Absent Cowboy, Ch 5

"Oc…Oct..y?"

Octavius' attention snapped back to the wounded Cowboy he held against his chest. He'd been so relieved by the return of the Guard with the others that he'd missed the moment that Jed had woken up. Looking down he now saw that while Jed's eyes were closed, he was in fact at least a little bit aware. His head was turned in Octavius's direction just barely from its previous position, and his breathing had quickened suddenly while his body stiffened.

"Yes! Jed it's me, Octy." He managed to control the urge his voice had to crack as he spoke softly while his throat constricted tightly. "You're safe now" he continued "I've got you, you're safe." Jed let out a shuddering breath and encouraged Octavius continued. "Our Leigh has taken care of those men Jedediah and we're going to remove you from this foul place."

Jed didn't say anything but he seemed to relax into the Romans hold and after a moment he managed to crack his eyes enough to find Octvaius' gaze. Octavius shifted the man and guided his face until his brown eyes locked firmly with Jedediah's sky blues. When they finally met he saw the Western man's eyes were unfocused and his lids threated to drop as quickly as they'd opened. Octavius began to register small tremors that racked his body in waves. Jed's lids slid closed finally and Octavius shook the man as gently as he could in an attempt to rouse him.

"Jed! Stay awake!" He said with another gentle jostle of Jed.

The Western leader took another shuddering breath, his eyes remained shut but he managed to take another breath and mumbled weakly "Octy….is'towarm…n' cant..feel 'nuffin but." He gasped sharply and trembled again. "Everthin' hurts…" he trailed off and seemed to fade for a moment before he inhaled sharply and tensed before crying out in pain.

"Jed! Hold on my friend!" Octavius looked upward and saw Larry moving a hand towards them in a gesture to pick them up Octavius steeled his nerves and shifted the cowboy so that he could pick the smaller small up if needed as he got ready to be lifted out of that terrible place.

Above them Larry couldn't stand by any longer. As soon as he'd left the Hall, Larry had ran as fast as he could until he found the former President. He'd quickly recounted the night's events and begged the wax man to find the skilled healer Sacajawea and meet him in the Hall of Miniatures in 5 minutes. He'd then ran to the Security Office and gotten the first aid kit out and ready, secured the Mayans bag in his locker and locked the door, then ran to meet Teddy and Sacajawea.

They'd shown up right on time and had quickly jogged over to the Mayan 'Room'.

Larry had been just about to warn Octavius before he scoped both him and Jedediah up when the wounded miniature man had spoken and he'd froze on the spot. The sight of the two figures huddled together on the ground, one man limp and flushed with fever, the other holding the man off the rough stone ground as he attempted to steam the thigh wounds bleeding.

Larry hadn't heard the words that were spoken between the two but he saw that Jed was scared and Octavius was attempting to comfort him successfully. Larry didn't want to frighten the injured man but as Jed's cries of pain were finally loud enough to reach the full sized man's ears, he knew it had to act.

Reaching forward he paused only for a moment allowing Oct to get a better grasp on Jed, before he gently picked the two men up. Cradling them in his hands he turned towards Sacajawea. She placed a hand on Larry's forearm and gently guided him into one of the bright shafts of light to get a quick visual examination of Jed. Now that they were so close, Larry could easily see the deep bruise that marred Jed's shoulder and part of his back and side, what skin that wasn't blushed with purple and green was flushed red instead and the Cowboy's brow was damp with sweat. The wound on his thigh looked like it had begun to sluggishly bleed again at some point and Octavius' hands and tunic were stained red with from the effort of steaming the flow. Larry's gaze shifted from the pained face of Jed to Octavius' where he saw fear, concern and anger but he was surprised to see a look of deep guilt mixed in and it concerned him.

He would NEED to make sure later that Oct didn't blame himself for this. God only knows if they'd even made it in time without him.

"Larry, we need to get him into your office so that we can treat his wounds. We must move NOW Larry, please allow me to take them. I can walk swifter and with less movement than you." Sacajawea spoke frankly, firmly and quickly shaking Larry from his thought train. Larry nodded and told Octavius to hold onto Jed before he gently passed the duo to Sacajawea who turned and started walking swiftly and silently towards the security office.

Sacajawea make quick of the walk to the office without jostling the duo and saw the first aid kit laid out next to a desk lamp.

Larry moved forward and produced a few nee sheets of paper towels from a roll forming a makeshift bed for the gently deposited the two men onto the soft clean surface as Teddy turned the light on and turned it towards the two figurines.

The reaction Jed had was instantaneous. He went from limp and weak, unmoving or reacting during the entire trip aside from his initial cry of pain, to a writhing mass of trembling fear as he attempted to escape Octavius' hold.

"Jed! Jedediah! Stop, you're safe remember! it's ME!" Octavius cried while attempting to restrain the man and not injure him more in the process. His cries fell on deaf ears on Jed continued to struggle.

