Hannibal Heyes was sitting at the table in the bunkhouse lingering over his coffee in a futile attempt to delay the start of another grueling day as a ranch hand at the Lazy K ranch where he and Kid had been employed for the past two months. Three other ranch hands were also at the table, all with the same idea as Heyes.
Suddenly they heard the sound of wood splitting, a horse squealing, and ranch hands shouting. All four men ran outside just in time to see a flurry of action in the corral. At first Heyes thought the men scrambling about were simply trying to corner, then relocate the still bucking stallion, now absent of a rider. But when he realized the true nature of the situation, Heyes raced cross the yard, scaled the fence with an Olympic worthy leap, and ran across the enclosure just as the animal reared, then landed, his right hoof crashing into the calf of the man who lay crumpled in a corner near the fence.
Kid's body arched and stiffened when the hoof tore the flesh and muscle of his calf. His left arm and wrist were each twisted in a painful and unnatural angle. The top rail of the fence was broken in half and badly splintered. Half of the rail still dangled from the post while the other half lay just inches from Kid's body. Even through the torn shirt, it was obvious that Kid's left shoulder was dislocated. Kid didn't move, couldn't even try to roll under the fence to safety.
"Kid!" Heyes shouted as he darted toward his partner. But Heyes' movements were cut short when a ranch hand grabbed his arm and yanked him back.
"Let them get that wild one under control first," Bill Hadley said, holding tight to Heyes' arm."You can't get near The Kid till they get that bronco out of the way."
Heyes realized Bill was right and he stopped trying to pull away. Instead he just stood anxiously as three hired hands with arms outstretched formed a protective semicircle around the injured man while four more men managed to redirect the horse to the far side of the corral, where one was able to grasp the reins and lead the horse into the barn, effective preventing the potential for any further damage or injury.
Heyes yanked his arm free and ran over to his partner and knelt down beside him. Frank Gorman, the foreman, and two other men also knelt down to assess the injuries and administer what little they had to offer in the way of first aid. A bandanna was quickly tied around Kid's calf, just above the bleeding open gash. A belt was slipped under Kid's chest and another under his stomach, then both were buckled over Kid's arm to stabilize the arm and prevent any accidental movement.
"Get the wagon. We gotta get him in to town to the doctor," Frank Gorman shouted to no one in particular. Two of the hands stood and ran into the barn to hitch up the wagon.
Heyes was on his knees near Kid's face and could see Kid was still conscious, though his eyes were dazed from the pain and trauma, and his breathing was rapid and shallow.
"Kid, can you hear me? Can you move?" Heyes asked.
Kid's breathing picked up at the sound of his partner's voice. "Not my arm," he whispered. "My leg...hurts bad."
Tom Steadman saw the wagon pull out of the barn and he ran to the corral gate and opened it wide while the driver backed the wagon as close to the gate as he could.
"We're gonna hafta to roll you and pick you up, Kid," Heyes explained.
But the other hands were more focused on getting the task done than on explaining anything to the injured. Two men stood on either side of Kid, stooped down and hoisted him up to carry him to the wagon. The jostling of the broken arm and the rough handling of the gaping, bleeding leg was enough to render Kid unconscious.
Once Kid was loaded into the wagon, Heyes climbed in next to him and covered him with two horse blankets while Tom and Frank climbed up on the seat. Heyes was jolted off balance to his butt as the wagon began to move out and he scrambled to reposition himself so as to keep a close eye on his partner.
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Four hours later Doctor Heiser emerged from the back room of his office and Heyes, who had been pacing incessantly, abruptly stopped and waited for the doctor to give him an update.
"Putting the shoulder back in to place was easy. The arm break was simple enough to set. The wrist, that had several breaks and I set it the best I could. He's got a cast from his hand to just below his shoulder."
"And the leg?"
Doctor Heiser wiped the blood from his hands to his apron, then let the apron fall back into place.
"That was a bad and deep gash, tore muscle, tendon, flesh. That's gonna be a hard heal and I want absolutely no weight on that leg for two, maybe three weeks, then I'll decide from there. It's cleaned, patched, stitched, but if that don't develop an infection, well...the fact is it's gonna get infected, there's just no two ways around it."
"Can I see him?"
"He's asleep. He ain't gonna know you're there, but you can go in for a minute."
