Benjamin Ross stood in front of the small shelf looking over the array of bottles of patent medicine. He could feel the eyes of the shopkeeper on him and he did not dawdle too long. Hobbling away, he touched some of the folded fabric absently, plucking a shirt as if interested but it did not last long. He felt the dreaded wave of anxiety knot in the pit of his stomach as he went up to the counter.
“Got that list filled yet?” he asked, scratching at the prickly stubble on his jaw. Benj eyed the shelves behind the shopkeep and flicked his gaze back at the older man. “Make sure you get the right chaw, I don’t want Mr. Cothran riding my a...”
He broke off, irritated as the store owner switched the tobacco, as if he had not been filling the same damn order for how many years for the ranch foreman. Benj breathed deeply, trying to calm himself as the craving hit him. “Speaking of which, I see you ain’t got morphine stocked, you keep it back there?”
The shopkeeper paused and shrugged, “I’d have to check.”
He continued packing Mrs. McCall’s sewing supplies and Benj cleared his throat, “Can you check now?”
With a sigh, the shopkeeper turned and looked at a few shelves, “Nope, we must be out. What you need that for, son? Ain’t on the list.”
Benj bit his lower lip, gnawing at him for a moment, “Because Mrs. McCall forgot, she told me last minute like. You don’t have any at all? Can you order it?”
“Want to place a custom order, sure. Let me get the book,” the shopkeeper pulled out a well thumbed catalog and flipped through the pages. Adjusting his glasses, he kept moving the book back and forth to focus on the tiny print.
Staring at the shopkeeper, Benj could feel his molars grinding together, his fingers drumming on the counter, “I could look for you.”
“I got it, hold your horses.”
The shopkeeper wrote down the numbers, “How much did Mrs. McCall need?”
Benj leaned forward, “How much will five dollars buy?”
It was the bonus Mr. McCall had given him for helping recover the cattle and kill the rustlers. He pushed the coins for the supplies and then added his five dollars, “Whatever that’ll get me.”
Raising his eyebrows, “You? Don’t you mean Mrs. McCall? Stocking her pharmacopeia I imagine.”
Benj shifted his weight off his bad leg, not liking the penetrating gaze behind the thick spectacles.
“Yeah, that. Just order it, how long will it take?” he sniffed and rubbed his sleeve against his nose.
“I place the order on the next stage, could be a week or two.”
He swallowed hard, the knot clenching in his guts, “Can’t you put a rush on it?”
“It’ll come with the stage, that’s all I can say,” the shop owner replied, peering at him, “You alright, son? Look, Mrs. McCall usually just orders laudanum, why not take some of that for her now.”
Gritting his teeth he nodded sharply, “Put it in-”
The sudden shouting, high pitched and frantic came from the streets and the shopkeeper dropped what he was doing to hustle outside. Benj sighed raggedly and picked up the saddle bag crammed with goods. He took a bottle of the laudanum, slipping it into his pocket. It was weak and not nearly strong enough but it would maybe keep the worst of the sickness at bay. Fucking two weeks!
He made his way outside, limping along the wooden walkway, carefully stepping down onto the dirt road.The was a crowd clustered around, people gawking and he spotted Bill leave the saloon to follow some woman carrying a kid. Benj could not recall her name. His eyes were drawn away for a moment by the shapely figure in a fine gown until his memory snapped into place. The woman carrying the kid was a nurse, he had met her a few months back when she helped one of the hands. A nurse would have a better stock than the shopkeeper.
Benj hobbled after them, pushing through the crowd and he gave the young woman the once over, his grey blue eyes sparking with just a moment of curiosity but his real focus was on the nurse. He leaned against the doorway as Bill asked about helping, the young woman also offering her aid. Removing his hat, he thought about offering his services but Bill would speak for them so he remained silent and his gaze searched around the office.
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