Friends and Neighbors
By Yankee 01754
Every bone in Slim Sherman's body ached - especially his broken left arm. He felt like he was one giant bruise. The scratches on his face and and all stung like crazy. Despite his telling Jess he was too mad not to go after the man responsible for his condition - the phony professor who'd used him to find some stolen money - he was wishing he'd let his pard splint his arm and take him home. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to get home and into bed.
There was other business to take care of first,. Their neighbors, the Dixson brothers, were both wounded. They needed to get them on the horses they had borrowed and take them to the doctor. The dead outlaw's body - amazingly it hadn't been Jess that shot him. Neither Slim nor Jess could believe that Len had managed to get off the shot that took him down permanently. Not only did he take him down, thereby saving all of their lives - he did it with an old gun that shouldn't have worked to begin with. Bennett's body had to be taken to Mort Corey's office in Laramie so they could claim the reward of five hundred dollars that was being offered by the state of Illinois.
Who am I kidding? he thought to himself. Jess has to do all the work here - get me and the boys to the doc and everything else. I can't help at all.
A wave of dizziness assaulted him just then and he slumped over the neck of Jess' horse on which he was sitting.
"Slim? You all right pard?" Jess' blue eyes were dark with concern.
Slim straightened himself up with an effort.
"I'm fine," the blond rancher insisted.
"You don't look fine," the dark haired one said. "Len and Pete are hurting too. I put Morgan's body on his horse along with the money." He swung up behind Slim. "Time to get you three to Doc Collyer's to get patched up. Then I'm takin' you home and puttin' ya to bed."
When he finished speaking Jess turned their horses back toward Laramie. He supported Slim with one arm while leading the horse with the dead outlaw's body and the money on it. The Dixson brothers followed close behind where Jess could keep an eye on them.
It was a long arduous journey for all of them. By the time they set up camp for the night, at the place where, Jess had camped the night before everyone was exhausted - especially Jess since he had to tend to three injured men, five horses, start a fire and cook for all of them.
Slim's face was white with pain and exhaustion it wasn't just his arm that at this point. He had a headache as well.
"Getting knocked out and then thrown off a cliff will do that to you," he thought to himself.
Supper was a rabbit Jess was able to bring down, and coffee. All of the men fell asleep quickly after the Texas checked the Dixsons' wounds and made sure Slim's arm was securely tied to his side and immobilized as best he could do it.
Breakfast was nothing more than coffee, made with the last of Jess' water. Once the f ire was out Jess helped the others mount the horses, then the group continued on their journey to Laramie.
The sun was high overhead by the time they reined up in front of the sheriff's office. Mort Corey took one look at the three injured men, and Jess' haggard face, and took charge. He had a couple of townsmen take the dead outlaw's body to the undertaker's while he took charge of leading Jess' horse, relieving his young friend of the reins. The young Texan resisted at first, but Mort was adamant.
:Jess, you look about done in. Let me lead Drifter down to Doc Collyer's while you relax.
"All right," Jess finally gave in.
A couple of other townsmen took charge of Len and Pete, supporting them as they walked up the steps to the doctor's front door. Once inside, the three injured men were shown into his office, one at a time. Over Jess' protests Slim went last.
"You need to get that arm set!"
"Busted arm can wait," Slim said. "Len's leg and Pete's arm need tending to before they get infected. I'm fine." His face was pale and his expression pained but he was determined that their neighbors get tended to first.
Jess sighed, rolled his eyes and settled back to wait.
Finally it was Slim's turn. Jess was told to wait outside which he did reluctantly.
"Tell me what happened. Where did you find Morgan Bennett?" Mort asked as he settled into a chair next to Jess.
"He found us," Jess told his friend. "He came in on the noon stage - same one Len and Pete tried to hold up."
Mort rolled his eyes at that revelation.
"He asked for Slim and went over to talk to him. I rode off to fix the fence he'd hired the Dixson's to fix and didn't."
"You hired Len and Pete Dixson to fix a fence?"
The Texan rolled his eyes again. "Not me - Slim. He's got this crazy idea about reforming them or something."
"Anyway, when you left the wanted posters with me I looked at them and put them down on the table. But something bothered me about one of them – Bennett's."
"Why was that?"
"It just seemed like I'd seen him before."
"Go on."
"Well I looked at it again and then I did what a kid would do - I scribbled on it. I drew a pair of specs on his face. As soon as I did that I knew why he looked familiar - he was the man that got off the stage askin' for Slim."
"How did you know where to look for them?
Conversation stopped briefly when the doctor's wife came out of the combination office and treatment room.
"It'll be a few minutes yet, Jess," she told the anxious young cowboy. "My husband is cleaning up the scrapes and all on Slim's face before he sets his arm. He gave him a little laudanum to help ease the pain before he does."
"No concussion then."
'No. No concussion but he does have a headache. She patted Jess on the shoulder. "I'd better get back."
When she was gone Corey prompted Jess to finish his story.
"I didn't know exactly where to look. I had to track them, I found Slim at the bottom of Hawk bluff. Had to climb down on a rope. He was just comin' round. Got a lump on his head, his shirt was all torn - you saw that - scratches on his face." Jess scowled. "Stubborn hard headed fool insisted on being' dragged up to the top instead of me getting my horse and bring' him down and wouldn't let me splint his arm either."