Heyes brushed past the doctor and hurried into the next room. He stopped and sucked in air when he saw how pale Kid looked. Slowly Heyes walked over to the bed and he reached down and brushed a damp curl from Kid's forehead.
"How old is he?" Doctor Heiser asked after following Heyes into the room.
"Nineteen."
"I would have guessed him younger, sixteen or seventeen maybe. He got a place to go when he leaves here?"
"Uh?" No."
"I'll see if I can find someone to take him in, nurse him back to health. Might cost you something."
Heyes nodded but was barely listening. "How long 'fore he wakes up?"
"Maybe sometime tonight, maybe not till morning."
"You ain't staying up all night?" Heyes asked.
"No, but I'll hear him when he wakes. I expect the pain will make him pretty vocal."
"No it won't. He won't even let it show on his face. But I'll see it. I'll know it. I'll come back and sit with him all night."
"You sure you want to do that, son? He'll be alright here."
Heyes shook his head "I'll come back."
Having no horse, and the other two men having returned to the ranch with the wagon, Heyes resigned himself to the fact that this would be a day without pay, and he started the seven mile walk back to the ranch.
It was nearly dusk when Bill Skyler, the ranch owner saw Heyes walking up the dirt road to toward the bunkhouse.
"Heyes!"
Heyes looked toward the house and saw his boss on the porch, so he changed his direction and walked up to the house.
"How's Kid?"
"He's hurt pretty bad. Won't be able to work for a while."
"How long is a while?"
"Couple of months at least."
"Come on in the house. I'm sure Mary can rustle you up some supper."
"Oh, that ain't necessary Mr..."
"That wasn't a question, Heyes."
Heyes followed Skyler into the house and down the hall to the kitchen.
"Mary, got any left overs for this fellow?"
Mary saw how tired Heyes looked. "You sit down and I'll fix you a plate."
Heyes complied and Mr. Skyler sat down across from him.
"So, what's the boy's injuries?" Skyler asked.
"A broken arm, broken wrist, bad gash in his leg."
"Things he'll survive, then?"
Heyes nodded.
"You thought about what you're gonna do?"
Heyes raised his head and tried to smile. "Not much to think about. He's gonna need taken care of. We both got money saved...Reckon we'll stay at the hotel or a boarding house if there is one."
"So you'll quit and go stay in town with him?"
Heyes accepted that as a given. He had put no thought to any other possibility."
"I don't take no responsibility for Kid getting hurt. He knew the risks of the job. But the two of you are good workers. I hate to lose you both at the same time. Now, I've got a couple of line shacks not far from here. You and Kid can move in to one of em when he's able. I'll cut your hours back, cut your wages back along with that, but you can use the shack free of charge. There's one on the south west edge of the ranch. Use that one, it's the closest to town."
"Kid's gonna be in a wheelchair for maybe a month. Doc says no weight on his leg at all."
"You can build a little ramp to get him in and out of the place. You can have the rest of this week off to get the place stocked, the ramp built, whatever you need to do."
Mrs. Skyler put a plate of food and a cup of coffee in front of Heyes.
"Thank you, Ma'am," Heyes said realizing just how hungry he was.
"I suppose you'll be heading back to town tonight?"
Heyes nodded as he shoveled a spoonful of food in hi mouth. "Just came back to pick up a few things."
"Well, you let Curry know there's a job waiting for him when he's ready to come back."
"Thank you, Sir. I'll do that."
Heyes had come back to the ranch primarily to gather his money as well as Kid's, and to get his horse. What little else the two owned could remain in the bunkhouse as none of those things were worth stealing. Heyes left Kid's horse in the barn knowing the animal would be well cared for in their absence.
When he reached town, Heyes stabled his horse at the livery, then stopped at the Mercantile and bought a book His last stop for the night was Dr. Heiser's office where he settled in to a chair near his still sleeping partner's bed. He raised the wick of the oil lamp and read until his eyes were heavy and he was able to sleep.
Heyes woke before dawn and found the oil lamp was still burning brightly. He reached over and lowered the wick to cast a soft light in the room. When he turned back, he saw that Kid was awake and watching him with heavy eyes.
"How you feeling?" Heyes asked and carefully watched Kid's face, more than he listened to the words.
"Little sore," Kid whispered, his voice still thick and weak from the trauma and medications.
"Arm or leg?"
"Leg."
Heyes knew Kid well and he knew the quick response meant Kid was more than 'a little sore."
