HONORABLE INTENTIONS
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
"Jess?" Someone was calling my name. Couldn't rightly tell who… had a sound of an echo coming from a long way off. And I was still in darkness, and it was real hard to breathe and it felt like somethin' was pressin' on my chest. I turned my head to the side, tryin' to find some air, but there weren't none...my chest hurt bad, burning and achin' and I couldn't figure out why. Gunshots. I remembered hearin' guns bein' fired. Was I hit? I heard someone groan.
"Jess, wake up." Daisy?
"Mrrmmm. Dai..." I broke off coughin' and the razors in my chest sliced harder and I was breathin' fast but my lungs weren't cooperatin' none.
"Jess, sit up. Here, take a sip of this."
Daisy was pushing a cup against my lips. Had a kinda smell I'd never smelled before. Weren't sure I liked it or not.
"Careful, it's hot."
I took a sip. And gagged. "What are ya doin?" I asked, makin' a move to push the cup away, but my right arm was back in a sling.
"It'll help with your cough. Just sip it slowly." Daisy was trying to get me to drink more.
"I ain't… drinkin' it." I pulled my other hand from under the covers and pushed the cup away. And then I started coughin' again.
"Help me sit him up." I heard the words but couldn't tell who was sayin' them. Didn't sound like Slim.
Someone grabbed me under the arms and lifted, pillows were stuffed behind my back and there was back slappin' goin on as well. I hoicked up somethin' no man should ever have to feel in his mouth and a bowl was placed next to my chin.
"Spit, Jess, spit it up." I couldn't get it outta my mouth fast enough. At least when that was gone my coughin' let up and I was left gasping and sweating and feelin like sh..."
"Drink." The cup was back at my lips. I looked up into the frownin' face of Doc Burns. He didn't look happy. Looked like maybe he wanted to yank my finger nails out one by one, with a set of pliers, and I reckoned he weren't thinkin' chloroform'd be involved. I sipped slowly and screwed up my nose, fightin' the urge to gag.
"What...what...are ya tryin...to do? Poison me?" The cup pressed again and I drank, but I weren't likin' it.
That tight band around my chest started to ease some and I could finally breathe a little easier.
"What...happened?" I asked, lookin' from the Doc, to Daisy standin' behind his shoulder, to Slim who was restin' under the covers on my bed. "Why am I...in Slim's bed?"
"We needed to get you lying down and this was the closest bed."
"Did I get hit?" I asked, thinkin' back to that gun fire I'd heard and feelin' for a bandage on my chest.
"No Jess. Slim and Mrs. Cooper found you out cold in the yard. Just after Sheriff Cory and the posse rode in." The doc put his bag on the table next to the bed and started diggin' around inside. Took out that listenin' dee-vice of his.
I reached up and rubbed my head, feelin' a fresh bandage there. It was all startin' to come back to me. Morgan, Deevy, horses..."You mean them guns I heard firin', that was Mort?"
Slim spoke up this time. "Mort and the posse rode in and took Morgan out, he'll be joining the others at the Undertaker. Deevy was wounded and the other fella, Tip, gave himself up without a fight."
"Figured he never had no back bone." I looked at the Doc. "Why's my chest hurtin' so bad?"
"Mrs. Cooper, why don't you get some broth warmed up, while I talk to Jess for a minute."
"Hey." I yelled. But it sounded more like a croak. "I ain't eatin' no broth. All's I've had in me today is water. I need some real food." Doc Burns was givin' me that look again...wondered if maybe he was related to Slim somewhere in a distant past. Daisy wasn't lookin' too agreeable, neither.
"Daisy ya told me supper was nearly ready 'fore I got tangled up with Deevy and Morgan. Told ya, I ain't had nothin' to eat since breakfast. You gotta feed me 'fore I starve to death."
"Mrs Cooper, if he's well enough to make all that noise then I think he can manage some real food. Not too much to start with, though."
