Tombstone.
This morning I was sitting in the clinic writing when Mr. Stone came in. I greeted him and he asked, “You ready to do some cleaning today? I want that clinic spotless.”
“Yeah!” I nodded and went to the sink to wash my hands to my elbows with soap. I went around to all the beds and took the sheets off, then replaced them with new sheets. I went to put the kettle on and started to boil water. I went to get the broom and started sweeping the floor. “Hey there’s no more carpet anymore too! That makes it easier!”
“Yes, that carpet was not a good idea in here. It was always getting stained.”
I went to open the door and started to sweep the dirt outside. I went back to the kettle and took the water, pouring it into a bowl on the counter. I wheeled the cart with the tools over and started dropping them into the water to clean them, being careful not to splash myself.
“You’re doing such a good job, Nat,” Mr. Stone smiled and I grinned at him.
I continued to set out the tools out on a towel and let them dry. I got a rag and made it wet with the water and soap and went to wash the windows, and the ones in the door too. I smiled when I saw the windows were sparkly clean, even on the outside, and walked back in to Mr. Stone. “I think I’m all done.”
“You are so fast and efficient!”
Mr. Max, Mr. Stone’s friend, limped into the clinic then. He was clutching his leg with his hands as blood dripped between his fingers, and he collapsed on the floor with a grunt of pain.
“Max! What happened? Did you get shot?” Mr. Stone asked with concern.
“I managed to crawl over here,” he nodded and looked at us, his face pinched in pain. I looked at him with worry and looked over to Mr. Stone.
Mr. Stone ran over and slipped his arm around him to help him to the exam table. “Nat, go wash up and get a cloth. Put pressure on this while I wash up,” he ordered.
“Okay Mr. Stone,” I said and went to get the cloth, washing it with water. I took it back to Mr. Max and held it on the spot where he was shot. “It’s okay, Mr. Max. You’ll be okay.”
“Thanks Nat,” he nodded to me.
Mr. Stone took out a pair of scissors and said, “Nat, I’m going to need you to grab some stuff for me. Needle, thread, wash cloth, bowl of hot water and soap, alcohol, and bandages.” I went to the counter and grabbed everything he just listed and put it on a tray. I wheeled the tray over to him and looked up at him. Mr. Stone slipped the scissors into the fabric of Mr. Max’s pants and cut them open to see the wound. “Who shot you?”
“Um…” Mr. Max looked at him with a sheepish grin.
“Don’t tell me you messed with some girl,” Mr. Stone sighed.
“No. This is far more embarrassing,” he chuckled.
“Yeah?”
“Ma didn’t shoot you did she?” I looked between them.
“I shot myself. While cleaning my gun. No your ma didn’t shot me,” he chuckled again at me.
“What?” Mr. Stone blinked.
“This hurts like a son of a bitch. Don’t you have anything for the pain?” Mr. Max asked then.
“Oh yeah. Sorry. And watch your mouth around Nat,” Mr. Stone got out a bottle of laudanum and gave him a spoonful. “That should begin to take affect soon.”
I blinked at the sound and looked at Mr. Stone. “Maybe some willow bark?”
“Willow bark isn’t strong enough for this,” he said.
“Oh.”
Mr. Max swallowed the medicine and said, “Thanks.”
“Nat, hand me a cloth and the bowl of hot water,” Mr. Stone said and I handed him the cloth and the bowl of water carefully. He washed the wound and cleaned the blood away, then handed the dirty rag back to me. “Now alcohol.” I reached for the alcohol and handed it to him, taking the dirty rag and putting it on the counter to clean later. Mr. Stone wiped the alcohol soaked rag across the wound to disinfect it and Mr. Max let out a scream. “Max, I have never heard you scream like that.”
“That hurts!” he cried.
“Don’t be such a baby. Nat, can you hand me the opium powder, please?” Mr. Stone asked and I went to get the opium powder, handing it to him. He sprinkled it on the wound and said, “That should take some of the sting out.”
Mr. Max layed back and closed his eyes. “Just get this over with.”
Mr. Stone probed around to find the bullet and pulled it out with a pair of tweezers, dropping the bloody projectile on the tray. He held out his hand and said, “Nat, needle and thread.” My eyes went wide seeing the bullet that was in Mr. Max and nodded, getting the needle/thread, handing it to Mr. Stone. He began to shut the wound closed, tying each black knot carefully as I watched intently. He wiped the area clean and held his hand out to me again. “Bandages.” I went to get the bandages from the cupboard and handed it to him. He took the roll of linen and and wrapped it around the leg gently. “I can’t believe you shot yourself.”
“Not a word to anyone about that,” Mr. Max opened his eyes and glared at Mr. Stone, pointing a finger at him.
He held up his hands and chuckled, “Doctor patient privilege. I won’t say a word.” He turned to me and said, “You too. Remember we have to keep things quiet that we do here. We don’t want to embarrass our patients.”
