Dustwater Creek
Copyright© 2025 by Heel
Chapter 3: Survival in the Shadows
The small room above the Rusted Spur Saloon smelled of dust, sweat, and old wood. Moonlight spilled through the single window, casting pale stripes across the bed where Lysandra Bale lay, stiff and trembling. Pain seared through her groins with every small movement, yet her sharp eyes scanned the room like a hawk assessing prey.
“Sit still,” she rasped, voice tight, forcing the men to meet her gaze. “Every twitch, every careless move, and I’ll never forgive you.”
The cowboys shuffled nervously, unsure how to respond. Harlan Pike knelt by her side, his large hands hovering over the blankets, trembling as if they might crush her even in gentleness.
“You ... we don’t have a doctor,” one murmured, the words almost a prayer. “What do we do?”
Lysandra’s lips twitched, a faint, sharp smile despite the pain. “We improvise. That’s all we can do. And we do it carefully.” She took a ragged breath, forcing herself upright just enough to make her instructions heard. “First. I need support. Pillows, blankets—stack them under my back. Make it firm. Not too soft, or I’ll sink and it’ll tear everything worse.”
The men fumbled, but slowly followed her directions. One brought more blankets; another tore strips of cloth from old curtains to create slings for her legs. Every movement had to be deliberate. One slip, one sudden shift, and the pain would consume her entirely.
“Good. Now,” she continued, voice steady despite the heat of agony, “I need my legs as still as possible. Don’t move them. If you have to lift me, it’s from my shoulders and back. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Harlan said, grim and silent. The others nodded, guilt and fear etched into every line of their faces.
Lysandra paused, feeling sweat run down her temples, yet her mind was sharp. “Next—hydration. Water, whiskey, anything. Just a little at a time. I need to keep my strength. And ... we’re going to make a splint. Any wooden boards, sticks, broom handles. Tape, cloth. Stabilize. Keep me from shifting.”
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