by Duane Boehm
Zack began pacing while slapping his hands onto the top of his hat. He couldn’t decide whether to go get Sarah so Ethan wouldn’t be alone or head straight for the doctor. Deciding that time was of the essence, he headed straight south for town.
By the time Zack made it into town, his horse was spent and in full lather. He pulled up in front of the doctor’s office, saw the sign on the door, and ran across the street. Bolting through the door, he caused all three men inside to jump.
“Damn, Zack, you about gave us heart failure,” Gideon said.
“Somebody’s shot Ethan and he’s bad. He’s having a hard time breathing and his chest wound is making sucking sounds,” Zack blurted.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Doc said, rising to his feet.
“Is anybody with him?” Gideon asked.
“No, I didn’t think that there was time to get Sarah and then come for you,” Zack said.
“Okay. You ride to Sarah and bring the buckboard. Doc and I will go to Ethan. Where is he?” Gideon said.
“He’s over in the pasture west of the cabin, in the tree line on the west side. My horse is spent,” Zack said.
Doc grabbed his bag. “Gideon, go see if you can get me a gentle riding horse and one for Zack from Blackie. I need to go to the office and get some things.”
“Can you ride?” Gideon asked.
“I’ll have to. We don’t have time to take the buggy,” Doc said.
Turning to Finnie, Gideon said, “You stay here and get to feeling better. I may need you later.”
Minutes later, Gideon returned with two saddled horses and tied Doc’s bag to the frog on the smaller horse. The three men headed north in a lope. Doc gripped the saddle horn for all that he was worth, unsure that he could still balance himself in the saddle. They rode for four miles before Zack cut towards the northeast, already dreading telling Sarah the news about Ethan. Gideon and Doc rode another three miles, passing by the herd as the cattle raised their heads, looking at all the commotion. They spotted Ethan at the same time and veered his direction.
Gideon dismounted and ran to Ethan before the doctor even attempted to leave the saddle. Doc Abram had pain shooting from his legs all the way to his shoulders and felt pretty sure that no hide was left on his ass.
“Damn it, Gideon, help me down. I’m not sure that I can even walk,” the doctor barked.
Ethan opened his eyes at the sound of the doctor’s voice and saw Gideon kneeling over him.
“I’ll be right back,” Gideon said.
Gideon’s legs felt as limp as noodles as he walked towards the doctor, relieved to see Ethan still alive. “I’ll get your bag. Go on and get over there,” he said as he helped Doc off the horse.
“Ethan, I’m here for you. Just hold on,” Doc said.
“I’m strangling,” Ethan gasped.
“I’m going to take care of you. You have to stay with me until I get you fixed. Now move your hand away from the wound,” Doc said as he moved Ethan’s hand out of the way and ripped his shirt open, sending buttons flying.
Gideon walked up with the bag and handed it to the doctor. Doc examined the hole in the shirt before deciding that the bullet had punctured the fabric without carrying any material into Ethan. Infection from the cloth would be one less thing that would have to be worried about. He took a bottle of iodine from his bag, poured it onto a cloth, and wiped around and into the edges of the wound causing Ethan to grimace in pain.
Doc said, “I know this hurts, but I can’t do anything for the pain on account of your breathing difficulties. I’m going to have to sew you up now.”
Ethan nodded his head in understanding.
“Gideon, get above his head and hold his shoulders still if need be,” Doc said as he pulled a spool of metal suture from the bag.
“Aren’t you going to take out the bullet?” Gideon asked.
“That bullet is the least of my worries. He’ll be fine with it left in there. I have to get the wound sealed or the lungs will collapse and he will suffocate,” the doctor said.
“Have you ever had to do this?” Gideon asked.
“Once and it worked. Some doctor figured it out during the war. I have to get the wound airtight so that it quits drawing air through it,” Doc replied.
The doctor threaded his needle and started sewing the bullet wound shut. Ethan labored to breathe, but he didn’t move as the doctor sewed on him. The only sign of the pain that he was enduring was a clenched jaw and eyes squeezed shut.
