Damaged Hearts

by Angel Wolfe

  “Kaitlyn, listen to me” Rick said seriously. “Don’t do this to yourself; you know your injuries are far from being minor. From what we can tell, you have multiple broken ribs, your face is mess of blue, black and green, your cheek and jaw are swelled up pretty bad and could be broken or fractured, and you could barely walk let alone sew up a gunshot wound. Now stop this and let’s concentrate on getting the two of us better.”

  “You’re right Rick.” Kat sighed. “I’m sorry. I just…well, I guess I’m just upset at my own vulnerability. It’s not your fault, so I shouldn’t take it out on you.”

  “Look, it’s the ranch” Frank announced breaking the tension. “What are you going to need me to do?”

  Before long, Angel pulled up close to the house and Matt and Frank helped Rick out first and then gathered Kat up and carried her inside the house and to her room. Rick fluffed her pillows and turned back her bed before they gently set her in the middle of it. Angel and Marie followed them in and the men discreetly went out to the front room to wait, leaving the two young women to get her changed into some more comfortable clothing.

  It was a toss-up who gasped the loudest as Angel helped Kat out of her clothes and unwrapped her ribs. She knew her sister was badly bruised but seeing the damage herself in the light was so intense, she could almost feel the pain herself. At the same instant, Marie let out a surprised gasp at the sight.

  “Oh my” Marie exclaimed. “I knew you were hurt but I didn’t have any idea you were in such bad shape; you hid it very well.”

  “I saw some of the bruising last night but God Kat, she’s right. Looks like you had a thousand head of cattle stampede over top of you.” Angel added.

  After helping Kat into a soft cotton shirt of Rick’s that buttoned up the middle, Angel sent Marie out to get the men while whispering under her breath, “Tell Frank to ride for a doctor as soon as he can.”

  Rick and Matt came quickly up the hall and into the room. Rick marveled again at how beautiful she looked even though she was pitifully pale and bruised over a third of her body. Angel, knowing she needed to check his wound gave the command. “I got her settled in, now it’s your turn.” She pushed him to a chair, opened his shirt, removed the packing and bandage, and checked her stitches. “Looks like you’ve done pretty well with this, you haven’t broken it back open again, and it’s not bleeding.” She announced. “Well, you may as well get into that bed right next to Kat and see if you can keep each other still.”

  After watching to make sure he followed her orders, Angel and Matt left them to rest and wandered out to check the animals, running into Marie in the barn. “What am I going to do about my father?” She asked miserably. “I just can’t get over him letting all those horrible things happen to anyone, let alone someone of his own blood. I mean, if he can encourage or even order something like that to happen to Kaitlyn, how do I know he won’t allow it to happen to me?”

  “Marie, I won’t argue that your father is a monster but if he was never like that with you then you don’t know the horrible side of him. You know him as a father and no matter what else happens, you should remember the good times you had with him. Move on with your life and treasure what you did have.” Angel said. “I know Kat; she won’t hold any of this against you and we are more than willing to give you a place to stay and the means to move your life forward in a new direction. It won’t be the life you had before, we have no way to give that to you, but you’ll be warm and have plenty to eat.”

  “I really appreciate that.” Marie said sincerely. “I think I will take advantage of what you’re offering.”

  “I better get headed into town to check on James.” Matt told them. “And while I’m there I may see if I can talk to my father or at least Kat’s attorney about what’s been going on.”

  “Frank should be here with the doctor before long Matt. If you want to take one of the other horses, please feel free. Lucifer looks a little tired and could probably use a rest.” Angel added.

  “Wait, do you think I could go with you into town?” Marie asked. “I need to let Frances know that I am ok, plus I may have a chance to speak with her father, who is the mayor.”

  “I don’t see what it would hurt, as long as it’s ok with Angel.” Matt said pointedly shifting the question to keep himself out of trouble.

  “I think speaking with the mayor would be a very good idea.” Angel agreed. “Since you’re going to town anyway, it only makes sense that she ride with you.”

  Having heard the decision, Matt choose Scotch, a stout palomino gelding that was in the sale pen and brought Flower out at the same time, going back into the barn for the saddles and tack. Finally, after several trips, he had both horses tacked up and ready to ride.

  Noticing that Marie had made herself scarce, Matt kissed Angel long and lingeringly wishing that they could spend a week or even a day in bed together. Come to think of it, he wasn’t sure that they had ever spent so much as a single night in a bed. Most of the time, it was a few stolen minutes in a barn or somewhere outside. Not that she seemed to mind, but he wanted more for his future wife.

  Marie came back out of the house dressed in her riding skirt with her gloves in hand. Matt gave Angel one more quick kiss then helped Marie up into her saddle. Handing her the reins, he swung up on the back of Scotch, turned the horse, and with Marie following behind, headed out of the yard towards town.

  Angel, found herself alone with her sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law to take care of was unsure what to do with herself while they slept. She went into the kitchen and did the few dishes that were in the sink and started some bread baking. She then went out to the smokehouse and cut off a large piece of meat that was big enough to feed everyone and a smaller piece that she could boil to make some broth.

