by Sara Jolene
Willie returned and diffused the tension. Benita climbed down from the wagon. Nora watched her son watch her descend and quickly realized that in the time she’d been held down by her own tremulous mind, not only had her son been caring for her family, but he’d been growing up. She’d seen how he looked at the doctor when he’d called him Will instead of Willie. She’d taken note of how well he handled the horse and the buggy he was driving, and now she saw that he wasn’t impervious to the charms of a pretty woman. Just as she was going to politely ask her son to close his jaw and explain it was rude to stare, JT returned. He bid Miss Crowther a good day and Willie returned to his mount and they were on their way.
Nora really shouldn’t have been surprised when they got to the tent they’d been using and found that it was now occupied. Thankfully, the folks that were living in it were nice enough that they saved most of the children’s things. They didn’t have much left after the dug-out caved in, but it was nice not to have to start completely over.
They returned the larger buggy to its owner, and while Nora and JT sorted through their things and got it all packed up and the little ones settled back into the smaller buggy, Willie went to find his friend Jonathon.
Nora had known the Tuckers for a while. They were the first folks she and Nathaniel met when they arrived in Creede. Mabel had been pregnant with their first, just like she’d been with Willie. Their boys had been born within days of each other and had been friends their whole lives. Nora felt guilty that Willie hadn’t been spending as much time with his friend as he used to. The Tuckers were better off than the Meeks had been. Their kids, they only had two, went to the school down in Bachelor with Julianne Fontaine.
Nora folded the few linens that remained and set them in the far back of the buggy. There were two pans, a rattle that had been Willie’s—every one of the children had played with it before it became Tommy’s—and Nathaniel ’s old pocketknife. That was it. That was all that Nora and her children had. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to fall. She’d let life crush her. She held her late husband’s knife in the palm of her hand and stared at it. She’d been the outspoken one, the one that had gotten things done. She’d been the best at all the things they’d been taught in school. She’d been the best baker in their house growing up, and she could out-sew any of the old biddies in her hometown. But she’d let life take all those things away from her. She squeezed the knife in her fist, letting the pain of the cold metal dig into her palm. It reminded her that she was awake now. She’d unburied herself from the wreckage and could breathe now. She was sewing again. They had a real place to stay, even if she was going to have to find someplace else, and she had her children.
Nora spotted Willie coming down the hill. Jonathon was at his side. Both boys were running, and though it was hard to tell from that distance, it didn’t look like they were running for fun.
“James.” She called out to him, and he was at her side instantly. She pointed up on the hill. “The boys. Something’s wrong.”
Nora stuck her head into the buggy, “Bekka, you mind your brother and sisters. We’ll be right back.”
Nora gasped but wasn’t able to think too much when JT reached down and grabbed her hand before the two of them hurried off towards the boys, meeting them halfway.
“Will, what is it?”
The boys were breathing heavy, both bent over with their arms clutching their sides. “Up on the ridge, something happened. There are hurt men.”
They all turned around and headed back up the hill. Jonathon seemed to be in better shape, breathing more easily so Nora questioned him rather than her own boy. “How did you know?”
“Willie and I went to go to our spot. We needed to get something. When we got up there, we found two horses. They were saddled and everything. So we were quiet. Snuck around making sure we weren’t seen. But that’s when we spotted ‘em. There were five men. Three looked to have been shot. The other two were trying to help, but they didn’t look real good either.” He looked back at Nora. “They didn’t know we was there, Mrs. Meeks. We came straight for you and the doc.” He tipped his head toward JT. “Willie says he can patch people up, that he saved little Tommy.”
Nora suddenly remembered that her hand was entwined with JT’s. It made her nervous, knowing that Jonathon had seen them like that. “He did save our little Tommy.” She looked over at JT. He was stone faced as they climbed the hill. Nora knew it was him focusing on the task he was about to come upon. Lives were at stake, and she knew him enough know to know that he felt a strong sense of responsibility for every life. She squeezed his hand. “Lead the way, boys.”
JT had been so focused on what awaited him at the top of the hill that he hadn’t been paying much attention to what was going on as they climbed it. The angel had been right. He was going to need Hannah’s help. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to get more than one wounded man back to the cabin, but he’d try. He did know that Nora’s hand was still entangled with his. He liked it, but in a different way than he liked the way her lips felt against his. It was almost as if she was lending him some of her strength. He wasn’t sure he’d ever met someone as strong as her. She was raising five children all on her own in a mining town full of drunks and Lord knew what else. She’d managed to keep them all alive.
They reached the crest of the hill. It became rockier, and there was less vegetation than on the path up. JT turned to thank Nora and tell her all he’d been thinking about, but they were greeted at the top by a burly man with a long beard, the barrel of his rifle right at their heads.
“There ain’t nothin’ up here for y’all. Head back down, and I won’t have to fire this thing.”
The man was still as a statue. JT would bet that he could hit any target with that rifle and miss only if he wanted to. He was large man, and though his words were threatening none of their group moved. JT wiggled his fingers from Nora’s and went to take a step forward.
“Don’t come closer.” The man pulled the hammer down on his gun.
