Rough Road Ahead (In Progress)

Chapter 17

        ****

            "What about last night?" I snapped.

            Brad stopped, "I just wanted to make sure that you knew I didn't think anything of it."

            Oh thank god, I thought, feeling the relief rattle my body.

            "That's what I was thinking." I breathed, "I was sick from being poisoned and you were sick from blood loss. That's what it boils down to, both of us not in our right minds." I sighed, "plus I'm in love with Sam." I paused, "and we are related."

            I couldn't see him, but I could picture the relief that filled his face, "this changes nothing, right?" He said, his voice monotone and emotionless. But there was something else there, something I couldn't quite put my finer on. "I mean, you know, that would be weird. You know, if we ever got together."

            "God yes!" I said quickly, feeling reassured, "I feel the same way, you took the words right out of my mouth!"

            "Iris?" Sam said, "are you there?"

            "Yep!" I chirped, suddenly feeling happier.

            "The flashlight is right there, feel around for it." I did as he asked, my hands moving over the hard, flat floor, finally coming up with the flashlight. I felt triumphant.

            "Here!" I smiled, fumbling over the object, moving my fingers up and down it and finally finding the switch. The light turned on, brightening the room around us like the sun, the light bouncing off each wall.     What was it bouncing off of though? Suddenly the realization kicked in. Gold. Lots of gold littered the floor, shaped as tiles on the floor and piled up in stacks along the walls.

                                                                    ****

            "Holy shit!" I screamed, my eyes glancing around me at the gold. It was beautiful, the shimmering light reflecting everywhere making the room heat up.

            "What?" Sam called.

            I didn't answer, my eyes were still taking the sight in, the beautiful sight. "Oh my." Brad said from behind me, his eyes mirroring mine. The look or amazement seemed mutual.

            "Why is all this here?" I questioned, my mouth feeling like it was hitting the floor.

            "I don't know, but who cares?" He stated, his eyes big, taking it in.

            "What's wrong?" Sam seemed worried so I called back.

            "The gold!" I screamed, "we must be in the mine!" I said, my eyes looking up the shaft. The shimmering continued all the way up the hole, on all of the walls.

            "Gold?" Sam questioned and suddenly Good and Luck were above us.

            "How much?" They questioned.

            "More than you guy's can carry." Brad answered.

            "We'll see about that." Luck's rough voice sounded down the hole.

            It only took us an hour to get out of the hole, I helped Brad into the loop and waited while they pulled him up slowly. He yelled and screamed about his ass hurting, but other than that he came out unscathed. I had my flashlight and the beautiful gold to keep me occupied while I waited for my turn. Once we were both up, Luck and Good had many questions for us. We both tried to answer them all.

             My father had come in from outside while we were down there, he had been informed and was rightfully terrified of what had happened. He too had many questions for us to see if we were indeed OK.

            "We're fine!" I said.

            "Yeah." Brad agreed from his spot on the sofa beside me.

            My mother pointed at his arm which was wrapped in my sweater, but there was noticeable blood spotting on the side, "it's fine." He said, holding his arm closer to him. My mom eyed me and I shrugged, having not seen the wound myself. My mother reached out, grabbing his arm. Brad tried to protest, but it was too late, his arm was unwrapped. I jumped back, horrified by the sight.

            "Oh my god!" My father yelled. He was standing across from us, pacing back and forth and had stopped as the wound was revealed.  My eyes glanced over his wound, it was bad, very bad. His arm was turning a hue of purple with the bruising and his white bone was peaking out from under the skin, blood pooling around the exit wound, "oh my." I repeated, trying to look away, but not finding the will power within myself.

            My mother eyed Brad's face, "it's fine? Really?" She shook her head worriedly.

            My father spoke up from behind her, "there are no hospitals, we will have to just hold out until the job is done."

            Luck came over, tapping my father on the shoulder, "look, pops, I know he's hurt and I'm sorry, but we got to get going on this house. We need that gold." He paused, looking at the wound, "let the girls handle it in the trailer."

            "No, I got to look after this." My father said, still eyeing the wound. He wasn't a surgeon like my mother and he knew it, but I knew he wanted to be sure Brad was alight before he started work again.

            Luck frowned, "I'm trying to stay nice here." He said, pulling his gun out and coking it against my fathers head, "come with us or your brains will be all over that there wall. We've waited long enough. We've been real patient."

            My fathers face went pale as he stood up, telling me to help my mother with the mending, "everyone go back to the trailer. Me and Sam will work on the farm house."

            I nodded, telling Brad to get up. Max followed, but my mother stayed behind, "let me help, too. The more hands you have the faster we can get my baby to the doc's."

            "Mom." I protested, "your a plastic surgeon, surely you can set a broken bone?" I questioned.

            She paused, looking over my father's expression, "go help Brad, then you can come back."

            "Fine." She said, kissing my father passionately as before walking away. I was taken aback, my parents hadn't kissed that way ever since I could remember. I smiled.

            "I'll stay and help." Max spoke up, stepping from behind me.

            Luck and Good looked at one another, "ok." They said, motioning for him to come with them. We all headed out, I leaded the way, flashlight in hand. My eyes kept skipping back to Brad, his arm beaten and battered, becoming worse by the minute. I had heard stories of people loosing their arms from such wounds. I was understandably worried, but I had never been happier for my mother being a doctor. Without her, who knows what could have happened. Heck, with her who knows what will happen.

                                                            ****