Chapter 6

It took almost an hour, but help finally came, Nick and Heath leading about half a dozen of the ranch hands. They immediately sent two of the hands to town for the doctor with instructions to come to Jarrod's place, which was closer.

After they determined that Maggie could move her arms and legs and had no lack of feeling in them, they moved her gingerly onto a flat board and put her into the back of the buckboard they brought. She was stoic, but moving her onto the board really caused her back to spasm. Jarrod got himself inside the buckboard beside her.

"This is going to be a little bumpy," Jarrod said to his wife, "but we're closer to home than to the mansion, and it shouldn't take too long to get there."

Maggie said, "I understand. Are you all right?"

"Just minor stuff," Jarrod said.

The buckboard began to move, and Maggie immediately felt it in her back and grunted out loud.

Heath was driving. He said, "I'm sorry. It'll be easier to miss the ruts when we get out of this moon shadow."

"Where's Nick?" Jarrod asked.

"He went on to The Grove to get things ready for us. Carl and Audra went, too. We sent a couple hands for the doctor and he should be there soon, too."

Jarrod laid himself down beside his wife, keeping hold of her hand. He whispered into her ear. "You still don't feel any pain in your abdomen?"

"No, only my back," Maggie said. "I've strained it before, and it hurts like the devil. I can't move at all without – Owww!"

They'd hit another bump.

"Without ow," Maggie completed her sentence.

"You just rest, don't talk," Jarrod said. "We'll be home in a few minutes."

Heath finally drove out of the moon shadow created by the side of the hill, and he managed to see the bigger ruts before he hit them. He could not go any faster, but it was smoother, and they made it to The Grove within 15 minutes.

When they got there, they found Nick, Audra, Carl and a couple of the hands waiting for them. Jarrod climbed down out of the buckboard and Nick and Heath lifted Maggie out. With Carl's help, and grabbing onto whatever he could – hitching rail, porch support, whatever - Jarrod got himself into the house.

He saw his mother in the doorway of the bedroom. She obviously had ridden right by them on the road, wanting to get here before they did. He gave her as easy a smile as he could muster and made his way across the living room by holding onto whatever furniture he could grab.

He was headed to the bedroom, following Nick and Heath and Maggie, but Victoria met him near the sofa and put hands on him. "No farther, Jarrod. Sit down here and let me look at you."

Jarrod shook his head, but sat down on the sofa. "I'm all right. It's Maggie who needs you."

"I'll see to Maggie as soon as Nick and Heath get her off that stretcher," Victoria said. "Can you take your jacket off?"

Victoria pulled Audra's bandage off his arm, and he struggled out of his jacket, then took his shirt off that arm. Victoria told Audra to go into the bedroom and see to Maggie as Nick and Heath came out, carrying the board they had carried Maggie on. They gave it to a couple hands just outside the front door and told them to head on back to the mansion with it. Then Nick and Heath came back in.

Victoria got her first look at Jarrod's arm. It was still bleeding from a nasty gash that looked like it was going to need stitches. For now, she wanted to wrap it closed. "Where do you keep your first aid supplies?" she asked.

Jarrod actually knew the answer to that one. "Kitchen, lower cabinet just to the right of the door.

Nick went to fetch it.

Jarrod said, "Mother, Nick and Heath and Carl can help me. Please go in and see what Maggie needs."

Victoria looked up at Nick as he came back with the first aid supplies. He nodded. "All right, " Victoria said, "but you're bleeding pretty badly. Keep that arm still after they wrap it up."

"Yes, ma'am," Jarrod said and tried a smile.

Victoria went into the bedroom to see to Maggie.

Nick got the astringent and some cotton balls out of the first aid kit. "This is gonna sting, Pappy," he said and began to clean the wound.

Jarrod inhaled sharply, but did not cry out. He did not want Maggie to hear him and worry.

As soon as he cleaned the wound, Nick wrapped a strip of cloth from the first aid kit tightly around it, to try to keep it closed.

Heath saw Jarrod's trousers were torn down the right leg, below the knee Jarrod had twisted. Since the trousers were already ruined, Heath just tore them up beyond Jarrod's knee.

That hurt. Jarrod bit his lip and squeezed his eyes closed.

Heath saw swelling and redness in that knee, and he carefully felt it. "Looks like you got a dislocation. You ready for me to try to pop it back into place?"

Nick took his wallet out and handed it down to Jarrod. Jarrod looked like he really didn't want to bite a wallet, but it was handy. "Go ahead," he said, put the wallet in his mouth and bit down hard.

It took less than thirty seconds for Heath to pop Jarrod's knee back into place and make sure it was right, but to Jarrod it felt like an hour. When it was done, the wallet just fell out of his mouth, and he went limp.

"I think we lost him," Carl said.

