Dustwater Creek
Copyright© 2025 by Heel
Chapter 4: Bound by Necessity
The small room above the Rusted Spur Saloon had become a makeshift infirmary of dust, blankets, and fear. Lysandra Bale lay on the bed, her body taut with pain, every movement a sharp reminder of how badly she had misjudged the fall. Harlan Pike and the other men moved around her with the carefulness of men handling a live fuse, each action deliberate, each touch tentative.
“Alright,” Lysandra said, voice tight and rasping. “We need to make sure I don’t shift. No weight on my legs. No twisting. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Harlan said quietly, placing his large hands near her shoulders but not touching.
They began with the foundation: pillows stacked along her back, firm but not hard, to prevent her torso from sinking into the bed and straining her hips. Blankets were rolled and tucked on either side of her pelvis like soft walls, designed to keep her hips from tilting even slightly.
“Good,” Lysandra whispered, sweat running down her temples. “Now ... legs. They must stay straight. Nothing bending. Nothing turning. Tie them together gently.”
Using strips of cloth, the men bound her legs at the thighs and calves, leaving her toes exposed so she could signal them if the pressure was too great. A broom handle was slipped beneath her knees, padded with cloth, forming a rigid splint that ran from mid-thigh to ankle. Each movement caused her to flinch, every creak of the wood a knife of pain through her pelvis.
“Hold ... hold it steady!” she hissed. One man trembled, adjusting the straps, afraid to tighten them too much, afraid not to tighten them enough. The splint was not a luxury—it was the only thing standing between her fragile pelvis and total collapse.
Next came her torso. Strips of cloth were looped across her chest and shoulders, connecting to the bedposts to prevent her from twisting or rolling. It was crude, and she hated the helplessness, but it worked. Her upper body was held almost rigid, and the pillows on either side of her hips ensured she could not inadvertently shift her weight.
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