Sully continued to lead the way as the search party traveled through the woods. Though Wolf had yet to pick up on Colleen's scent, he still felt confident they were headed in the right direction. They knew the men were headed south, and since most criminals were going to steer clear of the roads, they had to be going the right way. That being said, if Wolf didn't pick up on anything soon, the group may have to reconsider their options.
Michaela rode next to Sully, looking for any kind of signs that Andrew, Colleen, and the men had been through this way. As they rode, time seemed to drag on and on, until suddenly Wolf ran ahead, his tail whipping around wildly as he sniffed the ground.
He started barking loudly, running ahead even further. "He's got something!" Sully yelled. They sped up as they followed the excited animal. About four minutes later, Wolf stopped just to the right of where they rode, sniffing around in the grass. Everybody came to a stop and hopped down from their horses. Sully ran over to Wolf and kneeled down, checking the ground where he was still sniffing.
"Do you think they passed through here?" Michaela asked, quickly joining them.
"They had to. Let's look around, see if there's any other traces of them." They scouted the area, looking for any signs a gang of people may have left. Wolf stayed put in his spot, confidently doing his job of letting them know Colleen had been here.
"Over here!" Matthew called. He was just outside the line of trees in a small clearing. Because of the angle the trees ran, the clearing was in a spot slightly secluded from both the valley and the road. Everyone ran over to see Matthew kneeling on the ground next to a makeshift fire pit. As he poked around the ash and coals with a stick, tiny bits of smoke rose up and disappeared into the cool air. "This is recent, the coals are still warm."
"It's got to be them," Robert E said confidently.
Michaela nodded as she watched the smoke rise, solid evidence they had been here. "Let's keep moving, we don't have time to waste." They all headed back to the horses and continued on their journey.
They hadn't made it more than half a mile further before Sully called out, "Look!" nodding with his head towards two lines that had left a trail of sorts along the ground. He hopped down from his horse again and kneeled to examine them. "Robert E," he called.
Robert E stepped down and joined Sully, taking a closer look at the markings himself. "It's from a wagon all right. And over here," he noticed, stepping a few feet away at the sight of horseshoe prints in the dirt. "These are from at least three different horses. We're going the right way." He and Sully shared a nod in confirmation.
"You're sure?" Preston asked from atop his horse.
"Positive," Sully replied, gesturing to the markings. "The width between the lines could only be from a wagon, I can't imagine what else."
Preston continued to stare. "The tracks just appeared out of nowhere," he said to himself. It was safe to say he did not have much experience in this area.
Sully responded to him anyway. "The ground's softer over here, it makes it easier for prints to show up."
"What happens if we lose them?"
He shrugged. "We probably will at some point, some areas of the woods get pretty rocky. But we know which way they're headed, this confirms it."
Preston simply nodded in return as they mounted up and continued on.
Sure enough, they did lose sight of the wheel tracks a while later, and then they appeared again. It happened multiple times as they traveled further and further south. Sully continued to lead the way closely followed by Robert E. Preston rode in the middle while Michaela and Matthew trailed at the end.
Everybody rode in silence for a while, different thoughts going through their heads though their eyes remained vigilant. "I'm sorry Dr. Mike," Matthew said suddenly, breaking the silence, glancing over at the woman with a frown on his face.
She looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. "For what? Matthew, what are you talking about?"
"I should have done something, been more prepared for this," he said flatly. "I'm sheriff, it's my job to keep everyone safe. I let this happen."
"Matthew," Michaela said firmly. "This is not your fault. It has nothing to do with you. The only way you could have stopped this is if you had been at the Chateau when it happened. There's nothing you could have done." The look on his face broke her heart. How could he think this was his fault?
He shook his head. "But I knew those men were coming through town. I should have alerted Preston and the others. They could have been on the lookout for them."
"There's always a chance of people like them coming through town. You didn't know when, or even if for sure they would. You can't prevent the unknown from happening." She gave him a gentle look, "What makes a good sheriff is how you respond when these things do happen."
Mathew knew there was some truth to what Dr. Mike was saying, but even with her reassurance, he couldn't help but feel guilty. This was different than other cases he had taken on as sheriff. It wasn't just a store that had been robbed or a con man running through town. His sister had been taken. And if anything happened to her… he would never forgive himself.