Daisy nodded, givin' me one last worried frown before leaving the room.
Doc Burns pulled up a chair and sat by my bedside. He lifted up my undershirt and felt around my chest, then fixed that listenin' thing to his ears and put the end on my rib cage.
"Doc?"
"Quiet, Jess, take a deep breath."
I wasn't too sure he was serious; breathing deep hadn't been a good idea so far.
"Come on son, breathe deep as you can."
Seems he meant it. I did as he said, best as I could and drew a big chest rattlin' breath and it started me off again. I pushed the doc's hand away and leaned forward trying to stop the cough. I coughed till my eyes leaked and my chest ached. The doc was poundin' on my back and holdin' a bowl near my mouth. I coughed hard and then spit and it finally let up.
I hugged my chest and waited for that burnin', wheezing feeling to quit.
"Lay back, son." He helped me lean against the pillows.
The doc sat quiet...looking at me like he was sizin' me up. "You're not real good at following orders, are you, boy?"
I heard a snort from the next bed.
The doc continued. "Thought I told you to take things easy? Maybe I oughtta be checking your ears? You having a problem hearing, Jess?"
"Nothin' wrong with my hearin'. You said you weren't sure my hand was broke."
"Yes, I did say I wasn't sure, but I also told you that you weren't to use it at all for the next few days. Do you remember that?"
Wasn't real sure what he wanted me to say, so I kept my mouth shut and closed my eyes, hoping he'd take a hint and leave me alone.
"And from what Slim here tells me, it was almost two days before you got Mrs. Cooper to splint and bandage your hand and you went about your business as usual."
I jerked upright and glared at Slim. "Thanks a lot, Pard."
"What was I s'posed to tell him, Jess? He could see you haven't been takin' care of it."
I leaned back against the pillows, figurin' there weren't no point in arguin' with them.
"So...you better tell me what happened to get you in this condition."
"I fell in a river."
"Hmph." Slim was just full of helpful comments.
Doc glanced in Slim's direction then back at me. "And?"
"And Slim...pulled me out. Dad blamed...fool." I muttered.
"Hah."
"Ain't you got some sleepin' to do or somethin'?" I yelled at Slim, only it wasn't that loud and I started coughin' again. More poundin' on my back, more spittin' up and finally it stopped.
"Drink." The doc was shoving that dang awful drink at me again.
I took a sip.
"Finish it, Jess. That's a taste you're going to have to get used to over the coming days."
I finished what was in the cup, gagged once and shivered. "That's the worst tastin' stuff I've ever had. What in the foggy blue mornin' is it?"
"An old Indian recipe. Works wonders with coughs and breathing difficulties. Both of which you seem to be suffering from. How long were you in the river?"
"Don't rightly know. Reckon it was long enough to swallow half of it."
"Hmmmm." The doc seemed to be thinkin' 'bout things."
"Did you breathe any of it?"
"I reckon so." I said, rubbin' at my eyes.
"That would explain it." He said, scrapin' a hand across his chin. "Lift up your vest again."
"'Splain what?"
The doc had that listening thing back in his ears and was movin' it around my chest.
"I ain't breathin deep," I said.
"Shh."
Weren't havin' no more of that deep breathin'...
"Deep breath."
"Told ya, I ain't. Makes me cough. You saw what happened before."
"You're full of argument and sass, aren't you?" The doc said, still payin' attention to my chest with that dee-vice of his.
"Huh, now you know what I have to put up with." Slim mumbled.
"Ain't you got somethin' to knock him out with?" I asked the doc. I reckoned I had enough troubles without Slim addin' to 'em.
"Okay, you two. Ease up. You're going to be spending some time in here together so you better learn to get along."
Slim was giving me one of his scowling looks. Reckoned I was matchin' it right back at him.
"How are you feeling now, Jess?"The doc asked, foldin' up the listenin' tool and putting it back in his bag.
