Gunsmoke – Season 21
Episode 656: Light in the Window –
Part One
WRITER: Amanda
CAST:
Matt Dillon
– U.S. Marshal
Kitty
Russell Dillon –
Doc Adams –
Festus Haggen – Deputy U.S. Marshal
Newly
O’Brien – Deputy U.S. Marshal
Emily
Dillon – daughter of Matt and Kitty
Miss Hannah
– former
Moss Grimmick – Stable keeper
Carl Ekertt – Matt’s prisoner
Wade
Branson – Carl’s partner
Jube Case
– Carl’s partner
TEASER
FADE IN:
EXTERIOR LONG SHOT (DAY):
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: TWO OTHER RIDERS, BOTH BUNDLED UP IN COATS,
WAIT BEHIND A STAND OF TREES. AT THE
MOMENT, WE CANNOT TELL HOW CLOSE THEY ARE TO MATT AND THE OTHER MAN, BUT WE
KNOW THEY ARE WATCHING THEM.
CASE: Ain’t gonna be too
hard, Wade. It’s two against one.
BRANSON:
Don’t you go underestimatin’ him, Jube. Once, over in Garden City, I seed him take
down four fellers with three bullets.
CASE:
(looks doubtful) That ain’t
possible.
BRANSON: I
know what I seen. I’m jest sayin’ don’t go underestimatin’
him.
CASE: Well,
we jest won’t give him a chance.
Besides, when Carl sees us comin’, he kin distract Dillon.
BRANSON:
(shaking his head) You think if Carl sees us, Dillon
won’t?
CASE: You gotta better idea?
BRANSON: Mebbe.
MEDIUM SHOT: MATT AND CARL EKERTT, HIS PRISONER. THEY ARE STILL RISING SLOWLY ACROSS THE
SNOW-COVERED PRAIRIE, MATT SLIGHTLY AHEAD AND LEADING EKERTT’S HORSE. WE SEE THAT EKERTT’S HANDS ARE CUFFED. WE
ALSO SEE A DARKENING BRUISE ALONG EKERTT’S JAW.
EKERTT: You
figger they’ll hang me, Dillon?
MATT:
(waits a beat, doesn’t look back at Ekertt) Depends
on the judge.
EKERTT: I
don’t reckon I take much ta’ havin’
my neck stretched.
MATT:
(still not looking back) Might have been something to
consider before you cut that relay station manager in two with a pitchfork.
EKERTT: I
told ya he come at me first.
DILLON: (Doesn’t respond.)
EKERTT: (watching the marshal for a minute) You figger on gittin’
me to Dodge all by yerself, do ya?
MATT: I
figure.
EKERTT: It took that Hays sheriff and three deputies ta’ git me thar.
MATT:
(Doesn’t respond.)
EKERTT:
Still a good ways out.
MATT STILL DOESN’T ANSWER. EKERTT FROWNS, THEN GLANCES OUT ACROSS THE
PRAIRIE. WE SEE RECOGNITION IN HIS
EYES. HE SQUINTS, THEN SWAYS A LITTLE IN THE SADDLE.
EKERTT:
(voice weaker) Marshal?
MATT: (not
looking back) Yeah?
EKERTT: You
reckon we kin stop fer a
bit? I’m feelin’
a mite dizzy.
MATT: (turns
now, his own eyes squinted with suspicion) Dizzy?
EKERTT: Ya didn’t have ta’ hit me so
hard, ya know.
Knocked two teeth out. (cradles his
jaw) I need ta’ lay down fer a while.
MATT:
(turning back, not particularly sympathetic) We’ll be
in Dodge in an hour or so. There’s nice
jail cell cot you can lie down on.
EKERTT:
(glances back, then sways more in the saddle) Marshal –
CLOSE SHOT ON EKERTT: HE SLIDES FROM THE HORSE AND FALLS TO THE
GROUND. MATT PULLS UP, LOOKING BACK,
THEN TUGS ON THE REINS OF HIS HORSE AND STEPS DOWN FROM HIS SADDLE. JUST AS HE IS BENDING OVER TO CHECK ON EKERTT
–
MEDIUM SHOT: BRANSON AND CASE RIDE
HARD FROM THE TREES, GUNS DRAWN. MATT
SPINS, BUT THEY ARE ALREADY ON HIM. HE
DRAWS ANYWAY AND GETS OFF A SHOT AT THEM.
CASE CRIES OUT, HORSE AND RIDER FALLING.
BRANSON THROWS A WILD SHOT TOWARD MATT AS HE PASSES.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE GRIMACES AND
SPINS TO THE GROUND.
MEDIUM SHOT: BRANSON PULLS UP AS
EKERTT SCRAMBLES TO HIS FEET AND KICKS THE DOWNED MARSHAL IN THE SIDE. HE STICKS HIS HANDS INSIDE MATT’S COAT AND
FINDS THE HANDCUFF KEYS, RELEASING HIS OWN HANDS. THEN, HE PICKS UP MATT’S GUN, WHICH IS LYING
BY THE MARSHAL, AND AIMS AT MATT’S CHEST.
DISSOLVE TO MAIN TITLE
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN:
ACT ONE
EXTERIOR CLOSE SHOT ON MATT. HE IS LYING ON THE GROUND, UNMOVING, EYES
CLOSED. PULL BACK TO MEDIUM SHOT. EKERTT IS STILL POINTING THE GUN AT MATT’S CHEST. BRANSON LOOKS AT HIM.
BRANSON:
What are you doin’?
EKERTT: I’m
gonna kill him.
BRANSON:
(nodding at the other man, lying a few feet away) What about Jube?
EKERTT:
He’s dead arreddy, ain’t
he?
CLOSE SHOT ON CASE: HE GRUNTS IN
RESPONSE TO EKERTT’S STATEMENT AND ROLLS OVER.
WE SEE BLOOD AT HIS SHOULDER, BUT HE SEEMS ALERT ENOUGH.
CASE: I ain’t dead, ya’ backstabber. I need a sawbones, though.
MEDIUM SHOT ON EKERTT, CASE, AND
BRANSON: WE SEE MATT STILL LYING,
UNMOVING IN THE NEAR BACKGROUND.
EKERTT:
(pointing the gun at Matt again) Soon as I tek care
of this’ un.
CASE:
(angry) You gonna git me
up? I’m freezin’
down here.
BRANSON: Fergit Dillon. He’ll
die out here anyway, if he ain’t dead arreddy. I don’t
have much fer lawmen, but I ain’t
lookin’ ta’ have a passel of ‘em on my tail fer killin’ one. We’ll jest let Mother Nature tek care of him. Ain’t nobody, not even Dillon, gonna survive overnight in
this weather.
EKERTT HESITATES, THEN SHAKES HIS
HEAD AND KICKS MATT ONE MORE TIME BEFORE HE STICKS THE PISTOL IN HIS
PANTS. EKERTT EXTENDS A HAND TO HELP UP
CASE. THEY LOOK AROUND TO SEE HIS HORSE
THRASHING FEEBLY ON THE GROUND.
BRANSON:
Looks like his leg’s broke. (raises pistol and
shoots the horse) We’ll take Dillon’s
horse. He ain’t
gonna need it.
BRANSON AND EKERTT HELP CASE ONTO
MATT’S HORSE, THEN RIDE OFF.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE IS LYING ON
HIS BACK, UNCONSCIOUS. WE SEE SNOWFLAKES
FLUTTER DOWN ONTO HIS FACE.
XXXX
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: OUTSIDE DOORS OF THE LONG BRANCH. TRAMP, THE NEW DILLON DOG, IS LYING PATIENTLY
NEXT TO THE DOORS.
MOVE TO INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT: THE
LONG BRANCH. KITTY IS SITTING AT A TABLE
WITH DOC, FESTUS, NEWLY, AND HANNAH. IT
IS MID-MORNING, TOO EARLY FOR BUSINESS TO BE BUSY. THEY HAVE COFFEE CUPS IN FRONT OF THEM.
