Tending to Jess
By Yankee 01754
After saying good night to their temporary employee, and friend, on the porch Slim went back inside. In the kitchen he pumped cool water into a pitcher and took it into the bedroom he and Jess shared.
On the bed closest to the door - the one he, Slim usually slept in, lay his partner. Only a few minutes ago Sheriff Mort Corey had brought Jess home from Laramie. White faced, bleeding in two places on his head, and unconscious, Jess had been found in an alley behind the saloon. He'd stormed out of Mort's office boiling mad over the lawman's refusal to deal with the two bounty hunters in town whom Jess knew to be after Fred - the wanderer that Jess had found and brought home.
Mort had taken him to Doc Hansen's with the help of a passing cowboy. After Doc had examine Jess, he told Mort that there were no broken bones but Jess would need a lot of rest over the next few days.
The stubborn Texan had insisted he could ride his horse home, but had, as Mort put it, passed clean out before they had gotten very far. He was slumped in his saddle when Mort summoned Slim from the house and hadn't stirred since his friends had done their best to make him comfortable.
Now Slim sat in the chair by the bed once again - this time placing cool damp compresses on Jess' forehead.
"You're gonna be all right, Jess," the big man murmured. "Mort told me you're gonna need some rest but you're not hurt bad. Removing the warm compress Slim soaked it in cold water and wrung it out again before placing back on Jess' forehead.
The younger man moaned softly and mumbled something about home. His friend couldn't quite make out what Jess was saying so he just kept up a quiet monologue.
Easy Jess. Just rest easy,." Again Slim freshened the compress. "Easy. You're safe. You're home. Easy."
Though the night was warm, Slim was concerned about Jess taking a chill while he was unconscious. Quietly he stripped the quilt off of Jess' bed and placed it over him. That done he put his hand on his partner's forehead to assure himself that Jess wasn't starting a fever. Finding no signs of one, he went back to putting the compresses on the younger man's forehead.
For the next hour and a half the tall blond rancher sat at his friend's side patiently tending to him. When Jess started mumbling incoherently, Slim's quiet voice calmed him.
When Jess finally opened his eyes again it was Slim's relieved face that he saw.
"Welcome back," Slim said.
"I-I'm home/" the Texan asked dazedly.
"Yes. Mort brought you home a couple of hours ago. Those two bounty hunters - or whatever they are - told him you threatened them. Said you attacked them."
Slim looked at Jess seriously. "He doesn't believe that any more than I do. Want to tell me your side of it? What you couldn't tell Mort? He said you weren't able to tell him much."
Jess slowly, with some trepidation and hesitation, told Slim what he remembered.
Slim nodded as he listened. He believed Jess only meant to warn them to stay away but, from the looks of Jess, they didn't appreciate it.
"Well you gave Mort and me a scare but he told me Doc Hansen found no broken bones - just a lot of bruises and those cuts I cleaned up." Slim smiled at the younger man. "Think you can sit up? There's coffee on the stove.
"Lead me to it," Jess said as he threw back the quilt and started to sit up.
Slim helped him up and out to the main room to his favorite chair.
A cup of coffee, a concerned question, an argument, a reconciliation and a showdown with Jess' assailants were still ahead. When it was all over the friendship would be as strong, if not stronger, than ever.