So�This Is Montana� Ch. 20
It was well after dark when Justin and Chris rushed outside into the cool night air to meet Troy and Mitch in the dimly lit front yard of the ranch house. Both young men couldn�t help but gasp when they saw how limply JC sat in the saddle with Troy�s strong arms wrapped firmly about his chest as his only means of staying upright in the saddle.
Troy looked down and saw the looks of distress on the young men�s faces and quickly tried to reassure them...he didn�t need them falling apart or losing the tempers�not now.
�He�s okay�just really exhausted,� Troy said in calm tones as Justin and Chris rushed to his horse�s side and were joined by Mitch.
�Today�s adventure really took a lot out of him,� he added as he watched Mitch shoulder his way in front of the boys then reach up to help Troy lower JC to the ground. Both Justin and Chris also instinctively reached up for their friend but their efforts were stopped.
�Let Chris help,� Mitch said to Justin, who quickly began to protest as he watched the older man shake his head no at him.
�But I want to help,� Justin said then winced when he tried to reach up and felt a hard pulling sensation in his left shoulder and ribs. For most of the day he had not worn the sling that Dr. Parrish had given him to wear and now he instantly regretted the quick movements.
Mitch saw him wince and pull away. �I don�t want you to further hurt yourself,� he quietly admonished the young man knowing that seeing JC in his condition must be tearing up both young men.
Justin nodded and stepped back to watch as Chris, with a grim expression, help guide JC lifeless body as he was lowered into Mitch�s waiting arms. Mitch knelt down to the ground and immediately Justin and Chris were at their friend�s side trying desperately to take in his condition as their eyes ran up and down the length of JC�s body, which Mitch cradled carefully in his arms.
The sensation of firm, but gentle hands lifting him from the saddle caused JC to suddenly jerk awake. For a split second JC had no idea where he was or who was touching him and his only memory was of the harsh hands that he had felt in the pasture earlier in the day. With those memories at the periphery of his mind, JC weakly struggled against the hands holding him in their grasp from all sides.
�No,� JC whispered as he thrashed about in Mitch�s arms.
�Sh�Jace�you�re okay,� Chris said in even, comforting tones as he ran his hand over the young man�s head while Justin silently grasped his right hand in an effort to let his friend know he was there. He was too upset to speak�seeing the results of the ranch hand�s cruel, sick game was almost too much for him.
Troy, still sitting atop his horse, felt his blood beginning to boil as he watched the scene unfolding before him. The sight made him sick to his stomach. Five young men�just here for a good time�why didn�t John and Steven keep a tighter reign on the other hands? Why? Troy continued to watch a moment longer then decided to take action.
�I�m going to go get John,� Troy said angrily as he spurred his horse forward and galloped off to the low ranch hand house behind the barn. He was bound and determined to make sure that John Williams took some form of accountability for what had happened to JC and took measures to reprimand the hands that had been directly responsible for injuring JC.
In the meantime, Chris had continued to quietly speak to JC in an effort to calm his frightening movements. After what seemed minutes, but in actuality was just a few seconds, JC seemed to shake himself out of his frantic state and he blinked heavily at the figures hovering over him.
�J�Chris?� he croaked in obvious confusion as he looked from one face to another then finally on the face of the person holding him in strong arms. �Mitch?� The last thing that JC really remembered was being found in the open pasture by the two ranch hands in the southern pasture. He had no recollection of how he had been brought back to the ranch house.
�Yeah�we�re all here,� Chris said quietly with a small smile. �How are you doing?� he asked as he smoothed back JC�s hair over his head while Justin lightly gripped one of his hands. It was disturbing to see JC so helpless and confused.
�Okay�just tired�sore�� JC said in a voice that easily interpreted exactly how he was feeling at that very moment. He then looked back up at Justin and Chris and he seemed to suddenly come to some sort of realization. He tried to sit up as he began looking around him, but Mitch kept his arm wrapped around JC�s shoulders, not giving him the ability to sit up any further from his reclined position against the ranch hand.
�Where�s Lance and Joey? Where are they? I thought you said we�re all here.� The words tumbled from JC in a voice full of fright as he gazed up into Chris�s eyes then Justin�s. The whole reason that he had been drawn to the pasture earlier in the day was the premise that something terrible had happened to Lance�he had fallen from his horse and been injured. Unfortunately, for him, he found out that the ranch hands had a sick sense of humor and had lured him to the desolate location to �play a game.�
�Sh�it�s okay,� Chris said as he tried to calm JC down. Chris worked hard to keep his voice calm and even as he continued to speak�he felt the limits to his self-control being stretched and he was unsure when they might finally break.
