Winter's Refuge
Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Nine
JED 'KID' CURRY
I opened my eyes slowly. I must have passed out again. I'm layin' on my side and Aiden is cleanin' out the wound in my thigh. It hurts and it burns. I know he's makin' sure there's no gunpowder or bits of cloth still in there. And somehow I'm in the back room of the smithy. Michael is handin' him what he needs.
"Ma, Pa's awake," he yelled before askin', "Does it hurt, Pa?"
Tryin' to sit up, Aiden pushed me back down onto the bed. "Stay on your side so I can finish and get this bandaged up."
Chrissy knelt by my bed and took my hand. With her other hand I watched her touch somethin' on my thigh and look lost in her mind. I tried to look her in the eyes, but they were glued to the old scar on my thigh.
"Pa, what's that scar Ma's looking at from?" my son asked.
Heyes' voice from behind me answered, "Your pa got that defending me when someone in Big Paw thought I was cheating in a poker game. He was shot up bad that night and the only place I could think to take him was Winter's Refuge."
"To ma?" Michael asked.
"Didn't really know your ma too well then but I couldn't think of anywhere else. Miss Marina stopped the bleeding and the doctor stitched him up, and then, well, then your ma and pa fell in love," Heyes finished.
"Chrissy darlin'," I said quietly, as I touched her face with my hand. She kept lookin' at my scar.
"Aiden, you finished? Got a party I want to go to," I said. I don't really want to go. I'm tired and hurtin', but Chrissy needed to see me appearin' to be fine. The memories of that night were hauntin' her and it was the only way I could stop them.
"No, Jed, you aren't going anywhere," the doctor said firmly.
Before I could answer, Chrissy moved her eyes from my scar to my eyes. "Jed, go to party with Chrissy darling? Not hurt bad?" she asked.
Aiden understood from her words that she was strugglin' and he understood I needed to go to the party with Chrissy…for her. Michael was quiet watchin' his ma 'think'.
"Done," announced Aiden. "If you must go back to the party, I insist you take a wagon to the house. And don't stay long. Find someone to help you up those stairs and into bed."
"I'll go get the wagon and I'll help you up the porch stairs," Michael offered.
Chrissy turned to look at him. "Good. Go."
Lookin' in my eyes this time, she said, "Jed good?" Before I could answer, she turned to Aiden. "Good doctor, Jed no die?" she asked.
He knew she was tryin' to stay in the present and not hide in her thoughts. "Good lady, Jed will be fine. The wound is minor, but I will need you to change the bandage twice a day and inform me if he has a fever."
She stared at the open back door of my smithy and said nothin'. I sat up on the side of the bed. "Last time Jed thigh wound, he died." She stared into nothing for a long, quiet minute. "And then my Jed didn't die. This time he will be fine. Good. Chrissy darlin' take good care of him."
LOM
By the time Frank left with Deputy Preston, Palmer Robinson and the undertaker, rumors were flying as to what happened. Especially since the Kid and Heyes were nowhere to be seen. Sanderson cornered me on the porch. "Was their mission successful, Sheriff?"
"It was," I stated. Then I looked up and saw the Kid riding towards us. He was sitting next to Michael, who was driving. Chrissy was on his other side and Heyes was in the back. His wound must not have been as bad as it looked. "Governor, you can ask the Kid and Heyes themselves. Here they come."
Excitement had continued to grow throughout the adults at the party and the porch soon became crowded. When he saw the bandage on the Kid's thigh, Mike Loveland stepped up and helped him down from the wagon. Angie ran to Heyes with an anxious look in her eyes.
JED 'KID' CURRY
I was glad Mike was there to help me down. I didn't want anyone to see how badly I was injured…well, I didn't want Chrissy to think it was as bad as it was. I saw Charles Sanderson lookin' at me with questions in his eyes, but I didn't have the strength to answer them. Vince came to take the horse and I watched Michael help his ma down from the wagon. Her eyes weren't fixed on one thing but she was definitely fightin' her memories of the past. I couldn't hide it. I leaned heavily on Mike to get up the porch stairs and didn't object when he led me to the couch in the livin' room and lifted my legs onto it. Chrissy was standin' next to the couch, watchin'. Martha, Joy, and Ruth Ann, as well as every party guest, seemed to be lookin' at me.
"Chrissy, come sit next to me. Martha, everyone, tell me what I missed at the party and me and Heyes will tell you what happened in Three Birds."
