Chapter Ten

Jess checked with the gentleman sitting next to him on the time. He was right. Slim was late. The trial was starting but he wasn't in the courtroom. Jess kept looking back toward the door expecting his partner to walk through it any second but spectator after spectator entered the room for fifteen minutes and still there was no sign of the tall blond rancher. It was making Jess nervous. There'd been so much harassment and and so many threats if they dared to testify against the men who had lynched Mac that they'd hardly left each other's sight for more than a minute or two.

"I knew I should have waited for him," Jess thought to himself. "Something's wrong or he'd be here. It ain't like Slim to be late and it don't take more than a couple of hours to get here from the ranch."

The Texan got to his feet and approached the prosecutor and the sheriff. Both men looked up as he stopped in front of the prosecutor's table.

"What's the matter Jess?" Fred Dalton asked.

"Slim ain't here yet. I've been waitin' for him and watchin'. He hasn't come in the building so far as I know."

"He should have been here by now," Thompson, the prosecutor, said. "Maybe he was delayed."

"We started out together but he went back because he'd forgotten something. But it still shouldn't have taken him more than couple of hours to get here. It's a good four hours since we left the ranch."

"I'll delay the trial as long as I can," the lawyer said, "but you'd better find him quick. You're both due to testify this morning."

"I'm going with you," the sheriff said.

"No. You need to stay here in case these so-called 'good citizens' get out of hand when the trial starts. Your deputies can't manage all by themselves. There's too many."

"Find him, Jess. You two are the star witnesses. We need both of you here as soon as possible," Prosecutor Thompson said.

"I'll find him," Jess said. "Wherever he is, whatever has happened. I'll find him."

So saying he quickly left the room, and the building, and mounted up. At a fast walk, then a jog and then a lope he rode down the road from Laramie toward the ranch searching for his missing partner. He scanned the sides of the road for any sign of a loose horse or a man on foot leading a horse or a man on foot without a horse. For the first three miles he saw nothing. As he reached the point in the road four miles from Laramie he saw a bay gelding - the one that Slim had been riding while his sorrel was laid up - grazing along the side of the road. He reined his own mount to a stop and dismounted, then he reached up and took his lasso off the saddle horn in case the horse spooked and ran. It wasn't necessary though. The horse looked at Jess and then went back to grazing as if to say "don't bother me, I'm eating". If it hadn't been such a grave situation - a horse with no rider - Jess probably would have laughed. Instead he quietly approached the bay and reached out for its reins.

"Good boy," Jess crooned as he took hold of the reins and walked up to the horse's side.
"Let's check you out and see where you're hurt.

Gently the Texan began to examine every inch of the gelding's feet, legs and body. Finding nothing he let out an exasperated breath.

"I can't find nothing wrong with you so why are you here and Slim's not?"

He led the gelding over to his own and mounted. Once back on the road he turned in the direction of the ranch ensuring that he checked out any spot that an injured rider could be. It wasn't until he was another mile down the road that he found his partner.

Slim was sitting on the ground, leaning against a tree, face white and twisted in a grimace. He didn't notice, at first, that Jess was there until the younger man swiftly dismounted and ran over to him.

Kneeling next to his friend he exclaimed, "Slim! What happened? Are you okay?"

"I fell off my horse," Slim grimaced. "I had a dizzy spell and couldn't hang on."

"Let me help you up," his partner said. "You're late for court. They're waiting on us - or starting without us. Either way we gotta get there quick." He stood to get the horses but was stopped by Slim's voice.

"I don't know if I can ride, Jess. I landed real hard on my left side and I did something to my knee. They're killing me." He added, somewhat sheepishly, "I've been sick to my stomach too. Not sure if it's the dizziness or the pain."

"I'll bring Drifter over for you," Jess said. "He's not quite as tall but I know he'll handle the weight of both of us okay. We've done it before."

'I'm not sure I can ride, Jess."

"You're gonna have to, pard, we don't have time for me to ride back to town and get some sort of a wagon from the livery stable and it's just as far to go back to the ranch.." Jess' face was dark with concern. "Just rest easy. I'll get you up and ride behind you.

Slim nodded uneasily. He wasn't at all sure about this but he knew Jess was right. He was late as it was and it would take too long to get some sort of a rig and bring it back.

Chapter Eleven

It took Jess all of two minutes to secure the horse Slim had been riding to a tree and bring his own gelding, Drifter, over to his partner's side. Getting down on one knee he put his left arm around his partner's shoulders and started lifting. Pain shot through Slim's hip, side and ankle and he cried out. Jess flinched but kept his hold. He had to get Slim to town to the doctor. He'd do that and then go to then courthouse and explain what was going on. Or so he thought.

"Easy pard, I got ya," Jess said as they approached the horses.

Slim sagged against his shorter friend. He couldn't bear any weight on his injured leg. Every time he tried daggers of pain shot up the leg from the knee into his hip. It was all he could do to keep from crying out when it happened, though Jess had an idea of how much it hurt. just by the tension he felt in his friend's body.

"Steady there, Drifter," Jess said. "Ready pard? "

He bent to give Slim a boost . Before the blond knew it he was in the saddle and Jess was holding onto him while he tried not to pass out. Once the pain had subsided Jess walked over to where he'd tethered Slim's horse, leading Drifter and watching Slim carefully. Once he had untied the other horse he climbed up behind his partner and wrapped his arms around him while holding the reins to both horses.

Very slowly, stopping periodically so that the throbbing in Slim's leg would subside, they made their way into Laramie. Almost two hours later, due to their numerous stops, they rode up in front of the house where the two doctor Hansens lived along with the lady of the house who was the elder doctor's daughter.

Slim looked up and saw, through pain filled eyes, that they weren't in front of the courthouse. He immediately put up a fuss.

"Jess, this isn't the courthouse. I'm supposed to be in court - as are you - right now."

"First we get Doc to look you over," Jess said. "Then we go to the courthouse. And no argument. You'd do the same thing if it was me that was hurt and not you."

"Jess, take me to the courthouse. I'll see Doc Hansen after I testify. I don't think I can get down and then get back on again. It's important that I be there to testify and you too!"

"It's not more important than making sure you ain't done any real damage to yourself," Jess countered. "Now come on, let me help you down and into the house."

The argument went on for several minutes before Slim finally won out. Reluctantly, Jess took the reins of the two horses and walked over to where the trial was being held. He secured both horses to the hitching rail and then reached up to ease his friend down to the ground. It was difficult for Slim to navigate even that one small step but he was determined to appear in court on time. No matter that he was actually a bit late, he was there and he was going to testify. Then, and only then, would he allow Jess to take him to the doctor's office.