Ch 6
Buck sat waiting for Jimmy. He paced back and forth on the porch. Kid walked up.
"Nothing yet."
"Nope. He should have been back hours ago."
Kid watched the lightning in the distance.
"He probably got caught in the storm and is waiting it out."
"Yeah maybe but I have a sinking feeling that something is very wrong. I've had it since that first stage robbery."
"It's just because the man described someone similar to Ike. We all know he has an alibi but it makes me feel uneasy also. Jimmy will show. He always does." Kid said as he walked inside.
Buck waited until darkness had just about settled. He sighed and walked his horse to the barn for the night.
The thunder hit overheard making Jimmy's horse uneasy. The lightning hit and the horse took off down the trail making his way home at a dead run leaving his rider behind. Teaspoon and the others had just finished eating when the sky opened up. The rain was torrential and the lightning dangerous.
"I think we will all sit right here and wait this out. What you think Rachel?" Asked Teaspoon.
"I don't know about you but I ain't going out there."
The lightning struck down to the ground lighting the inside of the bunkhouse. Kid looked over to Buck.
"See Buck. He just got caught in this. He will be here in the morning."
"I ain't so sure Kid."
"We can't ride in this and neither can he. If he ain't back by morning, I'll send two of ya out." Said Teaspoon.
Jimmy lay face down as the rain pelted his back soaking him to the bone. The water and the mud getting deeper. He opened his eyes. He realized where he was. He tried to push himself up out of the deepening mud. He felt a horrible ripping sensation in his side. He gasped and fell back down. He groaned. The rain was getting heavier. Lightning flashed again briefly lighting the darkness. Jimmy's eyes readjusted slowly. Lightning flashed again, allowing him to see a higher embankment. He needed to get there out of this pooling water. He pushed himself up again. He gritted his teeth against the pain as he slowly crawled over to higher ground. He was almost there when he lost his grip and fell face first back into the mud. He laid there for a minute fighting off a wave of dizziness. He pushed himself up on his elbows again and crawled the rest of the way. He pulled himself up and rolled into his back. He took some deep breaths as he pushed himself back up against the rock face in a sitting position. He felt down his side breathing heavy. He found the reason for his pain. He had been hit. He put pressure on it which caused him to cry out. He suddenly felt sick. The pain from the effort made him pass out as he slumped back against the rock face. His hands falling limp by his side.
Teaspoon stood in the mud looking at the other's anxious faces. He knew time was up yet he was holding onto hope that Jimmy was alright.
"Alright. Buck and Kid. Go see what you can find."
Buck and Kid already had their horses ready. The others stood looking at Teaspoon.
"Lou ain't you got a run today?"
"I do. It ain't for a few."
"Still you better be ready."
"I will be."
"Ike. Looks like you get to spend time with Cody today. I'm gonna go ahead and saw I'm sorry ahead of time." Teaspoon said as he slapped Ike on the back.
"Come on Ike. I ain't so bad. Let's go find something to do."
'Like our chores.'
"No I can't do that. Look at my poor arm. It just ain't ready for that yet."
Cody walked off with Ike shaking his head following behind. Teaspoon grunted as Cody walked off. Lou went to make sure her horse was ready.
Buck and Kid rode along the trail that Jimmy would have taken.
"Think we'll find any tracks?" Asked Kid.
"No. Not with that rain we had last night. It would be a miracle."
Kid and Buck rode along. At the base of the canyon, they saw a horse with it's reins tangled in some underbrush. They both noticed the horse right off.
"It's Jimmy's."
"Yeah I knew it was as soon as I saw it." Said Buck as he steadied the animal.
Kid untangled the reins and walked the horse out onto open ground. Buck walked over and looked at it while Kid kept it calm.
"He doesn't have any major injuries that I can see. He looks like he ran wild for a while though."
"Buck, the pouch is missing also."
"Maybe with the storm last night, he just got away from him."
