Wyatt was barely responsive when Emma turned up to check on him in the morning.
She found Katie up on the bed, laying full length by his side, her nose touching the side of his throat as though monitoring his pulse.
When Emma approached, the big dog moved willingly and allowed her to sit and gently shake the exorcist.
"Wyatt…" She said, fighting the varying urges to let the man sleep and to make sure that he hadn't slipped too far away from them. He was the color of paste and his breathing was shallow and loud.
"Wyatt." She said, a little more firmly, shaking his shoulder gently to no response.
She began to worry even more than she had been and as she was deciding what to do, Katie stepped forward and barked near the side of Wyatt's head like a gunshot blast and Wyatt actually flinched.
"Lordhavemercy…" He stammered all in one word.
"Damn dog has a set of lungs." His voice was faint, barely audible but he was talking.
Emma breathed a deep sigh of relief. He was still with them.
"Wyatt, is there anything you need? Rest? Food? Do you need to drink something? Pain killers? Anything at all?"
His eyes cracked open slightly. He seemed to stare past her into the distance for a moment, but then in a halting voice he spoke.
"I can't stay in bed.
I need to get up and move.
I am going to be slow.
I may only get from one place to another, but I need not to freeze up.
Can you build a fire outside and then have Will come help you get me out there?"
Emma nodded along with what he said. Relieved to have something to do.
"Do you want food yet?"
He shook his head. "No. But the girl would appreciate it and a chance to go out and pee I imagine." He shuddered violently. "Lot of work, babysitting the broken haint walker."
Emma put her hand on his shoulder. "I'll get Will and then we'll get you both down out of here."
"I'd be much obliged…" He whispered hoarsely as he seemed to slip back to sleep.
Emma didn't wait. She practically ran for the house and in only a few minutes returned with Will and the girls, but to her shock, they found Wyatt sitting up on the edge of the bed.
He still seemed more zombie than human, but he was at least able to focus his eyes.
"Morning…" He murmured. "How was your night?"
Rabbit, who did nothing if not speak her mind. "We were worried about you and didn't sleep much."
Wyatt smiled at the girl. "Well, I'm sorry about that Miss Rabbit. But I promise that it will start to get better now."
They did not pause for more conversation, but with Will on one side and Emma on the other, they got Wyatt's arms around their shoulders and hoisted him to his feet. He was unsteady and though he tried to help, the majority of the effort was theirs.
It took them nearly ten minutes to hoist first Wyatt and then Katie down from the loft. To make it easier on him and on themselves they had brought the all-terrain vehicle down and they loaded him in it as Katie trotted out to relieve herself.
Wyatt was surprised to see that they already had a fire going in the ring near the barn and a sheepskin thrown over the adirondack chair where he liked to sit.
They maneuvered him into the chair and Emma brought over a couple of wool blankets to ward off the chill that still hung in the morning air.
"Can I ask one more favor?" He said, his politeness unfailing even in the state he was in.
"Of course." Missy, Emma and Guin chorused.
"I have my pipe. Somewhere up in the loft, there is an old bandage tin, wrapped in green tape. If you could find it, that would certainly be a boon."
"I'll get it!" Rabbit cried and tore off toward the barn, making Wyatt nearly laugh.
"I'll never understand why you call her rabbit." He seemed to have more to say but ran out of breath.
The Monroes sat down around him, mostly feeling helpless but wanting to be close in case he needed anything. None of them were sure of what had happened but a feeling ran through them that it had been horrific and he had endured it for them.
Rabbit, true to her word returned in a couple of minutes with the tin clutched to her chest. She presented it to Wyatt who reached for, but was unable to grasp it and dropped it into the grass.
Rabbit scooped it up and gently laid it on the arm of Wyatt's chair.
"Thank you so much Miss Rabbit." Then he turned. "Will, would you mind?"
He fumbled a couple of times but managed to pull his pipe from his pocket and set it next to the tin.
"I don't mind at all." Will replied, taking up the tin and after cleaning the pipe out, expertly packed it and placed it between Wyatt's lips and then using a burning twig from the fire, lit it as Wyatt puffed away and drew the medicinal and magical smoke into his lungs.
Wyatt felt the smoke enter his body, felt it penetrate the walls of his lungs and deep within him he felt the engine of his gift begin to turn. His bare toes wiggled gently in the grass and he began to pull up energy through the soles of his feet. His mind, which had felt like it was stuffed with mud and cotton since he had imprisoned Walter a few hours earlier, began slowly to clear.
He smoked the pipe down to ash and with Will's help repacked it and lit it again.
About halfway through the second one he looked around at the Monroes who were all, in one way or another staring at him.
"Don't y'all have stuff to do?"
Missy didn't miss a beat. "Yep. It says right on the calendar, Saturday, September thirtieth, take care of Wyatt Pike."
Wyatt cocked an eyebrow at her and then shook his head. "Seems they'll make a holiday out of anything."
His little joke seemed to poke a hole in the tension that they were all feeling and it was a tremendous relief.
Wyatt still felt like hammered shit, but if he could convince the family that all was well, then that would go a long way toward healing them and himself along the way.
He crossed his feet in front of the fire, wiggling his toes at the warmth and smiling.
He took another long drag on his pipe and then said, his voice growing stronger.
"I have a story to tell you."
2023 Lance Cheuvront
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