24 Hours from Porterville
- 3 -
It was almost ten o’clock when they reached Porterville, turning the horse eastwards towards Lom’s cabin, situated a couple of miles out of town.
For the last couple of hours the Kid, overcome by fever and exhaustion, had barely been aware of where they were going, and, as they pulled up outside Lom’s cabin, he was slumped down in the saddle, his chin almost on his chest, Heyes himself slumped against his back.
As Lom heard the horse approach, he opened the door and, rifle in hand, stepped out onto the porch.
“Who’s there?” he demanded.
“It’s only us, Lom.” croaked Heyes.
“Heyes?” Lom frowned, barely recognising his voice.
“Yeah… We hit a bit of trouble… Need your help…”
​
“What sort of trouble?” growled Lom, setting the rifle against the wall and approaching the horse.
“Long story...” muttered Heyes, “Tell you later. Kid’s sick… needs the doctor.”
Lom sighed. “Let’s get him inside.”
“I’m… alright….” the Kid muttered weakly, as Heyes slid off the horse, holding onto the saddle briefly as his head swam. Then, collecting himself, he helped Lom pull the Kid off the horse and support him inside the cabin and through to the spare bedroom where they laid him on the bed. No sooner had his head touched the pillow than he passed out.
“Do you know what’s wrong with him?” asked Lom.
Heyes shook his head and then wished he hadn’t as the room began to swim again.
“He had pleurisy three weeks ago, but the symptoms weren’t like this.”
“I’d better go get the doctor.” said Lom, as he covered the Kid with a blanket. Straightening, he turned to look at Heyes, “You look like hell too.” he told him.
​
“If you’d had the week we just had, you’d look like hell.” Heyes made an attempt at a joke, but couldn’t pull it off.
“Sit down.” said Lom, as Heyes swayed dizzily on his feet. He put an arm across his shoulders to steer him towards the table and, when he removed it, saw his hand covered with blood.
“You’re hurt.” said Lom.
Heyes said nothing as Lom moved behind him to look, seeing a hole in the back of his coat, the fabric stained with blood.
“You’re shot.”
“Must have caught one as we tried to outrun the posse...” muttered Heyes.
Lom pushed him down onto a chair and moved to examine him.
“No exit wound, so the bullet must still be in there.”
“I guess…” muttered Heyes. He lifted his hand to his head as the dizziness hit him once again.
“I’ll be alright… Just need... to rest a…” he began, but toppled forward as unconsciousness engulfed him.
Lom caught him before he fell off the chair and carried him into his own bedroom, laying him face down on the bed. Then he set off to fetch the doctor.
​
* * *
​
“What’s the problem, Doc?” Lom asked, as Porterville’s doctor examined the Kid.
“Quite a nasty bronchial infection.” replied the doctor as he removed his stethoscope and straightened up, “Looks like he’s been in some trouble too.” he added, indicating the raw, red marks around his wrists and the scratches and bruises all up his arms from where he’d been tied, “He has a couple of cracked ribs too. Do you know what happened?”
Lom shook his head, “Not yet. They just arrived on my doorstep like this.”
“They?” questioned the doctor, as he wrapped bandages tightly around the Kid’s ribs.
“His friend.” said Lom, “He’s in the other room. He’s been shot.”
The doctor sighed and then turned to reach into his bag.
“This one needs plenty of rest, and give him a dose of this three times a day for a week.” he said, handing Lom a medicine bottle. Then, picking up his bag, said, “Lead the way.”
Lom led the way into the other room. Heyes was still lying where Lom had laid him, still unconscious.
Together, Lom and the doctor removed his coat and shirt and the doctor bent to examine the wound, in his right shoulder, while Lom eyed the same wheals, scratches and bruises all up Heyes’ arms that the Kid had on his, wondering what had happened to them since wiring him to say they were on there way to Porterville.
The doctor probed around inside the wound for the bullet, holding it up several minutes later. He then cleaned and stitched the wound.
“It didn’t do too much damage, although he’s lost quite a lot of blood and he’s not going to be able to use the arm for a couple of weeks.” He took a sling out of his bag, “He’ll be more comfortable if he wears this to support his arm when he’s up out of bed.”
Lom took it, “Thanks, Doc.”
“Both of them are dehydrated and look like they haven’t had a decent meal in days.” The doctor continued.
“I’ll see they get plenty to eat and drink.” said Lom.
The doctor nodded, “Send for me if you need to.” he said, closing up his bag and heading for the door.
“I will, and thanks for coming out this late, Doc.” said Lom as he escorted him outside.
“No problem. Goodnight.”
​
“Goodnight.”
* * *
​
Bright sunlight streaming in through the window woke Kid Curry the next morning. He opened his eyes and then screwed them shut again, against the glare, before opening them more slowly and looking around him in confusion, wondering where he was. After a few minutes, he remembered that they’d been on their way to Lom’s. This must be where he was.
Just then, the door opened, and Lom walked in.
“Hi.” he smiled, crossing to stand by the bed, his arms folded, “How are you feeling this morning?”
The Kid opened his mouth to speak but was overcome by a fit of coughing.
“I’ve felt better.” he croaked, when the spasm passed.
“The Doc says you have a chest infection.” Lom told him, “You’ve got to rest up for a week or so, and I’ve got some lovely medicine for you to take.” he said with a grin.
The Kid grimaced, guessing that whatever the medicine was, it would taste foul.
“Where’s Heyes?” he asked now.
“In my room.” said Lom, "He’s not come round yet.”
“Come round?” the Kid looked confused.
“He was shot.” said Lom, “Passed out cold just after you arrived here. Said something about catching a bullet trying to outrun a posse.”
“Bad?” the Kid looked anxious.
“No, just in the shoulder, but he lost a fair amount of blood. Doc says he won’t be able to use his arm for a couple of weeks, but he’ll be O.K.”
The Kid shook his head, cursing himself for not realizing Heyes had been hurt.
“So, what happened?” Lom’s voice broke into his reverie.
“It’s a long story, Lom, and I don’t know all of it myself.” said the Kid, beginning to cough again.
“I’ll fix you some breakfast and then you can fill me in.” said Lom.
He left the room and returned a short time later with a tray containing a plate of bacon and eggs and a large mug of coffee.
He set the tray on the dresser and turned to help the Kid sit up.
The Kid held onto Lom, too weak and too stiff to lift himself up.
“O.K?” asked Lom, as the Kid groaned at the pain and stiffness in his body.
“Yeah.” The Kid nodded and then wished he hadn’t as the room swayed about him.
Lom placed some extra pillows behind him for support as the Kid lifted a hand to his head, trying to combat the wave of nausea and dizziness that engulfed him.
“Dizzy?” asked Lom.
“A bit...” muttered the Kid.
“It’ll pass in a minute. Here, lie back.” said Lom, pressing him back against the pillows.