"There wasn't anything you could do," Michaela repeated. "There's only what you can do now. What we're all going to do."
"When I get my hands on those guys-" he stopped himself, taking a breath before letting out what was really on his mind. "I just… I hate how angry I am, Dr. Mike." He kept his eyes down, a mix of emotions running through him. "I take care of all these cases and I feel fine. I get angry… but it's fine, it all just feels like part of the job. I can remove myself from it, you know? This is different."
Michaela waited a moment before speaking, sympathy for Matthew's situation washing over her. "I understand," she said slowly. "I understand that feeling all too well." She looked over at him, meeting his eyes briefly. "Back when I was in Boston, I didn't know most of my patients personally. You still give them everything you have of course, and you care about them deeply. But after moving here… it was the first time I had to treat my immediate family and friends. Treating you and Brian and Colleen, Sully… Dorothy, Cloud Dancing… it's a completely different experience." A wave of memories flooded through her.
She and Matthew shared another, longer look. One filled with understanding and respect for the other. It meant a lot to Matthew that someone was able to understand how he was feeling right now. "How do you do it?" he asked softly. "How do you… concentrate on the right thing, when it's family?"
Michaela pondered on that question for a moment. It was nearly impossible to answer. After some time, she finally responded, choosing her words carefully. "That's a good question, a tough question. I suppose it's… learning how to control your emotions in a way that allows you to be even better at the job at hand. If I need to operate, I have to be focused and steady, and I'll admit there have been times when I haven't felt like that. But there's a kind of added motivation when it comes to saving those you love. You try to channel that motivation and turn it into discipline and concentration. It certainly isn't easy," she shook her head. "But sometimes…how to do your job comes to you in the moment. When you look in the eyes of someone you love, you do everything in your power to save them."
Matthew sighed, reflecting on everything she said. "What you do Dr. Mike…" he glanced at her with a small, appraising smile, "it's commendable. I don't know how the town would have survived without you all these years. To think you've saved all of us in the family at some point…"
Michaela simply smiled, wishing there was more she could say to her oldest son to reassure him and give him confidence. The truth was, it was incredibly difficult, mixing work with your family and others you care so deeply about. But you figure out how to do it. And so would Matthew.
"Which way do you think they went?" Jake asked as he pulled his horse to a stop.
"Don't you remember? They said they were heading south," Hank said as he pulled up alongside him.
Jake gave him a look, raising his brow. "I know that. I meant, which way south?"
"How many ways are there? South is south, ain't it?" Hank said with a smirk. He and Jake were just heading out of town to meet up with Sully, Michaela, and the rest of the search party. They had made sure things were taken care of in town and were now in a hurry to catch up, especially since Hank knew he would be a valuable asset in taking down the criminals. Matthew may have been sheriff for a while now, but that didn't mean he fully believed in the younger man's capabilities. Did he really know how to face off against a group of armed bank robbers and kidnappers? At least he knew Sully could fight and Robert E was strong. He still didn't know what Preston was doing there. And Michaela, well… even Hank would admit she was tough, but not face-to-face against these guys. They needed him there.
Jake rubbed a hand on his face in exasperation at Hank's rhetoric. "I meant," he said slowly. "did they take the road? Did they go through the woods? Did they go some other way?" he gestured his hand around as he spoke. "There's more than one way to go south."
The snarky man simply rolled his eyes in response. "We'll take the middle ground, through the valley. You can still see the road, but if they did go through the woods we'll be able to hear them if we get close enough."
"Fine. Let's go then," Jake said as he kicked his horse into motion. Hank did the same and off they went, riding into the valley along the line of trees.
Andrew stifled a yawn as he shook his head quickly, trying to keep himself awake. He was exhausted, his headache continuing to take a toll on him. It had to be mid-day by now, though it was hard to tell due to the gray overcast of the sky. And if riding with a pounding headache wasn't bad enough, having a large man leaning into you with their full body weight made it almost unbearable, especially when that man was sweating with a high fever. He took a deep breath and continued forward, hoping the men would stop soon for a break.
