We are just entering this new town, White Oaks. We stopped at this 'whore house'. One of Billy's old friends owned it. We have to stay there for the night and figure out what to do with the new sheriff, Pat Garrett. We unsaddled our horses and went into the building. One girl, I'm guessing the person Billy was talking about came out and gave him a hug.
Then it hit me. It was Jane Greyhouse. Jane started talking. "Wicked boys. Wicked and wanted or just plain wicked. Oh and of course Jessie just had to come along too, now didn't she? Somebody has to keep you boys in line now don't they?"
When we first met we were sort of good friends. Dave got comfy and grabbed a few shot glasses, gave one to Tom. He tried it but by the look on his face, he didn't like it.
"$1,000 on me." Billy said proudly.
"Yeah? Last I heard it was 500." Jane shot right back at him.
"Well, you heard wrong." Billy denied.
"Well, I also heard you ain't long for the territory, Billy." Jane announced.
"We're not. We're going to ole Mexico, right Billy?" Doc assured.
Billy and Jane were having a conversation about the changes of everything, while I found a book to read. I grabbed it off the shelf, sat on the sofa and started to read it. All the girls in this whore house were annoying me, by giving all the boys looks.
Doc took a shot saying Jane was the lady of the manor born. Whatever that is. He went to take a bath; Billy went to a bedroom with another girl, same with Dave. I don't know where Tom and Hendry are but Chavez is next to me. I was actually reading part of the book to him. Chavez knew how much I loved reading and helping him read a book is even better, because he never got to learn more words since John Tunstall died. He seemed sort of interested in the book.
I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw pitch forks and torches from the window. I hear pounding footsteps coming from upstairs and now everyone is in the main room. Jane said she was going to take care of this and walked out the door. As she walked up to the deputy she was yelling, "What is going on here!?"
They grabbed her arms and secured her. Deputy Carlyle yelled, "Billy the Kid. We have Jane Greyhouse and if you try anything while I am in there with you, investigating, the people say they are going to burn her. Do you agree to these terms?"
"Who is this guy?" Billy laughed. He cleared his throat and said in an almost mocking voice, "Yes sir, we agree to those terms."
He put his gun away and turned to all of us. "Ladies upstairs. Gentlemen, look respectable. Tom, disappear. Jessie, you stay here with us." Everyone followed his orders and soon the deputy walked in.
Chavez was reading the book from earlier, Doc was playing with his nails, Billy was reading the newspaper, Dave was playing with cards, and Hendry was watching the fire. Me? I was badly trying to sew a button on my bag so it will stay shut. I've been meaning to do this for a while but yet, I'm just faking it so I'll look respectable.
"Gentlemen." Carlyle announced his presence. We acted like we didn't hear him and he cleared his throat. "Uh, which one of you is the leader of your gang?"
Billy slowly lowered his newspaper and said, "That would be me-"
"Arkansas Dave." Dave interrupted.
Billy turned to him and childishly said, "You are not, Dave."
"I am so." Dave argued just as childish.
"You are not."
"I am so!"
"Are not!"
"I am so!"
They kept going until Carlyle cleared his throat again and said, "Gentlemen, I am a deputized man. I do things law way."
"Which way?" Billy questioned as he stood up.
"Uh, law way." Carlyle answered, hesitantly.
"Law way. I see. Ok, ok go ahead." Billy urged him on.
"Now the people out there, they do things their own way. They got their minds set on a hanging. It's gonna be hell if I don't give them what they want. So uh, I understand you have an Indian and a girl in your group."
"Yes sir. Jose Chavez y Chavez. He's a Mexican-Indian. Jessie Scurlock. She's a tough girl. As tough and hard as can be. How they'd be?" Billy negotiated.
My eyed widened. He's just going to give us up like that? "Well that'd be just fine." Carlyle replied. "If I can give this Indian and Girl to those people out there, the rest of you can just ride out."
I saw Chavez go for his knife and put the book away. I stopped my sewing and looked up. I moved my hand under my seat, so my fingers were just grasping my gun.
Billy started laughing and said, "You here that, Chavez, Jessie? Sir, I agree to those terms. They're an angry mob indeed and we do happen to have an Indian and girl in our premises." He walked right up to us and whispers to Chavez, "Give me your hat." Chavez does what he is told and Billy takes his blanket also.