The Kid lay back, his eyes closed. After a few moments the dizziness began to subside a little and he opened his eyes once more.
“Hungry?” Lom enquired.
The Kid nodded. Although he felt nauseous, he was starving, not having eaten since their meagre meal at their camp the previous day and nothing in the twenty-four hours prior to that.
Lom placed the tray across his lap and perched on the edge of the bed as the Kid picked up the knife and fork and tentatively sampled the food. As he ate he explained as much as he knew about what had happened, although he didn’t go into too much detail of how Nate had treated them, feeling embarrassed to admit that he and Heyes could have been so totally dominated by someone like him.
“They kept us apart, so I don’t know much of what happened about the robbery.” he told Lom, I’m not sure how Heyes got away from them… I think he told me, but… I didn’t really take in what he said.” he said, a frown creasing his brow as he tried to recall what Heyes had said to him back at the hideout.
“I never heard of this guy Marlow.” said Lom.
“He’s some cousin of Wheat’s.” the Kid replied, going on to explain about him being thrown out of the gang and swearing revenge, “I’m pretty sure he planned to kill us both after the robbery… after he’d had his sport with us first.”
“I’ll have to do some checking up on him.” said Lom, as the Kid pushed aside his now empty plate.
“More coffee?” Lom enquired, as the Kid emptied his mug.
“No thanks. I think I’ll sleep some more, if that’s O.K?”
“Sure.” smiled Lom, “First-- time for your medicine.” Lom held up the bottle the doctor had left.
The Kid grimaced, but allowed Lom to administer two spoonfuls of the medicine to him.
“Ugh! That tastes awful.” he complained, coughing.
Lom merely grinned, “Rest.” he told him, as he picked up the tray and headed for the door.
The Kid settled back against his pillows and in seconds, was fast asleep.
​
* * *
​
Pain, pulsating through his shoulder, aroused Heyes from unconsciousness. He shifted position slightly and the pain intensified, making him cry out.
He lay there, eyes closed, still only semi-conscious, a frown of pain creasing his brow.
Presently, he became aware of a voice calling out, “Heyes? Heyes? Can you hear me? Heyes?”
Gradually, the words registered in his brain and he opened his eyes, only to screw them shut again against the bright sunlight in the room.
Gingerly, he opened them again, blinking against the glare, and squinted up in the direction of the voice, where a blurred image gradually crystalized into Lom’s swarthy features.
“Hello, sleepyhead.” smiled Lom, “I thought you were gonna sleep all day.”
Heyes stared at him bewilderedly as he tried to collect his thoughts.
“What time is it?” he croaked eventually.
Lom grinned. He’d never known anyone so obsessed with time as Heyes. He might have guessed that would be the first thing he would ask.
“It’s gone two o’clock.” he told him.
Heyes’ mouth formed an ‘O’, not sure what the significance of that was.
“You’ve been out of it for over sixteen hours.” Lom continued, “How do you feel?”
“Terrible.” muttered Heyes.
​
“The Doc dug a bullet out of your shoulder.” Lom told him, “You lost a fair amount of blood, as well as suffering from dehydration and exhaustion. You need to rest for a few days while you get your strength back. The Doc says it’ll be a couple of weeks before you’ll be able to use your arm.”
“Kid!” Heyes said suddenly, a panicked look coming to his eyes, “Where is he? Is he alright?”
“Don’t worry.” Lom soothed, “He’s next door, sleeping.”
Heyes relaxed slightly.
“The Doc says he has a nasty chest infection, and needs to rest up for a week or so. He’s got a nasty cough, and he’s a little feverish, but he’ll be fine.”
Heyes nodded, looking apprehensive.
“He told me some of what happened.” Lom said now, “That this guy Marlow kidnapped the two of you and forced you to rob the bank in Rawlins on the threat of the Kid’s life?”
Heyes nodded, “That’s about the size of it.” he said quietly.
“Looks like they roughed you both up a fair bit?”
Heyes nodded again, his gaze on the ceiling.
When he didn’t elaborate further, Lom said, “I'm guessing you didn't do the robbery?" knowing he would have heard about it if the bank had been robbed, "How did you get out of it?”
Heyes sighed, “It was a lucky break… a very lucky break. Marlow kept me tied up right up until we got into town… so I had no opportunity to try and escape. It was only after we got inside the bank and I saw that the safe was in a separate room, off the main banking area, that I had even the slightest hope of getting out of doing it.” He explained to Lom how he’d persuaded Nate and Zeke to wait in the main part of the bank while he worked on the safe, and had then escaped through the other window and sought out the deputy sheriff.
​
“I told the deputy I was a private detective, working with you to try and catch Heyes and Curry.” he told Lom, “I expected him to wire you for confirmation of my identity, and we hoped to get here before you received it so we could explain and have you corroborate the story. But I guess Marlow must have convinced the deputy of who I was and he got up a posse to come after us.”
“I didn’t get a wire…” said Lom, “unless there’s one waiting for me when I get to my office.”
Heyes gazed thoughtfully up at the ceiling.
“Want something to eat?” asked Lom.
Heyes shook his head.
“I’ll fix you something later then.” said Lom, “You get some rest now.”
Heyes gave a vague nod. Even though he’d slept for sixteen hours he still felt shattered and welcomed the idea of sinking back into sleep for a few hours more.
As Lom left the room, Heyes tried to turn over in the bed, gasping as pain coursed through his shoulder. With difficulty, he managed to reposition himself. He didn’t know which bit of him ached the most. Apart from the pain from his shoulder wound, his muscles felt bruised and his bones were stiff and aching after days spend tied up at the hideout, and he was physically exhausted after losing a night’s sleep on the night of the robbery and their frantic flight from pursuit afterwards.
He was roused from sleep at six o’clock by Lom bringing him some food.
He helped Heyes to sit up and placed the tray across his lap, and then cut the food up for him since using his arm was too painful.
“How are you feeling now?” Lom asked as Heyes ate.
“I’m alright.” Heyes replied non-commitally.
Lom eyed him. It was obvious, from the pinched look of fatigue in his face, and the cuts and bruises to his face and body, which mirrored those on the Kid’s, that more had taken place during their capture than either of them had admitted. Lom sensed a deep sense of resentment in Heyes and was curious to know what had happened, but he didn’t ask. They would tell him, when they were ready.
​
Heyes finished eating and Lom took the tray and placed it on the dresser.
As he turned back, Heyes had thrown the bedcovers aside and was swinging his feet to the floor.
“What are you doing?” Lom asked anxiously.
“Going to see the Kid.” said Heyes.
“You need to rest.” Lom warned, as Heyes pushed himself to his feet, using his uninjured arm, only for his legs to give way and he sat back down, heavily, on the bed.
“See, I told you, you need to rest.” scolded Lom, crossing to the bed and, taking a hold of Heyes’ left arm, tried to press him back against the pillows.
“I’m alright.” protested Heyes, fending him off and making a second attempt to stand up.