DOC: I tell
you, that little Emily isn’t going to be so little before long.
KITTY:
(smiling) She’s growing, that’s for sure.
Eats almost as much as Matt.
DOC: (looks
dubious)
KITTY:
(shrugging and laughing slightly) Well, maybe not that much.
FESTUS: My
Great Aint Monroe always sed
if’n ya have a young’un set with a iron on ‘her haid
onest a day fer a half hour
or so, she’ll be plumb grow’d out by th’ time –
DOC:
(waving hand) Hold on. Hold on. (pulling back to
peer at Festus) Are you tellin’ me that some relative of yours actually made a poor
child sit with an iron on her head so she wouldn’t get too tall? If that isn’t the most –
FESTUS: Wael, Doc. Haggen wimmin air right strappin’, an’ sometimes a feller don’t look with too much
interest at strappin’ wimmin,
dontcha know. Aint Monroe wuz jest tryin’ ta delicate them up some –
DOC:
(shaking his head) Delicate? A delicate Haggen? Talk about an oxymoron –
FESTUS: (bristling) Now, there ain’t no
need ta’ go callin’ names.
KITTY:
(having a hard time keeping her laughter in) That’s
not – Festus, oxymoron means –
FESTUS: Don’t you go defendin’
this ol’ scudder, Miz
Kitty. Aint’
no Haggen shemale’s a fixin’ ta’ marry him. That’s fer shore.
DOC: Now,
that’s about the nicest thing you’ve ever said about me, Festus.
FESTUS:
(starts to argue back)
HANNAH:
(grinning) I think maybe a couple of beers on the house are what we need.
KITTY:
(brow raised) It’s not even noon, yet.
HANNAH:
(nods toward the two arguing men)
KITTY:
(shrugging) Maybe you’re right. I’ll help.
MEDIUM SHOT ON KITTY AND HANNAH: THE
TWO WOMEN WALK AROUND TO THE BAR AND GET OUT GLASSES. WE HEAR DOC AND FESTUS CONTINUING THEIR
ARGUMENT IN THE BACKGROUND.
KITTY:
(shaking her head) Those two’ll
never stop.
HANNAH:
(smiling fondly) I hope not.
KITTY: Me,
too. Listen, I appreciate your helping
out today. With Sam gone to
HANNAH: Not
a problem. Where is Emily this morning?
KITTY: At
the Rongier’s place.
Bess has been after me to let her go over. Looks like we’re in for some
snow, though. I’ll pick her up on
my way home before the storm comes in.
HANNAH: Doc
and Festus are right about one thing.
KITTY:
What’s that?
HANNAH:
Emily sure is gettin’ big. If I didn’t know better, I’d figure she was
Matt’s by blood. Smart
as a whip, too. You have a fine
girl, there.
KITTY:
(smiling – we see the love in her eyes for their daughter) I know. She misses her daddy, though. It’s the first time Matt’s been gone more
than a day or two since she came to live with us.
HANNAH:
(filling the beer glasses) Went to pick up a prisoner in Hays, didn’t he?
KITTY:
(sighing – looks suddenly serious) Yeah.
Three days ago.
HANNAH:
When’s he due back?
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY.
KITTY:
(hesitates, then answers) Yesterday.
MEDIUM SHOT ON THE TABLE WITH DOC
AND FESTUS: THEY ARE STILL ARGUING, BUT STOP AS SOON
AS HANNAH PUTS THE BEERS ON THE TABLE.
BOTH MEN CATCH UP A GLASS AND DRINK, FESTUS GULPING AND DOC
SIPPING. AFTER A MOMENT DOC LOOKS UP AT
KITTY. HE FROWNS, THEN SETS DOWN HIS
GLASS.
DOC: You
okay?
HANNAH: (trying to be casual) She’s
worried about that wayward marshal of hers.
I told her he’d be along terrekly.
DOC:
(forcing a smile) Why sure. He’ll be
along. I figure he and Buck’ll come clopping down the street any minute now. That horse has always brought him back,
hasn’t he? (picks up beer again)
CLOSE ON KITTY: WE SEE SUDDEN FEAR
IN HER FACE.
DOC: (sets
down beer when he sees Kitty’s expression) What is it?
KITTY:
(quietly) Buck threw a shoe the morning Matt was supposed to leave. He couldn’t wait for the ferrier,
so he took one of the government horses.
(turns to Doc, eyes alarmed) He’s not on Buck this time, Doc.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN:
ACT TWO:
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE IS STILL
LYING WHERE HE FELL, THE SNOW THICKER ON AND AROUND HIM. WE BARELY SEE BREATH COMING FROM HIM.
PULL BACK TO MEDIUM SHOT: RACCOON IS
FORAGING, DIGGING IN THE SNOW DOWN TO THE BARE GROUND. HE SCURRIES OVER THE MATT’S PRONE BODY AND
BEGINS TO CHEW AT HIS COAT SLEEVE. MATT
GROANS AND MOVES SLIGHTLY, SCARING AWAY THE RACCOON. MATT OPENS HIS EYES, GRIMACING, AND TRIES TO
SIT. HE CAN’T, AND FALLS BACK IN
PAIN. WE SEE HIS HAND SLIDE INSIDE HIS
COAT TO HIS SIDE. WHEN HE PULLS IT BACK
OUT, THERE IS BLOOD ON IT. HIS
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON THE TRAIL OF
BOOTPRINTS HE IS LEAVING IN THE SNOW. BLOOD DROPS DISCOLOR THE WHITE NEXT TO
THE PRINTS.
XXXX
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: DODGE CITY
JAIL. FESTUS IS STOKING THE STOVE. NEWLY IS SITTING AT THE MARSHAL’S DESK,
LOOKING AT WANTED POSTERS.
FESTUS:
(rubbing his arms against the cold) I wish Matthew’d
let you or me go with him.
NEWLY:
(looking up) The marshal can handle things,
Festus. You know that. Besides, he wanted us here for when that gold
shipment comes through.
FESTUS:
Foot, I know’d he kin handle things. It’s jest that even
Matthew kin git hisseff
into a briar patch every onest in a while. An’ with this chere
blizzard a blowin’ up, he mite jest need a little hep gittin’ through. That’s all I’m sayin’.
NEWLY:
(smiling at Festus’ obvious concern for their friend) I know. If we knew exactly when that gold is coming
through we might be able to go look for the marshal, then
come back. But with this storm, they’ve
been delayed. That last telegram said it
could be tomorrow or it could be even later.
FESTUS: I guarantee ya’ thet gold ain’t a’comin’ till next week.
And here we are jest sittin’ around doin’ nothin’. (voice
softening) I shore wish he’d git back – fer Miz Kitty’s sake.
NEWLY:
(understanding) She’s worried, huh?
FESTUS: Newly, you know she’s waited on Matthew ta’ come back from somewhere’s
for many a year now. But it ain’t no easier fer her now
they’re married.
NEWLY: I
don’t guess so. Maybe it’s worse, even.
CLOSE SHOT ON FESTUS: HE STEPS TO THE JAIL WINDOW, LOOKING OUT AS
IF HE CAN SEE ACROSS THE PRAIRIE. WE SEE
THE SNOW HAS BEGUN TO FALL IN DODGE, TOO.
FESTUS: Mebbee.
MEDIUM SHOT: NEWLY RISES TO JOIN FESTUS AT THE WINDOW.
NEWLY:
Well, maybe we can cheer her up. Buy her
a beer.
FESTUS: She
don’t tek a drink much no
more. Not with Emily around anyways.
NEWLY: She
might need one now. Come on. I’ll buy.
FESTUS: (perking up slightly) Wael,
if ya’ really think so –
BOTH MEN GRAB THEIR COATS AND LEAVE
THE JAIL. THROUGH THE WINDOW, WE SEE
THEM WALKING ACROSS THE STREET TOWARD THE LONG BRANCH.