As Doc tied the suture, he said, “The worst of it is over.”
Doc proceeded to cut squares of linen that he placed on the wound and poured a few drops of collodion onto it. He repeated the process until satisfied that he had added enough layers to seal the wound airtight.
“Ethan, it will take a while for your breathing to ease, but it shouldn’t get any worse. Try to relax. Just stay still while the bandage dries,” Doc said.
Gideon moved to Ethan’s side and held his hand. “Can you tell me what happened?” he asked.
“Found four men camping. Wanted to buy Pie. Shot me when I wouldn’t,” Ethan managed to say.
“You get well. We still have too much making up for lost time for you to go die on me, you hear?” Gideon said.
Ethan nodded his head.
The sun was setting as Zack, Sarah, and Benjamin arrived with the buckboard wagon. Sarah and Benjamin scampered down from the wagon and ran to Ethan as Gideon and Doc made way for them.
“Oh my God, Ethan. What have they done to you?” Sarah cried.
Ethan raised his arm towards her and she grasped it. “I’ll be fine,” he whispered.
“Pa,” Benjamin said and began crying.
Ethan patted the boy’s leg. “You’ll have to nurse me like you did Gideon,” he said.
Doc interrupted them. “We need to get him back to your cabin. It’ll be dark soon.”
Sarah had thrown every blanket and quilt that she could find into the back of the wagon and now spread them. With the help of Gideon and Zack, Ethan stumbled to the wagon.
Doc hobbled to the wagon and said, “I’m riding back here with Ethan. I couldn’t stand to put my derrière in the saddle if my life depended on it.”
The ride to the cabin was through pasture for the most part and the only jarring occurred as they crossed the creek. Sarah and Benjamin sat on one side of Ethan, both holding his arm, and the doctor sat on the other. Ethan remained silent and kept his eyes closed. His labored breathing and an occasional grimace from a bump were his only movements. They reached the cabin and Gideon and Zack managed to get him to bed. The trip had drained the last of Ethan’s strength and he no longer responded to conversation. Doc Abram examined the bandage, satisfied that it held.
“Benjamin, you sit here with your pa while I go talk with Doc Abram,” Sarah said before walking out of the bedroom with Gideon and Doc in tow.
“Doc, I want to know how bad it is and don’t you dare sugarcoat it. I need the truth,” Sarah said.
“Sarah, I would never do that to you. He was shot in the lung and his chest filled with air. He almost suffocated. His breathing should get better, but it is a very serious wound,” Doc said.
“What are the odds he recovers?” she asked.
Doc thought for a moment, rubbing his chin the whole time. “I’d say a little better than even. He’s young and strong, but it will be a long haul. The lung will have to heal and there’s always the worry of infection, but I’d bet on Ethan if I were betting.”
Sarah put her hands to her mouth and began crying. Her body shook like a willow branch before she leaned into Gideon and he wrapped his arms around her and patted her back.
“You got me through this and we’ll get Ethan through it,” Gideon said.
Her voice sounded muffled from her mouth pressed into her hands and against Gideon’s shoulder. “Do you know what happened?”
“He told me that four men were camping on your land and they wanted to buy Pie and when he
wouldn’t sell, they shot him,” Gideon said.
“They tried to kill him over a horse,” she said and started crying harder.
“Sarah, I will find them if I have to go to Hell and back. I promise you that,” Gideon said.
“I need to be with him,” Sarah said and made a beeline for the bedroom.
Gideon looked at Doc. “This here has been one bad day,” he said.
“That it has and I expect that it will be a bad night. I’m going to stay here with him. I think that I’m getting too old for all this,” Doc said as Zack walked over to join them.
“Solving Druthers’ murder is going to have to wait. Do you think Finnie can ride with me tomorrow to find these characters?” Gideon asked.
“That’s hard to say. He may be back to his usual self and then again, he may feel worse. You’ll just have to see how he feels,” Doc said.
