Summary:\u00a0 When help is desperately needed, Cochise provides it.<\/p>\n
Rating: T
\nWord Count: 4,208<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Adam and Joe had delivered a herd of cattle to the fort per the Ponderosa\u2019s contract to supply beef to the army. The Ponderosa\u2019s contract also required the delivery of twenty head to the small band of Shoshoni who had been forced to live in a place called Indian Town per the Treaty of Ruby Valley.\u00a0 Indian Town was populated by the elderly and the young as both warriors and able-bodied men had been killed off in conflicts with the army or white settlers. The Shoshoni, several days\u2019 ride from the fort, had had to give up their traditional ways and live off of army charity and small garden plots.<\/p>\n
Between the glare of the late-afternoon sun, the mooing cattle, and the rocking of Sport\u2019s gait, Adam drifted off in the saddle.\u00a0 It was a week\u2019s ride back to the Ponderosa from Indian Town and he was already planning on hibernating in the comfort of his bed for several days.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d Adam asked after getting a punch to the upper arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cTown\u2019s up ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
The cattle, smelling water, picked up their pace.\u00a0 Adam jolted awake as Sport changed to a trot.<\/p>\n
Indian Town always radiated a feeling of life even though it wasn\u2019t a boisterous place like Virginia City. To Joe, it now felt deserted, the life gone out of it.\u00a0 He brushed a palm against the back of his neck \u2013 the fine hairs were standing on end. He couldn\u2019t remember what his mother had called that sensation of chills when everything felt out of place. Pa called it a sixth sense but his mother had had a word in French.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou smell that?\u201d asked Joe.<\/p>\n
Adam took a deep breath and pulled his bandana from his back pocket to cover his nose.<\/p>\n
The stench of decay overpowered men and beasts.\u00a0 The horses tossed their heads and pulled against the bits, eager to be far away from this place. The cattle bolted down the single street and kept going; Adam knew the beasts would eventually stop so it was only a matter of he and Joe catching up to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe there\u2019s been a sickness,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n
\u201cOr a massacre.\u201d<\/p>\n
They reined in their horses, preparing to dismount.\u00a0 A meaty smack and Adam yelled as an arrow embedded under his collar bone. The reins fell from his hand and he swayed in the saddle. Joe threw himself from Cochise into his brother, knocking him to the hard-packed street, snapping the arrow shaft.<\/p>\n
Joe grabbed Adam\u2019s belt and pulled him up, steering his brother towards a house and safety. Arrow fletching brushed Joe\u2019s shoulder as he shoved Adam at a door. Joe drew his pistol and fired in several directions to give them cover.<\/p>\n
The door gave way at Adam\u2019s impact and he staggered through into the house, Joe on his heels. Once inside, Adam\u2019s knees buckled as the adrenaline rush wore off. He collapsed in a heap, moaning as pain throbbed with each heartbeat.<\/p>\n
An arrow thunked into the doorframe so Joe bellycrawled across the floor to shut the door.\u00a0 He turned his attention to Adam and used his knife to tear the shirt away from what remained of the arrow shaft. Joe winced at the jaggedly-broken arrow by Adam\u2019s fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, brother, but I\u2019ve gotta test it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The muscle in Joe\u2019s jaw twitched as Adam cursed him out in three languages.<\/p>\n
The broken arrow didn\u2019t budge.<\/p>\n
Adam grimaced and moaned at the intensity of the pain.\u00a0 He would have gratefully yielded to the abyss of unconsciousness.<\/p>\n
From the corner of his eye, Joe caught a glimpse of movement outside the window.\u00a0 He launched himself like a springing panther and collided with a body.<\/p>\n
Shaking off the daze, Joe said, \u201cYou\u2019re a kid!\u201d<\/p>\n
A boy who couldn\u2019t yet be ten glared at Joe as he struggled beneath the white man.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpeak English?\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy didn\u2019t answer so Joe grabbed him by the arms and jerked him upright.\u00a0 The quiver on the boy\u2019s back was empty.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou understand English?\u201d<\/p>\n
The boy shook his head.<\/p>\n
Joe sighed but didn\u2019t loosen his grip on the scrawny boy.\u00a0 He dragged the boy into the street and grabbed up the bow before returning to his brother.<\/p>\n
Upon seeing Adam, the boy pointed and said a jumble of words in Shoshoni.\u00a0 The kid then kicked Adam in the side, eliciting a scream from the man in black.\u00a0 Despite the pain, Adam grabbed the boy by the ankle and yanked, pulling the young Indian to the floor.\u00a0 The boy\u2019s butt hit the floor hard but he didn\u2019t yelp.<\/p>\n
