Young Indiana Jones: Adventures Out West
Chapter Four
by IndyAnna
"Daaaaaad!" Indy cried out again. He tried to stand up, but the
movement caused the cactus needles to turn and twist in his leg.
"Ahhhhh! Ohhh-oww." He fell back down to the hard rocky ground, his hand
clutching the wounded leg. He put his head back, eyes squeezed closed
and his teeth clenched. He was breathing heavily and slight whimpers
escaped as he exhaled. Think Indy, think....Gotta' get back to camp.
Ever so slowly he started to pull himself along the ground in the
direction of the camp. "Daaaad!" he called again. He didn't know if they
heard him or not. Am I too far away? Please let them hear me.
Prof. Jones was digging through some loose stone when he thought he
heard something. He paused and listened again. He looked in the
direction he'd seen Indy run off earlier, but couldn't really see
anything. He was just about ready to go back to work when he heard it
again.
".....daaaaaad......."
"Junior?!" The alarm in his voice catching the ears of the other three
men.
"What is it, Henry?" Billings asked as he followed the Prof. to the
tent.
"It's Junior, something's wrong!"
He started to jog in the direction of the call. The younger assistant
grabbed something out of the tent and followed the older man.
Indy was covering very little ground. Bracing himself mentally, he tried
to stand again and was successful although the motion brought tears to
his eyes. "Shit!" he swore out loud as he took a few stumbling steps
forward. He looked up to see his father coming toward him.
"Daaaad!" he yelled, more relieved than scared this time. At the same
time he stubbed his toe and went down hard on his stomach knocking the
wind out of himself for a few seconds. He was just about to call out
again when he heard a horrible rattle sound. Risking a glance to his
right he saw a huge snake curling and rattling it's tale. Indy froze. He
didn't like snakes and this one was definitely within striking range.
Prof. Jones stopped when he heard the rattler. He followed Indy's stare
and saw the big snaked coiled and ready to strike.
"Stay still, Junior." He ordered quietly. Not knowing what else to do he
slowly reached down for a rock. "Still lad, don't move." His voice quiet
and slow as he carefully stepped closer the the snake. Sensing the
movement, the snake coiled tighter and was just about to strike,
when........
!!BAAANG!!
Indy ducked his head then watched as the snake was sent three feet in
the air and then landed in a lifeless heap on the sand and rocks.
The young assistant stood to the right and a few feet back of the Prof.,
his arm extended, gun smoking. "Got'em." he said keeping his eye on the
snake just in case he didn't.
The Prof. ran to Indy, knelt beside him and pulled him into his arms.
"Junior, are you alright?" He glanced at the injured leg and then back
at Indy, pushing the hair back off his forehead. "Junior?" He touched
the scrape on Indy's cheek and wiped a stray tear away with his thumb.
"Dad." Indy whimpered. "My leg...ahhh, it h-huuuuurts."
Prof. Jones scooped up his son, cradling him in his arms. "We've got to
get him back to town. Run ahead and get the team ready." He told the
assistant. "Oh, and nice shot. Thanks." The assistant half smiled and
ran on ahead.
"It'll be okay Junior. We'll get you back to town and fixed up."
Indy didn't say anything. He just wrapped his arms around his father's
neck, buried his face in his chest and nodded. When they reached the
camp the wagon was ready. Billings put a blanket in the back and helped
the Prof. to gently place Indy in the buckboard. The Prof. climbed in
the back and Billings took the reins. The two assistants watched and
helped when they could and were left in charge of the camp again as the
wagon started for town. The two hour wagon ride was not going to be easy
for Indy. Every bump sent shocks of pain through his leg. The only good
thing was that the sharp pains in his leg distracted him from the
lingering pain in his backside. His father cradled his upper body in his
lap and held him securely for the first part of the ride. Eventually the
Prof. tore Indy's pant leg open to get a better look at the injury. He
took a canteen of water, soaked his bandana and wiped the sweat, tears
and dirt from Indy's face.
"Junior, I'm going to try to pull out some of the thorns."
"NO! No, please Dad! It'll hurt."
"They have to come out Junior." He turned Indy onto his left side and
draped him across his lap. "Put your hands behind me and grab my belt
Junior."
Indy grabbed the belt in one hand and the side of the wagon with the
other and grimaced as he felt the first thorn pulled out.
"Owwwww! Oh, Dad. Don't, please!"
Another thorn was pulled from under the skin. "Owwwww!" Indy put his
hand out to stop his Dad.
"Junior," The Prof. grabbed the thin wrist and moved it out of the way.
"Keep you hands out of the way!" he ordered.
He worked only on the thorns that were shallow knowing the others would
probably bleed more. "Owww!" Indy moaned over and over, not able to stop
the tears that again rolled down his cheeks. Once all the superficial
thorns were removed the Prof. again cradled Indy in his lap. He wiped
his face again then worked on removing some of the dirt and blood from
the injured area. Indy was almost out as they finally made it back to
town. They decided to go to the boarding house directly and then bring
the doctor there so they wouldn't have to move the boy twice.
