Teaspoon rarely left Buck’s side over the next two days except when duty called him away. No one understood why the young man’s injury was effecting him the way it was. They’d all been sick or injured at one time or another and he had never acted in quite the same manner.

No one knew that he was carrying around a great deal of guilt for having sent Buck to the Kiowa in the first place.

~*~*~

"Why is he acting like that?" Buck asked his friend.

"He sent you away, remember? And then you got captured and hurt," Ike replied. "So how are you feeling anyway?"

"Stronger I think."

"Then it’s time, Buck. It’s time…"

~*~*~

"…its time to wake up son. You’ve been asleep a long time and we’d really like it if you woke up and talked to us."

Buck’s eyes fluttered open. It took him some time to focus in the darkened room, but he finally made out Teaspoon sitting in a chair next to him. He was in the bunkhouse.

"Teaspoon? How’d I get here? What…?" Buck’s mind seemed to clear just a bit. He remembered running across the prairie, leading soldiers away from his brother and others. "Red Bear!" Buck tried to sit up, pain immediately shooting through his middle, his head spinning. He grabbed his stomach as Teaspoon pushed him back down on the bed.

The noise woke the others and sleepy heads looked their way. His friends began to climb out of their bunks.

"Easy son, easy. Lay back down."

"Red Bear. He needs my help…" Buck still struggled to sit up, but it didn’t take much for Teaspoon to hold him down.

"Listen to me Buck. Listen to me! Red Bear is fine. He’s alive. Did you hear what I said, son? Red Bear is alive."

"How do you…"

"We saw him ourselves. Kid recognized him. He came and talked to us, said he was returning to the Kiowa."

"I’ve got to go to him," Buck’s voice was fading, weakening. "He needs my help. The Kiowa nee…"

Teaspoon checked the young man. "He’s asleep. Go on back to bed now."

The riders all moved back to their beds.

~*~*~

Buck awoke the next morning. He let his eyes roam the room, watching his friends do their best to dress quietly. Rachel worked at the table, preparing breakfast. He ached, muscles too long unused, telling him so. He moved slightly, trying to alleviate the discomfort. Lou caught the movement, dropping to her knees by his bed.

"He’s awake." She said, smiling at him. Her hand reached out and touched his cheek. "Someone go get Teaspoon." Cody slipped out of the door as Rachel joined Lou and the others clustered around.

"Welcome back Buck."

"Hey Lou. How’d I get here?"

"We heard about the Kiowa being captured and went to find you." Jimmy told him.

"Why?"

"Why? Because we’re your friends." Jimmy answered, irritation creeping into his voice.

"I must be going to live if Jimmy’s getting mad at me." Buck said, his voice already growing weak.

"Damn right."

The others laughed, the slight tension in the air broken. For the first time in over a week they actually believed their friend would live.

Teaspoon walked into the room and had to smile at the sound of the laughter. Cody walked in behind him.

"Well for once y’all are laughing at somethin’ besides me." He retorted.

"How can you be so sure Cody?"

"All right, all right. How ya feelin’ Buck?" Teaspoon asked.

"Tired. But I’ll be okay."

"Let’s get you somethin’ to eat." Rachel said, rising from his side. "Boys, why don’t you move back and give the boy some air."

"Aw Rachel," Cody started to say.

"Don’t you ‘aw Rachel’ me. You boys got some chores to do before breakfast. You can talk to Buck after he’s had a chance to eat and we change his bandages. Now shoo."

The boys all shuffled out, Lou pausing long enough to place a quick kiss on Buck’s cheek.

Teaspoon watched them go then turned his attention back to Buck.

"Still can’t get used to her bein’ a girl." Teaspoon said with a smile.

"Teaspoon, if you’ll help me prop some pillows up behind him, I’ve got some broth heating up. We’ll get something warm inside your stomach. How’s that sound?"

"Hmmm…" Buck already sounded as though he were drifting off again.

"Buck honey, can you stay awake just a little longer? You really need to eat a little something."

"I’ll try." But his voice was unconvincing. He became wide-awake, though, when Teaspoon gently lifted him forward. He felt the movement in every possible muscle and the burning, stinging sensation in his stomach. Rachel placed several pillows behind him and Teaspoon laid him back as gently a he could.

"Sorry son. Didn’t mean to hurt you." Teaspoon said.

"It’s okay. It just caught me by surprise is all."

Rachel moved back to the bunk, a bowl of beef broth in hand.

"I’m afraid you’re on broth and tea for a few days Buck. Then we can start getting some meat back on those bones of yours." She said as she began to spoon the warm liquid in his mouth.

Buck hadn’t realized he was hungry. Worse yet he hadn’t realized how long it had been since he had truly eaten a meal. It had been 24 hours before he went to the sweat lodge, having fasted for the ceremony for a day. Since that day it was flour and water or beans while he was held by the Army, and the broth that Teaspoon and the others had fed him on the trail and since his return. A little real food sounded appealing, but he wasn’t sure it would stay down right now.

Even he was surprised to see his ribs pushing so obviously against his skin. But for some reason it didn’t really disturb him. It served to remind him of what those still held captive were going through. Possible starvation. And worse.

He had every intention of returning to the Kiowa and help in the fight for their way of life. But he also knew he couldn’t tell this to Teaspoon.

Not yet.

On to Chapter Fifteen