Journeys West Chapter 6 The Plot Thickens
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Journeys West - Chapter 12 - The Plot Thickens free porn video
Chapter 12 - The Plot Thickens
She squinted at the bright light in her eyes. It was like the sun was
shining directly into her face. Her head felt like it had been packed
with cotton and she was having trouble making sense of anything.
Realization grew on her that she had been looking at the same spot on
the curtain wall beside the bed for minutes before she even knew that it
was there.
A dull ache in her shoulder got her attention and served to help her cut
through some of the fogginess. The last thing she remembered was a
sharp pain in her shoulder outside Hiram's garage. As more sensation
returned to her body, she was confused when she didn't feel the gravel
and concrete of the garage under her. Instead, it felt like she was
lying on some kind of a cushion.
Her eyes flashed open as she took stock of where she was. The lights
above her were the standard fluorescent fixtures in a drop ceiling.
Turning her head, she saw a curtain that surrounded her bed. It looked
to her that she might be in the hospital or a medical facility, but she
couldn't tell.
A nurse seated in a chair beside the bed looked up at Mary Sue's
movement and stepped to her side.
"Miss McLaughlin? How are you feeling?"
Mary Sue blinked and just looked at her. She felt like she was waking
up, but the ability to put words together eluded her. The nurse could
see that she was not quite coherent and smiled patiently.
"You're going to be okay," she said. "You are in the hospital and I'm
just keeping an eye on you until you're all the way awake."
Mary was getting her wits and strength back quickly. She nodded her
understanding and tried to speak. She managed to get out, "What
happened?"
"Well, you were shot in the shoulder. I assisted Doctor Morton with
your surgery and he removed what looked like a musket ball."
At Mary's surprised look, she continued, "Doctor Morton would be here to
talk to you about your surgery, but he had to go into surgery on
another
emergency. I'm a Physician's Assistant, so I'm able to discuss
everything with you when you're ready."
"Could I have something to drink?"
"Sure." The doctor picked up a cup from the table beside the bed and
held a straw for her.
Once her throat wasn't quite so dry, she asked, "How long have I been
here?"
"You were brought in a little less than six hours ago and we operated as
quickly as we could wheel you into an operating room. You were
actually
very lucky. It looks like the slug missed your collar bone and the
artery in your shoulder. It basically hit soft tissue and only
penetrated part way. I've actually seen cowboys with worse damage."
She smiled encouragingly.
"How long do you think I will need to be here?" Events seemed to be
conspiring to keep her from leaving, even though certain people wanted
her to go and she was willing to do so.
"Doctor Morton wants to keep you here for a while longer, but I would
think could go home tomorrow. There are a couple of people who have
been waiting to see you. Are you up to it?"
Mary Sue nodded with a smile. She was pretty sure that one of the
people waiting to talk to her was Pat and she wanted to see him more
than ever now.
She stepped through the curtain and was gone for a few minutes before
she returned leading Pat and Leslie.
Mary Sue looked at them and said, "Hi. I'm glad to see you guys."
Leslie just smiled while Pat said, "The doctor told us that you were
going to be okay. How do you feel?"
"My shoulder hurts some, but I don't think that the pain killer they
used has worn off yet."
The Physician's Assistant hadn't left the enclosed space; she had just
stepped to one side to allow Pat and Leslie to come in. She spoke up.
"Doctor Morton prescribed a pain killer for you; he thought that you
might need it for the next couple of days. You'll probably want to use
a sling to manage the pain."
"I guess I won't be driving my car for a few days then."
"That's okay," Pat said. "I'm able to get around, so I'll be your
chauffeur. Besides, I don't plan on leaving your side." He smiled at
the thought that they might be spending even more time together.
"You don't understand," Mary said, looking at him sadly. "I was going
to leave town and continue following the wagon train. There have been
too many things happening around me and I didn't want you to get hurt
again."
Pat's expression went through several changes in a matter of moments.
First his eyebrows rose in surprise and then he frowned and then he
smiled.
"Well I have a few more days to show you that you don't need to run
away."
"I'm afraid that you need to remain in town while I look into this
anyway, Miss McLaughlin," Leslie said.
Pat didn't look too surprised by the trooper's statement, but Mary was.