�Lance fell off his horse on his ride with Mitch, Troy and Pete. Joey went with him to the clinic to have the doctors check him out�he was pretty shook up but fine when they left�really�he�s okay,� Chris said in a reassuring tone, suddenly became even more difficult for him. He had never seen JC look so frantic�so fragile.
�Joey called from the clinic a little while ago,� Justin added when JC�s expression showed that he had doubts about Chris�s words. �Joey said Lance will have to spend the night at the clinic because of the blow he took to his head when he hit the ground and he re-injured his right wrist, but he�s going to be fine...really, C.�
�You�re sure?� JC asked looking back and forth at Justin and Chris dazedly as he processed the information that he had been given. He was finding it very difficult to completely understand what was being said, but he decided that if something had been seriously wrong with Lance, surely Joey would not have been the only one of the group to go with him. With that final thought in mind JC let out a small sigh and nodded his head and whispered, �He�s okay�he�s alright.�
�That�s right, Jace,� Chris said as he ran his hand one last time over his friend�s head before looking over at Mitch to give the go ahead in getting JC into the house. Mitch nodded his head in affirmation before looking back down at the young man leaning heavily against him in his arms.
�Well�let�s get you inside then,� Mitch said as he shifted JC in his arms and was ready to lift him up from the ground, but JC protested.
�Let me�let me try to walk, okay?� he weakly pleaded as he shifted in the strong arms that held him. He cleared his throat and asked one more time in a somewhat stronger voice. �Really�let me try to walk�please. If I need your help you�ll be right there.� He could see how scared and worried that Justin and Chris looked and his being able to walk into the house would hopefully help to make his friends feel a little better.
�Okay,� Mitch said as he carefully lifted JC up to a standing position and held him up right as he watched JC briefly clench his eyes shut then slowly open them. He remained close to JC�s side while Justin grasped JC�s other elbow firmly. Chris, in the meantime, had walked ahead of the group to open up the front door.
JC took several steps forward when a wave of exhaustion and dizziness suddenly washed over him causing his feet to feel too heavy to lift and his knees to buckle beneath his weight. With a small moan, JC could feel himself going down and he didn�t have the power to prevent that from happening.
�C?� Justin called out as he tightened his hold on JC�s left elbow and watched JC�s eyelids briefly flicker before closing altogether.
Strong hands immediately moved to grab JC and as he began to sink to the ground he could feel the great tug of darkness pulling at him�and he gave into it.
Chris looked behind him and his stomach sank when he saw JC sag into Mitch�s arms and the distraught look on his younger friend�s face. Those scenes were upsetting enough, but the expression on Mitch�s face was down right frightening�he looked angry�Chris could never have believed such anger could be seen coming from such a friendly, easy-going person as Mitch�even in the short amount of time that he had gotten to know the ranch hand.
�Chris�I want you to make a phone call for me,� Mitch said quickly as he passed by the young man at the opened front door. Mitch quickly fired off a phone number as he lowered JC�s limp form to the long leather couch in Mr. Benson�s study, which was the first room that he came to once inside the house.
�Who am I calling and why am I not calling 911?� Chris asked while dialing the numbers on the phone sitting atop Mr. Benson�s desk.
�Grady Simpson�one of the paramedics who brought you guys into the clinic 2 months ago,� Mitch answered as he motioned for Justin to grab a blanket from the back of the couch and lay it over JC. �Tell him that I need him to come out here�it�s not a run�not yet, unless he decides to make it one�tell him that,� Mitch said loudly as he moved from the study into the living room where he yelled out for Selma who was no where in sight.
�Why isn�t it a run,� Justin asked before the words could leave Chris�s mouth. �Why not take him to the clinic?�
�I think your friend is just exhausted, but Grady might be able to tell us more so we can make a better decision,� Mitch responded before once again leaving the room in search of the older woman.
As Joey waited for Lance to be brought to the small hospital room, he had debated over how he would tell Lance about JC�s little adventure.
�Humph�adventure,� Joey snorted as he lay on one of the two beds in the room. He knew that Lance would more than likely blame himself for JC�s misfortune and he certainly didn�t want that to happen. As Joey continued to work out how much he actually wanted to tell Lance and how to go about in doing it, there was a small knock on the wooden door before it was slowly pushed open. Joey quickly rolled off the bed and stepped toward the door to see that Lance was finally going to be joining him.
