The Way Home

At first light I got up and stoked the fire. I put on some beans and bacon to heat up and then went off in the woods to take care of business. Jess was still sleeping heavily but his forehead was a lot cooler when I felt of it.

When I got back, Jess was stirring around, lookin� like he�d be up soon. The rag had long ago fallen to the dirt and was laying there in a dried up wad. I think it was the bacon that finally got him. He opened his eyes and sniffed the air. I was pleased. That meant he had an appetite.

�Mornin�, Jess, how�re ya feelin�?�

He struggled to sit up while holding his ribs, �Better�I think. That smells good.�

�Well then scoot your butt over here and dig in.�

�I need to get up first,� he said, trying to stand. I started over to help him, but he held up a hand to stop me. �No, I can do it�� He was slow, and he wasn�t exactly graceful, but he did it. Once he was up, he stood still for a minute getting� his bearings. Then he started off for the woods. �Be back in a minute.�

As he disappeared into the brush, I heard him cough real hard a few times. I�m thinking that�s a good sign, too. He needs to cough them marbles out.

He came back after a few minutes and very carefully sat against the log, holding his side as if he were afraid his innards would come spillin� out.

I brought a plate over to him and then settled next to him with mine. That food was especially good that day. It ain�t that I�m such a much with cookin�, we were both just starved, and there�s just somethin� about a cool fall mornin� in the mountains that makes you that way.

After he took a few bites, he turned and looked at me, �Where are we?�

�Oh, I dunno exactly. Somewhere in the hills north of Kane. I was thinkin� last night that we probably oughta head for Laramie.�

�I was just thinking the same thing. The sheriff there is a friend of mine. I don�t think I�d have a chance back the other way.�

�Nope, you sure wouldn�t. Them boys was gonna kill you sure as shootin�.�

�You think they killed the sheriff?�

�You know, Jess, I been thinkin� on that too. An� the only conclusion I come to was, I don�t know of anyone else who would�ve. Not anyone in that town anyway. Those two was greedy and didn�t care about Cal. They only worked for him �cause it gave them some power. Cal was a kind man, kinda old and tired. He didn�t really see that they took advantage of their position. Or maybe he just was tired of fightin�. I dunno. But, to answer your question, yes, I think it�s a good possibility.�

�I guess I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.�

�Yup, that�s how I figger it.� I shoveled in the last of my beans and then went to the pan to get some more. I turned and offered Jess the last of them, but he

shook his head no, so I took them all.

Jess was still eatin�, slowly, but at least he was eatin�. �I sure wanna thank you for all you done for me.�

I settled back down to eat again. �Aw, that�s alright. You needed help.�

�Yeah. Well, not many would�a done what you did and I�m much obliged.�

�I couldn�t leave you there all hurt and sick.� There was a few moments of silence. �You had a pretty high fever last night, and your chest was all rattly. I think you might have got a little pneumonia.�

He looked a little surprised, then after a moment he relaxed and probably decided I was right. �How do you know about pneumonia?�

�A few years back I worked for a horse doctor over in Utah for awhile. He was a nice man. Taught me a lot. He�s the one that gave me Tuck over there.� I pointed toward Tuck who was lazily grazing in the grass. �He taught me that animal vettin� and people vettin� ain�t all that different. He said with pneumonia you have to keep movin, don�t stay in one position all the time. You have to drink a lot and you have to cough a lot.� I thought about what I just said, and then I added, �I don�t mean drink drink, I mean drink water.� We both laughed at that one.

�Well alright Doctor Macy, I�ll do my best to drink and move.�

�Okay Patient Jess. But I don�t mean you�ll be runnin� no races. You need plenty of rest. Right now though, we have to go. You�ll have to save your restin� for Laramie.�

�How far you reckon we are?�

�I don�t rightly know. I was hopin� you would.�

�Do you know how far Cheyenne is?�

�From Kane it�s about a hunnert miles. But we�re a good twenty miles out of Kane. Maybe twenty five.�

�Okay.� I could tell he was calculating, lookin� at the map in his head. �I figure Laramie�s a lot closer than Cheyenne or Fort Collins. We can head northeast and make the basin trail by tomorrow afternoon if we make good time. My home is a little bit west of Laramie.�

I stood up and brushed off my pants, �Well, let�s get a move on then.�

I packed up Tuck while Jess washed up down at the creek. He was still real weak, but he didn�t want no help. When we were all ready, I took Tuck down to the creek and gave Jess a leg up on him. I walked the first little piece, then eventually I pulled up behind Jess and rode too.

he country air musta been good for ol� Tuck �cause we made real good time. I kept lookin� back, especially when we were on high ground and I didn�t see no one follerin� us. I was real glad about that. Neither me or Jess was in much shape for a battle. I didn�t have a gun, but I can fight good if I hafta. I can�t fight a gun though. Jess had a gun and I�ll just bet he�s good with it, but one sick gun hand can�t hold off two crazy ones for very long.

We rode until almost dark, stopping only a few times to rest and to let Tuck graze. Jess was exhausted and fell asleep on Tuck. I held him up against me to keep him from falling off. I knew we shoulda stopped sooner, but we couldn�t take the chance. We avoided all the little towns and settlements we passed by, which wasn�t many. I figgered we made good enough time that we should go ahead and stop for the night though.

I woke Jess up and helped him slide down off Tuck without hurting his ribs too much. He seemed weaker, maybe he was just tireder. Bumping along all day on a horse ain�t gonna help you get over bruised ribs and pneumonia. The only thing that�s gonna help that is bedrest and lots of it. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, that�s where he�ll be. In his own bed.

That night Jess� fever got real bad. He was out of his head and wet with sweat before it was good an� dark. I couldn�t get him to eat anything. I was really getting� worried an� I spent the whole night sitting up against a log, holding him against me to keep him warm. I had him wrapped in the two saddle blankets and he was still shiverin�.

We hadn�t got around to talkin� much about his family, but I sure found out about them that night. There was a Slim that he was callin� for, and he seemed to be real worried about someone named Andy. He had to get back for his birthday and he was gonna be late. He was most upset about Abe. It was like he was reliving the helplessness he felt when Abe was killed.

Jess finally settled and slept by the wee hours of the morning. We were both exhausted and we slept late. The sun was already up by the time we were able to roll out, eat and get on the trail. Jess seemed completely drained. He�s a strong man, but he ain�t had no time to heal. Laramie was my hope. If we could just get there, he�d be okay. He couldn�t sit on Tuck alone so I had to ride up there with him the whole day.

By mid afternoon we hit the trail for Laramie. There was a sign pointin� the way so I didn�t have to wake Jess up to ask. I figger when we get close, I�ll stop at the first farm or ranch I come to and ask about where Jess lives iffen he can�t tell me hisself. Someone�s bound to know him.