Joe paced the floor like a trapped wolf as he ran his fingers through his hair.\u00a0 His brother needed a doctor but first he had to find their horses.\u00a0 They couldn\u2019t leave the kid here among the dead. The cattle would either find their way to water or would be hunted down by bears, panthers, or wolves. The army had paid for their beef and the twenty head were going to be eaten whether by people or animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re gonna have to get up,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust leave me here,\u201d said Adam.<\/p>\n
\u201cCut the melodrama.\u00a0 Your legs aren\u2019t hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe looked at the boy.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019re coming, too.\u201d\u00a0 He waved his hand in a gesture he hoped the boy knew as come.<\/p>\n
\u201cUp you get.\u201d\u00a0 Joe grabbed Adam\u2019s belt and good arm to pull him up.<\/p>\n
The boy got behind Adam and gave a push for good measure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to call you something,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n
\u201cI christen thee Iapetus, god of mortality.\u201d\u00a0 Adam chuckled at his cleverness.<\/p>\n
Joe clenched his teeth as he finally got Adam on his feet.\u00a0 \u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d\u00a0 The boy peeked around Adam and Joe pointed at the kid and said, \u201cWe\u2019ll call you Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam swayed as Joe draped a black-clad arm across his shoulders and encircled his brother\u2019s waist, clutching a beltloop in his fingers to keep him steady.\u00a0 The boy, trying to be helpful, hooked his fingers through the gun belt.<\/p>\n
The trio exited from the dim interior into the blast-furnace heat of late afternoon. In their short time in Indian Town, the two white men had become accustomed to the smell of death on the still air.\u00a0 Neither knew how the Indians had died and Pete couldn\u2019t tell them.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay here,\u201d said Joe as he darted across the street to check a house.\u00a0 A cloud of flies met him at the door.\u00a0 He held his bandana over his nose as he scanned the floor and walls for evidence of a fight.\u00a0 The decomposing body on the floor bore no obvious wounds that he could see.\u00a0 Joe crossed himself even though he wasn\u2019t a practicing Catholic and returned to Adam and Pete.<\/p>\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t see any bullet holes.\u201d Joe pulled Adam\u2019s arm across his shoulders again and they started walking.\u00a0 \u201cI hope to God it wasn\u2019t a massacre but was a sickness instead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pete said a few words and pointed in a general direction but neither Cartwright knew what the boy meant.<\/p>\n
As the men trudged out of town, Adam said, \u201cThe horses are probably well on their way home by now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe licked his lips and whistled a piercing blast three times.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you, a steam whistle at one of the mines?\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe tugged on Adam\u2019s belt loop as his brother started sagging.\u00a0 \u201cHave faith, Cochise will be here in a minute or so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five minutes passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cJoseph, my faith is sorely tested. I need to rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot yet,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 There were a couple of boulders in the distance and he wanted to have those at his back if they had to spend the night in the open.\u00a0 He also wanted to get out of sight of Indian Town.\u00a0 \u201cJust a few more steps.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPromise?\u201d asked Adam before his feet gave out.<\/p>\n
Joe was pulled down with his brother and, fortunately for Adam, Joe broke his fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet. Off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Adam lay still, his tanned face a paler shade than normal.<\/p>\n
Pete slapped Adam\u2019s cheek a few times then said a few words.<\/p>\n
Joe wriggled his way out from underneath his larger brother and sat for a moment, judging how far to the boulders.\u00a0 \u201cCome on, Pete, let\u2019s get him up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Planting his feet wide, Joe draped Adam across his shoulders as if he were a deer carcass. Man and boy set off for the boulders at a slow but steady pace – Joe, worried about the heat radiating from his brother, concentrated on breathing under Adam\u2019s weight and Pete kept up a steady chatter.<\/p>\n