"You warm enough?"
Kid nodded weakly.
"Thirsty?"
Kid nodded again.
"I'll go find some water and let Doc know you need some medicine."
Kid offered no argument or protest, another affirmation about the pain he was feeling.
Heyes returned moments later with the doctor who was holding the glass of milky looking water. With great effort, Kid positioned his right arm and struggled to prop himself up. Heyes was quickly at his side to assist until Kid was finally able to rest his right forearm on the mattress so he was sitting up far enough to drink the medicine laden water. Then Heyes helped him lie back down.
Dr. Heiser lifted the sheet away from Kid's left arm. "Might as well take a look while you're still awake," he said, examining the cast as well as Kid's swollen fingers. "Can you wiggle those fingers?"
Kid was able to move the fingers enough to satisfy the doctor's concern.
"Now let's take a look at that leg," Dr. Heiser said, dropping the sheet back in place over Kid's arm, but pulling it back to expose the bandaged wound and the swollen, bruised lower leg. The bandage itself had dried blood stains but no indication of any fresh bleeding.
"Best get the bandage changed," the doctor said and with a surprisingly gentle hand, Dr. Heiser untied and removed the bandage and carefully examined the stitched wound.
"What do you think?" Heyes asked.
"No signs of infections. Still early on, though."
"Why are you so all-fired certain that's gonna get infected?" Heyes asked.
"Think about all the places that horse's hoof has been, all the things it's stepped in. It's gonna be infected, son."
The pain medication was working and Kid drifted back to sleep in the middle of the exam.
"How much of that stuff did you give him?" Heyes asked with some concern
"Enough to make him do that," Dr. Heiser replied as he began cleaning and redressing the leg wound.
"Doc, how long you thinking he's gonna hafta stay here?"
"Fever is real common after a wound that deep. Fever also tells me an infection I brewing. If he's gonna have a fever, it'll likely show up within the first three days. After that, he can leave here. I ain't had time to look for somebody to take him in, yet."
"You don't have to. Mr. Skyler says Kid and me can stay in one of his line shacks till Kid's well enough to work again."
"A line shack, uh?"
"What's wrong with that?"
"Line shack sits empty most of the year. Best make sure it's good and clean before you move him in there."
Heyes looked at the doctor curiously. "You sure do worry about dirt a lot."
"It's called dirt for a reason. It's dirty. Dirt's good for crops, but it ain't good for wounds. Maybe you don't understand, son. That wound gets infected and I can't get it healed up, he could lose the leg."
Heyes had not realized the full danger of an infection. "Alright, I'll get the place spic and span clean."
"Including all the bedding."
Heyes nodded. "How long you think he's gonna sleep this time?"
"Likely till suppertime. Then we got to get him to start eating."
Heyes smiled. "Eating's never been a problem with Kid, but I'll be back in time to help with that."
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Heyes left and went back to the Mercantile where he spent a small fortune on cleaning supplies and new sheets. The owner used an old burlap potato sack to bag the items in, so the top could be tied securely and Heyes could secure the bag to his saddle horn.
The line shack was a single room, but it had a potbelly stove, a rather crude fireplace to keep the place warm, a single cot up against one wall, and a set of wooden frame bunk beds against another wall. It had a small table for eating, and a sink but no pump. The well would have to be used and buckets of water brought in to the cabin.
Heyes first carried the mattresses out to the porch to air them out and brush off the dust. There was no rug beater to be found, so Heyes used an old broom to brush the dust from the mattresses, turning each one over to clean both sides. He left them out in the sun for the day to rid them of their musty scent.
Heyes worked diligently throughout the day, scrubbing the floor, the table, the counter next to the sink. He washed the two windows inside and out, dusted the walls and ceiling, cleaned the ash residue from the fireplace and scrubbed the grate used for cooking. He heated water on the potbelly stove and washed the few pots and pans and utensils he found in cupboards and drawers.
By late afternoon, the place was spotless, and Heyes was exhausted.
The final task was bringing the mattresses back in and Heyes piled two mattresses on the lower bunk, one on the top bunk, and left the cot empty thinking he could use that for storage. He left the sheets still bagged in the burlap figuring he would make up the beds the day before Kid was to arrive.
Though tired, Heyes then saddled up and returned to town for a second night of sleeping in a hard chair beside Kid's bed.