Everyone, once again I must ask your indulgence on my tardiness in posting. I'll just say that I didn't know raising a 25 year-old could be so time consuming...or expensive.

I have been involved doing a couple of other things but I am going to slllooowwww down on them. I need to get back to writing at least a chapter of JAM a week if I expect to live long enough for him to get back home to Alabama. All of your comments are of great motivation to me. I hope you'll all continue to follow along.

Anyway...here's the next one.



I turned around just as Annie’s hand moved. The move was ever so slight, hardly noticeable and impossible to tell if it was from her efforts or Waco’s actions. I jumped across the body in front of me and grabbed Waco by his shoulders. “WACO! Annie’s still alive!”

Waco looked at me as if he didn’t understand what I was saying, or perhaps that I was even there. He opened his mouth as though to speak but there were no words. His eyes were glassed over as he stared at me or as he was staring at hell itself. “WACO! Waco! Annie’s alive!” He offered neither resistance nor reaction as I took her gently from him. I held her face next to mine and felt her breath.

Waco returned to reality. He jumped quickly to his feet and came at me. I thought he might well be coming to kill me but instead he dropped down to his knees. “Whut did…Annie? Annie’s not…she’s not….?”

“Waco, Annie is still alive but she is hardly alive. It will take all we have and all we know and the hand of God to save her. She has to have help that we cannot provide. How far away is the doctor?

Tears were rolling down Waco’s face. “Th’ doc’s more’n half a day north of here but I’ll hitch up Dynamite to th’ wagon!”

“Waco… I’m afraid Annie’s too weak to survive the trip. You have to take Dynamite and bring the doctor here. God speed, Waco. Ride like the wind.”

“But…but Annie’ll need me to….”

“Waco, God has spared Annie but she is barely hanging on by the thread of life. You and Dynamite can cut two hours from the time, maybe more. Go Waco! Go! I swear to you that I will keep Annie alive until you return. Pray for us both Waco, but go !”

Waco gently took Annie’s hand in his. “I won’t let ye down, Annie…. Ye just hang on fer a little while and I’ll be back with Doc Weston afore ye know it. Don’t you go and die on me Annie. Please, Annie. We still gotta lot of livin’ to do.” With that Waco turned and ran out the door.

I took Annie and laid her on her bed and cut the blood-soaked sleeve from her blouse. The bullet had entered the left side below the shoulder and only inches from the heart. There was no other wound. The bullet was still inside her. In my years on the farm I had seen my father sew up wounds on cattle and had watched twice as he removed stray bullets from them but I was completely unprepared for anything like this. Annie’s living or dying would depend upon the actions I took in the next few moments. “Two Bears! Are you here? Please, Two Bears, answer me!” But there was no answer, no sound, no movement at all save the flickering of the flame in the lamp. There was only me and Annie and a decision to be made. I had to stop the bleeding, and the bullet had to be removed from her.

I went to the kitchen and washed the blood from my hands and knife and put water on the stove and made bandages. Beyond those actions, everything I would do would be for the first time. There was needle and thread on the dresser in Annie’s bedroom. I sat down on the bed next to Annie and gently washed away the blood but it had not stopped flowing. Her life was growing weaker by the second. The time for preparation had passed.

Ken, I was being really lazy this morning and finally decided to get my butt out of bed. Glad I did. I am really enjoying this story. I have to admit I haven't read all of the older chapters, but I am going to go make some time to do that.
Another wonderful installment. Im with the kinfolk...hoping Annie lives.
Kat

Run, Dynamite, run! Hurry! hurry! hurry! You must get the doc and save our Annie!

Ah, Keny...you surely know how to endear your characters to your readers hearts...I'm certain everyone who has read your chapters is rooting for her!

I patiently await...

~~flutter~~

Ken!! ....... oh my.

"Well, he rode all day and he rode all night, but never....."
Ah, no. I rather expect he will do better than that.

But life and death are fickle partners, even at the best of times - and this situation will hardly qualify as such.

Let's hope for the best and brace ourselves for the worst, whatever either may turn out to be.
... I also hope the doc can give Waco a fresh horse for the return ride; man, he will need that.
Best of good luck with the home surgery too.

Full tilt and godspeed!

Jane

As was said in the "Princess Bride", Wesley is not dead...he is mostly dead. Or so I think.



Nick

Ken,
So glad to be reading JAM's adventures again. What a relief- Annie has a chance!

I'm sure our Jacob will want to come back home evenually, but I'm looking forward to all the adventure that is surely ahead.

As always, you keep us coming back for more.

Y'all, I have really been out of touch the last month or so. I will be out of town most of next week but 'good Lord willing and the creek don't rise', I will not be absent this long ever again. I've got a lot of catching up to do.

I'm going to post the next chapter of JAM right now. At least I have a few chapters written already.

Good friends are hard to find. Kathleen, flutter, Jane, Nick, Southern Girl, and everyone else that reads and comments occasionally, thank you. Were it not for your continued support for these years, I likely would not be writing at all.