Chapter 18

Teaspoon woke early the next morning to ride back over to Benton for a wagon. He knew a friend there that would let him use one. He left Buck to watch Jimmy. Buck was just walking back over with some water when he heard Jimmy make a noise. He walked over to see his eyes open. He was holding his arm against him.

"Just try to stay still. You shouldn't move much for the rest of the morning."

Jimmy watched Buck but he didn't answer. He gripped his arm and tried to stop shaking.

"Jimmy. Do you hear me? You need to try to lay still."

Buck sat down beside him. He looked at Jimmy's unfocused eyes. Buck felt his face as he tried to turn away from him. Buck felt his chest.

"I got to see that hand and bite. See how it looks. I ain't gonna lie to you, Jimmy. You are gonna be sick for a while. This is just the beginning."

Buck reached for Jimmy's hand when he tried to pull it away. He tried again when Jimmy tried to fight him and push him away but he was already weak. Buck forced his hand down as Jimmy struggled. He soon started coughing. Teaspoon rode up in the middle of it all. He ran over and helped Buck roll him to his side. He heaved but nothing came up. He gasped before going still. They laid him back flat.

"What the hell was that about?"

"I need to see his hand. He fought me. He is probably dizzy and he has blurred vision which made him sick. Hopefully he'll stay out until I look at it."

Buck removed the shirt while Teaspoon went back to the wagon. He came back with some alcohol and clean cloth. He knelt down and saw the purple swollen hand. It was swollen halfway up his arm. He closed his eyes.

"It looks like it has stopped. We can move him."

"He gonna lose that hand?"

"I don't know. We'll have to wait and see."

Buck cleaned, packed, and wrapped his hand loosely due to the swelling. They carried him to the wagon.

Jimmy opened his eyes and tried to focus. Everything was blurry. He felt like his whole body was on fire. Where the hell was he? He couldn't think straight. Someone stood over him.

"Jimmy? How are you feeling?"

He tried to focus in on the person but he couldn't. There were two of them. He blinked a few times before starting to cough. He was rolled onto his side as he heaved. He felt pains running through his arm. It was too hard to bear.

Rachel watched as he went out again. He laid back flat and she wiped his face. Lou eased in behind her. It was the middle of the night. She looked down at the person who was supposed to be Jimmy.

"I'm sorry that he woke you." Said Rachel.

"It's ok. I can't believe it's him."

"I know."

"I thought I'd be scared to see him this close again but I wasn't. I felt happy for the first time in a while. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all. Our Jimmy is somewhere in this mess of hair. That time ago has been eating away at him. He would never hurt you or any of us for that matter. He let his emotions get to him and he has been suffering for years now. It's time for him to let it go."

"If he lives through this."

"The doctor said it could be weeks but I'm going to send for him tomorrow. The swelling has seemed to try to go down but I've never taken care of a bite before. His hand doesn't look good to me."

"I'll sit with him for a while if that's ok."

"Sure honey. Come get me if you need me."

Lou sat in the chair looking down at Jimmy. She felt so many emotions running through her. To be so close to him after all these years, she felt all the things she had felt after that night battling for control of her. She felt anger, fear, panic, and betrayal. She felt dirty and used but then above all she felt love and forgiveness for him. She reached out and touched his good hand. She said a prayer over him. For him to accept their forgiveness and for him to heal.

The doctor came out the next morning to check on Jimmy. Buck went in with the doctor letting Rachel and Lou sit with the girls. Teaspoon walked in from town. He went and sat with them. Ike came and got the little girls. He took them into the barn away from the house. Buck eased out the door.

"Doc says he still has infection from the bite but the last of the venom should be moving out his system."

"That's good news but is his hand supposed to look like that?" Asked Rachel as Lou listened.

"That's what I came to tell you. He's going to have to cut out a portion of the top of his hand where the bite is. He's going to remove two fingers."

"What?" Said Rachel.

"The fingers have turned. They can't be saved. I'm going back in to help him. I don't want you to have to be in there."

Buck walked back inside as Lou let the tears fall. Teaspoon hugged her.

"I'm ok. I ain't crying over his hand. I'm crying because I just want him to live."

The group was waiting for the doctor to finish when they heard a horse come into the yard.

"What have I missed?"

They all turned to see Cody getting off his horse. Rachel ran to hug him. Lou was next. He was shaking hands with Teaspoon when Ike came walking over smiling holding a little girl with Lou's child walking beside him holding his hand. Cody looked at the little girl in his arms.

"I've missed a lot apparently."