Beloved Physician (21 page)

Since Belton was facing the marshal, he did not see Greg Holton.

As he was silently moving up behind the man who had Cassandra in his grasp, Greg noted that the hammer of the man’s gun was not cocked. This would make things easier.

Still unaware of what was taking place behind her, Cassandra jerked when she heard the sudden sound of the crowbar savagely striking her captor’s head. Instantly, the man’s hold on her slackened; then his arm fell away. His gun clattered on the wooden floor. She was aware of a loud
thump
on the boardwalk behind her.

She spun around and saw the man motionless on the wooden floor. Suddenly, she was aware of Greg standing there with the crowbar in his hand, grinning at her.

Eyes wide with surprise, Cassandra threw herself into Greg’s arms, releasing a wail of relief. Greg grabbed her tightly, realizing her knees were giving way. She slumped into the safety of his arms, but the trauma was too much for her. She fainted.

Down on the street, Waco Belton heard the feminine wail of relief and gripped his gun handle as he looked over his shoulder and saw his accomplice lying on the boardwalk and the girl in the young man’s arms.

Everybody in the crowd knew blood was about to be spilled. They began edging their way toward the walls of the stores and shops.

Wrath swept through Waco Belton like lava flowing from an erupting volcano and brought stinging blood into his cheeks. Still gripping his gun, he turned back to face Merrell, drawing as he turned.

Merrell saw it and his gun came out of its holster with lightning speed.

Thunder from the Colt .45 Peacemaker rocked the street, and in ear-stabbing reverberations, racketed through the town.

Waco Belton’s eyes bulged in unbelief as he dropped his gun and staggered backward a few steps, throwing both hands to the wound where the .45 slug had plowed into his chest. His face seemed to pull apart as his eyes glazed. With a strangling sound, he fell flat on his back.

Dr. Dane Logan moved up beside the marshal. “I think he’s dead, Jake.”

“Lets see.”

The crowd looked on wide-eyed and silent as the marshal and the doctor knelt down beside Waco Belton. There was no rise and fall of his chest and no part of his body was moving.

Dr. Dane placed experienced fingers to the side of Belton’s neck and shook his head. “He’s dead.”

Merrell nodded solemnly. “I tried to keep from killing him, Doc. He flat wouldn’t let me.”

“Anybody could see that,” said Dr. Dane, rising to his feet. “I’d better see to Cassandra and the accomplice. Greg hit him pretty hard. But he had it coming.”

“I’ll be with you in a minute. Manfred Wiggins is in the crowd. I’ll turn Belton’s body over to him. If the other guy is dead too, he’ll have two to bury.”

Dr. Dane hurried to the spot on the boardwalk where Greg was sitting on a bench, holding the unconscious Cassandra cradled in his arms while Tharyn was bending over her with Rosemary at her side. Others were standing around, looking down at Cassandra.

Tharyn looked up at her husband. “She’ll come to in a minute, I’m sure.”

Dane smiled at his wife. “Thanks for seeing to her.” He laid a palm on Cassandra’s cheek, raised an eyelid, and examined the eye. “You’re right, honey. She’ll come around shortly.”

The doctor then looked to the spot where Waco Belton’s accomplice lay facedown on the boardwalk. Two townsmen were standing over him. One of them held the accomplice’s gun in his hand. The other one said, “He took a pretty good whack on the head by Greg, Doctor. He’s bleeding some, but he’s still breathing.”

Dr. Dane knelt beside the unconscious man, examined the bloody gash on the back of his head, and looked at Greg. “You really did whack him a good one.”

Cassandra was stirring now.

Greg met the doctor’s gaze and nodded. “I wanted to make sure I eliminated him as a threat.”

Dr. Dane grinned. “You did that, all right.”

On the street, Marshal Jake Merrell motioned to undertaker Manfred Wiggins, who was in the forefront of the crowd. Wiggins hurried to him.

“Manfred,” said the marshal, “take Belton’s body and bury it. The town will pick up the bill. This other guy who was with him may be dead, too. If he is, the town will also pick up the bill on him.”

The undertaker nodded. “Be back in a few minutes, Marshal.” He stepped up to a man in the crowd and asked him for help in carrying the body to the undertaking parlor.