Upon reaching their destination, Joe set his brother\u2019s back against a boulder as gently as he could. Adam\u2019s head lolled, chin practically resting against his chest.\u00a0 They had no fire, no food, and no water.\u00a0 With nothing else to do, Joe sat down next to Adam and rested his shoulder against his brother\u2019s undamaged one.\u00a0 Pete sat down on Adam\u2019s other side, but laid down to rest his head on the man\u2019s lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cSweet dreams,\u201d said Joe as he pulled his hat down over his eyes.<\/p>\n
He assumed Pete replied with a similar sentiment.<\/p>\n
**********<\/p>\n
Joe caught the smell of smoke. Out of habit, he leapt to his feet, still muzzy but ready to save the Ponderosa.\u00a0 He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.\u00a0 The campfire was still there and a man dressed in a black coat and top hat sat opposite it frying up bacon and eggs in a cast iron skillet.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood morning, young sir.\u00a0 I\u2019m Doctor Hezekiah Davis.\u00a0 Pleased to make your acquaintance.\u00a0 Your name is?<\/p>\n
\u201cCartwright.\u00a0 Joe Cartwright.\u201d He ran a hand through his hair.\u00a0 \u201cWhere did you come from?\u201d<\/p>\n
Before the other man could answer, a young woman wearing a beaded buckskin dress and moccasins stepped into view with Pete at her side.\u00a0 Her glossy black hair, in two braids, shone in the morning sun like polished obsidian.\u00a0 Joe\u2019s jaw dropped at the sight of radiant beauty in such a desolate place.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, please allow me to introduce my companion . . . .\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman stuck out her hand and said, \u201cLittle Flowuh.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe couldn\u2019t help but laugh at the woman\u2019s nasal, East Coast voice.<\/p>\n
Little Flower scowled and stood, arms akimbo.\u00a0 \u201cYou ain\u2019t a gentleman.\u201d\u00a0 She flounced over to Adam with a canteen in hand, Pete trotting behind her like a besotted puppy.<\/p>\n
She knelt beside Adam and put the canteen to his lips.\u00a0 He swallowed as cool water trickled into his mouth.<\/p>\n
He opened his eyes and drank in her oval face, large brown eyes, and pert nose.\u00a0 \u201cAn angel,\u201d he said before his eyes rolled back and he fell into darkness once again.<\/p>\n
Joe shook his head and walked a few paces as he rubbed the back of his neck.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you find us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe followed the horse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you hard of hearing?\u201d Little Flower asked.\u00a0 \u201cA horse led us here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe looked around but didn\u2019t see Cochise or Sport.\u00a0 \u201cWhere is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
Hezekiah gestured over his shoulder with the fork he was using to scramble the eggs. \u201cOver there somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe whistled and was rewarded with a familiar neigh.\u00a0 A smile lit his face as Cochise, followed by a sway-backed bay, trotted into view.\u00a0 Joe couldn\u2019t hold back and he crossed the distance and hugged his horse around the neck, burying his face in Cochise\u2019s mane.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about a cup of coffee?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, pardon my lack of manners,\u201d said Hezekiah as he set the fork on the ground and poured steaming coffee into a blue-speckled tin enamel cup.<\/p>\n
Joe accepted the offered cup with a nod and let Cochise have the first sip.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t happen to see a second horse, did you?\u201d Joe asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it drink coffee, too?\u201d asked Little Flower.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, his tastes are more refined.\u201d Joe smiled but she looked more irritated than amused.<\/p>\n
Hezekiah shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cWe only saw the one.\u00a0 It was as if he had a destination in mind so we just let him lead the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t happen to see any cattle did you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnly a carcass but other than that, no.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joe nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you headed?\u201d he asked before taking a swig of coffee.<\/p>\n
\u201cVirginia City.\u00a0 I sell medicines guaranteed to restore men and women to the prime of health.\u00a0 They only contain the purest of herbs, the secrets of which I\u2019ve learned from the Natives of this land.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFolks like her?\u201d Joe asked, gesturing with the cup.<\/p>\n
Little Flower glared at Joe as she gently brushed the hair back from Adam\u2019s forehead with her fingertips.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you headed, Mr. Cartwright?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cJoe.\u00a0 Same place.\u00a0 We\u2019re from the Ponderosa.\u00a0 My brother, Adam, and I, that is.\u00a0 Pete\u2019s from Indian Town, a way\u2019s back.\u201d\u00a0 He studied Hezekiah for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cSay, you\u2019re a doctor.\u00a0 My brother has an arrow stuck in him.\u00a0 Can you get it out?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe ain\u2019t that kinda doctor,\u201d said Little Flower.<\/p>\n