  After starting the broth to making, she sliced the larger piece into smaller bits, which she covered and set to the side to cook later. She then counted out potatoes and went to peeling and cutting them up before putting them in a dish and covering them with water to keep them from turning black before she was ready to cook them

  After getting everything ready so she could start dinner later, she went to check on her patients. Opening the door, she saw a sight that made her smile. Kat was snuggled up in Rick’s arms with her head on his chest. Not wanting to disturb them, she covered them with a light blanket and left the room pulling the door almost shut.

  The house was much quieter then she was used to. It was something different for her; not having someone to talk to. To give her hands something to do, she cleaned out the coffee pot and put some fresh on to perk. After running a cloth over a few pieces of furniture to eliminate the dust, she gave up and went outside to sit on the porch and rest for a short while.

  After what must have only been thirty minutes or so, Rick appeared at the doorway looking around before stepping out and taking a seat next to her on the bench. “I think she’s going to be ok Angel.” He said after sitting there for a moment or two. “She feels bad that she wasn’t there for me after I was injured though and I don’t really know what to make of that.” He confessed. “I was the one that wasn’t there for her, and George took her. She got hurt again and I didn’t keep that from happening.”

  “Rick, I think the two of you are feeling more guilt than what there is to go around. Neither of you should feel bad. You didn’t know that she was going to be kidnapped if you went to talk to a preacher. She didn’t know that you were injured and would need patching up before she passed out. Angel answered almost frustrated. “What the two of you need to concentrate on is moving forward, not dwelling on what has already happened.” Angel added. “One thing you could do though is talk to Morgan. Matt told me how much Ali loves Kat but what I have heard from almost all of you is how Morgan acts toward any female that crosses your threshold.”

  “Morgan was very close to her mother. It has been hard on her since she died.” Rick defended, all the while knowing that he didn’t need to. If anyone could unders
tand missing family, it would be these two women that lived in this house. “I had planned on bringing the kids around more once I was more certain of Kaitlyn’s acceptance of my proposal.”

  “What’s stopping you now? You know Ali would jump at the chance to spend time with Kat. Morgan wouldn’t be happy about it but if she got to spend time with you too, she might get accept it better.” Angel offered.

  “Maybe it would be a good idea for us all to stay here for a bit. Bring Consuela and the kids and possibly move some of stock to a closer pasture to make it easier for Adam to handle.” Rick said thoughtfully. “How many rooms do you have in the house?”

  “We have four, and there is space in the main room to make up some pallets if we need to.” Angel answered. “Plus, if it would make things easier, Matt and I could stay at your place or in the bunkhouse and Morgan and Ali could share my room. I know it isn’t proper but we are going to be married before long; it’s not like I’ll end up pregnant or something.” She laughed.

  “Speaking of Matt, where did he take off to?” Rick asked. “He and I should talk about that and a few other things before he heads back to the house.”

  “He went into town and took Marie with him. He wanted to check on James and talk to your father if he could, plus he thought maybe he should talk to Kat’s attorney too.” Angel explained.

  “I think he may even have a few words with the mayor if Marie can talk him into listening.”

  “Sounds like he’ll be in town for quite a while.” Rick said. They heard hoof beats and turned their attention to the yard. “Looks like the doctor is here.”

  Rick went inside and Angel went out to the yard to meet Dr. Applewhite. Frank dismounted, obviously tired, and took the reins of his horse and the doctor’s, walking them to cool them before loosening their cinches and taking them to the water.

  Angel escorted the doctor inside where they met Rick in the main room. “So I hear we have multiple problems that need to be checked out.” The doctor said. “Where shall we start?”

  “Kaitlyn is in her room resting but I’d like to have her checked out first. I have a gunshot wound but Angel cleaned, stitched and dressed it; it’s just a flesh wound and not giving me any trouble.” Rick answered.

  “Well, where is her room and I‘ll get started.” The doctor arched a questioning eyebrow at Rick.

  Stepping between the two men before they went at each other Angel told him “If you’ll follow me please, my sister is just down the hall.”

  As they walked into the room, the doctor took note of the plain appearance of it. “Are you certain this is your sister’s room?” He asked confused. “If it’s not, she would be much more comfortable in her own.”

  “Yes Dr. Applewhite, I am positive that this is my sister’s room.” Angel sighed. “She does not really have any items of sentimental value and does not care for frills. Let me wake her and let her know you are here.” Angel quickly roused her sister and straightened her clothing and bedding. “Dr. Applewhite is here to check out your injuries Kat.” She informed her.

  “What’s this that I hear about you having been kidnapped again?” The doctor began. “Let’s go ahead and look at these ribs and see if we can determine how bad off you are.”

  Angel helped Kat out of her shirt and then gave her a towel that she had thoughtfully brought into the room earlier to cover herself. The doctor looked pointedly at the bruises all over the parts of her body that were still exposed. “What happened to you girl?”