Prof. Jones carried Indy into the house and was greeted at the door by
Mrs. Johnson. "Oh my! What happened?"
"He's hurt his leg."
"Oh, the poor dear. Tommy!" she called out. "Tommy, call Dr. Brown and
tell him to come over right away!."
"What happened to Indy?" Tommy asked a he watched Prof. Jones carry the
limp boy up the stairs.
"Tommy!" Mrs. Johnson said, clapping her hands together. "Call Dr. Brown
this instant!"
"Yes ma'am!"
Mrs. Johnson followed Prof. Jones upstairs and into the Jones' room. She
pulled back the blankets and the Prof. gently placed Indy on his back in
the bed. Indy moaned a little and turned on his left side. His father
went to work removing his clothes as Mrs. Johnson went to get some water
and a cloth to clean him up. Prof. Jones as just helping his son into a
nightshirt when Mrs. Johnson returned. He was vaguely aware that she saw
him naked and blushed profusely. At the moment he was more worried that
she saw his recently paddled backside than anything else and he tried to
pull the covers over himself.
"No Junior." His father said as he pulled the covers out of Indy's hand.
"Leave them off so we can see to your leg."
"But Dad." he protested weekly.
"Don't worry Indy," Mrs. Johnson said as she wipe his forehead, "I do
have a son just about your age, remember? You don't have anything I
haven't seen before."
This only caused Indy to blush more and he tried to bury his head
deeper in the pillow. Just then Tommy came into the room.
"I called the Doc and he'll be right over. Yowch Indy, did you land on
your butt first? It sure looks sore."
"Tommy!" his mother admonished, "Go wait downstairs for the doctor or
yours will look worse!" She planted a firm swat on the seat of his
pants to get him moving.
"Yes, Ma'am!"
A few minutes later Tommy returned with the doctor. Indy had managed to
work his nightshirt down enough to cover himself in the front, but the
lower half of his backside was still exposed to the room and now with
four pairs of eyes staring at him he thought he could never feel more
embarrassed in is life.
"Ah, let's see what we have here." Dr. Brown said as he began looking
over Indy. "Quite a mess young man, how did you manage this?" He touched
the injured leg in a couple of spots causing Indy to yelp. "Take it easy
son, I have to see if it's broken." He picked up Indy's leg by the ankle
and moved it around a bit.
"Owwww. Oww-ohhh." escaped through the boys tightly shut teeth. He was
trying to be brave for his dad and that stupid doctor wasn't helping by
twisting his leg like that.
"Well, it's not broken."
There was a collected sigh of relief in the room.
"If I could have a little privacy, I'll start removing these thorns.
He's going to need a few stitches too.
Tommy, Mrs. Johnson and Prof. Jones started to leave the room. "Dad?
Would you stay with me?" Indy looked up at his father, his lashes wet
with tears.
"Sure Junior." He pulled a chair next to the head of the bed and sat.
Indy moved closer and the Prof. held his hand, stroking it and his hair
to calm and distract him from what the doctor was doing. The Prof.
noticed the doctor looking at his son's bruised backside. "I'm afraid
that's from me, not the fall."
"Ahhh, I see." Dr. Brown nodded his head, a knowing smile on his face.
"Well, I've yet to see a boy who didn't benefit from having his backside
warmed. You did a fine job."
The flush returned to Indy's face and he buried his head deeper into
the pillow.
An hour later Indy had been stitched, bandaged and was sleeping soundly
as the doctor finished giving his care instructions to the two adults
downstairs.
Mrs. Johnson had been watching the Prof. and when the doctor left she
poured him another cup of coffee.
"You know Professor Jones, I am here all the time and I know you want to
get back to the dig sight. I really don't mind at all looking after Indy
while he recovers. He is such a sweet boy."
"That's too kind of you Mrs. Johnson, I wouldn't want to impose."
Although he was thinking this same thing, after all, he didn't have the
best bedside manner. He always left those things to his wife or the
housekeeper before.
"Oh, it's no imposition at all. I'd love to do it." She gave him a warm
smile. "It's settled then." She said with the conviction of a woman
whose words were rarely challenged. "You'll go back to your work
tomorrow and Indy will stay here under my care."
Early the next morning, Prof. Jones gathered the supplies he would need.
Indy was still sound asleep, of course the medicine the doctor gave him
probably helped. The Prof. didn't want to wake him, he looked so
peaceful, almost angelic and very young when he was sleeping. He
decided to leave him a quick note:
Junior, I'm going back out to the
dig site. I should be home tomorrow sometime. Please do everything Mrs.
Johnson tells you. Stay in bed and get some rest. Love, Dad
He folded the note and put it on the night stand next to the bed. As he looked
through his satchel one more time he spotted the bag of candy he took
from Indy on the train. He smiled to himself and put it on top of the
note.