Lom took his arm to steady him as he staggered, and almost fell.
“Oh, sure, you’re fine!” he said, scathingly. “Look at you. You’re as weak as a kitten.”
Heyes didn’t answer but set off, unsteadily, towards the bedroom door, nursing his injured arm to his chest, while Lom supported his other elbow, chastising him about being pig-headed.
By the time they reached the other bedroom door, Heyes insisted he could manage on his own and waved Lom away as he entered the room.
With a reproachful shake of his head, Lom turned and headed back into the kitchen.
The Kid appeared to be asleep as Heyes entered the room, but opened his eyes as he closed the door, his face breaking into a tired smile when he saw his friend.
“Heyes.” he croaked, breaking into a fit of coughing.
Heyes walked slowly across to the bed and perched on the end of it.
“Hey, Kid.” he said quietly, giving him an affectionate smile, “How are you feeling?”
“I’ve felt better.” admitted the Kid.
Heyes nodded, sympathetically, “The Doc says you gotta take it easy for a week or so.”
The Kid nodded, “I’m sure glad we made it here when we did, ‘cos I couldn’t have ridden much further.”
Heyes nodded his agreement.
​
“You look like hell.” the Kid said now.
“Thanks, Kid. You say the nicest things.” smirked Heyes.
The Kid gave him a withering look.
“Why didn’t you say you were hurt? he questioned, although he already knew the answer. They’d had enough problems as it was, trying to flee pursuit, on one horse, in the dark, with no food, and the Kid sick. Heyes hadn’t wanted to give him any more worries by admitting that he’d been shot.
Heyes lowered his gaze and lifted his shoulders in a shrug.
The Kid shook his head reproachfully, “You should be in bed.” he chastised him, “The Doc said you lost quite a lot of blood. You need to rest.”
“Don’t you start.” retorted Heyes, “I just had that lecture from Lom.”
“Then you should listen.”
“I just wanted to see you were O.K.”
“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
Heyes gave him a sheepish smile as he met the Kid’s gaze, their eyes saying more about their feelings about the past week’s events than either could, or would, put into words.
Presently the Kid said, “Tell me again what happened at the bank. I know you started to tell me when you came to get me from the hideout, but I didn’t take it in.”
Heyes explained again how he’d managed to escape from the bank and persuade the deputy to arrest Nate and Zeke, telling him that he was a private detective working with Lom to try and catch Heyes and Curry.
The Kid grinned, “That’s a really feeble story, Heyes. He must have been a mighty stupid deputy to fall for that one!”
Heyes looked indignant and then gave a rueful nod.
“Yeah, I know, but give me a break here. I was dog tired and I only had a few minutes to come up with a plan.” He shook his head, “I was pretty surprised myself that he believed it.”
“Well, it’s better than I could have come up with at such short notice.” the Kid conceded with a weary smile.
“Nate obviously convinced the deputy of who I really am and he got up a posse.” Heyes said now, “What worries me is that he might turn up here to check out if Jake Sawyer really exists.”
The Kid thought about that for a moment or two.
“I’m sure Lom will be able to convince him that you are who you said you were.” he said presently, “After all, the deputy caught Nate red handed in the bank. Why should his story hold any more water than yours? Especially if a Sheriff backs you up.”
​
Heyes pursed his lips as he contemplated that. Then, as the Kid started coughing again, he pushed the problem from his mind and said, “Listen, you get some rest and I’ll see you later. O.K?”
The Kid nodded tiredly.
“You take it easy too.” he told him, as Heyes got to his feet, grabbing onto the bedpost to steady himself as his legs threatened to give way beneath him.
Heyes gave the Kid a mischievous grin, dismissing his concern, before leaving the room and going back to his own bed, where, minutes later he was fast asleep once again.
* * *
​
Heyes got up and joined Lom at the breakfast table the next morning, claiming he felt much better, although he still looked tired and his shoulder was obviously giving him a lot of pain.
After they’d eaten, Heyes managed to wash and Lom helped him into some fresh clothes and fixed the sling for him to rest his arm in, before setting off for work.
The Kid had attempted to get up too, but was weak and feverish, the room beginning to spin about him when he tried to get up out of the bed, and so Lom had insisted he remain there for another day or so.
Heyes went to chat to him for a while, after Lom’s departure, but left, when he fell asleep, and adjourned to the porch, seating himself in one of two chairs that Lom kept out there, where the warm sun soon had him stretched out and dozing.
He was woken, abruptly, from sleep, by a recognizable ‘click’. He opened his eyes to find himself looking into the barrel of a gun.
“Hello again, Heyes.”
Heyes shifted his gaze from the gun to look into Nate’s leering face, Abe standing a few yards off to his left.
“Well, now I know how you and Curry managed to keep yourselves out of sight all this time. You’ve got the Sheriff in your pocket!”
Heyes made no reply, merely staring coldly at Nate.
“What’s this?” enquired Nate, indicating the sling on Heyes’ arm, “Get hurt, did ya?”
Reaching out a hand, he pulled the sling roughly off his arm and then yanked open his shirt, causing Heyes to wince with pain, grinning when he saw the evidence of the gunshot wound.
“So, I didn’t miss after all?” he chuckled to himself.
Still Heyes said nothing.
“Where’s Curry?” said Nate, “Did he catch one too?”
“The Kid’s fine.” Heyes replied now, in a loud voice, hoping to alert the Kid to Nate and Abe’s presence in order to give him a chance to either hide, or prepare to defend himself.
“So, where is he?” demanded Nate.
“He’s not here.” Heyes said flatly, hoping they wouldn’t search the cabin, “He went into town.”
“Well, you’re here, that’s the main thing,” growled Nate, “an' your pet sheriff aint here to help you out neither.”
With a sudden movement, he reached out and grabbed hold of Heyes’ injured arm and hauled him roughly out of the chair, extracting an involuntary yelp of pain from Heyes at the sudden, sharp movement.
Nate twisted Heyes’ arm up behind his back to prevent him from making an escape and, holding his gun on him, hissed in his ear, “You double crossed me, Heyes, and you’re going to pay for that, with your life.”
Heyes bit his lip as pain coursed through his shoulder, radiating out through his body.
Nate started to drag him towards their horses, which Abe had now fetched from where they’d left them, a short distance from the cabin. He’d twisted Heyes’ arm so far up behind him, any attempt at escape would likely result in a broken arm and so he had no choice but to allow himself to be pulled along.
“Get some rope, to tie him.” Nate ordered Abe.
“Hold it right there!”
Nate turned his head, to see Kid Curry in the doorway of the cabin, his left hand bracing himself against the doorframe, the other pointing his gun in Nate’s direction. He had heard Nate’s and Heyes’ conversation and managed to get himself out of bed to creep out to the door. Nausea and dizziness threatened to overcome him and he had to hold onto the doorframe to keep himself upright, but his gun hand was steady as he aimed it at Nate.