“Zack, you’ll have to stay here and run the ranch. You can take Doc back to town on the buckboard when he is ready and retrieve your horse. I’ll take the two that we borrowed back to town tonight. You’ll be fine. And thank you for what you did. You saved his life,” Gideon said and held out his hand to shake.
“I won’t let you down,” Zack said as they shook hands.
Gideon walked back to the bedroom. “Ethan, I’m going to leave now. Tomorrow I’m going to go find the men that did this. You better be sitting up in bed when I get back,” he said and squeezed Ethan’s hand. Ethan showed no sign of hearing him.
Chapter 10
The smell of bacon cooking awoke Gideon before dawn. Walking from the bedroom into the kitchen, he found Abby preparing breakfast by lamplight. She still wore her nightgown and as she turned to greet him, her baby–bump was the first thing that he noticed. He found the bump more endearing every day and he smiled.
“What are you doing up so early?” he asked.
“I knew that you would head out at first light and I wanted to fix you a good breakfast. I’m going to check on Sarah and Ethan first thing after I see Winnie off to school,” Abby said and kissed him.
“You’re going to spoil me to the point that I never want to leave this house,” Gideon said, wrapping his arms around her.
“If you do that, we might end up with so many children that we couldn’t feed them all,” she teased.
“Yeah, especially now that I know that you have lots of childbearing years left,” he chided.
Growing serious, Abby said, “Do you think Ethan made it through the night?”
“I never would’ve left him if I had thought he wouldn’t. I hope that he will be a little better this morning,” Gideon said before taking a seat at the table.
As they were eating breakfast, Abby said, “What are you going to do if Finnie can’t ride with you? It seems to me that four men are too many to go after by yourself.”
“I’m pretty sure that he will go. As fired up as he was when I brought the horses back to town last night, I think he would’ve headed out then if we could have tracked them,” Gideon said.
“I hope you are right,” she said.
“I’m going to take the sorrel that we bought and the saddle that came with him. Finnie’s horse would never hold up with hard riding and he doesn’t own a saddle,” he said.
“Would you saddle Snuggles for me while you are out there?” Abby asked.
“Don’t you think that you need to take the wagon?” Gideon asked.
“Snuggles is a much softer ride for the baby than that bouncy buckboard and I have no plans to fall off him,” she said.
Gideon grinned at her. Abby’s belief in her riding abilities was legendary and he had to admit that she rode as well as anybody that he knew. “Yes, Ma’am,” he said. “I better get ready. There’s a lot to get done.”
By the time that Gideon dressed and had the horses saddled, Abby was clothed and Winnie was eating breakfast. He walked over to the child, leaned over, and kissed her on top of the head. He had never dared to show that much affection towards her. “Be good for your momma.”
“You better be careful while you are gone,” Winnie said and stood up in the chair to kiss his cheek.
Abby watched the proceedings with amusement. There had been times when she thought that Gideon would never win Winnie over, and he might not have, if Joann hadn’t convinced her sister to be nice to him for her sake.
“I might get jealous if you two get any closer,” Abby said.
Gideon kissed his wife. “After I go to town, I’m going to stop in to check on Ethan. I’ll see you over there.”
The sun had risen halfway above the horizon by the time Gideon made it to town. He found Finnie sitting in his chair, clicking his fingernails on the desk.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Finnie said.
“I take it that you are capable of riding then. You better be sure because we have a lot of lost time to make up,” Gideon said.
“I just have a wee bit of a headache. That’s all. Nothing compared to my hangover the other day,” Finnie said.
“Did you talk to Mary last night about coming with me?” Gideon asked.
“I did. She said to go get the bastards,” Finnie said with a smile.
“Go put that holster on over there and pick a rifle off the rack. I’ve sighted them all in with a fine bead,” Gideon said before pulling a deputy badge out of the drawer after Finnie moved out of the way.
“It’s been a long time since I wore a gun. I hope I can still shoot,” Finnie said as he strapped on the holster.
“You better. Just so you know, I don’t plan on bringing these men back,” Gideon said.
