Brothers of one heart
Author's Note: : This short story is a prologue to Unmasked! (A remake to The Reluctant Imposter, my very first fan fic story. ) to he posted sometime this summer. Choosing to rewrite a story with two other connections (Dear Mort and Slim's Journal) was a daunting task but I really felt that it needed to be done. Because it is slightly different, time wise etc., I decided to leave the original story posted. Please let me know what you think.
Chapter ~1
Dr. Hansen eyed the lean, blonde haired man with some trepidation. He was tense; his light blue eyes fixed his with any icy stare. John Hansen flinched when he saw the man's fists open and curl close by his sides. He was suddenly struck by fear that this man, who towered over him, could indeed hurt him.
"Please doctor," He begged, "Let me see him."
John Hansen shook his head. "He won't even know you're there, son. He's been in a fever state for two days now. He's delirious. His leg is infected. I had to tie him to the bed to keep him there." He paused as he saw the grimace of pain sweep across the rancher's handsome features. " You hear him?" He's lost in a fever dream and if it doesn't end soon, I'm afraid that it will kill him."
Slim Sherman gripped the doctor's arms. "Please let me see him." He wasn't above begging for Jess' life. A sudden thought came to him. There might be a way. He was caught between two brothers. One lay in front of him, his body wracked in pain, just beyond his reach. His younger brother was behind him, riding a train. The three of them were brothers. One was a brother by birth and the other was a brother of his heart. Jess needed him.
"Doctor Hansen, if I can calm him down, will you let Doctor Sherman take a look at your patient?"
"Andrew Sherman? From Boston General Hospital? How do you know him?" John Hansen eyed the rancher suspiciously.
Slim pursed his lips together. He tried to slow his erratically beating heart. He needed to see Jess! "Doctor Andrew Sherman is my brother. I raised him from the time I came back from the war to the day he graduated. Right now he's on a train coming from ST Joe for Jess; for me. I trust his hands to help Jess and I trust his heart too. It might not look like it from the outside, but the three of us are brothers." Slim could see that his impassioned speech was undoing the stoic doctor.
"Please doctor, if I can calm Jess down and get his leg free from the clothes he's wearing, can you at least give Andy a moment to examine and treat his new patient?"
He waited a beat; feeling the sweat trickle down his back as Jess' moans were becoming louder by the minute. Finally, Doctor Hansen gave up. It was becoming quite useless to protest as Mr. Sherman was not going to stop his relentless barrage on his normally sensible protests. He didn't believe that Mr. Sherman would hurt him but he was determined to see Mr. Harper and nothing was going to stop him.
"What do you need?" He couldn't stop him from seeing his patient, but he could at least be civil.
Slim blinked. 'Finally!' He thought. " I need two bowls. One with cool water and two cloths and one with warm water. I want to see if I can get the fever down and then I'm going to get those pants off his leg."
"Do you need help?"
"No, I've done this before," Slim took a breath of relief and opened the door. He had learned long ago to approach Jess in a calm, quiet manner. Still, he paused for a moment, taking in the restless body of his best friend. Jess was pale except for fever spots on his cheeks and despite the sheen of sweat on his face, anyone would think he was just sleeping. But his head whipped back and forth, caught in delirium, mumbling indistinguishable words. Doctor Hansen had tied his wrists to the bed slats and every now and again Jess pulled on them as he flung his body up and tried to move his left leg.
Slim approached the bed slowly and as quietly as possible. He took off his gloves and put them and his jacket on the chair by the bed. There was a soft knock and as he turned he saw Doctor Hansen enter with the bowls. "Good Luck," he motioned towards Jess.
Slim nodded and sat down by Jess' side. 'And now it begins' he thought to himself.
He had learned to approach Jess slowly and quietly, speaking to him gently and reassuringly. Jess could turn violent if not approached carefully and for a brief second Slim was glad he was tied to the bed. But when he glanced at his friend's wrists he winced. Jess hated confinement of any kind. He especially hated being tied up, even if it were for his own good. Slim shook his head. " Oh, Jess," he softly whispered.