Leslie continued, "I've had a chance to look at the bullet that they
took out of your shoulder. It's the kind of bullet that was used by
antique rifles, which is why I think you are alive."
"I thought that you had been told to leave," Mary said. "I saw the
other troopers leaving town."
Leslie smiled grimly and nodded. "I was out of contact with my office
until after I heard that you were shot. I reported in after I was able
to look at the bullet they removed from your shoulder and found that we
had been recalled." She paused and glanced at the P. A. for a moment
who mimed that her lips were sealed and then continued, "When I
explained that I thought that there might be more going on here in town
than the sheriff might be able to handle, my captain gave me clearance
to stay. But I'm on my own."
Both Pat and Mary looked at her when she broke that news. "Do you think
that you can handle it on your own?" Pat asked.
Leslie's smile promised many things. Its greatest message was that she
wasn't concerned. "I can handle myself, I was an armorer in the Marine
Corps during Desert Storm and I've been a state trooper for several
years." She proceeded to ask Mary questions to find out what had
happened to her from the time she had left the hospital to get clothes
for Pat. She took notes of everything that Mary told her, but her face
gave nothing away about anything that she heard.
When Mary described how she had planned to leave town after dropping off
Pat's clothes, his shocked expression made her stop. "There were too
many things happening around me," she said. Her eyes filled with tears
when she said, "I didn't want to have you get hurt again because I was
here."
He knelt beside the bed to bring himself down level with her and smiled
at her. "It's just as well that you didn't leave. If you had, I would
have had a hell of a time chasing you to bring you back." He stood and
kissed her lightly on the lips.
Just the feathery touch of his lips on hers thrilled her to her toes and
woke up parts of her body that ached for more attention. She leaned
into him and pressed her lips against his to return his kiss with more
intensity. Leslie politely coughed to remind them they weren't alone.
Suddenly self-conscious, he pulled back to look at her. "I think we
have more to discuss later." She looked into his eyes and nodded,
suddenly feeling a bit shy.
Leslie was watching their exchange with an indulgent smile on her face.
"Mr. Summerfield? I need to report to my captain and I'm not sure
where
I might need to go after that. I trust that you and Miss McLaughlin
will be able to get back into town?"
Pat looked up and said, "Yes. I have a friend that will be coming out
in an hour or two to get us. Will you meet us later for dinner?"
Leslie thought for a minute and shook her head. "I don't think being
seen with you in public would be a good idea. I want to get you both
somewhere safe and keep you out of harm's way."
"You mean like protective custody?" Pat asked.
"Yes. I wish I could keep you here in the hospital because it would
provide restricted access. But it's too expensive to do that."
"That won't be a problem ma'am," Pat said. "My house was built back
when there were Indian raids and it's pretty much a small fortress. I'm
going to need to restock the kitchen first though."
"That sounds good. I need you to stay there until I've brought this
situation to a close. There is more going on here than a mugging and a
botched murder attempt. If it's possible, I would like to keep the two
of you in the same location." She waved at the medical assistant and
they moved away across the room.
Pat looked down at Mary Sue and twirled a non-existent handlebar
moustache.
"Well now. It seems like just a little while ago that I was in bed and
you were visiting me. I'll take you home with me."
He smiled when he saw Mary Sue's narrowed eyes. "Don't give me that
look. I have a guest bedroom."
Pat went on, "I asked Liz to go by the motel and get your clothes and
books. When Liz gets here, you'll be able to change into clean clothes,
I'm afraid they had to cut off the clothes that you were wearing. They
were a bit of a bloody mess. Then I'll take you home with me. Think
of
me as your personal bodyguard, you will be safe with me from now on."
Mary Sue looked up at him and smiled. She was just a bit starry-eyed at
the moment.
Their mutual admiration was interrupted as the curtain around the bed
was thrown open and the sheriff appeared. "Well now missy. I see that
you are doing just fine, you really should have taken my advice." He
stepped to the foot of the bed. "You must be made of steel to be able
to be hit in the shoulder and not be on life support."
Before he could continue with his standard bombast, he himself was
interrupted by Leslie's return, the physician assistant right behind
her.
"There is nothing mysterious about that, Sheriff," she said, making him
swing about in surprise. "I had a look at the bullet that was removed
from Miss McLaughlin's shoulder and I have a pretty good idea of the
type of gun that was used.