EXTERIOR SHOT OF LONG BRANCH DOORS. WE SEE TRAMP IS NO LONGER
THERE. NEWLY AND FESTUS ENTER. HANNAH IS BEHIND THE BAR. SHE TURNS TO GREET THEM.
HANNAH: Afternoon, gentlemen. Come on in and warm yer
bones.
NEWLY:
Thank you, Miss Hannah. Is Miss Kitty
still around?
HANNAH:
No. She headed out an hour or so ago to
pick up Emily and go home. Worried about the storm comin’ in.
FESTUS:
That ain’t all she’s worried ‘bout.
HANNAH:
(nodding) The Marshal.
FESTUS:
Matthew’s bin gone plenty a’ times afore, but –
HANNAH: I know.
I’m kinda worried myself, and I ain’t even married to him.
(smiles a little wistfully)
NEWLY:
(forcing confidence) We were going to buy her a drink,
but I guess we’ll save it for when the Marshal gets back. We’ll treat them both.
FESTUS:
(sounding a little disappointed) Could be weeks before Matthew gits around ta’ comin’ back in with Miss Kitty, much as he’s got ta’ do.
HANNAH:
(eyeing the deputy knowingly) You fellas
had good intentions, I can see. Why don’t
I set you up on the house? I’m sure Miss
Kitty would agree.
FESTUS:
(smiling broadly) Wael, now that’s right gen’rous of ya, Miz Hannah. Yes’m.
NEWLY:
(smiling and exchanging a glance with Hannah) Thank you, ma’am. A drink would help get us on through a long,
cold night.
HANNAH: I
figured it would.
XXXX
CUT TO LONG SHOT OF
CASE: (groans and has to be held up by Branson)
BRANSON:
This says there a doctor up there. You git Jube to him, and I’ll stable
the horses. They won’t be fit ta’ do nothin’ if they stay
outside tonight. Freeze
‘em sure.
EKERTT:
(getting down and dragging Case from his mount) Why don’t we jest leave him and
head on? He kin
catch up later. He’ll jest slow us down.
BRANSON:
You think we’re goin’ anywhere tonight our ownselves? This
storm ain’t gonna let up. Besides, ain’t
nobody here knows who we are.
EKERTT:
(nervous) I don’t like hangin’ around in Dillon’s
town.
BRANSON: Ain’t his town no more, is it,
with him lying stiff under two feet of snow?
EKERTT: Mebbee.
BRANSON:
You git Jube up there to
the doc’s. After he’s settled, let’s find
a saloon an git us a
whiskey. My bones sure need warmin’.
EKERTT:
(nods reluctantly and half-carries Case up the stairs.)
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: MOSS GRIMMICK’S STABLES. BRANSON IS LEADING THE THREE HORSES THROUGH
THE DOORS. MOSS STEPS TO HELP HIM, THEN
HURRIES TO CLOSE THE DOORS BEHIND TO KEEP OUT THE SWIRLING SNOW.
MOSS: Evenin’.
BRANSON: Evenin’.
MOSS: Need ta’ stable these?
BRANSON: Yeah.
How much?
MOSS: Five
cents a day for each. You got
three? That’d be (pauses) fifteen cents.
BRANSON:
(reaches into his pocket and hands Grimmick some
coins)
MOSS: You stayin’ in Dodge long?
BRANSON:
Depends on the storm. (grins) And Dodge hospitality.
MOSS: Dodge
is a pretty hospitable town, long as you follow the rules. If ya’ don’t, the
marshal won’t be so hospitable to ya’.
BRANSON:
(face innocent) The marshal?
MOSS:
Marshal Dillon. He’s fair, but he don’t take kindly to those what bring trouble.
BRANSON: He
around?
MOSS:
(faltering a little) Well, no, but he’ll be back before long. Bringin’ in a prisoner from
BRANSON: I
consider myseff warned. You got a hotel in this town?
MOSS: The
Dodge House.
BRANSON:
(tosses another coin to Moss) Thanks.
Keep the horses warm.
CLOSE SHOT ON GRIMMICK: HE CATCHES
THE COIN, WATCHES BRANSON LEAVE, THEN TURNS TO TEND TO THE HORSES. AS HE LEADS THEM INTO STALLS, HE TAKES A
CLOSER LOOK AT THE BAY, RUNNING HIS HAND OVER THE HORSE’S FLANK. WE SEE SUSPICION, RECOGNITION, THEN ALARM IN
HIS FACE AS HE TOUCHES THE SADDLE. TYING
THEM UP QUICKLY, HE HURRIES OUT OF THE STABLE.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN:
ACT THREE:
CLOSE NIGHT SHOT ON MATT:
HE IS STILL STUMBLING, AND WE SEE
THAT HIS STRENGTH IS FADING QUICKLY. HE
FALLS ONCE, RISES, THEN FALLS AGAIN AND LIES THERE. WE SEE THAT HE HAS JUST ABOUT USED UP ALL OF
HIS STRENGTH AND CANNOT GO ANY FARTHER.
THE WIND IS HOWLING AROUND HIM AND SNOW IS SWIRLING. HE TURNS HIS HEAD, AND WE SEE HIS EYES OPEN
SLIGHTLY, THEN A LITTLE WIDER AS HE SEES SOMETHING.
LONG SHOT: A DIM SINGLE LIGHT IN THE
DISTANCE AMID THE DARKNESS, BLURRING AND CLEARING AS MATT TRIES TO FOCUS ON IT.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE SQUINTS INTO
THE NIGHT. THEN, HE TAKES ANOTHER BREATH
TO STEEL HIMSELF TO STAND ONCE MORE.
WITH GREAT EFFORT, HE CLIMBS TO HIS FEET, BARELY MANAGING TO REMAIN
THERE.
HE TAKES ONE STEP, THEN ANOTHER
TOWARD THE LIGHT.
MATT:
(looking toward the light, mumbling) Kitty –
PULL BACK TO LONG SHOT: SNOW IS
FALLING, BEGINNING TO OBSCURE HIM, BUT HE IS MOVING SLOWLY TOWARD THE LIGHT.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT: THE DILLON HOUSE. KITTY IS SITTING BY THE FIREPLACE, STARING
INTO THE FLAMES. EMILY IS LYING ON A
RUG, PLAYING WITH A CLOTH DOLL. TRAMP IS
CURLED UP AT KITTY’S FEET.
EMILY: Mary
Roniger is real nice, Mama.
KITTY:
(absently) I’m glad, sweetheart.
EMILY: She
said I could play with Martha as long as I wanted.
KITTY: Martha?
EMILY: (holds up the doll)
KITTY: Ah.
Well, that is very nice of Mary.
You be sure and take good care of Martha.
EMILY: I will.
KITTY: Doesn’t Martha want to play with your other
dolls?
EMILY: She
will later. We’re just going to get ‘quainted for a while, so she’ll feel more comfortable.
KITTY:
(smiling) I see.
THEY SIT QUIETLY FOR A FEW MORE
MOMENTS, WITH EMILY PLAYING AND KITTY WATCHING THE FIRE.
EMILY: (her
eyes still on the doll) Mama?
KITTY:
(absently) Yes, sweetheart?
EMILY: You
and Daddy love each other, don’t you?
KITTY:
(smiling gently) Yes, Emily. We love
each other very much.
EMILY: I
can tell. You like to touch a lot.
KITTY:
(brow raised) We do?
EMILY:
Yeah. I don’t think you always know
it. You just do it kinda
natural.
KITTY:
(bending down to be closer to Emily) It makes me feel good to touch your
Daddy. And it makes me feel good for him
to touch me. That’s part of loving each
other.
EMILY: Is
that why you touch me a lot?
KITTY:
(smiling broader now and leaning down to pick up her daughter and pull her into
her lap) Yes. Daddy and I love you very
much, too.
EMILY:
(nodding) My other parents loved me.