Nate, still twisting Heyes’ arm painfully up behind him, quickly pulled him further round in front of him, using him as a shield, and, lifting his gun, placed the barrel against Heyes’ temple.
​
“Drop it, Curry.” he ordered.
The Kid stared down the barrel of his gun, trying to find an angle to shoot Nate without hitting Heyes, but Heyes’ body was completely shielding him.
“Drop it.” Nate repeated, “Now. Or I’ll kill him.”
The Kid’s gaze locked with Heyes’, a silent conversation passing between them.
“Don’t listen to him, Kid. He’s gonna kill us anyway. Finish it, now. Save yourself.”
“I can’t do it, Heyes. I know what you’re thinking, but I can’t do it.”
Nate’s finger tightened on the trigger.
Slowly, the Kid lowered his gun and let it fall to the floor, his eyes sending a silent apology to Heyes for conceding.
Heyes wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. He didn’t want to die but, faced with the prospect of a torturous death at Nate’s hands, a quick end with a bullet from the Kid’s gun was infinitely preferable, and would have given the Kid an opportunity to save himself.
​
Abe stepped up and, grabbing the kids arm, pulled him forcefully out of the cabin.
Without the doorframe to hold onto, the Kid stumbled to his knees, coughing heavily. Abe raised his gun and hit the Kid in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
As he lay sprawled on the porch, Abe moved to get some rope from their horses while Nate still held onto Heyes, his gun still pressed against his temple.
“I know both of you would rather die than see the other hurt.” he hissed into Heyes’ ear, “So I’m wondering which one of you it’s gonna be the most fun to kill first, to see the other’s reaction.” He sniggered, “What do you say, Heyes? Would you rather watch him die first, or would you rather die first and leave him to his fate?”
Heyes said nothing, all of his concentration going on staying conscious as Nate forced his arm even further up his back, sending red hot pokers of pain shooting through his body.
Just as Abe returned with the rope, a voice called out, “Freeze!”
Abe and Nate looked round to see the Sheriff, who had now stepped out from around the side of the cabin, thirty feet away, his gun trained on Nate.
“Drop your gun.” Lom shouted to Nate.
“I don’t think so.” replied Nate, twisting round so that Heyes was between the two of them, pressing the gun more firmly against his temple and tightening his finger on the trigger.
“You can’t keep him in front of you forever.” Lom called, "Give up now, while you still can.”
Nate started to back away, pulling Heyes with him, hoping to reach the cover of the trees some distance from the cabin.
Seeing that the Sheriff’s attention was focused on Nate and Heyes, Abe took the opportunity to go for his gun, hoping to get a shot off at the Sheriff before he had time to re-aim.
​
Out of the corner of his eye, Lom saw the movement and fired at him, a split second before he pulled the trigger, dropping into a roll as he did so.
Lom’s bullet tore into Abe’s forearm at the instant he pulled the trigger, knocking him to the floor with a yelp of agony. His bullet, knocked off trajectory by the sudden jerk, hit Heyes in the upper part of his already injured right arm, extracting a cry of shocked surprise from him.
The shock, and the additional pain, caused Heyes’ legs to buckle beneath him and he sank to the ground in a crumpled heap, his shoulder being wrenched even further as Nate tried to keep a hold of him, to protect his own body, but was unable to hold his weight with just one hand, his other still holding his gun.
Realizing he now had no protection, Nate reached down, intending to place his gun to the back of Heyes’ head in the hope of dissuading the Sheriff from risking shooting him, but before he could do so, Lom’s bullet slammed into his chest.
A look of surprise came to Nate’s face, before he toppled backwards onto the ground and lay still, Lom’s bullet having hit him right in the heart.
Lom jumped up and ran across, his gun still trained on Nate. He kicked at his body a couple of times, and, when he received no response, bent to check for a pulse.
​
Out of the corner of his eye Lom saw Abe crawling towards the Kid’s gun, on the porch where he’d dropped it, his own having been thrown some distance away by the impact of the bullet hitting his arm.
Lom sprinted across to the porch and kicked the gun out of reach before handcuffing Abe’s hands behind his back, ignoring his howled protests about his injured arm.
​
Propelling him inside the cabin, Lom pushed him down onto a chair and proceeded to tie his feet before going back outside and crouching down by the Kid, who was still unconscious on the porch.
On finding no visible injury, he left him where he lay and hurried across to Heyes, who was slumped on the ground, semi-conscious, groaning with pain.
“Heyes?” Lom called, kneeling down at his side, “Heyes, can you hear me?”
He hauled him up into a sitting position, surveying the wound in his arm, while Heyes leaned limply against him, his eyes closed.
“Talk to me, Heyes.” Lom coaxed as he examined the wound. It looked like the bullet had entered the side of his arm, been deflected by the bone, and was now lodged in the back of his arm.
“Come on, Heyes, talk to me.” said Lom, slapping his face as Heyes teetered on the edge of consciousness.
“K-kid…” Heyes muttered presently, his voice barely audible.
​
“He’s O.K.” Lom told him, “Come on, let’s get you inside, then I’ll go fetch the doctor.” He stood up and then, hauling Heyes to his feet, pulled his uninjured arm around his shoulders and, throwing his own arm around Heyes’ waist, half-walked-half-carried him back inside to the bedroom, and back into bed, where he wrapped a temporary bandage around his arm to stem the bleeding.
​
He then went back outside to help the Kid, who was just regaining consciousness, get to his feet and helped him back to the bedroom.
“Heyes…?” the Kid questioned.
“He took a bullet in the arm,” Lom told him, “but he’ll be O.K. What about you? Are you alright?”
The Kid nodded and then wished he hadn’t.
“I got hit in the head, that’s all.” he said, as Lom helped him into bed, laying back against the pillows and closing his eyes.
“I’ll go fetch the Doctor.” Lom told him.
“What about Nate?” the Kid muttered weakly.
“Was he the one who had a hold of Heyes?”
The Kid nodded.
“Dead.” said Lom, “I gave him a chance to give himself up.” He shrugged, “He chose not to take it. The other one’s out in the kitchen, shot in the arm. I’ll take him down to the jail when I fetch the doctor.”
The Kid nodded, closing his eyes against the pounding in his head, and gratefully sinking into sleep.
Lom went back outside and secured Nate’s body over his horse. He then went to retrieve his own horse from where he’d left it before going back inside to untie Abe’s feet and then taking him outside and boosting him up into the saddle of his horse. He then mounted his own horse and, leading the other two, set off towards town.
When he arrived, he locked Abe in a cell and then took Nate’s body over to the undertaker’s before going to find the doctor and taking him to treat Abe’s injured arm. They then rode back out to Lom’s cabin for him to treat Heyes.
* * *
Lom’s face creased into a surprised smile, the next morning, as the Kid walked into the kitchen just as he was preparing breakfast.
