Chapter 10

A big ball of radiation shines on the earth killing uncountable numbers of germs every day. I don't know why people think that it is cleaner inside their houses where they shut it out.

When they finally decided that I wasn't letting him back in the hut for now, they built up a fire near us and then someone brought me some type of thick soup in a wooden bowl. It tasted good, so I dipped out half a mug and thinned it down with water and made the boy drink it.

I didn't even really have to make him, and after he finished I could tell he wanted more. I yelled for Louise, who'd wandered off, visiting I guess. She came right away and Rega was by her warm side. I pointed to my soup and then to his cup, said half and then showed her with my finger how full I wanted the cup.

They were back with it in less than a minute and I made them watch me thin it with water before I handed it to the boy. He demolished it at once and I handed the cup back to Louise. It came back suitably thinned this time and before we were done the boy had done away with four more cups. He was sleeping restfully twenty minutes later.

I've always hated it when people woke me up to take medicine, but I wasn't about to loose forward motion on this boy. Lucky for him I stretched out the aspirin's time to match the twelfth hour from the time I gave him the penicillin. His other asscheek got a good scrubbing and then I gave him two ccs this time. I'd always started horses out with a double dose, myself too for that matter, and I didn't see any reason to do differently now. I did at least switch him to three hours per aspirin so that the shot times would coincide from now on.

I lay down on the bare ground near him after his shot and George, who was still with me, started speaking firmly and loudly to someone as soon as I did. Louise, Helen, and Nancy appeared with furs right away, spreading them out for me to lie on. When I did, Louise lay down in front of me and wiggled back against my front. The other two stood around for a minute until the chief spoke to them and then they lay down with one, I don't know which one, snuggling up against my back.

I'd told myself to wake in two and a half hours, and as I expected, I did - almost to the minute. The others woke as I was getting up and they were on their feet helping as I put more wood on the fire. I waited for the right time and then woke the boy, giving him an aspirin and making him drink four more mugs of water. He needed to pee again and so I helped him away from the area, let him bleed his lizard, and then took him back to his pallet.

By the time he needed another shot he looked remarkably better. The swelling was much reduced and the red streaking up his leg was gone. I cleaned the wound with peroxide again and wrapped it lightly in gauze this time. I had to call for Rega for some masking tape; I'd forgotten to bring any. She was not distressed to be helping and I held the gauze in place and indicated where she should do her thing.

I'd actually seen the old geezer who'd given me shit yesterday, he was squatting near a small fire, and someone had brought him some breakfast. He didn't come around me though and I wasn't sorry.

So much had been happening that I'd forgotten bringing the coffee pot and the makings. Right after the boy's shot, I motioned to Louise and then to the pot. She perked up at once and got going on it. She must have watched me closer than I'd thought the last time I made it, because she had no trouble. When it was ready she brought me the potholder.

Sensing this was something I needed to do right, I opened the box of cups and took one to George, bringing the pot with me. I handed him the cup and then put my hand on the pot, jerking it away at once and pantomiming that it hurt. He put his hand close enough to feel the heat, but I could tell that he must have already heard the burned tongue story.

I poured him the first cup and took Rega the next one. Thinking of the future for once, I took a cup to the medicine man next, pantomiming the touch again and letting him hold his hand close to see that it was indeed hot. I can't tell you how his attitude changed when I did that.

I was plainly acknowledging his important position in the tribe and his look almost dripped gratitude. All at once we were just colleagues that had disagreed over a specific diagnosis and treatment regimen.

Sky was up beside Rega by now so I took him a cup and poured. Louise didn't seem to know what to do, so I pointed to the box of cups and waved my hand out over the camp. Nancy, Helen, and Louise then grabbed the box and began dispensing the cups.

George made some type of announcement and before I knew it the whole group was lined up from Sky and I suppose it was in order of rank. I didn't give the hot demonstration anymore, figuring if they hadn't been paying attention already it was their tough luck. I did cut back to only about three quarters of a cup to stretch the coffee so that everyone could have some without having to wait for another pot.

I saved Louise, Nancy, and Helen until I'd served the boy and then poured for us basically at the same time. This whole production went very well and I could tell that Indians, or these at least, were very fond of ceremony.

That night I moved the boy's shot up by two hours and did the same thing the next day until I gave him one at sunset that would hold until the sun was back up. I kept him on the stew but let them quit thinning it and I made sure that he drank all the water we could get down him. By the forth day he was so improved that I quit pestering him about water, but he was in the habit now and he must have felt it helped because he kept drinking a lot.

Personally, I thought he was as good as cured by the forth day, but I wasn't taking any chances and I kept him on the shots for a full week, staying mostly right there with him. George had stopped staying with us every minute after two days but he still spent a lot of time close by.

On the third day Sky and a few others had gone hunting again and Rega went along with her equipment. I noticed when they left that the first sheets of visqueen I'd used had been cleaned and were folded up inside when she folded the tarp. Waste not want not.

They came back into camp right at sunset. They hadn't gotten a bear and I doubt they'd expected to, but it looked like they'd killed two deer. After Rega unwrapped the meat, other women started cutting it up into strips and hanging them on some racks that were erected. Several fires were built so that the smoke drifted over the racks.

On the seventh day, I rested. Not really. I headed home, pronouncing the boy, who I'd now christened Junior in my tongue, healed. There was a nice healthy looking scab over his wound and his fever had been gone for the last two days.

I had Louise fix one more pot of coffee, but after the little ceremony was done, I started gathering things up. George came over and said something to me and of course I had no idea what it was, but I took it as a thank you. I stuck out my hand toward him to shake before I thought, but even though I'm sure it was a first for him he stuck his right back at me and he caught on when I gave it a good firm shake.

Ever alert, Sky was in line next and Rega was there before I finished with him. Medicine man was next and I gave him a good firm grip. Before I was done the rest of the village was lined up in order again. Surprisingly, Junior was in line right after medicine man.

As Louise was closing the lid on the remaining unused cups people started drifting toward her to return the ones they'd been using. I dashed over and sent them back, trying to let them know the cups were theirs to keep. Louise finally caught on and I guess she made it understood, since they smiled and left with them.