Hope's Heart

Chapter Nine

A/N: Here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for! Enjoy!

Chapter Nine

BANG!

The deafening shot echoed through the street, the bullet slamming straight into Luc's shoulder. Calvin watched in horror as his best friend stumbled and fell, blood spurting from the wound like water from a fountain. 

He knelt down and yanked off his bandanna, pressing it to the gunshot wound in an attempt to stop the blood, all the while shouting. "HELP! I need help here!"

He wasn't going to let Luc die. 

~

In the aftermath of the shot, Hope heard the shout, and her heart clenched with fear. Clinging tightly to Maggie's hand, she joined the flood of people running down the main street, all congregating at the livery. Squeezing past the townsfolk, she stopped short at the sight of Luc on the ground, blood pooling around his shoulder.

Sven had already made his way there, and he glanced across at Calvin. "We're gonna need a doctor."

Calvin nodded. "Help me get him to the boarding-house." It was easily the largest place in town next to the bank and had plenty of rooms.

Between them, the two men lifted Luc off the ground and carried him to the boarding-house. Nellie was inside, and her eyes widened when she saw them, but her shock quickly vanished as she began giving out orders.

"Clear that table over there," she said firmly. "Lay him down here; it's better than goin' up the stairs. Anybody ride for the doctor?"

"He's over fifteen miles away," Calvin snapped, his tanned face looking ghost-pale. "Luc's bleedin' too bad; he'll die by the time a doctor gets here."

"Did anyone see what happened?" queried Wyatt. The sheriff had somehow made into the dining room and was now standing there along with Calvin, Sven, and Nellie, while a horde of curious bystanders pressed into the kitchen doorway.

Calvin shook his head. He took off his hat, running his fingers through his hair. "No. He had just walked into the livery barn and then someone fired." He clenched his fist, wishing he could stop shaking.

"Is the bullet still in there?" Nellie asked. 

"I didn't see an exit wound."

The old woman folded her arms. "Then we better just dig it out ourselves. Calvin, I'm gonna need your help, along with someone else. Sven, make yourself useful and go to the barber's. If I know Charlie he's gonna have some whisky, and I'll need laudanum too."

"Can I help?"

The trio turned around. Hope stood in the doorway, her face pale but her eyes steady. "Please," she said. "I want to."

Nellie nodded. "Alright, then. The rest of you, out." She shooed them out of the kitchen. "This ain't no sideshow."

Wyatt put on his hat. "I'd best be going too. We'll need to find out who did this."

"You just make sure you do," Calvin said. His voice was barely audible, but loud enough for Wyatt to hear. The sheriff's face tightened, but he said nothing, shutting the door behind him quietly.

~

Digging for the bullet seemed to take forever, and by the time it was finished, Hope began to wish she had never volunteered. She had never seen so much blood in all her life and the metallic smell made her nauseous, but she held her ground, staying in place until the last stitch was finished.