Hezekiah cleared his throat.\u00a0 \u201cWhat she means is I\u2019m not a surgeon.\u00a0 However, I do have medicines for fever if that will help your brother until we reach Virginia City.\u201d<\/p>\n
Little Flower cocked her head and studied Pete for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cHow come he\u2019s with you instead of with his muthah?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou poor dear!\u201d\u00a0 She grabbed the boy in a hug and Pete froze, unsure what he should do.\u00a0 Little Flower stroked his hair as she held him tight.\u00a0 Pete finally relaxed and sniffled a bit but no tears escaped his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf breakfast is ready, we should eat and be on our way,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d said Hezekiah.<\/p>\n
He plated up the food and served their guests first.\u00a0 Little Flower tried feeding Pete with a fork but he quickly shoveled eggs and bacon into his mouth with his fingers. She turned her attention to Adam, rousing him enough to eat a few bites of egg.<\/p>\n
After breakfast was done and the skillet cleaned and packed, Joe helped Hezekiah hitch the bay to the wagon so they could be on their way.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelp me get Adam into the wagon.\u201d<\/p>\n
The men got Adam on his feet and half-dragged him to the wagon.\u00a0 Adam sweated from the heat of fever.\u00a0 Joe knew his brother had a strong constitution and should be able to fight off the infection.\u00a0 They got him settled into the back of the wagon, propped up by the boxes of inventory. Little Flower climbed in to tend to Adam.\u00a0 Pete wasn\u2019t sure what to do so he settled for sitting on the seat next to the doctor.<\/p>\n
Joe mounted Cochise and the small group headed off for Virginia City.<\/p>\n
**********<\/p>\n
The late morning silence was shattered by Adam singing Early One Morning<\/em> off key and loud.<\/p>\n Joe reined in Cochise and directed the horse to the back of the wagon.\u00a0 He gritted his teeth and thought Adam had at least sounded passionate when serenading Abigail Jones; now he sounded like a love-sick bull.<\/p>\n Adam stopped long enough to take a deep draught from a brown bottle.<\/p>\n \u201cAin\u2019t he got a beautiful voice?\u201d Little Flower\u2019s face glowed with adoration.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is that stuff?\u201d asked Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cMedicine,\u201d said Little Flower.\u00a0 In her accent it was \u201cmed-uh-suhn.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat kind of medicine?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVegetable Remedy,\u201d answered Hezekiah.\u00a0 \u201cI can tell by the aroma.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam belched and tossed the bottle out of the back of the wagon, shattering it into glistening shards when it hit the ground. \u201cAnother, fair wench!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let him consume the inventory!\u201d hollered the doctor.<\/p>\n Little Flower uncorked a fresh bottle and wrapped Adam\u2019s fingers around it.\u00a0 \u201cTake your medicine like a good boy.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam complied.<\/p>\n Joe turned Cochise and headed to the front of the wagon.\u00a0 Pete, nimble as a monkey, leapt from the wagon onto Cochise, landing behind Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t take it, either,\u201d muttered Joe.<\/p>\n Cochise\u2019s ears pricked at a distant moo.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll be back,\u201d said Joe.\u00a0 The horse sprang into a gallop to do the job he was trained to do.<\/p>\n Adam took another long drink from the bottle.\u00a0 \u201cDo my ears deceive me or was that a bovine?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHuh?\u201d asked Little Flower.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was indeed a cow,\u201d answered the doctor.<\/p>\n Adam fixed Little Flower with a serious look.\u00a0 \u201cCattle are like Easter eggs – they hide in unexpected places and we have to find \u2018em.\u201d\u00a0 He hiccupped five times in a row then drew in a long breath.\u00a0 \u201cIf my brother has gone on an Easter egg hunt then we\u2019ll surely have beef for supper.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat don\u2019t make no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCourse it does.\u201d He spoke slow and loud, as if that would help her understand.\u00a0 \u201cThe steers hide themselves, usually in brush or hard to reach places.\u00a0 Cowboys are like children hunting bright-colored eggs, \u2018cept there ain\u2019t no prizes for whoever gets the most.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam took another drink then giggled as he set the bottle aside. He crooked a finger, gesturing for Little Flower to come closer.