A difficult man

Chapter 2

Rock Creek 1868

After having eaten something, Jane went back to Buck's room and after checking it she resumed her embroidery pending the arrival of Teaspoon Hunter. About an hour passed when she heard a knock on the door. She went down to open the door and found herself in front of a homunculus with long gray hair, with an unkempt beard and slightly half-closed eyes.

"Do you wish?" Jane asked.

"Hello Miss, I'm Teaspoon Hunter, the former Marshal. Dr. Pearson told me Buck Cross is here with you "

"Good morning Mr. Hunter, please come in. Call me Jane. Buck is upstairs, not yet conscious, and continues to have a high fever. Follow me."

"Wait a minute Jane, I want to talk to you first. What happened? The doctor told me but I want to hear it directly from you. By the way, here are the medicines for Buck "

"Thank you Mr. Hunter"

"Teaspoon please and call me with YOU, I think we will spend a lot of time together if Buck is to stay here as long as the doctor told me"

"Well Teaspoon, nice to meet you then" and she told him where and how she had found Buck, described the people she had seen and what the doctor had told her.

"Would you then be able to identify them?"

"Sure, as I already told the doctor this morning and I'm ready to do it. Whoever carries out actions of this type deserves the gallows ".

"Well, then we'll talk about it. I can see him?"

"Of course, follow me."

Jane led Teaspoon upstairs to Buck's room. When the man saw him, he exclaimed: "Damn son, it's a miracle that you are still with us. I don't know how to thank you Jane ".

"It was fortunate that I passed by, if he had remained on the ground for a few hours without help, perhaps he would not have made it. Destiny willed it this way. I'll leave you alone, I'll wait for you downstairs, take all the time you want "

"Thanks"

Jane went downstairs and began to make some more broth for Buck and something for her dinner and then looked through the medicines the doctor had sent her to figure out what she should do.

After a while, Teaspoon came down and said to her: "The external wounds will heal, but the internal ones I believe will remain for a long time. It is not easy to tolerate such an affront and above all it is not easy for a Kiowa spirit like him ".

"Is he Kiowa then?" Asked Jane.

Teaspoon nodded. "Is it a problem?" He asked.

"Not at all, I only see a poor boy who has suffered an atrocious injustice and I hope that those responsible will pay as soon as possible".

"By the way, I think the best thing to do is for you to come to town and identify those responsible. Once you've done that, I'll go to Fort Laramie to see the territorial governor and explain what happened. Should Buck recover in the meantime, he will confirm your testimony, otherwise you will be the only witness. Is it a problem? "

"No, I want to see them on the gallows."

Teaspoon was amazed by the girl's determination and wondered where all that anger was coming from. Jane herself was amazed by her statements, but she felt that she owed it to Buck, she felt a great tenderness for that boy who could not live his life in peace only because of his blood and the obtuseness of people.

Teaspoon told her that Rachel, the woman who lived with him and who had taken care of Buck and the boys when they ran for the Pony Express, and Louise, Kid's wife, the deputy marshal, would arrive shortly. When they arrived, she could go to town with Kid and identify Gibson and his men. In the meantime, he would go to organize the trip and would have telegraphed his friend Jimmy Hichock to ask for his help.

"Hichock? The famous Billy Hichock? "

"His real name is James actually, the fame he has was built by a cheap writer, he's a good man and he cares a lot about Buck. He will go on a rampage when he finds out about what happened ".

Jane greeted Teaspoon and waited for the arrival of Rachel, Kid and Louise who were not long in arriving.

"Welcome, I'm Jane, I'll take you to Buck right away."

"Hi Jane, I'm Rachel, she is Louise and he is her husband Kid"

"Nice to meet you, even if I would have preferred to make your acquaintance in a different circumstance".

"Us too, but we are very grateful to you for taking care of Buck and saving him, without you he would have died."

"I think it was fate that made me pass through there at the right time Louise"

"Please call me Lou"

"Ok. As I told Teaspoon, he is very weak and has a high fever. He has a broken shoulder and a very serious wound near the groin. "

"Damn", Kid exclaimed.

Jane accompanied them upstairs and left them alone.