KITTY: Oh,
yes, sweetheart. They sure did. They loved you lots.
EMILY:
(pauses) I’m awful glad you’re my new mama.
KITTY:
(trying not to choke up) I’m awful glad about that, too.
KITTY HOLDS EMILY FOR A WHILE. SHE LOOKS PENSIVELY OVER THE GIRL’S HEAD INTO
THE FIRE. AFTER A FEW MORE SECONDS, EMILY SITS UP.
EMILY:
When’s Daddy coming home?
KITTY:
(pained) He’ll be on home in a while.
EMILY: You
said he was coming back yesterday.
KITTY:
(trying not to let her voice tremble) Sometimes Daddy’s job takes longer. You know we’ve talked about that. We just have to be patient. He’d want us to be patient, wouldn’t he?
EMILY: Yes, ma’am.
THEY SIT QUIETLY AGAIN. EMILY CONTINUES TO PLAY WITH THE DOLL IN
KITTY’S LAP. KITTY CONTINUES TO WATCH
THE FIRE.
EMILY: Will
Daddy be home before Christmas?
KITTY: Oh,
honey. Sure he will. Christmas is three weeks away.
EMILY: (She
looks at her mother, cocking her head.
She senses something. Her bottom
lip trembles suddenly.) Is he gonna die like my first daddy?
KITTY: (She
looks stunned at first, then takes a breath.) Emily,
no, no he’s not going to die. He’ll be
back real soon. You’ll see.
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY. WE SEE THE HESITATION IN HER EYES, HEAR THE UNCERTAINTY IN HER WORDS. SHE HOPES SHE IS TELLING HER DAUGHTER THE TRUTH.
EMILY:
(sniffs and nods, accepting Kitty’s promise) Mama?
KITTY: Yes?
EMILY: What
if he comes home after we’ve gone to bed?
If we turn out the lights, how will he find the house?
KITTY: (smiling softly at her daughter) Your daddy’s pretty good at finding things, Emily.
EMILY:
(persistently) Yeah, but what if he can’t this time?
KITTY:
(eyes sad, understanding the deeper implication of what Emily as said) What if
we leave a light burning in the window?
EMILY:
(brightening) Yes, ma’am. I think that will work.
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY, WHO SIGHS AND
SMILES WITH A MIXTURE OF PAIN AND TENDERNESS.
KITTY: (to
herself) It always has. I hope – (voice falls off, we see tears in
her eyes) I hope.
LONG OUTSIDE NIGHT SHOT OF THE HOUSE. WE SEE ALL THE LIGHTS ARE OUT EXCEPT A SINGLE
LAMP BURNING IN A WINDOW.
XXXX
CUT TO EXTERIOR NIGHT MEDIUM SHOT:
MATT HAS COLLAPSED AND IS LYING IN THE SNOW.
PULL BACK TO LONG SHOT: DILLON HOUSE IS ONLY A FEW HUNDRED YARDS AWAY,
BUT IT MIGHT AS WELL BE A HUNDRED MILES TO THE UNCONSCIOUS MAN.
FADE OUT
DISSOLVE TO CREDITS
FADE TO BLACK: END OF PART ONE
~MK~
Gunsmoke – Season 21
Episode 657: Light in the Window – Conclusion
WRITER: Amanda
CAST:
Matt Dillon
– U.S. Marshal
Kitty
Russell Dillon –
Doc Adams –
Festus Haggen – Deputy U.S. Marshal
Newly
O’Brien – Deputy U.S. Marshal
Emily
Dillon – daughter of Matt and Kitty
Miss Hannah
– former
Moss Grimmick – Stable keeper
Carl Ekertt – Matt’s prisoner
Wade
Branson – Carl’s partner
Jube Case
– Carl’s partner
TEASER
FADE IN:
THE STORY THUS FAR:
MEDIUM SHOT: BRANSON AND CASE RIDE
HARD FROM THE TREES, GUNS DRAWN. MATT
SPINS, BUT THEY ARE ALREADY ON HIM. HE
DRAWS ANYWAY AND GETS OFF A SHOT AT THEM.
CASE CRIES OUT, HORSE AND RIDER FALLING.
BRANSON THROWS A WILD SHOT TOWARD MATT AS HE PASSES.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE GRIMACES AND
SPINS TO THE GROUND.
EXTERIOR CLOSE SHOT ON MATT. HE IS LYING ON THE GROUND, UNMOVING, EYES
CLOSED. PULL BACK TO MEDIUM SHOT. EKERTT IS STILL POINTING THE GUN AT MATT’S
CHEST. BRANSON LOOKS AT HIM.
BRANSON:
What are you doin’?
EKERTT: I’m
gonna kill him.
BRANSON: Fergit Dillon. He’ll
die out here anyway, if he ain’t dead arreddy. I don’t
have much fer lawmen, but I ain’t
lookin’ ta’ have a passel of ‘em on my tail fer killin’ one. We’ll jest let Mother Nature tek care of him. Ain’t nobody, not even Dillon, gonna survive overnight in
this weather.
BRANSON AND EKERTT HELP CASE ONTO
MATT’S HORSE, THEN RIDE OFF.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE IS LYING ON
HIS BACK, UNCONSCIOUS. WE SEE SNOWFLAKES
FLUTTER DOWN ONTO HIS FACE.
XXXX
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT: OUTSIDE DOORS OF THE LONG BRANCH. TRAMP, THE NEW DILLON DOG, IS LYING PATIENTLY
NEXT TO THE DOORS.
MOVE TO INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT: THE
LONG BRANCH.
HANNAH:
Emily sure is gettin’ big. If I didn’t know better, I’d figure she was
Matt’s by blood. Smart
as a whip, too. You have a fine
girl, there.
KITTY:
(smiling – we see the love in her eyes for their daughter) I know. She misses her daddy, though. It’s the first time Matt’s been gone more
than a day or two since she came to live with us.
HANNAH:
(filling the beer glasses) Went to pick up a prisoner in Hays, didn’t he?
KITTY:
(sighing – looks suddenly serious) Yeah.
Three days ago.
HANNAH:
When’s he due back?
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY.
KITTY:
(hesitates, then answers) Yesterday.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE IS STILL
LYING WHERE HE FELL, THE SNOW THICKER ON AND AROUND HIM.
MATT OPENS HIS EYES, GRIMACING, AND
TRIES TO SIT. HE CAN’T, AND FALLS BACK
IN PAIN. WE SEE HIS HAND SLIDE INSIDE
HIS COAT TO HIS SIDE. WHEN HE PULLS IT
BACK OUT, THERE IS BLOOD ON IT.
STRUGGLING, HE MANAGES TO GET TO HIS FEET AND STUMBLE FORWARD, FALLING
TO ONE KNEE BEFORE PUSHING UP AGAIN.
UNSTEADILY, HE BEGINS A SLOW TREK IN THE SNOW.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON THE TRAIL OF
BOOTPRINTS HE IS LEAVING IN THE SNOW. BLOOD DROPS DISCOLOR THE WHITE NEXT TO
THE PRINTS.
XXXX
CUT TO LONG SHOT OF
CASE: (groans and has to be held up by Branson)
BRANSON:
This says there a doctor up there. You git Jube to him, and I’ll stable
the horses. They won’t be fit ta’ do nothin’ if they stay
outside tonight. Freeze
‘em sure.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: MOSS GRIMMICK’S STABLES. BRANSON IS LEADING THE THREE HORSES THROUGH
THE DOORS. MOSS STEPS TO HELP HIM, THEN
HURRIES TO CLOSE THE DOORS BEHIND TO KEEP OUT THE SWIRLING SNOW.
MOSS: Evenin’.
BRANSON: Evenin’.
MOSS: Need ta’ stable these?
BRANSON: Yeah.
How much?
MOSS: Five
cents a day for each. You got
three? That’d be (pauses) fifteen cents.
