The Young Riders: Buck Cross Prompt 040 -- Sight
Title: One More River
Fandom: The Young Riders
Characters: Buck Cross, Teaspoon, Polly, Kid, Lou, Jeremiah, Theresa
Prompt: 040 -- Sight
Word Count: 863
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The Pony Express has ended, and the Civil War has torn the Express family apart. A few of them decide to strike out across the country to Oregon and a fresh start.
Author's Note: This is the seventeenth section of a continuing story dealing with the journey from Rock Creek, Nebraska, to the West Coast via the Oregon Trail.
They were able to travel a little longer each of the next two days before the pain became too much for Saul Hanlon and he started to scream. When that happened the wagon stopped and Saul was given more of the willow bark broth. It seemed to ease his pain and keep his fever in check - at least a little bit.
On the other hand, the injury site looked worse each day.
Despite the poultice made from the conifer resin, and the broth from the juniper bark, the wound remained red and raw. Worse still, the red streaks under the skin extended farther up the leg, and they were darker and more pronounced.
Buck helped hold the leg steady as Julie finished cleaning the wound and re-wrapped the bandaging. As he did, he couldn’t help but notice and admire her steady hands. As upsetting as this all was for her, she had learned to perform this job like a true professional.
When they finished, Julie reached for a cup of the willow broth and moved up to try and get her father to drink.
Buck slipped past her as they performed a shuffle of positions. “I’ll be outside,” he said, as they finished. The wagon just wasn’t big enough to accommodate many people inside for very long.
“Thank you for your help,” she replied with a tired smile. Then she turned her attention to her father. “Papa, try to drink some of this,” she coaxed, tipping the cup toward his lips.
Buck hopped down out of the wagon and walked around toward the front. Just off to the side, Doris Hanlon sat in the shade of a poplar tree. Next to her, Dorothy had a book open and was reading something to her mother.
He picked up the coffee pot next to the fire and checked the contents. Finding that the liquid was still hot, he poured a cup and then settled himself on the ground with his back leaning up against one of the wagon wheels.
Buck took a sip of the coffee, then leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He tried to block out all conscious thought, but visions of the infected leg kept intruding on the solitude he sought.
He heard steps nearby, but he kept his eyes closed. There were sounds of another cup of coffee being poured, and then someone sat down. He opened his eyes and tried to match Julie’s tired smile.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I wasn’t asleep - just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Actually, I was thinking about trying to think about nothing.”
“Oh, I wish I could do that,” Julie sighed.
“Did you get any sleep last night?” He’d heard her moving around several times.
She shrugged. “A little, I guess.” She paused for a sip of coffee before looking back at Buck. “He’s getting worse, isn’t he?”
Buck nodded. “Yeah, he is. I’m sorry, I don’t know anything else to try.”
“Oh, you’ve done everything you could,” she said quickly. “The broth at least seems to ease his pain a little.” She took a deep breath, staring at her cup. “But I’m very scared for him. Is there anything we can do, any place we can take him?”
Buck pushed himself to his feet and reached under the seat, pulling out a map. He walked back over by Julie and sat down, spreading the paper out. Tracing a line with his finger, he pointed to a spot in western Nebraska. “We’re right about here,” he said. Then he traced a circle extending out from that spot. “There are no towns, and this map is pretty current. And even to get to the closest town, we’re going to have to ford two rivers. That’s going to be pretty challenging all alone. It’s going to take some time.”
Julie was silent for a long moment, looking over at the rest of her family under the tree by the stream. “I guess mother was right. We should have stayed in Boston.”
“There was no way you could have known this would happen,” Buck pointed out. “What about you? Did you want to leave Boston?” How little he actually knew about his wife . . .
“Actually, I did. I thought it would be a great adventure. And if I could get a job teaching, which is what I studied for, I could use experiences from the trip.”
Buck didn’t answer for a long moment - he was too intent on watching the smile that came over her as she talked about her dream. It almost seemed to make the exhaustion disappear. “You can still do that,” he finally said.
Julie turned back to him, but now her smile was sad again. “Right now, I have a hard time seeing how I’ll get through tomorrow - much less make it to Oregon.”
Buck pulled the map forward again and drew his finger to the west, all the way to the coast. “You just keep moving this way,” he said. “And you’ll do it.”
