The Last Patrol

[Scarlet Angel]

Scarlet had been quieter than usual ever since the announcement they were going to cross the river. Bo wondered what she was thinking as he watched her. Her jaw was clenched her eyes watching her surroundings, as a good scout would do, yet she was far away.

He was almost afraid to ask, but couldn’t help himself. “Where are you Scarlet?”

She glanced his way. “No place important.” She replied.

Bo snorted. “’member who it is you’re talkin’ to.” He said refereeing to the fact he knew her almost as well as he knew himself.

This time she tilted her head as she looked his way. “I am traveling across time Bo.”

“Some place more pleasant than this?” He asked.

“Not so much. Thinking of Devil’s mountain.”

“A lot of things good and bad happen there Scarlet. Take me with you, you always say it helps to share things that bother you.” He half smiled knowing she didn’t like when folks used her philosophy against her, especially when she didn’t particularly want to share; he also knew he could get away with more than just about anybody he knew when it came to getting information from her.

[Scarlet Angel]

“Some day we may learn that leaving each other to our own thoughts is the best thing.” Scarlet said.

“I hope we both grow that old Scarlet, because it won’t be anytime soon.”

“Bo, I keep seeing Colonel Troutman’s eyes lined up in the sights of my pistol. I would have killed him and died myself defending Black Wolf’s son. I would have killed every one of the soldiers that rode with him that day and if I died I would have died an honorable death as far as I am concerned.”

“Troutman would have killed that boy, though I suspect he knew the boy was innocent. He would like to see all Indians wiped from the face of the earth.”

Bo detected a bit of sadness in her voice as she replied “If we succeed here it will give him a good start won’t it.”

Bo didn’t know what to say.

“I pray that I will not someday have to make the choice of having to fight against ones that have become friends, that this war does not come home, but I fear that it will.”

“I pray we do not all die here.” Bo stated.

“Me too, for it would be a death without honor for me.” Scarlet said.

Bo put his hand on hers. “You will not die here without honor Angel.”

She no sooner finished saying “I hope you are right. Men fighting for their homes and families are the most dangerous.” when the gunfire erupted.
 

[Scarlet Angel]

Cyrus wondered which one of them would come home alive as he looked at his brother’s back. Keep your friends close and your enemy’s closer echoed through his mind. Bo had said it the night they brought Teddy in.

Dick was not his brother’s friend and Cyrus had come to view him as an enemy. “How could one take his own brother’s life?” He wondered. He’d heard of a few who had done it. Jimmy Bradbury, Scarlet’s adopted brother, had been rumored to do it during the war with the South. The investigations by the army stated the man had been attacked by enemy forces and brutally slaughtered. Neither Bo nor Scarlet would confirm something different. Cyrus started to wonder if Jimmy had just built a reputation on rumors, but he doubted it.

When Cyrus asked Scarlet about his own situation with Dick she had replied “Yer the one has to live with your actions Cyrus. If the fact he shares the same linage as you means something then it does.”  Teddy was more of a brother to him than Dick ever could be and he wished there had been more evidence to prove Dick had been behind the plot.

[Scarlet Angel]

Voices could be heard over the volley of gunfire that errupted. “Go go!” as one of the scouts rode out to warn the soldiers of the attack.

“There’s too many of them! Fall Back!” came Cyrus’ voice.

Those voices and orders seemed like they had been said days ago before the gunfire subsided and the men began to filter back to the main position but the sun had only reached high above them.

 Scarlet and Bo had been separated early in the day when she and Teddy had been asked to put the long range rifles they carried to good use.

“Where’s Lucky?” he whispered to his horse as they rode to where it looked like Cyrus’ scouts were congregating. He could feel Dancer’s pace pick up then the horse came to a stop. Bo focused his eyes on hers as he slid down. He felt her catch him. Bo put an arm around her and pulled her close. She could feel him smile as wrapped her arms around him. “I told you you would not die here without honor Scarlet.”

“Bo?” he heard her voice after he’d been quiet for a moment. He was still holding her as tight as he could; his head was on her shoulder. “If I die darlin’ I can’t think of a better place than in your arms.”

[Elegant Ella]

June 19, 1876

The sun lit up the rising dust plume long before anything could be seen at its base. For the next hour, it seemed that everyone in the camp was taking a turn out to the high spot along the river, straining to see whether the dust cloud was enemies approaching, or the army returning, or just from the mules coming with orders to move across the river. After Major Martin watched for several minutes through field glasses, he strode off.