As Joey stepped back from the doorway and watched Dr. Granger and an unknown technician wheel Lance into the hospital room, Lance looked up wearily at Joey and gave him a wan smile.
�Hi Joe,� Lance said quietly as he raised his newly cast arm up in a small greeting.
�Hey� I get to be first to sign that,� Joey replied with a grin as he pointed at the cream colored cast. Both young men quietly laughed out loud when Dr. Granger suddenly produced a sharpie from his lab coat pocket.
�Thought you might be wanting this,� he commented as he handed Lance the marker while the technician locked the brakes to the wheelchair in which Lance was seated before lending Lance a hand in slowly standing up.
�Thanks, doc,� Lance said with a tired smile as he looked back at the older man behind him then to Joey who winked at him as he grinned.
�Just take your time,� the technician said as he slowly guided Lance up from the chair while Joey quickly turned down the covers on the bed that Lance would be sleeping in.
�You ready for that pain medication now, Joey?� Dr. Granger asked as he stood on Lance�s other side. He looked over at Joey who had not taken his eyes off of Lance�s slow moving figure.
�Joey�Joey?� he asked again.
�Um�sir?� Joey asked, still without looking up from Lance�s slow progress. He couldn�t help but feel concern for his friend or friends, rather. These last few months had been trying for them all and to see Lance seemingly starting all over again from square one was very difficult for him to watch and, add to the fact that back at the ranch, there were problems going on there too.
�Are you ready for your medicine?� the doctor repeated as he helped Lance lower himself onto his bed.
�Yes sir�now that Lance is in here, but I want to call Chris first�if I can,� Joey said quietly. He had been putting off the medication so that he could be awake for Lance being brought to the room. He knew that the medications would knock him for a loop once taken, but it was going to feel good not to be in pain for a while. His chest, where he was sporting several bruises and scrape marks and the road rash on his arms was beginning to burn like fire and he knew that he was going to need all the rest that he could get in order to continue healing and to take care of his friends.
�Sure�go ahead and call them while I get things ready,� the doctor said as he and technician left the room. �I should be back in about 15 minutes or so.� With that said, the heavy wooden door closed behind the doctor�s back leaving Lance and Joey to themselves in their small room.
�How are you doing Lansten?� Joey asked, reverting to the nickname that had been given to his younger friends quite some time ago as he moved toward the bed beside his.
�So-so,� was his quiet reply. �I guess I�m not really feeling much of anything right now�they have an incredible amount of codeine in me.�
�Better than that other stuff�huh?� Joey said quietly, referring to the troubles that Lance had experience two months ago after their car accident. Doctors Granger, Parrish and Shannon had administered the pain medication vicodin, not knowing that Lance was ultra-sensitive to it. Ultimately, he had had to be restrained during the worse of his reaction and he spent several more days in the hospital than the others in the group once they had all finally arrived in Orlando.
Lance wearily closed his eyes and listened while Joey picked up the phone receiver and made his call.
�Hmm�that�s funny,� Joey commented quietly after hearing a busy tone.
�What?� Lance said as he lifted one eyelid and slowly turned his head to see that Joey was sitting on the bed with the phone in his lap. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts all the while rubbing his chest with one hand while keeping a steady grip on the phone with the other.
�Phone�s busy,� Joey said as he looked up at Lance and gave him a small smile. He put the phone down then stood up and walked the short distance between his bed and Lance�s. �You�re looking better than you did a few hours ago, Poofu,� Joey said as he fiddled with the edge of Lance�s covers.
�Believe me, Joe�I�m feeling much better than I did after that fall,� Lance said with slight confusion in his voice. �I can�t believe that happened�one minute we�re doing just fine�man�she could move, Joey,� Lance said with a wistful smile as he recalled the horse�s speed as he and the three ranch hands had been returning to the ranch. �The next thing that happens is she sees a hollowed out stump and she tried to scramble out of there, but lost her footing in the loose dirt.�
With a small shake of his head, Lance dropped his gaze from Joey�s face to his hands. �After that, I wake up to a gunshot. They had to put that beautiful horse down, Joe�they had to put her down.�
�Hey,� Joey said as he grasped Lance�s good hand. �It wasn�t your fault�it just sounds like it was an accident�that�s all.�
Lance nodded his head wearily then settled further into the bed but did not break Joey�s grip on his hand. Today had been a long, scary day.
�Tomorrow, I�ll have to go through the books and get information for insurance and the vet. He�ll have to confirm the horse�s identity and papers,� Lance quietly commented. �And the fact that his leg was broken and he was put down with good cause,� he added.