“We’re not here to hurt anyone. These two boys were off having a time and saw you and your folks hurt. I’m a doctor, so they brought me to see if I could help patch up your boys.”
The man didn’t lower his gun, nor did his eyes leave JT’s face. “You one of them?”
“One of who? What happened up here?”
“Not sure I know. We was huntin’ all day yesterday, then stopped for the night and made camp. I was just about to bed down when there were noises. Next thing I know there’s gunfire and horses runnin’ off. I’ve checked all our things; they took everything we didn’t have right with us in our bedrolls. Bandits, most likely.”
JT nodded. “Sounds about right. Good thing you had your weapons handy.”
The man nodded. “I’ve no plans to lower this here rifle, but the men are just on the other side of that tree line. You walk, I’ll follow. And don’t try nothin’, cause I will shoot you dead.”
JT returned the man’s nod before he started walking. He knew Nora and the boys were following behind him. He could feel and eventually hear them.
“The boys said at least a few of your men had been shot?” It made him a little wary that the man with the gun was now behind him, but figured if he kept him talking at least he’d know where he was.
“Three. Billy has a spot on his shoulder looks like a bullet tore at his skin, but didn’t go through. Freddie, Sam, and Roy all have wounds, though. Freddie’s the only one who looks like the bullet didn’t come out.”
JT’s mind immediately started considering what would need to be done. It sounded like there was at least one more man on the other side of those trees who he could help. “Do you have a wagon or anything?”
“No sir. Just horses.”
They’d reached the tree line. JT was ready, but he wasn’t as sure about the boys and Nora. He didn’t know if they’d seen anything like what they were about to find. He turned toward them. “Will, once I tell you, I want you and your frien
d to run back down the hill and see if you can secure the use of a wagon. Let them know I’ll take care of payment myself.” He changed his tone and turned toward Nora. “If this is too much, you just let me know.”
Nora nodded, but he saw her straighten her spine and set her mouth before she did so. He’d not given her the credit he should have. She was such a strong woman.
JT led them through the trees and into the men’s camp. There was a small fire and a lot of blood. JT’s mind immediately went to work, assessing and planning. “Will, go now,” he said as he crouched down to check the pulse of the man closest to the fire. He was pale and withdrawn looking. His eyes were closed, and JT had a hard time finding a pulse.
“That there is Freddie. He’s been in a bad way. I kept waking him in the night, but it got more difficult as the hours went by.”
JT nodded and moved on. There were two men leaning up against the same tree, and with them was another man. His arm was in a sling hanging from his neck.
“That’s Billy. We’ve been keepin’ watch. We didn’t know we were so close to a doctor, or I woulda sent him to fetch you.”
JT nodded. “We need to get Freddie to my cabin. He’s lost a lot of blood and we need to get the bullet out. Preventing an infection at this point will be difficult. When Will returns with the wagon, we’ll load them up and go into town.” He went to the men by the tree. “Billy, you should round up the horses and gather your things. I’ll need your help getting everyone to town.”
JT examined the men leaning against the tree as the gun was finally taken off his back, and the one named Billy started moving around packing their bedrolls and stomping out the fire. Both of them were in much better shape than Freddie. One had been hit in the arm, and the other in the leg. Both had bullets pass through, and they’d poured all the whiskey they had over their wounds and wrapped them as tightly as possible. Both said they’d be able to ride.
Willie returned with the wagon, and the big bearded man, who’d eventually introduced himself as Cole Woods, helped JT put Freddie in the wagon. Willie rode back with them before bailing and taking charge of the buggy and horses that had been left with his siblings. They formed a sort of caravan and headed back toward Creede. All the while, JT was hoping that Hannah had arrived and that she’d brought the marshal with her.
Chapter Eight
Dr. Thomas, Nora, and the whole caravan arrived at the cabin just as Hannah and her marshal did. JT couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Bob riding in the saddle just in front of Hannah. That rooster never left her side. Hannah immediately jumped down, tossing her reins to her husband as she hurried over to the wagon. Seeing how injured the man was and knowing that time was running short, she called out to her husband.
“Could you go inside and get James’s bag, please?”
“It should be just inside my office on the floor.”
JT went to work. He and Hannah had developed a rhythm, one that worked for them and their patients. They had been able to save a lot of people, but he was truly afraid that Freddie wouldn’t be one of them.
Marshal Wheeler returned with the bag and set it up in the wagon. “Doc, it doesn’t look like you’ve much room left in that little cabin of yours.”
JT pulled a bottle of liquid from his bag as Hannah sliced the man’s shirt so they could have access to his chest. They’d finally found the wound. Freddie had been hit in the chest. Not close enough to his heart that JT was worried about that, but the bullet hadn’t passed through, so they’d have to find it.
“Mrs. Meeks and her children have been staying here. The little one, Tommy, had scarlet fever and they couldn’t stay where they were. It was safer for them to be here.”
The marshal nodded when JT looked at him. They exchanged more in that one glance, though. “You know the sheriff ran off. We could set you in the sheriff’s office for now. There are a few beds in the cells. These men would be able to rest.”