\u00a0 She leaned in.<\/p>\n \u201cYou do know you must always drink upstream from the herd, right?\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n Adam reached out with a forefinger and tapped her nose. \u201cWhat comes out of the back end of a steer?\u201d<\/p>\n Her eyebrows drew together for a brief moment before rising in twin arcs.<\/p>\n \u201cExactly,\u201d Adam said.<\/p>\n He took another long drink.\u00a0 \u201cWhere\u2019s my brother?\u00a0 My baby brother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe ain\u2019t here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cJooooseph!\u201d<\/p>\n Adam picked up the bottle and shook it, disappointed that it was empty.\u00a0 Little Flower took the bottle from him before he could toss it from the wagon.<\/p>\n \u201cJoe reminds me of a tumbleweed, always drifting whichever way the wind blows him.\u201d Adam drank deeply again.\u00a0 \u201cDid you know tumbleweeds are best left to themselves?\u201d<\/p>\n She shook her head, hanging on every word.<\/p>\n \u201cYup, sure are. They just roll over everything in their path or get tangled up in a fence.\u201d He took another drink then muttered, \u201cTumbleweeds are useless.\u201d<\/p>\n He hiccupped again then his jaw went slack as he fell into a drunken stupor.\u00a0 Little Flower gently took the bottle from his hand and reset the cork.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he sleeps for a long while,\u201d said Hezekiah.<\/p>\n Little Flower sighed and said, \u201cMe, too.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n Joe returned to the wagon an hour later with five steers.\u00a0 He figured the rest were a loss but as they\u2019d been paid for them it didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n The doctor had stopped for a midday meal of bread and beans.\u00a0 He fixed two plates and offered them to Joe and Pete.\u00a0 The boy took a bite of the bread and spit it out but was content to scoop the beans into his mouth.<\/p>\n \u201cHow\u2019s Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSleeping.\u00a0 He\u2019s fevered but not any worse than he was this morning.\u00a0 Surely that\u2019s a good sign.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grunted around a mouthful of beans.\u00a0 He hoped it meant Adam wouldn\u2019t get any worse.<\/p>\n After finishing their meal, the group set out again but this time Pete rode on Cochise in front of Joe.<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n When they made camp that evening, Joe and Hezekiah pulled Adam out of the wagon.\u00a0 The stench of whiskey and stale sweat wafted from the wounded man, causing Hezekiah to gag.\u00a0 Little Flower put down a blanket and they laid him upon it.<\/p>\n Adam breathed shallowly in the cooling evening air, his face and chest glistening with sweat. The doctor examined the wound \u2013 the skin around the protruding broken arrow was red. \u00a0Not knowing anatomy, Hezekiah couldn\u2019t risk removing the arrow.\u00a0 Joe believed he could have easily removed a bullet but an arrow took knowledge he didn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n \u201cI fear this will turn to gangrene,\u201d said Hezekiah.<\/p>\n Joe rubbed a hand across his mouth, wiping the sweat from his upper lip.\u00a0 He couldn\u2019t \u2013 wouldn\u2019t \u2013 let his brother die.<\/p>\n Little Flower brought more blankets from the back of the wagon and piled them on Adam.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe I should snuggle up to him.\u00a0 You know, for warmth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t dally with a man nearly in his grave,\u201d said Hezekiah.\u00a0 An uncomfortable feeling, as if he were being watched by a vulture, crept over him. He flinched at Joe\u2019s glare and said, \u201cI didn\u2019t mean your brother is actually going to die tonight.\u00a0 We all die.\u00a0 Eventually.\u201d\u00a0 He looked down at his boots and scuffed one in the dirt.<\/p>\n \u201cThat arm might have to come clean off.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe grabbed the man by the shirtfront and pulled him close enough to smell the fear on his breath. \u201cMy brother is a rancher. A man can\u2019t work cattle with just one arm.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are other things he could do \u2013 accounting, for instance.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe pushed the doctor back.\u00a0 \u201cYou\u2019d condemn him to half a life.\u201d<\/p>\n Little Flower snapped at both men.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s gotta be something you can do. You got some medical learnin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Adam groaned and Joe ran a hand through his hair as he tried to think of a solution.<\/p>\n Hezekiah said, \u201cI\u2019ll boil some water and pour it on the wound.\u00a0 A good dosing with alcohol will hopefully set things right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s dosed himself with enough alcohol,\u201d said Joe. \u201cHe\u2019s beyond drunk.