She left it at that. “I’m going to stay here with Man,” she added quickly. “If you would, send a wire to Chief Marshal Meek that Al Valdez and Bob Engledow are dead, and Clarice Carbon was rescued. Also, add that Man was wounded.”
“I’ll see to it,” the policeman said.
A policeman went to Clarice and said, “There’s a hotel in the next block, ma’am. Please come with me and I’ll make sure you get a nice room.”
The doctor came out of the examination room and Kate hurried to him. The policeman that she was talking with followed, but stood well back, but where he could hear.
“I didn’t formally meet you,” he said. “I’m Doctor Ashley.”
Kate nodded, barely hearing him. “How is he?”
“Marshal Manchester is in grave condition,” the doctor said. “He lost a lot of blood from internal hemorrhaging. The bullet did damage inside his body. Surgery is a necessity to save his life. However, I’m not qualified to perform the procedure. I need to contact Doctor Samuel Havins. He’s a skilled surgeon. We need to get the marshal to the hospital and I’ll contact him. If anybody can save his life, it’ll be Sam. I’ll tell you this. At best, the odds are less than fifty-fifty. I realize you did your best to get him here as fast as possible, but the length of time his wounds have been left untended have worsened his condition.”
Kate stood tall with her shoulders square, and she showed no outward reaction at the horrible news, but she wasn’t able to control tears that trickled down her cheeks.
A policeman stepped forward. “I’ll have my men take Marshal Manchester to the hospital.”
“We can use the wagon parked in front,” Kate said. “It has a soft bed inside already.” She turned back to the helpful policeman. “I didn’t hear your name.”
“Thornton. Caleb Thornton,” he said.
“Caleb, will you take the two mules and our two horses to the stable at the hotel where Clarice is staying? All of our belongings are inside. Will you keep them secure? There are two Winchester rifles on both of the horses. My husband will want them back once he’s well.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I’ll see they’re safe, and take care of your things, as well. What about the Walker Colts over your shoulder?”
“I’ll keep them with me,” she said. “They belong to Man and I can’t take the chance of losing them. I trust you, but please understand, these weapons are very special to him.”
“I understand,” Caleb said.
The policeman and five others carried Man back to the wagon and Doctor Ashley climbed in with him. “I’ll stay with him until Doctor Havins arrives.”
Kate climbed in the back of the wagon with Doctor Ashley and a policeman jumped on the seat to drive. Kate leaned out the back and said, “Thank you, Caleb. Tell Sheriff Updike I’m at the hospital.”
He waved acknowledgment as the wagon moved away.
Kate looked down at Man’s ashen face and forced herself not to throw up.
Chapter 14
Kate was asleep in a chair the next morning when a tap on her shoulder woke her. It was Sheriff Updike. Kate wiped the sleep from her eyes and stood to take the offered hand of the sheriff.
“I was out on a case and didn’t get word you were here until this morning,” he said. “How is Marshal Manchester? I was told at the front that they operated following a gunshot wound and that’s all I know.”
“After Doctor Havins operated, he came out and said if Man made it through tomorrow, the changes for survival will be better. That was all he said. However, from that, I took it that Man’s in bad shape.”
“What can I do to help?” Sheriff Updike asked.
“Nothing now. A nice policeman named Caleb Thornton is taking care of our things and animals. Clarice Carbon is at a hotel, the one near Doctor Ashley’s office. I didn’t hear the name.”
“That would be the Downtown Hotel. It’s old, but okay. I was told that you got both Valdez and Engledow.”
“Yes,” Deputy Kate said. “Valdez shot Man, but I got both of them.” She gave him all the details, minus what had happened to Clarice.
“While we were looking for Valdez and Engledow,” she added, “we found two men in a cabin. Real backwoods mountain men. We were suspicious of them and kept watch that night. They came gunning for us. I have wanted posters we found on them. They gave us the names Moose and Hoss.”