�Humph�didn�t know you had to do stuff like that with horses too�just like a car,� Joey said as he patted Lance on the shoulder.
�That�s not the worse part,� Lance moaned as he looked back up at Joey.
�What�s that?� Joey asked sympathetically, already having an idea what Lance was going to say.
�I have to tell Mr. Benson that the horse that I was riding had to be put down.� Lance looked back down at the covers and slowly pulled his hand out of Joey�s grip so that he could rub his free hand wearily over his face. �That�s going to be the hard part.�
�He�ll understand�really he will,� Joey said, trying to reassure the young man, but he knew that Lance would probably not be consoled.
�I�m going to try to get a hold of the others again,� Joey said as he sat back down on his bed and picked up the phone once again and dialed the ranch�s number.
The dark veil surrounding JC�s senses began to gradually fade away leaving him with the ability to comprehend some of what was going on about him. He felt something warm being laid over his body and then something cool and damp being placed across his forehead. These sensations brought more awareness to him�awareness that there were not only hands touching him, but there were noises�sounds that were unlike any that he had ever heard�no�he had heard sounds like that, but only at Chris�s house. Chris had a collection of vinyl records�a huge collection�that he would rather listen to over regular CD�s. For laughs, and just to irritate Chris, JC and the others would put a record on the turntable and purposefully set the spinning speed to either its lowest or highest settings. Right now, the voices around him sounded as if they were barely spinning on the player�the voices were low and distorted...almost frightening. They resembled something that would fit more in a spook house�pure evil than in the warm, inviting room of the ranch house where JC lay.
He felt hands gently pulling his sweatshirt over his head, then the t-shirt that he had been wearing beneath it. There were more sounds�almost like gasps, but he couldn�t be sure. JC then felt hands tugging his shoes off then his pants. When he felt his jeans being removed he tried to protest, but he didn�t seem to have any control over his limbs or the ability to prevent what was happening. A wave of darkness threatened to overtake him during his slight struggle with himself and he gave into it for just a moment�allowing it to overtake him�to slowly swallow him up. The ringing of the phone barely interrupted the activities taking place in the room.
�Can you get the phone?� Chris said to Justin as he and Mitch continued to try to get JC settled on the couch.
Justin quickly stepped over to the phone and answered it.
�Hello?� he asked absentmindedly as he continued to watch what was going on across the room.
�Hey, J,� Joey said as he sat back on his bed. He could hear voices in the background and Justin�s light, but tense sounding breaths coming over the phone. �Mitch and Troy there?�
�Mitch is�he and Chris are getting JC ready for Grady Simpson to get here,� Justin answered as he sat down on a nearby chair all the while not breaking his gaze from JC�s limp form. Joey�s elation over JC�s being found was pushed aside by his confusion over the identity of this new person.
�Grady Simpson?� Joey asked in confusion. He looked over at Lance and saw that he had raised his eyebrows and looked over at Joey. He remembered that name from the accident two months ago�he was one of the paramedics.
�Why are you talking about a paramedic?� Lance asked but stopped talking when Joey shook his head at him and raised his hand in an effort to keep his attention on Justin.
�J�what�s going on? How is he?� Joey asked quietly, not wanting to have to tell Lance too much at this point about JC. He didn�t want to alarm Lance, but one look in the younger man�s direction shot that effort. Lance looked beyond worried�he looked almost terrified. Justin�s quiet reply to his question brought Joey�s thoughts away from the figure seated before him.
�Um�Jace kinda came back in not the best shape,� Justin said in a small voice before taking a hitching breath. He wiped a shaking hand over his eyes and looked down at his feet.
�What do you mean?� Joey asked as he stood up and began to pace the short distance that the phone cord allowed him. �Define �bad shape�.�
�He was barely conscious when Troy and Mitch rode up with him,� Justin said tearfully. �He�s got bruises on his wrists and his and face are all scraped up�he�s so tired. Those ranch hands had him tied up Joe�his hands and feet�they�ve got marks around them�his wrists are raw�he was even blind folded and gagged. He�s got marks at the corners of his mouth where the gag cut into him�he was in a field�in the dark�tied up�all by himself.�
Joey listened as Justin seemed to lose his battle with his tears and for several seconds, the only sounds he heard were Justin�s quiet sobs into the phone.