AS GRIMMICK LEADS THEM INTO STALLS,
HE TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BAY, RUNNING HIS HAND OVER THE HORSE’S
FLANK. WE SEE SUSPICION, RECOGNITION,
THEN ALARM IN HIS FACE AS HE TOUCHES THE SADDLE. TYING THEM UP QUICKLY, HE HURRIES OUT OF THE
STABLE.
XXXX
CUT TO EXTERIOR LONG SHOT: SHOW-COVERED
PRAIRIE, A DIM SINGLE LIGHT IN THE DISTANCE AMID THE DARKNESS, BLURRING AND
CLEARING AS MATT TRIES TO FOCUS ON IT.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HE SQUINTS INTO
THE NIGHT. WITH GREAT EFFORT, HE CLIMBS
TO HIS FEET, BARELY MANAGING TO REMAIN THERE.
HE TAKES ONE STEP, THEN ANOTHER
TOWARD THE LIGHT.
MATT:
(looking toward the light, mumbling) Kitty –
PULL BACK TO LONG SHOT: SNOW IS
FALLING, BEGINNING TO OBSCURE HIM, BUT HE IS MOVING SLOWLY TOWARD THE LIGHT.
XXXX
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT: THE DILLON HOUSE. KITTY IS SITTING BY THE FIREPLACE. EMILY IS SITTING IN HER LAP, PLAYING WITH A
CLOTH DOLL. TRAMP IS CURLED UP AT
KITTY’S FEET.
EMILY: Will
Daddy be home before Christmas?
KITTY: Oh,
honey. Sure he will. Christmas is three weeks away.
EMILY: (She
looks at her mother, cocking her head.
She senses something. Her bottom
lip trembles suddenly.) Is he gonna die like my first daddy?
KITTY: (She
looks stunned at first, then takes a breath.) Emily,
no, no he’s not going to die. He’ll be
back real soon. You’ll see.
EMILY: What
if he comes home after we’ve gone to bed?
If we turn out the lights, how will he find the house?
KITTY: (smiling softly at her daughter) Your daddy’s pretty good at finding things, Emily.
EMILY:
(persistently) Yeah, but what if he can’t this time?
KITTY:
(eyes sad, understanding the deeper implication of what Emily as said) What if
we leave a light burning in the window?
EMILY:
(brightening) Yes, ma’am. I think that will work.
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY, WHO SIGHS AND
SMILES WITH A MIXTURE OF PAIN AND TENDERNESS.
KITTY: (to
herself) It always has. I hope – (voice falls off, we see tears in
her eyes) I hope.
CUT TO EXTERIOR NIGHT MEDIUM SHOT:
MATT IS LYING IN THE SNOW. PULL BACK TO
LONG SHOT: DILLON HOUSE IS ONLY A FEW HUNDRED YARDS AWAY, BUT IT MIGHT AS WELL
BE A HUNDRED MILES TO THE UNCONSCIOUS MAN.
DISSOLVE TO MAIN TITLE
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT ONE
MEDIUM INTERIOR NIGHT SHOT: THE
DILLON HOUSE. EMILY IS CURLED UP ASLEEP
BY THE FIRE WITH A BLANKET OVER HER.
KITTY HAS CHANGED INTO NIGHT CLOTHES, WITH A ROBE AND SLIPPERS. SHE IS BLOWING OUT THE LAMPS. WE SEE HER HESITATE AT THE LAST LAMP, HER
EYES TROUBLED. SHE LOOKS OUT THE WINDOW
HOPEFULLY AND LEAVES THE LAMP BURNING.
TRAMP ROUSES FROM WHERE HE HAS BEEN LYING NEXT TO EMILY AND SNIFFS AT
THE OUTSIDE DOOR, WHINING A LITTLE.
KITTY SHAKES HER HEAD.
KITTY: You sure you want out, boy? It’s awful cold. Better be quick about it or you’ll be
sleeping in the barn with Buck.
TRAMP SITS HOPEFULLY. KITTY SHAKES HER HEAD AGAIN AND OPENS THE
DOOR JUST ENOUGH FOR HIM TO RUN OUT. SHE
CLOSES THE DOOR, THEN MOVES INTO THE HOUSE, BENDING TO
PICK EMILY UP TO CARRY HER TO BED. FROM
THE OUTSIDE WE HEAR TRAMP BARKING FIERCELY.
KITTY DOES NOT REACT AT FIRST.
TRAMP CONTINUES TO BARK, AND KITTY MUTTERS IN IRRITATION. LEAVING EMILY ON THE FLOOR, SHE GOES TO THE
DOOR AND OPENS IT. THE WIND BLOWS HER
HAIR AND CLOTHING. TRAMP’S BARKING IS
LOUDER AND MORE URGENT.
KITTY: Come on in, boy! Come on back in!
CUT TO LONG EXTERIOR NIGHT SHOT. WE BARELY SEE THE DOG IN THE
DISTANCE, STANDING OVER SOMETHING.
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY: SHE FROWNS AND
LOOKS HARDER INTO THE SNOWY NIGHT.
MEDIUM SHOT: TRAMP RUNS BACK TOWARD
THE HOUSE, BARKING. HE STOPS AT KITTY,
THEN TURNS AND HEADS BACK OUT INTO THE NIGHT.
KITTY HESITATES, THEN GOES INTO THE HOUSE LONG ENOUGH TO THROW A
CUT TO MEDIUM EXTERIOR SHOT: MATT IS LYING ON HIS SIDE, HEAD ON HIS RIGHT
ARM. PAST HIM WE SEE TRAMP RUNNING
TOWARD HIM, KITTY FOLLOWING. WHEN SHE
GETS CLOSE, SHE REALIZES IT’S MATT.
KITTY:
Matt! (She falls to her knees beside
him.) Oh my God!
SHE TUGS AT HIS SHOULDERS, TRYING TO
ROUSE HIM, BUT HE IS UNRESPONSIVE. TRAMP
CONTINUES TO BARK. KITTY TRIES TO MOVE
MATT, BUT SHE ONLY SUCCEEDS IN PUSHING HIM ONTO HIS BACK. BLOOD IS NOW VISIBLE AT HIS SIDE. KITTY LOOKS BACK TOWARD THE HOUSE.
KITTY: (yelling) Emily! Emily!
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT OF DILLON
HOUSE: EMILY STIRS AT THE SOUND OF HER
MOTHER’S CALLS AND TRAMP’S BARKING. SHE
PUSHES UP AND WALKS TO THE DOOR.
EMILY: Mama?
CUT TO EXTERIOR SHOT AGAIN: KITTY WITH MATT.
KITTY: Emily, put on your coat and boots and come
out here. Hurry!
KITTY TURNS BACK TO MATT, FUMBLING
WITH HIS COAT TO DETERMINE HOW BADLY HE IS HURT.
KITTY: Oh, Matt.
Hang on, Baby. Please, hang on.
EMILY APPROACHES, SLOWING AS SHE
SEES WHO IS LYING ON THE GROUND. SHE
FREEZES A FEW FEET AWAY, EYES WIDE, MOUTH OPEN. KITTY LOOKS UP AT HER.
KITTY: Emily, I need your help. Come over here.
EMILY: (She
shakes her head – she is terrified.)
KITTY:
Emily! Come here!
EMILY: Is he – is he dead?
KITTY:
(realizes the girl is scared, tries to calm her own voice) No, sweetheart. No, he’s not dead. But he’s hurt bad. We have to help him.
EMILY: (crying) He’s dead. I can tell he’s dead.
KITTY:
(frantic, losing patience) He’s NOT dead, Emily. But he will be if we don’t help him now!
EMILY:
(stares, unable to move)
KITTY:
(forcing herself to be calmer) Emily.
Listen, Daddy’s not dead. He’s
just hurt, and we have to help him. He
needs to be inside. He needs to get warm
again. (pauses) He needs us.
He needs YOU.
EMILY:
(After a long moment, she nods slowly and walks forward.)