Ella continued watching through her pocket telescope while noises from the camp indicated that the troopers were setting up the hospital tents. Her anxiety increased steadily. She had spotted Scarlet, and was pretty sure she had seen Fritz, but she couldn't find Bo. She saw Dancer being ridden by another of the scouts, but not Bo. It looked like most of the mules were carrying litters with wounded men, while other mules and horses had bodies draped over them.

Where was Bo?

[Elegant Ella]

Before the column got to the ford, Ella had pulled herself together and gone to see where Major Martin wanted to assign her. She found him giving instructions to the medical team.

"Samuels, you and Henderson will alternate between triage and surgery. Remember that your instructions to the litter bearers will be surgery for urgent cases, right tent for non-urgent cases, left tent for hopeless cases. Johnson, Cole, you will assist in the surgery until the urgent cases are handled, then go to work in the medical tent. Coatsworth, assist with triage, then work on making the cases in the left tent as comfortable as possible."

Ella knew Johnson from his time in her care while he was stationed at Fort Bliss. His broken legs had healed well, and he had returned to his duties as an orderly working for Dr. Griffin at Fort Bliss. He had come to Fort Fetterman as Captain Henderson's orderly. Cole walked carefully around Ella. He remembered too much of the tongue-lashing she had given him, and the heavy cleaning he had had to do the next day.

[Elegant Ella]

Ella with Major Samuels and Captain Henderson and a dozen troopers for litter bearers waited for the wounded far enough from the river to allow the entire column to cross and get sorted out.

Captain Henderson wanted to take the first wounded man up to surgery, but Ella stopped him. "Remember that our job is triage, or sorting. You don't want to fill the surgery with minor wounds and then have no place for someone with a serious wound. That trooper's wound is in a leg, the wound is already bandaged and the bandages are holding well, so he can wait a little while. Send him to the right-hand tent, and continue down the line."

Major Samuels was looked a little shocked at the number of wounded to check. There probably were 70 litters lined up for their attention, and he was having trouble focusing on the one in front of him. Ella advised him, "You just take them one at a time. It's always a surprise when you look for the next one, and find you're all done." The trooper in front of Samuels was wounded in the abdomen, and already fevered. Samuels sent him to the left-hand tent.

Captain Henderson had reached a trooper with a bandaged head, and looked to Ella for confirmation before taking him to surgery.

Samuels and Ella continued down the line. The time since the battle had already done a lot of sorting. Many of the troopers with critical wounds were already dead.

[Scarlet Angel]

Cyrus worked his way down the line of wounded talking to his scouts that could respond. The ones who didn’t need attention from the doctors were taking care of one another. Cyrus was thankful they had listened to Ella’s teachings.

He stopped at Dick’s litter. He didn’t know how he really felt looking down at his brother. Judging from the wound it would be some time before the man died, but die he would after he suffered. How could one really feel bad for a man who tried to kill him and had nearly killed his best friend.

Cyrus took a deep breath; he remembered hearing Black beard call his name near the end of the fighting. He looked in time to see Dick raising a rifle with what looked like the intention to shoot Cyrus in the back, the moment seemed to freeze time and his reactions seemed like they were running in slow motion, the sound of a large bore rifle echoed and Dick fell then time seemed to rush forward. Standing there looking at his brother now he still didn’t know who had made the shot but the list of who would calculate such a wound that was a good long shot was fairly short. He supposed he might be able to dig the bullet out to find out after Dick died, but did it matter? Someone had done for him what he had only thought about.

Cyrus looked down the line, his eyes falling on Teddy. His friend had ridden next to Scarlet the entire way back. Cyrus knew she was angry; one had to be blind not to see it. Bo had been one of the scouts ordered to ride through the canyon against their better judgment. The scouts had fought against it saying it was a perfect place for an ambush but their objections had fallen on deaf ears and it had happened. 

He didn’t know what to say as he approached her. “I’m sorry Scarlet.” Was all he was able to manage.

“You only be sorry if you are the one that gave the order Cyrus. Men who do jobs like ours know they may never see home again every time they ride out.” Scarlet said looking up the line, her eyes falling on the young soldier Major Samuels and Ella were sending to the left tent. The litter bearers stopped about four steps from Ella calling her and Major Samuels back. “I don’t think he’s breathing any more.” One of the litter bearers remarked.