"Hungry. Thought Daisy was gonna bring me somethin' to eat." I turned towards the door but there was no sign of any food comin'.
"All right, Jess. I'll go see what's keeping her. I'd like her to be here when I map out your treatment.
"What treatment?" But he was gone 'fore I'd finished askin'.
Slim and I sat in silence, 'cept for that rattlin' sound every time I took a breath.
"Slim?"
"Yeah, Jess."
"What happened? How'd Mort know to come out to the ranch...Where is Mort anyway?"
"Took Deevy and Tip and Morgan's body back to town." Slim chuckled. "Tip was singin' like a canary."
"Figures," I said.
"From what Mort was saying, Tip saw him ride back to Laramie after I pulled you outta the river. Heard he was forming a posse to go after Deevy and that you'd nearly drowned. Tip knew where Deevy was hidin' and that he'd been in contact with that other Mogan fella...Ray. Someone saw Tip hightailin' it outta town and told Mort. He figured Deevy might head out here to finish what he started."
"Thought there were...only three...of them...Morgans?" It was hard to talk and breathe at the same time.
"Jess? You okay? You havin' trouble catchin' your breath?"
"I'm...all right. No...worse 'n' before. What about...the Morgans?"
"Ray was a cousin...been in some trouble back East, small time. He moved out to Rock Springs a few months ago. Mostly been behavin' himself but when Joe got killed, Mac and Al Morgan sent him a wire. Then he heard you'd got the other two and he figured he'd avenge their deaths."
"Here you are, Jess." Daisy came through the door carryin' a tray with a plate of stew and two biscuits. The doc was on her heels close behind. He leaned over, helping me to sit up straight while Daisy stood, waiting.
When they'd both decided I was ready to deal with the tray, Daisy put it on my lap.
"Thanks, Daisy," I said, grabbing a biscuit off the plate and wolfing it down before she'd even straightened up.
"Easy does it, Jess. Slow down or you'll start yourself coughing again."
"Easy for you to say, Doc. You ain't been half starved for mosta the day." I picked up the spoon and shoveled a chunk of meat and potato in my mouth to go with the half chewed biscuit. "Got any coffee?" I asked, looking up at Daisy just long enough to swallow then take another bite of the biscuit.
"What do you think, Doctor?" Daisy asked.
"I don't see why not. It won't make him any worse."
"Worse 'n' what?" I asked when I finally got my mouth empty. "I ain't sick. It's just a cough on account of me swallowin' so much of that dad gummed river."
"On the contrary, young man, you are quite sick indeed."
"Huh?" I paused in mid chew.
"You didn't just swallow the water, you inhaled it. Bit like you're doing with that food there. Slow down before you choke on it." I wasn't too slow to miss the Doc's eyeroll before he started talkin' again. "The reason you're coughing and having trouble breathing is because that water has settled in your lungs." He looked at Daisy, then back at me. "I'm afraid you are going to get a lot sicker before you get better."
"He's going to be all right though, isn't he, Doc?" Slim asked, getting that worried frown on his face.
"Well, that's up to Jess. As long as he follows my orders and takes care of himself then, yes, he should make a full recovery."
"In that case we better start makin' funeral arrangements." Slim was layin' there with a smirk on his face.
"Oh, you're a barrel of laughs!" I said, givin' my pard a look that should a set him on fire.
"Jess, I'm serious. You really do have to take it easy. And by that I mean bed rest. Complete. The only time you can get up is to go to the outhouse. Otherwise, this is your home for the next week. Then, and only then, after I've reassessed you, can you even think about moving from that bed."
"But I ain't that sick, Doc. It's just a cough."
Doc Burns shook his head. "Did you hear anything I said? You have water in your lungs. You don't rest, next thing you'll be looking at is Lung Fever. For once in your life, Jess, just do as you're told."
"He will. I'll make sure of it." Daisy was giving me one of those school marm looks of hers, just daring me to argue.