“What are you doing up?” he enquired, as the Kid moved to sit down at the table.
“I don’t feel quite so bad today.” the Kid told him. He still felt weak and his chest was still heavy, and his head was aching from where Abe had hit him the previous day, but the nausea and dizziness were beginning to subside and he felt more able to get up and walk around, although after only a few minutes on his feet he needed to sit down and rest.
Lom placed a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him and then sat down opposite him with his own.
“How’s Heyes?” the Kid asked, picking up his knife and fork.
“He was asleep when I checked earlier.” replied Lom, “I think he had a pretty disturbed night.” he added. Lom had woken a couple of times in the night to hear Heyes groaning as he’d shifted in bed, sending shafts of pain coursing through his body.
“I guess.” nodded the Kid.
“I’m going to question that guy Abe this morning.” Lom told him, “Then I’m going to wire the Sheriff at Rawlins that I’m coming over to question the other guy, see if we can get it all pieced together.”
They finished eating and then Lom headed off to his office while the Kid went to see Heyes.
Quietly, he entered the room and crossed to the bed. Heyes appeared to be asleep.
​
The Kid moved to sit in a chair by the side of the bed, studying him apprehensively. He looked pale, and his breathing seemed shallow and rapid. The Kid reached out and placed the back of his hand against his forehead, checking for a temperature. It felt warm. At his touch, Heyes opened his eyes.
“Kid…” he muttered sleepily, giving him a weak smile.
“How do you feel?” asked the Kid, returning his smile.
“Like I was kicked by a mule.” said Heyes, “How about you?”
“I feel a little better today.” the Kid replied.
They eyed each other for several moments. Eventually, Heyes said, “Why didn’t you take the opportunity to get away, Kid? There was no sense in the both of us having to get killed.”
The Kid lowered his gaze, “I couldn’t.” he muttered.
“Without me, he’d have had nothing left to bargain with.” Heyes told him, “You could have killed them, or taken them prisoner, and got away.”
The Kid shrugged, “Maybe, maybe not.” he said, “If I’d shot you, I could maybe have shot one of them, after, before they shot me, but not both. They’d have probably wounded me and taken me prisoner and I’d have been no better off… except that I’d have been alone.” He gave Heyes a meaningful look, “We were going to die together, or not at all.” he told him.
Heyes stared at him for a long moment before giving him an impish smile, breaking the solemn mood.
“Good for us Lom arrived when he did then, huh?” he quipped.
The Kid nodded, “In the nick of time.” he grinned.
They fell silent once more as they reflected on the previous day’s events, both realizing how crucial the timing of Lom’s arrival had been and contemplating what would have happened to them if he hadn’t.
“Want something to eat?” the Kid enquired presently.
Heyes shook his head, “I’m not hungry.”
“Try and sleep then.” the Kid told him, “I’ll come back and see you later.”
Heyes gave a weary nod, closing his eyes.
* * *
Lom arrived back shortly after lunch. As he entered the cabin, the Kid was just coming out of the bedroom.
“Heyes is sick.” he told him, “He’s running a fever.”
Lom wasn’t entirely surprised. Heyes had looked to be running a bit of a temperature the previous day, and Lom had been worried about the possibility of infection from the wound in his shoulder. Now, with a second gunshot wound in two days, infection was a high probability. The question was, would Heyes, weak from loss of blood and the effects of dehydration and exhaustion, have the strength to survive it.
A look into the Kid’s eyes told Lom that he too was having the same fears. Taking off his hat and hanging it on a peg by the door, Lom crossed to the bedroom, with the Kid close behind.
Heyes was restless, shifting in the bed, beads of perspiration standing out on his upper lip and forehead.
“Heyes?” Lom called.
Heyes opened his eyes and gazed up at Lom. His eyes were glassy and as Lom put a hand to his cheek it was burning hot.
“Lom….” Heyes muttered.
“Looks like you’ve got a bit of a fever.” Lom told him.
Heyes gave a vague nod, not really listening, closing his eyes and turning his head away.
“It’s so hot…” he muttered, pushing the bedcovers off him.
“Try and relax.” Lom patted his shoulder and nodded to the Kid to follow him out of the room.
“We have to try and keep the fever down,” Lom told him, once they were back in the kitchen, “and pray he’s strong enough to pull through it.” He met the Kid’s anxious gaze, “That’s all we can do. The rest is up to him.”
The Kid nodded, his expression anguished. He, like Lom, knew that, in his weakened condition, an infection of this nature could kill him.
Lom patted his shoulder reassuringly, “Come on, let’s get some water and cloths.” he told him.
They carried bowls of water into the bedroom and placed them on the dresser along with several cloths.
Lom wrung out a cloth and began to wipe Heyes’ face and neck, while the Kid, feeling weak, moved to sit down, on a chair by the window, before he fell down, watching worriedly as Heyes at first tried to fend Lom off, but acquiesced once he felt the cooling water on his skin.
“The summers here are just too damned hot…” he muttered, as Lom wrung the cloth out again and wiped his arms and neck.
“This’ll cool you down.” Lom told him, exchanging anxious glances with the Kid.
“Thirsty…” croaked Heyes.
The Kid got up and fetched a canteen of water, thinking that it would be easier for Heyes to drink from than a cup. He perched on the other side of the bed to Lom and, putting his arm under Heyes’ shoulders, raised him up enough to drink from it and placed it to his lips.
“Here, drink.” he told him.
Heyes opened his eyes and looked up at him.
“Thanks, Kid.” He gave him a weak smile before beginning to drink.
“Better?” asked the Kid, when he’d drunk his fill.
Heyes nodded, laying his head back down on the pillow and closing his eyes, while the Kid eyed him anxiously.
“You should rest.” Lom told the Kid, seeing that he was looking tired, but the Kid shook his head.
“I’m alright here.” he told him.
Lom’s lips compressed, but he knew there was no point in trying to persuade him back to bed while Heyes was sick.
During the afternoon, they took turns to bathe Heyes’ face, arms and torso with cool water, in an effort to keep his fever down, but as the evening wore on his condition worsened, his mind thrown into delirium as the fever grew stronger, sweat pouring from his body despite their attempts to cool him.
“Come on, Heyes, drink some of this.” the Kid tried to give him some water, but Heyes turned his head away.
“I don’t like porridge…” he muttered, pushing the Kid’s hand away as he tried again to get him to drink the water.
“It’s O.K. It’s only water.” said the Kid, “Come on, drink it.”
“There’s no need for this…” Heyes said angrily, turning away as the Kid tried again to put the canteen to his lips, “...leave him in the cabin.”
“Heyes, you need water.” the Kid tried again, but Heyes was oblivious to him.
