Silver Strike Bride

The first two days of their trip back to Denver was like the trip down. Hiram drove the horses and didn't talk. Kirsten watched the landscape go by and wondered if Hiram would ever talk to her.

That changed when they stopped for the second night. Hiram began the process of unhitching the horses. He was walking up to the near horse to remove the trace chains from the wagon when Kirsten walked by on her way to the privacy of the trees.

Any other time, Hiram would have slapped the horse on the rump to let him know he was there. This time, he forgot because he was watching Kirsten. When he bent down and grabbed the trace chain, it startled the horse and the horse lashed out with his back foot. Hiram stepped quickly aside and avoided being kicked in the face. Instead, the huge, iron-shod hoof caught him on the leg.

Hiram cried out and fell to the ground because that leg wouldn't support him. He was trying to stand again when Kirsten ran up to him.

"Hiram, I heard you yell. What happened?"

Hiram shook his head.

"Old Blackie here kicked me in the leg. Help me up so I can get him unhooked and get his harness off."

Kirsten took his hand and pulled while Hiram used the wheel to pull himself up on one leg. He was starting to take a step when Kirsten stopped him.

"Hiram, don't try to walk. Your leg isn't right. It's sticking out wrong. I think you broke it."

Hiram waved his hand.

"I been kicked before and it didn't break my leg. My leg ain't broke this time either."

He tried taking a step, but the pain made him grab the wheel of the wagon to keep from falling back down. Kirsten grabbed his arm.

"See, it is broken like I said. We have to get you into the wagon. Put your arm over my shoulder so you won't fall down again. I can help you into the wagon, but I can't pick you up and put you in if you fall down."

Hiram shook his head.

"I have to get the horses unhitched and their harness off. You can't do that."

Kirsten pulled his Hiram's arm over her shoulder and then pulled him away from the wagon.

"You can't do it with a broken leg either. Now help me get you into the wagon."

Hiram groaned a few times, but by Kirsten helping, he managed to get into the wagon. Kirsten climbed up inside with him and spread his bedroll out, then rolled him onto it and covered him up. She was shocked when she saw how white his face was.

"Hiram, the way you look, your leg must hurt something awful. I don't know what to do except get you back to the doctor in Denver. I drove my fathers farm wagon, so I can drive the horses, I think, and I'll just follow the wagon ruts. I can't do anything about the pain though."

Hiram pointed to a box at the front of the wagon.

"There is some light rope in the box. Get two sticks and tie them to my leg with the rope to keep it straight. That's what the surgeons did during the war. Then bring me the bottle of whiskey that's in the box. Sometimes my jaw hurts and I keep a bottle of whiskey with me because it helps."

Kirsten used lengths of the rope and two thick sticks to splint Hiram's leg and then took out the bottle of whiskey, pulled the cork, poured some into a cup and then handed the cup to Hiram. He tipped up the cup and took a swallow, then coughed.

"I'm not a drinking man, but this'll dull the pain enough I can drive."

Kirsten knew he was being like her father, trying to convince her he would be all right once the pain was a little less. She also knew he was wrong, but she didn't tell Hiram that. She just filled up his cup after he finished it.

"Well, we'll see. You drink some more."

Hiram drank that cupful. He didn't realize it when Kirsten took the empty cup from him, pulled the blanket up to his neck, and then climbed over him and into the wagon seat. He'd passed out.

When he woke up again, it was daylight and the wagon was moving. He tried to raise up, but Kirsten heard him and stopped the wagon. When she climbed over the wagon seat and into the wagon beside him, she picked up the half-empty whiskey bottle and poured another cup almost full.

Hiram asked where they were and Kristen said she didn't know but that she was still following the wagon ruts so they were still on the right trail. Then she lifted his head and held the cup of whiskey to his lips.

"Hiram, stay still and drink this so you'll go back to sleep again. I can't drive this wagon and take care of you at the same time."

After Hiram finished that cup of whiskey, Kirsten eased Hiram's head back down on the blanket, climbed back over the wagon seat and spoke to the team again. Hiram felt the wagon moving and then everything went black again.