That was when the angel appeared. “I see you sent for Hannah.” He looked at the doctor expectantly. JT wasn’t sure what to do, though. It wasn’t as if he could explain himself. No one could see the man but him. He nodded, hoping that would suffice as an answer.
He jumped down from the wagon. “Bekka, you stay here with your brother and sisters. Nora, you too. You should stay with the children. They don’t need to see these types of things.” Nora’s posture changed as he approached. He liked that he affected her that way.
“Aren’t you bringing them inside?”
He shook his head. “No. We’re going to go into Creede and use the sheriff’s station. Wheeler here says he hasn’t found a replacement yet, and these men will be more comfortable, and so will all of you, if they stay there. I can ride into town or stay there. You’ll be safe here.”
Nora shook her head. He knew what she was going to say, but didn’t want to hear it. They were staying, and that was final. He held up a hand. “Stay. No arguing. I’ll be back when I can.” Nora looked as if she wanted to open her mouth, but JT silenced her with another headshake. He gave her a wide smile before climbing back into the wagon. “Will, would you mind tending to the horses and taking care of my buggy?”
JT was pleased to see that when Will responded that he would, the angel smiled. There was a glint of something in his eye. JT hoped it was pride. That young man was growing up right, and he hoped that everyone could see it.
To his surprise, the angel was waiting right outside the sheriff’s office when they got there.
“You can’t fight it. You’ve done all you can. You should focus on the others.”
JT ignored him, pretended he had no idea what he was talking about as they carried Freddie as gently as possible through the door before setting him on the cot in the first cell. There was a dark hooded figure in the corner that JT was doing his best to ignore as well, but whenever he did glance at it, he felt a cold shiver pass through his body that turned his blood thick.
“That’s Death. You can’t cheat him. Now that he’s here, he has to take someone.” The angel nodded toward the cot where Freddie lay. “He came for him, but he’d happily take anyone. See it’s the soul he needs. That’s what Death does, collects souls.”
JT went back to rummaging through his bag and ignoring the angel. He pulled out an instrument that was long and thin. He dipped it in the bottle of liquid and then went to work on Freddie’s chest. He dug around in the whole where the bullet had gone in, finally pulling out a piece of metal. It was busted up and flattened, but one could tell it used to be round. The shadow came closer as blood started to rush out of the hole.
“You can’t stop it. You can’t stop him.”
JT couldn’t ignore him anymore. He took a clean rag from his bag and pressed it into the hole in the man’s chest to try to staunch the bleeding.
“I cannot let him die.”
The angel stood by JT’s side as he worked diligently to try to stop the blood loss. Death crept closer before he swooped down and seemed to be gathering something. It was fast and hard to see, but as he lifted and floated away from Freddie’s body, he seemed to be cradling something silver and shiny. The doctor’s shoulder’s slumped and his chin hit his chest.
“You did everything you could. Death had been waiting by that fire on the hillside. You fended him off for as long as you could,” the angel told him.
JT didn’t move, not for a long while. But he covered Freddie and moved on to help his friends, the rest of which looked as if they’d live to tell the tale. Which was exactly what the marshal was looking for. As Hannah and JT patched the men up, the marshal asked them all sorts of questions about what had happened, what the other men looked like and such. JT knew that he’d been looking for the runaway sheriff and some of his cronies. He didn’t know much about the law and criminals, but it didn’t seem likely that the sheriff or anyone else that would have been from Creede would have been hanging out up by the Bonanza mine, robbing people and shooting at them in the night. No, JT thought they had encount
ered some unknowns. And judging by the way the marshal was looking around, deep in thought, he wasn’t the only one thinking that way.
Nora had tried to tell JT that she’d seen some men in the sheriff’s office the other day, but he hadn’t let her. He’d been adamant about her staying at the cabin, and she’d argued with him so much about it that he wouldn’t even give her a chance to speak if he thought she was coming close to that topic.
She sighed and helped the little ones out of the buggy so Willie could unhitch it and get the horses settled into the barn. The injured men from the hill had left two of their mounts, as had Hannah. Willie had stowed them in stalls before he came out, looking to take care of the buggy.
Nora watched him. He had strong, sure hands and carried himself with confidence. She found herself choking back tears as pride welled up inside her. He’d had to endure so much at such a young age. That was her fault. She’d been given the gift of having him for a son, and she’d squandered it. She’d not appreciated him or her time with him, and she’d let the darkness pull her into a pit. She wished there was a way to go back, that she’d fought more. Maybe if she’d been able to stop Nathaniel from going to the mine that day, she wouldn’t have ended up the way she had.
She didn’t even know what illness had befallen her. She’d just felt like taking to her bed one day, and that was that. The darkness had settled on top of her and was far too heavy for her to budge. So she’d lain there, buried under it for months while her children had suffered. She remembered the day the darkness had shifted, when a small stream of light had been able to penetrate it enough that she took notice. She’d been trying to sleep because that was the only thing that felt good. The weight was too much to bear when she was awake. But the children had been loud. Tommy had done something and the others had been cheering. Nora had thought about staying right there on the hard-packed floor and just blocking out the noise, but there was something, that glimmer of light shining, that had made her sit up and take notice.