Colleen looked over at Andrew worriedly. She could tell how much pain he was in, but there wasn't anything she could do. She was literally atop another horse with a different man. A very dangerous man at that. The blonde, whose name they still did not know, seemed to be the group's leader. He was always the one stepping in and bringing everyone else to order. Both Clyde and Leonard seemed impulsive and quick to anger, while this man, the one whose waist her arms were loosely draped around, seemed to at least have enough sense to try and keep everyone else calm. She was still terrified of him, but unlike the other two men, she didn't think that he would try to hurt her. That is, unless something happened to Jeremiah.
She looked over at the sick man with a sigh. He looked terrible. From where she rode several feet away it was easy to see how pale he looked, with red-rimmed eyes and a layer of sweat coating his skin. They knew his wound was infected, but there was also a possibility of internal injuries that had not yet been discovered. As Colleen continued to study him, she watched as his body started to lean slightly to the left and his head slowly drifted from Andrew's back to his left shoulder and down his arm. "Wait!" she shouted suddenly, getting everyone's attention. "Jeremiah's going to fall. Andrew!"
Andrew had been so focused on staying upright himself that he hadn't noticed the weight of Jeremiah's body shift more and more to the left. "Hold on!" he called back. He pulled his horse to a stop, reaching back with his left arm to try and keep the sick man from falling to the hard forest floor. "Someone help me!" he yelled, looking to the group of men for assistance.
Leonard quickly hopped down from his horse and ran over to them, reaching under Jeremiah's arms and slowly lowering him to the ground. Andrew got off his horse and kneeled before the man, checking his vitals. "We need to stop. He isn't going to make it all the way if we keep going like this."
"Well what are we supposed to do, we don't have a wagon no more," Leonard countered.
"I'll figure it out, but we need to stop if you want your friend to survive." He gave a hard look to all of the men, showing them how serious he was. He meant everything he said, Jeremiah was only continuing to get worse, and he needed as much time to rest as possible.
Leonard, Clyde, and the blonde all looked at each other, trying to figure out if Andrew was bluffing or not. Finally, after a minute, the blonde said with a sneer, "Fine. We'll break for lunch, but that's all the break there's gonna be."
Andrew released a breath slowly, taking what he could get. He knew it wasn't going to be as much time as his patient needed, but it was something at least.
Roughly twenty minutes had passed by as they all sat around, everyone, including Andrew and Colleen, eating some lunch. As they had been tending to their patient, the blonde had come over with a couple of sandwiches and apples for the two of them. He hadn't said much when he handed them the food, but they returned with grateful thank you's, meaning every word.
They couldn't believe how good the sandwiches tasted after not eating for 24 hours. Both Colleen and Andrew knew how much they had needed to eat and instantly felt satisfied, the sweet juices from the apple perfectly finishing off their meal. They shared a smile that was filled with relief. Neither of them had known for sure if they were going to get a meal today, and they were incredibly thankful they had.
It was at that moment that Colleen looked up and noticed something just behind Jeremiah. "Andrew," she said, getting up and walking over to a tree just a few feet away.
"What is it?" he asked, curious what had her so interested.
"It's a willow tree. We can get willow bark from this, I can't believe I wasn't looking out for it before." She walked all around the trunk of the tree, examining its different branches.
Recollection came over Andrew as he watched her. Willow bark, that's right! He remembered when he had been new to Colorado Springs and Michaela taught him about the natural medicines she used in her practice, willow bark being among them. She had learned it from the Indian tribes. "It helps with fevers, right?"
Colleen looked back at him and smiled, it meant a lot to her that Andrew had learned about and accepted the Indian's medicines. She knew he had been hesitant when he initially learned of them, but he quickly came to see their benefits. She nodded her head, coughing a few times before replying, "It can also be used for pain management. It will help Jeremiah rest more comfortably and you can also use it for your headache. You should take some right away." She continued to look at the different branches before finally stopping in front of a long one near the front that looked healthy. It was just thin enough that she could snap it off easily, which she proceeded to do before returning to Jeremiah's side and sitting down.
Andrew scooted over so that he was right next to her. "So, what do we do now?" Though he had been taught about the plant's uses, he had never actually harvested it himself.
"We need a knife, or something else sharp."
"Uh… here," he pulled his medical bag in his lap and dug around inside, pulling out a small scalpel a few seconds later. "Will this work?