Sheriff Updike smiled. “I know about those two. Pure trash and good riddance. They were wanted here and other places. They worked mostly up and down the Snake River.”
“Not anymore.”
“Tell me about Clarice Carbon,” the sheriff said.
Kate paused only a moment. “She’ll be fine. We rescued her before they had time to do anything.”
Updike frowned but nodded as he glanced down the hallway in thought. “I see.”
“I don’t think she’ll stay in Mountain Home,” Kate added. “She mentioned selling the store and her home. She has no family there and no reason to stay.”
“Was the money they took in the robbery still on them?” he asked.
“She has it back,” Kate said. And she left it at that.
***
It was near midnight when Doctor Havins came to the waiting room and touched Kate on the shoulder. “Can you come with me?” he said.
She was on her feet in an instant. “What’s wrong?” she asked. She had to trot to keep up with the doctor.
“Marshal Manchester has started hemorrhaging internally. I thought you would want to be with him at the end.”
Kate couldn’t choke back a sob of agony. Man was dying. Tears flooded her cheeks and she had to wipe them away with her sleeve to see where she was walking.
Doctor Havins stopped at the door and Kate ran to Man. His face was as white and pale as death. She gripped his hand and squeezed it. It felt as cold as his face looked.
A nurse brought her a chair so she could sit.
“Man,” she said. “Fight, Man. You must fight and live. Listen to me. Do you hear me? Damn you, Man, I need you. You can’t leave me now. We have our life in front of us. You can’t give up. You aren't a quitter. You can’t let that bastard Valdez win. You can’t die now.”
“I’ll give you a moment,” the doctor said and left them alone.
She glanced up as the doctor closed the door behind him. “Man,” she said and squeezed his hand. “I love you. You have to live for me, for us, for the children we’ll have. Stay with me. Do you hear me United States Marshal Homer Manchester? I mean it. Don’t you dare die on me. I won’t allow it.”
She paused when she felt a slight squeeze against her hand. She looked into Man’s face, but he didn’t move.
“Darling,” Kate said. “Remember our five-year plan? Five years and then we settle down. How can I do that without you? What about our children? Don’t you want to see them? We’ll have a boy and a girl. A boy, strong and handsome just like his father, and a girl you can spoil like you spoil me. They’ll never exist if you don’t fight right now.”
Kate continued to talk, telling Man to fight because she needed him. His chest was bandaged, so she couldn’t touch him, but she leaned over and kissed his cold lips.
This time, she was sure she felt him squeeze her hand. Whether a little color returned to his cheeks, she couldn’t be sure if it was real or imagined. She chose to believe he was fighting, and recovering. And would not die on this day.
“I meant what I said,” she told him. “I don’t want to be a marshal without you. I’ll quit and hole up in our house and fade away. Is that what you want? If you won’t fight then why should I? I’ll become a crazy old hermit and it’ll be all your fault.”
Man’s eyelashes fluttered and his fingers moved against her hand.
“Doctor!” she yelled at the closed door.
The door opened and
Doctor Havins rushed in.
“He moved,” she said. “He hears me. Do something.”
The doctor took Man’s spare wrist and lifted a pocket watch. “His pulse is stronger.” He used the stethoscope that had been hanging around his neck and listened to Man’s heartbeat. He leaned back with a surprised expression. “His heart is racing. I don’t know what you did, but it seems to be working. He’s fighting. And as long as he keeps fighting he’ll stand a chance.”
Kate leaned in to whisper in her husband’s ear. “I love you, Homer Manchester. Do you hear me? I love you. You’re going to be my husband for the rest of our lives. We have about seventy years of living in front of us. If you want me, come back to me.”
Man’s lips parted and his eyelashes fluttered again.
She continued talking until she became hoarse. Doctor Havins brought her a glass of water. “I must go, other patients need my attention. Man’s vitals are much stronger now. Can you stay with him until I get back?”