�Sh�it�s okay, J�he�ll be okay,� Joey said quietly into the phone as he put his emotions to the side and worked to help Justin deal with his. He�d react later, after the phone call. He glanced over at Lance to see his eyes as big as he had ever seen them and his face so pale against the white, hospital sheets that you would have trouble distinguishing between where in fact the sheets ended and Lance began. Justin�s voice brought Joey back out of his quick thoughts and he turned to face the window on the other side of Lance�s bed.
�I know�it�s just�you couldn�t�imagine�seeing him�like�this,� Justin said between hiccupped sobs. He ran his hand over his eyes and struggled to regain control of his emotions. He was sure that he must be scaring Joey and he didn�t need that�not with his also having to worry about Lance too. For the next several minutes, Joey quietly crooned words into the phone in one hand, in an effort to comfort Justin while holding Lance�s shaking hand in the other. He listened to the activity going on in the background and shrugged his shoulders to Lance�s quiet questions that floated into his right ear, mouthing the words, �hold on�in a minute�. Finally, Justin�s breaths became calmer and Joey felt that he could continue with his questions.
�Is he awake now, Justin?� Joey asked.
�No�not right�now,� Justin answered with a small sigh as his tears began to dissipate. �He collapsed Joe�he tried to walk into the house with our help and he passed out. Mitch carried him into the house. We�re waiting on Grady Simpson to get here to let us know whether or not we need to bring him to the clinic.�
�Is Chris there?� Joey asked wanting to find out from him what was going on.
�Yeah�I think he can come over here,� Justin said as he waved his hand at Chris and pointed at the phone. �Joe wants to talk to you,� he said quietly.
Chris trotted over to the phone and took it from Justin�s hand. �You need to be over there in case he wakes up�I don�t want him to be afraid or confused.� Justin nodded his head and quickly made his way over to the other side of the couch.
�Chris?�
�Yeah, Joe,� the older man answered as he turned to look at the windows to see that a vehicle was driving up into the front yard.
�I think you guys should just bring him here,� Joey said as pulled his hand free from Lance�s grip and raked it nervously through his hair causing it to stand further up on end.
�Mitch thinks that Jace is more exhausted than anything else,� Chris replied as he stood up and unknowingly began mimicking Joey�s movements�raking his free hand through his dark spikes and beginning to pace about the study all the while keeping his eyes trained on JC and the rest of the group. �They didn�t find any bumps on his head so he didn�t hit his head again. He just looks pretty rough.�
�Call the cops,� Joey urged in a near breaking voice. His mind raced with the images of JC�s condition and he wanted the ranch hands to pay for what they had done to his friend. �Call them and call Johnny�tell him what happened.�
�Mitch is calling the sheriff�s office right now on the other line but I want to wait on calling Johnny. I�m not sure exactly what I want to tell him.�
�Okay�I�m going to go find one of the doctors and try to get us out of here,� Joey said quickly as he looked over at Lance who was now sitting up in his bed, nodding his head in affirmation of the comment. Joey was scaring him�scaring badly. He didn�t completely understand what was going on back at the ranch but if Joey was talking about calling the police and Johnny, it had to be very bad.
�No�don�t�wait until we find out what Grady says. If we end up being there�� Chris said trying to remain the calm one in the difficult situation.
�Okay�we�ll hold off, but one of the doctors is getting ready to give me something and I won�t be up for anything besides my bed,� Joey said in worried tones. �I just want to be there for him.�
�Can you hold out on taking something for a little while? I mean�are you hurting too much to wait for a while longer?� Chris asked as he watched Justin open the front door allowing a large man into the house.
�No�I can wait a while longer�my arms are bothering me, but I can hold out until we know something about him.�
�Grady is here and he�ll able to tell us more�do you want to stay on the phone or do you want me to call you back later?�
�Stay on the line Chris�please,� Joey answered as he wearily sat down on his bed and looked over at the pinched expression on Lance�s pale face. Joey got up from his bed and motioned for Lance to scoot over on his bed. Lance complied and Joey sat down beside his friend.
�Well�it looks like he�s just exhausted,� Grady said to the small group huddled together in the living room. �He gave lucid answers to my questions. His voice was clear and coherent. His reflexes were a little slow, but that could be given to the fact of the exhaustion.�
�Do you think we need to take him to the clinic?� Chris asked knowing that was the question ultimately on everyone�s mind.
�Listen�I�ll call Ralph Parrish for you and have him come by on his way into the clinic if you want. He goes in on duty in about�3 hours,� the paramedic said as he looked at his watch to see that it was nearing midnight. �He would be better in making that decision.�
�What do we need to do in the meantime?� Justin asked. He had stepped away from the group to watch Selma wrapping gauze lightly around each of JC�s wrists.
