BACK TOGETHER AGAIN

By Debra © 2001

CHAPTER THREE

Without a moments hesitation Buck is at Teaspoon's side. He slides to the ground and pulls Teaspoon's head onto his lap. Buck gently strokes Teaspoon's face, brushing back the blood that is pouring out from a gash above his eyes. It doesn't take long before Buck's shirt is soaked with blood from Teaspoon's head wound. Teaspoon lays on the muddy, cold, wet ground unconscious. "Teaspoon," Buck spoke softly.

Kid witnessed everything that just happened from the far back end of the corral. He stands still in horrified disbelieve for a moment, before he is able to gather his thoughts and quickly make his way over to Teaspoon and Buck.

Kid is on his knees at Teaspoon's side. He takes in everything before examining Teaspoon's wounds. "The cut on his forehead doesn't look too bad, but it sure is bleeding heavily." Teaspoon's pants have been torn around the calf and knee area. Kid can't really tell if they are just badly bruised or maybe worse. "I'm not sure about his legs."

"We have to get him over to the house and out of this blasted rain," Buck stated his voice cracking with emotion.

Kid takes hold of Buck's forearm in a firm manner. Kid hears the stress and blame in Buck's voice. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Let's just get Teaspoon over to the house before he starts to get sick from this cold rain."

Kid and Buck both stand up and gently pull Teaspoon up. They both have a strong hold on his waist. His legs drag behind him. The almost dead weight of their friend makes it a slow process to reach the corral fence gate.

Jeremiah opens the front door and watches the pouring rain hit the already soggy ground. "We could end up having a flood if this keeps up much longer," he spoke to himself. He had hated to do it, but he had to wake little Emma up so that Louise would have to attend to her two-year-old toddler. The time it would take Louise to get upstairs, calm her daughter down, and resume her place back downstairs in the kitchen, would give him ample time to make his escape. He could have been a great help to Buck and Kid if only Louise could see things his way. Three sets of hands in a disaster such as this one would definitely be much better than two. Louise could only understand that when the third set of hands were her own. Jeremiah quietly closes the front door, and tiptoes off the creaking front porch. He only walks a short distance when he spots Kid and Buck wrestling with Teaspoon's limp body. He runs over to where they are without thinking about the slippery mud beneath his boots. Jeremiah does plenty of slipping and sliding, but manages to stay on his feet.

Kid spots Jeremiah coming towards them at full speed. "Get back in the house! I'm sure Lou didn't give you permission to be out in this storm!"

"I'm not a child anymore! I am capable of doing a man's work!" Jeremiah demands.

"Yeah! Well Teaspoon isn't a child, and look what has happened to him," Kid spoke harshly at his brother-in-law.

Buck is becoming very impatient at the conversation between Kid and Jeremiah. "Kid can we just get Teaspoon in the house. Jeremiah if you want to be all grown up, how about saddling up your horse and get over to the Doc's office, and get him out here," Buck spoke trying to hurry the conversation between kid and Jeremiah to be over.

"Doc isn't going to come out here in this miserable weather," Jeremiah replied.

"Tell him that Teaspoon has been badly hurt. He'll come out," Kid replied.

Jeremiah ran to the barn almost falling down several times into a pool of mud. He quickly gains his balance and continues his journey into the barn.

Buck and Kid make it to Rachel and Teaspoon's home. The hurricane like rain has slowed down to a drizzle. Buck glances down at Teaspoon's face when he hears soft pain-filled moans coming from the man. He tries to loosen his grip slightly thinking that he is hurting the marshal. Kid notices Buck's worrisome expression.

"He's strong Buck."

Buck doesn't acknowledge that he hears Kid. He is deep in thought praying Teaspoon's injuries aren't as critical as they appear to be.

By the time the two men reach the house with Teaspoon, Rachel is standing in the open doorway. She tries to protect herself from the inclement weather, but she also wants to visualize her husband's injuries as the two men bring him closer to the front door. Her expression is of uneasiness. She fears that her husband may be badly hurt. If the truth were known though, no one could have stopped him from helping his two boys.

Buck and Kid ease Teaspoon into the house. "We sent Jeremiah for the doctor Rachel," Kid spoke softly to her.

Jeremiah galloped his horse as fast as she possibly could go through the rain and muddy streets of Rock Creek. In front of the Doc's office, Jeremiah brings his horse to a complete halt and slides off her back, throwing the reins over the hitching post. He hurries past his horse and walks onto the front porch of the Doc's office. Jeremiah raps on the front door a few times, but gets no answer.

