Little Sharpshooter Chap 5

Dread tightened in Trevor’s chest the closer he got to the house. He had been wandering off on his own in hopes of stealing a horse for days since Nana took his money and wouldn’t let him buy a decent horse of his own. Nana was always a hard sell and knew when he was up to no good. But maybe he would come off all good Samaritan like by bringing home the injured girl and her horse. Or Nana would find reason to worry: she’d have to pay a doctor or how would they explain the death of the mystery girl if she died in their care? He was about to get an earful that wasn’t going to stop. Trevor sighed, ready to deal with the consequences.

“Nana!” Trevor called from the bottom of the stairs of the front porch. “Nana! I need your help.”

Trevor’s Nana stepped out the door drying her hands off on her apron. At the sight of the girl draped over the horse, she clutched her chest and held the railing.

“What have you gone and done, son? In all your seventeen years you have never brought home anything like this.” She was down the steps in no time, turning the face of the girl to the side to look at her. The horse whinnied, sidestepping away.

“She’s not dead. But she’s hotter than a coal.” Nana went up the steps. “Take her off a there and bring her in. Did you find her like that?”

“I found her fevered, yes.” Trevor slid her off and carried her in draped across his arms. She was pretty, he had to admit. But her lip was swollen from where he punched her before he knew she was a girl. He was glad she was unconscious so she didn’t see him flush.

Nana billowed a sheet to cover the bed in the spare bedroom. It used to be his parent’s room, but it had been years since they died. He placed her on the bed.

“Oh my, her mouth is bleeding, and what is this?” Nana pulled up the girl’s pant leg. “Oh! That is dreadful.” Nana searched the room and pulled out a dark heavy blanket from under the bed to place under her leg.

“Tell me, son. Why is her mouth bleeding like that and why is your face turning colors?” She grabbed hold of his chin and pulled his face lower, closer to hers.

“Nana! It hurts there too.” He pulled her hand off his face.

Nana folded her arms across her chest and squinted at him.

“She was ambushed and I helped her.” Trevor told part of the truth.

“She’s armed. Who would be dumb enough to do that? Ambushed by who?” She leaned a little closer.

“Some horse thief. But that horse of hers won’t let anyone steal it so it was a sorry attempt.”

“Where’s the horse thief now?” She waited.

He shook his head.

“I know ya gotta thing for nice lookin’ horses. Where’s the horse thief now?” Nana asked. She would stand there and wait for an answer all night.

He hung his head.

Nana slapped him upside his head.

“Oww. She already did a number on me.”

“Serves you right. I thought I did a much better job of raisin’ you than that. I have never been so disappointed in all my life.” Nana walked out of room continuing to list all the dumb things he ever did.

He sank down in the chair beside the bed. Out the window, the horse paced frantically all around the house and whinnied like he never heard a horse cry out before. Trevor yanked hard to open the window all the way.

“Hey!” he yelled. The horse’s ears pricked up and it trotted over to the window.

The horse didn’t stop outside the window. He stuck his head clear in and nickered to the girl in the bed.

Trevor looked out the door for Nana. She liked things just so, but if that horse wasn’t happy, she would have more than a displaced bed to deal with. He shoved the bed closer to the wall and then pulled it down the room until the horse could press his muzzle into her hand. She finally stirred in response to the horse.

Trevor fidgeted hoping she wouldn’t wake up yet.

Nana was still carrying on when she came back to the room.

“I don’t even know why I went and got this blasted bucket myself when I have a perfectly capable young man that needs to find more productive things to do with his time.” She stopped abruptly in the doorway. “What is this all about?”

“The horse. He was pacin’ out there and he’s happy now.”

“So we cater to horses now do we? What kind of payment are you gonna get for that?”

“Well she started to stir when he rubbed against her hand.”

“What do you think she’s gonna say when she finds out her horse thief stole her too and brought her home?”

“If she feels better, I hope she says thank you.”

“You better hope she makes it. And if she does, we better hope she gets to keep that leg. I have a job for you. No diversions along the way. I have a feeling the sooner we get her help, the better. I don’t want that old quack doctor here either. He will want to cut her leg off before he tries anything else. She’s a young, pretty thing to have that happen to her.”

Nana gave him instructions to visit the Chinaman that owned the laundry in town. He had a brother that was good at Chinese medicine. That was what Nana wanted for the girl. So he hustled into town on his pathetic excuse of a horse. Old Swayback Manny was not a swift ride but he did his job when they found the laundry.

“Mr. Zhang?” Trevor had to duck to step inside the door to Wie Zhang’s Laundry.

“Please just call me Zhang.” The short man bowed.

Trevor, unsure of how he should respond, awkwardly bowed in return.

The man smiled. “What can I do for you?”

“I was told to come for your brother. We have a sick girl in need of medical attention.”

“Ahh, I see. My brother not the one who practice Chinese medicine. It is me. I watch shop for him. How sick?”

“Her leg’s infected and she’s fevered.”

“Not good. You watch counter while I get ready.” The short man disappeared into the back room.

Trevor looked around the small room hoping no one would come in while he waited. He rolled his eyes when the door opened.

“Where’s Zhang?” A little old woman asked as she entered the shop with a few dresses draped over her arm.

“Umm. He will be right back.” Trevor chewed on his upper lip as he looked at the back door where Zhang disappeared. He looked over the woman’s head at the front door before he met her impatient gaze. “Hold on.” Trevor stepped behind the counter and opened the back door.  He couldn’t see or hear anyone down the hall.

There was a book tucked under the counter. When he opened it, everything was written in symbols across the pages. He set the book back down where it was.

“I know he’s coming.” Trevor rocked on his heels and started to whistle.

“Don’t do that, boy. It’s irritating.”

“Sorry.” He ducked under the doorway and went down the hall. “Zhang? There’s a customer.”

“Coming,” someone yelled out of the back all muffled. Zhang and his brother headed straight for Trevor and walked past him to the counter.

Zhang’s brother took care of the old woman. She frowned at Trevor when he passed her following Zhang out the front door. He glanced away.

Trevor’s eyes had to adjust to the bright sunlight outside the shop. Zhang stood by the door and waited.

Trevor wondered why Zhang wasn’t going for his horse.

“Are you ready?” Zhang asked.

“I’m waiting for you.”

“I’m ready.”

“Where’s your horse?”

“I will walk.”

“No, it’s too hot and too far for that.” Trevor looked around and sighed. “Come on.” He helped boost Zhang on the back of Old Swayback Manny. If there wasn’t anything more humiliating than his horse, it was the spectacle of the little man that sat behind him clutching his bag between Trevor’s back and his stomach. The ride back home was tediously quiet.