[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.html (272 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:09 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.htmlsubmission by the trading post's 20 mm cannon.Crossing the deck to where Ryan lay, Mildred dropped to her knees, her bodyrolling with the frantic pitch of the boat.She looked at his injured shoulder, at theblood spreading across the shirt material.She unbuttoned the shirt and pulled itback."Ruined the shirt, didn't it?" Ryan asked."Got your old one in the gear." Mildred examined the bullet hole.The round hadcored through the outer deltoid muscle atop Ryan's left shoulder.It was moremessy than damaging."Through and through.You got lucky.""Real lucky, Dad," Dean said."Thought that bastard river had taken you for sure.Glad it didn't.""Me, too." Ryan tried to sit up, managing it with help from Mildred and Dean.Mildred pulled the blanket tighter around Ryan, noting his pallid complexion.Itwasn't from the shock of the wound; it was the chill of the water."Eat your soup.Get your temperature back up before you get the chills or end up getting sick.I'vegot to pack that wound, get the bleed-ing stopped."Ryan did as he was instructed, ignoring the spoon he'd been given and drinkingthe soup straight from the con-tainer.Mildred took gauze from the first-aid supplies and plugged the entry and exitwounds on the one-eyed man's shoulder.Ryan, being the indomitable hardass hewas, didn't say a word during the whole procedure."After exposure to that water, I'm going to pump you full of vitamin B, too."Mildred took one of the few am-poules they'd found in a recent visit to a redoubtand in-jected him."You might run a slight fever with this, but you'll be okay."RYAN SAT BESIDE KRYSTY, nursing another self-heat of chicken-noodlefile:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20.r%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html (273 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:09 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.htmlsoup as he watched her sleep.Hours had passed, and he'd slept some of themhimself, but for a few minutes here and there, he'd talked with Krysty and with theother companions.After his rescue, Ryan had instructed Morse to turn up-river again.The coldheartswere no longer a threat, and the companions passed the fort without incident.Theriver had calmed as they'd sailed, but with the sun hanging so low in the sky andthe coastline so uncertain, there was no choice about dropping anchor for thenight.Too much de-bris washing down from upriver created hazards.Morse hadalready had his boys working to patch the leaks from the bullet rounds that hadcored through the decks.The boat had taken on a foot and a half of water beforethey'd been able to get most of them stopped.The boys, spelled by Jak, Dean, Docand J.B., worked a hand bilge pump to clear the water.Ryan had even taken acouple turns himself, not wanting his wounded arm to stiffen too much."Got any of that soup left, lover?" Krysty croaked."Yeah." Ryan handed it over, but she was too weak to sit up and take it."Sorry," she said."Stomach's rolling.I'm hungry, but I'm too weak to take care ofit myself."Ryan helped her sit, then patiently spoon-fed her."Talked to Elmore earlier," hesaid."We're mebbe four days out from where Donovan's supposed to be up in themountains around the Heimdall Foundation.""Long time," Krysty said."And a long way.""Seen longer times and longer ways," Ryan replied."We'll see this one throughjust the same.""Wish I believed that as much as you do, lover.But I hear that bitch's voice in theback of my mind just eating at me.It could be that by the time we get there, therewon't be much of me left.""You have a hard time believing in that," Ryan told her, keeping his voice strong,file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20.r%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html (274 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:09 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html"then you just believe in me.I ain't never let you down before.""Haven't, lover," she corrected him gently."You haven't ever let me down.""Haven't," he said agreeably."And I ain't about to start now." He thought shemight correct him again, but instead she was asleep in his arms.He held herdespite the pain it caused in his wounded shoulder, knowing it would be noth-inglike the agony he'd feel if he lost her.Four days, but they could measure a lifetime Krysty's.He concentrated on her breathing as he held her, hearing it even above theconstant smack of waves against the boat's hull and the crack of sailcloth.Chapter Twenty-NineThe four days passed hard for Ryan, and being forced to stay aboard the boat forthe duration was intolerable.He was a man used to making his own way.The wounded shoulder healed well, with only a slight case of infection.He'dlanced it himself with the heated blade of the panga.The other companionsstruggled with the claustrophobic feelings inspired by life on the boat.J.B.wasthe only one who handled the time without strain, but that was because theArmorer had room to spread out all the companions' weapons and give them aproper cleaning.Morse and his sons had grown increasingly belligerent about manning Junie.Morse himself had a lump on his jaw and behind his ear where Jak had pistol-whipped him with the.357 Magnum when the man had tried to jump Dean.ToDean's own credit, he'd resisted killing the man out-right.file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.html (272 