're taking me to Dodge?" The twinkling in his brain grew stronger. Dodge City. Why did that sound familiar to him? Had he been there before? Did it have a meaning in his life? He was struggling to breathe.

"Dan, I'm getting the buggy."

He nodded. "Get.....the.... buggy..." He could barely gasp the words.