The Devil to Pay by Aubrey Stephens & Dale Kesterson

Author:Aubrey Stephens & Dale Kesterson [Stephens, Aubrey & Kesterson, Dale]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pro Se Productions
Published: 2020-03-29T04:00:00+00:00

She returned outside with the chair.

“Pardon the delay, General. I had to stop to threaten my patient.” She put the chair down at Grey Eagle’s side. “Will this do? Use my shoulder – I’m stronger than I look. I won’t help, just support and steady you.”

Carefully, Buford got down off the horse, then the chair. “You threatened your patient?” His voice held a note of amusement.

“He wanted to get up to see you and I stopped him.” She shrugged. “It’s simple, really. He’d undo everything.”

“May I see him?”

“He’s waiting for you. If you don’t go in, he’ll try to get up and I’ll have to make good on my threat.”

“Which was?”

“To be blunt, I told him that if he didn’t stay in bed, I would hit him with something.”

Buford laughed out loud. “I knew you weren’t one to cross.”

She led the way into the small partitioned room. “Johnny, behave yourself – you have a visitor.” She put the other chair next to the bed for the general.

“You two make quite a pair.” Buford regarded them with the hint of a smile as he eased onto the chair.

“You’re not the first to say so, sir,” John replied. “I told you Catie would take care of me.”

“Excuse me, General? Now that he’s awake, I’d like to check his leg. Will it bother you?” As he shook his head, Cathy pulled back the covers. “Johnny, wiggle the toes of your right foot.” She took a pedal pulse and watched as the toes moved. “Good! I want to bend your knee – let me support and move it.” She cradled his thigh and slowly moved his lower leg. His face reflected the pain of the motion. “Excellent!” She carefully positioned his leg and replaced the covers.

“That’s amazing.” Buford shifted in the chair. “I reckoned he’d lose the leg.”

“I cleaned the wound, got the bullet, the dollar, and the bone fragment out, repaired the muscle, and set the dressing.”

“So the silver dollar saved his leg?” Buford looked puzzled.

“It’s bent,” John said, handing over the coin, “But here it is. It’s my new good-luck piece.”

“Amazing,” he murmured, turning the coin over in his fingers and handing it back to John. “Miss Howell, you make it sound easy.”

“It wasn’t. It was a matter of knowledge, tools, and practice, General. Luckily, I had tools, and probably most importantly, I had the time to use them. Your field surgeons probably don’t have the luxury of taking that time.” Cathy smiled at the careworn man. “You have your own knowledge, and your tools are your men. Today your actions…” She stopped, unsure of how much she should say.

“Today, General, you have helped to save a nation,” John finished for her.

“The Union will be preserved? That is a fact as you know it?”

“Yes sir, it will. It’s going to take a while longer, and there’s a lot of blood yet to be spilled before it is over, but if all happens as it should, the country will stand as one nation, reunited.

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