"Yeah, that will work fine," Colleen replied with a smile as she took it and positioned it carefully in her hand. Andrew watched and learned as she placed the blade near one of the nodes in the branch. Next, she slowly scraped it down the side of the wood as a thin piece of bark peeled off. She repeated the process until there were about seven pieces of willow bark sitting in her lap. She set the branch and the scalpel off to the side, picking up one of the pieces. "And there you have it," she smiled again.
Andrew smiled back, impressed. It was clear she had done this many times before. "How do we break it down to make the tea?" He didn't know how much time they had and he suddenly realized they didn't have a fire started.
Colleen, seeming to read his thoughts replied, "That's the neat thing about willow bark. Although it's easier to ingest as tea, you can actually chew on it and get the same benefits."
"Really?"
"Uh huh, you take the inner layers," she grabbed the scalpel again and ran it along the inside of the bark, pulling off thin strips, "and you can chew on them. You swallow the juices and spit out the rest of the bark. It gives you the same nutrients as turning it into tea."
He stared at her, impressed once again. "That's amazing," he said, looking at the bark in her hands. "Can I try?"
"Of course," she handed him the scalpel and a couple of pieces of bark, watching as he imitated what she had just done.
He ran the tool along the inner layer of bark, getting caught a few times before trying again, this time successfully getting one long, smooth strip to come off. "Have you done this a lot before?"
"A couple of times. If I'm around when Ma needs to restock her supply I like to go with her. She's taught me a lot…" she trailed off, thinking.
"Well," Andrew said softly as he finished up with the piece in his hand, "thank you for teaching me. It never would have crossed my mind to look for it out here. Not that I would have known what to look for in the first place," he chuckled before looking back up at her. "You're going to make a really fine doctor, Colleen."
She smiled back at him, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "Thank you, Andrew. That means a lot. Now here," she held out a piece of bark towards him, "take it for your headache. It shouldn't take too long to kick in." He took the piece and put it into his mouth, his face twisting in response to the bitter taste it produced. "Sorry," she said quickly, "steeping it into a tea takes away most of the bitterness, but at least it should kick in faster this way. I'll try and get Jeremiah to take some."
"You should take some too," Andrew looked at her seriously, "for your throat." He hadn't checked in with her for a while, but he heard the rasp in Colleen's voice every time she spoke; he knew she had to be in pain.
Colleen nodded in agreement. She had been trying not to think about it, but the truth was, her throat was really hurting, especially after eating lunch and talking so much. She grabbed a small piece and put it into her mouth, also cringing at its bitter taste as she chewed. When she was finished, she turned her attention to Jeremiah and began tapping his cheek gently, trying to get him to wake him up. "Jeremiah, Jeremiah, I need you to open your eyes for me."
With a groan, the man slowly cracked open his eyes. "What's going on?" he mumbled.
"I need you to chew on this," she held the piece of bark just in front of his lips.
"What… what is that…" his voice trailed off in confusion. He closed his eyes and his head fell to the side.
"Jeremiah," Andrew said more forcefully, moving to the man's other side and kneeling next to his head. "Open your eyes, we need you to stay awake for us." The man made another groaning sound and his body jerked, coughing a few times. "Jeremiah?" Andrew said worriedly.
Colleen shared his worried look, setting the bark aside. "He can hardly keep his eyes open. Is this normal for an infection?"
Andrew shook his head in uncertainty, "Infections are usually accompanied by a fever, which can make the body weak and tired, but he's hardly spent any time awake since we removed the bullet yesterday." He reached out to feel his forehead again, "I think there may be something else wrong."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Some kind of internal injury is likely. They said he got shot and fell from his horse. Depending on how he fell, it could be internal bleeding, a brain injury, possible organ damage..."
"What kind of tests can we do on him out here?"
"That's just it. I've done about every kind of test I can with what I have in my bag. He doesn't have any bumps on his head so it likely isn't a head injury, but we can't rule it out for sure. There's just too many variables and I don't have any of my reference books." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I just don't know what to do."
"Andrew," Colleen said, watching the man start to spiral. She was terrified too, but they needed to stay in control. Andrew could do this. She had watched him grow as a doctor over the past year and a half; the difference in his confidence from when he first moved to Colorado Springs and now was like night and day. He was a good doctor, a great doctor. "What is the best thing for him right now with what we know? What's your analysis?"
