I'm so excited! Tomorrow's July 14th! Now that date might not mean anything to y'all, but it does to me. That's cause it's my 20th birthday! Yay!
Ok, enough about me! Let me start by saying how grateful I am to everyone who has reviewed! You don't know how much I look forward to hearing from you! Ya'll have inspired me so much that I think I have an idea for another story about Sierra and her brothers! I haven't started working on it so might be a little while before I post it; I think I'll do what I did on this one, get the story pretty much written before I start posting it.
So anyways, here's the last chapter. There is an epilogue after this, but it's kinda short. I might upload it later tonight, not sure yet, but it will definitely be on here tomorrow! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this chapter!
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Chapter 4
Running...run...run. Something was chasing her. She had to get away. Frantically she pushed through the low hanging branches and underbrush. She could hear it getting closer, closer, closer, until it was almost on top of her. The sound of its breathing reached her ears, threatening to cause her heart to stop. She was sure she felt its icy cold hand brush against her arm, sending a chill through her small body. She pulled away and ran...kept running...
As she broke through the last stand of trees, she felt her breath catch. Blocking the path in front of her was a rock wall. In panic, she whirled around to discover that she was trapped. The rock walls had her surrounded on three sides as the beast closed in on her from the trees of the opening. Its ragged breathing and the rustling of the branches told her it would only be a matter of seconds before it would reach her.
She shrank against the rock wall in terror as the beast burst through the last of the branches. Pausing only for a moment, it fixed its glowing red eyes on her, baring its teeth as it growled.
Then it charged. She tried to scream as she watched the beast rapidly coming nearer. But no sound came out. Just a few more steps and it would all be over. The beast opened its mouth wide revealing its monstrous sized teeth. She shut her eyes and screamed as she felt its jaws closing around her neck...
"Hold her still, Hoss!"
"I'm trying, Adam!"
Sierra awoke with a scream to the feeling of excruciating pain in her right side. Someone was firmly holding her in place and their grip tightened slightly when she tried to escape whatever was causing the painful burning in her side.
"Shh, it's alright, Shortcakes, I've got you."
Sierra knew that voice; and even if she hadn't there was only one person who called her 'shortcakes.' "Hoss," she managed to croak out, as she opened her tired eyes to look up into the blurry image of her older brother's face. Her throat felt dry and she swallowed several times.
"Adam, she's awake," Hoss said, as he looked down to where Adam knelt.
Despite the pain she was feeling, Sierra felt her eyes open wide in surprise as she heard her oldest brother swear. As far back as she could remember, Sierra had never heard any of her brothers use such strong language. Well, maybe Joe when he was younger, but Pa had quickly put a stop to it. She knew that their father would not be happy if he knew the kind of choice words Adam had just used.
"Adam, maybe we should wait," Hoss suggested to his older brother. Though she couldn't see Adam, Sierra soon figured out where he was when she felt him shift his weight to sit on top on her legs, in a bid to keep her still.
"Hoss, I can see the bullet. We can't stop now," Adam's voice was stern, but Sierra heard the tremble in it. "That bullet's been there too long already. If we wait any longer..." Adam broke off, refusing to say the thought that was in all of their minds. He paused for a second before he spoke again, a slight tremble in his voice. "There doesn't seem to be any major damage to any organs, but I can't be sure. The bleeding has been bad and this lead bullet has to come out. Now. "
"Joe?" Sierra croaked out as she remembered her older brother's wounded condition. She thought she saw a smile flicker across Hoss' face as he answered.
"Little brother's gonna be just fine," he assured her. "But right now, it's you we need to worry about."
"Sierra, I know this hurts, but I need you to be as still as you can," Adam told his sister. "I've almost got it."
"Tell you what, put your hands right here on my arms," Hoss said as he gently placed one of Sierra's hands on both of his strong arms. "Now, whenever it hurts real bad, I want you to squeeze as hard as you can. Can you do that?"
Sierra nodded.
"All right, Adam," Hoss said with a nod; once he had a firm grip on his sister's shoulders. Sierra's eyes locked with his, as Adam once again began the process of removing the bullet from her side.
Sierra tried her best to stay still, but the pain was almost unbearable. Hoss's eyes held hers firmly as he kept her pinned down. Tears clouded her vision and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut. Her fingers bit into the tough skin on her older brother's arms, but Hoss didn't mind.
Watching his sister writhe in pain was one of the hardest things Hoss had ever done. He watched as her eyes had latched onto his as if somehow she hoped she could find relief in them. When her eyes had filled with tears and she'd been forced to close them, Hoss felt his own eyes water. He wished that there was some way that he could ease her pain, or better yet take it away from her. But, there was nothing that he could do. So he concentrated on holding her still, while he whispered softly to her. After a few minutes, Hoss felt her go limp under his gentle grip.
"Hoss!" Adam exclaimed, shooting his brother a worried glance as Hoss caught one of her limp hands in his as they slipped from his arms. He held her wrist for a few seconds.
"She's just passed out," Hoss told his older brother, a tiny smile of relief tugged on the big man's once cheery face.
Adam didn't realize that he'd been holding his breath until he let it out with a loud sigh.
"How much longer?" Hoss asked.
Adam didn't raise his head as he answered.