  “You’ve already been told, I was kidnapped and held by George Jenkins. I think part of the bruising is from the saddle horn digging into me when he threw me over the horse. I rode face down for what seemed like a several hours. More of the bruising is from where he kicked me repeatedly in the ribs and then of course the bruises on my face are from being hit repeatedly.” Kat took a breath. “As for the rest, he molested me but there is nothing you can do to fix that. He wasn’t able to force himself on me though because I laughed at him. That seemed to make him unable to perform; thank God.”

  “Sounds like you had a major ordeal...again.” The doctor told her. “Let’s check out these ribs and see what’s going on with them.” He helped her sit up, then he and Angel slowly unwrapped her. “Oh my God, this is much worse than I thought. How do you manage to breathe my dear?” He asked noticing that Rick had stepped into the room and was quietly surveying the bruises himself.

  “If the man wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him myself with my bare hands. The Sheriff may get the same punishment.” He ground out. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hurting so bad? And don’t try to tell me you weren’t hurting, your bruises give away too much.”

  “Rick, I must demand that you leave at once. This is highly improper and you are not helping her at all by yelling at her.” The doctor stated, pointing at the door.

  “This is my future wife you are talking about.” Rick informed the doctor as Angel escorted him into the hall; he only went because he agreed with the doctor that yelling would not do Kaitlyn any good.

  Closing the door softly behind them, Rick went back to the main room to wait for the news as Angel went into the kitchen for more supplies. He had already seen some of the bruises but this was the first he had seen of the ones on her chest and he assumed her breasts were as bad. It made him irate all over again just thinking about it.

  “Well young lady,” The doctor started “I agree with your sister, it looks like you have two broken and two cracked ribs. Binding them is about all we can do for that. Your cheekbone seems to be fractured and will heal on its own and your jaw and nose are both broke. Your wrist, which I am not even sure you noticed with all your other pain, is only sprained, so we will wrap it. As for the black eye and all the other bruises and swelling; I’ll leave some liniment and time will help those to heal.”

  “So how soon before I can work cattle and train my horses?” Kat asked, knowing she really didn’t want the answer.

  “I’d say in about four weeks you’ll be able to ease into doing some of the light work and go back to full time in as early as six.” He replied knowing full well that she would not listen to his orders. She had always been independent and after seeing her numerous times for injuries, he knew she had a stiff tolerance for pain. He also knew that if she thought she might possibly be able to get into the saddle, she would.

  “Doc, you know as well as I do that I can’t wait six weeks before I work my yearlings again. I have to be out there daily if not every other day.” She argued. “How about two weeks? If I promise to go light and wait for four weeks before doing anything heavier, will two weeks be ok?”

  “Let’s discuss this later, like maybe on my next visit. Now, do I need to further my exam? I can tell just by what I’ve seen so far that more happened than what you have said.” The doctor started. “I know you don’t want to go into a lot of detail but I need to know, are there other things that I need to check?”

  “No Doc, he hurt me bad but he didn’t accomplish what he wanted to. Strangely enough when I laughed at him, he couldn’t make himself perform.” She explained. “He was quite brutal in a lot of ways but at least I didn’t have to suffer what I went through last time and there’s no chance of unwanted results from anything like that.”

  “Well, if you’re sure. Before I go though, let me treat those abrasions on your face and arms and we definitely need to drain and dress that nasty gash on your leg; Angel didn’t mention it. Did you know it was there?” He asked as he began putting antiseptic on her arms first and then her face, making her jump in pain. “This one on your leg is the worst of any of these, what happened?”

  “I either got that from some low lying brush or when he dragged me across the camp site and I tried to escape. He threw me down and I remember feeling something rip from the stump that I hit.” She answered. “How bad is it? I forgot to mention it to Angel or Rick so no one has looked at it yet.”

  “Well, you’ve got a rather bad infection and quite a b
it of swelling in the infected area.” He explained. “There is the beginning of a red streak running up the back of the leg which is the worst part. If we don’t take care of this infection fast, you stand a chance of losing your leg.”

  “Oh God Doc, NO! That can’t happen. Rick is taking on damaged goods anyway agreeing to marry me after knowing what happened with George all that time ago. There’s no way I could let him have a wife with a bad or missing leg.” Kat sobbed. “What can you do? I can endure anything so long as I don’t lose it and I can go to my husband as almost a whole woman.”

  “Calm down Kaitlyn, let’s see if we can get it cleaned up and some of the infection drained.” The doctor said. “This is going to hurt like the dickens but I think you’ll handle it fine. Just to be sure though…ah here she is.” The doctor interrupted himself as Angel came back through the door carrying whisky and more rags.

  “Oh no!” She gasped almost dropping the tray.

  “I guess that answers that question.” Kat spoke up as she supported herself on her elbows. “Well Doc, as bad as I hate to say it; do your worst. Angel, bring a leather strap if you would.”