| Subject: The New World - Part #50 |
Author:
Wanda
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 20:26:56 07/02/03 Wed
PART #50
Bow removed the jacket from the young man; and found that he had indeed been shot, and a bullet was lodged inside his body. He sent Manobo to get some medical supplies from the pantry. The wound was bleeding profusely, and he knew he would have to apply pressure to slow down the bleeding. It already looked as if the man had lost a great deal of blood. Bow tried to get some information from him by asking, “What has happened to you? Who shot you?” The young man would regain consciousness momentarily, and try to talk, but he was so weak, Bow could barely make out what he was saying. Manobo came back with some medical supplies he had found. He also brought along a basin of water and a bar of lye soap. Bow washed the blood away as best he could, and then said to Manobo, “Have you ever tried to remove a bullet?” Manobo’s eyes became large, and he said, “No, and I certainly don’t intend to start on that man. Do you want me to go to Lake Charles and fetch Dr. Lasserre?” Bow said, “No, I’m going to try to get the bullet out of his chest, and you hold him down. If I am not successful, then we will have to fetch Dr. Lasserre.” Manobo backed away; and Bow said, “Listen here, if you don’t want me to take you out along the creek; and give you to the alligators, you had better do as I ask.”
Bow began the process of probing for the bullet while Manobo laid across the legs of Jean Pierre. Screams were coming from the man each time that Bow probed. Finally, and mercifully Jean Pierre lost consciousness. Bow’s hands were shaky, and covered with blood. He was about to lose hope of finding the bullet then found it next to one of the ribs, and was able to retrieve it. He told Manobo he could get up now, and go find a needle and some thread for he was going to stitch up the wound.
Soon Manobo returned to the room with the needle and thread, and gave them to Bow. Bow stitched up the wound, then washed the area once again, covered it with salve, and bound strips of cloth around Jean Pierre’s upper body.
Bow said, “We will just have to see what happens. He has lost so much blood, I am not sure he will live.” Manobo said, “It wouldn’t be any great loss, Mr. Bow.” Bow gave instructions to Manobo to send in a servant girl to keep an eye on him. He said, “The man is too weak to do any harm to anyone.” He also instructed Manobo to tell no one the man was there. The servant girl was to be sworn to secrecy as well. He wanted to find out why the young man had been shot, and returned to the plantation main house.
Bow washed up, and changed clothes then returned to the upstairs bedroom where Catherine was staying. He could see she was worried. As soon as he walked through the door, she said, “Bow, what is going on? Was that Jean Pierre Boudreau?” Bow responded by saying, “Yes, Catherine it was Jean Pierre. He had been shot, and I just removed a bullet from his chest. He has lost a considerable amount of blood, and I am not sure he will live.” I swore Manobo to secrecy; and told him to find a servant girl, who would keep quiet, and have her keep an eye on him in the servants’ quarters.
Catherine asked, “Why do you think he rode back to the main house? Who do you think shot him? Bow said, “I tried to question him, but he has lost too much blood. He was too weak to speak in an audible voice. He tried to talk whenever he regained consciousness, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.”
Catherine said, “Bow, I am concerned this will bring the other two back to the house. Don’t you think we should have heard something from the deputies by this time? Bow said, “Catherine, it is difficult to know when we will hear something. We don’t really know what happened after the Doucettes and Jean Pierre left here. All we know is the two deputies left and followed them. I guess all we can do is wait, and see if we hear something. I am not about to leave with you and the servants here by yourselves.”
Catherine said, “I am going to get up, go downstairs, and see that some food is prepared.” Bow asked, “Do you feel well enough to do that?” She said, “Bow, I’m not physically ill, I am pregnant. Other women have lived with this; and survived, and I will too. Now that I know what it is, I will try to cope with the periods of nausea. Dr. Lasserre said I should eat a few crackers when the nausea strikes.”
Bow reached for her shoes; and helped her to put them on her feet; then helped her to stand. He said, “Are you sure you feel well enough to go downstairs?” She laughed, and said, “Bow, I am not an invalid, so don’t treat me like one.” She started for the door, and the room began to sway. Bow grabbed her as she started to crumble. He said, “Sure, Bow, I’m all right, don’t treat me like an invalid Bow. Now you get back in that bed, and I will have Cook bring you up some soup and crackers.”
To be continued...
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
| |
Feedback: 