“Save yourself, Kid…” Heyes cried out, making the Kid jump, trying to twist out of his arms as the Kid, perched on the edge of the bed beside him, held him propped against his shoulder while Lom bathed his sweat soaked face, “He’s gonna kill us anyway… finish it… now…”
“Ssh, it’s O.K.” soothed the Kid, putting down the canteen and laying Heyes back against the pillows before lifting his eyes to lock with Lom’s. It was past midnight and they had been battling to get Heyes’ fever under control for ten hours.
Lom shook his head, “He’s burning up.” he said worriedly. Even sponging him with cool water wasn’t helping and Lom was worried that he wasn’t going to make it through the night.
The Kid shifted his eyes from Lom’s to look down at Heyes, who was thrashing about and muttering incoherently, an expression of anguish on his face at the thought of losing his friend.
“Should we fetch the doctor?” he asked.
Lom shook his head, “He can’t do any more for him than this.” he told him, “All we can do it try and keep him cool, and hope.”
The Kid shook his head, distraught.
Lom reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. At his touch the Kid lifted his eyes back to his.
Lom gave him a reassuring smile, to indicate that they wouldn’t give up as long as Heyes was hanging in there, even though the odds were against him, and said, “I’ll go get some more water.”
The Kid nodded, moving back to sit on a chair next to the bed, as Lom picked up the bowl and left the room looking at Heyes anxiously.
In his mind the Kid had always convinced himself that, as the gunman, he would be the one who would most likely get killed first of the two of them, in some gunfight somewhere. The idea that Heyes might die before him just wasn’t something he’d ever seriously considered, and as he thought about the possibility now, his stomach churned and his chest contracted.
Just then, Lom came back with another bowl of water.
“You should get some rest.” he said, as he laid the bowl on the dresser.
The Kid shook his head, “I’m alright.”
Lom eyed him reproachfully. He looked pale and tired, and he’d been coughing a lot more this last few hours.
“No you’re not. You need to get some sleep.”
“I’ll sleep… later…” said the Kid.
Lom eyed him, wondering what ‘later’ would bring. Later, Heyes would either be sleeping, if he survived the fever, or… he shuddered at the alternative. He turned his gaze to Heyes, tossing and turning in the bed, his face and body glistening with sweat, his hair damp and clinging to his face, muttering unintelligible phrases interspersed with periodic moans of pain, or anguish, maybe both. The fever had a strong hold of him now, and Lom was beginning to doubt that he had the strength to pull through it, but all he said to the Kid was, “Well if you won’t go to bed, sit in that armchair over by the window and try and get some shut eye, and I’ll wake you if there’s any need.”
The Kid shook his head, “I’m alright here.” he insisted.
Lom shook his head despairingly and turned to wring out a cloth to wipe Heyes’ face and neck with.
Eventually, exhaustion got the better of the Kid and he fell asleep where he sat, his head dropping down onto his arm which was resting on the bed.
Lom continued to work to cool Heyes’ fevered body, sponging him with cool water. He tried to get him to drink some water, but he was too delirious.
The Kid was woken, abruptly, when Heyes threw his arm out, in a fevered dream, and banged into his shoulder.
“Wha…” He sat up, looking confused. Then, remembering where he was, turned to look anxiously at Heyes.
“How is he?” he asked Lom.
Lom pursed his lips, his expression grim, “I don’t know, Kid. It’s not looking good.”
“What time is it?”
“Four a.m.” replied Lom. He turned to pick up the bowl saying, “I’ll get some more water.” before leaving the room.
The Kid turned to look at Heyes, tossing and turning in the bed. Leaning forward he took Heyes’ hand in his two.
“Remember what I said, Heyes. We’re going to die together, or not at all.” he told him firmly, “You can get through this.” He squeezed his hand. “You have to get through this.” he added, his voice cracking.
Lom returned a few moments later with a fresh bowl of water, which he placed on the dresser and then wrung out a cloth in it before turning to wipe Heyes’ face and torso, while the Kid sat by the bed, holding tightly onto Heyes’ hand, trying to will his own strength into his body.
“You should get some sleep, Lom.” the Kid told him, “You’ve been up all night.”
Lom gave him a withering look, “So should you.” he told him.
“I slept for a couple of hours.” the Kid reminded him.
“You needed it.” said Lom. Then, giving him a brief smile, “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”
The night wore on. Lom and the Kid spoke little, keeping their own council.
Just before dawn, Heyes’ fever reached it’s peak and both Lom and the Kid could sense him teetering on the brink between life and death.
Lom sat, quietly, waiting, knowing there was nothing more he could do for him, praying for him to survive while, realistically, thinking it was unlikely.
The Kid who hadn’t let go of Heyes’ hand, squeezed it harder and leaned down closer to him. Heyes was still, barely breathing.
“Remember, Heyes… We die together, or not at all.” he said, in a whispered voice, into his ear, “I aint ready to die yet, so you can’t either. Do you hear me, Heyes? Together, or not at all. Come on, you can beat this. Fight, Heyes. Fight.”
The Kid sat, gripping his hand tightly, watching his shallow breaths, dreading that each one might be the last, his own breathing subconsciously in rhythm as he almost held his breath, praying for him to live.
Then, just as first of the suns rays lit above the horizon, the fever broke, and Heyes fell into a peaceful sleep.
The Kid looked up to Lom, for confirmation that he really was out of danger.
Lom checked his temperature and shook his head in genuine amazement.
“I have to admit, I didn’t think he’d make it.” he told the Kid.
The Kid let go of Heyes’ hand and slumped back in the chair, raking his hands up through his hair. “Me neither.” he admitted hoarsely, his eyes bright with unshed tears as relief washed over him, “Are you sure he’s gonna be OK?”
Lom nodded, “He’ll sleep a while now.” he told him. “And so should you.”
“But…” the Kid began, but Lom cut him off.
“Go to bed!” he ordered, “I’ll sleep in here, just to keep an eye on him.”
The Kid sighed. Now that the tension had left his body, he was incredibly tired. He nodded wearily, and, getting to his feet, left the room. Lom settled himself down in the armchair near the window and, in seconds, was fast asleep.
The Kid returned to his own bed and climbed wearily between the sheets. Despite his fatigue, he lay awake for some time, staring into the darkness, trying to imagine a life alone, without Heyes at his side. The thought caused tears to spring to his eyes, tears of anguish mixed with relief that Heyes had survived. It had been touch and go there for a while. He’d never had much in the way of religious faith, any that had been instilled into him as a child having been shattered after their parents’ brutal murders, but, now, he sent a heartfelt prayer of thanks to God for Heyes’ survival before, exhausted, sleep finally claimed him.
* * *
​
“Heyes, Lom’s here.” The Kid, sitting on Lom’s porch with Heyes, who was asleep in Lom’s rocking chair, leaned over and shook him awake.
“Hmm?” Heyes stirred and stretched, glancing sleepily across the Kid.
“Lom’s back.” said the Kid, nodding in the direction of the approaching figure on horseback.