My eyes grew wide watching the two of them and I nodded to Mr. Stone. “Yes sir.”
“Are we done?” Mr. Max looked down at his leg.
“Yeah, you’re done,” Mr. Stone handed him a cane. “You’ll need to use this for a few days. Stay off it as much as possible. Keep the bandage clean and dry. I’ll change it tomorrow and look at it to make sure no infection is setting in.”
“What are you gonna tell Ma, Mr. Max?” I asked as Mr. Stone helped Mr. Max off the table.
“Thanks, Alex,” Mr. Max grunted as he leaned on the cane. “I don’t know. I’m embarrassed to tell her anything. I’ll just try to hide the limp.”
“Anytime, Max,” Mr. Stone looked at him seriously. “Be careful, okay?”
“Ma’s pretty smart. She’ll see that cane,” I said.
“I’m my own worst enemy. But, I will be. Thanks. She is. If I tell her what I did, she’ll never let me forget it though,” he said and I tried to hide a giggle. “Nat, don’t you dare run to her and tell her! I might just hide out in the hotel for a few days.”
“I know better, Mr. Max,” I promised.
“Good girl,” he smiled.
“You need to rest,” Mr. Stone said. “Want help back to the hotel?”
“No, that’s okay,” he smiled at us both. “Thank again,” he said and went to limp out of the clinic.
“Time to clean up, Nat. Again,” Mr. Stone chuckled and washed his hands, then began to pick up the mess. I nodded and went to heat up the water again. “You did a good job, Nat. What did you think of all that?” he smiled at me. I took the water back to the bowl and put it in, getting the tools Mr. Stone used and began to clean them, growing quiet as I worked. “You okay, Nat?”
“I um…” I set the clean the tools on the towel to let them dry. He looked at me and I started to get nervous as my hands were shaking and I set the tools down. He walked over and put his hand on my shoulder and I bit my lower lip, looking down. I really didn’t want to cry in front of hi.m
“Nat... did that upset you?”
“He... He shot himself?”
“Well, he didn’t mean to.”
“But…” I turned to look at him. “What if ma…”
“Remember the other day when we talked about accidents and how they sometimes happen? Like when you broke your ankle?”
“That won’t kill me though. A gunshot could.”
“Your ma isn’t going to shoot herself. Or you.”
“Mr. Max did. He just as smart as Ma.”
“I’m actually shocked Max did that. He’s really good with a gun. I’’m not sure what happened there. In fact, he’s the first person I’ve ever treated who shot themselves.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Hardly ever happens!”
“Oh. I just… It’s easier when it’s... someone else shooting someone.”
“Though now I’m a little worried about Max. There must be something going on with him if he did that.”
“Cause then the law people put away the bad guy.”
“Right.”
“But… Now... if somethin’ is goin’ on with Mr. Max... He won’t let Ma help him.”
“He might. He trusts your ma. He’s just a little embarrassed right now.”
I nodded and he smiled. “I’m sorry I got upset I just…” I looked down.
“So, aside from being worried about getting accidentally shot, what did you think of the procedure?”
“It was easy enough.”
“Did you find it interesting?”
“What was that stuff you gave him to eat? Instead of willow bark?”
“That’s laudanum. It’s made with opium and alcohol. It works pretty fast and it helps with the pain.”
“Oh.”
“Opium when used correctly is a very powerful medicine. Your ma hates it… but I used it a lot.”
“Why does Ma hate it? I remember sorta readin’ bout this undertaker guy who had it upstairs when she went to talk to him ’bout buryin’ her best friend.”
“Well, sometimes people don’t use opium correctly. They use it for fun instead of for medicine and she knew some people who did that. Yes, that’s the man.”
“Oooh.”
“It gives her bad memories.”
“In her journal she was real sad ’bout that,” I nodded.
“So I only give it to her if she absolutely need it. She was. And I usually have to fight with her to take it,” he chuckled.
“So now what?” I asked.
“I’m really proud of you, Nat. You were quick with what I asked. That how you can help any of the doctors here. It’s nice to have someone hand you the items you need.” He rubbed his hands over his face and exhaled loudly.
“What is it, Mr. Stone?” I looked at him with worry.
“The more I think about it, the more worried I am. That’s just so unlike him.”
“I’m gonna write down ’bout our work today.”
“Good, Nat!” he smiled. “I’m happy with your work today.”
We finished our paperwork and then headed out of the clinic to get some other work done.
***
This evening I walked down the street and talked with Miss Jess and Mr. Crazy for a bit. Sabi came over and we saw Mr. Garth taking his guns out and checking his bullets. I hid behind the other kids and they asked how I was doing as we heard Sniper and Mr. Garth talking. They were making up song rhymes and it was a fun distraction.
I said then that I had to go talk to Mr. Alex after a while and went over to him and Ms. Aly, looking down as I walked. “Hey Nat!” he smiled. “How’s your evening going?” he asked his wife.