Dave takes Carlyle's coat and hat off and Billy puts the hat on him and the blanket over him. Billy spits out, "The Indian and girl are going out to satisfy the crowd. But you obviously don't understand the meaning of the word Pals. You think I would hand my friends over to a bucket of mule dung like you? That's an insult! Turn around chief." By this time, everyone has their gun out, pointed right at the Deputy. "ALRIGHT YOU WHITE CAPS! WE'RE COMING OUT, BUT WE'RE COMING OUT SHOOTING! GET READY FOR WAR! WOA WOA WOA WOA!" Billy screams, pushes out the deputy while Dave keeps the door open. He shoots off somewhere into the crowd and ducks.
The whole crowd outside starts shooting. Dave jumps behind the door, Doc jumps under the table, Hendry rushes over behind a table, and Billy gets down on the ground. Chavez jumps over the couch and pulls me along with him but not in time. A bullet hits me in the side. The same side where I got shot when we were being chased by John Kinney. The shooting stopped and everyone stands up but me. Billy grabs a shot and raises it. "Pals."
Chavez looks down at me with my arm wrapped around my side in tears. He crouches down to my level and starts whispering. "Hey, Chiquita. Are you alright?" I shake my head no. He looks down at my hand, removes it from my side and sees it's covered with blood. His eyes widen and he looks over at the rest of the group. He only yells to one specific person in the room. The one that can help. "DOC!"
Doc looks over his shoulder and sees me. He rushes over and looks at my side. He starts mumbling under his breath. It's getting harder to breathe and keep my eyes open. Doc sees that I'm having trouble and says comforting words. "Don't worry, Jessie. You'll be fine. We'll fix you up. Just stay awake, ok?" The words made me feel better but they didn't help. After a few seconds, I passed out.
I woke up on a soft bed. There was a little candle on the night stand. I hear someone else's breathing. I look over and there's Doc. His head is laying on one of his arms, on the side of the bed while his other arm is wrapped in my hand. It looks like he's asleep so I leave him there. I hear footsteps approaching my room and the door open. I look and there is Chavez coming in with a smile on his face. He walks over to me and gives me a hug.
"You are lucky to be alive, Chiquita." He informs me. He looks at Doc and back at me. "Y'know he was going crazy when you passed out. We all did. Even Billy and Dave, believe it or not. We thought we had lost you. Especially after getting shot on the same side you got shot only a year ago."
I was wondering about my side and if I was going to be alright. I moved my hand over my side and it stung a little bad not as bad as I thought it was going to.
"Don't worry, Jessie. You'll be fine. You are the strongest person I know. It is not your time for the spirit horse to come visit you." Chavez explained. "I'll leave you two alone for you to talk." He gives me a smile before walking out.
I look at Doc and shake his arm gently. "Doc?" I whisper, quietly. "Doc, you gotta get up."
He moans a bit and stirs before actually waking up. He lifted his head and saw me awake also. He jumped out of his chair and gave me the biggest hug ever. I thought my bones were being crushed. He buries his head in my hair and whispers, "Thank goodness. I thought I lost you. You just have to keep scaring me, don't you?"
I smile and say, "That's my job. Girls have to make guys worry."
We pull away and Doc starts talking. "Billy said once you wake up, we'll have to saddle up and ride out of here as fast as we can. Garrett is hot on our trail."
I noticed I'm wearing his coat. I look at him questioningly and ask him, "How long have I been out and why am I wearing your coat?"
"Um, about 2 days now. We'll get you some food and water, make sure you have energy and then we'll skin out of here. When you were passed out last night, it looked like you were shivering so I covered you up with my jacket."
I nodded my head. I got out of bed and when I started to walk, I dropped like a rock. Doc caught me just in the nick of time. I looked at him and said, "My side. It doesn't hurt but when I put pressure on it, then it feels like a knife."
It was his turn to nod his head. He helped me stand up and picked me up in his arms. He carried me down stairs. I saw that everyone was bumming around. Billy and Dave were having a staring contest. Hendry, Tom, and Chavez were playing a card game. They all looked up when they heard steps coming down the stairs.
They smiled when they saw me. Doc set me down on a chair in front of a table. Hendry came over to me and placed a small plate of food in front of me along with a cup of water. I didn't want to eat but the look everyone gave me made me eat it all.
Once I was done eating and everything, we saddled up our horses and headed out back on the trail. As usual I'm riding between Doc and Chavez with Billy and Dave riding in front of the group while Hendry and Tom were riding behind everybody.
I was starting to realize something. This group is like a family. Doc is my husband, Chavez is my big brother, and Tom is my little brother. Billy and Dave were like twin brothers, and Hendry was a good friend to all of us.