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:09 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.htmlsubmission by the trading post's 20 mm cannon.Crossing the deck to where Ryan lay, Mildred dropped to her knees, her bodyrolling with the frantic pitch of the boat.She looked at his injured shoulder, at theblood spreading across the shirt material.She unbuttoned the shirt and pulled itback."Ruined the shirt, didn't it?" Ryan asked."Got your old one in the gear." Mildred examined the bullet hole.The round hadcored through the outer deltoid muscle atop Ryan's left shoulder.It was moremessy than damaging."Through and through.You got lucky.""Real lucky, Dad," Dean said."Thought that bastard river had taken you for sure.Glad it didn't.""Me, too." Ryan tried to sit up, managing it with help from Mildred and Dean.Mildred pulled the blanket tighter around Ryan, noting his pallid complexion.Itwasn't from the shock of the wound; it was the chill of the water."Eat your soup.Get your temperature back up before you get the chills or end up getting sick.I'vegot to pack that wound, get the bleed-ing stopped."Ryan did as he was instructed, ignoring the spoon he'd been given and drinkingthe soup straight from the con-tainer.Mildred took gauze from the first-aid supplies and plugged the entry and exitwounds on the one-eyed man's shoulder.Ryan, being the indomitable hardass hewas, didn't say a word during the whole procedure."After exposure to that water, I'm going to pump you full of vitamin B, too."Mildred took one of the few am-poules they'd found in a recent visit to a redoubtand in-jected him."You might run a slight fever with this, but you'll be okay."RYAN SAT BESIDE KRYSTY, nursing another self-heat of chicken-noodlefile:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20.r%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html (273 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:09 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.htmlsoup as he watched her sleep.Hours had passed, and he'd slept some of themhimself, but for a few minutes here and there, he'd talked with Krysty and with theother companions.After his rescue, Ryan had instructed Morse to turn up-river again.The coldheartswere no longer a threat, and the companions passed the fort without incident.Theriver had calmed as they'd sailed, but with the sun hanging so low in the sky andthe coastline so uncertain, there was no choice about dropping anchor for thenight.Too much de-bris washing down from upriver created hazards.Morse hadalready had his boys working to patch the leaks from the bullet rounds that hadcored through the decks.The boat had taken on a foot and a half of water beforethey'd been able to get most of them stopped.The boys, spelled by Jak, Dean, Docand J.B., worked a hand bilge pump to clear the water.Ryan had even taken acouple turns himself, not wanting his wounded arm to stiffen too much."Got any of that soup left, lover?" Krysty croaked."Yeah." Ryan handed it over, but she was too weak to sit up and take it."Sorry," she said."Stomach's rolling.I'm hungry, but I'm too weak to take care ofit myself."Ryan helped her sit, then patiently spoon-fed her."Talked to Elmore earlier," hesaid."We're mebbe four days out from where Donovan's supposed to be up in themountains around the Heimdall Foundation.""Long time," Krysty said."And a long way.""Seen longer times and longer ways," Ryan replied."We'll see this one throughjust the same.""Wish I believed that as much as you do, lover.But I hear that bitch's voice in theback of my mind just eating at me.It could be that by the time we get there, therewon't be much of me left.""You have a hard time believing in that," Ryan told her, keeping his voice strong,file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20.r%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html (274 of 332) [1/3/2005 12:28:09 AM] file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20E-books/James%20Axler%20-%20Deathlands%2045%20-%20Starfall.html"then you just believe in me.I ain't never let you down before.""Haven't, lover," she corrected him gently."You haven't ever let me down.""Haven't," he said agreeably."And I ain't about to start now." He thought shemight correct him again, but instead she was asleep in his arms.He held herdespite the pain it caused in his wounded shoulder, knowing it would be noth-inglike the agony he'd feel if he lost her.Four days, but they could measure a lifetime Krysty's.He concentrated on her breathing as he held her, hearing it even above theconstant smack of waves against the boat's hull and the crack of sailcloth.Chapter Twenty-NineThe four days passed hard for Ryan, and being forced to stay aboard the boat forthe duration was intolerable.He was a man used to making his own way.The wounded shoulder healed well, with only a slight case of infection.He'dlanced it himself with the heated blade of the panga.The other companionsstruggled with the claustrophobic feelings inspired by life on the boat.J.B.wasthe only one who handled the time without strain, but that was because theArmorer had room to spread out all the companions' weapons and give them aproper cleaning.Morse and his sons had grown increasingly belligerent about manning Junie.Morse himself had a lump on his jaw and behind his ear where Jak had pistol-whipped him with the.357 Magnum when the man had tried to jump Dean.ToDean's own credit, he'd resisted killing the man out-right.file:///C|/3226%20Sci-Fi%20and%20Fantasy%20 [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]