Chapter 10

McGrew's last action nicked Jesse's humerus bone in his left arm. The bullet from McGrew's reflexive shot entered Jesse's arm midway between the elbow and shoulder. While the blast didn't shatter the bone, the glancing shot did cause quite a bit of damage. I was at Jesse's side in an instant. I quickly tore his shirtsleeve lengthwise up to the bullet hole. He was bleeding profusely right now, so I had Juan's boy run to get me a stick about a foot long. He thought for just a moment and then went tearing off. I applied pressure to the wound, but since it went through both sides of the arm, that was difficult.

Flor came rushing out with a pot of hot water and some clean towels. She knelt and began swabbing the area to clear some of the blood. The boy came running back just then. He held a hatchet handle in his hand. He'd run to the general store and back. I wound one half of the sleeve one way and the other half the other way around his arm. I twisted the two pieces together and tied the handle to it. Then I twisted than handle to make a tourniquet. He stopped bleeding for the moment.

I asked where the doctor's office was. I was told: Waco. The old doctor in Mexia had died during a typhus outbreak last year. No one had taken over his practice. I had to do something. THINK! I got the Marshal and Juan to help take him to the Doctor's office and told Flor to stay with him. I told her to keep the wound as clean as possible and that I'd be back just as soon as I could. I jumped on my horse and wheeled him about. We were off in a flash. We'd gone about a mile when I realized my position. I pulled the horse up. I set the watch and jumped. We started up again and ran the last mile to make it look like the horse had run the ten miles. (I hoped)

I rode in yelling. I pulled my gun and fired a couple of rounds in the air. That brought everyone in the compound out. The Ranger was there. He ran to stop me. I pulled up short, telling him what was going on. He ordered two of his men to bring up a wagon with a mattress in the bed. Then he called Peggy Sue out and told her to be ready to ride as soon as the wagon appeared. He told his foreman, Jim Kirklin, to take the fastest horse on the property and get the Doc from Waco any way he could. Another team was sent towards Waco to meet the Doc halfway. They would have fresh horses for the Doc and Jim.

The wagon was delivered just then. The Ranger easily lifted Peggy Sue up and he leapt to the seat. I jumped in the back as the wagon started to roll. I noticed Jesse's wives being comforted by the remaining Phillips women. We drove off down the road pell mell, I decided there was only one recourse for us. I told Waite to pull up once we were out of sight.

"Why?" he yelled over the clatter of the wagon and the horses' hoof beats.

"I can get us there quicker, if you'll stop."

"How?" he yelled.

"Just stop and you'll see," I replied.

Waite Phillips grudgingly reined the galloping horses in. I then made him make Peggy Sue promise to keep a secret that she would have to take to her grave.

"Anything you want if it means saving our Jesse. Yes, I promise."

"Okay, then the story is I just managed to get about a mile out of town when I met you two coming in. I left my horse, as he was winded, and joined you on the wagon. That's the story, OK?"

They both agreed. I set the watch and jumped. We were a mile out of town. Peggy Sue sat there looking. I know she wanted to ask how I'd done it, but she held to her promise. The horses were soon galloping into town. I told them to go to the doctor's old office. I didn't know where it was, but they did. Waite reined the horses to a halt moments later. He jumped down and helped Peggy Sue. I rolled out the back and was at the door before them. I opened it in time for the Phillips' to enter, with me trailing close behind.

I surveyed the scene, as did the Ranger and Peggy Sue. There were grave looks of concern on the assembled faces. Juan, Flor, and the Marshal were still there. They accepted the story without question. Jesse was pale. He'd lost quite a bit of blood. I noticed the wound had stopped bleeding. I had instructed Flor on releasing and restoring pressure and she had obeyed. The arterial flow to his arm resumed when she released pressure, but there was no appreciable increase in blood flow from the wound. This was good. The damage to the arm didn't include the arteries. I found sterile cotton cloth pads in the rude autoclave on the wood stove. I packed it around both sides of the wound and wrapped it in place with strips found in the doctor's cupboard.

"That's all I can do for him. We must get him home. The doctor will be there when we get back," I said, and only Waite saw me wink.

