Chapter Twenty

 

“Just keep your hands away from them guns,” the sheriff said, his own still drawn.

 

“Sheriff, help! We need the apothecary! Wilbur’s been shot!” some yelled from the train depot.

 

“Sheriff, I can help if you’ll let me go,” Doc said calmly.

 

“You just stay there until we figure this out,” the sheriff said. “Dean, keep pressure on it. I’ll send for help.”

 

“Sheriff,” Clyde said to get his attention. “He can help. He helped me.”

 

The sheriff did a double take, as Clyde’s shirt was ruined with blood and bullet holes. “What in Apoc’s name…?”

 

“I was shot in the chest, as you can obviously see, but he can heal. Let him save a life.”

 

“What’s your name?” the sheriff demanded from Doc.

 

“Doc Holyday.”

 

“Should’ve said you was a damned doctor. Go. Now.”

 

Doc took off running to help save a life, leaving Harrid to deal with the sheriff.

 

“Now, you dwarf. Real slowly step back from the… uhhh… bestial?”

 

“That isn’t a bestial,” Clyde said stiffly. “Not sure what she is, but bestial, she isn’t.”

 

Doc didn’t hear anything else as he bolted inside the train station. He was led by a panicked man to the cashier window where another man was crying and holding a rag to his shoulder.

 

“Easy. I’ve got you,” Doc said as he knelt beside the injured man. “Lady Luck, this man needs your help.”

 

Dean gasped when Doc’s hands blazed green. Wilbur had his eyes squeezed tightly shut, so he missed it, but Wilbur did feel the rush of warmth that flooded into him. The memory of his father checking his knee after he’d taken a bad fall floated back to him. The gruff man had shown tenderness— one of the few times he had— wiping the dirt and blood off his bleeding knee before picking his young son up to carry him home.

 

When the warmth faded, Wilbur opened his eyes, but his dad wasn’t there. Instead, he saw Doc. “What? Who?”

 

“Just a healer. You’ll be fine, but take it easy for the rest of today. You lost a good amount of blood and will be tired and weak,” Doc told him.

 

“A doctor? Out here?” Dean asked with wide eyes.

 

“Faith healer,” Doc said, standing up. “Lady Luck is my patron goddess. Sorry you got caught up in the gunfight,” Doc said the last to Wilbur. “Dean, was anyone else hurt?”

 

“Uh… no, sir,” Dean whispered.

 

“Good. I likely need to go explain what the hell happened to the sheriff. Excuse me.”

 

“Sir,” Wilbur said, sitting up. “I can come with you. I saw the snake draw on you first.”

 

“Pretty sure she’s a lamia, not a snake or a bestial,” Doc said. “Myths about them were always from the Middle East, though… curious why she’s here.”

 

“Uh… yes, sir,” Wilbur said, accepting Dean’s hand to get up.

 

As Doc came back toward Harrid, Calamity, Clyde, and the sheriff, he heard their conversation.

 

“Be that as it may, you’re all coming in until we can figure this out,” the sheriff said firmly.

 

“Sheriff,” Wilbur called out, “I saw the whole thing.”

 

“Goodness, Wilbur. You okay?” the sheriff asked, seeing the bloody shirt.

 

“Fine now, Sheriff. That woman… person,” Wilbur hesitated on what to call Calamity, “drew and fired at the men you were talking to, and the healer.”

 

The sheriff relaxed, holstering his gun. “I see. Okay. I’ll get it taken in for attempted murder and the rest.”

 

“She’ll be sleeping for the rest of today,” Doc said. “I made sure of that. She’ll be lucid when she wakes up tomorrow. I’d like to come in and talk to her when she is.”

 

“You want to talk to this thing?” the sheriff asked with confusion. “It tried to kill you.”

 

“And might tell me why and who paid her,” Doc said, trying to ignore the way the sheriff was talking about her. “Her name is Calamity, Sheriff. She wasn’t right in the head, but she will be when she wakes up.”

 

“Yeah… sure,” the sheriff said. Pulling a set of cuffs off the back of his belt, he advanced to secure Calamity.

 

Doc motioned Clyde to follow him, then tapped Harrid. “Come on.”

 

The trio went toward the train depot again, with Dean and Wilbur doing the same.

 

“Wilbur, is there another ticket agent on?” Doc asked.

 

“Not for another couple hours,” Wilbur said. “I’ll just take a seat in my booth.”

 

“Just be careful about things,” Doc reiterated before going forward with his original purpose. “When is the next train to Furden?”

 

“Later tonight. Did you three need tickets?”

 

“Just Clyde,” Doc replied. “I’ll be paying for his ticket.”

 

“Sure. Let me get back into my booth.”

 

“Thanks,” Doc smiled. “Dean, I’m glad you came for help. I’d have come to check, but he’d be a lot worse off by then.”

 

“Wilbur’s my friend, sir. I’m glad you were here to help.”

 

“So am I.”

 

~*~*~

 

They parted with Clyde, then headed home after getting him a ticket. Doc thought about Calamity as he walked— she was so unexpected that he didn’t even know where to start with her appearance.