Indy woke a few hours later, his head still a little groggy. As he sat
up all the details of the previous day flooded back. His mouth was very
dry and he looked for a glass of water. He spotted the bag of candy and
he smiled knowing his dad must have left it for him. He read the note
and was disappointed that he would not be going with his father. He was
also a little worried that he was left in the care of Mrs. Johnson. He
like her a lot, but she was rather intimidating in the hall their first
day there. He made a mental note to do everything she said, he certainly
didn't want to find out if she'd really use her hairbrush on him. The
pressure in his bladder could no longer be ignored and he carefully
pulled back the covers a swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His
right leg was bandaged completely from the ankle to the hip and he had
scrapes all along both arms and the palms of his hands. He stood slowly,
easing his weight onto both legs. Satisfied they would support him, he
sort of limped/hopped his way out into the hall. He leaned on everything
available till he finally made it to the bathroom, and not a moment too
soon. When he finished he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was
surprised to see a large bruise on his cheek.
"Sure, all this wasted with nobody to show it to." Back home the guys
always showed off any injury and the tale that went along was greatly
embellished as they each tried to out-do each other. "This would have
topped them all." He said, inspecting his leg once again.
As he opened the bathroom door he was met by stern looking Abbey
Johnson, her foot tapping and her hands on her hips.
"And just what are you doing out of bed young man?"
"I...I uh, had to...to go." He gave her his best 'innocent' look.
"Well, next time you call me, you understand? You'll be sorry if you
fall and tear open those stitches."
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Shame on you. Here, let me help you back." She put a hand under his
right arm and grasped his upper left arm firmly moving Indy in front of
her and taking most of the weight off his legs. For a moment Indy was
almost sure she was going to pick him up, he was a bit surprised by her
strength. When they made it back to the room she sat him on the edge of
the bed and noticed him grimace.
"I know what will help you." She said as she helped him lay down. "I'll
be right back."
She came back into the room a couple minutes later carrying a jar of
lotion. "Roll over on your stomach Indy, this will help."
"W-what? Uhm, really I'm okay. Really."
"Nonsense, I do this for Tommy and ask him, it helps. Of course he's at
school right now. C'mon now, roll over."
"No. Really, I-I'm fine." Indy protested, pulling the blankets up tight
under his chin.
"You aren't going to give me a hard time already, are you, young man?"
She asked, one eyebrow raised. "Do you want me to give your father a bad
report?"
"No Ma'am, but......"
"On your stomach right this instant or I might be tempted to add to your
discomfort rather than help it."
Indy gulped and could tell from the stern expression that she would do
just that, so with a sigh, he slowly turned on to his front and rested
his head on the pillow. He felt the covers lowered and his nightshirt
pulled up, exposing his backside to the coolness of the room. His face
and ears flushed bright red. The lotion was cold and he tensed a little
as Mrs. Johnson began rubbing it over his still pink and bruised bottom.
"It's okay Indy." She soothed. "You must have been a naughty boy to make
your father spank you this hard." She noticed his ears and neck attained
an even brighter shade of red. "This will make it all better, you'll
see." When all the lotion was thoroughly rubbed in she pulled down his
shirt and softly patted his bottom. "All done. Doesn't that feel
better?"
"Yes, Ma'am." Came the muffled reply.
"I don't think your bandage will have to be changed till tomorrow."
Thank God for small favors. Indy thought to himself.
"I'm going to bring up your lunch and I want you to eat every bite."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Around two o'clock Tommy was home from school and he immediately ran up
to Indy's room. Indy was sitting up writing in his journal and he had to
admit, his butt did feel better. He looked up as Tommy ran into the
room.
"Hi! What'cha doin'?" Tommy asked.
"Writin'."
"On your own?" A puzzled look came over the other boy's face. "With no
one tellin' ya?"
Indy laughed and put the book aside. "How was school?"
"Uhm...well, the usual. You know." Tommy glanced out in the hall then
moved closer to Indy rubbing the seat of his pants. "I got three swats
from 'Old Peckerhead' for talking, but I don't want Ma to find out, so
don't say anything."
"I won't."
"It's all your fault anyway."
"Mine?"
"Yea. I was tellin' Ben about your accident and stuff and he didn't
believe me, so I guess I got too loud. So, see, it's your fault." The
younger boy crossed his arms and pouted to get his point across.
Indy laughed again. "Sorry. How about a peace offering?" He held open
the bag of candy. "Take a couple."
"Wow, Thanks. Are you gonna' be around here for awhile?" Tommy slurred
around the two lemon drops in his mouth.
"It looks that way."
"Good! Tomorrow's Saturday you know, and I'll be home. Maybe we can do
somethin'."
"I don't know, your mom will probably make me stay in bed."
"She goes shopping on Saturday's." Tommy said with a devilish grin. "We
can do whatever we want!"
For some reason Indy didn't think this was a good idea.
end part 4