By Lisa
The girl laying on the road appeared to be alive, but Buck couldn't be sure by just looking at her. As he dismounted his horse, Buck cursed his luck. Only he would be unfortunate enough to find a drunken saloon girl passed out on the road, he would have to thank Teaspoon for sending him on this errand to Sweetwater. He had wanted to get home so badly, and now because of his sense of duty he found he needed to examine this girl.
Maybe I'll let her sleep it off in the jail, he thought to himself, it would sure teach her a lesson. Buck bent down to get a pulse, what he saw shocked him, she was badly beaten, and bleeding severely from a head wound. Luckily Buck had the buckboard with him, after making some room he lifted her gingerly and placed her in the back, he needed to get her to a doctor and fast.
"Jeremy, did you have to hit her so hard? What if you killed her?"
Jeremy Franklin turned to his second in charge, his best friend, "Are you questioning me Tom?"
Thomas Hardy saw the cold look in his friends eyes, if he could do what he did to the woman he supposedly loved, what would he do to him? "Well...er...no, it's just that well....she's gone and ...."
"And.....and she won't survive, and if she does we'll know about it, we left her to die on that road and that's just what she'll do." Jeremy paused to walk closer to his friend and looked him in the eyes, "It just goes to show you, I don't like it when people I trust steal money from me."
"Oh" Thomas said weakly.
"Make sure the others know it will ya Tommy boy, I'm tired and we still have to search for the cash, from the last bank we hit. If she had just told me where it is we all would be happily on our way, but Noooooooooo she had to lie and tell me she had no idea what I was talking about!!!!"
Jeremy's voice steadily rose until it boomed in their hideout, a cave not too far away from where an ex Pony Express rider found an unconscious girl lying in a road.
Jeremy Franklin and his gang were wanted dead or alive in four states for bank robbery, and horse thievery. "So what we'll do is stick around here for a couple of days to see what this town....what's the name of it?"
"Rock Creek" Tom answered.
"Yes Rock Creek, well we'll see what it has to offer, Tommy boy I want you to take a couple of guys and keep an eye on the town see if we can hit anything while we're here. If we can I want you to make yourself comfortable there, so's no one suspects anything."
Tom watched his friend closely, "Whatever you say Boss."
Buck waited somewhat impatiently as Doc Evans looked over his new patient, thankfully as soon as Teaspoon had gotten word of what Buck had found and came over to the Doc's office.
Teaspoon sat next to one of the boys he's seen become a man, "So ya wanna talk about what happened out there, as I recall I told you to pick up supplies, not a woman."
Buck looked over at the man, he saw the humor in the older man's eyes, "I wish I could tell you what happened Teaspoon. I was on the way home from Sweetwater when I saw her in the road, I thought she was drunk. But she was just all beat up." Buck looked at the man he considered to be a father to him, "Who could do such a thing to a woman?"
"There are just some men who think they can get away with anything Buck. You did good son, you found her in time. What did the Doc say?"
"I don't know yet, he's still checking her."
Just then Doctor Evans came through the door, "Marshall Hunter, Buck." he nodded to the two men.
"Well Doc how is she?" Teaspoon asked.
"Please gentlemen sit down," he began, "She has several bruises and cuts all over her body. She also has two broken ribs, and quite a bump on the head, which is probably why she's still unconscious."
Buck looked at Teaspoon and then the doctor, "When will she wake up?"
"I don't know, with head wounds it's hard to tell. But I am certain of one thing."
"What's that?" Teaspoon asked.
"I'm certain she would have died if Buck here had not found her and immediately brought her here," he turned to Buck "she has a better chance at life because of you son."
"Can I see her" he asked.
"For a couple of minutes, okay?"
"Yes sir, excuse me Teaspoon"
"Sure thing Buck I'll wait for you, we can go home together."
"Alright." and with that Buck disappeared into the adjoining room.
"Doc?" Teaspoon asked.
"Yes Marshall?"
"Did you find any identification on her? Anything that might give us an idea of where to start looking for family or such?"
