*We've been walking forever. Poor kid. Gunshot wound to
the shoulder. What a tragedy. He doesn't need the pain. Anytime now,
he'll give up. We're still two miles from home. Home.
And he's gonna give up.*
"JD?"
"Yeah, Ezra?" He whispered it. They clung to each other,
Ezra supporting JD in their quest to get back to Four Corners.
"You gonna make it? We've got two miles to go."
"Yeah, I guess--," he swallowed and slumped in the older man's arms.
Ezra sighed and hefted the kid up into his arms, grunting as it put
strain on his bruised back. Stupid horse. They'd been coming
back from Eagle Bend on some frivolous mission the judge had given out
when the outlaws had gotten the drop on them. Literally.
Three men had dropped from the trees on the side of the road onto
the horses. Chaucer had reared, throwing Ezra from the saddle and taking
off like a steam locomotive. JD's mare, however, had been stolen by
the miscreants--after they'd shot the kid to get her.
Ezra hadn't wasted time when they had gone; JD needed medical attention,
and he was in no condition to go running after horse thieves. That had
been an hour ago. JD had lost a lot of blood since then.
And so Ezra carried him, each step causing him to grit his teeth against
the wrenching pain in his back. He worried that he'd broken something;
it didn't matter now though. He was so close to home. Only a few more
minutes...
"Nathan!" Buck hollered, running toward the bedraggled pair at the
north end of the town.
Nathan, Chris, Josiah, and Vin all ran from the saloon, attracting
a few glares as well as sympathetic glances from curious townsfolk. They
watched as Ezra carried JD as though he was a baby toward them.
"What happened?" Buck asked.
"Some bandits stole his horse and mine is God know's where," Ezra
gratefully deposited his load in Nathan's arms as they made their way
to the clinic. "They shot him in the shoulder. It's not bad, but painful."
He took a step and grimaced, his hand flying to his lower back.
Nathan sighed. "What happened to you?"
Ezra grinned, embarrassed. "Horse threw me."
Buck sighed. "Come on, Ez. Let's get you both patched up."
Laying a hand on Ezra's shoulder, they followed the healer and the kid
up the stairs.
The End