Andrew looked at her, releasing a breath with the tiniest of a smile as he acknowledged her helping him to focus. He took a deep breath and began to run some diagnostics over Jeremiah again. He spent about ten minutes checking his lungs, pulse, reflexes, and examining different parts of his body for tenderness or bruising. Finally, he looked at Colleen, sparks of confidence back in his eyes. "I believe that Jeremiah is suffering from possible organ damage, likely his spleen. His breathing is shallow, but not erratic. In the little time he's been awake, he's had a hard time focusing and has shown signs of confusion. He's also showing signs of pain when I press near the left side of his ribs. I can't be certain, but I do believe it's his spleen."
"Well said Dr. Cook," Colleen replied softly, giving him an approving look. Andrew grabbed her hand in thanks. They shared the briefest of smiles before returning their gazes back to their patient. Their patient who they knew, now more than ever, was in serious trouble out here.
"We need to get him to a clinic, I don't have the tools to perform this type of operation out here." Andrew said nervously, "He isn't going to make it otherwise. He's beginning to show signs of shock."
"You're right. But, how can we get him to a clinic?"
He took a deep breath. "We tell them."
Colleen looked at him anxiously. Of course, she knew they had to tell the men, the only other option was to watch Jeremiah get worse and worse out here. But how would they react? They weren't just going to let them walk with the sick man into the nearest clinic.
"It's going to be okay," Andrew said under his breath, "I have a plan."
"You do?" she asked, surprised.
He nodded. "If it doesn't work, I have a backup plan. Just follow my lead," he said as she raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He stood, reaching out a hand to help her up before walking over to the group of men who sat on the opposite side of the horses. They had been having what looked to be a serious conversation, about what, he and Colleen weren't sure. "Excuse me," Andrew said with a serious nod, waiting for them to all give him their attention. "We need to have a word about Jeremiah. As Colleen and I have continued to monitor him, his overall condition seems to be getting worse, even more so each time we travel. We've come to the conclusion that he is suffering from internal injuries assumed to be damage to his spleen. There's a high chance that I'll need to remove it, but I don't have the necessary tools to perform this type of operation. We need to get Jeremiah to a clinic as quickly as possible or he isn't going to make it." He took a deep breath as he waited for their reply. Colleen stood beside him, waiting nervously.
After a moment, Clyde stood up and took a step forward, stopping just a few feet away from them. "You cut him open yesterday, sounds like you already have what you need here."
"It's not that simple, this is a much more complicated type of surgery."
The other two men stepped forward, the blonde looking over at Jeremiah on the ground. "You sure he needs it? This operation?"
Andrew met the eyes of all three men, standing his ground. "Without it, he'll die."
There was a beat of silence among the group. Leonard suddenly stepped forward just inches from Andrew's face, eyes cold. "You know why we brought you out here boy? Cause you're a doctor. Now you're gonna fix him up so we can get the hell outta here."
"I don't have what I need."
"That's too damn bad! If you can't fix him then you've got another thing coming. We told you if anything happens to him we have no problem getting rid of you…" he sneered directly in his face.
"Just…" Andrew tried to interrupt, raising his hands in front of him, "Hear me out. You can take us back to my clinic and-"
"Are you out of your damn mind!" Clyde stepped forward, grabbing the gun from his holster and pointing it their way.
"Hey!" Andrew yelled, stepping in front of Colleen as her breath hitched, terrified. "Listen to me. If you take us back, I can operate on Jeremiah where it's safe. We can sneak in at night, no one will ever know. You can get another wagon and we'll be back on the road in no time."
Clyde shook his head and rolled his eyes back as he laughed. "Do you think we were born yesterday, son? You think we'd actually take you all the way back to Colorado Springs?" He pointed the gun at them again. "You go take care of him. Now."
Andrew did his best to keep his composure as he slowly retreated back to where Jeremiah lay on the ground. Colleen took shallow breaths as she followed him, her hands trembling. They both kneeled beside the sick man while Andrew went through the contents of his medical bag as if by some kind of magic the tools he needed had suddenly appeared. The men taking them back to town had been Andrew's first plan, he felt so stupid for even bringing it up. Of course, they weren't going to go for it. Luckily, he had a backup plan, but he couldn't tell Colleen about it just yet as he heard the sound of boots approaching. He looked up to see the blonde kneeling on Jeremiah's other side, staring down at the man's pale face.