KITTY:
(relieved) Okay. That’s a good
girl. (She stands and takes Matt’s left
arm.) Get Daddy’s other arm. We have to try to pull him to the house.
EMILY: (eyes wide) Us?
KITTY: Us.
EMILY: He’s
awful big.
KITTY: We
have to, Emily. We’re the only ones who
can help him.
THE TWO BRACE THEMSELVES AND PULL
HARD, MANAGING TO MOVE MATT A FEW INCHES.
ENCOURAGED, THEY PULL AGAIN, MOVING HIM ANOTHER FEW INCHES. HE IS OBVIOUSLY DEAD WEIGHT. AFTER SEVERAL EXHAUSTING TRIES, THEY HAVE
MOVED HIM ONLY ABOUT FIVE FEET. KITTY IS
BREATHING HARD, LOOKING TOWARD THE HOUSE.
WE SEE DOUBT ON HER FACE. IT IS
STILL A VERY LONG WAY.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT TWO
EXTERIOR NIGHT SHOT:
CUT TO MEDIUM INTERIOR SHOT OF THE
LONG BRANCH: FESTUS AND NEWLY ARE
LEANING AGAINST THE BAR, TALKING WITH HANNAH.
EKERTT AND BRANSON ARE SEATED AT A TABLE CLOSE TO THE STAIRS. MOSS RUSHES UP TO FESTUS AND NEWLY.
MOSS: Festus!
FESTUS:
(putting down his beer) Whut is it, Moss?
MOSS: The
marshal’s horse.
FESTUS: Buck?
MOSS: No,
that gov’ment horse he took out a few days back.
FESUS: Whut about it?
MOSS: Well,
I’m pretty sure a feller brought it in tonight – just a few minutes ago.
NEWLY: A fella brought it in?
MOSS: Well,
I know the marshal’s saddle, and the horse had the government brand.
NEWLY: And
it wasn’t the marshal who brought him in?
MOSS:
No. Thing is, there’s blood on the
saddle.
CLOSE SHOT ON FESTUS AND NEWLY. THEY ARE ALARMED.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT OF THE LONG
BRANCH DOORS. DOC ENTERS, CLOSING THEM
BACK AGAINST THE COLD. HE NODS FIRST TO
FESTUS, NEWLY, MOSS, AND HANNAH, THEN LOOKS TO HIS LEFT AND SEES EKERTT. HE FROWNS, SHAKING HIS HEAD,
AND WALKS OVER TO HIM.
DOC: I don’t guess I got your name earlier.
EKERTT:
Don’t guess I give it to ya.
DOC:
(seeing that he’s not going to get it now, either) Well, I got some bad news
for you. Your friend died. Lost too much blood.
CUT TO CLOSE SHOT ON MOSS.
MOSS:
(pointing toward Branson) That’s him. That’s the feller that brought in the
marshal’s horse.
CLOSE SHOT ON BRANSON. HE JUMPS.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT ON FESTUS AND
NEWLY.
FESTUS:
(drawing gun) Hold it!
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT ON BRANSON,
EKERTT, AND DOC. BRANSON
DRAWS AND SHOOTS. WE SEE FESTUS
TWIST AND GRAB HIS ARM, DROPPING HIS GUN.
NEWLY HAS DRAWN, BUT EKERTT HAS LEAPED TO HIS FEET AND GRABBED DOC,
PULLING HIM IN FRONT LIKE A SHIELD AND HOLDING MATT’S GUN TO HIS HEAD. FESTUS AND NEWLY CAN’T SHOOT.
EKERTT: Arright. You jest stay right there or this old man
gets his brains blowed all over the place.
FESTUS: If’n you hurt him –
BRANSON: We
ain’t gonna hurt him unless you do something
stupid. Now we’re gonna be gittin’ on outta here, an’ you’re
gonna let us.
NEWLY:
Festus –
FESTUS:
(shakes head) We kaint do nothin’ yet, Newly.
EKERTT AND BRANSON BACK THROUGH THE
DOORS, PULLING DOC ALONG WITH THEM, THE GUN STILL AT HIS HEAD. THEY PUSH OUT INTO THE NIGHT, GOING AS
QUICKLY AS THEY CAN TOWARD MOSS’ STABLES.
FESTUS AND NEWLY FOLLOW, BUT DOC IS IN THE WAY OF ANY SHOTS. WE SEE THEM DISAPPEAR INTO THE STABLES, THEN
ONLY A FEW SECONDS LATER, THEY ARE RIDING HARD TOWARD THE EDGE OF TOWN. BRANSON TURNS TO SHOOT. FESTUS AND NEWLY DUCK AND DIVE BEHIND A WATER
TROUGH. WHEN IT’S CLEAR, THEY JUMP TO
THEIR FEET.
NEWLY: Let
me look at that arm, Festus.
FESTUS:
It’s jest a scratch. We ain’t got time. (He
ties a bandana around the wound.) Let’s git saddled up. They orta be easy ta’ trail. Leave
good prints in this snow.
NEWLY:
Unless it keeps snowing and covers them up.
FESTUS:
(frowns)
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT THREE
MEDIUM EXTERIOR SHOT: KITTY AND
EMILY ARE STOPPED IN THEIR EFFORTS TO PULL MATT. KITTY LOOKS AT THE HOUSE. IT SEEMS VERY FAR AWAY. SHE HEAVES A SIGH AND LOOKS BACK AT MATT’S
PRONE BODY.
EMILY: We
can do it, Mama. Daddy needs us to do
it.
KITTY:
(looks at daughter, smiles at her welcome confidence, and nods)
THEY PULL AGAIN WITH RENEWED VIGOR,
BUT IT IS WEARING THEM OUT AND TAKING TOO LONG.
KITTY DROPS HER GRIP ON MATT AND CLOSES HER EYES.
EMILY: I
wish he was on Buck. He could just ride
to the house.
WE SEE KITTY’S HEAD RISE
SUDDENLY. SHE LOOKS AT EMILY IN
SURPRISE, THEN LOOKS TOWARD THE BARN.
KITTY:
Emily, sweetheart, stay here with Daddy.
I’ll be right back.
KITTY RUNS THROUGH THE SNOW,
DISAPPEARING INTO THE BARN, WITH TRAMP AT HER HEELS BARKING.
CLOSE SHOT: MATT AND EMILY. EMILY HOLDS HER DADDY’S LARGE HAND IN BOTH OF
HER TINY HANDS.
EMILY:
Don’t worry, Daddy. I’m here. Mama and I are going to take care of
you. (pulls his
hand up to her cheek) Please, Daddy.
Please don’t die. I don’t want
you to die. I love you.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT: KITTY APPEARS
FROM THE BARN, LEADING BUCK BY A WAGON HARNESS.
THERE IS A ROPE ATTACHED TO THE HARNESS, TRAILING ON EITHER SIDE OF THE
HORSE. IT TAKES ONLY A SHORT TIME TO
REACH MATT.
EMILY: What
are you doing, Mama?
KITTY:
We’re going to get Daddy into the house, and Buck’s going to help. I’ll need you to help, too. Do you understand?
EMILY: Yes,
ma’am. Daddy needs us.
KITTY: He
sure does, sweetheart. (looks back at Matt)
He sure does.
THEY WRAP THE ROPE AROUND MATT’S
CHEST, THEN MAKE SURE IT IS SECURE ON BUCK’S HARNESS.
KITTY: You
walk with Daddy. I’ll lead Buck.
EMILY: Yes,
ma’am. (catches
Matt’s hand)
KITTY TUGS ON BUCK’S HARNESS,
CLUCKING HIM ALONG. TRAMP RUNS AHEAD,
BARKING. THEY MAKE MUCH BETTER PROGRESS.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HIS EYES ARE
CLOSED AND HIS LIPS ARE BLUISH. ICE HAS
FORMED ON HIS EYEBROWS AND IN HIS HAIR.
HIS BODY JERKS AS BUCK PULLS HIM OVER THE ROUGH GROUND.