"Maybe but I don't think Jimmy would make that mistake."
Kid led the horse behind him following Buck on across the canyon. Kid looked around. The rains had washed away most of the trail.
"Jimmy travels this route more than any of us. He knows it by heart. He should have kept to the trail."
"Unless he had a reason not to." Stated Buck.
They slowly walked the narrow trail until they came out the canyon. Buck turned his horse back around.
"Maybe we should keep going. He may be farther out." Said Kid.
"No. His horse wouldn't have went into that canyon on its own and he sure wouldn't have made it out to the other side. He has to be in there."
Kid nodded as they turned to ride back through it again.
Jimmy opened his eyes to see the sky. He looked around briefly forgetting where he was. He moved himself back up straight. The pain hit again. He started panting and looked down his side. His jacket was soaked through with blood. It had began to pool on the ground where he sat. His arm hurt like hell. He pulled it to him and looked it over. He had a deep gash running from his elbow clear to his wrist. He put his hand back over his side trying to apply pressure and slow the bleeding. He closed his eyes as he listened to the quiet.
Kid and Buck rode through the canyon again only to get back to the other side. Buck stopped his horse and turned him around again.
"Buck. It's gonna be dark soon. We should head back."
"I can't. I know he is in there somewhere and he probably needs us. I'm going back in."
"It will be dark before you can turn and get back through."
"I'll stay here tonight then."
"Guess that means I will too."
Buck smiled and walked the trail once again. As night fell, Buck and Kid made camp on a small piece of flat land right off the main trail. No one would travel this at night. They had a fire going and were trying to decide where to look the next morning.
Jimmy slightly woke. He smelled something. Smoke. It was smoke. He turned his head as much as he could fighting the weakness. Someone was out there. He tried to yell but he couldn't. He felt a spasm hit his side. He held his breath.
"Help." He whispered.
He took a deep breath and let out a long yell as he fell back against the rock barely hanging on to consciousness.
"What was that?" Asked Buck.
"I heard it too." Kid said standing up.
"It came from below us."
They both eased over to the steep hillside.
"Hello?! Yelled Kid.
They both got quiet listening for a response.
Jimmy heard the voice call down. He was so thirsty. He couldn't make nothing but a whisper. He took as deep a breath as he could. He let out a scream.
"There it is. Someone's down there." Said Buck.
"Get me a torch. I'll climb down."
Buck ran and found a large stick. He wrapped a bandanna around it and stuck it in the fire.
"Careful Kid."
"Don't worry. I will be."
Kid made his climb down the rocky descent. It took him a while before he reached the bottom. Water pooled as his feet sank in the deep mud. He looked around and didn't see anyone.
"Hello? Anyone down here?"
Jimmy heard him. He heard Kid.
"Here." He managed to rasp out.
Kid heard the sound and looked around. He finally saw boots laying in the edge of the water next to the rock wall. He eased his way over and shone the torch.
"Buck! It's Jimmy! He's down here!"
"Jimmy?! Can you hear me? Jimmy?"
Jimmy turned his head a little. He was breathing heavily. He was shaking. Kid used the torch to look him over. He had a few scratches and a bad cut on his arm. Kid saw the blood pooling beneath him. He pushed him over a little and lifted his jacket. He looked at his side.
"Oh Jimmy."
Jimmy faintly smiled in his direction. He tried to move and gasped out.
"Be still Jimmy. It's ok. It's gonna be ok. Just be still."
"It's not Kid. Ike."
"Yes, it's going to be. I'm going to put pressure on this. It's gonna hurt ok."
Jimmy didn't answer and Kid looked up to see he was out.
"Buck! It's bad! He's been shot! I don't know what to do! He is bleeding out!"
"Kid I'm gonna climb down. Watch out below!"
Buck made the climb and went over to Jimmy.
"We need to get him out. We can't build a fire down here, there's too much water."
Buck and Kid looked around unsure of what they were going to do. They had no way to move him in the dark.