Chapter Eleven
Lou's eyes snapped open. She glanced wildly around, momentarily disoriented by her unfamiliar surroundings, before her eyes settled on an all too still Jimmy. Panic flooded through her as she hastily bent forward and pressed two fingers against Hickok's lips. Relief flooded through her when she felt the puff of air escape from between Jimmy's lips.
Now that she was fully awake, she could actually hear his breathing again. And then she heard something else as well: rapid sound of horses approaching. Lou had her gun in her hand, before she had even risen to her feet.
She hurried over to the opening of the cave, plastering herself against the cold, sharp edged wall, where she had the best view of anyone entering it. With her heart pounding, she listened intently as the sound of hoofbeats grew louder,and then suddenly stopped altogether.
Lou tensed up, cocking her gun, and waited as she could now hear the distinct sound of at least one pair of boots scuffling along the heard packed dirt leading up to the cave entrance. She saw the shadow of a man appear on the curved rock wall across from her, and she froze with her gun trained on it.
"Lou?"
Kid's voice saying her name, brought instant relief flooding through Lou. She holstered her gun and flung herself at him the moment he came into view. Kid rocked back a step as Lou's diminutive form came in contact with his. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, as she struggled not to give into the tears that threatened to fall.
"I'm so glad you're back!"
"Me too. I've brought help with me." Kid told her.
Lou drew back quickly, her dark eyes wide as she caught sight of Kid's two Indian companions.
"Lou, this is Wise Crow. He is a Kiowa Medicine Man." Kid introduced his companions to her. " This is Stone Thrower, Wise Crow's son. They're here to help Jimmy."
Lou eyed the two men warily. She didn't know whether Indian medicine would help Jimmy, but realized they didn't have any other option. Jimmy needed help now, and there weren't any doctors nearby. Kid seemed to think Wise Crow could help their injured friend, and she trusted him.
"Jimmy's over here."
Lou led Kid and the two Kiowas over to where Jimmy lay fitfully sleeping. Wise Crow and Stone Thrower lowered their packs to the dirt floor of the cave and began rummaging in them. Kid and Lou knelt down on the opposite side of their injured friend, out of Wise Crow's way, but close by enough to help care for Jimmy if asked.
"Jimmy?" Kid gave his friend a gently shake. He hated to wake him, but knew it was important that Jimmy was aware of who he had brought back with him to help him. He didn't want to think of what would happen if Jimmy was suddenly startled awake and saw two unknown Indians bent over him.
Pain filled gray eyes fluttered open and gazed up at him. Jimmy moistened his dry lips. "Kid."
"I brought help with me Jimmy." Kid explained. He gestured toward Wise Crow and Stone Thrower. "Their Kiowa like Buck. Wise Crow is a medicine man. He's going to fix you up."
Jimmy's eyes passed over the two Kiowas, before focusing on Kid's face once again. He knew he was in no condition to oppose the two Indians helping him, and trusted both Kid and Lou to step in on his behalf if they suspected the two Kiowas of trying to harm him, instead of heal him. "Alright."
"Stay with him." Kid told Lou. "While I help Wise Crow and Stone Thrower with their preparations."
Lou nodded. She sat down beside Jimmy and took his hand in hers. Soon there was a small fire burning in the cave. Stone Thrower shoved the blade of a wicked looking knife in the embers, and there was also a small pot with a pungent concoction of herbs simmering in them as well.
The three riders watched as Wise Crow first prepared himself for tending to Jimmy, by chanting and burning the twisted bundle of sage he had pulled out of his pack. They knew from Buck that sage was used in many sacred rituals, including medicinal ones.
Next Wise Crow moved to stand over Jimmy, using a feather to fan the smoke from the sage toward him, and continued his chanting. Jimmy watched the elder Kiowa's action with a mixture of wariness and curiosity. It was the first time he had ever had an Indian chant over him, but he reckoned if the older Kiowa was petitioning his God on his behalf, he supposed it couldn't hurt anything.
"Now we are ready to begin." Wise Crow crouched down beside Jimmy. He spoke in English so that the injured young man could understand what he was going to do.
He made a gesture toward Stone Thrower. His son filled a mug with some of the brewing liquid and handed it to his father. Wise Crow took it and motioned for Kid to raise Jimmy's head enough so that he could drink.