He sat down by Jess' side and began to wring out one of the cloths. The water was cool but he knew that Jess would balk as it would feel downright cold on his heated skin. It couldn't be helped. "Jess, it's Slim ," he spoke gently, placing a hand on his Pard's chest. "You're safe. I'm right here and I'm going to take care of you. Andy is coming too." Slim brushed a lock of hair off Jess' forehead, feeling for the fever. "I'm going put some cool water on your head and chest Pard, and at first it'll feel cold, but trust me you'll like it soon enough." He wasn't sure if Jess heard him or not, but Jess' head had stopped jerking back and forth, so he took it as a good sign.
As he bathed Jess' head and neck and worked his way down, he kept up a steady, gentle conversational tone, talking about the ranch, Daisy's latest housekeeping project, the town, virtually anything he could think of and he noticed as he did so that Jess was calmer. He longed to have him open his eyes but he knew enough not to hope too much. Now it was time for his wrists. "Okay, Pard," he began," let's make you more comfortable. I'm going to cut the rope off your wrists now. Just don't hit me, okay?"
Slim grabbed his knife from his boot and slid it between the bed slat and Jess' wrist on his left hand. Before Jess could even move, he slid his hand down Jess' arm and glided down to his elbow. " Let's lay your arm down this way," he murmured as he lay the injured limb across Jess' chest. The wound had long since stopped bleeding but he had no idea how badly injured it was.
"Ok, now for this one," Slim cut through the strands of rope on Jess' other restraint. To his amazement, Jess began to flex his fingers and form a fist. Worried, that an altercation was about to commence, Slim grabbed Jess' hand with both of his own and formed a gentle cradle around it. "I'm right here," he reminded his semi -conscious friend. Remembering suddenly the comforting gesture he'd used once before, he turned his thumb over and gently stroked the knuckles and the callused skin on the back of Jess' hand. Over and over again he repeated the gesture until at last Jess' fist relaxed. He was so fixated on the hand holding that was going on that he failed to notice that deep blue unfocused pain-filled eyes were watching his every move.
"Sl, Slim."
Chapter ~ 2
" Jess!" Slim's smile grew and stretched. He reached out a hand to his friend's shoulder forgetting his injury.
"Ouch!"
"Sorry," Slim intoned. "I'm just so glad to see your eyes and hear your voice! The sheriff said you were in a real bad way when they brought you here."
"Where's here? And where is Mike?" Jess' voice grew agitated.
"You're in Doctor Hansen's office and Mike is safe at the hotel," Slim paused and reached for the cool cloth again. "You saved his life Jess by pushing him down like that and then laying on him."
There was a glimmer of embarrassment in Jess' eyes. "Didn't do anything, " he started to say and then amended himself, " he saw the gun first. "
"He told me the same. That was some shooting I heard," Slim added as he began to bathe Jess' wrists.
"He is alright then?" Jess tried to rise but Slim gently pushed him down.
"He's fine. I just told you so. " Slim winced under Jess' glare.
""I'm sorry, Pard," Slim shook his head, " call it lack of sleep and plenty of worrying."
"Forget it," Jess peered down at his jean covered leg. " This Doctor do anything for me?"
"I know what you're thinkin', Pard. But in his defense, he wasn't here when you were shot."
"So he did nothing," Jess groaned.
"Well, Doctor Hansen told me that his wife cleaned you up some and forced some water down your throat. She got your boots off too."
"Wonderful," Jess mocked him.
While Jess grumbled Slim had been busy removing Jess' pants and was just about to start on his long johns. "Here," he said as he grabbed the blanket and thrust it into Jess' arms. "Cover yourself up as I go along."
"Uh?"
"I'm going to soak off the long johns from your wounds, Jess," he explained carefully. " As I go along, you might want to cover up so you don't get cold."
Slim knew that Jess hated to be uncovered so keeping him busy with the blanket would keep his mind off of his wounds. He set about lifting the fabric off of the first wound as gently as possible.
Jess gasped in pain. " Go slow, " he hissed.
Slim was tempted to yell back that he was indeed going slowly but he knew Jess wouldn't buy it. He was gripping the blanket for dear life and staring down in rapt attention at his leg.
"Jess, this is going to take awhile," he gestured at the leg in question. "Why don't you start telling me what really happened then I'll be able to clue in Andy."
