Chapter 22

Jess felt the cool cloth on his forehead as Jonesy patted his shoulder. He had heard Slim's comment about saving the ranch, but he wanted Slim to take the money belt off of him. He wasn't sure how long he could stay awake. His mind kept going back to the way Maggie Sullivan's father had been unable to keep his eyes open or do anything to help himself. He struggled to speak again, "Slim."

The blonde rancher knelt down beside Jonesy's chair so he could hear what Jess was trying to tell him. "What, Jess?"

"Git tha money. . . .Don't want ta . . . be responsible. Git offa me."

Slim was touched that Jess was so sick and yet all he could think of was giving the money to him. He moved the front of Jess's jacket out of the way and unbuttoned his shirt. Jess tried his best to sit up a little so Slim could pull the money belt from under his back. He was too weak to raise himself up much, but Jonesy held him by the shoulders enough for Slim to remove the belt. Then Jonesy eased him back on the couch and re-buttoned his shirt. The exposure of his chest, even with his underwear on, caused Jess to shiver with chills since his fever was so high. So, Jonesy pulled the blanket up. However, that didn't stop the shivering. "I'll get another quilt," Jonesy announced as he went toward the bedroom. He shook his head as he thought, Doc Hanson better git here soon. I don't know what else ta do. I'm puttin' cold cloths on his head and yet I can't let him shiver like that. Do I try to keep him warm or do I try to cool him off to lower the fever?" Jonesy had a lot of experience dealing with gunshots and sickness, but this illness puzzled him. There was no cough or runny nose, no throwing up, and yet the boy was burning up with fever.

Slim slide into the chair that Jonesy had vacated. He watched as Jess's eyes closed, but then immediately they fluttered open again. He barely heard what Jess muttered as the younger man tried to focus his eyes on Slim's face. Slim thought he said, "Don't try ta . . . break . . . that wild . . . horse."

Just then Jonesy came back with the quilt, "What's he saying, Slim?"

"I don't rightly know. It sounded like he was telling me not to try to break a wild horse. But that doesn't make any sense. The last wild stallion that was here was a couple of weeks before Jess went to see Aunt Ellen. Jess green broke him and he knows we've already sold that horse to the stage company." Slim looked down at Jess who now appeared to be unconscious again.

Jones replied, "I wouldn't worry 'bout that, Slim. I'm sure it's just the fever playing games with his mind. I hope Hanson gits here soon. Don't know that I've ever seen a grown man burning with fever this bad." He didn't add what he was really thinking, "at least not one that lived through it."

Jess wasn't unconscious, but he couldn't open his eyes or say anything else. He was jest too weak. He barely heard what Slim and Jonesy were saying. He was confused in his thinking. Before he drifted off to sleep, he could have sworn that he saw Ceija smiling down at him and saying in her Romani accent, "See, I was right. I knew you'd get back home if you did what I told you to do."

Slim stood up and took the money belt over to the desk. He took the money out of the different pockets in the belt, and then he put the $700 dollars in the desk and closed it. He turned to Jonesy, "Never should have doubted him. It's all there. I don't know why he was so late coming back. He shoulda been here four or five days ago. But that don't matter now."

Just then they heard the sound of voices outside the front door. Slim opened the door to see Dr. Hanson getting out of his buggy with his doctor's bag. Andy was tying the doctor's horse to the hitching post.

"C'mon in, Doc. It's Jess and he's mighty sick. Bad fever."

The doctor hurried in while Andy led his horse to the barn.

Jonesy and Slim stepped back away from Jess to let Doc Hanson have room to examine him. "Was he able to tell you much of anything?" Doc asked as he took his stethoscope out of his bag.

"No. Andy was here when Jess came home, but he said that Jess just said he was sick." Slim answered.

"Yes, that's what Andy told me. So, he's said nothing else to you two?"

"He's been barely able to talk." Jonesy said matter-of-factly.

After listening to Jess's heart and stomach, the doctor said, "I'll need to check him for a spider or snake bite. It could just be a sickness that's come on him, but it could also be that something's bit him or he's cut himself and its infected. Andy said he's been traveling."

"Yes," Slim was growing more concerned by the minute. He's been gone almost three weeks now. "I guess he could have been bitten by something when he was sleeping under the stars, but he's usually pretty careful where he makes camp."

As Doc Hanson was thoroughly checking his patient, Jess stirred just a little and opened his eyes. "Son, have you been bitten by anything or cut yourself?"

"No. . . Sullivan . . . sick . . . fever."

Doc Hanson glanced at Slim and Jonesy, "That helps. He musta gotten this from whoever Sullivan is. Jonesy, heat some water. I need him to take some willow bark dissolved in tea. I hope it'll bring the fever down some. Hopefully, it'll also keep him from getting dehydrated. We'll need to give him some several times a day."