"Not much. I've almost got it," was his reply. Neither brother spoke a word until Adam broke the silence a few minutes later. "Got it," he said as he triumphantly held up bullet that been the cause of his sister's pain. Depositing the object on the ground beside him, he set to work at patching Sierra back up.
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A few hours later, Hoss and Adam sat next to the small campfire they built in the mouth of the cave. Since neither boy had been hungry, Hoss had simply made coffee. Normally Adam would have refused the outstretched cup of coffee considering who had made it, but the awful taste of the coffee was the furthest thing from his mind.
If Hoss had looked up at his older brother's face, he would have seen the moisture on Adam's cheeks. Adam wasn't one for crying. In fact, Hoss could count on the fingers of one of his hands as to the number of times he had seen his big brother cry.
But, as he sat there remembering the way he seen his sister writhe in pain, Adam couldn't stop the tears. Besides Pa, Adam had always been the family's strength. He had been the one that would comfort his younger siblings when they had woken from a nightmare, often allowing them to crawl into his own bed with him. Now, he was the voice reason that they went to whenever they needed help. True, there were times when he couldn't resist teasing them, but he loved each one of his younger brothers and his sister.
Besides Joe, Adam had to admit that Sierra had tried his patience the most. Her headstrong stubborn spirit often hit him in the face. Between her and Joe, there were many times that he wished that he wasn't the oldest. How many times had he had to bail the two of them out of some foolhardy scheme- usually thought up by Joe- that had gone wrong? Adam shook his head in amusement as he remembered some of the schemes.
A groan drew his attention back to reality. Setting his coffee cup on the ground in such haste, that he almost knocked it over, Adam stood to his feet and made his way over to where the two youngest Cartwrights were lying, with Hoss not far behind him. Kneeling down between them, he realized that the groan had come from Joe. Though he wasn't fully awake, Adam could tell that it wouldn't be long before he was. Gently he put his hand to his youngest brother's forehead and let out a sigh of relief when he found that his fever had finally broken. Earlier, Hoss had given him some medicine that would bring the fever down, but Adam hadn't been able to shake himself of the worried feeling in his gut.
For years, the three youngest Cartwrights had teased Adam about the range of medical supplies that he kept in his saddle bags; bandages and salves, peroxide, and some of Hop Sing's special herbs, even sewing needles. But none of them could count the number of times that the items in his saddle bags had come in handy while out on the range.
With another groan, Joe's eyelids opened, revealing his emerald green eyes. A smile appeared on his battered face at the sight of his older brothers.
"Hey," he croaked out, realizing the dryness in his throat. Adam unscrewed the top on the canteen and raised his brother up just enough for him to get a drink.
"How you feeling, Little Joe?" Adam asked once Joe had finished.
"Fine as a frog hair," was Joe's reply.
Hoss snorted. "If 'fine' describes a broken leg, a gunshot wound, and a gash on your head then remind me never to use that word again," he told his little brother.
Joe's tired eyes met his and Hoss saw the twinkle in them. "I'll remember that, brother," Joe replied. Then his face grew serious. "How's Sierra?"
"Shh," Adam said, pointing behind him to where their sister lay, sleeping peacefully for the first time in two days. "She's going to be alright."
Joe's smile widened as he thought about how brave his little sister had been. "You would've been proud of her, Adam," he told his oldest brother, his pride filling his voice. "No matter how much she was hurting, she was determined to get me to the doctor. Even after the horse slipped, she somehow managed to drag me all the way up here."
"I am proud... of both of you," Adam assured him, his mouth widening into a smile of his own. "Now, I think that's enough talking. You need to rest."
For a moment, Adam saw the stubbornness that flashed through Joe's eyes and he was afraid that his youngest brother was going to protest his need of sleep. But, before either could say anything, a huge yawn almost split Joe's face in two.
"I guess I am a little tired," Joe admitted quietly as he found his eyelids growing heavy with sleep. Gently, Adam pulled the woollen blanket up to his youngest brother's chin.
"Sleep well, Little Joe," Hoss whispered softly.
Adam stopped to check on Sierra before he went back to his spot by the fire. Satisfied that both of his younger siblings were getting their much needed rest, Adam settled down on his bedroll. The intensity of the day's events as well as the lack of sleep the night before had worn him out and as he glanced over at Hoss, he saw that his younger brother was having trouble keeping his eyes open too. The two of them had decided to take turns keeping watch during the night in case either of their siblings happened to take a turn for the worse.
"Go to sleep, Hoss," Adam told the half-awake boy. "I'll take the first watch."
"Ya sure?" Hoss managed to ask from behind a yawn.
Adam smiled. "Yeah, you get some rest. I'll wake you in a couple of hours," he said.
Hoss nodded in agreement. "G'night Adam," Hoss muttered as he lay down on his bedroll and soon was fast asleep, his loud snores echoing off the walls of the cave.
"Good night, Hoss," Adam whispered softly as he lifted the half-filled cup of coffee to his lips and wrinkled his nose at the taste.
Smiling in amusement, he shook his head and settled back on his bedroll. From the place where he lay, Adam had a good view of the sky. He lay on his back, hands folded behind his head, staring up at the millions of stars that dotted the night sky. For the first time in two days, he realized that the knot of worry that had stubbornly remained in his gut was gone.
"Everything's all right," Adam whispered to himself, knowing that it was the truth.
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Well, what did you think? Please make to leave a review and go have an awesome day/night! ;)