[Elegant Ella]

"Carry out your orders, trooper," snapped Ella. It was hard enough dealing with a line of wounded when everything in her wanted to tend to the wounds in front of her. Debating with Major Samuels had made it worse. She hoped that feeling the same torment was the reason he wanted to take every case to surgery, although she suspected that he was more driven to escape from the sight of so many wounded in one place. The sooner she got to the end of the line, the sooner she could go help the patients assigned to her, even if all she was going to be able to do for some of them would be to close their eyes, like the trooper being carried away.

Ella reached Dick's litter. Gutshot, and already fevered. Samuels had stopped arguing about abdomen wounds, after she let him take one to surgery. She didn't know what Major Martin had said to him, but he hadn't stayed in the surgery very long that time. She signaled the litterbearers to take him to the left tent.

Major Samuels was sending the next scout to the left tent, but she didn't notice. Bo was unconscious in the next litter, with bandages around his waist. There was pink-tinted dampness in the bandages over the stomach. He was fevered, but not as much as Dick had been.

"Knife or bullet?" she asked Scarlet, looking at the wound that had penetrated the stomach.

"Knife." Scarlet's answer was curt.

"He'll be okay, thanks to the field medicine you did," responded Ella, trying to reassure herself as much as Scarlet. Major Samuels had sent the last few scouts to the left hand tent, so the line was gone. "I'll take Bo to surgery."

Two hours later, while Ella was tending the wounded, Major Martin brought Bo into her territory. "All stitched up, according to your orders, Ma'am," he said, bowing slightly. "I would have put him with the other surgical cases, but I thought you would want him to be under your care."

"Thank you," replied Ella. "I've got another half-dozen in here who are likely to survive."

"Have you got enough helpers to tend to everyone?"

"Yes. Once the scouts have rested, a few of them will be here to assist."

[Scarlet Angel]

Before they carried Bo off Scarlet reached down and kissed his cheek. “When you come back will go some place that will make you smile.” She whispered.

Bo looked over at her as they rode. Out of the corner of her eye she saw him watching. The way he looked at her caused her to blush and giggle.

Bo smiled. He’d only known her a short time but she was the most enchanting creature he knew. Her laugh had the power to lift his soul.

“Some one told me you have enchanted me.” He said.

She flashed a mischievous smile. “If I told you I cast a spell on you the day I saw you would believe me?”

“Yes.”

“Would you be mad?”

“No, how long will this spell of yours last.”

“Your heart is mine until I release it.” She smiled again her dark eyes twinkling.

Bo reached out and took the rein of her horse pulling them close he leaned over and kissed her. She returned his kiss passionately.

She loved him but they had been courting only a short time. She had been told her feelings were just a passing emotion; one could not fall so hard so fast but she didn’t believe it.

Bo saw the sad expression cross her face before she smiled at him again.

“Have I done something to upset you?”

“No, I just don’t look forward to the day you ride away and forget this moment in time.”

“If you are any good at enchanting men I will never forget this moment in time.” His lips spread into a wide smile.

“Don’t be a tease.”

“Scarlet says spells are serious, I shouldn’t take it lightly.”

She turned her head away and blushed again.

“I will release you and you will be free to go.”

“Maybe I like what you’ve done.”  He said stealing another kiss.

“You best be careful doing such things. What if we are caught?”
“What if we are caught?” Bo grinned.

“You are a hard man to resist Bo Corbin, a devil too, and I think my spell back fired and you have enchanted me.” She teased.

“You shouldn’t tell a man he has that sort of power over you.” He winked.

It was her who stole the kiss this time before laughing and kicking her horse into a gallop.

Bo chuckled, he could hear her laughter fill the air as her horse ran along the trail. He moved his horse in pursuit.

He was gaining on her when she pushed a low branch out of the way. The limb swung back and caught Bo in the chest and shoulders knocking him from his horse.

He lay there on his back thinking of getting up, dusting off and pursuing her again when he heard her call.

“Bo are you alright?”

He could hear her horse’s hoof beats approaching.

Bo laid still playing opossum.

He could hear her voice as she dismounted and came towards him. “Bo?”

She kneeled over him and put her hand on his chest. He could feel her face close to his.

“Bo, are you hurt bad?”

“Only one thing can help me.”  He whispered.

“Tell me.” She said placing her hand gently on his shoulder.

“Marry me.”

“Oh yes.” She said softly brushing her lips across his.

Bo put his arm around her and pulled her tight to him kissing her passionately.