Jeremiah starts to shiver from the drenched clothes that he didn't have time to change out of. His entire body starts to tremble from the cold night air and the dampness. His pounding on the door causes the windows to rattle. The longer he stands outside without an answer, the louder he bangs on the door. The thought crosses his mind that maybe he should just break into the Doc's home. "Come on Doc. Answer the door!"

As Jeremiah shivers violently and clutches his arms together he raises his tightly clenched fist ready to pound on the door again. The door suddenly opens abruptly. Jeremiah almost falls forward into the doctor's arms. "Jeremiah, what is your problem at this ungodly hour?"

Doc, Teaspoon's been hurt real bad out at the ranch! He's out cold and he's got a large gash over his eyes. Buck and Kid asked me to bring you out to examine him. They both seem real upset at the way Teaspoon looks," Jeremiah spoke his voice stuttering from the cold.

"Let me get my medical bag. Get my horse from the livery stables, and saddle her up for me," Doc Barnes spoke wasting no time turning away from Jeremiah to retrieve his black medical bag.

"Sure thing. I'll be right back with her," Jeremiah replied to an empty open door space.

The boys had managed to walk Teaspoon up the stairs to his bed. His wet clothes heaped in a pile at the foot of the bed. Rachel is unwilling to leave her husband's bedside long enough to hang them over clothes racks to dry.

Buck is sitting on a chair, close to Teaspoon's bed, on the opposite side that Rachel is sitting on. He has his chin propped up with his hands, his elbows on his knees. There is no movement from the marshal. Buck runs his cold fingers through his damp hair, trying unsuccessfully to calm his nerves. He continues to be too quiet. He is content to watch Teaspoon for any sign of his waking up to join them.

Rachel places a damp cloth on Teaspoon's forehead to relieve some of the fever that is already raging inside the faithful marshal's body. Rachel glances over at the tormented expression that has been glued to Buck's face since they brought Teaspoon into the house. "He's going to be alright. You know how stubborn he can get. He won't stay down long."

Buck doesn't take his eyes off Teaspoon's still form. "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

Rachel takes the cloth from Teaspoon's forehead to dampen it again in the basin of water she has sitting next to the bed on a nightstand. "Both of us, I guess." She wrings the cloth out and gently strokes Teaspoon's bruised face with it. "I know exactly what you're thinking. You're going to blame yourself for this. Thinking you should have dragged him back into this house the second he got near any of those horses. You know when Teaspoon gets something in his head, he sees it through until the job is finished."

"What he is, is a stubborn old fool, Rachel. Thinks he still has to keep us in line like he did when we were riding for the Pony Express. When we were all his boys," Buck spoke softly so he wouldn't wake the man he loved like a father.

"He's not that old, Buck. Personally, I think he can still handle you boys pretty darn well. It's those unrelenting horses he has trouble with."

Buck glances over at Rachel and manages a half smile just to let her know that he's not totally blaming himself for Teaspoon's predicament.
"I just wish he'd let us take care of him now."

"I know honey," Rachel spoke reassuringly.

"You won't tell him I called him a stubborn old fool, will ya?"

"Not on your life! He'd probably have us both hung," Rachel replied. She places the damp cloth over Teaspoon's forehead once again while listening to Buck's soft laugh. She turns her attention towards the footsteps making their way up the stairs and into her bedroom.

Doc Barnes steps into the room with Kid trailing close behind him. He walks closer to the bed and glances down at Teaspoon before looking directly at Rachel. "Kid has told me a little bit of what happened. I'll need to examine my patient, if you could all wait downstairs."

"Doc Barnes, I'd like to stay," Rachel stated calmly.

Doc Barnes takes her hand in his and forces her to rise from the side of the bed that she has not moved an inch from since Teaspoon was brought into the bedroom. "Rachel, go downstairs and make some coffee for these two exhausted boys of yours. I promise the second I'm finished with my examination, I'll be downstairs to report my findings to you and the boys."

Buck walks over to Rachel and takes her hand away from the doctor's hand. "Doc's here now. Lets allow him to find out what's wrong so Teaspoon can start healing."

Rachel simply nods her head in agreement. She takes one last look at her husband and bends down to place an affectionate kiss on his cheek. "I'll be right downstairs. I love you," Rachel whispered to Teaspoon.
Kid, Buck and Rachel leave Teaspoon in the good care of Doc Barnes.

Louise is busying herself, in Rachel's kitchen, making coffee when the three worrisome faces walk to the table and each of them somehow musters up the strength to pull out a chair to seat themselves.