Merrell watched them carrying the body away, then hurried toward the boardwalk where Dr. Dane had gone to see about Cassandra and Belton’s accomplice. While he was threading his
way through the crowd, people were shouting their congratulations to him for the way he took out Waco Belton.

The marshal drew up to the boardwalk in front of Wortman’s clothing store to hear Greg Holton saying that Cassandra had fainted just before Marshal Merrell gunned down Waco Belton.

At that moment, Cassandra began moaning in Greg’s arms and rolling her head back and forth.

Greg looked up at the doctor and nurse. “She’s waking up.”

Dr. Dane and Tharyn both smiled as they looked at her.

Tharyn began rubbing Cassandra’s hands with her own as Dr. Dane stood over them looking on. She smiled at Greg. “You’d better prepare yourself. Since you saved this girl’s life, she’s going to look at you as her hero.”

Greg grinned. “I can handle it, Mrs. Logan.”

Tharyn winked at Rosemary, then looked back at Greg. “I think you probably can,”

Cassandra was moaning and rolling her head back and forth.

Greg said, “Cassandra, it’s okay. You’re safe now. Come on. Open your eyes. Dr. and Mrs. Logan are here. No one is going to hurt you.”

Ever so slowly, Cassandra opened her eyes, blinking rapidly at the brightness of the early afternoon sun. Licking her dry lips, she tried to speak, but the words came out in a croak. She swallowed and tried once more, but could only make a gasping sound. Her eyes went shut again.

Greg looked at the doctor. “Would you hold her, Dr. Logan, while I run down to the general store and get her some water?”

“I’ll get her some,” spoke up a middle-aged man on the front edge of the crowd. “Be right back.”

Greg called out a word of thanks as the man hurried away.

Dr. Dane leaned down and laid a hand on Cassandra’s brow. “It’s Dr. Logan, Cassandra. Water is on the way.”

Greg looked down at her with adoration. “Cassandra, try again to open your eyes.”

She forced her glassy eyes open, trying with difficulty to focus them on Greg’s face.

He smiled. “Did you hear what I said before? No one is going to hurt you now.”

She nodded. Her words came out shakily and with a croaking sound. “Yes, Greg. I heard you.”

At that moment, the man who had gone after the water drew up, puffing, holding a cup of water in his hand.

Rosemary smiled at him and took the cup from his hand. “Thank you, sir.”

He grinned and took a couple of steps back.

Greg raised Cassandra’s head slightly. “Rosemary’s got water for you.”

“Just take small sips, Cassandra,” said Dr. Dane.

After Cassandra had drained the cup sip by sip, she set her eyes on Greg. Her voice was still a bit raspy. “Y-you hit that vile man on the head with something, didn’t you?”

Greg nodded. “Mm-hmm. A crowbar.”

She smiled. “You’re my hero.”

Greg looked at Tharyn and blushed.

Dr. Dane bent down and said, “Cassandra, you’re going to be fine. Mrs. Logan will stay with you a little longer and make sure you can walk all right. I’ve got to see to this man who was holding his gun to your head.”

She blinked. “Is he going to jail?”

“He sure is. It’s my duty as a doctor to do what I can to stop the bleeding on his head where Greg popped him, but after that, I’m turning him over to Marshal Merrell for arrest and prosecution. There were plenty of witnesses, that’s for sure.”

Merrell said, “I’ll get someone to help me, Doctor, and we’ll carry this guy to your office so you can look him over and stitch
up that gash in his head. When you’re finished, he’s going into a cell. I’ll bring him up before one of the county judges as soon as he’s able to stand before him.”

As Dr. Dane was about to comment, Deputy Len Kurtz rode up and dismounted. Immediately, people in the crowd began telling Kurtz what happened. He stepped up to the spot where his boss and the doctor were standing over the unconscious man. “Need help, Marshal? Doctor?”

“Yes,” said Merrell. “Help me carry this guy over to the doctor’s office.”

Dr. Dane led the two lawmen as they carried Waco Belton’s accomplice toward the office.

The crowd was still cheering Marshal Jake Merrell for taking out the gunslinger.

