Winter's Refuge Working
Chapter Two Hundred Nineteen
JED 'KID' CURRY
"Nice of Dr. Pollia to lend us his buggy so we could get out of there. Never seen one like this that had curtains all around the back seat," I told Lom. We left the prison by the back door with me and Lom's horses pullin' the buggy with two rows of seats. The doctor didn't seem to mind ridin' his own horse home, even though he had to borrow Lom's saddle. I was ridin' sideways in the backseat with my legs propped out in front of me. I felt every rock and crack in the road along my newly sutured wound.
"Even nicer that we're staying at the house he rents from Dr. Arden," Lom answered. "Never thought to ask which Dr. Arden. Can you find it when we get to Cheyenne?"
"Reckon I can," I answered.
"Hold on, Kid," Lom instructed as he sharply turned the buggy off the road into the trees.
"What're you doin'? Doctor told you to drive carefully and gentle, if I remember right…"
Lom answered, "SHHH!"
I pulled the buggy curtain aside just enough to see that we were well hidden from the road. "Lom?"
"Shhh, Kid!"
Less than a minute later the black prison wagon bumped noisily down the road headin' toward the prison. I silently thanked Dr. Pollia and Warden Mays for gettin' us out of the prison so quietly. I'm sure that black rollin' cage contains those left from the Black Brook Gang. I heard Lom let out a breath of relief. The road from here back to the prison has few turns so we stayed in our secure hidin' place and waited a while.
HEYES
"How are Chrissy and the baby, Aiden?" I asked as I stood at the door of her downstairs bedroom. The doctor had the baby boy unwrapped on the table we use to change diapers. I walked over and stood next to him as he listened to the baby's heart.
"Chrissy good," she answered my question without taking her eyes off of the doctor. I want to distract her so that he could do what he needed to do.
"Took the girls to the mercantile. Ruth Ann picked out this book. Thought we could start reading it as a family tonight." I handed her 'The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland.' She flipped through it, stopping at the pictures.
"Okay, we all read in here," she said firmly. "That cat has strange eyes. Are you sure this book is for children?"
"Jeff Birde assured me it was. We'll move some chairs in here after dinner and start it," I answered.
The doctor had reswaddled the child and handed him to his ma.
"Doctor, baby not good. Not take much milk. So little," she told the doctor. I saw tears in her eyes as she talked.
"He isn't gaining weight as he should. Tomorrow I'll bring a scale out to weigh him. His temperature is still low. Keep him warm. Wake him every two hours and feed him. Do you still have my recipe for baby formula? You might try giving him some of that with an eyedropper. I'll be back tomorrow morning. Let me know if anything seems off. It's so hard to tell about premature newborns."
"Thank you, Doctor," I said as Chrissy kissed the boy's head and pulled the blanket over his head, holding him tightly to her. "How are Denise and Daisy?"
"Both are doing well as are their babies," Aiden answered.
Chrissy looked up from the baby and at me. "Jed?"
"Haven't heard anything. Should either get a telegram or see him walking through that front door any minute now. Stay for supper, Doctor?"
"Are you eating soon? I think I smell fried chicken. I would like to see how McNamara interacts with the family at dinner," Aiden answered.
ASJ*ASJ
Great Uncle Charles McNamara told me to go away when I told him supper was ready, but I had brought a secret weapon. Nettie and Ruth Ann, joined by Joy, who was now home from school, opened the door and walked shyly in.
"Aunt Angie said supper is ready and you should come join the family. And Dr. Aiden is eating with us, too," Joy announced in a loud voice.
"Who are you?" the old man demanded in return. He was sitting in the comfortable chair by the window. He had one of the books from the bookcase in his hands.
"I am Joy Christina Curry and you are my great uncle. Here, I'll get your cane," Joy answered.
The old man was quiet for a minute as he took the cane. "Mr. Heyes, may I speak to you alone?"
I was surprised with the formality of his request, so I answered in kind. "Yes, Mr. McNamara. Girls, go wash your hands and go sit at the table." When they left, I closed the door in back of them. "What did you want to speak about, sir?"
"Dr. Arden led me to believe that Jedediah had invited me here, yet it is evident he hasn't been home for a while. Just who sent for me?" he asked directly.
"Me and Chrissy did. We got your priest's letter while Jed was away working, and it seemed urgent. Father made it seem that you were about to be evicted and had no place to go. We knew what the Kid would do and asked Dr. Arden to meet you and either make sure you were settled comfortably or bring you out here to live with us. I apologize that he pulled you away from your residence. It was an emergency. His wife was having their baby," I explained, trying to respond calmly.
"He never told me that. He paced most of the trip. Don't think he slept," Great Uncle answered.
"Well, you can take that up with him after supper. He's joining us. We try to keep our meals positive," I answered.
"I am hungry. It's been a long time since I've had a family meal." Great Uncle leaned heavily on the cane to stand up. It was the borrowed one from Aiden…and it was too tall for him.
"And sir…"
"Yes, Heyes?"
"All our children and our ranch hands are encouraged to join in the discussions at the table," I warned him.
He gave me a hard stare before walking toward the door. "That's new to me but it might just be a good idea."
LOM
The road from the prison to Cheyenne was pocked and rutted from the latest rains. I knew the ride must be painful for the Kid because my knee hurt with each bump and dip and his injury was far worse than mine. And then he groaned, and I knew the pain was bad. He had refused the laudanum from Dr. Pollia, wanting to be alert in case there was trouble on the road that needed his gun.