Louise glances at each one of them hoping one of them will speak up about Teaspoon's condition. None of them do. Their eyes all hold a downcast appeal to them. Louise could swear that she can even feel their hearts breaking at the thought of their fallen husband, father, friend and marshal. She clears her throat, but still none of them pay her any attention. It rather troubles her that Kid, Buck and Rachel obviously don't notice her or even smell the strong pot of coffee brewing. You would think her coffee would wake up their senses! Louise places her arms around Rachel's shoulders. "How's he doing?" Louise asked still gazing from one anguished face to another.

"Doc Barnes just arrived. He's upstairs examining Teaspoon right now. Who's sitting with Abigail and Emma?" Kid asked concerned about his two young daughters.

"Jeremiah walked back over to the house to tell me what happened. The storm woke Teresa up. She came downstairs to make sure everyone got out of the storm safely. You know what a little worrier she can be. Anyway, they both said they'd stay up until we come back over." Louise replied a little upset that Kid doesn't seem to trust her younger brother or sister with their two children.

Kid notices the disapproving tone in Lou's voice. He reaches out to bring her down on his lap and hug her. "I'm sorry. This storm just has me a little on edge."

"Jeremiah wanted me to let you and Buck know that he managed to get the last three remaining horses into the barn and secure for the night."

"I guess he's a lot more responsible than I give him credit for being," Kid spoke softly to his wife.

Buck and Rachel have remained quiet during the entire time that Kid and Louise have been holding their conversation.

Louise gets up from Kid's lap and walks back over to Rachel to be by her side. She once again puts her arm around the disheveled woman's shoulders. "I'm sure Teaspoon is going to be alright. Teaspoon isn't about to leave Buck here in charge of the town," Louise chuckled softly at the mere thought of that happening.

Rachel and Buck both manage to glance up at Louise and offer her a smile that brightens her face for a brief moment.

"I wish Doc Barnes would hurry up," Rachel spoke her voice cracking with emotion. She gets up from her chair and begins to wear a hole in the dining room hard wood floor.

"Rachel, doc needs time to make an accurate diagnosis of all Teaspoon's injuries. We wouldn't want doc overlooking anything that could be portentously serious later on," Buck spoke as he watches Rachel pace back and forth across the dining area.

The doctor's footsteps can be heard walking down the stairs. Rachel stops abruptly and glances towards the stairs. Doc Barnes walks into the dining area where he faces an over anxious family waiting for some good news about their beloved family member.

Buck and Kid both notice the concerned look on the doctor's face. They both stand to hear the news they are dreading.

"The gash on Teaspoon's forehead is not too worrisome. I am concerned that Teaspoon is awake and complaining of a severe headache. I'm sure he has a slight concussion. He may endure other symptoms from the
concussion such as blurred vision and perhaps some dizziness when he tries to stand up."

Rachel's obviously tense structure is starting to relax somewhat from the doctor's news. She even is slightly smiling. Buck and Kid still sense the doctor is not through telling them the worst of Teaspoon's injuries.

"I don't want to ruin your apparent better mood Rachel, but I haven't finished with my prognosis of your husband." Doc Barnes spoke calmly not wishing to alarm anyone. He turns to face Buck and Kid. "I'll need some wood to make a splint for his left leg."

"It's broken?" Rachel asked as her spirit has been dampened.

The doctor turns to face a semi fragile Rachel. He takes her hand in his trying to comfort her. "I'm afraid so. The break appears to be a clean break. It should heal without any complications."

"Buck and I will go out to the barn and find some wood along with some rope," Kid spoke as he pushes Buck towards the front door.

The two men leave Louise and Rachel to talk more with the doctor concerning Teaspoon's accident and recovery.

Back outside again, the wind has calmed down to a normal summer breeze. The rain is falling lightly from the overcast sky. The thunder and lightning no longer exist. The two men walk towards the barn. Even with the night shadows lurking over the ranch, the two men still witness the damage the violent storm has done to their horse ranch.

Buck and Kid both stop dead in their tracks as they approach the barn and corrals. They look upon the shambles the corrals are in due to the strong winds that descended upon the ranch. Parts of the corral fence are split in two, and other parts of the corral is completely torn apart. One side of the barn door is torn from its hinges. Tumbleweed and sagebrush are littered throughout the corrals. The barn roof has a few gapping holes. The water trough next to the barn is completely flattened. Many of the small trees around the outside of the corrals have completely collapsed.

"I guess we don't need daylight to gather how much work we'll have in store for us over the next few weeks," Kid spoke as he glanced Buck's way.

"Yeah. We don't even know what kind of damage has been done out back. How am I going to help you get the ranch back in shape, and also replace Teaspoon as the town marshal?" Buck asked his attention totally aimed towards Kid.

"I hadn't thought of your deputy duties. Well, first things first. Lets find some wood for Teaspoon's splints."

NEXT