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Chapter 7

"Jeremiah…"

The female's voice was faint in his ears and his body… the pain… the unbridled pain… it just seemed to blaze throughout his entire body, shredding and tearing the raw flesh from the inside. He lay sort of on his side propped up by a couple of pillows and blankets. He trembled with cold and fever as he tried to open his burning eyes.

"Jeremiah… can you hear me?" Her familiar velvety smooth voice warmed him on the inside as he felt someone dabbing a cool damp cloth on his forehead.

"I… I-I'm c-cold…" Jeremiah's raspy voice came quietly.

Lacy looked nervously up at Kurdy, her eyes glistening in the candle light; he looked back at her taking in a deep breath waiting for her to tell them what they were going to do next. She gently pushed his hair back on his forehead as he finally opened his brown fever stricken eyes. He swallowed hard and then winced clamping his eyes closed as the shaky, lightheaded feeling of vertigo washed rapidly over him. He gritted his teeth, his body drawing in towards itself before relaxing and slowly he opened his eyes again.

"Jeremiah… my name is Lacy, this is my sister Rita. You have a dislocated shoulder and we need to get it back in place for you. It's gonna hurt… bad." She swallowed hard as she proceeded to fill in the rest. "Were gonna have to put it back in place and I have nothing to give you for the pain." Lacy glanced around the room and then looked back at Jeremiah.

Jeremiah took a deep breath as he closed his eyes again. He nodded his head as he opened his eyes, looking back at the red haired, emerald eyed female looking motherly back at him. She was so pretty and her voice. He had heard her voice before… recently.

"Jeremiah… you're gonna have to lie on your back. I won't be able to make this work without you doing this. I'm sorry…" she flinched on the inside as she watched him bite his lip and then look back at her. She knew he was struggling to comprehend what was going on through all the pain he was going through. He had been hurt so badly and now she was going to put him through more hurt.

"It's okay." He croaked.

Jeremiah leaned heavily on the cribbing being used to hold him up. He put his head down on the pillow and closed his eyes. He opened them again to see Lacy standing next to Marcus, Kurdy, and Rita. Lacy lifted a hand brushing through her hair as she pulled it back and tucked it as neatly as possible out of her face. He closed his eyes and waited for them to wake him and tell him they were ready to start.

--

"I can't do this alone." Lacy stated concern apparent in her voice.

"I can help." Kurdy offered. He looked over his shoulder at the man resting on the mattress in the corner.

Jeremiah looked so small lying on his side in the bed. His shirtless chest revealing the extent of the injuries he had sustained. He had been beaten about before; but not to the point that he could hardly take care of himself. His face was pale in the near darkness of the room. The swelling accompanied by the black and blue on his face were distressing to see. His chest was a mass of bruises and cuts, while his back continued to ooze with the slightest trickle of blood. Lacy and Rita had agreed that if his back had become infected there was going to be a chance they would have to cauterize some of the deeper wounds. Kurdy wasn't sure how much more his friend could take before he closed his eyes never to open them again. He had taken such a beating to protect the vital information of Thunder Mountain.

"He's strong… he's gonna be alright Kurdy… I know he will." Marcus had offered this statement earlier. Kurdy could tell that the man had his own doubts but he knew he was trying to be optimistic.

"It's gonna take all of us to do this. Kurdy I think your gonna have to help me get his arm back in place. Marcus, you and Rita will have to try and keep him still. He's probably gonna fight a bit… especially with his back being so bad. We just don't have a choice right now." She scratched the back of her head as she blinked back sleep. Her eyes were bloodshot and she seemed almost overwhelmed at the situation at hand.

"Lacy… are you sure you can handle this?" Marcus asked.

"No not really, but what else am I supposed to do? There's nobody else for miles who can set his arm. So if you can suggest a better choice for getting this done I'll be happy to listen." She erupted.

"No… please. I didn't mean that… you… you look tired. Are you sure that you can handle this right now. I mean he might be able to wait…"

"Marcus no… this needs to be done now. He's had too much pressure on it already and there is a chance it may not even heal right at this point. We need to do this now." Lacy insisted.

Marcus watched as she turned her attention to her brother who was also in the room. He was sleeping restlessly in the corner. He watched her as she leaned over the long muscular body of her older brother Cole who shifted listlessly in the makeshift bed. He wrapped his arms protectively around his chest. His face shown brightly with a sheen of perspiration that continued to highlight the darkening bruise on his cheek. As soon as Lacy leaned over him dabbing the cool damp rag on his temple his eyes fluttered open.

"Lace…"

"Yeah… how are you felling brother?" She asked softly.

"Tired and sore." He replied quietly. "Where's Rita?"

"Getting some supplies together with Kurdy. Jeremiah's pretty bad off and we need to get his shoulder fixed before we can do anything else."

"Lacy I can help." Cole tried to sit up only to be pushed back down onto the bed.

