Holding Their Own IV: The Ascent (32 page)

Bishop had to laugh, the effort causing his scalp discomfort. The pain was quickly followed by a warm liquid feeling running
down his neck. Terri saw it too. “Bishop, let’s go find the doctor—you’re bleeding through the bandages.”

Backtracking to
The Manor, the couple entered the famous gardens of the remote retreat. Betty, through methods unknown, somehow managed to keep the renowned landscaping perfect. This was no small feat, given the general lack of civilization and its associated fertilizers and pesticides.

The pool was also pristine, but that wasn’t such a mystery. The pumps and filters were solar powered
, and the hotel had a significant supply of chemicals on hand when the world had gone to hell. As they walked by, Bishop had to wonder how long those pre-collapse supplies would last.

The town now used one wing of
the hotel’s rooms as a makeshift hospital. It seemed logical to Terri that they would find the doctor here. No such luck. All of the doors were closed, the garden absolutely quiet with the exception of the singing birds enjoying the variety of plant life.

“There’s nobody around
, Bishop. Let’s go back to the truck, and I’ll change the bandage myself.”

“Do you promise not to crack anymore ear jokes if I agree to submit?”

“No.”

Bishop did his best to act hurt;
the faked pout on his face only served to make Terri laugh. “Poor, poor, Bishop. He has a booboo, and it’s ouchie. Come on young man, I’ll put a Band-Aid on your skinned knee.”

“Terri, you can try to mother me all you want, but it’s going to take more than a lollipop to reward
me
for good behavior.”

Bishop made a half
-hearted attempt to grab Terri’s backside, but she was too nimble and escaped, scampering a few steps ahead of him and staying out of reach as they made their way to the parking lot. At the back of the pickup, she suddenly turned and tried her best to be serious. Poking her finger in Bishop’s chest, she commanded, “Now you behave yourself, young man. If you make me jump while I’m dressing your wound, I might slip and cause you additional pain or injury.”

“Okay.”

Bishop removed his hat and sat on the tailgate while Terri worked on his wound. She was about halfway through the procedure when Betty’s voice sounded from the gate.

“What’s going on out here? Terri
, is that you?”

Terri leaned around the cab and waved at Betty
. “Hey there. Have you seen the doctor?”

Betty didn’t answer the question directly. “What’s the matter
, Terri? Is something wrong with the baby?”

“Oh, no
. . . well . . . not
this
baby,” replied Terri, while rubbing her tummy. “It’s my larger baby that needs medical attention.”

It took Betty a second to figure out
whom Terri was talking about, the realization causing concern. “Bishop?”

Rather than try
ing to explain, Terri waved her friend over to see for herself. Betty rounded the pickup’s bed and saw Bishop sitting there, her view restricted to the uninjured side of his head. “Terri, thank God the baby’s okay. You had me worried there for a second.”

Again, Bishop faked hurt feelings. “I’m not hurt too badly, Betty. Thank you for the concern.”

The remark drew a stern look from the hotel’s manager. “You look fine to me, Bishop. What’s wrong with. . . .” Bishop turned his head slightly so she could see the damage.

“Ouch! Let me take a look at that.”

Bishop turned his head so Betty could see the full extent of his cranial damage, half-expecting sympathy.

Betty responded to the carnage.
“So, Bishop, you finally drove poor Terri over the edge, and she took a shot at ya, didn’t she?”

Terri struggled to keep a straight face, finally snorting loudly as she tried to turn away. Betty wasn’t done yet. “I see that super thick skull saved you again. Good thing she didn’t borrow my 12
-gauge, or you’d be done for. As it is, you need to see the doctor.”

“We’ve been looking for the doc,” Bishop commented.

“He’s taking care of that kid that got shot this morning from Alpha.” Betty hesitated, trying to recall the name. “You know the one. His father is a friend of yours—the big guy and his son that showed up at Pete’s last week.”

Bishop ho
pped off the pickup’s tailgate, “Kevin! Someone shot Kevin?”

Terri was in shock as well
. “Oh my God, Betty. Is he going to be okay?”

“He was hit in the chest i
s all I know. They sped into town just after first light this morning, horn blaring, and raising a fuss. Pete and I helped them get the boy into a room where the doc’s been working on him ever since.”

“Betty, we walked
by there, and everything looked closed up and quiet. I don’t understand.”

“Doc felt like he needed more light to treat the patient. We moved them to one of the rooms in the main building
, it has a lot bigger windows and not as much shade. The boy’s father and that woman from the church in Alpha are both in there; Pete just took them some food.”

Betty read t
he horrified look on both faces. “Come ’on, I’ll take you over there. The doctor is going to do surgery soon, but I don’t think he’s started yet.”

Terri finished wrapping Bishop’s head
, and then everyone rushed back into the gardens. A short time later, they entered The Manor’s main building, and Betty knocked gently on the doorframe.