Jess gathered his thoughts and temporarily forgot the reason he was holding a blanket. He grimaced in pain. "Just go slow, okay?" he pleaded.
"Jess, I've done this before, remember? I will go as slowly as possible." It was a promise Slim aimed to keep.
"We got lost on the way to the school, Pard," Jess began. "We turned down an alley that looked familiar but it was too narrow and houses were crowded together on each side of the street. Mike was talking when suddenly he stopped, grabbed my arm and whispered that there was a man following us. I flung him behind me and faced the man and demanded to know what he wanted but all he did was laugh! "
Slim blinked, his hands stilled over Jess' leg."and then what happened? " he asked quietly.
"I turned around at Mike's whimper. There was a second guy in front of us. We were surrounded. I pushed Mike to the ground and fired a warning shot at the guy in front of us, but the guy in back shot my arm causing me to drop my iron. I dropped on top of Mike. As I rose he shot me three times in my leg. After that I don't remember anything until you here."
The frown that had started its appearance earlier began to spread from one end of Slim's forehead to the other. 'Why would anyone in ST Louis want to hurt Jess? He wasn't even robbed!' Anger was replacing worry. He pried the fabric off of Jess with clenched fingers.
"Did you recognize him?" Slim asked casually, trying not to startle Jess.
The mere shake of his head caused nausea to rise up and Jess gagged. He immediately shut his eyes and tried to think about something else. Slowing his breathing, he managed to control his stomach. As he let out a sigh he looked up at his best friend.
"I'm fine."
Slim smiled, "Sure you are and you're going to stay that way if I have anything to say about it!" He lay aside another layer of fabric and picked up the cloth again. He was almost done. He hoped that Jess wouldn't look too closely. The bullets may have gone straight through but in their wake they left wounds that were blood streaked.
"When did you say Andy was coming?"
"He should be here in a few days. We'd have come together except that he promised Chris Hale, the wagon master, that he'd doctor a passenger. I advised him to check in at the hotel when he arrived. This trip was his idea, if you remember. "
"Great way to introduce Mike to school in ST Louis," grumbled Jess. " I get shot, you gotta put me back together and we didn't even meet any teachers."
"Well, there's something to be said for bravery, Jess." Slim tried to rein upon the gloomy thoughts of his Pard. " Mike single handedly got you out of that alley, got the sheriff to help get you to the doctor's office, sent a telegram to me and had an escort to the hotel."
"He ain't a kid anymore," Jess' lopsided grin caused Slim to finally relax.
Chapter ~ 3
"He's going to be okay, right?"
Andy Sherman nodded. "Eventually, yeah. But Slim," he began, knowing this next part was going to be tough to hear," he's got to stay off that leg for at least a month! That means no walking, absolutely no riding and no chores!"
Slim groaned. 'How the heck was he going to keep Jess in bed for a month?'
"You're joking, right?"
"I wish I was, for both of your sakes, but Slim," Andy looked up at his brother with all seriousness in his eyes," if he wants to keep that leg he needs to let it heal. I arrived in the nick of time. If that infection had gone on for a day or two longer we'd be talking about a cripple here." Andy clenched his fists. "The west needs more doctors and hospitals, Slim!" He shook his head in dismay. " Doctor Hansen may be great at birthing babies but broken bones and gun shot wounds are beyond him. He's not a young man and he hasn't kept up with all the changes in the medical field."
"Jess is lucky to have you. I know I am." Slim's smile warmed Andy's heart. It had been a long time since the two brothers had been able to talk as frankly as they were now. He draped the stethoscope around his neck. Unconsciously he twisted his shoulder blades, trying to ease the tense muscles. It had been a long operation. 'Thank God for laudanum,' he thought as he remembered how he had meticulously probed and plucked the bullet fragments from Jess' leg. He suddenly felt Slim's hands on his shoulders, kneading the sore muscles. Closing his weary eyes, he leaned into the touch of his brother's fingers. He wondered, not for the first time, when their relationship changed. Certainly it had begun that first day when he began his journey to school with Jonesy. Slim had been his guardian on paper. He had become his father upon the death of their mother but gradually, over time, had loosened the reins and had done more than lecture him about the ranch. Jess became the bridge between them, giving them the opportunity to become brothers again.
