The Seer And The Stetson

Voyage's End

Woman Who Stands Strong stated in no uncertain terms that River required a healing ceremony to cleanse the spirits that clung to him before she could remove the bullet.

She waited for Maskwa, his wife, and others of their tribe to gather all that was needed before she began. Ellie watched with fascination as a ceremony of chanting, drums, and songs began.

For the ceremony she used the Scared Hoop, embodying the four directions, as well as Father Sky, Mother Earth, and Spirit Tree, all of which are symbols of the cycle of life.

River lay in the center of the room as she moved around him in a clockwise motion. Maskwa told her that this would help to align the forces of nature and harness them to heal him.

As the chanting and drumming continued, Woman Who Stands Strong ground-up mushrooms and herbs making them into a concoction which she fed to River. She removed his bandage before cleansing her hands and setting a thin pair of metal tongs to the fire.

Ellie nervously clenched the armrests of her chair as she watched. The healer cooled the tongs before digging into the tunnel of River's wound. He bellowed in agony.

Ellie clenched her fist and bit her lip until she could taste blood. Anything to keep herself from leaping from her seat and ripping the healer away from him.

An excruciating few moments went by as Woman Who Stands Alone dug in the wound. Men held him fast to keep his arms and legs from flailing. His screams eventually stopped and he collapsed from exhaustion. Finally, she fished out the jagged ball of lead.

She dropped it into the washbasin. It fell with a plink. After cleansing it she lathered his wound in an agave salve and wrapped his chest in cotton muslin. By some miracle, River was still breathing.

Woman Who Stands Alone washed the blood from her hands, "I have removed the offending object. If he survives the next few days, then there is hope. Give him this medicine." She handed Ellie a jar. "Twice every day for ten days. Send for me again if his fevers return."

Three days after the ceremony, River's fever was gone and the wound was healing but he did not awaken. As she had done for the previous week. Ellie kept vigil at his bedside. Maskwa stayed to assist her with the care of the children. Eventually, they joined her at River's side as well.

Wilting from exhaustion in the wee hours of the morning, Ellie crawled into the bed curling up to River's side. Aureate sunlight streamed through the small window, casting its warm glow on her face, Ellie's eyes reactively blinked open.

"River," She whispered with a gasp.

He sat with his back against the headboard, the sunlight shone behind him like a halo.

"I fuckin' love you too, Ellie." She leaped from the bed pressing her lips to his.

"I saw Clyde Ellie." His sunken eyes appeared greener surrounded by dark circles.

"What?" She pulled back, aghast.

"He was here in my room asking me to go with him." River answered, "It was as real as you are now." He clasped her hand but with only half his normal strength. "I could see myself lying in this bed. I could see you by my side. He said things to me, Ellie." River's voice broke. "Things that made me feel so Goddamn guilty about all the thing I've done. It nearly made me want to go with him, I deserved the hell that awaited me but it was you and the girls that kept me here. When the medicine woman came, it forced him to leave."

Ellie grimaced, "Even beyond the grave, he couldn't let you go." She gently turned his face towards hers, "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start here where you are and change the end."