"You really think he isn't gonna make it?" he asked slowly, a tiny trace of emotion in his voice.
Colleen and Andrew glanced at each other briefly, picking up on the tiny wobble. "If we operate here, then no. I don't believe he will," Andrew replied, giving the man a serious look. "This is a very serious operation, and I don't have all the correct tools. Jeremiah also needs a sterile environment. His gunshot wound is likely infected because of operating in these conditions, and that was a small procedure. Performing this operation in this environment has an extremely high likelihood of another, more serious infection happening. There are also risks with this type of operation, and some of the things I need to counter these risks can only be found in a clinic, not in this bag." He gestured to the medical bag by his knee.
The blonde sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. He seemed very distraught, more so than Colleen or Andrew would have expected any of these men to be. Clearly, Jeremiah was important to them, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to all this trouble and slowed their travels so much for him.
Colleen studied the man, trying to understand him. Even in this situation, literally taken hostage, she couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy towards him. He just seemed so… scared right now. "Hey," she said gently, waiting a moment for him to look up at her, "he's really important to you, isn't he?" She waited patiently for his response.
The man paused, releasing a sigh before saying slowly and quietly, "he's my brother."
Understanding washed over Colleen and Andrew as they looked at the blonde man's face. His worry, his patience with them compared to the other two... it all made sense now. They hadn't seen it before, but now, looking back and forth between the two men, they could see the resemblance. Both Jeremiah and the blonde had the same slightly crooked nose and deep-set eyes in a soft shade of brown. It all made sense.
"I'm so sorry," Colleen said gently. "Andrew and I… we want to help your brother as much as possible. We want him to live. But his best chance at survival… it requires more than we have here." The blonde took a deep breath and nodded in understanding.
It was a strange moment between the three of them but somehow, Andrew hoped, it may be working in their favor. "What's your name?" he asked carefully. They had yet to learn this man's name, perhaps to keep some level of confidentiality with the law. "Talking to Jeremiah, using your name, telling stories, it might help us to connect with him when he's conscious, which would help us to better determine his current level of health."
They waited for a while, but finally, the man quietly replied, "William."
"Thank you," Andrew nodded.
"Thank you, William," Colleen said softly. The man nodded in reply.
"This doesn't change anything," William said quickly. The two looked up at him, noting his sudden change in tone. "We can't go back. We move forward." His tone wasn't harsh, it was more… serious and calculated.
"We understand," Andrew said calmly. "But you also understand how serious this is. I can operate here, but there is a very high chance your brother won't to make it."
"What do you need?" William asked. "You can't go to a clinic. But I might be able to get you some other tools."
"How?" Colleen asked.
"Leonard! Clyde!" he called the other men over.
He stood as they approached. Andrew and Colleen stood as well, interested to hear what the man had to say. They stood in a circle around Jeremiah's sick body, a reminder of what was at stake right now. "Men," he started. "we're no more than a few hours from Pueblo."
"We know that," Clyde interrupted, "what's this grand speech about?"
"Let me finish," William held up a hand. "We run through town as planned, but we make another stop. They need tools for Jeremiah. They need to operate and I'm not letting them unless they have what they need. I'll go into town, find the clinic, and retrieve the tools. "
"We're not leaving them alone-" Clyde growled.
"Let me finish!" William yelled with a growl. Anger and stress radiated from his face. "I know Pueblo was the two of you's job. But I'm going in. Leonard you're still taking the general store, I've got the clinic. Clyde, you're staying with them."
"Have you lost your mind? I'm going to the bank."
"No. You're not," William said in a chilling voice that dared anyone to interrupt him again. "We're okay on cash right now and the bank is the quickest way to get someone on our trail. Once we have the tools, they're gonna operate. We don't need someone from town chasin us down. We need supplies and the medical tools more than anything."
"Then let me get the tools," Clyde growled.
"No. It's for Jeremiah, so it's my get. End of discussion. Get the horses ready."
