BLACKHAMMER

Dr. Burns turned an exhausted eye to Wally and wheezed. “Nurse Bingham will bind the leg with splints to keep it stable.  I’m not going to place a cast on it because I would just have to remove it shortly to amputate.  It will take a healing miracle to get enough blood flow to his foot to keep it from turning gangrenous.  If the stitches burst it will have to come off. If it infects, it will have to come off. If it turns gangrenous, it will have to come off.  I’ve seen wounds much less severe than this result in amputation.  He will probably die because of this operation.”

Wally tucked his pistol out of sight then stuck his thumbs in his vest pockets. “You, doctor,” he concluded, “underestimate your talent and Wig Blackhammer’s constitution.  Care to wager your fee against his recovery?”

“I do not gamble, sir,” Dr. Burns replied. “You said you could pay my fee, and you shall, or I’ll send for the sheriff.”

Wally smiled and said, “Save a leg. Saw off a leg. You get paid either way, don’t you doc?  That’s better than gamblin’ any day.  I’ll pay for today’s work and two weeks stay in this here recovery room.”  He turned to Nurse Bingham and said, “You take good care of my friend, you hear?”

She patted Wally on the head and said, “Don’t you worry Mr. Rupert.  He’ll get my very best.”  She looked down at Wig and smiled.

The next morning Wally returned to visit his large, damaged friend and discuss the huge sum of money won from Bart Sample and the tourists.  Sample had almost come to blows with Wally over paying off, but finally relented when faced with the real possibility of being horse whipped by three of the biggest loggers Tahoe had ever produced, Slim Daultry, Tiny Meador, and Junior Munson. They had worked for Wig for several years until the end of the Blackhammer Lumber Co.  Wally brought them along as insurance and ‘collection agents.’

Accompanied by Dr. Burns and Nurse Bingham, Wally pushed through the door to Wig’s room.  The delicate white curtains framing the window waved at them on breaths of the new day.  The room felt chilled and empty. Wally glanced from the rumpled sheets of the empty bed to the open clothes closet and again to the open window. He smelled sage floating on the breeze.  Blackhammer would rather die somewhere in these Sierra mountains than live without his leg, Wally thought. He turned to an astonished nurse and Doctor and exclaimed simply, “Jumped up Jesus.”