N0 Greater Loyalty
Heath awoke to a
pounding headache. It felt as if someone took a sledgehammer to his head. He
placed his left hand on the back of his head and felt something wet and sticky.
He winced at the pain his touch caused. When he pulled his hand away he saw it
was covered in blood. Heath then tried to use his right arm to help him sit up,
but the movement caused pain to explode in his arm. He realized that his right
arm was broken. He lay on the ground fighting the waves of nausea that
threatened to make him lose his lunch. His head spinning and he was afraid he
was going to pass out.
Finally the feeling
of nausea passed and Heath once again tried to sit up. He tried to roll over to
his left side, so that he could use his left arm to help himself up. This
movement caused him pain in his ribcage, but he ignored the pain and managed to
get into a sitting position. Sweat pour from his body as he fought pain and
nausea. Once in a sitting position he looked at his legs. His left leg was
bent in an odd angle. When he tried to move the leg, the movement brought
pain. He realized that his leg was also broken.
His body was shaking
with pain and his head felt as if it would explode. He felt the nausea return
and he threw up. Then he laid back down to keep himself from passing out. He
closed his eyes trying to stop the pounding in his head. He knew he was in
trouble. With a broken arm, a broken leg, possible cracked ribs, and this
splitting headache, Heath realized that there was no way that he was going to be
getting himself out of this mess. He also realized that it would be at least
three days before anyone at the ranch would grow concerned and start looking for
him. Even when they started to look for him it could take them days to find
him. "Oh God! Help me." He cried as he slipped back into darkness.
**********************
"We're about fifteen
short." Nick said as he finished tally up the count of the cows they just
rounded up and brought down from the North pasture.
"I'll go back up
there and see if I can find the strays and while I am up there I will ride the
fence line." Heath offered.
"I could send a
couple of the men with you to help you." Nick said
"That won't be
necessary. I can handle fifteen cattle by myself. If there is any fence repair
needed I should be able to manage that too, unless it is really bad then we may
have to send a crew up to fix it latter." Heath said.
"You wouldn't be
trying to get out of attending Audra's party this Friday night would you." Nick
teased.
" I will go get my
gear and some supplies and head back up now. I should be able to make it to the
line shack before it is too dark. That way I can get started first thing in the
morning. That will give me four days to look for the cows and check the fence
line. As long as I head back before nine Friday morning, I should be able to
make it back in plenty of time to get cleaned up for Audra's party." Heath
said.
"Good because if you
didn't show up for the party Audra would somehow blame me for it. She would say
it was my idea that you go back up to the North pasture." Nick complained.
"Don't worry I will
be there. I will see you Friday." Heath said as he went to gather his stuff
and prepare to leave. "I will see you Friday." Heath had been living at the
ranch now for four months. He loved his new family, but he was looking forward
to the four days of solitude.
"Okay Heath I'll see
you Friday." Nick said as he watched his brother leave. "Get those cows
moving!" He ordered his men.
*********************
The following night
after Heath had went to the North Pasture the rest of the Barkleys sat down to
the evening meal. Audra looked at the empty seat where Heath usually sat.
"I miss Heath."
Audra said. "Nick why did you have to send him to the North Pasture. You could
have sent one of the hands instead.
"It wasn't my idea
that he go. Yesterday when we discovered that we were short fifteen cows he
volunteered to go. I think he was trying to get out of your party, but don't
worry Sis I set him straight. I told him he better be back in plenty of time to
get ready for your party." Nick defended himself.
"So he promised to
be back for the party?" Audra asked.
"I believe I just
said that." Nick replied.
After they had
finished supper, Jarrod went to the study to catch up on some work he brought
home. Audra roped Nick into a game of cards. Victoria sat by the fireplace
reading one of her favorite books.
It was starting to
get late and Victoria decided that she would go to bed. She was just about to
say good night to her children when there was a loud knocking on the door. Nick
got up from where he sat playing cards with Audra and went to see who was at the
door. Audra and Victoria followed Nick to the door. Jarrod had also come out
of the study to see who was at the door. Nick opened the door to find Jack one
of the hands at the door.
"What's wrong."
Nick asked his employee
"Heath's horse just
came back without a rider. We tried to catch her but she won't let us near
her." The hand explained why he was bothering his employer at this time of
night.
Nick pushed past the
hand and headed to the corral. Victoria, Jarrod and Audra were right behind
him. Nick had just reached the bottom step when he spotted Heath's little Modoc
pony standing quietly about three feet from the steps. Nick walked up to the
horse and tried to grab her reins. The mare reared up and struck out at Nick
with her front leg. Nick jumped back to avoid being hit by the flying hooves.
The mare galloped
toward the gate. At the gate she turned and galloped back toward the group of
people on the steps. She came to a dead stop within a foot of Nick. When Nick
tried to grab her reins again the horse pulled away and bolted for the gate.
Once again the horse turned at the gate and headed back to the house.
"That is what she
did when we tried to catch her." Jack told the Barkleys
"I think she wants
us to follow her." Audra said
"Don't be ridiculous
Audra." Nick snorted.