"And Mrs. Cooper will see to it that you get plenty of that herb tea to drink. It will help loosen some of that build up in your lungs. The more you can cough up, the better. Are we clear?"
"Seems to me...I ain't got no choice." I said, spooning another chunk of meat into my mouth.
"And Jess?"
"Yeah, Doc."
"You keep that hand of yours in the sling. You haven't done yourself any favors with your hi jinks this morning." Then turning to Slim he said, "And that goes for you too, young man. Bed rest for the next two days, then the most strenuous thing you can do is move from the bed to a chair."
I looked over at my Pard. The doc sure'd brought him down a peg or two. Nice to know it wasn't just me that was gettin' in trouble.
"Jess, I don't know what makes you young 'uns think you're indestructible...but it's not so. And there's a grave yard full of hard headed young fools just like you who thought they couldn't be beat." The doc shook his head. "I don't know...you young people..."
"Okay, Okay..." I broke off, coughin', my chest gettin' all tight again. Daisy grabbed the tray off my lap 'fore I spilled it everywhere. This one was goin' on and on and nothing was coming up to spit. I swung my legs over the side of the bed sitting up, trying to find some relief. The doc was hitting me on the back, but it wasn't doing no good. I coughed until I started to heave and a bowl was placed under my chin. Weren't but a few more seconds 'fore my supper came straight back up. I heaved until my stomach cramped and there was nothin' left to spit.
"Dad...gum." I croaked when it was all over.
I sat on the side of the bunk, one elbow propped on my knee and my head resting in my hand. It took a minute 'fore I could get my breathin' back and when I did I looked up at the doc.
"How...long's...this gonna...last?"
"Can't say how long for sure, Jess. Let's just take it one day at a time."
"Jess dear, do you think you're up to finishing your supper?" Daisy was still holding the tray with my half-eaten dinner on it.
"No thanks, Daisy. I ain't hungry now. I think I...think I...maybe...oughtta..." All of a sudden my head was feelin' real light and my eyes kept driftin' shut. I could feel myself start to fall to the side but there weren't nothin' I could do to stop it.
"Catch him!" Not sure who called out but I was too tired to care. Last thing I remembered was someone grabbin' me round the shoulders and pulling me back against the pillows.
Next time I woke the room was mostly dark, 'cept for a light burnin' low on the bedside table. I came to with a ragin' thirst and a cool cloth folded across my forehead.
"Jess?"
"Uh huh. Daisy?"
"How are you feeling?"
"Been...better...I reckon."
"Are you thirsty?"
I nodded.
"Here." Daisy's cool hand slipped behind my head and lifted me forward. "Small sips, Jess." I drank greedily, but Daisy pulled the cup back. "Not too much at once. Slow down."
When I'd had enough I sank back into the pillows. There were more than usual stacked behind me making me more sittin' than lyin' down.
"It's hot in here." I said, pushin' the covers off my chest.
Daisy took the cloth off my head and put her hand on my forehead. "Fever's up. I was afraid of that."
"What time...is it?" She was dipping the cloth in a bowl of water on the night stand, squeezed it out and put it back across my forehead.
"A little after midnight."
"Daisy...you should...be... " I should a knowed better'n to start talkin'. My chest exploded in a deep hacking cough. I sat forward, the cloth slipping from my forehead. Daisy was pattin' me on the back with one hand and holdin' a bowl near my chest with the other.
"Come on, Jess, spit it up. You'll feel better if you get it off your lungs."
Fine for her to say. It weren't her mouth that dang awful loogie was gonna be landin' in. But I kept coughin' till somethin' came up and I spit it out.
My heart was hammerin' against my chest and the wheezin' sound every time I took a breath was louder than before.
"Daisy?"
"Yes, Jess?"
"Where...where's Slim?"
"He's asleep. The doc gave him something for the pain hoping he'd get a full night's rest."
I turned my head to the left and nodded. "Good." And then I drifted off again.
Continued in chapter sixteen