Now it was his turn to be a big brother to Mike. He hardly knew him. Andy turned from the instrument table and sighed. He doubted that Slim would leave Jess' side.
" I should go and talk with Mike," he murmured, realizing that the young man in question had been alone for hours not knowing what had happened.
Slim's head snapped up. He had been so wrapped up in Jess' care that he had temporarily forgotten their 'son'.
Andy, sensing the guilty feelings of his distraught brother, clasped a hand onto his shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Slim. Mike knew where you were all the time. I'm sure he also knew that you would stay by Jess' side. You three really are brothers of one heart."
"Hey, count yourself part of the family too!" Slim's smile reached his eyes.
Half and hour later Andy walked across the street to the Planters Hotel. 'How had everything gone so badly in such a short time? It was supposed to be a family trip, a chance for bonding. Instead, Jess had been shot for unknown reasons, Slim was understandably upset, Mike was probably worried sick and bored and he, himself was feeling guilty and worn out.' His dark thoughts swirled around him and when he finally looked around, he realized that he had walked right by the hotel.' This would never do!' He chastised himself. Stealing himself against the dark foreboding thoughts, he opened the heavy wooden ornate doors and stepped up to the front desk.
"He's in room 209," the desk clerk seemed friendly enough.
Andy trudged up the stairs reeling from the onslaught of guilt and failure. He squared his shoulders, unconsciously replicating his brother's manner and knocked on the door. There was no response.
"Mike, it's Andy. I've come to tell you about Jess."
The door was flung open and a set of red -rimmed blue eyes met his. "How is Jess?"
Their conversation began and Andy was struck again by the intense feelings of the young man before him. They were so different and yet they were both being raised by two of the best, most compassionate honest and yes, stubborn men he had ever known. His brother, still a relatively young man, had taken on the responsibility of the ranch and relay and had become his guardian upon the death of their mother. In the beginning they had a rocky relationship tempered by Jonesy, their surrogate uncle. Then a drifter crossed their land and took up residence in their hearts and the bridge was built. Now he could honestly say that he truly loved and respected his big brother. He had a deep and abiding friendship with Jess and, in a sense had become an older brother himself.
Even though he had grown up on the ranch and knew the ebbs and flows of his home, he had always longed to explore the world outside the world of Laramie, Wyoming. Within a span of two short years of intense study, he had come to the conclusion that both his mother and brother were right. He was not a rancher. He could do the tasks in his sleep but he would never love to do them. Mike, on the other hand took to ranching like a duck to water.
"He'll be ok, right? "
"Said so, didn't I!" Andy winced inwardly. He hadn't meant to be so irritating. He glanced over at Mike's slumped shoulders. "I'm sorry, Mike. I didn't mean to jump all over you." He sighed and eased his tired body down onto the bed. "Jess will be fine. He just has to take it slow.." He rubbed a hand over his forehead. " No chores or riding for at least a month. I know, " he paused as he heard Mike's gasp," it'll be a chore to keep him in bed but if he wants to walk without a limp he has to stay off of it."
Mike shook his head sadly. "This was gonna be a great time for us, ya know? A chance for me to see your school, meet the teachers, have some fun," he said softly. "Now everything is ruined."
"Doesn't have to be," Andy said suddenly, his eyes twinkling. " We could go together to my old school. Slim will want to be with Jess and this way you and I can get to know each other and they can be together too. What do you say?"
Mike grinned happily. 'Having Andy for a big brother wasn't such a bad thing after all,' he thought.
Chapter ~ 4
Andy laced his fingers together and looked up at the ceiling of hotel room 209. It had been a long but rewarding week. Jess, once he understood the gravity of the situation, had become a model patient. He had fought tooth and nail in the beginning but when he realized that Slim had hidden his clothes he couldn't well fuss anymore. By the end of the week he was sitting up, playing cards and staying awake for longer and longer periods of time.
