Chapter 11
When they got back to the ranch and talked to McCall, to see if he could verify what Jarrod had told the sheriff, McCall just shook his head. "I didn't see who shot me," he said. "Everything was moving too fast. It was too confused. But you're sure about who you saw, Jarrod?"
Jarrod nodded. "I'm sure. Thank you, Mac," he said and went out.
Audra and Victoria stayed for a moment longer, watching McCall as he watched Jarrod leave. "Is he any better?" McCall asked quietly.
"He doesn't seem to be," Victoria said, "but you know he's been amazingly accurate on things he's seen and heard for the past few days."
"I know. It beats me," McCall said.
"Heath thinks he's just not distracted by all the regular noise going on around us, so he hears and sees more that's unusual," Audra said. "I think he's right."
"Beats me," McCall said again. "I just hope he's right about who shot me. I'd like to get my hands on that – " He stopped, not inclined to swear in front of the ladies.
Victoria gave him a smile and a pat on the arm. "We know what you'd like to do, Mac, but you'd better let the law handle it and just get back on your feet."
"How's Nick doing?" McCall asked.
"He should be bellowing like mad any minute now," Victoria said.
"Jarrod! Jarrod, get up here!"
Jarrod heard it the moment he stepped into the house. He took his hat and gunbelt off, left them in the hall, then climbed the stairs and entered Nick's room without knocking. Nick was half upright in bed, looking furious.
"Lie down, Nick, you're hurting your back," Jarrod said.
"Be hanged!" Nick said. "What the hell are you doing, running off like that?"
Jarrod pulled a chair up and sat down. Doing that made Nick ease off a little. "I went to town with Audra this morning and saw the man who shot McCall. I didn't realize it was him until we got home, so I got back as fast as I could to let the sheriff know."
Nick lay back in bed again. The length of what Jarrod had just said surprised him, not to mention the substance. "You're sure it was him? Did McCall agree with you?"
"McCall never saw who shot him," Jarrod said, "but I'm sure it was him."
"Where are mother and Audra?"
"Talking to McCall. Yes, they followed me into town and I'm sorry I frightened everyone, but I'm not used to being treated like I'm a little boy who can't be let out on his own."
Nick eyed his brother. There wasn't any anger in what Jarrod had just said, no irritation at all. He was just stating a plain fact. Normally, he would have been livid. Nick was relieved Jarrod was beginning to talk in longer sentences but worried that Jarrod wasn't livid now. "You just best pamper yourself a bit, Jarrod, until you get yourself back to normal. And pamper us. Or at least humor us."
Jarrod nodded. "Do you need anything?"
Nick looked toward his water glass on the night table. It was half full. "I've got water. I'll need dinner and I want to try to make it to the wc in about half an hour."
Jarrod nodded. "I'll be back."
He left and made his way downstairs, where his mother and sister were leaving their gloves and hats in the hallway. "We heard Nick yelling all the way to the bunkhouse," Audra said.
"I talked to him," Jarrod said.
"If you intend to leave the property, you need to tell us, Jarrod," Victoria said.
Jarrod said, "Hmm." Then he retrieved his briefcase, still on the floor next to the stairs, and headed for the library.
"Mother," Audra said, "I think he really did see the man who shot McCall."
"I think he did, too," Victoria said, "and that's another reason we need to know where he's going if he leaves here. If he was right, if Fred finds that man and arrests him – he clearly has friends."
She didn't need to say the rest. Jarrod was the only witness who could tie this man to the shooting and the attempting rustling. That made him a target, and while they had come to trust that he was more observant and more accurate than most men right now, they weren't sure if he was really up to defending himself.
XXXXXXXXX
The next morning, bright and early, Dr. Merar came again to see how Nick and McCall were doing. He wanted McCall to stay in bed and said he'd be back in two more days to take a look at the leg. McCall grumbled, but stayed put.
When he saw Nick, he was happy with what he was seeing. Nick was noticeably more limber than he was before. The gentle stretches in bed were helping. He could get up and straighten up now, with some pain but at least he was straight. "You can stay on this floor and get around with a cane, to get to the wc and back but no more. Keep up with the stretches. And maybe when I come back in a couple days, if you're much improved, I'll let you try the stairs," Dr. Merar said. Nick grumbled, but agreed to do as he was told.
After he left Nick, Dr. Merar came downstairs to Victoria and Audra in the parlor. "How is he doing?" Victoria asked as she and Audra got up to see him to the door.
"Getting grouchier with having to baby himself – that's a good sign," Dr. Merer said. He looked around. "Where is Jarrod?"
"In the library," Audra said.
"I know the way," Dr. Merar said, turning and heading in that direction.
When he got to the library, he found the door open and Jarrod hunched over the desk, working on something. Dr. Merar said hello. Jarrod looked up slowly, then recognized the doctor. "Hello, Doctor," he said and got up. He ushered the doctor to the sofa, saying, "How are Nick and Mac?"
"Both coming along," Dr. Merar said and then explained the instructions he'd given the two injured men. He sat down on the sofa, and Jarrod took one of the chairs nearby. "And how are you?" Dr. Merar asked.
Jarrod nodded. "About the same. Did McCall tell you I saw the man who shot him in town yesterday?"
"Yes, he did, but he said he never saw him," Dr. Merar said. "That leaves you the only witness."
"I know," Jarrod said.
"Are you taking precautions?"
Jarrod nodded.
Dr. Merar nodded, too. "There is something else I need to talk to you about, Jarrod. You know I haven't exactly spread the news about your condition around, but it is getting around anyway."
Jarrod said, "We told the sheriff you said there might be some brain damage."
"Which means that if they do catch this man, I'm going to have to admit that in my opinion, when you saw him, you probably were suffering from a brain injury that affected your judgment."
Jarrod nodded.
Dr. Merar said, "You're a lawyer. Do you think a jury will accept what you have to say?"
"No," Jarrod said quickly and plainly. "I'm hoping more evidence comes to light."
Dr. Merar sighed. "It's a sticky situation all around, Jarrod, and you do have to bow to the fact that you're still struggling with your health."
Jarrod said, "I know. I'm coping, Doctor, just as you said I would figure out how to do."
Dr. Merar smiled. "At some point, as your brain heals, and as your coping mechanisms really settle in, you will probably feel more like your old self."
Jarrod nodded. "I'm all right. Worry about Nick and Mac, doctor."
Dr. Merar stood up, saying, "I am. Keeping your brother in bed when he needs to be there has never been an easy task."
Jarrod stood up with him and showed him to the door. The doctor looked back as Jarrod turned away, and he watched Jarrod head to the French door again, to look out into the yard. No, nothing much had changed for Jarrod yet, at least not from what he could see, but maybe something was happening that he couldn't see yet.
Jarrod heard the door close behind the doctor. He closed his eyes and tried to let things just be, but he had to admit to himself, something was happening. Maybe he didn't feel like he was where he belonged yet, but something was different. Maybe it was seeing the kid who shot McCall in town. Maybe it was just doing the wills he was working on. Maybe it was both. But even if the fog was still there, it wasn't as thick.
But weren't the worries, the concerns, the distractions coming back too? And how did he feel about that? He remembered the calm, the contentment, when he had his moments of not breathing when he was sick, and when he felt less connected to where he was. He was starting to feel less and less that way. He didn't like it.