Hiram woke on a table and someone was pulling on his leg. As soon as he groaned in pain, a hand pushed his head back down and then put something over his face. When he breathed in he smelled ether, the same smell he'd experienced when he was wounded at Shiloh. After a few breaths he blacked out again.

He woke up again lying in a bed, and when he tried to get up, a man said, "Don't think you want to try that Hiram. That cast needs time to harden up. It was hard enough getting that leg straightened out and that plaster cast put on it. If you break that cast and I have to do it a second time, I won't use ether to keep you asleep."

Hiram looked toward the sound of the voice and saw the man he knew as Doctor Williams, the doctor in Denver. Hiram tried to remember what had happened, but it was just bits and pieces -- getting kicked in the leg, then Kirsten helping him into the wagon. After that, he couldn't really remember anything in any detail. He raised his head a little more.

"How did I get here?"

Doctor Williams smiled.

"Some woman who said she was your wife brought you in about two this afternoon. I thought you were just drunk but she said she kept you drunk because you had a broken leg. You owe that little lady a lot, Hiram. She put a splint on that leg and then drove your wagon all night and most of today to get you here. She wouldn't leave until I got your leg straightened out and a plaster cast on it to hold it still."

Hiram let his head fall back on the bed. He couldn't figure out why Kirsten had said she was his wife, but that wasn't his main concern.

"So my leg was broke like she said? How long before I can walk on it again?"

Doctor Williams moved Hiram's cast from side to side, and smiled when Hiram groaned.

"That hurt any?"

Hiram nodded.

"Yes, it hurt a lot."

The doctor grinned.

"Well, that's good. It means all you did was break the bone and didn't tear up anything else. It's going to hurt anytime you move it for about a week, but I'll give you some feverfew. It'll help with the pain a little, and it'll relax your muscles enough you won't be tempted to try walking. You can get some more down at the pharmacy if you need it. Just don't let George sell you any laudanum. Laudanum will kill the pain, but it'll also kill you in the end.

"As for when you can walk again, if you do what I tell you I'd say I can take the cast off in a month or so. It'll take another month before you get enough strength in that leg to walk much."

Hiram tried to sit up, groaned at the pain that caused, and then eased back down.

"I can't be laid up for two months. If I can't drive a wagon, the freight company will find somebody else who can.

The doctor smiled.

"That woman told me you'd say something like that. She also said I should tell you she'd be back as soon as she did something she had to do. Now, you just lay there until she gets here and we'll both find out what she meant."

Kirsten had been nearly exhausted when she stopped the wagon in front of the doctor's office in Denver. Though the full moon had lit her way until the sun came up, for the most part she trusted the horses to stay on the trail. Thankfully, they had, and by morning, she could see Denver in the distance.

She'd run inside and told the doctor that Hiram had broken his leg and that he needed help fast. She was relieved when the doctor waved at two other men to help him carry Hiram inside.

The doctor took one look at Hiram and then looked up at her.

"You're right, young lady. His leg is broken, not bad and it'll heal, but he won't be walking on it for a while. He your husband?"

Kirsten's mind was tired, but she was still thinking. If she said no, the doctor would wonder why she'd been concerned and might think she had something to do with it. If she said yes, it would at least buy her some time to think of a better answer.

"Yes. He's a driver for the freight company and I rode with him to deliver supplies to the miners at Rabbit Creek. I guess it's a good thing I did."

The doctor had frowned then.

"When did this happen?"

Kirsten explained that Hiram had been kicked by a horse the afternoon before and that she'd driven the wagon from then up until she stopped in front of his office. The doctor whistled.

"All night and most of today? No wonder you look like you're about to drop. Go sit down while I set his leg. By the way, why is it he seems to be drunk as a skunk?"

Kirsten looked at the floor.

"I could tell it hurt but I didn't know what to do. He said whiskey helped when his face hurt so I gave him a lot. I didn't make him worse did I?"

The doctor had laughed.

"No, you didn't make him worse. You just made him relax and not try to move around. If he'd been awake and floppin' around in that wagon, he might have torn up a bunch of stuff inside his broken leg."

Kirsten had felt better then, and she felt a lot better when the doctor had finished putting the plaster cast on Hiram's leg. He had turned to her then.