But as their eyes met over the map, they both understood that the actual journey would be infinitely more difficult.
Fandom: The Young Riders
Characters: Buck Cross, Teaspoon, Polly, Kid, Lou, Jeremiah, Theresa
Prompt: 040 -- Sight
Word Count: 863
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The Pony Express has ended, and the Civil War has torn the Express family apart. A few of them decide to strike out across the country to Oregon and a fresh start.
Author's Note: This is the seventeenth section of a continuing story dealing with the journey from Rock Creek, Nebraska, to the West Coast via the Oregon Trail.
They were able to travel a little longer each of the next two days before the pain became too much for Saul Hanlon and he started to scream. When that happened the wagon stopped and Saul was given more of the willow bark broth. It seemed to ease his pain and keep his fever in check - at least a little bit.
On the other hand, the injury site looked worse each day.
Despite the poultice made from the conifer resin, and the broth from the juniper bark, the wound remained red and raw. Worse still, the red streaks under the skin extended farther up the leg, and they were darker and more pronounced.
Buck helped hold the leg steady as Julie finished cleaning the wound and re-wrapped the bandaging. As he did, he couldn’t help but notice and admire her steady hands. As upsetting as this all was for her, she had learned to perform this job like a true professional.
When they finished, Julie reached for a cup of the willow broth and moved up to try and get her father to drink.
Buck slipped past her as they performed a shuffle of positions. “I’ll be outside,” he said, as they finished. The wagon just wasn’t big enough to accommodate many people inside for very long.
“Thank you for your help,” she replied with a tired smile. Then she turned her attention to her father. “Papa, try to drink some of this,” she coaxed, tipping the cup toward his lips.
Buck hopped down out of the wagon and walked around toward the front. Just off to the side, Doris Hanlon sat in the shade of a poplar tree. Next to her, Dorothy had a book open and was reading something to her mother.
He picked up the coffee pot next to the fire and checked the contents. Finding that the liquid was still hot, he poured a cup and then settled himself on the ground with his back leaning up against one of the wagon wheels.
Buck took a sip of the coffee, then leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He tried to block out all conscious thought, but visions of the infected leg kept intruding on the solitude he sought.
He heard steps nearby, but he kept his eyes closed. There were sounds of another cup of coffee being poured, and then someone sat down. He opened his eyes and tried to match Julie’s tired smile.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“I wasn’t asleep - just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Actually, I was thinking about trying to think about nothing.”
“Oh, I wish I could do that,” Julie sighed.
“Did you get any sleep last night?” He’d heard her moving around several times.
She shrugged. “A little, I guess.” She paused for a sip of coffee before looking back at Buck. “He’s getting worse, isn’t he?”
Buck nodded. “Yeah, he is. I’m sorry, I don’t know anything else to try.”
“Oh, you’ve done everything you could,” she said quickly. “The broth at least seems to ease his pain a little.” She took a deep breath, staring at her cup. “But I’m very scared for him. Is there anything we can do, any place we can take him?”
Buck pushed himself to his feet and reached under the seat, pulling out a map. He walked back over by Julie and sat down, spreading the paper out. Tracing a line with his finger, he pointed to a spot in western Nebraska. “We’re right about here,” he said. Then he traced a circle extending out from that spot. “There are no towns, and this map is pretty current. And even to get to the closest town, we’re going to have to ford two rivers. That’s going to be pretty challenging all alone. It’s going to take some time.”
Julie was silent for a long moment, looking over at the rest of her family under the tree by the stream. “I guess mother was right. We should have stayed in Boston.”
“There was no way you could have known this would happen,” Buck pointed out. “What about you? Did you want to leave Boston?” How little he actually knew about his wife . . .
“Actually, I did. I thought it would be a great adventure. And if I could get a job teaching, which is what I studied for, I could use experiences from the trip.”
Buck didn’t answer for a long moment - he was too intent on watching the smile that came over her as she talked about her dream. It almost seemed to make the exhaustion disappear. “You can still do that,” he finally said.
Julie turned back to him, but now her smile was sad again. “Right now, I have a hard time seeing how I’ll get through tomorrow - much less make it to Oregon.”
Buck pulled the map forward again and drew his finger to the west, all the way to the coast. “You just keep moving this way,” he said. “And you’ll do it.”
But as their eyes met over the map, they both understood that the actual journey would be infinitely more difficult.