"I believe that from the caliber of the bullet, the rifle was an
antique. That means that it was not very efficient and the muzzle
velocity was fairly low."
"How can you know that?" the sheriff asked. He obviously did not like
having anyone tell him his business or intrude upon his territory.
Before he could get his feathers ruffled any further, Leslie continued.
"During the time that Miss McLaughlin was in surgery, I canvassed the
downtown area and discovered the location where the shooter was
standing. I found paper and a percussion cap that were ejected from the
rifle. The size of the bullet that was used tells me that we are
probably looking for a Civil War Colt Revolver rifle. Those particular
rifles were notorious for a great deal of blowback when they were fired
and they had a tendency to burn the shooter if they weren't careful."
Sheriff Thompson looked at her in surprise. He obviously was surprised
that anyone would be so familiar with firearms and ballistics,
especially antique weapons.
"I don't need any help investigating crimes in my county, Missy," he
blustered.
Leslie smiled thinly upset by the 'missy' statement so she calmly
replied, "I don't mind helping at all Sheriff. Please don't take it
personally, I can't speak for everyone, but no one, in my office, is
directly accusing you of incompetence."
Because the crimes that have been taking place in the past week, my
captain agreed that a raised law enforcement presence might be called
for. As I am still investigating the arson of a historical landmark and
I believe that the attack on Miss McLaughlin is related to that crime,
I
am within my purview to investigate it as well." She took a step closer
to the sheriff, which brought her into his personal space and her knee
in perfect striking position. Because of her height, she was able to
look him in the eye.
"My name is Leslie Caldwell." Leslie's tone was icily firm. "You may
call me Trooper Caldwell. I earned the right be called by my name and
rank, not by Missy. I expect you to understand that and respect it."
The look in her eye said that she would have that respect from the man
or she intended to do bodily harm to certain parts of his anatomy.
While the Sheriff was not out of shape, he was not in peak condition and
it was apparent that he knew it. He also was not accustomed to having
people stand up to him. He exercised a great deal of wisdom of nodding
quickly while Leslie kept her eyes locked on his and restraint because
he did not move to cover himself.
"I'm sorry Sheriff I didn't hear your response."
Totally browbeaten by this woman he meekly answered, "Yes, Trooper
Caldwell."
Before he could turn to see who had witnessed his humiliation at the
hands of a woman, the Physician's Assistant had stepped out of her
corner and up to Mary's side. She made a production of taking her
temperature and pulse, while she kept her face turned away from the
sheriff. Her smile would not have been appreciated.
Mary Sue didn't even try to hide her smile at seeing the sheriff put in
his place. She could see that Pat was enjoying himself as well. The
fact that the sheriff could do nothing about it made it all the more
delicious.
In an attempt to salvage some kind of control he kept his eyes on Leslie
and said, "I need to pick up the bullet that was removed from Miss
McLaughlin and begin my investigation."
Leslie took much of the wind out of his sails when she said, "I quite
understand Sheriff. I have already gotten pictures, its weight, and
size. I have contacts with the Forensics team in Cheyenne and they are
already doing some work. I'll have them send you a copy of their
results when they are done."
She waited a moment for the implication that there was already official
knowledge of the bullet that had gone beyond his control. She drove
home the final nail when she said, "I didn't want to overstep my bounds
by sending them the bullet though. I knew that you needed to see the
evidence that had been collected before you sent it on for analysis."
Her statement put the man on notice that any suspected corruption had
been made virtually impossible.
The sheriff had a rather sour look on his face he brushed past Leslie
and left the room. Walking past her was the closest he came to any kind
of a display of machismo.
Once he was gone, Leslie looked back to Pat and Mary Sue. She turned to
the doctor ??, "Could I speak with these two for a few minutes?"
"I'll get Miss McLaughlin's discharge papers and medication ready." She
parted the curtain behind her and left them alone.
Satisfied that they had no witnesses present, Leslie stepped closer to
them. "The two of you are in a bit of an interesting and dangerous
position. You are both witnesses and victims. I need to tell you that
my captain has concerns about an impartial investigation into all of
this. He also doesn't like being told what to investigate and when,
especially by politicians. It would seem you two have stepped on some
very big toes around here. How about sitting down with me and giving me
the full lowdown."
