The Unknown - Chapter 5b by nova

Chapter 5b

What I wanted was to know what happened in town and where was Kat? I was feeling better and I missed her. I was also worried about her. You don't shoot people in most small towns and get away with it. Not as much because the law came looking for you as they usually had friends. They were assholes but even assholes have friends who, since they run in packs, might decide to do something.

I knew I wasn't going to Flagstaff. Not with my leg like this and maybe never. I suppose I should have been worried about people looking for me. I wasn't. For me it was another bar dustup and if they did? So what. Even with a bad leg I figured I could take who ever I ran into. I was even idly considering asking Kat if she wanted to back to Utah with me.

I started walking away from the hogan and climbing a trail all of 60 ft up to a sandstone ledge and sitting. I would watch the clouds and their shadows race across the land and let my mind idle. I would pull off the bandage on my leg, expose it to the air, and tell myself it was healing. Once I saw a big ass bird with the wingspan and size of a drone fly over head. That gave me the cold sweats until I figured out it was a condor. That put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

That night Ty showed up with Kat. He had antibiotics he had bought with the money I had given him. Kat had news. She didn't look happy and neither did Ty and that was before he looked at the wound. They also seemed changed around me more distant. More watchful.

"So whats up Kat?"

We had to chit chat. Nobody here seemed to understand that getting to the point was the main purpose for talking but I kept my tongue in check. Kat sat next to me and was very concerned about me. I couldn't think of a subtle way of letting her now that if she was spending the night I hoped it was next to me. So I skipped subtle and asked, "You spending the night?" She looked down and grinned and said in a much smaller voice "Yes."

"Good."

I reached over and let my hand curve across her leg while I leaned in close, smelled her hair, and whispered, "Thanks." Then I checked out Grandma and Ty's reaction. They seemed okay with it. My bad mood was gone so I was sounding and feeling upbeat when I asked them for the news.

It was easy to tell from their reactions that Ty had been elected spokesman which he confirmed by telling me, "You stirred up some people Gardener. Killing Apaches always does. Killing a couple of Feds does too. Killing them both at one time is like a grand slam."

Kat added, "Especially when it's Gardener doing it."