"Audra maybe right
Nick. Heath and that horse are very close. Maybe she is trying get us to help
Heath." Jarrod said
"Fine let's saddle
up and follow that horse." Nick said. He didn't believe for one minute that a
horse was trying to get them to follow it, but he did feel that they should
start looking for Heath.
Nick, Jarrod and
Jack saddled up their horses. Duke, another hand hitched up the buckboard.
Then they headed out to the North Pasture. The little Modoc galloped a few feet
ahead of them. They rode though the night and arrived at the North Pasture just
as the sun was beginning to rise.
"I'll start looking
at the Line shack." Nick stated as he turned Cocoa toward the Line shack. As
soon as Nick turned his horse, the Modoc charged Cocoa and herded him the other
way.
"It looks like she
wants us to go that way." Jarrod said as turned his horse to follow the little
horse.
Heath's horse led
them along the rim of a very steep riverbank. When they had reached a section
of the riverbank that had gave way and slid down the bank the little mare
stopped. Nick and Jarrod dismounted and walked up to where the mare stood.
They looked over the edge of the bank and saw a piece of Heath's blue shirt
blowing in the wind from a willow branch. Both tried to see if they could spot
Heath, but could not.
"The horse is
gone." Jack exclaimed in a shaken voice.
Nick stood up and
looked at the cowhand. "Forget the horse. It looks like Heath has fallen down
the bank. We'll have to go down and try to find him"
"But the horse it
just van." The hand tried to explain, but Nick cut him off.
"I said forget the
horse. You can worry about catching her latter after we find Heath. Now get
some rope from the buckboard and tie it to those trees. Jarrod and I will use
them to help us climb down the bank."
Jack and Duke did as
Nick requested. Using the ropes Nick and Jarrod descended the steep bank both
search for Heath as they went. Nick had just reached the bottom when something
caught his eye. He turned to see what it was. What he saw caused shivers to
run up and down his spine.
"Nick, did you find
him." Jarrod asked as he reached the side of his brother. Nick did not answer,
but kept staring at something. Jarrod looked in the direction Nick was
staring. The blood drained from Jarrod's face and the hair on the back of his
neck stood on end. Both brothers stood frozen from shock of what they saw.
"Have you found
him." Jack yelled down to them. This brought the brothers out of their state
of shock.
"Not yet." Nick
yelled back as he let go of he rope and walked upstream of the river. Jarrod
went downstream. Finally Nick spotted Heath lying on his left side.
"Jarrod! Nick
yelled. "I found him."
"Heath! We are
here." Nick knelt down beside his younger brother and tried to get a response
from him, but Heath was unconscious. Nick checked the blond man over for
injuries
"How is he?" Jarrod
asked as he approached his two brothers.
"Not good Jarrod.
He banged his head really hard, his leg is broken as well as his arm, and I
think he has some cracked or broken ribs." Nick answered. "We will have to
immobilize the leg before we move him."
Together the two
brothers worked on immobilizing Heath's leg and arm. Then with the help of the
ropes they carried Heath to the top. As soon as they reached the top Nick
ordered Jack to ride to Stockton and have the doctor meet them back at the
ranch. Then with the help of Duke they loaded Heath into the buckboard, and
made him as comfortable as possible. As soon as they had Heath settled in the
buckboard they headed home.
*********************
When they finally
reached home the doctor was already there. They carried Heath to his room and
the doctor tended to all the blond Barkley's injuries.
"Has he awoken since
you found him." The doctor asked. He was concerned that Heath was still
unconscious
"He came around a
few times on the ride down, but then he would just pass out again." Jarrod
offered.
"That's good. Just
keep an eye on him. When he wakes up make sure he knows who he is. I have to
go check on another patient now but I will drop back in the morning to check on
Heath." The doctor said and then left.
Audra was sitting
with Heath when he awoke. As soon as he opened his eyes she ran to tell
everyone that he was awake. As soon as Audra told them that Heath was awake,
they all went to Heath's room.
"Well little brother
that is one way to get out of one of Audra's parties." Nick teased as he
entered the room. "What happened?"
"I was riding along
the river bank looking for strays when the ground shook and gave way from under
my horse. We went tumbling down the bank. Did you find Gal? Is she okay?"
Heath asked his voice full of concern.
Both Nick and Jarrod
exchanged strange looks.
"Yeah! We found
her." Nick answered. "But I am afraid she did not survive the fall. She broke
her neck."
"That's impossible
Nick!" Audra exclaimed. "She was here last night." She came to get help."
"We know." Jarrod
said "We can't explain it, but she was killed when she fell.
"It was a miracle.
That is the only explanation for it" Victoria said as tears streamed down her
face. "If that horse had not come to the ranch last night we would not have
known that anything was wrong until Heath did not show up on Friday, by then it
could have been to late."
Everyone in the room
fell into a shocked silence as they all thought of the loyal little Modoc, who
even in death served her master.
*****THE END
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