I carefully fashioned a stretcher with two poles and a blanket. Waite and I carried Jesse to the wagon and placed him on the bedding. A wool blanket was brought from the doctor's office and Peggy Sue tucked the blanket around him. I suggested we raise his feet as a precaution against shock. She agreed. Waite started the wagon out, driving as carefully as he could.

I transferred us to the barn as soon as we were out of sight, also moving through time to thirty minutes later, giving the doctor time to arrive. We used the stretcher to move Jesse again. A couple of the hands ran to help when they saw us. A third ran ahead to Jesse's house to tell them we'd returned.

Betsy, Karen, June, and Audrey streamed out of the house, running to us as we carried their husband. I asked them to help by letting us carry him to the house. We would need a bed when we got there and Audrey streaked off to get that ready. She left the door open and we walked right in. Betsy, Jesse's first wife and queen, directed us to the downstairs bedroom. The bed was huge as I expected. We transferred Jesse to the bed as gently as possible. The bedding had been pulled back, so I suggested to Betsy that it might be a good idea to remove his clothing.

We could do nothing more but wait. Jesse was starting to exhibit a fever. I whispered to Waite. He nodded. I went to the kitchen, which was empty and employed the watch. I reappeared in the kitchen five minutes later. Karen, entering the room, startled me as I was about to go back in.

"Oh," she said, "I'm sorry. I was sent to get some water. I didn't know you were here."

"I just came in. Yes, get water, he'll need it."

She pumped the pump handle until the water flowed and she filled a pitcher. She rushed back to the bedroom, grabbing a glass with her free hand. I lit a fire in the stove and put a big pot of water on to boil. I figured it couldn't hurt. I went into the bedroom with the others once it was heating. He didn't look good. The doc hadn't arrived yet, so there was nothing any of us could do at the moment.

About ten minutes had passed when a youngster came running in. "Paw, rider coming, riding hard!"

"Thanks, Jacob. Go out and show him in here when he arrives," Waite said to his son.

The epitome of a frontier doctor came hurrying into the room.

"OUT!" was his first demand.

Cowed, the women left. The Ranger and I didn't budge, however.

When the doc looked up, he repeated, "OUT, I said everyone out!"

"Nope," replied the Ranger.

"Not on your life, or your mother's life," was my response.

"Well, stay out of the way, and if you're gonna faint, do it over there, out of the way. Now I need plenty of hot water and towels."

I stepped to the door, opened it, and told Peggy Sue to bring the hot water and towels in now. She entered with both a minute later and stood off to the side.

"That's all, Woman, you can go."

"I don't think so, Doc. Get to work, and mind you, he'd best live!" she demanded.

There was a tone in her voice that wasn't to be broached. Doc heard it, Ranger heard it, and I heard it. He nodded and got down to brass tacks. Jesse was out and looked to be running a fever. I couldn't do anything about that. It was up to the Doc to get the lead and bone fragments out. My bet was most of the bullet was already out the other side, but some might have broken off when it hit the bone. There had to be at least one bone splinter, too.

The doctor pulled a small tray from his bag, along with a bottle of brownish liquid. He dumped his surgical instruments in the tray next. He finally poured a layer of the liquid over the instruments. He took a deep swig of the liquid himself as an afterthought.

"I'll take it since the patient doesn't need it," he commented to no one in particular.

Taking up a probe, he immediately began digging into the hole. The blood started flowing again.

"Here, Woman. Make yourself useful. Wipe the blood away, so I can see what I'm doing, and see if you work in close without your tits getting in my way."

Peggy Sue bristled at the man's tone, but she went to work with the clean cloths and the hot water. She kept the operating field as clear of blood as possible.

Using the probe and forceps, the doctor removed two slivers of bone, each about an inch long, three fragments of lead, and a piece of cloth from Jesse's shirt. He dug around for about four minutes, and he began to suture the holes when he came up empty. He packed the wound with some sort of yellowish powder. That immediately stemmed the blood flow. I suspected it contained alum, among other things, then he sutured the wound entry and exit after that.