"Well, that's as good a job as I can do. He won't be walking for a while, at least not without crutches, but he'll be all right. When he comes to, just take him home and put him in bed. Keep him there for the next couple days. He can use crutches to get around, but he probably won't feel much like going anywhere."

Kirsten wasn't quite sure why that worried her. She'd done all she could for Hiram, and yet, she felt like she should do more. She couldn't tell the doctor that Hiram had no place to go. If she did, he'd know she'd lied about being Hiram's wife.

"I have to take the wagon back to the freight company. You just tell him I'll take care of him as soon as I get back."

With that, Kirsten left the doctor's office and walked the two blocks down to the building with the sign that said, "Denver Hotel". She had about half of her money left and was going to rent a hotel room so she'd have a place to take Hiram. She couldn't rent a hotel room for two months though. She'd have to find work and a cheaper place to stay.

The desk clerk eyed her when she walked in and then asked how he could help her. Kirsten explained that her husband had broken his leg and they needed a room on the first floor.

"My husband is a driver for the freight company and he lived above the stable, but since he's broken his leg, he can't work and he can't live there. I just came in on the train so I don't have a place to stay either. I would like a small room on the first floor because he can't go up and down stairs. I would also like that room to be close to the rear door and the privy for the same reason."

The desk clerk smiled.

"I have a room that should fill your needs. The cost will be two dollars a day. If you and your husband eat in the dining room, the cost for meals will be four dollars a day for both of you. That's three meals each day and our cook is a very good cook. We require payment in advance. How long will you be staying?"

Kirsten said she wasn't sure, but she'd pay for three days and reached into the front of her dress for the bag of coins. She counted out three half-eagles and three silver dollars, and placed them on the clerk's counter.

"Three days would be eighteen dollars. Can you show me the room now?"

Kirsten was smiling when she drove the wagon behind the hotel and put her traveling case and Hiram's box inside the room she'd rented. She wasn't sure how she was going to explain to Hiram that they would be living together as man and wife, but it had been the only way she saw to take care of him.

She also didn't know why she had such a desire to do that. She hardly knew Hiram and he hadn't talked much since they met. It was just a feeling she had, almost the same feeling she'd had when the doctor said her father and mother had cholera and that they would almost certainly die. Kirsten had tried to nurse them back to health but had failed. That was probably why she felt this way. Hiram reminded her of her father. Kirsten knew Hiram wasn't in danger of dying, but she had to take care of him to make sure he didn't get worse for some reason.

Kirsten drove the wagon back to the freight company and explained what had happened. The manager said he was sorry and hoped Hiram would be able to drive again soon because he'd had another driver quit. Kirsten thanked him and then started walking back to the doctor's office.

When she went into the doctor's office, Hiram was awake and trying to learn how to use the pair of crutches the doctor had given him. Kirsten smiled at the small steps he was taking. As she paid the doctor ten dollars for what he'd done, she chuckled.

"It's a good thing we don't have far to walk or it would take us all day."

Hiram looked up and frowned.

"Where are we going?"

Kirsten picked up Hiram's coat and helped him put it on.

"I rented a room at the hotel. Now, hurry every chance you get. I need to get you into bed and then bring our dinner from the dining room to our room. I'm starved and you probably are too."

Hiram didn't say anything as they slowly walked to the rear of the hotel, but he had a thousand thoughts running through his head. The way people looked at them didn't help. He knew they were wondering why such a beautiful woman was walking down the street with a monster on crutches.

He also had to find out why Kirsten had told the doctor she was his wife. She had nothing to gain from doing that as far as he could see and in his experience, people didn't do things for no reason. Now that she had, what was she going to do? Would she keep telling people that they were married even though they were not?

Hiram was thankful that Kirsten had brought him to the doctor in Denver, but he didn't feel anything else for her. Even if he had, he wasn't in any position to marry her. To ask any woman to marry him, Hiram would have needed to be able to support her and eventually, a family. He couldn't do that, and living with Kirsten without being married to her would be a sin. He'd have to figure out something and soon.

Kirsten held open the door to the room until Hiram had made his way inside. She closed it and then smiled.

"We can live here until I can find work and another place to live. There is a privy out by the alley, but tell me when you need to go there so I can help you. Now, you lay down on the bed while I get our dinner from the dining room. I don't know what you like to eat though. The menu I read said they have beef, ham, and chicken. Which would you like?"