“Of course I can,” she said. “Nobody can drag me away from him as long as he needs me.”
She continued to talk, holding his hand until her voice was gone. A nurse came in to check on him. “His vital signs are strong now. Rest is the best medicine now. Go get coffee and breakfast. I’ll be here and if I need you, I’ll send somebody to find you. There’s a man waiting for you.”
“Who is it?” Kate asked.
“He didn’t say, but he’s older with a gray beard and a US marshals’ badge on his vest.”
Kate jerked in surprise. “Chief Marshal Joseph Meek?” she whispered barely loud enough for the nurse to hear. “He’s here?”
The nurse shrugged so she went to see for herself.
She found Chief Meek seated out front in the waiting room. He stood when he saw Kate shuffling toward him, barely able to lift her feet. He could see she was exhausted and from the expression on her face and her bloodshot eyes, he expected the worst.
He fully expected to hear Man had died.
He stood with his arms at his sides until she was close then opened his arms for her. She welcomed his embrace as her tears started again. Chief Meek held her and let her cry. Kate could have been the daughter he’d never had. From their first meeting, he’d known she was special and a warm feeling for her had developed over the time she’d worked for him.
This was a side to Kate he had never witnessed before. She was always so strong and outgoing. When her crying subsided somewhat, he calmly asked, “What happened?”
She spoke so softly, he had to bend his head to hear her words.
“I almost lost Man,” she said. “He was hemorrhaging inside. He almost bled to death.”
“How is he now?” Meek asked.
“The nurse said he was stable at the moment. She’s keeping a close watch. She said for me to go eat breakfast, but I’m not hungry. I’d rather stay here.”
“What you need is to get your strength back,” Meek said.
He took her arm, led her to a café, and ordered a large breakfast for her. He drank coffee as he watched her eat. He’d eaten earlier. She stopped eating after about a dozen bites, but he pointed to her plate and said, “Eat. That’s an order, marshal.”
She sent him a glance of impatience as her strength returned, but ate a few more bites. Then, she pushed her chair back. “If I eat any more, it won’t stay down. I need to get back to the hospital.”
Meek tossed money on the table for the meal. Outside, he took her arm and she almost pulled him into a trot going back to the hospital. She left him at the waiting room and hurried to Man’s room. The nurse was seated in a chair on one side of Man’s bed. Kate sat on the other side and reached for his hand. It was warmer than before.
She glanced at the nurse for the first time as her eyes had been on Man from the moment she’d entered his room. “How is he?” she asked.
“Better. His pulse is getting stronger and more regular. His temperature has almost returned to normal.”
Kate stood and leaned over so her lips were close to his ear. Her voice hadn’t fully returned. “I’m here,” she said as she squeezed his hand. “Chief Marshal Meek is here to see you.”
Man shuffled a foot under the covers.
The nurse smiled and nodded. “I think he heard that. That’s the first time he’s moved since I’ve been here.”
“Can Marshal Meek come in and see him?” Kate asked.
The nurse stood and said, “I’ll ask the doctor and see if it will be okay. If it is, I’ll bring him.”
It was almost ten minutes before the nurse and Meek came in the room. He went to the other side of the bed and reached for Man’s hand. “Man, it’s Meek. I came to say that you and Kate did a fantastic job in taking down Valdez and Engledow and rescuing Clarice Carbon. I’ll be here with Kate until you’re able to be up and around. She and I will take turns staying with you.”
His gaze went to Kate. “I’ll stay with him. Go get a room at the hotel and sleep. You need it. If you pass out the doctor will have to tend to you, as well.”
Kate gave in, went to the hotel, and rented a room. She undressed and lay on the bed, thinking about how close she’d come to losing her husband. Sleep evaded her for only a few minutes and then exhaustion took control of her mind and body and she went to sleep.
She woke with a start and raided up to look out the window. It was dark. She hurried to dress, went down the stairs, and found the lobby empty. A clock was on the wall and she saw it was almost four in the morning. She had been asleep for almost eighteen hours.
