We rode out of Blazer's Mill and found a somewhat sheltered place to camp. Doc remained on his horse as we all dismounted.
"Where to?" Billy asked.
"Patricio if it looks safe," Doc replied. "I gotta write Dick's mother in Vermont and get some clean wraps for my hand."
"Well, whatever you do, don't go near Lincoln," Billy cautioned.
Doc's eyes widened as he noticed my blood-soaked sleeve for the first time. "Serena, you're hurt."
No shit, I thought, but bit back the comment.
"You should come to Patricio with me. You need a doctor."
"What about Chavez?" I asked. "Roberts shot him too."
Doc shook his head. "He ain't my concern."
I scowled and said, "I'll take my chances then."
"Suit yourself," said Doc, urging his horse forward.
"We'll ride into Lincoln when he gets back," Billy decided. "Sheriff Brady is in desperate need of bein' removed from office."
"Dick said we can't touch the sheriff," said Charley.
"Dick ain't around, is he, Charley?" Billy asked.
Chavez argued against going after Brady too. He thought there was a pretty good chance of all of us dying.
"Are you saying that Murphy taking inventory in Tunstall's store means nothing to you?" Billy asked.
"Murphy and his politicians have taken more blood from me than they ever will from you," Chavez replied.
"How do you figure?" Billy challenged.
"The Red Sand Creek reservation." Chavez went on to explain about the rotten meat, being shot at by traders, and the Army murdering his entire family. He was nearly in tears by the time he was finished.
"Murphy starved out your family, but if you wanna run, go ahead," Billy shrugged. "You got no loyalty, Navajo."
"I don't know what your vision told you, but mine told me we're headed for blood. Blood like a river. If I die--and I'm not afraid to--the sacred hoop is broken. I have to go west to make my people live again." He started to get on Sparks Flying. "Charley, Serena, will you come with me?"
Charley stood up. Billy and Dirty Steve looked on silently. "You ain't sayin' much, Dirty Steve," Charley said.
"He ain't got much to say, Charley." said Billy. I had to bite my knuckle to avoid snickering at the truth of that statement. "But Steve understands the meaning of the word 'pals.' If you got a few pals, you got yourself a tribe. We're your family now, Chavez. You'll break our sacred hoop if you walk away from us. We gotta stick together, fellas."
Chavez took a few things from his saddle and asked me to follow him. He wanted to take a look at my wound. I pushed up my sleeve, revealing the neat hole in my arm. The bone wasn't broken, which was good. Chavez poured some whiskey over the bullethole; it burned like hell.
"Would you like a drink?" Chavez asked, offering the bottle.
"No," I said. The whiskey smelled foul and it probably tasted even worse. Besides, I preferred to have my wits about me at all times.
"Are you sure?" he pressed, heating the blade of his knife over the campfire. "It'll be painful when I try to dig the bullet out."
"Just do it," I snapped. "I'm not scared."
I took a deep breath as he moved closer and closer with the knife. I yelled when the blade dipped under my skin. The rest of the Regulators looked towards us; I fought to swallow my tears.
"It's all right to cry, querida," Chavez said, his voice soothing.
My heart thudded. He'd just called me "darling!" I sobbed as Chavez jimmied the knife this way and that to dislodge the bullet; blood dripped down my arm. After what felt like an eternity, Chavez was holding the bullet up for me to see. I cleaned it off, thinking of making it into a necklace later. Chavez washed my arm off with water from his canteen; I packed the hole with moss to prevent an infection.
"Thanks," I sniffed.
Chavez tore one of the sleeves off the shirt he was wearing and used to it to bandage my arm. Though the bone wasn't broken, he knotted our bandannas together and fashioned a makeshift sling. He stroked my cheek; I smiled for the first time in ages. Chavez ripped the other sleeve off his shirt and tied it around his leg.
"You're not taking the bullet out?" I asked.
"No. I'll be all right. Are you hungry, querida?"
"You bet," I said. We hadn't gotten to eat our meal at Blazer's Mill.
Chavez dug through his saddlebags. There wasn't a hell of a lot left to eat. He said, "Everything left over is yours."
I offered to share the remainder of my provisions with him, but he wouldn't take it. "You need it more than I. Besides, I fight better on an empty stomach anyway."
I finished off the food and leaned against Chavez. He wrapped his strong arms around me and kissed my hair. After a few minutes, I moved over to where Storm Cloud was grazing. I fumbled with the throatlatch of his bridle and slid the bit out of his mouth.
"I wouldn't do that," Billy called to me. "One of these days, the damn horse is gonna take off without you."
"I assure you, he's very well-trained." I said. "If he were to wander, all I'd have to do is whistle and Storm would come straight back to me."
"Whatever you say, 'Rena." I could see he wasn't quite convinced. "How's your arm?"
"Fine. I just need to rest it for a few days."
That night, we all gathered around the fire and listened to Charley read 'The Bird,' one of Doc's poems. "He's been gone an awful long time," said Charley. "I reckon he'll be trying to make a run for it."
"Who? Doc?" Billy grinned and shook his head. "Nah. Doc likes me."
I knew Doc hated Billy, but I didn't say anything. I just lay back down to go to sleep.