Free The Outlaws: Jess by Connie Mason

Zach."
     
    Jess watched Zach approach with growing
alarm. The closer he came the more aware Jess became that something
was wrong. Zach's shoulders were slumped, his face was ashen. He
sat his horse awkwardly, barely able to keep his seat. Jess rushed
forward to help him dismount. Zach's lame leg caught in the
stirrups and he would have fallen had Jess not steadied him.
    "Thanks, Doc," Zach said.
    Meg ran over to join them, her expression
stark with concern. "Are you all right, Zach? You shouldn't have
gone off without telling me. I would have gone with you."
    "No, you wouldn't have," Jess said
sternly.
    "I'm fine, Meggie-girl. Didn't have much luck
in town, though. Jobs were scarce for a cripple. The ones available
were beyond my capability, and those I could do were already
filled." He turned away in disgust. "I feel so damn useless. I'm
half a man, with one foot in the grave and the other on a banana
peel."
    "Don't say that!" Meg cried fiercely. She
turned to Jess, her eyes pleading. "Can't you give him something to
make him better?"
    "Not until I now what's wrong with him. I
need to examine him."
    "Then do it!" Meg demanded.
    "What about it, Zach? Will you let me examine
you? I'll be leaving in a day or two, now is as good a time as
any."
    Zach looked from Meg to Jess, as if trying to
make up his mind. Then he nodded slowly. "Very well, you two have
worn me down. Might as well get it over with."
    "I'll wash up and fetch my bag," Jess said.
"I'd prefer to do the examination in private."
    "My bedroom, then," Zach said. "I'll wait for
you there."
    Jess's brows raised in surprise. He'd always
assumed that Zach and Meg shared the same bedroom.
    Zach limped away. Meg followed him as Jess
went off to scrub his hands. When he entered Zach's room with his
medical bag a short time later, Meg was there, fussing over him.
She was reluctant to leave, but Jess was adamant. As soon as the
door closed behind her, Jess opened his bag and removed his
stethoscope.
    "No need for that, Doc, I know what's wrong,"
Zach said. "I only agreed to this for Meggie's sake."
    "Why don't you tell me your symptoms?"
    "It's my heart. It just ain't right. Hasn't
been for a long time."
    "Let me be the judge of that. Have you
experienced pain?"
    Zach gave him a wry smile. "You could say
that. Sometimes it's so bad I can't catch my breath. I try not to
let on for Meggie's sake, but I know my days are numbered,
Doc."
    Jess's initial impression wasn't promising,
but he wasn't about to make a diagnosis without evidence to back up
Zach's complaints. He placed the stethoscope over Zach's heart. He
listened, frowned, and listened some more. He moved the stethoscope
to Zach's back, still frowning.
    He put the stethoscope away and tested Zach's
responses. Then he looked into his eyes, his ears, and his mouth.
The examination was as thorough as Jess knew how to make it. When
he finished, he sat back and stared at Zach.
    Zach returned his perusal. "I was right,
wasn't I, Doc? It's my heart, ain't it? I've lived a hard life.
Drank too much, smoked and caroused like there was no tomorrow
during my early years. Now I'm paying for it. I don't care for
myself, it's Meggie I'm worried about."
    "I'm not going to lie to you, Zach. You have
angina, or progressive heart failure. There is medicine that will
ease your pain but no cure."
    Acceptance shone in the depths of Zach's
eyes. "I ain't proud of my life. There are things I would do over
were I given the chance. But meeting and caring for Meggie isn't
one of them. I'll always be grateful for the time I had with
her."
    Jess didn't want to hear about Zach's
relationship with Meg. "I'll give you some pills. Take them
whenever you feel the pain come on. When they're gone, you can buy
more from a druggist. It's a common enough remedy."
    "How long do I have?"
    "Only God knows that. My advise is to make
the most of the time you have left. Try not to overdo and rest when
you feel tired."
    "Don't tell Meggie, Doc. I don't want