"That's it," he stated, "That's about all I can do. Don't know how he'll be. He's got that fever. He should be alright if you can get the fever down. Anyway, let him rest. Call for me in a few days if he gets worse. I'll have to take his arm off then. Otherwise, have him come in to the office in a week or so to get them stitches out."

Ranger Phillips thanked the doc and handed him a half Eagle ($5 gold coin) for his help. He showed him to the door.

"Keep my tits out of his way!" Peggy Sue was fuming. "I could tell him a thing or three. Such an ego! He needs to be taken down a peg or two."

Lisa Marie and Karen had come into the room. Lisa responded to her outbreak. "Calm yourself, Dear. We all know Doc Martin is a pompous ass. Just take him with a grain of sand. Let's just tend to Jesse the best we can."

"I need a moment with the Ranger," I told the pair, "Please."

They stepped out of the room and closed the door. I pulled the small brown bottle out of my pocket. I also retrieved a ten cc syringe with a twenty-two-gauge needle.

"What's that?" Waite asked.

"Amoxicillin for the infection. I got it at home from a Princess I know. It goes by body weight. I think he weighs about one fifty, so I'll use five ccs. I was told to administer now and again tomorrow. Is there a cold storage place, like a refrigerator? It has to stay cool"

Waite knowingly nodded, but Peggy Sue's eyebrows furrowed at my words.

"What is mox ... moxcillen?"

"Amoxicillin, it's a drug that will help Jesse with the infection he's fighting. I'm going to inject this medicine into Jesse now, and it will fight off the germs that are in his system. I'll give him another shot tomorrow and again in three days as a booster."

"Where did you get it?" she queried.

"Ahh, well, you know that thing we did with the wagon?"

"Yeessss!" she warily replied. "Well, no. I don't know what you did, but I know we suddenly went from here to Mexia and back. I've never heard of such a thing before."

"Let me explain," Waite said.

He proceeded to tell his wife about my ability. Her eyes went wide with wonder as he put it into words and phrases she'd be comfortable with.

"Time travel?" she looked at me, as she repeated the phrase, "You can really go anywhere and any when?"

"Yes, I can. In fact, I was born over a hundred years from now."

"Oh my goodness!" she responded, taking a seat and fanning herself.

"The thing is," I said, "You need to keep this a secret. I could never come back here again if it were to get out. I would have to take my wives and leave. You know how much they like being here with your families, especially since three of them are your daughters. I need your word."

I got the confirmation that not a word would be said, and I was satisfied. I opened the door and Jesse's four wives, led by Betsy, rushed in to surround his bed. I indicated we should leave with a jerk of my head. Peggy Sue nodded and took her husband's hand, pulling him out the door. I softly closed it.

The next three days were touch and go. Jesse was in and out of a delirium during those days and nights. Audrey, Karen, June, and Betsy took turns being at his side, mopping his brow and keeping cold compresses on his body to help with the fever. I injected additional doses of the drug the next day, and the third day. His fever broke late that afternoon. He slowly opened his eyes. Betsy was there, seated by the bed.

She leaned close and gently kissed her lover. He weakly responded, but he did respond. His hand traced across her ample bosom as they kissed.

"He's alright!" she called out, "Come quick!"

The other three wives rushed into the room. They sent the youngsters out to the other homesteads with the news. I hitched our wagon up and piled my crew into it when I received it. I held the horses down to a slow gallop as we rushed to Jesse's home. A wagonload of the Monroe women had arrived only moments before us, and I could see the dust cloud of the wagon from the Malone ranch. They would arrive shortly. My women spilled out of the wagon and hurried inside, while I led the team to a water trough by one of the corrals. I set the wagon brake and tied the long rein to the top bar of the fence.

I walked back toward the house. The patriarchs of the clans were there. I greeted Bob Malone and David Monroe. I nodded my greeting at the Ranger. The house was spacious, but with all the wives, sisters, and such, we decided to stay out on the large porch. Angeline Monroe brought us some refreshments after awhile, homemade sweet pastries of some kind and several bottles of Mexican beer. They were chilled. They must have come from the well house.

"I keep some there, just in case," Waite smiled, "You never know when we'll have something to celebrate. It just pays to be ready. To Jesse!"