Mort Corey turned a chuckle into a cough. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!
"You pretty much know the rest. Len and Pete were following Slim and Bennett and got into a firefight with him. Len fired the shot that killed him. Saved all of us I reckon."
The door to the office opened just then.
"Jess? You can come in now," Doc Collyer spoke.
Eagerly the Texan got to his feet and went into the exam room. Slim was sitting up, his left arm splinted and in a sling. His face looked better, but still quite pale.
"He's ready to go home," the doctor told Jess, "but I want him to ride in a buggy or wagon to be on the safe side."
"Okay. I'll go get one at the livery."
"Make it a wagon, Jess," Slim said. "Len and Pete are coming home with us for a while so they can heal up before they start fixing their place up and working for us again."
"What!"
"You heard me," Slim said crossly. "Now go get that wagon so we can all get out of here."
Under protest Jess did just that. He was back half an hour later with a wagon filled with hay intended to make the ride more comfortable for the three injured men.
Mort Corey waited around so he could help Jess get the patients into the wagon, then left for his office saying, "I'll let you know about the reward money as soon as I hear."
"Thanks Sheriff," Jess said as he picked up the reins and started the team moving.
Grumbling to himself the whole time, the dark haired cowboy drove the twelve miles to the relay station and helped Slim and the others inside, making them as comfortable as possible, before tending to the team and wagon.
A stage line employee was on hand to take care of the coach that came in behind him.
Jess explained to the passengers that they were welcome to help themselves to water, but, due to circumstances beyond his control, there was no coffee or refreshments. There would be on their return trip.
Fifteen minutes later the coach rolled out of the yard and Jess went inside to check on the invalids and start supper.
"Ohhh," Slim moaned in his sleep waking Jess who was in the next bed over.
"Slim? Pard? You okay?" Jess got out of bed and went to sit next to his partner.
"Arm aches something fierce," Slim said.
"Doc gave me a bottle of laudanum in case you needed it."
"No."
"But Slim, if your arm aches that bad, you probably need it."
The blond rancher glared at him.
"I'd rather deal with the aching arm than take that stuff! You know that!"
"I know you don't like it - I don't either," Jess told him, "but if you can't sleep I won't be able to sleep and I've Len and Pete to look out for besides thanks to you."
"I couldn't sent them home in the condition they're in," the older man said. "They're hurting as bad as I am - and they saved our lives! Remember?"
"Yeah, I remember." Jess got a determined look on his face. "You're gonna take a little of that laudanum, pard. I don't have Jonesy's way of making potions and such so you gotta take some of the laudanum so we can both get some sleep tonight."
"Aw Jess."
Jess was adamant and Slim had to give in. The more he thought about it the more he realized it wasn't fair to refuse the stuff if it would help him sleep. It wasn't fair to Jess to keep him awake half the night.
No sooner did he have Slim settled when he heard the Dixson brothers also moaning about their wounds hurting. Jess gave them a little of the drug and then went back to his own bed falling into an exhausted sleep.
So it went for the next few days. Painkiller, shuffling them off to bed, fetching pillows, blankets, hot drinks, cold drinks, snacks, lunch, dinner, doing the dishes. Jess felt like he hadn't been away from the house - even to the corral let alone the barn or the range - for a month. He didn't mind taking care of Slim - Slim was always there for him when he was sick or hurt - but Len and Pete were beginning to drive him crazy!
"Howdy Jess," Mort Corey said as he rode into the yard at the relay station three days later.
"Hi sheriff."
"How are the patients?"
"Coming along, but I'll sure be glad when Len and Pete go home. If they're not whining and complaining they're eatin' us out of house and home as Slim puts it."
"Well, it can't be too much longer," Corey told him. "If Slim can manage to do things with one hand I"m sure Pete will figure out that he can too before too long."
"I sure hope so," Jess sighed. "They're beginnin to get on my nerves."
Mort chuckled. "What I came out here for was to let you know I heard about the reward."
Slim came out of the house just then.
"Well look who's on his feet again," the sheriff said by way of greeting.
"Hi sheriff."
"How're you feeling?
"Well I don't feel like someone stomped all over me any more," the tall blond rancher replied.
"You're looking a sight better."
"What brings you out here," Slim inquired of the lawman.
"Came to tell you fellas I heard back about the reward money," the lawman explained for a second time. "Morgan Bennett was worth $500 just for the prison b break alone. On his way out here he stole a horse, robbed a couple of stores and shot a man. Fortunately that man will live." Mort smiled at his two young friends. "You're looking at two thousand dollars split four ways."
"Two thou- that's five hundred dollars apiece!" Slim exclaimed.
"That's right, and you've earned it." Cory turned his horse away from the hitching rail. "I'll send word when it comes in."
Slim and Jess waved as the older man rode out of the yard.
"Two thousand dollars. Five hundred apiece." Jess was stunned.
"More than enough for a mortgage payment with some leftover to put into the savings account," Slim said happily.
Together the partners walked back to the house. A few hours later they would let the Dixsons know about the reward.
The reaction from Len and Pete would have Jess talking about having his hearing checked. They couldn't possibly be talking about becoming responsible citizens like Slim! Not those two lazy good for nothing misfits!