Both Clyde and Leonard stared at William for a moment before retreating to the horses and preparing them for travel. If Andrew and Colleen thought that William was the leader before, they were sure of it now. William looked back at the two of them. "He's gonna have to travel a little bit further. Pueblo's no more than two hours out. You two will stay back with Clyde away from town. Once I have the tools, you operate." Though they had shared a softer moment just minutes ago, the look in William's eyes now showed Colleen and Andrew why he was the leader. His look was… unsettling, as if the two of them could see their fate then and there if their operation wasn't successful. They knew that, even with the right tools, there was still a chance of the operation ending in catastrophe, especially being they were still going to perform it outside, but William held the cards now. He believed that this would save Jeremiah and it was up to them for that to happen. "Make a list of what you need," William said as he began to walk away, "and quick. We're heading out." And with that, he walked off to help prepare the horses.
Andrew and Colleen both stood, processing everything that had just happened. "Colleen," Andrew said softly, kneeling down beside Jeremiah. She joined him. He put a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes seriously. "Listen to me," he whispered. "Remember when I said I had a backup plan?" Colleen nodded, staring into his eyes. "I don't know if it's going to work, but I think it's our best chance at getting out of here. Originally, I was going to have us sneak off on a horse to Pueblo during the night, I knew we had to be getting close. But this helps us even more. We go along with their plan to town. When William and Leonard go in, that's our chance. We'll just have to get past Clyde, we're not going to have another chance without being outnumbered. All we need to do is ride into town and find help. They're robbing the clinic and general store, so we stay clear of those. At the very least, being in town means we're surrounded by other people. It's even safer than going at night."
Colleen looked at him nervously with big eyes, "How are we supposed to get past Clyde?" After all, he was the largest of the men. He had already proven to be stronger than the two of them, the evidence was on both of their faces.
Andrew glanced behind him, double-checking that the men were far enough away and were distracted before turning back to her, leaning in closer as he continued to whisper his plan. "I need you to trust me."
"I do-"
"Hear me out," he said seriously. "You know I wouldn't be doing this if we were in any other situation. But we need to get out of here, and I fully believe that even with the right tools, Jeremiah isn't going to make it if we operate out here. If we can get out of here and get these guys arrested, Jeremiah will at the very least be in a safer place to be operated on." He was rambling, justifying his plan.
"Andrew, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to put chloroform in Clyde's canteen. Listen," he said, seeing Colleen's widening eyes. "I know how it sounds. I'm only going to put in a teaspoon, mixed with water it should put him to sleep relatively quickly. It's not harmful, if it was, I wouldn't do it. All it's going to do is put him to sleep for a while. When he wakes up he'll be perfectly fine. But it will give us a chance to escape."
Colleen nodded slowly, realizing that it was their best chance of getting out. And he was right, it wouldn't hurt him given a small enough dosage. "Okay. I trust you," she whispered sincerely.
"Remember, this may also save Jeremiah's life if we can get people after these guys quick enough. I took my oath as a doctor very seriously and I would never take advantage of my tools. But this has the opportunity to… save multiple lives." He gave her a nervous look, though Colleen could tell he was trying to be confident.
She gave him a reassuring look back. "Andrew, it's the right thing to do. I understand. But how are you going to get the chloroform into his water?"
"I'll take care of it. The best chance will be as soon as we set up camp and get the horses settled." He retrieved the small bottle of chloroform from the medical bag and put it into his pocket. "I'll figure it out. But we're getting out of here."
She nodded back once more, feeling the tiniest bit hopeful as she saw a possible light at the end of this tunnel. They stood as they heard someone approaching. It was William, coming over to help them lift Jeremiah back onto the horse. "We're heading out, let's get him up," he said to Andrew. The two men carefully helped Jeremiah onto one of the horses, Andrew gently stepping up in front of him. They took a minute to get situated as Colleen mounted behind William. "To Pueblo," the man said with a nod to the group. And off they went.
Author's Note: Hi readers! I just wanted to quickly put in a note to say thank you so much for your sweet comments! I know some people don't love authors notes because they interrupt the story, but I had to put a quick one here. I'm just a person who likes to write who fell in love with Dr. Quinn about a year ago. I randomly found the series and became hooked. I'm a sucker for rescue-type stories so I had to put this one out there. I really didn't know if anyone would even read this fic since it's an older show, so reading all of your sweet comments has meant so much!
Story note: Takes place in the middle-end of season 5. (prior to Andrew and Colleen sharing their first kiss) I was inspired by the episode 'Hostage' and thought, what if something similar happened to Andrew and Colleen? I imagine this playing as a two-part episode.
The biggest thank you's again for reading. I hope you continue to enjoy the story! :)