The doctor looked at Teaspoon thoughtfully, "No nothing, whoever did this to her clearly did not mean for her to survive. She could be anyone, a mail order bride, an abused child running away from home, anything."
Teaspoon sighed, "Well from what Buck told me he thought she was a Saloon girl from the way she was dressed, so we can probably start at the Saloon in Sweetwater, maybe she started there in the time after we left. I'll also get Sam Cain in on this he would definitely know if she was living in Sweetwater."
"Sounds good to me." Doc said nodding. The two men kept talking until Buck came out of the room somberly.
On the way home Buck didn't say a word, Teaspoon saw the look in his eyes. "You know you are not responsible for that girl Buck, You can make a clean break right now." Teaspoon knew Buck wouldn't do that, he didn't have it in him, even after all Buck had been through in his life, he couldn't turn his back on another human being.
"I can't do that Teaspoon, and you know it." Teaspoon smiled secretly, "She looked so small and frail lying in that bed, and until we know otherwise we're all she's got in this world. How can you even suggest something like that?"
"I know I was just testing. You're a good man Buck Cross, and she's very lucky to have found a friend like you, it may very well turn out that she's gonna need one."
Buck smiled, "Oh, I forgot what with all this commotion," he pulled out a small jewelers pouch "your wedding bands. I hope Rachel will like 'em."
The next morning Teaspoon went out to talk to Marshall Sam Cain, he figured as long as he was there he might as well make sure he and Emma were coming to the wedding. Everyone was surprised when Teaspoon and Rachel announced their plans to wed, after all this time everybody just gave up. Teaspoon couldn't wait to see all his boys again, that is if everyone got his letters and could come.
James Butler Hickok sat with his feet on the desk inside of the Marshall's office, not much going on today, he thought. He would have to go out for a ride after Buck came back from running his errands, Jimmy thought he would go crazy if he had to spend another hour with Barnett, lucky for him he was gone on errands too at least for now, it's been too quiet in town since that girl showed up. Jimmy had just leaned back in his chair and put his hat over his face when a boy came running into the office.
"Excuse me," The boy said into the darkness, "Is Marshall Hunter or the Injun here?"
Jimmy sat up, agitated, he pushed his hat back on his head and walked to the boy that he recognized as Doc Evans assistant Jack. "That Injun as you call him has a name." He drawled.
Jack looked up into the eyes of his favorite dime novel character and took a deep swallow. "Uh yes sir, I meant Buck, is he here? Uh sir?"
Jimmy rolled his eyes heavenward, we have another reader here, he thought. "Listen kid, Buck ain't here now but he should be coming any minute, you can wait or you can leave him a message.uot;
"Okay, uh I'd like for you to tell him that the girl is awake, Doc told me to get them, that they would want to know."
"Okay as soon as Buck comes in I'll let him know," Jimmy stared at Jack, "anything else kid?"
"No Mr. Wild Bill....I mean sir...I mean Mr. Hickok, sir.....Uh thanks," Jimmy was ushering Jack to the door when Buck came up. Buck immediately recognized the boy from the doctor's office, and as Jack was telling Buck his news, Jimmy's eyes were drawn to the figures of two men dismounting their horses in front of the hotel. One in particular held Jimmy's eyes glued to him.
"Jimmy...Jimmy...Hickok!" Buck shook him, "Did you hear what I said?"
Jimmy looked at him, "What?"
"I said I'm goin' over to the clinic I'll be back in half an hour, okay?" Buck said excitedly.
"Uh-huh" Jimmy said still looking over Buck's shoulder, suddenly Jimmy paled.
"What are you staring at, you look like you've seen a ghost."
"I think I'm looking straight at one."
Buck turned slowly to see what Jimmy was staring at, it didn't take long for him to see. Suddenly Buck paled also, because there in front of the hotel, getting his things from his horse was the splitting image of someone he was once very close to.
"Ike?" Buck whispered.
"With hair," Jimmy muttered. The two boys looked at each other confusedly.
TO BE CONTINUED... Chapter II
Copyright 1998-This work is not to be reproduced without the permission of the author
The Way Station
Campfire Tales