MEDIUM EXTERIOR SHOT: THE DILLON
HOUSE. KITTY AND EMILY HAVE MADE IT TO
THE DOOR WITH BUCK PULLING MATT. KITTY
UNTIES THE ROPE.
KITTY:
Okay, Emily, it’s just us now. We have
to get Daddy inside to warm him up. Are
you ready?
EMILY: I’m
ready, Mama.
THEY EACH TAKE AN ARM AND PULL HARD
AGAIN, DRAGGING MATT ACROSS THE THRESHOLD AND ONTO THE WOODEN FLOOR. AS SOON AS HE IS COMPLETELY INSIDE, KITTY
CLOSES THE DOOR AND STARTS TO PULL OFF HIS SNOW-SOAKED CLOTHING.
KITTY:
(looking up from where she is unbuttoning Matt’s shirt) Emily, bring me three
blankets from the cedar chest.
EMILY:
(hurries out)
KITTY: (jerking Matt’s coat from beneath him and
tugging at his vest and shirt) Come on, Matt. Stay with me. Please.
EMILY RETURNS WITH THE BLANKETS. MATT IS NAKED TO THE WAIST, A BULLET WOUND IN
HIS LOWER RIGHT SIDE. ACROSS HIS SHOULDERS
AND CHEST WE SEE SCARS FROM YEARS OF INJURIES.
EMILY HELPS KITTY COVER HIM WITH BLANKETS. KITTY TAKES MATT’S RIGHT HAND AND ARM IN HERS
AND RUBS.
KITTY:
(urgently) Come on, Cowboy.
SHE CONTINUES TO RUB
VIGOROUSLY. CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: WE SEE A
BIT OF COLOR RETURN TO HIS CHEEKS. CLOSE
SHOT ON KITTY: SHE CONTINUES ANXIOUSLY.
EMILY:
(looking down) Mama!
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT’S SIDE: BLOOD HAS BEGUN TO FLOW AGAIN, POOLING ON THE
FLOOR BENEATH HIM.
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY: HER FACE IS HORRIFIED.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
ACT FOUR
MEDIUM NIGHT SHOT: PRAIRIE. EKERTT, BRANSON, AND DOC ARE RIDING, COATS
PULLED UP HIGH. WE CAN SEE IT IS
BITTERLY COLD.
BRANSON: We
ain’t gonna make it much farther in this
weather. We’ll freeze fer shore.
EKERTT:
What about them deputies?
BRANSON:
They ain’t gonna be in no better shape.
EKERTT:
Where we gonna find a place ta’ stay?
BRANSON:
We’re close enough to town still.
There’s gotta be a farmhouse or somethin’ nearby.
CLOSE SHOT ON DOC: HE LOOKS OUT INTO
THE NIGHT KNOWINGLY.
EKERTT:
Hey, old man! You know anybody lives
‘round here?
DOC:
Here? No, not here. The other way. The Dockery place, but you’ll have to turn
around –
MEDIUM SHOT ON BRANSON, EKERTT, AND
DOC.
BRANSON: We
ain’t turning around.
You know somethin’, dontcha? He don’t want us goin’
on, Carl.
EKERTT:
(points Matt’s gun at Doc) You’d better think a little
harder, sawbones, or you won’t be thinkin’ at all
much longer.
DOC: Why
don’t you just go ahead and shoot me and be done with it? That’s what you’re gonna do anyway, isn’t
it? You shot that other man, didn’t you?
EKERT: We
didn’t shoot Jube.
Dillon done it.
BRANSON:
Shut up!
DOC: (jerks
his head up) Dillon? Where is he?
EKERTT:
(smiling meanly) He’s froze dead under two feet of snow,
that’s where he is.
DOC:
(stunned) Dear God.
BRANSON:
God ain’t gonna hep ya’ now, Doc. But a
cabin outta this cold mite keep ya’
alive another hour or so. Come on, Carl,
let’s move on.
XXXX
CUT TO MEDIUM INTERIOR SHOT: THE
DILLON HOUSE. KITTY IS WORKING FEVERISHLY TO STOP MATT FROM BLEEDING TO
DEATH. TOWELS AND SHEETS ARE QUICKLY
SOAKED RED AS SHE PRESSES THEM TO HIS SIDE.
KITTY:
(frustrated) Matt Dillon, you are NOT going to die, do you hear me? I will follow you into Eternity and make it miserable
for you if you die on me now. I swear I
will!
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT, WHO MOANS AND
STIRS SLIGHTLY.
EMILY:
(steps up behind her mother) He won’t die, Mama. I know it.
We left the light on for him. He
saw us. He won’t die.
KITTY: (in
an exhausted whisper) Matt, please.
CUT TO EXTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT. EKERTT, BRANSON, AND DOC ARE RIDING. PULL BACK TO LONG SHOT: A LIGHT IS VISIBLE IN THE DISTANCE.
EKERTT:
(points) Somethin’ up ahead.
BRANSON:
(to Doc) Who lives there?
DOC:
(hesitates) Uh – old buffalo hunter.
He’s mighty ornery. Just as soon
shoot you as let you in.
EKERTT:
He’s lyin’.
Let’s go.
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT: THE DILLON
HOUSE. TRAMP STARTS TO BARK
FURIOUSLY. KITTY TURNS, ALARMED, HEARS
THE SOUND OF HORSES SNORTING.
CUT TO EXTERIOR SHOT: BRANSON,
EKERTT, AND DOC APPROACH THE HOUSE. DOC
LOOKS DOWN, SEES THE PATH IN THE SNOW WHERE BUCK DRAGGED MATT. BLOOD DISCOLORS THE WHITE. HE LOOKS AHEAD AT BUCK STANDING BY THE HOUSE.
DOC: Wait!
BUT BRANSON HAS DISMOUNTED AND IS
HEADED TOWARD THE DOOR. HE KICKS THE
DOOR IN. WE HAVE A BRIEF SIGHT OF KITTY
STANDING INSIDE, SHOTGUN IN HER HAND.
SHE FIRES, SMOKE OBSCURING THE REST OF THE SCENE. BRANSON FLIES BACKWARD,
SHOT. EKERTT PULLS BACK, GRABS
DOC AS A SHIELD AGAIN.
EKERTT:
(yelling into the house) I got yer doctor out here,
and I’ll kill ‘im if you don’t drop that shotgun.
CUT TO INTERIOR SHOT: THE DILLON
HOUSE. MATT’S EYES OPEN SLIGHTLY. EMILY KNEELS OVER HIM. KITTY STILL HOLDS THE SHOTGUN TOWARD THE OPEN
DOOR.
EMILY:
Daddy!
KITTY: (glancing back briefly) Matt. My God, Matt, stay still.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT AND EMILY.
MATT:
(barely able to talk) Emily – go – to – back – get – pistol – bullets –
EMILY: Yes,
sir.
EKERTT:
(from outside) I mean it! You got thirty
seconds ta’ throw out that gun before I kill this old
man!
CLOSE SHOT ON EMILY: SHE RUNS INTO
THE ROOM FROM THE BACK OF THE HOUSE, HOLDING A PISTOL MUCH TOO LARGE FOR HER
LITTLE HANDS. SHE FALLS DOWN BESIDE MATT
AGAIN.
MATT: Hand
– it – to – me –
KITTY:
(struggling with what to do, still holding the shotgun toward the door) Matt,
for Pete’s sake –
EMILY: I
can load it, Daddy. You showed me how,
remember?
MATT: Yeah
– you – load –
EMILY LOADS THE GUN WITH SURPRISING
SKILL FOR A CHILD HER AGE, THEN HANDS IT TO MATT, WHO BARELY HAS THE STRENGTH
TO HOLD IT.
MATT: (His
hand is shaking as he hangs onto the gun.) Good – girl. Now, go – in – the – back –
EMILY: But,
Daddy –
MATT: Go!