Diane and Josiah climbed into my lap and someone handed me Catherine. It put pressure on my thigh to hold them but their hugs were wonderful and calmed my heart.
Heyes stood up and started talkin' and gesturin'. He made it sound like one of Sletton's dime novels. He began with how I rented Ernest Fuller space for his barber shop out of the goodness of my heart because every man deserves a chance. The man was a good barber but not a friendly man. He greeted no one and no one knew where he lived. And Heyes told how Sheriff Frank recognized Ernest Fuller, our barber, as a wanted man, a robber who killed any witness. His real name was Ernesto Fermotti. And how me and Heyes and Sheriff Birde took the back road to town and how Fermotti was caught sneakin' into the bank to rob it. Everyone got quiet when Heyes described how we sat in the darkened bank waitin' for the barber. Then there was a gun showdown between Fuller and Kid Curry. Curry tried to talk him into puttin' his gun down and surrenderin' but it came down to a gunfight and the Kid was faster... but Fuller was fast, too, and the Kid got wounded in the thigh.
"Pa won the gunfight?" Martha asked. "He saved the bank!"
"He's the town hero, again," added Mr. Crenshaw.
"And protector," added Father Patrick. "Thank the Lord, the three of you are safe."
I looked up and saw Aiden had walked up from the smithy and was leanin' just inside the front door, listenin' intently. He smiled at me and nodded. I nodded back.
I was glad Heyes left out that I killed Fuller. I think someone was about to ask, but Heyes hurriedly said, "Now, I'm going to sit right here next to the Kid and we want to hear everything we missed at Catherine's party. Martha, why don't you start."
Martha laughed. "Ma called everyone inside and we had cake. Catherine got a piece with a lot of frosting of her own and Auntie and ma let her feed herself and she got icing all over herself and in her hair. I had to give her a bath."
"And we found homes for some of NotJoe's puppies," added Michael.
"I got a white puppy," added Mikey Loveland.
"And Charles and I bought Callie. We've admired that horse since the first time we saw her," Miss Tina, the ex-governor's wife said proudly. "We're honored she's ours."
"With a sire like Fall's Legend and a mother like Summer Solstice, did you expect anything less?" Heyes answered with a smile.
And just like that the attention was diverted away from me and Heyes as we listened to everyone's accounts of the party. I reached for Chrissy's hand and kissed it before lookin' at her.
She winked back and I knew she was doin' better.
ASJ*ASJ
Glad that Chrissy was somewhat better, the pain was catchin' up with me. I caught Heyes' eyes but Aiden was already shooin' people back to the party. "And now Jed needs his rest. Mr. Loveland, Lom, would you help me get him upstairs. The less weight he puts on that leg the better."
When I stood up, I took Chrissy in my arms. "It's a real nice party, darlin', stay and enjoy your guests. And tell me more about it when you come to bed." I was holdin' her but also leanin' against her to steady myself.
"We'll take good care of him, Miss Chrissy," I heard Mike say. Puttin' weight on my leg was makin' me sick to my stomach and I knew I swayed, but Lom balanced me. With him on one side and Mike on the other, I got upstairs. My bed was a refuge from my pain. Aiden followed and I could smell the bitter medicine in the water he offered.
Troubled, but painless, sleep followed. Swirlin' dreams of fires, of hot burnin' days, and sand covered food. And Chrissy there just out of my reach where I couldn't help her, couldn't touch her, callin' for me.
There was movement near me, but I couldn't turn to see what it was. "Shhh, Jed. Chrissy here." I felt her hand on my shoulder and I was freed from my dream enough to turn toward her, realizin' I was in our bed. "Jed dream not good," she said firmly.
I reached around her, smilin' to myself as I smelled the faint smell of the liquor in William's punch. I kissed her forehead and she turned her face up so my next kiss landed on her lips. "I'm good now, darlin'." I whispered.
"Chrissy darling." She said tears started to track down her cheeks. "Chrissy darling thought third bad man come kill her Jed. He left without saying goodbye." She was speakin' in the third person. That was a sign of her worry.
"I'm sorry darl…er, Chrissy darlin'. Frank didn't give us a chance or I would have. I didn't mean to worry you," I answered, holdin' her so tight that I could feel her heart beatin' fast.
And she clung to me. "I thought you might get killed," she said softly. I was glad she used 'I'. "I need you, Jed, but more than that I love you. I was scared when Aiden went to the smithy that you were dead."