"How you doing, Kid?" I asked, glancing around to look at him.
The Kid was pale. He had leaned his head back and was supporting the sore thigh with his hands so he wouldn't feel the ride as much. "Tell you when we get to the doctor's house. Don't think I'l say no to that laudanum when we get there."
JED 'KID' CURRY
I woke up to a view of the afternoon sun through the window with a headache I recognized as the aftermath of laudanum. Closin' my eyes tight, I tried to remember where I was. My bed was soft, and the sheets and blanket smelled freshly washed. Turnin' away from the window, I could make out someone sleepin' in an overstuffed chair, his legs up on the ottoman, covered with a warm quilt. He stirred at my movement.
"Kid, you're finally awake." I heard Lom's voice in the half darkness. Then a lamp was lit.
"Awake? Kind of," I answered, tryin' to sit up.
"Good. It's a little after four and we're on the six o'clock train to Bridgeport. Can you walk?" Lom asked and I heard urgency in his voice.
"Feelin' woozy and have a headache," I answered. Leanin' on the table by the bed, I stood up. Lom gave me a cane from the corner I hadn't seen before. Steppin' forward with my bad leg, pain shot to the incision. I quickly shifted my weight to my good leg. "Do we have to go tonight?" With effort I sat back down on the bed and immediately laid down on my good side and closed my eyes to try and stop the poundin' beneath the burn scar on my forehead. The bed was soft and callin' me. I looked out the window again at the descendin' sun.
"Ah, I see Mr Curry is awake." Dr. Pollia hurried into the room. "Good. Good. Here are your train tickets. Take my buggy and leave it at the station. I'll ride back out to the prison. I've got work to do there tonight. I've left a bag with pain medicine and bandages on the front table for your trip."
"Why all the rush," I asked. It was hard to concentrate on their words.
Lom answered me. "Because, Kid, you're a pa."
"That's not news, Lom. There are seven little Currys runnin' around our house." I couldn't understand the rush. I wanted to close the drapes and sleep in a dark room.
"Eight, Mr. Curry. Congratulations," the doctor said as he walked quickly into the kitchen. I learned from Matt that the good doctor brings his own meals and fruit to the prison and sometimes shares them with his trustee.
Helping me sit up, Lom handed me my pants. "There were telegrams waiting from Heyes and Dr. Arden when we got here. Chrissy had the baby. It's early and very small. Both telegrams said to get home as soon as you can," he said.
"Chrissy, the baby, are alright?" I asked, my focus now strugglin' to get my pants over my bandaged leg. I found that the right leg had been made wider. I grabbed my shirt off the chair. When no one answered, panic filled me. "Are they alright?"
Lom looked away searching for my boots and socks. "Got another telegram from Heyes yesterday. Chrissy is fine. She's concentrating on taking care of the baby and keeps asking for you."
"Yesterday? How many days did I sleep?" If Chrissy is askin' for me, I need to get there.
"Almost two full days," Lom answered. "But if you can't travel, we can take the morning train."
"Two days! You should have gotten me up. I need to get home." I put on my shirt and looked around for my holster and gun.
"Can you walk at all?" Lom asked.
Standin', I concentrated on ignorin' the pullin' pain in my thigh and took a few painful steps. "Let's go."
ASJ*ASJ
Mike Loveland and Mikey met me and Lom on the train platform in Bridgeport. Dr. Pollia had found crutches for me, which let me take some of the strain off of my sore thigh. Mikey's growin' so fast. And he looks a lot like his biological pa, Chrissy's brother Johnny McWinters…and looks a lot like my kids. Johnny was killed at Brown River. Mikey and my kids are first cousins. I don't know if Mike has told him he's adopted or not. I trust those that know that they will never mention it. But Mike brought it up today.
"Looks remarkably like his cousins, don't you think, Jed?" Mike whispered to me when he saw me lookin' at the boy.
I couldn't keep the surprise off my face at his words. "He does," I managed to answer.
"Just so you know, I explained to him that I adopted him. Thought he would ask a lot of questions. Maybe they come later. All he said was, "I'm glad you picked me.""
I chuckled. "I think he's a lucky little boy."
"Your telegram said to rent you a buggy. You hurt bad?" asked Mike. "You can spend tonight with us, if you want."
"Thanks. In a hurry to get home. Chrissy had the baby while I was helpin' Marshal Lom Trevors here catch the bad guys," I explained.
"Then let's get to the livery. Your buggy should be ready. You catch them?" Mike asked.
"Catch who?" I asked, distracted by thoughts of Chrissy and the baby.
Lom answered for me. "The Black Brook Gang will ride no more."
"I'm sure we'll all rest better knowing that," Mike answered. "You got a few minutes to give me the first hand story?"
Mikey had been starin' at the crutches, stayin' a distance away. "Uncle Jed, what are those sticks?" he finally got the courage to ask.
His eyes were Chrissy's eyes…and her brother, Johnny's. I turned to Mike. "Maybe we can spare a few minutes for Lom to give you a story while I rest and spend some time with Mikey."
ASJ*ASJ
A few minutes turned into an hour, and by the time me and Lom got to Phoenix, it was late afternoon, and my leg hurt like fire. Mike had rented a buggy for two with no back seat. I managed to prop my leg up. It eased the pain for the first half of the journey. I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes so I wouldn't have to talk with Lom. And reminded myself that I had stood in the Arizona sun for hours at the railroad camp after being whipped. I endured then and I'll endure now. I need to get to Chrissy,