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Chapter 13
Distorted shadows danced across the walls and ceiling as the chilled draft sent the flames to flickering wildly. Ezra looked up from his seat near the fireplace as the front door opened wider and Buck and Vin walked back into the house.
Pushing the door closed with a solid thud Buck joined the others and held his hands out to the welcoming fire. "Colder than a witch's teat out there and the storm's really picking up. We gathered up some more wood after we took care of the Peters brothers. Oh and Vin bedded down the horses. All we got to do now is hunker down and ride out the storm."
Vin looked at Chris and noticed his pale complexion wondering if he was getting sickly.
Sitting on the edge of the cot Vin reached for Buck's coat. "Well, Cowboy, all you got to do now is concentrate on healing. We don't have to worry about the Peters anymore cause they're down cooling their heels in the woodshed."
Ignoring Vin, Chris held on all the tighter and turned his gaze back to the fire. "Leave me be." Pulling his knees up to his chest he lay on the cot feeling completely and utterly miserable.
Buck looked at Chris and shook his head. "Come on, Chris. Don't be like that. Vin just wants to make sure you're okay."
"Let me take a look at your shoulder so's I can clean and re-bandage it. Then you can sleep as long as you want." Vin waited patiently for any acknowledgment from his friend.
Without saying a word Chris pushed himself to a sitting position and pulled his right arm free of the coat. Closing his eyes tightly he lifted a trembling hand to move the coat off his left. He swallowed convulsively as nausea set his stomach to somersaulting and a cold sweat broke out over his face.
"You feeling sick?" Vin asked as he noted the blood leave Chris's face to be replaced by a sickly gray pallor.
"Get it done," Chris answered slowly as he leaned forward to rest his head in his right hand.
Buck hurried to the kitchen to collect a basin of hot water and some clean linen to use as bandages while Vin unwound the dressing they'd used on Chris's shoulder to stop the bleeding. Once the wound was uncovered Vin sat back to eye it critically.
"Chris, I don't like how it looks and its hot to the touch. We need to give the wound a good cleaning just to be sure. We've got some whiskey and I don't want to waste any. You think you could bear up under the pain so we can douse the wound real good?"
Chris looked at Vin with red rimmed eyes and asked, "Do I have a choice?" After a pause he said, "I'll do the best I can, Vin."
Ezra sat forward in his seat and looked at Chris thoughtfully. "Mr. Tanner, I believe I may have a better remedy. While I was rummaging around in the pantry earlier I came across a nice sack of sugar. The previous occupants must have had a sweet tooth but alas I digress. In my travels I came across an old gypsy woman who saw fit to bestow upon me an old family remedy. You see sugar can be used to clean a wound and prevent it from turning putrid. If I remember correctly all you have to do is pack the wound and each time the sugar turns to syrup you clean it out and repeat."
Vin looked at Ezra like he'd grown two heads, "I've never heard of such a thing. You're sure it works?"
"I admit to having not tried it but she assured me it was a good remedy. Let's try, shall we?" Ezra stood and retreated to the kitchen.
Buck returned to the parlor soon after. "What is Ezra going on about? He was mumbling some durn thing about sugar healing the wounded."
Vin spared Buck a quick glance as he soaked a rag in the basin. Reaching in he winced at the temperature and dropped the rag back into the bowl. "Damn! That's hot." Blowing on his fingers Vin gamely fished the cloth back out.
Chris leaned away as Vin drew the dripping cloth near the wound. "Not gonna happen, Vin. I just heard you yowl like a stepped on cat because you burned your fingers in the water. Let it cool some first."
"Hotter is better because it'll take the caked on blood off," Vin explained reaching toward Chris once again.
"You'll be out cold if you touch me with that rag, Tanner," Chris snapped as he pushed Vin's hand away from his shoulder.
Buck sloshed some whiskey in a glass and held it out to Chris. "Here take a swig and cool off. All this fussing isn't doin' you any favors."
Grimacing as he downed the whiskey and handed the glass back. "Thanks."
Shaking his head Vin wiped at the wound and tried to ignore the gasps of pain escaping Chris's tightly clenched teeth. "Almost done and as soon as Ezra brings that sugar we'll wrap you up and put you to bed.
"Never fear Chris. We shall have you tucked in the arms of Morpheus within the next quarter hour." Ezra assured as he once again joined the group. "Now, Mr. Tanner, all you have to do is pack the wound very well and wrap it. We can check it again in the morning which according to my watch is about four hours away."
Buck sighed and dropped onto his bedroll. "Where did the night go? Well at least with the Peters brothers gone we can actually get some sleep." Pulling his blankets up to his chin he called, "Wake me when breakfast is ready."
Chris looked at the bandage as Vin tied it off. "Thanks, Vin."
"You're welcome. Now go ahead and lie down and I'll get your blankets." Chris carefully stretched out on the cot and Vin draped the blankets over him being mindful of Chris's bad shoulder. "Get some sleep, Cowboy. You earned it."
"I don't know about you but I'm more than ready to head for home. I've had about enough of this place." Chris said around a yawn.
"I think you ought to be thanking your lucky stars that we were around or you wouldn't have made it out of the well. I would hate to think of you spending eternity rotting away in a well. In fact you'd probably end up haunting this homestead. Doomed to walk the earth forever because no one found your body to put it to rest." Ezra explained and sat down on the settee.
"You got any good news?" Vin asked as he threw the dirty water out the front door into the snow. "We could all have been haunting this place if we hadn't gotten the upper hand. I hate to think what could have happened."
"If you all would hush your yammering maybe I could get some sleep," Chris snapped from his place on the cot.
"Goodnight." Ezra and Vin called simultaneously as they prepared their sleeping areas.