"Oh, Chrissy darlin'…"
I held her close and we leaned into each other and found the comfort of our marriage bed with each other. After, I laid on my back and felt Chrissy tracin' the wounds on my legs and arms with her finger. She reached in back of my head and felt the wound from the prison wagon. She's seen it and cleaned my hair over it before. And never asked how I got it. Now she was slowly rubbin' its raised edges.
"Chrissy?"
"Shhh, Jed, sleep now," she told me. And I did this time without the dark dreams.
HEYES
The Kid's going to be fine. Aiden told me so. And people at the party are patting me on the back and calling the Kid, me, and Frank heroes. I ain't a hero. I just opened the door and lit the light when the Kid told me to. It wasn't a Hannibal Heyes plan; it was a Kid Curry plan. Telling what happened like it was a dime novel plot was my idea. I needed to stop all the questions and that did the trick. As soon as I could, I kissed my wife and headed for my office in the back of the barn. It's quiet here. I'm alone. There's too many people at Phoenix today, but it makes Angie and Chrissy and the kids happy. I started working on the household books and adding in all the expenses for the party.
At the knock on my door, I hesitated. I don't want to talk to another person congratulating me on a job well done at the bank.
"Pa, it's Sam."
"Come on in, son. Close the door after you," I added.
He looked around. Nervous? Maybe? I'm not sure if he's ever been in here before. But I saw what he probably wanted to talk about.
"Sit down," I told him, and waited for him to explain the black eye that was turning colors on his left eye.
"Er, well, I thought I should tell you before Uncle Jed tells you…" he started.
"Tell me what?" I tried to be calm but this can't be good. I don't think the Kid would ever hit Sam…unless he did something awful…and that started my mind thinking. I came to the obvious conclusion that the Kid would never hit him, so I returned my attention to Sam and waited.
"He says you're partners and don't keep secrets from each other," Sam continued
"That's right," I answered. For the last almost two years we have talked often and about everything…but I thought of the time before that when the Kid wasn't so open about his thoughts and feelings and what happened because of that. "Something you wanted to tell me?"
"Uncle Jed caught me and Stephanie Rocke kissing down by where he practices shooting," Sam said quickly.
Holding back a smile, I thought, how Sam is growing up, almost eighteen. And I thought of all the things the Kid and I had lived through by the time I was that age. Sam's early life hadn't been easy either. Then I remembered Stephanie's age. "She's too young for that," I said firmly.
"That's what Uncle Jed said, too. Said I was young, too, and he was going to tell Mr. Loveland to keep an eye on me when I'm living with him while I go to school."
This was one of my first times to be a parent to the boy. "Do you know why he told you that?"
"Yeah," he answered, looking at his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.
"I agree with him," I said, softer this time.
He looked at me with sincerity in his eyes. "I do, too."
"And the black eye?" I asked.
He looked sheepish. "Rocky thought she was too young, too."
After Sam left, I didn't have time to start going through the receipts when another knock came on my door. "Come in," I said, without knowing who it was.
"Heyes, am I interrupting you?" ask Governor Sanderson.
I stood up quickly. "Sir, come in." I know I'm a free man. But this man had and may still have a lot of power and men with power frighten me now.
He looked around and sat down in the guest chair, so I sat down, too.
"Heyes that was a pretty fancy story you spun out there for the party guests, but there's one thing you left out that I'm curious about." He got right to the point.
"Yes, sir?"
"I'm out of politics now. Call me Charles, like Jed does," he told me.
"Yes, sir," I answered. I don't know if I'll ever be able to think of him as Charles.
"What happened to Ernest Fuller? I saw the undertaker go back to town with Sheriff Birde. Did Jed kill him in the gunfight?" Charles asked, leaning forward, waiting for my answer. An answer that I think he already knew.
"Yes, sir," I answered. I fought myself to look him straight in the eyes as I talked.
"Fair fight?" he wanted to know.
"Yes, sir. The Kid tried to talk him into putting his gun down but he refused. Fuller drew first."
He leaned back in his chair and put his finger to his lip, thinking. "Birde witnessed it, too?"
"Yes, sir." I didn't know what he was getting at. "The Kid did nothing wrong, sir. We were deputized."
"You were? Birde is a good sheriff and an even a better man. Alright, very good. Sounds like Jed won't need it, but if he does, I will be prepared to offer him a pardon. I have connections and can get it done quickly. I want to make sure he stays a free man." The governor stood and offered me his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Heyes."
"Thank you, sir," I answered. I'll tell the Kid what he said, but I know what was done was legal. We were deputized and all.