Nick and Heath eased him back to lie down. "Yeah, he's out," Nick said. "I'm gonna slip a sling on that arm, keep it elevated," Nick said and searched the first aid kit for a sling. There was enough in the way of strips of cloth to do the trick. Heath helped move Jarrod around enough for Nick to put the sling in place.

Then there wasn't much to do except stand and stare at him and at each other.

Carl said, "I'll go make some coffee. We might be here for a while." And he went into the kitchen and started looking for things.

Heath looked at Nick and spoke quietly. "Maggie was in a lot of pain, Nick."

Nick nodded. "I hope the baby's all right. It'll kill Jarrod if anything happens to the baby or to Maggie."

They looked at each other. It actually could kill Jarrod if anything happened to his wife or child. Heath sighed and looked down at his older brother. "At least he didn't have an angina attack."

Nick suddenly looked stricken. He quickly put his hand on Jarrod's chest and relaxed when he felt a decent heartbeat. For a moment there, Nick was afraid -

Jarrod stirred. "Maggie – "

"She's all right, Jarrod," Heath said. "We're home, and the doctor should be here any minute."

Jarrod opened his eyes and immediately remembered what happened. "Did I pass out?"

"Yeah, for a minute. We hurt you quite a bit when Heath popped your knee back in," Nick said, "and you've lost a lot of blood. You best just stay as you are until the doc gets here."

"Where's Maggie?"

"In the bedroom. Mother and Audra are with her."

Jarrod sighed and breathed easier. Then he said, "At least you know where the bank accounts and the wills are."

Nick snorted, and Heath smiled. "I don't think we're gonna need them," Heath said.

The doctor arrived a few minutes later and went straight in to Maggie. Victoria and Audra stayed in there, too, and Jarrod stayed lying on the sofa, worrying, while his brothers paced aimlessly and his brother-in-law tended the coffee. After what seemed like forever, the doctor came out and knelt down in front of the sofa to tend to Jarrod.

"How's Maggie?" Jarrod asked quickly.

"Looks like she just has a back strain," Dr. Merar said. "Very painful but not serious. She has plenty of feeling in her legs and arms."

"What about the baby?"

"I don't think she's had any damage there. There's no bleeding, but I'll want to keep checking on her every day for a while. I think everything is going to be all right, but she's going to have to stay in bed for at least a week and you're going to need help with her, because from the looks of you, you're not gonna be able to take much care of her or yourself. Let me look at that arm."

Victoria came out then. She managed a smile for her oldest as the doctor unwound the bandages around his arm.

The doctor said, "Yeah, you need a few stitches."

Jarrod stayed silent through everything as the doctor gave him a shot and then put the stiches in to close the wound in his arm. He rebandaged it and put his arm into a better sling than Nick was able to manage, then he looked Jarrod's knee.

Jarrod winced and squeezed his eyes closed as the doctor probed his knee, but it was over fast. "Who popped it back into place?" the doctor asked.

"I did," Heath said.

"Nice job," Dr. Merar said and wound a bandage tightly around it. "You're going to have to stay off this as much as possible but only for a day or two. That arm's going to need more mercy. I'll check it when I come to check on Maggie. Now – " He looked Jarrod firmly in the eye. "How's that heart?"

Jarrod looked startled for a moment, then his eyes cleared. "Fine."

"No pain?"

"No," Jarrod said. "Not that I've noticed, but I had my mind on other things."

Dr. Merar took his stethoscope out of his bag and listened to Jarrod's heart and lungs. Then he looked at each of Jarrod's hands. "Things seem all right," he said, and then he stood up and looked around at everyone. "These people are living under a lucky star."

Carl asked, "Doc, would you like some coffee?"

"A bit," the doctor said, and soon Carl handed him a cup about half full. He took it down in one large gulp and with one satisfied sigh.

Jarrod tried to get up. "I'd like to see Maggie."

"All right," Dr. Merar said. "She's falling asleep."

Heath was there to help Jarrod up and into the bedroom. Audra was sitting beside the bed, but she smiled and left as soon as Jarrod and Heath came in. Heath helped Jarrod to the bed, and he sat down on what was his side of it.

"You want your boots off?" Heath asked.

Jarrod nodded, and Heath pulled his boots off for him. "Thanks, Heath," he said and painfully pulled his legs into the bed, to lie beside his wife.

Heath went out, and Jarrod kissed his wife. Maggie was awake enough to smile. "That was nice," she whispered.

"How are you feeling?" Jarrod asked.

"Dr. Merar gave me a lovely pill," she said. "Makes me a little sleepy, but my back is much better. He thinks the baby is all right."

"He told me. But you'll be in bed for a while."

"I know. How are you?"

"Oh, a few stitches and a couple bandages and I'm fine."

"Good. Let's sleep, Jarrod."

Jarrod laid his head on the pillow. "I'm for that. I'm here if you need me."

"I'm here if you need me," Maggie slurred the words and drifted off.

Jarrod smiled and kissed her hair, and soon he was asleep, too.