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDoctor Hezekiah\u2019s medicines ain\u2019t like that!\u201d said Little Flower. \u201cThey\u2019re good for what ails you.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe snorted as the doctor poured water into a pot and set it over the fire.<\/p>\n When the water was bubbling, Joe tapped Pete on the shoulder and gestured to Adam\u2019s legs. Pete sat down on them.\u00a0 Joe held Adam\u2019s arms pinned by his side.<\/p>\n Hezekiah looked away as he poured the boiling water onto the wound.\u00a0 Tears trailed down his cheeks as Adam screamed like an animal.<\/p>\n When the deed was done and Adam was unconscious, Hezekiah pulled the cork from a bottle of Vegetable Remedy and downed half of it in one swallow.<\/p>\n Little Flower knelt by Adam\u2019s head and whispered over and over, \u201cIt\u2019ll be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n **********<\/p>\n In the morning, the group set out again. By evening, Virginia City was in sight.<\/p>\n Adam had awoken and was again singing.\u00a0 However, his repertoire was now Christmas carols.<\/p>\n A crowd gathered on the street to meet the wagon.\u00a0 Ben and Hoss pushed past and made their way to greet Joe and his companions.<\/p>\n Ben took in the doctor and Pete but assumed the boy belonged to the man. As soon as he saw his son in the back of the wagon was in mama bear mode, ready to protect his boy.<\/p>\n \u201cGet the doctor, Hoss.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss ran down the street determined to drag the doctor if he had to.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d asked Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cArrow.\u00a0 The rest is a long story,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n \u201cHowdy, Pa,\u201d said Adam before he dissolved into a fit of giggles.<\/p>\n Ben waved a hand to dispel the distillery smell emanating from his eldest son. \u00a0He tried to help his son sit up but Adam fell back, smacking the back of his head against the wagon floor.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOw.\u201d<\/p>\n Hoss returned with Doctor Martin.<\/p>\n \u201cGet him out of there.\u201d<\/p>\n Joe and Ben, with a little help from Pete, got Adam out of the wagon and on his feet. The two men had to hold tight to keep Adam from swaying too much and Pete helped by holding onto Adam\u2019s gun belt.<\/p>\n Doctor Martin pressed around the wound as Adam hissed and moaned.\u00a0 Clear fluid leaked around the protruding arrow shaft.<\/p>\n \u201cYou did a good job of field dressing this, Joe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWasn\u2019t me.\u00a0 Hezekiah poured boiling water on it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t complain once about it, did I, Joe?\u201d asked Adam, his words slurred.<\/p>\n \u201cSaved his life, and his arm,\u201d said Doctor Martin.<\/p>\n Hezekiah beamed with pride at praise from a real doctor.\u00a0 He jumped down from the wagon seat and thrust out his hand to greet his fellow medical practitioner but Ben grabbed his hand and shook it exuberantly.<\/p>\n \u201cGet Adam to my office,\u201d said Doctor Martin.<\/p>\n Hoss swung an arm around his brother\u2019s waist and lifted him off the ground then followed the physician.<\/p>\n \u201cWhee!\u201d said Adam before he burst into a giggling fit.<\/p>\n Little Flower looked at the retreating figures then Joe, then she made her decision.\u00a0 She gave Joe a peck on the cheek then ran down the street to catch up with Hoss, eager to nurse Adam back to health.<\/p>\n Pete said a few words that no one understood then tugged on Joe\u2019s sleeve. Joe knelt down to be on eye-level with the boy.\u00a0 Pete wrapped his arms around Joe\u2019s neck and hugged him before trotting off after Little Flower.<\/p>\n Joe pushed his hat back and sighed as he watched Hoss, Little Flower, and Pete disappear into the doctor\u2019s office. \u00a0He didn\u2019t understand how a woman like that could be so besotted with his drunk brother.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re a mighty good doctor Hezekiah,\u201d said Joe.<\/p>\n The other man blushed and scuffed the toe of his boot in the dirt.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I buy you a drink for your troubles, Hezekiah?\u201d asked Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cI could use a barrel of whiskey, Pa.\u201d<\/p>\n The three men headed for the Bucket of Blood.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy did you bring back a few steers?\u201d asked Ben.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a long story, Pa.\u00a0 You should ask Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n ***The End***<\/p>\n Written for Bonanza Brand\u2019s 2023 Ponderosa Paddlewheel Poker Tournament. The words\/phrases dealt to me were:<\/p>\n massacre <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nEaster egg hunt
\n\u201calways drink upstream from the herd\u201d
\n\u201ctumbleweeds are best left to themselves\u201d
\n[Joker]<\/p>\n