Page 55 of Honoring Freedom
“Ididcontain him.”
“I was the last one through the fence,” Keller said with a grim expression.
Freedom looked at him, furrowing her brow. Keller had never been clumsy. “Is the latch faulty?”
He shook his head.
“Hell, it can happen to anyone,” Jinx said through tight lips.
“Jinx, we’re going to have to take care of this.”
“Do what you need to, Keller.”
“What does he need?” Freedom asked, knowing what was about to happen wasn’t going to be pretty.
"Do you have any whiskey?" Jinx asked, getting paler by the moment.
She looked to Keller for his approval, and he nodded. “I’ll be right back.” She returned with the most expensive bottle she could find just as she heard Keller tell Jinx…
“I can’t wait for Doc to arrive. It might take him awhile with all the trees and debris that came down blocking the road. Jinx, you’re needing stitches.”
“Like I said, do what you need to do. I trust you the same as I would any other doctor.” Jinx lifted the bottle to his mouth and took a long gulp.
“Will you cut away his jeans, Freedom?” Keller asked.
“Sure.” She accepted the gloves and scissors that Keller offered her while he prepared his medical items. She carefully cut the denim away being as gentle as she could. Once she could see the injury better, she knew why Keller needed to get the wound taken care of fast.
She finished her task and stepped back and gave Keller space.
“I’ll need to clean it thoroughly, Jinx.”
“Go for it,” he said and closed his eyes, gripping the whiskey bottle until his knuckles were white. He made a howling sound as Keller poured the disinfectant over the wound. Jinx chugged more whiskey and the pain seemed more tolerable.
“Sorry, I don’t have anything to help. It’s different managing a horse’s pain.”
Jinx nodded and pressed his head back into the pillow.
“Are you staying?” Keller asked Freedom.
She nodded. “If you need me to.”
"Put on fresh gloves," he whispered. "Try to keep him calm. He's going into shock, so we need to hurry."
An hour later, Freedom stood under the hot stream of water, watching the pink tinged soap suds swirl around the drain before disappearing. Her tears mingled with the water as her adrenaline came down. The tension of watching Keller suture the wound had left her in a weakened state. The blood. The pain. Keller had been as gentle as he could.
She shut the water off and stepped out of the shower stall, drying herself with a soft terry cloth towel.
She and Keller hadn’t spoken for a week after the Harvest Picnic. A battle of wills or pride, she guessed but they had worked well together to take care of Jinx.
After dressing, she made her way back downstairs. Downstairs she found Keller making coffee. He’d taken a shower too and had put on the clothes she’d given him from her father’s closet. They fit him a little tight, but they would be fine for the time being.
“How is he?” she asked as she stepped inside the kitchen.
“He’s resting. Doc called and said he’ll be here as soon as they clear the road.”
She nodded. “What you did in there…was amazing. He would have died had you not been here. He had lost so much blood.”
Keller ran his hand through his hair. He looked tired…internally beaten. “We won’t know if it’s amazing until he recovers with no infection.”