Heyes shifted his gaze to look
It had been eight days since Heyes’ battle with the fever. He’d spent the next couple of days in bed, sleeping for long periods while his body regained its strength, but for the past few days had gotten up for longer and longer periods. The Kid too was much recovered from his chest infection, although his cough still persisted.
The day after Heyes’ fever broke, Lom had gone to question Abe about the robbery, and then, the next day, had taken a trip over to Rawlins to question Zeke to see how much of their stories agreed. What he had learned from them had prompted him to arrange for Abe to take him, and the Sheriff of Rawlins, up to the hideout to investigate further. That had been two days ago.
Lom pulled up to the cabin now, and dismounted from his horse.
“Howdy, Lom. How did it go?” asked the Kid.
Lom pushed his hat back on his head as he stepped up onto the porch.
“I’ll make some coffee, then I’ll tell you all about it.” he replied.
“I’ve just made some coffee. Sit down and I’ll get you some.” said the Kid, getting to his feet and moving aside to let Lom take his seat.
“Thanks.” Lom smiled, moving to sit down and taking off his hat, which he placed on the floor at the side of the chair.
The Kid disappeared inside the cabin and Lom turned to Heyes.
“How are you feeling now?” he enquired.
“Much better.” replied Heyes, “My arm’s pretty stiff though. It’s gonna be a few weeks before it’ll be back to normal.”
Lom nodded thoughtfully.
A moment later, the Kid returned with the coffee pot and a cup for Lom. He poured the coffee and handed him the cup.
“Thanks.” said Lom.
“You want a refill?” the Kid turned to Heyes, who shook his head.
The Kid shrugged and turned to refill his own cup and then moved to lean against the railing around the porch.
“So, what did you find out?” he asked Lom.
“Well, Abe’s and Zeke’s stories pretty much agreed on what happened up to when they were arrested.” said Lom, “Both of them put the blame on Marlow for the whole escapade, saying they only went along with him because they were afraid for their lives if they didn’t.”
“Well, they would, wouldn’t they?” the Kid replied cynically.
“It was mostly Marlow.” Heyes pointed out quietly.
“Maybe.” said the Kid, “But I didn’t hear either of them objecting to what he told them to do.” he added angrily.
Heyes turned to Lom, “Did you find out what happened afterwards?”
Lom nodded.
“Abe said that Marlow told the deputy he’d met you through a friend, that you’d spoken about doing the robbery and his head had been turned by the thought of getting his hands on the money from the safe. He told the deputy that he’d never done anything illegal before.”
“Yeah, right!” the Kid grunted cynically.
Lom turned to Heyes, “Abe said Marlow managed to persuade the deputy to let them take him to their hideout, saying that you had gone there to pick up the Kid and that, if he hurried, he could catch you both and claim the reward money on you. He told the deputy that you’d stayed behind at the hideout because you thought the robbery was too dangerous and had refused to be a part of it.” Lom looked at the Kid now, who shook his head disgustedly.
“The deputy said that one of them had to stay at the jail as security, and they elected to leave Zeke.” Lom continued, “Zeke’s story pretty much agreed with Abe’s up to that point. Abe then said the deputy handcuffed him and Marlow together and made them share a horse on the ride up there, to lessen the risk of them trying to escape I guess.”
Heyes nodded, “Sensible guy.”
“Abe said, when they arrived, there was no sign of you two.” said Lom, eyeing them both intently, “The deputy had let them get down off the horse while he looked around the place and, while his back was momentarily turned, Marlow managed to snatch his gun out of his holster, with his free hand, and shot him at point blank range.” Lom sighed, “We found the deputy’s body. Shot in the heart. Would have died pretty much straight away.”
The Kid’s lips compressed in anger. Heyes’ face was set, his expression unreadable, but Lom could sense he was as angry as the Kid at what he was hearing.
“Abe said he asked Marlow if he was going to bury the deputy’s body, but Marlow refused, saying there wasn’t time, that the longer they hung around, the further ahead of them you two were getting and that he wanted to catch up with you as soon as possible because you” he looked at Heyes, “were going to pay for double crossing him.”
He paused to take a sip of his coffee, studying Heyes and the Kid over the rim of his cup.
“They set off on your trail, and caught you up later in the day.” he continued presently, “They shot at you, but you managed to lose them in the woodland. They searched around trying to pick up your trail, but gave up when it got dark. They made camp and then rode down to Porterville the next day.” Lom turned to Heyes, “Marlow had overhead part of your conversation with the deputy and heard what you’d said about working under cover for me and so they went to my office and pretended to be old friends of mine, to try and find out where I lived, guessing that if you weren’t already here, sooner or later, you’d turn up. Then they rode out to my place, left their horses out of sight and sneaked up to the cabin to see who was there, and were surprised to find you asleep on the porch. The rest, as they say, is history.” He eyed them both as they contemplated what he’d told them.
“We brought the deputy’s body back to town for a burial.” Lom continued presently, “It was pretty chewed up by the forest critters.” he added with a grim look on his face.
“Bastard.” the Kid hissed vehemently.
Lom looked at Heyes now, “Abe told me what Marlow had them do to you.” he said quietly.
Heyes didn’t reply, averting his gaze, looking uncomfortable.
Lom turned to the Kid. “It must have been terrible, being left tied up in that hut when they all went into town to do the robbery.”
The Kid nodded, his gaze flicking across to Heyes and back again, “It was, but it was no worse for me than for Heyes.” he said quietly.
Lom looked at Heyes, “I can see that you had no choice but do go along with their plan.” he told him.
Heyes lifted his eyes to his. “Yeah, but if I hadn’t been able to get away from them, and had pulled off the robbery, where would we have been then?” he said bitterly, “The authorities would have known I had blown the safe, and our chance for amnesty would have been out of the window, and if someone had gotten killed we’d have been wanted for murder and been hung when we were caught.”
“It’s lucky that you managed to get away from them then.” smiled Lom, but Heyes’ expression remained hard.
“Would you have believed us then, Lom?” he questioned.
“Huh?” Lom looked puzzled.
“If I’d pulled off the job, and maybe they’d gotten killed and there was no way to prove what happened, would you have believed that we didn’t do it willingly?”
“Well… I….” Lom stammered.
“No. You wouldn’t.” growled Heyes.
“I…” Lom began, but Heyes spoke over him.
“It’s a good job you killed him, Lom, because if you hadn’t, I swear I would have.” he said angrily, “He might have been Wheat’s cousin, but he was one of the most evil men I’ve ever come across.” He looked across at the Kid now, “I should have let you kill him that day on the train.” he said viciously.
The Kid said nothing, but just stood and let Heyes vent his feelings.
“If I’d pulled that robbery off, he planned to take me back to their hideout, torture us and kill us.” he told Lom now, “That being the case, if you’d never heard from us again, would you have just believed we’d decided to quit trying for the amnesty, pull one more job and then disappear to Mexico or somewhere with the proceeds?”