Hiram said beef, and watched Kirsten go out the door. She'd given him another question he needed answered. Hotels were expensive and so was eating in a hotel. Where had Kirsten gotten the money for even one night? She'd never said anything about what she did before she came to Denver. Hiram thought the worst and then shook his head. No, he'd seen enough whores in the war and in Denver to know Kirsten wasn't that type of woman.

Kirsten had brought their meals a few minutes later. Hiram ate his on the bed. Kirsten sat in the only chair and ate with her plate in her lap. Hiram wanted to ask Kirsten all the questions that had been running through his mind, but couldn't find a good way to start.

Kirsten sat in her chair and waited for Hiram to say something about what had happened. When he'd finished eating and still hadn't said anything, she stood up and took his empty plate and fork.

"They said if I leave our empty plates outside the door, they'll come and get them."

She opened the door, sat their plates and forks on the floor, and then closed and locked the door. Then, she took the blankets she'd used on the wagon and spread them out on the floor.

"I'm really tired, so I'm going to bed now and you should too. The doctor cut your trouser leg so he could put on the cast, but you probably can't get your trousers off so I'll have to help you. Just slip your suspenders off your shoulders while I take off this boot. I'll do the rest."

Hiram let her take off his boot, but he stopped her when she reached for his pantleg.

"Kirsten, you can't do that. I don't have anything on under my trousers."

Kirsten put her hand on her breasts.

"Oh my...I didn't know. That's why you always slept in your clothes isn't it? Well, I can't sleep in a dress. Could you turn your head until I get under my blankets?"

Hiram woke up the next morning, winced when he tried to move his leg, and then raised his head and looked at Kirsten. She was still asleep and Hiram had to smile. She was lying on her back with her long blonde hair splayed out on the blankets. He'd noticed that she was a pretty woman before. In fact, he thought she was beautiful, but watching her sleep, he realized she was more than that.

She hardly knew him, but when the horse had kicked him, she'd done more for him than most men he knew would have done. It wasn't the fact that she'd tied his leg so it wouldn't move and then drove the wagon all night and part of the next day to get him to the doctor. Most men would have done that although a man would probably have waited for daylight before starting. What most men would not have done is pay to rent a hotel room and pay for his meals. He still couldn't figure out why she would do that.

The other thing he hadn't figured out is why she'd never asked him about his face. She just seemed to accept him like he was and that was something Hiram had never encountered before. He was used to the stares of men and used to a woman putting a hand over her mouth when she saw him and then whispering to the man or woman she was with. He wasn't used to any woman smiling at him like Kirsten did.

Kirsten stirred then, rubbed her nose, and then opened her eyes. Hiram was staring at her, so she looked down to make sure her body was still covered. When she saw that it was, she smiled at Hiram.

"Did you sleep well? I did."

Hiram nodded.

"Yes, I did, probably better than you. That floor must have been hard to sleep on."

Kirsten shook her head.

"I don't think it's any harder than those boxes I slept on in the wagon. I was so tired I didn't care. Now, I need to get our breakfast, so you turn your head while I get dressed."

After they finished eating and Kirsten had set their plates outside the door, she walked back to the bed.

"I have some things I have to do this morning but I'll be back by noon. Will you be all right by yourself?"

After Hiram had said he would, Kirsten walked through the hotel to the front desk and asked to see the hotel manager. The man who walked out of the office behind the desk was a small man with a pinched up face, wire-framed glasses and a balding head. Kirsten asked him if the hotel needed a cook, and the manager shook his head.

"No, Ma'am. We have a cook who does just fine. Been with this hotel since it was built. Don't see any reason to change now."

Kirsten was disappointed, but not ready to give up. She thanked the hotel manager and walked out to the street. Her plan was to ask for work at every store and shop on the street until she found a job. Once she'd done that, she'd ask about a place to live that was cheaper than the hotel and a place where she could cook their meals.

The first shop Kirsten came to was the pharmacist's shop, but Kirsten passed it by. She knew some knowledge of medicines would be required and other than common household remedies for colds and sore throats, she had none. She didn't like the smell of the place either. It smelled of alcohol and sulfur.