"NO… you can't. I have plenty of help. I can't risk you getting hurt worse. You rest, you need it." She ordered.

Cole laid his head back on the pillow beneath him. He closed his eyes and then opened them again slowly.

"You look sleepy sis." He commented as he took her hand interrupting her attention to him.

"I'm fine." She smiled graciously. "Get some rest." She leaned over and pecked him on the cheek and then stood up.

As she approached Marcus again Rita and Kurdy returned with more water, bandages and a very exhausted Blake. The dark haired man who ran the Village of Clear Water Creek looked at Marcus and nodded a hello.

"Thought you might need some food and a hand." He stated holding up a basket with bread, vegetables, and some fruits. He also had a kettle with a lid covering it.

"Thank you." Marcus smiled a crooked smile as he helped the man unload his treasures onto the wooden table top.

--

Jeremiah opened his eyes when he felt a presence standing over him. "Kurdy…"

"Yeah buddy, it's me." He replied sitting down next to him. He lifted the mans hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Is she ready?" Jeremiah tried to raise himself up only to feel that woozy feeling wash over him again. He closed his eyes and then opened them again. His eyes were crimson with exhaustion.

"Yeah... I'm sorry if this hurts you… I know its gonna…" Kurdy looked down at the pallid, bruised face of his friend remembering the first meeting he had with him. He still couldn't believe he hadn't "ratted" him out to the girl from the bar. What the hell was her name again? Jeremiah could have made him look like complete a fool by ousting him about the fish he had stolen; but instead he let it go at a couple of cans of food. The two had become friends so quickly it almost terrified the distrusting Kurdy. He had trouble accepting the friendship at first; it took almost no time at all for that barrier distrust to be broken down.

"It's okay Kurdy... I'll be alright." Jeremiah coughed forcefully, his voice was so hoarse it was almost frightening to his friend.

"Okay… let's get this over with." Lacy announced as the group encircled the mattress on the floor in the corner.

--

Jeremiah gritted his teeth as he was rolled gently onto his back. He sucked a sharp breath in through his teeth as the cloth beneath him felt like razor blades dicing at the already tender exposed layers beneath the surface of his skin. He could feel the bile as it crept into the back of his throat with the first sudden push to his wounded shoulder. It was like a current of electricity jolting to life and rushing up and down the length of his arm. Jeremiah gritted his teeth again but it wasn't enough as the second shove, push, and tug all at once brought about a guttural scream as Jeremiah arched his back through the physical suffering. He tried valiantly to push himself up from the mattress as those who care most for him right now struggled to keep him down. It took Marcus, Blake and Rita to hold the struggling man down. His face dripped with perspiration and what looked like tears.

"I've… almost… got it!" Lacy shouted huffing and puffing as she struggled against the involuntary resistance brought on be the blinding pain Jeremiah was experiencing. "Hold… him still… Jeremiah… please… it's almost… got it!"

The sickening POP was followed by a moan and then silence. The thrashing ended abruptly and all hands released.

"Is… is he…" Kurdy looked frightened as he watched his friend lay lifeless in front of him.

Rita leaned in towards the man laying her head on his chest. The others held their breath waiting for her response. She could hear the beating of his heart in her left ear. She watched the rising and falling of his chest. She felt the breath on the back of her neck where her hair had spilled over her shoulders revealing a bare spot of skin. As she lifted her head she heard a weak groan. Gently she ran her fingers across his forehead feeling the heat radiate from the slick, sticky skin.

"He's alright, he just passed out."

Kurdy sank to his knees in relief handing Rita the dampened cloth. She took it proceeding to wipe the blistering hot skin in an effort to provide some cooling relief. With some help Lacy wrapped a sheet tightly around his dislocated shoulder and then under the armpit of his right arm. She then finished tying off a makeshift sling in an effort to hold the damaged left shoulder in place.

"Can we get him onto his side? I need to see if there is any more damage to his back." Lacy asked.

"Sure… I can help." Kurdy, Rita and Lacy gently rolled the unconscious man onto his side draping his body once again over pillows and blankets to protect his damaged shoulder and prevent further damage to his back.

Lacy looked carefully over the surface. She noticed where the skin had blood on it from tearing again but everything appeared to be clean and free of infection. She breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up. "He has some minor bleeding but I think he's gonna be fine." She smiled as she walked around the bed and patted her sister on the back. "You can go and eat or get some rest; I'll watch him for a while."

"No Lace, I'm fine. Kurdy and I'll take first watch and you three can get some sleep." She responded looking up at her sister.

"You sure?" Lacy yawned and stretched.

"Yes, go… we'll be fine." She smiled warmly at Kurdy who winked playfully back at her.

"Thank you." Lacy smiled and then walked silently over to the mattress across from her brothers where she crawled under a blanket and fell quickly asleep.

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