"This is Willow Bark Tea. It help with pain and ." Wise Crow held the cup to Jimmy's lips.
Jimmy's nose wrinkled up and he made a face as he sipped some of the hot, bitter liquid. He did not complain though. Wise Crow smiled and handed the cup back to his son.
"Help lay him flat."
Lou and Kid helped Jimmy slide into a more prone position the cave floor. Then Wise Crow went to work. He removed the blood soiled makeshift bandage Lou had made from Hickok's wounded shoulder. A little blood welled up as he peeled the cloth free from the bullet wound. The skin around the wound was reddened and puffy, an inclination to all of them that it was in its first stages of infection.
With Kid's help, Wise Crow rolled Jimmy over so that he could see the back of his shoulder. A larger wound showed where the bullet had gone through his shoulder. While Kid held Jimmy steady, Wise Crow gently probed around the hole, frowning as he detected a dark spot below the skin on one side of the wound.
With nimble fingers, Wise Crow felt around the wound, eliciting a moan from Jimmy. Wise Crow gave the younger man a compassionate look. ""Bullet gone, but piece inside. Need to remove. Hurt much."
"Do what you must." Jimmy said through gritted teeth, as just being rolled over onto his side, had doubled the pain he was already experiencing.
"Hold in place." Wise Crow told Kid.
Kid nodded and got a better grip on Jimmy,while Wise Crow directed his son to hold the injured young man's legs. Next he instructed Lou to bring him the knife that Stone Thrower had placed in the fire's embers. Lou handed the knife to Wise Crow, then returned to her earlier spot beside Kid. She took Jimmy's free hand in hers once again and told him to squeeze it if he needed to.
Once he was certain Kid and Stone Thrower had a good grip on Jimmy, Wise Crow said, "I dig out now."
Jimmy nodded as the elder Kiowa set to work digging out the piece of bullet that remained behind when the fake soldier's bullet had passed through his shoulder. Jimmy ground his teeth tighter together, against the pain of the red hot knife probing his wound, feeling tears flood his eyes. His fingers clenched Lou's as he fought to keep himself still, praying that Wise Crow would find the bullet fragment quickly, and pull it free from his shoulder.
Lou turned her head ran freely down her felt Jimmy's fingers clamp around her own, causing pain to arc through her hand, but she didn't utter a word in protest or try to pull away. She just held tight to his hand and hoped that Wise Crow worked quickly.
Kid felt his stomach turn over as he watched Wise Crow did around in Jimmy's bloodied flesh for the elusive fragment. He felt every moan Jimmy made right down to his soul, and didn't know who was more relieved, Jimmy or him, when Wise Crow proudly displayed the bloodied fragment held between two fingers, to them all.
Wise Crow discarded the fragment and began lathering a brownish-green pungent mixture in and around the wound. Stone Thrower released Jimmy's legs and pulled out some clean strips of cotton out of his father's pack, and handed it to the older man. He pressed it over the wound and told Kid to hold it in place. Then Wise Crow lathered more of the mixture onto the hole in the front part of Jimmy's shoulder. When he was finished with applying the salve, Kid and Lou helped wrap more cloth around Jimmy's wounded shoulder and torso, fixing it in place with some strips of buckskin.
While Wise Crow rose to pour some more Willow Bark Tea into the mug, Kid and Lou eased Jimmy into a more comfortable position. He was sweating profusely, his face reddened with exertion and pain. Lou grabbed a canteen and gave him a few sips of water, before once again wetting the cloth she had been using to cool his face. As she ran the cool cloth over his red face, Jimmy rewarded her with a slight smile. The tears that had been threatening to fall while Wise Crow worked on him, spilled onto her cheek, and she scrambled hastily to her feet, and strolled quickly toward the cave entrance.
"Go after her." Jimmy told Kid, who was already rising to do just that, as Wise Crow crouched beside him.
"Drink more, then you rest." Wise Crow ordered Jimmy.
Jimmy grimaced at the thought of drinking more of the foul tasting liquid, but if it helped eased his fever and pain enough for him to rest, then he was willing to suffer through drinking it.
"Rest now." Wise Crow told him, once he was satisfied that the injured rider had drunk enough the medicinal liquid.
Trusting that Kid would take care of both him and Lou, Jimmy found himself obligingly doing what the elder Kiowa had instructed him to do. His eyes slowly closed and his pain eased and before long he was sound asleep.