Never a Still Moment
or
How Many People Does it Take to Keep Johnny Lancer in Bed?
Part One
Bad News and Worse News
Sam Jenkins hesitated outside the door knowing that the news he was about to impart would not be received well at all. He had faced these two men before on similar occasions and it never seemed to get any easier. Oh, it wasn't the worry of his patient recovering; he was going to make a full recovery. It was the recovery itself that he dreaded discussing with Murdoch and Scott. Nope, this wasn't going to be a pleasant discussion at all.
"Well?" Murdoch turned from the huge window behind his desk when he heard Scott clearing his throat to gain his father's attention. The worried parent's face was haggard, his hair standing at odd angles from the repeated running of his fingers through the silver strands.
Sam stood, stalling for time by removing his handkerchief to clean his lenses as he tried to find the words to explain the absolute Hell he knew the family was going to be subjected to for the next several days. When he hesitated to say anything Scott's concern overcame him.
"My brother's going to be fine, isn't he? It was only a broken leg, wasn't it?"
"Yes, Scott, it's just a broken leg but, no, he isn't going to be fine. He's going to be miserable and so are the rest of you." Sam knew he was snapping at the younger man but his own frustration was getting the best of him. He had fought with Johnny over the laudanum before he set the boy's leg and even though he won, it wasn't a victory he could be proud of knowing that he had upset his patient to the point of near tears.
"Just what does that mean exactly?" Scott asked, crossing his arms to hug his torso, a move characteristic of his younger brother.
"It means the break was bad and for the next seven or eight days he isn't to leave that bed for any reason." Sam recognized the look of the impending explosion on his old friend's face. He braced himself for the bellow to come.
"A whole week, you have got to be kidding me!" The big man grabbed the edge of his desk, appearing for all the world like his knees would buckle.
Sam held up his hand to stop further argument. "It could mean the difference between whether the boy has a permanent limp or not. He's got to give the bones time to start knitting together properly. If it were anyone else I wouldn't be so strict but I don't have to tell you that it's a totally different game when it comes to Johnny. I'm sorry, gentlemen, but there is no other way."
Frustrated, Murdoch rapped the desk top with his knuckles and snapped at the doctor in exasperation, "Just how do you recommend we keep him down, tie him to the bed?"
Scott felt as vexed as his father but now wasn't the time for fighting amongst themselves. They needed to work together and approach this with some kind of strategy. "Instead of snapping at each other, gentlemen, I suggest we sit down and discuss this calmly over coffee. After all he's just one young man. How hard could it be?"
Sam and Murdoch turned and looked at Scott in total annoyance and disbelief. Scott realized he had probably just made the most ludicrous statement in his life and quickly excused himself to procure the coffee.
"Sit down, Sam. I know you must be exhausted from dealing with Johnny." It wasn't easy for Murdoch to apologize, but he felt bad for taking his frustrations out on his oldest and dearest friend.
Placing a hand on Murdoch's shoulder, Sam tried to comfort the man. "I know it looks daunting but if we sit down and discuss it, I'm sure together we can come up with a plan to make this next week go by as painlessly as possible for all concerned."
Murdoch smiled at Sam and they both broke out in laughter because they knew that the days ahead were going to be anything but painless.
~*~L~*~A~*~N~*~C~*~E~*~R~*~
Teresa poured more coffee in Murdoch's cup as she eagerly tried to comfort and convince the two men sitting at the table that the next week would not be as impossible as they seemed to think. "I bet once word gets out that Johnny is laid up there will be plenty of distractions from Green River and Morro Coyo arriving at the ranch."
"What do you mean, darling?" Murdoch cautiously asked. He hoped that his ward didn't mean there would be a bevy of young visitors of the female persuasion trooping in and out cuddling up to his invalid son.
He didn't think he could handle watching a bunch of giggling girls vying for Johnny's attention. Knowing Johnny, he knew the constant attention would soon wear on the boy's nerves as well as his own. Johnny wasn't particularly shy around girls but he was not all that tolerant of their blatant overtures of trying to capture his attention.
"Well, I happen to know that Aggie Conway is going to be over here in a flash once she gets word that Johnny is laid up. She seems to have a special fondness for him. I mean she loves all of us but when she gets around Johnny she seems to get sort of dreamy like." Teresa couldn't quite explain what she meant but she knew Aggie connected with Johnny in a special way, not quite like a mother and child but as an aunt and favorite nephew.
"Well, Aggie knew Johnny before. I think she just remembers him when he was a baby is all." Chuckle at a distant memory "Don't tell Johnny but Aggie used to change his diapers," Murdoch informed his children.
"Still, I think she is going to want to come and spend some time with him when she finds out he's being restricted to bed for the next seven or eight days," Teresa said.
"I've noticed someone else who seems to be enamored with my little brother's charms and that's the Widow Hargis. Every time we go for supplies, Johnny walks away with a handful of cookies and more often than not a bag of peppermint sticks," Scott enlightened his family as he sipped at his coffee.
"I know how your brother has charmed and wrapped half the women in this valley around his finger but what possible interest would he have with them all coming to keep him company?" Murdoch couldn't fathom how their visits would keep his son entertained and occupied for any length of time.
As she breezed to the sink in order to finish up with the dishes, Teresa casually replied, "Well as long as they come bringing him treats I'm sure they will be welcomed anytime." She giggled; delighted she had it figured out before the men.
Murdoch and Scott turned to each other, twin grins parting their lips with the knowledge that Teresa was right. One thing they could count on when it came to Johnny was he had a sweet tooth that was quickly becoming legendary.