"Ple...aes!...not a..gain...lemmego..please!" Jed gasped weakly while struggling. Oct froze as he realized Jed suddenly thought he was back as the altar stone. But why? Glancing up he noted the light and was suddenly struck by how similarly bright it had been in the Mayan room.

His sudden shout of "The LAMP" caused everyone to jump and Teddy to rip the lamp away. Jed calmed instantly, gasped out Octavius' name weakly in thanks before he passed out and his entire frame went slack.

Above him Sacajawea spoke quietly. "It's alright General, his breathing has actually improved. Let me help by tending his wounds."

Octavius glanced up and was rooted in his spot for several breaths before he could reply in the form of releasing his protective hold of the Cowboy and turned him over to Sacajawea.

With deft hand she bent over and used a candle teddy had lit to quickly address the wound on his thigh. She'd heard Larry's tale of the numbing arrows the Mayans possessed long ago and knew the plants history and that its poison wasn't deadly. Instead it plagued it's victims with a body numbing sleep agent that also caused burning at the infection site. The pain the man was feeling was the numbing agent wearing off allowing the burning of the poison and the pain of his injuries to brust through in waves. She also knew that the man's flushed skin and fever were probably an effect of too high a dosage but, seeming as how the effects were already wearing off she was confident that he'd recover just fine. They'd have to just wait it off and let it pass through his system while attempting to keep him comfortable and cool.

Signing she stepped back and directed a soothing and reassuring smile towards Ocavius who had watched her work with baited breath, a mask of unhidden concern on his face.

"Really General, he'll make a full recovery. His wound on his thigh isnt too deep and thanks t you the blood flow has ceased. It appears as though he's injured his shoulder in an impact of some sort, its not broken nor is the bone misaligned but he'll need to wear a sling." Oct sighed heavily and felt himself sink to ground next to Jed who was still unconscious but breathing easier and looking less deathly now that his wounds had been cleaned and bandaged using antiseptic wipes, microscopic drops of liquid stitches and tiny silvers of bandaids Larry had cut out for Sacajawea. She gently rubbed his back as much as she could in an attempt to comfort the Roman as shock began to shake his body.

"We just need to let the poison that's causing his pain and weariness work its way out of his body. We'll get some cool cloths and a dark, familiar and comfortable place. I think you should join him Octavius. Your presence will calm him should he awaken, and he'll need someone close to change the head cloth we'll use to ease his fever."

The Roman nodded numbly at Sacajawea's words and wanted to thank her, thank her for saving his best friend, his partner in crime and his former nemesis turned brother...But he couldn't break past his crushing sense of relief and guilt, the nights events and the image of Jed tied down with a blade so close to his exposed chest left him paralyzed. His internal mantra of 'Thank the gods!' couldn't be broken either as he stared at Jed's finally relaxed face. He moved closer to the Cowboy until he was at his uninjured side and gently held the man's tanned hand as Sacajawea moved towards them.

Sacajawea gently lifted the entire papertowel stack and carried them both over to the western diorama, hoping the familiar scents and sounds could calm the Cowboy should he wake up in fear again.

Jedediah's men had been warned by Teddy of the man's fate earlier that night and his current state, as well as the Roman Generals. The Western men and Roman men had gathered together and agreed to make an effort to be quiet, but still go about their day. Both groups knew the leaders could pick out the sounds of a rail road being built, and men training out respectively for miles. They also knew that after a bad fight nothing was better than waking up to the sounds of home.

As Sacajawea set the duo's makeshift bed down in the diorama a mix of Romans and Western men picked the stack of towels up and carried it towards Jed's tent before helping first the Cowboy, and then the Roman leader onto the large cot of the Western leader.

Jed moaned weakly as the movement but seemed relaxed as the scent of gunpowder and hay filled his senses. Oct on the other hand was soothed by the sight of red, the scent of polished bronze and the orderly mannerisms of his Roman charges actions and voices.

On the cot the two men laid together, one hovering between consciousness and unconsciousness as his men feed him a pain killer that seemed to have an instant effect. The other was not physically injured and tired, but mentally and emotionally he was drained and wounded. It would take time for both to heal from this tragic and terrifying night.

But as their men retreated to just outside the tent to both guard and be ready to care of either in need, Octavius felt great comfort in seeing Jed breathing easily and his color returning to normal under the towel drapped across his forhead.

"Octttyy.." Jed suddenly whinned on a ghost of a whisper startling Octavius. "Stop thinkin'..I can feel ya from 'ere...go ta sleep will ya?"

The drained Roman General couldn't control the large grin the played across his weary face suddenly.

"Ok Jed, sleep it is." He sat up and changed the cloth across the cowboy's brow before laying down and scooting a hair closer until his shoulder touched Jed's uninjured firmly, Octavius shook a deep sigh and then let his mind drift out to sleep, comforted by the even rise of the Western man's chest shifting his shoulder and in turn Oct's.

~ End

Thanks for reading everyone! Ill go back and thank each in the beginning of this chap.