"To Jesse." We returned the salute. None of us were real drinkers, but an occasional beer did us no harm. This certainly fell in the category of celebration. The sweetmeats and other goodies were excellent. I couldn't refrain from returning to the platter for more, and I noticed that neither could the rest of them. It's a wonder that any of them stayed lean. It probably was the work they did.

It was my turn to go talk to Jesse later that evening. Betsy showed me in and closed the door. She returned to her seat beside the bed, taking up his hand again.

"Well, Buddy, it looks like you were FUBAR," I said, smiling.

"FUBAR?"

"'Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition'. A saying I've heard. You know: in deep shit."

"Yeah, I guess so. They tell me I've been out for four days, now. So what was the outcome in town?"

"I don't know. I just had to get you taken care of. I didn't have time for anything else."

"Well, you need to get back into town and find out about McGrew. You also get the two horses, tack, and personal effects off both bodies. The undertaker will have the effects and the stable will have the horses. Go and collect tomorrow. Check with the Marshal about any rewards."

I assured him I would. Betsy signaled that my time was up and I told Jesse I'd be around. I left the room. Clementine came up to me.

"We should go, Husband, there isn't anything we can do here. Jesse will be fine. Let's go to our home."

Her sister Susannah came up to me just as she finished speaking. She took my face in her hands and kissed me.

"There is nothing we can do here. Let's go home, Husband."

Rebecca and Becca both insinuated their bodies next to mine.

"Time to go, Husband," they said in unison.

"We're going now?" demanded Ginny.

Jackie just grinned big time and nodded.

My five Waco wives were a force to be reckoned with! I would be doing the reckoning tonight. I was amazed as I took stock at the differences and similarities of the five. Each one was unique, and yet so much alike. I realized I needed them as much as they needed me. I managed to maintain decorum and thanked my hosts for their indulgence.

The six of them piled into the wagon as I untied the reins and walked the horses around so the wagon was facing out. I handed the reins up to Ginny to hold until I could gain my seat. I flicked the reins and the horses pulled. The wagon lurched forward and we were on our way home. I soon discovered that I had been so preoccupied about Jesse, that I had neglected all the wives. They rectified the situation tonight. I slept soundly after everyone was satisfied.

I headed out towards Mexia again the next morning. It only took an hour again. I headed straight for the Marshal's office. I was in luck. He was in his office. I went inside, and he rose from his desk. He recognized me and extended his hand. I shook it, wondering what was up.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the hero of the day! So glad you managed to get back here," he said.

"To what do I own that honor?" I asked.

"Well, it seems that McGrew busted out of Huntsville some time back, killing a couple of the guards. That old Cayuse, Michael Finnigan, helped him. He was identified by one of the guards just afore he kicked off. I wired Huntsville for the particulars. Seems the state put up a five thousand dollar reward for each of them, dead or alive!"

I was indeed flabbergasted at the news. I just stood there, slack-jawed.

"That's not all. The Johnson brothers want to reward you for saving their shipment. There was nothing we could do for his man, Sam. He took a couple of slugs. He was all alone anyway, his pretty young wife ran off last year. You should go see them. Oh, yes, here is the verification from the state. You can collect at the State Treasurer's branch office in Waco."

I thanked him, and I remembered to ask him about the undertaker and the stable as I was leaving. He gave me directions and I thanked him. According to what he said, I could make a loop to the stable, undertaker, and Johnson Brothers Freight. That's the way I took it. I found Mike Sullivan on duty at the stable. He told me he had the horses, plus Jesse's. I checked them out and decided to keep them both. They looked like they would be good serviceable stock. Their tack was also serviceable. I paid for their board through today and told him I'd be back to get them in about an hour. He promised they would be ready to go then. I shook his hand and left.

The next stop on my list was the undertaker. I entered the man's place of business. A tall, somber fella dressed in black approached me. He asked my business. I told him I was there to collect the effects from the two bandits. He immediately broke into a smile. He amiably retrieved a gunnysack containing the two men's effects. I thanked him and gave him a ten-dollar tip. It actually was the burial fee for the two men. I didn't stop to look through the sack, I just continued on my circuit.