When Lom didn’t reply Heyes said, “If it hadn’t been for that lucky break of the safe being in a separate room, that’s just what would have happened, and we’d have gone to our graves being blamed for a robbery we didn’t commit, and even you would have believed it...”
“Heyes...” the Kid spoke now.
When Heyes turned to look at him, the Kid shook his head and said quietly, “This isn’t Lom’s fault.”
Heyes passed a hand across his eyes and let his breath out in a deep sigh.
“Yeah… you’re right.” He shook his head, “I’m sorry, Lom… it just makes me so angry… how close he came to ruining everything for us…” He sighed, “I didn’t mean to take it out on you…”
“It’s O.K.” Lom glanced at the Kid and then back to Heyes. It was obvious that both of them had been shaken by what had happened with Marlow and he couldn’t really blame Heyes for his outburst. In all honesty, if they had pulled off the robbery and then just vanished, he may well have thought that they had decided to pull one more job and disappear, although he would have liked to think that, after how hard they’d worked to stay on the straight and narrow this past year or so, he would have realized that something drastic had happened to force them into it, rather than condemn them out of turn.
“If it means anything, Heyes, I’d like to think that I would’ve realized that, if you had done the robbery, it was because you had no choice.”
Heyes stared at him for a long moment before giving him a small nod of acknowledgement.
“What’ll happen to Abe and Zeke?” the Kid asked now.
Lom sighed, “Don’t know. The gun that Marlow was carrying was identified as belonging to the deputy, so I guess that’ll more or less go to prove that he was the one who killed him, so I guess they’ll be cleared of murder, but they’ll go to jail, although how long for will be up to the judge to decide.”
The Kid nodded, looking thoughtful.
“And us?” Heyes’ raised a questioning eyebrow.
“I backed up your story that you were a private detective working with me to try and catch Heyes and Curry.” said Lom, “The Sheriff is putting the blame for the attempted robbery solely on Marlow and his sidekicks. He believes they were just trying to claim you were behind the robbery to get themselves off a bit more lightly.” he added with a wry smile, “You’re both in the clear.”
Heyes gave a disgusted snort, shaking his head to himself, thinking it was more by luck than judgement that they’d managed to avoid ending up in jail, or dead.
The three of them fell silent for several minutes as they contemplated everything that had happened.
“So,” Lom said presently, “what are you going to do next?”
“Not sure.” replied the Kid, “Move on I guess, try to find some work, try to keep out of trouble." He glanced across at Heyes, for confirmation, who lifted his shoulders in a vague shrug.
Lom eyed Heyes thoughtfully. Ever since they’d arrived here, after fleeing from their pursuers, Lom had sensed a deep sense of resentment in Heyes and, after learning all the facts, he could understand now why Heyes was so bitter about what had happened. Aside from what he’d just said, about what would have happened if he had successfully pulled off the robbery, Lom realized that a lot of Heyes’ resentment came from a feeling of humiliation at being captured, and completely dominated, by someone like Marlow, humiliation at someone managing to get the better of him. But, hopefully, in time, he would be able to cast those feelings aside and just be glad that, what might have happened didn’t.
“I’ll fix some supper.” Lom said presently, getting to his feet.
“Lom?” the Kid called, as he reached the door.
Lom turned to look at him.
“Yeah?”
“Why did you send for us to begin with anyway?”
Lom sighed and moved back to the chair he’d just vacated.
​
“I got a wire from the Governor. He was passing this way on business and he wanted me to arrange a behind-closed-doors meeting with you two, to discuss a date for your amnesty.”
“And…?” said Heyes darkly.
Lom shrugged, “Because you didn’t get here, he cancelled.”
The Kid rolled his eyes and turned away to pace the porch, raking his hands up through his hair, cursing their misfortune in running into Nate on their journey to Porterville, while Heyes gave a deep sigh, shaking his head in disgust.
“Don’t worry.” Lom gave them a reassuring smile, “I wired him to explain everything that’s happened and he’s promised to have the meeting on his next trip.” He paused for a beat before adding, “The only thing is, he won’t be coming back here again for six months.”
“Six months?” the Kid’s voice rose several decibels, “But it’s already been more than a year.”
“I know, Kid, but the Governor’s a busy man.” said Lom, “But he did promise me that provided you haven’t been in any more trouble by then he will definitely grant you the amnesty.”
The Kid turned to look at Heyes with a ‘what shall we do?’ expression.
Lom was surprised when Heyes broke into a smile, his earlier angry mood suddenly dissipated.
“We’ve managed to keep on the straight and narrow for more than a year, Kid. I’m sure we can do it for another six months.” he said brightly, Realistically, he was beginning to doubt whether the Governor would ever honour his promise, but if he let the Kid know that there would be no way to keep him trying for it. But there was no way back now to their old life. Times had moved on. Their kind were a dying breed. They had to stick with this venture, whatever the outcome, and so, Heyes forced his bitterness and resentment about what had happened with Nate to the back of his mind and adopted an air of optimism for the Kid’s benefit, hoping that, for once, his normally intuitive judgement of people was wrong and that the Governor would keep his word. But, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.
“But, six months, Heyes? The Governor said a year, and it’s been more than that already.”
“I know, Kid, but what choice do we have?” Heyes’ eyes pleaded with the Kid’s to understand.
The Kid sighed, heavily. “O.K.” he conceded, “Six months it is.”
Lom breathed a sigh of relief and headed inside to prepare supper.
* * *
Two weeks later, more or less recovered from their illnesses and injuries, Heyes and the Kid prepared to take their leave of Lom.
“Where are you going?” Lom enquired as they secured their belongings to their horses.
“Don’t know.” said Heyes, “South. Somewhere warmer, for the winter.”
Lom nodded.
“We’ll keep to the back routes to keep out of trouble, stop off at small towns, try and get some work, maybe play a little poker.” said Heyes.
“Well, take care, and keep in touch.” smiled Lom as they mounted up.
The Kid nodded, “We will.” Then, tipping his hat said, “See you, Lom.”
“Yeah, see you, Lom.” echoed Heyes, as they turned their horses and headed off at a slow trot.
Once they were out of sight of the cabin, the Kid said, “I don’t know if I can do this for another six months, Heyes.”
“What choice do we have, Kid? We can’t go back to our old life now. Our times is over. We have to persevere with this.”
The Kid sighed. He knew Heyes was right, but six more months seemed like an eternity after they’d already been doing it for so long.
“It’ll go by in no time.” said Heyes reassuringly.
“You really think we can keep out of trouble for another six months?” said the Kid doubtfully.
“Sure we can, Kid, as long as we’re together.” Heyes gave him a mischievous smile, “Together, or not at all. Remember?”
A slow smile spread across the Kid’s face.
“Yeah.” He nodded, meeting Heyes’ gaze with a knowing look, “Together, or not at all.”
They eyed each other for a moment, before spurring their horses and heading southwards at a gallop.
--ooOOoo--
​
​
​
