The Bullet

Disclaimers: The characters from the Queen of Swords are copyright to Fireworks Productions and Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended or revenue expected from their use. The story plot and other characters are copyright to the author, James Guy.

Rating: pg-13

Characters: Q H M CM G

In the dark, a lone horseman in black raced away from the soldiers. A fusillade of bullets following. One bullet creased the rider’s head but the rider did not fall. The horse continued until it came to a small arroyo, which it jumped and cleared.

The soldiers unfortunately did not see the arroyo and three horses with their riders fell. The rest stopped. "Damn," said the sergeant; we could have had her. The Queen of Swords is Diabla in disguise."

Doctor Helm was in a bad mood. He had ridden to an outlying Hacienda to help the Senora with a difficult birth. It had been a breach birth but mother and child were well. Suddenly he saw a flash of red on black on a body. He dismounted and rolled the body over. \\Well, they finally got the bitch,\\ he thought as he checked for a pulse. She was still alive. He found blood on the side of her head and removed the mask to get a better look at the wound.

"Tessa," he sucked in air. "You really have been hiding. If I turn you in you are dead. If I leave you here, you are dead and I will lose you either way."

He got some water from his canteen and used the Queen’s mask to clean the head wound, which he then bandaged. Then he realized there was blood on her side. He removed her corset, sash, and blouse and treated the side wound. It was just a graze, but it would have been worse had it not been for the corset.

"What a beautiful and well endowed creature you are, Tessa, too bad it had to be like this."

He dressed her in his duster as it would not go well if she showed up at her home dressed as the Queen of Swords or half naked. Marta would skin him alive. Packing her clothes in his saddlebags, he gently lifted her onto his horse, mounted and rode like the devil was after him, towards the Alvarado hacienda.

As he rode up to the hacienda, Marta flew out of the door. She asked no questions as she helped Doctor Helm take Tessa into the casa. Tessa started to revive as the duster was removed.

Seeing she was naked to the waist, Tessa asked, "Have a good look, Doctor?"

"Don’t get snippy with me young woman. I could have taken you to Colonel Montoya without the benefit of the duster. I am a Doctor so there isn’t anything that you have that I haven’t seen before, except that most of my female patients don’t wear a mask. You have a flesh wound to the side and a severe wound to the head. Your head wound could have been caused by a fall from a horse, I suppose. That is what I will tell anyone who asks. It is a good thing that you always take a morning ride. A rattle snake must have spooked your horse."

"I am sorry, doctor for my remark. I do appreciate your help and your Hippocratic oath about patient doctor privilege."

"You are well read, Senorita now stop talking and lie here quietly. Helm turned to Marta. "Marta, please come with me."

As they went into the next room, Doctor Helm said, "I need some supplies from my office. I also need to let it be known that your mistress fell from her horse. It would be better if the Queen of Swords could be seen while Tessa is in bed. Please go to my office and pick up these items" he said as he handed her a note.

Marta did as she was asked and let it be known that her mistress was injured. She made sure that Vera, Captain Grisham and Colonel Montoya were told. Later in the day, Colonel Montoya and Senora Hidalgo found there way to the Alvarado Hacienda to give Tessa their regards.

As Colonel Montoya was leaving and, being the gentleman that he was, assisting the Senora into her buggy he saw a lone rider on a hill overlooking the hacienda. He quickly got his telescope from his saddlebags. "The Queen of Swords," he muttered as the figure held a sword high in salute.

"She must be paying her respects, Colonel," said Doctor Helm as he came out of the house.

"Yes, she must be," replied Colonel Montoya. "It is unfortunate that Senorita Alvarado will be unable to take her morning rides for awhile, Doctor."

"Even a lady can have a hard head, Colonel and Senorita Alvarado can be as stubborn and exasperating as a mule. You should have seen what she did after the earthquake. She did not hesitate to care for anyone, peasant or Colonel. She did take very good care of you Colonel."

"Yes, she did do that," replied Montoya. "If the Queen of Swords had been there, she would have slit my throat."

"Oh, I don’t know Colonel, she seems to be fair and I don’t think she would kill an unconscious, unarmed man even if the opportunity arose. Maybe she wouldn’t want to see who would replace you. It seems to me that she has had many an opportunity to kill you before. Maybe she just wants to keep you in line."

"And sometimes she is like a boil on my ass, Doctor," replied Montoya.

"May I offer you some cool lemonade, gentleman?" said a female voice.

They turned to find Marta standing there with a pitcher and two glasses.

"So that’s what you have been doing," said Doctor Helm. "Squeezing lemons."

"You asked me to stay out of the way while my mistress had visitors."

"Marta, I did not get an opportunity to thank you and Senorita Alvarado for your help during our recent disaster. I hear the two of you were giving orders better than Captain Grisham," said the Colonel.

"Colonel, are you suggesting that women could even be in the army. Next you might suggest that women could be politicians or doctors. That could never be."

"Maybe one day Marta. If you and Senorita Alvarado can wade into all the dirt and blood like you did and the Queen of Swords can keep the soldiers at bay, anything could happen. Wouldn’t you agree, Colonel?" asked the Doctor.

"And one day man will fly to the moon," chuckled Montoya as he mounted his horse. "It would be easier for a man to fly than women in politics, medicine or the military." He said as he rode away.

"Who knows what the future might bring, Colonel?" asked Doctor Helm.