"Leslie, I am taking Mary home with me, I am one hell of a cook you are
welcome to join us for diner where we can talk in private."
"It's important that you exercise caution for the next day or two. Once
I have enough evidence, we'll have justification to bring in a team and
no amount of political pressure will force us to leave."
Pat and Mary were speechless at her revelation and exchanged glances.
"Are we safe being in public?" Pat asked.
"Yes, you should be as long as you keep your public appearances to a
minimum and only during daylight don't establish any patterns. But I
would prefer that you stay indoors and away from windows. The sheriff
knows that I'm looking around in an official capacity and I suspect that
whoever is responsible for these crimes will keep a low profile as a
result."
With that, Leslie bid them goodbye so that she could take care of making
her reports and continue her investigation. The physician assistant
came back in with the discharge orders the doctor had left. While she
and Mary went over her medication and instructions, Pat went to call Liz
for a ride.
They had already agreed that Mary Sue would probably be safest borrowing
a room in Pat's house, even though it might not look quite proper.
Mary
was sure that everyone in town would know that she was Pat's roommate
within an hour after her luggage was carried into the house. She
resigned herself to accepting the narrowed glances from those who might
disapprove and just explain that she was staying in Pat's house for
safety.
They made a brief stop on the way through town to allow Pat to pick up
Mary's Volkswagen at Hiram's. Pat had to pull Hiram back from going
over to Liz's car to check on Mary Sue. He had been panicked when he
had actually witnessed the shot impacting her shoulder as he came out of
the garage. Pat had to explain that she needed some time to settle
down, just like he was sure Hiram did. Pat assured him that Mary
appreciated everything that he had done to help her.
Once they reached the house, Liz helped Pat get Mary Sue's luggage moved
into the house. Mary Sue wasn't allowed to move anything other than
herself and found herself installed in an armchair. The reset (not
rest?) of the work was done in a matter of minutes and Liz was off to
get Pat's groceries.
When Liz arrived, she brought in Mary's suitcase to allow her to change
clothes. Mary resigned herself to doing without a bra for a day or two,
she might have to resort to Band-Aids though. Strangely Liz remained
behind closing the curtain. She offered to help but it still made Mary
a bit uncomfortable. Liz did button up the blouse she had brought, even
if her hands did seem to linger on her breasts more than seemed
necessary. The skirt was a little more of a challenge but she zipped it
in front before she pulled it around to look presentable.
She was fortunate to have Liz helping her finish up. It was a bit
embarrassing to need help to even pull up her socks and Liz seemed to
enjoy running her hands up her calves. It felt nice, but she didn't
think that she should be enjoying a woman's hands on her legs quite as
much. Even with the dull pain in her shoulder, the feathery touches
that Liz was torturing her with were waking her breasts and crotch. She
was glad that Pat wasn't present for this.
She looked down at where Liz was kneeling and said with a mock scowl,
"You are so evil." She was rewarded with a teasing smile in return, but
Liz didn't seem to have her heart in it. She finally took mercy upon
Mary Sue after helping her with her shoes and sat down on the bed beside
her.
"Sorry. I just couldn't resist teasing. Do you think that you'll be
okay?"
"I think so. The damage to my shoulder was like being stabbed more than
anything. I just have to be careful of the stitches they put in and
I'll be fine. I just won't be lifting anything for a while. Or even
drive a car."
Pat came in at that point. He'd heard her last statement and said,
"That's okay. My head is okay, so I'll be your taxi driver." Mary Sue
gave him a warm smile.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"Yes, please. I guess that I have to stick with water though. These
discharge orders say that I'm not allowed to have alcohol while I'm
taking the pain killers. Never mind that the booze would be an
painkiller too." She smiled as she waved the sheaf of papers she had
been given.
"I'm afraid that it would have to be water anyway. Liz will be back in
an hour, but the kitchen is pretty bare right now."
Mary smiled a bit lop-sided as Pat took a seat across from her.
"We're a fine pair. You have a dent in your head and I've got a hole in
my shoulder."
"I don't know about that," Pat replied. "We could be so much worse. I
could be in the hospital with a skull fracture and that bullet could
have hit you somewhere much worse."