 

“You used one of your gifts, didn’t you?” Harrid asked.

 

“I triggered immunity bubble out of reflex. I’m glad it was over before it wore off. Two of her shots would’ve hit me in the head. Not only was she fast, she was a damned good shot. How’s your armor?”

 

“Good, but I’ll check it later when I clean it. Since she was using corrosive bullets, I worry about it still being sound. I was given assurances it would hold up against a barrage, but I want to make sure.”

 

“Good money spent, even if it’s already broken,” Doc said. “Would’ve been rough to heal you, too, without Rosa there.”

 

“Are you drained?” Harrid asked.

 

“My batteries are empty and half of my energy is gone, but Rosa will refill me when we get home. I’m hoping she can fill me in on what Calamity is. I want to say lamia, but I don’t know if that’s true. She was unwell… she’d been fed something toxic that was twisting her mind. Not mercury, but something else. I purged it and made sure it can’t affect her ever again.”

 

“What are you planning?”

 

“When I talk to her, you mean?” Harrid nodded at Doc’s question, so he continued, “Finding out the who, why, and the rest of her shooting us. She was looking for me, specifically, which means she was sent. The only enemy I have alive right now is Strongarm, but if he had her before, why did she only find us now?”

 

“I see… Maybe he didn’t have access to her back then? It has been months.”

 

“Exactly. I’m hoping she can give us more. Rosa will be coming with us when we do see her.”

 

“I know I feel leery of her reading my mind, but I fully support her doing it to others.”

 

Doc laughed. “It’s fine. We all have a little hypocrisy in us. You want her to do it to keep me safe. She’ll always do it on the unknowns around us. If she’d been with us earlier, we’d have had more warning.”

 

“Or Calamity would’ve known it was you earlier and shot us before we had a chance to know she was even there.”

 

“Cheery, but not inaccurate. Not like there are any other dryads in town.”

 

“That doesn’t explain the man that Clyde said was asking about you.”

 

“I’m thinking he was working with her. Find us, set her on us, then stand back and wait. There’s a chance he’ll try to get her out of the cells, or kill her in them.” Doc went quiet as he realized how likely that might be.

 

Harrid frowned, but Doc had a valid point. Anyone who would go to the extreme of using Calamity might not have compunction against killing her.

 

They were almost out of town when Doc stopped walking. “Almost forgot.”

 

“What?”

 

“Butcher, for dinner.”

 

“Right. You did say that.”

 

~*~*~

 

“Welcome home, husband,” Sonya greeted them when they got to the house.

 

“Glad to be home. Let’s head inside. Things happened, and I’d like to address everything as a family.”

 

Sonya stood up from the rocking chair. “I’ll let them know.”

 

The family gathered in the dining area, one of the bigger spaces in the home. Doc told them about Clyde heading back to Furden, then about the ambush by Calamity. Rosa sat up straight, no longer resting against his thigh when he talked about her. She didn’t interrupt, waiting for him to finish his story.

 

“Lamias are from where you think, Voice. It is shocking to find one here in Emerita. There are a few things that could cause her to be delusional and susceptible to suggestion. The fact that she spoke of her nest is more concerning. If she has a family that is being held captive, that would compel her to do what she is told to. Lamias are nearly extinct because of the church,” Rosa said.

 

“I’m going to talk to her tomorrow and see what she will tell me. I want you to be there; I thought she might be a woodfolk,” Doc said.

 

“They are Mother’s children and would be seen as such.”

 

“Is she going to be safe to talk to?” Ayla asked.

 

“With me there and with her lucid, she should be. She might grieve for her nest, but she won’t hurt Doc, not while she can think clearly.”

 

“Since she is in trouble with the law, do you want me to go?” Sophia asked. “We can see about mitigating what she is facing. That might engender her to cooperate further.”

 

“It would. Anything that would help her get to her nest would be seen as a favor owed.”

 

“Rosa thinks it’ll be a good idea, and yes, I do want to help her,” Doc said. “She was controlled by someone, used against her will, and had family held hostage to ensure good behavior. We’ll find out who and make them pay for it.”

 

Lia touched his hand. “We’ll do our best, Doc, but be aware it might be the church.”

 

Sighing, Doc covered her hand on his. “I know. It just means it’ll take us longer.”

 

“Sonya and I will stay here, as we can’t add anything to help with it. We can make sure things are in order for when you all get home, though,” Ayla said.

 

“Tomorrow, Ayla can cook breakfast, and I’ll handle dinner,” Sonya said.

 

Doc looked at each of his wives, smiling at the love he had for each of them. “That’ll work out. Tonight, though, I’m cooking dinner. I almost forgot to get the meat, but I did bring it home with me.”

 

“Oh? What are you cooking?” Lia asked.

 

“Hamburgers, with beef and bacon mixed together,” Doc grinned. “Going to make potato wedges to go with them, too.”

 

His wives smiled brightly at him— the fact that he wanted to cook for them made them happy. It was another reminder that he wanted to do as much for them as they did for him.