A
s the two lawmen were carrying the unconscious accomplice of Waco Belton down the street with Dr. Dane Logan beside them, Tharyn kept her eyes on them.

Greg Holton noticed it. “Mrs. Logan, if you need to be there to help Dr. Logan work on that man, I’ll stay right here with Cassandra until she’s doing better. You go on.”

“When Cassandra is feeling up to it,” said Rosemary, “Greg and I will take her home. If Dr. Logan wants to check on her later, I’m sure her Aunt Mabel would welcome it.”

Tharyn smiled at both of them. “All right. There are patients waiting to see my husband, too. I’ll go help him.”

Stepping off the boardwalk into the dust of the street, Tharyn lifted her skirt just above her ankles and ran after her husband and the other men as fast as she could go.

She drew up beside her husband, who was surprised to see her. They were almost to the office, where the patients who had appointments were waiting on the boardwalk and looking on.

Tharyn looked up at Dane. “I thought I’d better come and help you. Greg and Rosemary are going to take Cassandra home as soon as she feels like it. You can check on her later, if you wish.”

“I’ll do that … and yes, I really do need you.”

As they drew up to the front of the office, Dr. Dane hurried ahead of Marshal Jake Merrell and Deputy Len Kurtz as they carried the man who had put the gun to Cassandra Wheatley’s head.

He was now moaning, moving his head back and forth, and blinking his eyes.

Dr. Dane hopped up onto the boardwalk and opened the door. As the lawmen carried the man past him into the office, Tharyn was on their heels. Just as he was about to follow her inside, he heard the voice of Western Union Agent Charlie Holmes call his name.

Holmes stepped up with a yellow envelope in his hand. “Telegram for you, Doctor. It’s from Chief U.S. Marshal John Brockman in Denver.”

“Thanks, Charlie.”

“You’re welcome, Doctor. I’m sure glad Marshal Merrell took out that gunslinger and Greg whacked his accomplice on the noggin. See you later.”

Dr. Dane turned to his patients, who were standing on the boardwalk. “Come on in and sit down, folks. I’ll get to you as soon as I can.”

One of the male patients took hold of the door, freeing the doctor to hurry after the two lawmen and his wife. As he passed Tharyn’s desk, he dropped the yellow envelope on top and dashed into the examining room, where the lawmen were placing the groggy man on a table.

The marshal looked at the doctor. “We’ll stay right here till you’ve patched him up. Then we’ll take him and put him in a cell.”

Dr. Dane nodded. “Right.” He then reached into the man’s hip pocket, took out his wallet, and handed it to Merrell. “Maybe there’s something in here that’ll tell you who this guy is.”

The marshal grinned and took the wallet. “We’ll soon find out.”

Tharyn was at the medicine cabinet, picking up needle, thread, bandage material, and a bottle of wood alcohol. She hurried to the cart beside the table and laid them in place, while her husband went to the nearby basin to wash his hands.

When the doctor drew up to the table, the foggy-eyed man gave him a hard look. “What about Waco?”

“He’s dead. He lost when he drew against Marshal Jake Merrell here.”

The patient mumbled something indistinguishable under his breath, clenched his teeth, and looked up at the marshal.

“So your name’s Claude Yardley,” Merrell said levelly.

The patient frowned and started to speak, but Dr. Dane cut him off by saying, “Mr. Yardley, relax. I’ve got to stitch up this gash in your head.”

Greg Holton was still holding Cassandra Wheatley in his arms when her eyes finally came clear. Rosemary Snyder sat beside them on the bench, and smiled down at her friend when she saw her looking at her.

Cassandra blinked. “Rosemary, are you all right?”

“Just a little shaky down deep inside, but now that you’re doing better, I’ll be okay.”

Cassandra nodded, focused on Greg’s face, then threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Greg, for saving my life! That beast would have killed me for sure if you hadn’t hit him with the crowbar.”

Many townspeople had gathered around them and were commending Greg for what he had done.

Rosemary set appreciative eyes on Greg. “I want to thank you too, Greg, for having the courage to bash that guy on the cranium. He’s looking at jail time, for sure.”