Mary nodded slowly. "I guess the pain meds haven't worn off completely
yet. You would think that I would be freaking out about being shot."
Pat shook his head. "No. The hospital wouldn't let you go out of their
clutches if you were still loopy." He smiled warmly at her. "I think
that you must have gone through the panic phase while you were still at
the hospital. You don't give yourself enough credit for what you can
handle."
Inside, Pat's stomach felt hollow and fluttery. The fact that Mary Sue
could have been killed hadn't really struck him until he had actually
voiced the possibility. The thought made him feel a bit ill.
For her part, Pat's reminder of the attack on himself brought back her
original thoughts about why all of this was happening to them.''
"I'm sorry all of this has happened," she said quietly. "If I hadn't
been researching the wagon train and then refused to stop, you wouldn't
have been hurt and I wouldn't have been shot." Tears were beading up
and preparing to start streaming down her face.
Pat was beside her in an instant, pulling her to him as best he could.
"It isn't your fault. That journal was like a time bomb. It would have
been found at some point and the truth would have come out. We're
going
to be okay and Leslie is looking into things.
"This house is over a hundred years old and walls were made to be a foot
thick to insulate against the winters. The windows are our only weak
point because it would take a rocket launcher to damage the walls. I
don't think that anyone is going to try a firebomb through a window.
"Considering what was in that journal, I think that it's a pretty safe
bet that the Kaylocks are somehow behind everything and Leslie is going
to find that out."
When Mary Sue turned to look up at Pat, she found herself inches from
his face. Their eyes met and neither looked away.
Pat's first kiss was a chaste kiss that just brushed against her lips.
It was an invitation and a request for more. He pulled back only a
little, leaving Mary hungry for more. She crossed the distance to press
her lips firmly against Pat's. Tongues brushed against parted lips and
danced around each other in exploration.
It was a couple of minutes before they pulled back to actually look at
each other. Mary felt flushed and a bit light-headed. The smile on her
face was a reflection of Pat's. The need to protect Mary's shoulder
from harm meant that they couldn't do anything more than hold each
other...carefully and neck.
They moved over to the sofa where there was more room. Not that they
needed it though. Now that they knew that the other was safe and soon-
to-be healthy again, they weren't afraid to give in some to the hormones
that had been bothering them both. They were so lost in each other
that
they didn't notice the passage of time until the doorbell sounded.
Pat carefully disconnected himself from Mary Sue while he let Liz in
with a load of groceries. He made a trip of his own to bring in the
rest and started storing things away. Liz took time to sit down next to
Mary to give her a hug and to check on how she was doing.
"I'm feeling okay, but the painkillers might be wearing off. My
shoulder is pounding a little."
"I've some of the folks that I have rescued as part of being with the
fire department. I know how much something like this could start
hurting. You should think about taking something and getting some rest.
That will be the best thing for you."
She patted Mary's knee and said, "I have to get down to the diner.
Lieutenant Caldwell told me that she wanted to interview me yet this
evening." At Liz's statement that Leslie wanted to talk to her, Mary
saw the same kind of withdrawal she had observed at the hospital. She
wondered if Liz was somehow concerned about talking to Leslie about
something.
Pat poke his head around the corner from the kitchen as Liz started for
the door. "Would you like something to eat or go in to take a nap? I
just have to fix up the bed for you."
Mary Sue smiled up at him and said, "I already made the bed for you. I
took care of it when I was here to get your clothes. Back when I had
two good arms."
He returned her smile. "Okay. Let me get you a painkiller and I'll get
you settled on the bed."
After she popped a pill, he kept an arm around her as they walked down
the hall to his bedroom. The room was warm because of the afternoon
sun. Pat helped her get situated on the bed without putting any stress
on her arm or shoulder. Once she was comfortable, he got up to leave
and Mary Sue said, "Please don't go. I don't want to be alone right now.
Besides you did promise not to leave my side until I'm well." He
smiled
gently at her before going around the bed to lay down beside her. They
both knew that nothing could happen, at least until Mary's shoulder was
in better shape.
Her damaged shoulder was between the two of them, so Pat carefully slid
up to her side and stretched his arm above her head. The last thing
Mary did before she fell asleep was to snuggle closer to her man and
give out a contented sigh.
Marisol
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