“Productive. I just arrested Garth, with the help of Ansar. He’s typing up the report now.”
“That’s great!” he smiled and I didn’t want to interrupt them, but I knew I couldn’t talk to anyone else about how I was feeling. “Hey how are you Nat?” he looked over at me.
“I um..” I started but then Ms. Aly took his hand and gave it a kiss.
“I think green looks better on you than it does on me Nat,” Ms. Aly chuckled.
“Thanks Miss Aly..”
“Nat, come on over here,” Mr. Alex smiled and I walked over to him.
“I think I... Need to talk to you, Mr. Alex…”
“Sure, Nat. What’s wrong?”
“I dunno if I can in front of Miss Aly though. Cause it um.. About what happened this morning.”
Ms. Aly raised an eyebrow and said, “Mr Alex and I don’t have any secrets, and I’m no judge.”
“Ohhh. Well, we can probably talk about it in front of Aly.”
“But Mr. Alex said that everything that happens in the clinic has to stay between the patients and the doctors.”
“It’s a medical thing,” he looked over at Ms. Aly.
“Okay. Then I can respect that. I’ll be around,” she smiled.
“If you say it’s okay then I’ll talk about it with her too. I just didn’t wanna break a rule.”
“We shouldn’t talk about it out on the street maybe,” he said.
“I should do a patrol before my Birdcage thing tonight,” Ms. Aly smiled. “Hun, I’ll be around so you two can talk.”
“Okay love. Hey Nat, why don’t we go in your ma office,” Mr. Alex looked at me.
“Okay,” I said and followed him upstairs into the office. “I sorry I took you away from Missus Aly,” I said as we sat down.
“That’s okay. What’s going on Nat?”
“I saw Mr. Garth with his gun out and he was cleanin’ it and I got scared.”
“Nat, people clean their guns everyday.”
“But when I saw it…”
“I have only ever treated one patient with that problem.”
“I thought of Mr. Max and I got scared,” I looked down. “And then I got scared cause I got scared.”
“What scared you? Are you afraid that will happen again?”
“I dunno it was just seeing it.. And it made me think ’bout it. And I just... I hid behind the other girls.”
“Was it too much for you to assist with that this morning?”
“I hope not,” I shook my head. “I think it was just ’cause it was my first time... and someone I knew.. Don’t you ever get scared, Mr. Alex?”
“Of course I do. Everyone does.”
“I think it’ll be different when it’s someone who shot someone else. I just hadta.... talk to you cause... I was scared. That I was afraid.”
“He didn’t mean to shoot himself,” he nodded.
“I know… And you’re right, accidents happen,” I stood then. “I think I’ll be okay. It wasn’t the gunshot wound that scared me. I just didn’t like seein’... someone I like get hurt is all. That make any sense, Mr. Alex?”
“I know what you mean, Nat. Max is one of my closest friends. I didn’t like seeing that either. Or when Aly or your ma gets shot.”
“Right.”
“But that’s why we do this job. So that we can help then when they need us.”
“Yeah. Like they couldn’t help Miss Ashley… That’s why I wanted to do it. So it wouldn’t happen again.”
“Exactly. If you have the knowledge, you can make a difference. That’s what I try to do.”
“Can I go outside and try to find Jimmy?” I asked. “I haven’t seen him in a while. I miss him.”
“Sure, you can. You feeling better?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Mr. Alex. I just... needed to talk to you and get away from those men with the guns.”
“You’re welcome Nat,” he nodded and hugged me tight.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Alex.”
“Don’t worry. Max will be alright. In part, because of you.”
“And you too.”
“Go have fun with Jimmy So it wouldn’t happen again.”
“Okay!” I said and headed outside.
I went to the orphanage and hugged Jimmy tightly as he came outside. “NATALIE!!!!!!!!” he exclaimed.
“I missed you!!!!! Where have you beeeeeeeen?????”
“I took a trip with Mr Thomas!”
“Oh yeah? Where you guys go?”
“We went to Texas...I got to see the ALAMO!!!!”
“Wow!!! That’s where um.. those people fought and stuff right?”
“Yeah, all these Texas guys fought these Mexicans, and died, but then they kick butt later and made em give Texas up to the Texans.”
“It was so different without you here Jimmy.”
“I also eat this thing called a taco!”
“What that?”
“It’s this flat round thing, its white, filled with meat and cheese, and onions and something called salsa, was really good.”
“That sounds yummy! Hey Jimmy you wanna go for a horse ride?”
“Oh it was, and the Mexicans, they speak funny, unlike what the teacher try teach us, it sound different,” he said and I giggled. “Sure, I missed riding my horse.”
We went to the stables and waved to Mr. Alex and the others as we passed by. We untied our horses and then me and Jimmy rode up to the ranger fort near the Apache village. We looked around and saw that no one was there. Jimmy found a mine as we kept riding and it was real dark. Then he showed me a shack where he sometimes hid. After a while we went to Diamond to play there.
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