Page 95 of Long Road Home

“It’s certainly not good.” Mrs. Merrington pulled huge metal scissors from the tackle box of what looked like medicalsupplies, slid them up the hem of Pilsborough’s shirt, and started cutting.

Jax pulled back the material on his side. “Found it.” He bundled up a shirt and pressed it against the marshal’s side. Pilsborough’s entire body jerked.

Mrs. Merrington grabbed her tackle box. “Switch sides.” As she rounded his boots and stepped behind Kenna to where Jax stood, she said, “Kenna, check where your other friends went, please.”

Kenna strode through the kitchen, past a wall of bookcases that separated the open dining room and a living room, across the hall to the huge sectional that looked supremely comfortable. Destain watched out the window, and Jim sat on the couch with his head in his hands.

She turned back to the kitchen and saw two little girls down the hall, one a foot bigger than the other. Both of them had nightgowns on, and the smaller one held a teddy bear that looked well loved.

Kenna winked, trying to be reassuring.

She probably looked like a mess, so she pulled her ponytail out and did the hair flip. Secured it back away from her face again. They weren’t safe. This wasn’t over.But every woman knows fixing your ponytail makes you feel better.

The girls stared at her.

Kenna left them and returned to the kitchen. Pilsborough was almost gray, splayed out on the table. Jax handed Mrs. Merrington a fresh piece of gauze.

“How is he?” Kenna asked.

“Almost got it.” Mrs. Merrington had a flashlight in one hand, long tweezers in the other. She dug into Pilsborough’s side, thankfully where Kenna couldn’t see every grizzly inch of it. “Almost…there.” She lifted the tweezers, a mashed round between the tips. She dropped it into the metal bowl Jax held out. “Keep the pressure on that. I need to wash up.”

Mrs. Merrington went to the kitchen.

Kenna moved around the end of the table, wondering if she should remove the marshal’s boots.

“Whoa,” Jax said. “Don’t get too close. I know you don’t like blood.”

She glanced at the wound and her stomach lurched. But despite the mess, he had the injury covered. “I’m good.” Then she moved all the way to his side, and he lifted one arm, so she took that as an invitation to slide her arms around him. She tucked her face neatly in his neck, her forehead on his cheek.

They were cold, sweaty, and exhausted, but it still felt good to stand there for a moment. He put his free arm around her back, the other pushing on Pilsborough.

“Is he going to be okay?” Kenna turned her head to look at the marshal.

“Depends on how the next twelve hours goes,” Jax said. “He’s alive. We have to pray the bullet didn’t do too much damage on the inside.”

Mrs. Merrington came over, her clean hands raised. A drip of water fell from her elbow. “I’m going to have a look at that right now, before I sew him up.”

“You seem like you’ve done this before.” Kenna reluctantly stepped back from Jax.

“After…” Mrs. Merrington gave them a knowing look. “You know…”

Kenna knew.

“We didn’t want much to do with government. Police or healthcare. They’re all the same, only interested in their own ends or how much money they can make.” She gathered supplies from the medical kit. Thread and a needle. A small bottle of something she poured on the needle. “We became alot more self-sufficient after that. On the internet they call it homesteading, but this isn’t fashion. It’s survival.”

Kenna knew a little about the kind of pain over loss that changed the way a person lived their life.

She moved to a chair that had been pushed back to the wall and sank into it while Mrs. Merrington got to work.

Jax said, “I need to wash up as well.” He leaned down and kissed her cheek on his way past. “I’ll check on your husband as well, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Agent.” Mrs. Merrington’s full attention remained on Pilsborough and his injury. “Kenna, will you hold the light?”

She stood, taking the flashlight. “I don’t know whether to apologize or say thank you. Maybe both.”

“The Lord guided you here. I’m thankful we are able to help.” Mrs. Merrington jabbed a pair of odd scissors into the wound and opened it up.

Kenna swallowed hard, holding the flashlight and watching the woman more than the wound.