In a panic, she ran to the hospital. The waiting room was empty and dark. She hurried down the hallway and pushed the door open to Man’s room. Meek was asleep in a chair, but a different nurse from before was seated beside the bed. She stood and hurried to the door to meet Kate. The nurse motioned for her to go out in the hall. She followed Kate and closed the door before speaking.
Kate anxiously waited for her to give a report on his condition.
“He’s doing great. In fact, he has called your name a few times. The doctor has started cutting down on the laudanum. He said by noon today, your husband should be conscious and able to speak.”
The two women went back inside and found Marshal Meek standing beside the bed. He gave Kate an encouraging smile. “It looks like he’s out of the woods from what the doctor said.”
“I’m sorry I slept so long,” Kate said. “I intended to sleep for only a few hours and come back. Thank you for being here.”
“You’re welcome and it was good that I was here to relive you. Your body needed the rest. But now that you’re here, I’m going to go sleep for a while.”
Two days later, the doctor had Man up and walking down the hallway. Kate and Chief Meek walked on either side of him to keep his steady, but with each trip, he got stronger.
A week later, the doctor came in to visit with them. “He’s ready to leave the hospital, but be careful with his shoulder for another couple of weeks. The hemorrhaging could start again if he falls or puts a strain on that arm. The muscles and tendons will take time to heal and he will need to start an exercise program to get his flexibility and coordination back. That could take an extended time. There was extensive damage internally.”
The next day, Meek drove Man, Kate and Clarice Carbon to the train in a borrowed buggy. He helped Man board and then stood on the platform to wave as the train left the station.
Epilogue
A delegation from the police department was waiting to meet them in Coeur d’Alene. Man’s arm was still in a sling, but other than that, he looked healthy. He had lost weight, but Kate knew with good food and rest, he would be restored to his old self.
Roy and Dan were standing beside Cliff and Lucille. Kate noticed a ring on Lucille’s finger and gripped her friend’s hand to look.
“Congratulations,” she said.
/>
“Thank you,” she said.
Kate noticed that Dan was standing close beside Cliff and had a smile on his face. “I take it things have been running smoothly since we’ve been gone?”
Cliff glanced at Dan and gave him a pat on the back. “I always wanted a couple of good sons of my own. And now I have them.”
Dan blushed and looked down but he nodded and the smile stayed on his face.
Kate turned when Clarice stepped up beside her. She made the introductions. “I expect you both could use good friends right now,” Kate said.
Cliff helped Man into his buggy and Roy and Dan went to the cattle car for Red Bird, Arabian and the mules. It was crowded in the buggy, but the five of them managed. Roy and Dan rode the horses.
Cliff gestured at their new home as they passed by the forty acres. The boys had the walls up and a roof over it.
“We discussed waiting until our new home was finished,” Lucille said. “But Cliff was insistent and I said yes. We’re living at his place until the house is finished. The boys are still at my place, but soon we’ll all be under one roof. I have the boys working long hours on it.”
A policeman came riding up and Cliff stopped the buggy.
“Bank robbery,” the policeman said. “The sheriff sent me to tell you.”
“Was anyone hurt?” Kate asked.
“No, but they got away with a bundle.”
Kate gestured for Cliff to head on. “Then tell Kincaid to handle it himself. I have a more important job to do right now.”
Cliff took Man and Kate home. “Clarice will stay with us until she finds a place of her own,” Kate said.
Roy and Dan came to support Man as he went into the house and settled on the bed. Kate hovered over him and checked his shoulder to make sure there was no blood. There wasn’t, so she went to the door and waved to their friends.
“We’ll take care of the stock,” Roy said. “You see to Man.”
“Don’t worry, I will,” she said. She turned back to her husband and smiled at him. “I’m on the job.”
Mountain Woman Snake River Blizzard Page 20