“Me either,” Finnie said.
“I have our saddlebags packed with supplies. Grab a couple boxes of cartridges for each of us and let’s ride,” Gideon said.
The two men rode towards Ethan’s cabin. Finnie had never rode this direction and the land impressed him with its lush grasslands surrounded by woods with majestic mountains in the background. Fresh air cleared the remnants of his headache and invigorated him to the point of feeling stronger than he had in years. Doc and Zack were sitting on the porch as they arrived.
“How is he doing?” Gideon asked as he climbed down from Buck.
Doc stood up and walked stiffly to the steps to meet them. “He’s awake and breathing better. Not as well as I would have hoped, but you take what you can get,” he said.
“Have his chances worsened?” Gideon asked.
“Goodness, no. I feel better about him than I did last night, but I wanted more. Just greedy, I guess. Go see for yourself,” Doc said.
“You look like that horse ride about did you in,” Gideon said.
“It did. I’m as stiff as a board and I’m afraid to look at my ass to see if there is any hide left on it,” Doc said.
“I’m going to go see Ethan and try to get that image out of my mind,” Gideon said.
Finnie stayed outside with the other two men as Gideon entered the cabin and walked straight to the bedroom where he found Sarah and Abby sitting on either side of Ethan. Abby held a glass of milk and Sarah fed him broth.
“How is our patient this morning?” Gideon asked.
“I’m surely better than yesterday. I thought I was going to suffocate,” Ethan whispered, pausing between words to take breaths.
“I suspect by the time that I return with Pie your nurses here will be so sick of you that they’ll stick you on top of that horse,” Gideon said.
“He won’t be the first patient around here that I got sick of eventually,” Sarah teased.
“I bet not. I imagine our preacher here will be a much better patient that I was,” Gideon said.
“Sorry for the trouble,” Ethan said.
“You certainly didn’t ask to get robbed or shot. Had you ever seen the men before?” Gideon said.
Ethan shook his head. “They weren’t a rough looking bunch. Caught me off guard,” he said.
“Finnie and I will find them. I expect you to be up and around when I
get back. You get well,” Gideon said before leaning over and squeezing Ethan’s hand.
Gideon then turned towards his wife and gave her a kiss.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Don’t do anything that you shouldn’t. If you need help, Zack will just have to help you out too,” he said.
Abby smiled at him. “Well aren’t you the overprotective father to be these days.”
“I’m overprotective about lots of things these days. I’ll see you all when I get back,” Gideon said before leaving.
Out on the porch, Gideon turned to Zack and said, “I know that Sarah is in good hands with you. I’d appreciate it if you could check in on Abby when you have the chance. I’m counting on you.” He then shook the young man’s hand.
“Don’t get any meaner, you old codger,” Gideon said to Doc and slapped his arm.
Gideon and Finnie rode to the spot of Ethan’s shooting. The tracks of the men were easy to find. They had taken off in a gallop and the horses had kicked up chunks of grass as they ran. The tracks led in a southeasterly direction and they followed them for over a mile before seeing where the riders had reined their horses down to a walk.
“Looks like their horses got winded. Where do you think they are headed?” Finnie said.
“I’m guessing that they decided that the best thing to do was to get out of Colorado and New Mexico is the shortest route for that. If they think that is going to stop me they are sadly mistaken,” Gideon said and ribbed Buck to speed up the pace.
Little tracking skill was required to follow the trail and the outlaws were still riding to the southeast several miles past Last Stand. The trail was the same that Gideon had used to return to Last Stand the previous year. Plenty of spring rain had made the valleys rich in lush green grass. They rode through woods of aspen, pine, and Gambel oak at various elevations on the trail. The highest mountains surrounding the area were mostly void of vegetation and strutted out of the earth in their gray glory while the lower peaks tended to be pine covered like an old man with wisps of hair.
After three hours of riding, they found the spot where the men had camped for the night. Feeling relieved, Gideon said, “They’re not as far ahead of us as I feared they would be. I thought maybe they’d ride most of the night.”