EKERTT:
Time’s up!
MATT: Kitty
– throw out – the gun –
KITTY: Matt –
MATT: (He
is using up the last of his strength.)
Do it!
KITTY:
(yelling toward door) Okay! I’m throwing
it out!
EKERTT:
(from outside) Nice and easy, lady. Put
it on the floor and slide it out.
KITTY BENDS AND PLACES THE SHOTGUN ON
THE FLOOR, THEN PUSHES HARD SO THAT IT SLIDES PAST THE THRESHOLD OF THE
DOOR. THERE IS A PAUSE, THEN EKERTT
EASES AROUND THE DOORFRAME, DOC STILL HELD CLOSE TO HIM. HE POINTS MATT’S GUN
INTO THE ROOM, HIS EYES WIDENING WHEN THEY SEE THE FIGURE ON THE GROUND.
EKERTT: Dillon!
MATT:
Kitty, move!
EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT ONCE. KITTY THROWS HERSELF OUT OF THE WAY. EKERTT AIMS AT MATT. DOC PUSHES AGAINST EKERTT, WHICH GIVES MATT
THE SPLIT-SECOND THAT HE NEEDS. MATT
SOMEHOW MANAGES TO STEADY HIS HAND LONG ENOUGH TO FIRE AT EKERTT, WHO JERKS
BACK WITH THE IMPACT OF THE BULLET BETWEEN HIS EYES AND CRASHES OUT THE OPEN
DOOR ONTO THE PORCH.
CLOSE SHOT ON MATT: HIS STRENGTH IS
COMPLETELY GONE. HE FALLS BACK, THE GUN
DROPPING FROM HIS HAND.
MEDIUM SHOT: KITTY RECOVERS AND
RUSHES OVER TO MATT. DOC PICKS HIMSELF
OFF THE FLOOR, WIPES EKERTT’S BLOOD FROM HIS FACE, AND JOINS HER, HIS
EXPERIENCED HANDS REMOVING THE BLOOD-SOAKED SHEETS.
KITTY: I
couldn’t stop the bleeding, Doc. I’m
afraid –
DOC: It’s okay, Kitty. You
get me some more sheets and – and some twine or thread and a needle. I don’t have my bag. I’ll have to make do.
KITTY:
(looking at Doc, fear in her eyes) Is he going to make
it?
DOC: He’d
better, by God, or I’ll kick him all the way to Hays and back.
KITTY:
(smiling slightly) He doesn’t have a choice, then.
CUT TO MEDIUM SHOT OF THE OUTSIDE
DOOR. NEWLY AND FESTUS RUSH THROUGH INTO
THE ROOM. THEY STEP OVER EKERTT’S BODY
AND LOOK AT BRANSON’S BODY, THEN SEE MATT ON THE FLOOR
WITH DOC AND KITTY OVER HIM.
FESTUS:
Matthew! Doc, is he –
DOC: I
don’t have time to answer questions.
Newly!
NEWLY:
(stepping forward) Yes, sir?
DOC: You
get down here and hold this pressure bandage as hard against that wound as you
can.
NEWLY: (not
hesitating) Yes, sir.
DOC: Kitty, get to boiling
some water. We’ll need to sterilize that
needle and thread. You got any whiskey
in the house?
CLOSE ON KITTY. SHE COCKS HER HEAD AT HIM.
DOC: Oh,
yeah. Of course. Silly question. Festus!
FESTUS: Yeah, Doc?
DOC: Close
that door before we all freeze to death!
FESTUS: (frowns,
but turns toward the door) I’ll put Buck up for ya, Miz Kitty.
KITTY:
(nodding – she had forgotten about Buck) Thank you, Festus.
FESTUS LEAVES AS NEWLY KNEELS NEXT
TO DOC, HOLDING THE MAKE-SHIFT BANDAGE TIGHT AGAINST MATT’S SIDE. KITTY DISAPPEARS TO THE KITCHEN, THEN RETURNS
JUST AS MATT BEGINS GROANING AGAIN. SHE
GETS ON HER KNEES AND BENDS CLOSE TO HEAR HIM.
KITTY: Hey,
Cowboy. Hang in there, okay? I’m here.
MATT: (barely opening his eyes) Kitty?
KITTY:
Yeah, it’s Kitty.
MATT: Saw –
the – light. Knew – you – were – waiting
–
KITTY:
(brushing back his hair from over his forehead, tears in her eyes) I’ll always
be waiting for you, Cowboy. Always.
FADE OUT
XXXX
FADE IN
EPILOGUE
INTERIOR MEDIUM SHOT: THE DILLON
HOUSE. MATT IS PROPPED UP IN BED, CHEST
BARE, FRESH BANDAGES WRAPPED AROUND HIS WAIST.
WE CAN TELL IT’S SEVERAL DAYS LATER. HE IS STRONGER, BUT STILL HAS MUCH MORE
RECOVERY AHEAD. HE LOOKS BORED AND FRUSTRATED. KITTY ENTERS WITH A TRAY, WHICH SHE SETS DOWN
ON THE TABLE BESIDE HIM. SHE LEANS OVER
AND KISSES HIM SOFTLY.
MATT: Hey.
KITTY: Hey,
yourself. I brought you some supper.
MATT:
Sounds good.
KITTY:
Well, that’s good to hear.
MATT: What?
KITTY:
You’re finally getting your appetite back for food.
MATT: (eyes
flashing at her) I think I’m getting my appetite back for more than just food.
KITTY:
(raising brow) Down boy.
MATT:
Easier said than done.
EMILY ENTERS THE ROOM. MATT AND KITTY ARE NOT AWARE.
KITTY: Doc
said you have at least three more weeks of recovery before you can do anything
strenuous.
MATT: I was
figuring maybe you’d do most of the work.
KITTY:
(slapping at his arm) Matt Dillon!
EMILY: Mama!
You can’t hit Daddy while he’s sick.
KITTY: (turns
in surprise and laughs) Can I hit him when he’s well?
EMILY:
(thinking that one through) Well, that’s probably not good, either.
MATT: Thank
you, sweetheart. At least I know I have
someone to protect me from your mother’s wrath.
EMILY:
She’s not really mad, Daddy. I can
tell. She just wanted to touch you, like
she always does. ‘Cause it makes her feel good.
MATT:
(raises his brow) What?
EMILY:
(nodding knowingly) She told me so.
KITTY: It
was perfectly innocent, Matt.
MATT: Uh
huh.
KITTY: (a
tad defensive) Emily said she knew we loved each other because we touched a
lot, and –
MATT:
(reaching out and pulling her close to him) It makes
me feel good to touch you, too. (lifting his brow
meaningfully) Really
good.
KITTY:
(realizing he’s teasing) Oh, you.
EMILY: Are
you feeling better, Daddy?
MATT: Much
better, Emily. Thanks to you and your
mother. (seriously)
You were very brave that night, helping your mother get
me in the house. I know it was pretty
scary.
EMILY: It
was scary. But I knew you needed me.
MATT: I
sure did.
EMILY: Now
that you’re home, Daddy, we can blow out the light in the window.
MATT: Tell
you what. Why don’t you just leave it
on? Then I’ll always know you and Mama
are waiting for me.
CLOSE SHOT ON KITTY: SHE IS CRYING AND SMILING AT THE SAME
TIME.
MEDIUM SHOT: EMILY AND KITTY CRAWL INTO THE BED WITH MATT
AND SNUGGLE AGAINST HIM CAREFULLY. HE
LEANS DOWN AND KISSES BOTH OF THEM, EMILY ON THE FOREHEAD AND KITTY ON THE
LIPS.
CUT TO EXTERIOR NIGHT LONG SHOT: THE
DILLON HOUSE. ALL OF THE LIGHTS ARE EXTINGUISHED EXCEPT FOR A SINGLE LIGHT IN
ONE WINDOW.
DISSOLVE TO CREDITS
FADE TO BLACK: END OF EPISODE