�Keep him quiet�warm�wake him in about an hour and ask him the cognitive questions that you heard me ask him,� Grady answered. �What is your full name�where were you born�do you know where you are��
A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Troy, who had just walked into the room minutes earlier with John and Steven in tow, quickly answered the door. He pulled it open wide and allowed two of the local sheriffs into the house and silently cheered when he saw the color seem to drain from John�s face while Steve�s expression immediately sobered. Calling Buddy Richards and Hal Owens seemed to have been a wise decision if only to see the smugness on the senior ranch hand�s faces erased.
�What seems to be the problem?� Hal asked as he glanced about the room at the faces before him. Two of the young men that he had not met before but knew that were friends of the ranch�s new owner, Mr. Bass, looked as if they had been upset enough to have been crying�especially the one with the brown curls. He watched as that young man nodded at him then gave a questioning glance at Grady who nodded in return. The young man left the room and entered the study and Hal could hear the young man and a woman�s voice�probably Selma�s�floating out of the study. Hal turned his attention to the other young man who was sporting a grim look on his face. He couldn�t help be notice that he had a death grip on the phone in his hand�the knuckles on his left hand almost white�while his other hand nervously ran over his hair in intervals. The young man stilled his movements and gave a small nod before looking down to speak quietly into the phone in his hand.
Those observations told a detailed story to the older man, but the expressions on the remaining faces in the room spoke volumes.
Mitch and Troy sported looks that spoke of anger, frustration and concern. Troy�s hands were dirty and it took several moments of watching the hands moving about before Hal and Buddy both realized at almost the same time that they were covered with blood.
�You okay?� Hal asked as he lightly gripped the young ranch hands wrists to take a better look at his hands.
�Yeah�it�s not mine,� Troy answered. �It�s JC�s�from his wrists and mouth. They had been rubbed raw by the ropes that he had been tied up with.�
�That�s also from his knees�they had been rubbed raw by his trying to stay upright so someone would find him in the tall grass in the southern pasture,� Mitch added. He had been able to elicit some information from JC during his intervals of wakefulness.
Mitch and Troy immediately explained the situation to Hal and Buddy, who often had to shush the two older ranch hands, John and Steven, who frequently tried to get in their two cents worth. Grady then led the two men into the living room where JC lay on the couch with his head in the young, curly headed man�s lap.
Both men took in the haggard, worn expression on JC�s face.
�Got your flashlight?� Hal asked Grady as he came around the back of the couch to the front and knelt beside JC�s prone figure.
�What are you going to do?� Justin asked in a tense voice as he continued to run a shaking hand over the head in his lap.
�I want to take a better look at his mouth and his wrists,� was the answer Hal gave as he took the offered flashlight, switched it on and played it first over JC�s left wrist since that arm was on top of the covers with Grady�s blood pressure cuff wrapped around his bicep. With little expression on his face, Hal carefully examined the top of JC�s wrist before gently lifting the limp hand to look at the underside, which seemed to be in worse shape than the side.
�Can you lift his other arm out of the covers?� he asked Justin, looking up at his face to see the young man quickly wipe a stray tear from his eyes.
�It�s okay�I need to do this so I can better write my report�to help with the charges that we�ll bring up against his kidnappers�his attackers,� the sheriff explained. He looked up at the tense figure of Chris and saw him nodding his head in agreement all the while speaking into the phone.
�Joey and Lance said that if you hadn�t wanted to do that, we would have asked you to,� Chris said to the older man who nodded his head in understanding.
For the next several minutes, Grady helped Hal and Buddy in their examination of JC.
�We�ll need to take pictures,� Hal said. He nodded his head at Buddy who left the room and headed out the front door.
He noticed the look of distress crossing Justin�s face then watched as the young man shifted awkwardly on the couch to look behind him at Chris. The pair had unsure looks on their faces�glances flying back and forth across the short distance between them before Chris nodded his head and mouthed the words��I�ll call Johnny.�
He handed the receiver and phone in his hand down to Justin. �I�m going to go get my cell phone.�
He left the room and made his way to the back of the house where the bedrooms lay while Hal and Buddy began to explain the use of the pictures and their understanding for JC�s need for privacy.
As John watched the retreating figure and listened to what was being said nearby, he motioned at Steven to follow the young man, knowing that somehow, they would have to convince him not to press charges against the ranch hands. They couldn�t afford to lose the workers. Somehow�someway�the young man would need to be convinced.