At first Andy wasn't sure why he had volunteered to be Mike's tour guide but it had become a rewarding experience. He had reconnected with some former classmates, introduced Mike to some teachers and had practically walked all over ST Louis. He had a long and satisfying lunch with his former roommate, Pete Wilkinson who was set to depart for Montana in a day or two. When Pete realized that Andy's family was at the hotel, he insisted on meeting them all. It warmed Andy's heart that Slim and Jess liked one of his best friends.
Jess was getting better. He had a long way to go yet but at least there was no fever and his shoulder wound was healing. Although he hadn't wanted to call attention to gun shot wounds, some of his former teachers asked him to address the younger medical students and talk about the treatment, surgery and preventing gangrene.
Soon it would be time to head back to Boston. He would miss his family. He remembered the advice that Jess had given him. "Tie your family memories to a wagon wheel so that when you're lonesome or homesick or just sad, you can turn the wheel around and bring up your happy memories. That way you're never really lonely."
He glanced over at Mike. His younger brother was reading one of his favorite Mark Twain stories and the memory of Jack Slade popped into his mind. Jonesy had defended them when Slade stormed into their home uninvited. Despite Slade's insistence that his brother fire Jess, Slim and Jess had defended their ranch and their family courageously. Mark Twain had been on the stage and had promised Andy a copy of his newest book when it was published. "Roughing it" had been on the book shelves at Benson's the next year and Andy had one of the first signed editions.
He and Mike were so different and yet so alike. He had grown up on the ranch. He knew every nook and cranny, all the good places to hide and all the places to find animals. He had his favorite fishing holes and his favorite cave. Mike had discovered the fishing holes by accident. He wasn't allowed to explore the rocky hills above the ranch so he never knew about the cave but he knew the secret way to enter the line cabin. Beyond all this important boyhood exploits, Mike had an uncanny ability to understand when Jess or Slim were sad or distressed in any way. He knew instinctively when Slim was upset but Jess closed himself up and kept saying he was "fine." Andy shook his head slightly as he remembered Mike's response to seeing Jess after he had recovered from surgery. He had hesitantly come into the room but after looking at his adopted father's pale face, had walked swiftly to the sick bed and put both arms gently around Jess. His head found what Andy realized was his favorite spot and stayed there for several minutes before Jess' right arm encircled his son. Afterwards Andy saw the tear tracks but said nothing.
"He saved my life," he had told Andy later. "Your brother and Jess may be my fathers on paper but they're part of me, and that makes you my big brother too."
At first he'd balked at his new title but over time he realized that he was no longer the youngest and he had an awesome responsibility. He had indeed become a big brother too, just like Slim.
"When you come here next year, we should write each other, " Andy glanced at Mike.
"I would like that," Mike said softly, "Slim and Jess won't seem so far away then."
"Hey Andy, have you ever thought about coming back to Laramie? You could be another doctor in town and Slim and Jess wouldn't miss you so much."
Andy smiled sadly. "I thought about it but I would be taking some of Doctor Sam's patients and that wouldn't be right. This was a good visit, you know," he spoke thoughtfully, changing the subject. "Well, except for Jess getting shot of course. " Both of them sighed then.
Mike put down his book and faced Andy. "You could live at the ranch again and maybe practice out at the ranch for the people who couldn't get to town." It was clear that he had been thinking hard about his family.
"I'll think about it," Andy replied. " You know, this vacation was really exciting," he continued pensively. "I got home in time for Christmas, we rode on a stage, in a train and finally met Jess' cousin Coop. Then you and Jess traveled alone to ST Louis and I stayed behind to doctor Chris Hale's passenger and my brother's hand. Then you had that exciting, well, not the word I'm looking for, " he grimaced," time in the alley. Now, after a whole week with me, you're set to return home and I head off to Boston!" "So much has happened in just a few short months!" he exclaimed.
"I still wish you'd come home to stay," Mike spoke wistfully.
"Tell you what," Andy grinned, " If I promise to think about it, will you promise to do your very best in the remaining days of your school life in Laramie? And, secondly, write me when you enter my old school as a new student? "
"That's what Jess would call a tall order Andy," Mike smirked, " but I'll do my very best."
Little did they know that the newly formed bond they had formed would be tested in ways they never imagined in just a few short months.