Soon after, Kid and Lou got out and the man said to her: "If that's okay with you, Rachel and Lou can stay here with Buck, we will go to town separately and with an excuse you will come to my office so that Gibson can be identified. Then we will talk to Teaspoon who will leave for Fort Laramie. Do you feel it? "

"Absolutely yes", said Jane. "Lou, the doctor recommended that he drink a lot, then I'll come back for the meds and massages. Later"

"Thanks Jane", Lou smiled.

The two went out and Kid galloped forward, while Jane went into town in the wagon. She thought of taking the opportunity to go to Tompkins to buy some new clothes for Buck since she had thrown away his dirty and torn clothes and she came up with an idea to enter Kid and Gibson's office without suspicion.

When she arrived in town, she passed the marshal's office to be seen and then headed for Tompkins. She bought what she needed and then left the packages unattended in the wagon and went to casually look at a shop window. After a while she went back to the wagon and started shouting: "Oh my God, I've been robbed, a package is missing from my wagon" and headed for Gibson's office. She entered like a fury, turned to Gibson and said: "Marshal Cross, you have to help me, I've been robbed!"

"Calm down miss", Gibson replied frowning "and I'm not Marshal Cross but Marshal Gibson, do I look like an Indian to you?" He uttered the last words in a contemptuous tone.

"Oh sorry sir, but they must have given me the wrong information, I've only recently been in town."

"Don't worry, Marshal Cross has been missing for two days and will probably never come back, maybe, being a half-breed, he didn't feel like carrying out this important task, but I'm here to help you, you wants to tell me what it is happened? "

"I had three parcels in my wagon, then I walked away for a moment to look at a window and now there are only two, someone must have stolen the one for supplies."

"Don't worry, my men will come out to take a look and in the meantime my deputy Kid will collect the complaint, okay?"

"Thank you Marshal, you are so kind, I don't know how to thank you"

"But it seems to you, it is a pleasure to help a beautiful woman like you. Kid, help the young lady with the complaint "

"Sure Mr. Gibson", Kid replied. He took Jane by the arm and walked her to the desk as Gibson went to the office door.

"So then?" Kid asked her.

"It's them, I'm sure, I couldn't forget their ugly faces and the contemptuous tone Gibson uses when he talks about Buck" and an uncontrollable anger rose up that she couldn't explain.

"Well, now we just have to inform Teaspoon", Kid said.

"I'm going, if you were to accompany me out we could arouse suspicion. See you Kid "

"Thanks Jane".

Jane smiled at him and then went to Teaspoon in the saloon as agreed.

"I'm sure Teaspoon, it's him. But I ask you a favor. The doctor, when I expressed my concern to keep a man at home, albeit to heal him, as far as my reputation is concerned, promised me that he would speak to Reverend Hills and the ladies of the parish. If I have to sue Gibson, maybe it would be better if nobody knew Buck is staying with me, they could try to finish the job "

"You're right. I go immediately to speak with Pearson and then, before leaving, I want to see the place of the attack to be more precise with the Territorial Governor. Wait for me just outside the city, I'll join you and accompany me "

"Ok. See you later Teaspoon ".

Jane left the city and when Teaspoon caught up with her, she accompanied him to where she had found Buck. Teaspoon looked around and found Buck's knife and pistol in the bushes.

"I'd better keep these myself, if Buck should have them at hand when he wakes up and remembers what happened, I'm afraid he'll do some nonsense"

"It will be hard for him to digest it right?"

"As I have already told you, this wound to Buck's pride and soul worries me. He has always tried not to become attached to people, apart from us in the family, for fear of making those who love him suffer because of his origin. This episode will harden his heart even more and it's a real shame because if Buck gives you his heart, you can be sure it's forever. Now I don't know if he will ever be able to let himself go with someone again, be it a friend or a woman "

These words from Teaspoon were like a punch in the stomach for Jane. She was growing fond of that boy even though she had only had him in her house for two days and she felt very protective of him. The doctor had already anticipated that living with him would be hard when he recovered and now, hearing Teaspoon's words, she was afraid of not being up to the situation and of suffering for his behavior. She told herself that she would do anything to make him change his mind and to convince him that not all people are as bad as Gibson and his men. She didn't know why she wanted to do it, but she felt compelled to try, she wanted to restore hope to that helpless boy who lay lifeless in her house.

She said goodbye to Teaspoon and headed home with this fixed thought.