Diana answered, her eyes showing surprise at seeing Terri. While the girls were hugging, Diana acknowledged Bishop standing nearby. “Well hello
, stranger. I’ve not seen you in a long time.”

“Hello there
, Ms. Brown. It’s good to see you too. What’s it been, two days? How’s Kevin?”

Nick, curious about the commotion outside, stuck his head out into the hall. When he saw Bish
op and Terri, he stepped into the hall, closing the door behind him. Terri embraced him while gushing, “Oh, Nick. I’m so sorry. How is Kevin? How are you?”

Nick flashed Bishop a look of, “Am I glad to see you,” while the two men pumped hands. Facing both of his friends, Nick began. “Kevin and I wer
e going hunting this morning. I rousted him before dawn, and we were heading into the mountains. As we were walking past the county courthouse, I saw a light flash in the basement. We went to investigate, and two guys shot Kevin on the way out.”

Terri raised her hands to her cheeks, “How bad is it?”
 

“He took a rifle round to the lung. The bullet shattered his shoulder blade and fragmented there. The
doc is trying to figure out how to drain his lung and then operate, but the lack of equipment is holding him back. It’s 50/50 right now.”

Bishop had to ask, “What happened to the two guys who shot him? Who were they?”

“They got away clean. I have no idea who they were or what they were after. Kevin stayed back while I went into the basement to see what was going on. They got around me somehow and shot Kevin at the top of the stairs.”

Bishop was puzzled
. “No idea who they were or what they were after? Is there food or fuel stored in that area?”

Deacon Brown cut in, “No, it doesn’t make any sense. T
here’s nothing down in that basement but old tax records, marriage certificates, birth records, that sort of thing. There is nothing of value down there, nothing worth killing a boy over.”

Something in Diana’s explanation connected with Bishop. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Did you say old tax records?”

“Yes, why?”

Bishop’s felt weak
, and it showed. Terri went to his side, taking an arm. “Bishop, what’s the matter? You don’t look so good.”

Nick cut in, “That was
my
next question. Bishop, you look like you’ve taken an ass kicking.”

Bishop looked at Terri, his expression pained. “I paid the ranch’s property taxes at that courthouse every year. That’s how they knew where the ranch was.”

Nick and Diana didn’t get it and started peppering questions. “What? What do you mean, Bishop? Who knew what?”

Bishop held up his hand to stop the barrage. “I’ve got to sit down, I don’t feel so good.”

Betty opened the door to another room, escorting Bishop to a chair. After he was seated, she smiled lovingly and said, “You need to have your head examined,” which everyone thought was very funny.

The doctor loo
ked over the top of his glasses. “Bishop, I don’t have any local anesthetic to give you. Maybe we should ask Pete if he‘d donate some of his bathtub gin to take the edge off. It worked in the old Western movies.”

Bishop waved him off.
“It’s okay, Doc. I can stand a few staples.”

“I don’t have any staples, only an old fashion
ed needle and thread. That ear is going to take a lot of sewing, Bishop. I found a considerable amount of tissue still there, hanging loose. I can reattach it, or I can amputate it. It’s up to you.”

Bishop sighed, “That’s Terri’s call. She’s the one who has to look at me. We don’t have many mirrors around the ranch.”

Terri, resting in a nearby chair, rose to get a closer look at what the doctor meant. Bishop could feel the probing as the doctor indicated his plans to Terri. 

“You see this section here
. . . and here. I can sew those back on. It won’t look like his other ear, but it will help even things out a little.”

Terri moved to face Bishop, her expression deadpan serious as she held her husband’s hand. “Bishop, how is your eyesight?”

Puzzled, Bishop frowned, but answered. “Okay, I guess. I’ve not noticed any issues so far. Why?”

Terri looked down at her feet before responding, a prediction of bad news. “Because if we don’t sew on those ear-scraps, I don’t think you’ll
ever be able to wear glasses.”

The doctor chuckled out loud, quickly trying to recover from the indiscretion. “Sorry.”

Bishop just rolled his eyes at Terri’s joke. “How many stitches, Doc?”

“I would estimate about 80 or so. You’ve got a
two-inch long gash that’s down to the bone. The ear will take the majority of the work. I suggest you sample some of Pete’s latest concoction before I take a needle to your head.”

“I’m not much for drinking, Doc, but it sounds like Pete’s wares might help a little.
Putting 160 more holes in my head doesn’t sound like much of a party.”

The sawbones nodded his understanding, “If the situation were reversed, I think a few nips would be in order. It’s the best we can do. I’ll send someone down to Pete’s to retrieve a bottle. Meanwhile, I want to clean all those little lacerations on your face and apply some antibiotic crème.”

Looking up at Terri, the doctor winked and added, “Oh, and Bishop . . . I’m going to
ear
igate that wound.”

Bishop mumbled, thinking of drinking for the first time in years. “For medicinal purposes only.”

Pete knocked on the doorframe, holding a bottle of some yellowish liquid and a paper bag. “What’s this I hear of Bishop getting into a fight with Mike Tyson?”