It Happened in a Stormy Night

11. The Sun Is Shining

Rango rubbed his tired eyes. His first plan was to catch up on the sleep from last night. But he wasn't in the mood to take a nap. He wanted to keep awake and was sitting on a chair in the room where Bill was lying. Rango blinked and watched the Gila monster, which had given no sound until now. The sound of the heart machine worked regularly at least.
The chameleon shook his head. What should he do with him? He still had to think about their first duel, the fight in the city. He couldn't forgive him the murder of Mister Merrimack.
Rango took his revolver and opened the magazine. It wasn't his right to shoot him down. But otherwise, what will happen if he didn't kill him someday?
He looked at the Gila monster again. He looked so harmless when he was sleeping. But he was also a bid danger for his town.
Rango clapped together the magazine.
He was a sheriff. Not a bounty hunter.
He put the gun away. He didn't want to think about it anymore. He sighed deeply and drew his hat deeper into his face. Maybe he should try to sleep a little. Just for few minutes.

The sun had already reached the afternoon, when a faster sound filled the room. The Gila monster took a deep breath before it opened its eyes. First, everything was blurred. But second after second, he realized details. White walls, white bedclothes. He blinked heavily. Sun shined through a window. Or was that heaven?
Suddenly the lizard sat up immediately when he saw a familiar figure in a corner of the room. On a chair sat the sheriff, the hat deep into his face and the hands folded on his belly.
The heart frequency speeded up. With anger Bill pulled of the cables from his chest.
A long never-ending bleep echoed through the room. Shortly after running steps bounced through the corridor.
The door was torn open and the doctor ran inside. In anticipation of a dead patient, a living lizard expected him.
"Are you crazy!" he cried, also relieved and angry that it wasn't an asystole.
Meanwhile Rango had woken up and stood up.
"What is that idiot doing here?" Bill said loudly. "Is there no day where I don't have to see you?"
"Good day," Rango said and crossed his arms.
"Alright, alright," the doctor said and had tranquilized again. "Calm down and relax. That's not good for your health."
"Don't make me mad. I wanna out of here!"
Bill swung the blanket aside, but shortly after he had lifted up, he moaned loudly and hunched in pain.
"Either you stay calm," the doctor warned. "Or I have to narcotize you!"
Bill growled, but he nodded and lay down.
The doctor gave him some painkillers and controlled the vital functions.
"It doesn't look bad, but do yourself the favor and don't strain you. It's a miracle that you survived."
Bill snorted. He hated it so much to be dependent on someone who could kill him.
After a while the doctor left the room and Rango remained alone with him.
"You are really a stubborn guy," Rango said.
Bill growled loudly.
"Keep your verdicts for you. Why are you still here?"
Rango shrugged his shoulders. "Why is a sheriff in near of a gunslinger?"
Bill crossed his arms.
"And what are you going to do now? Arresting me?"
"I leave it at a reprimand. But next time..."
Bill narrowed his eyes.
"Do I have birthday today?" he asked sarcastically.
Rango sighed and lowered his glance. He wasn't in the mood to make a discussion with him. He was tired enough. But he was of the opinion the Gila monster had suffered enough for a day.
"Answer me one question," he changed the topic.
Bill hissed. "I found nothing in the tunnels, if that is your question."
"Why did you come to town last night?"
The Gila monster tensed with anger. "None of your beeswax!"
Rango grinned. "The bandits followed you, didn't they, after you have been in the tunnels, am I right?"
"I say nothing," Bill replied angrily.
"And after you couldn't reach your hiding place in the hills you wanted to find safety in town. In my town."
"If you think I wanted to ask you for holding my hand, you are completely wrong! It's more than a shaming that you found me with that bitch."
"Don't talk about her like that!" Rango warned. "I don't await a special thanks from you, but you can keep your insults for someone other, alright?"
With that the chameleon lifted his nose and wanted to leave the room.
"Sheriff?"
Rango looked at him.
"It will nothing change between us."
"Of course." Rango had nothing other expected. But then he stopped again.
"And another thing..."
"No blackmailing, sheriff!"
"Here."
Rango picked something up from a little table.
"You lost it."
With that he put the bowler hat on the big lizard's lap. "Watch out for it in the future. And on yourself."
"I'm not a kid," Bill growled and put the hat on his head.
"In this case keep distance from Beans's land. Otherwise I have to get tough."
"Don't make me a proposal."
"That's what I will never do. Bye."
With that Rango left the room and Bill stayed alone.
For a while there was silence until...
"Is he gone?"
Bill looked with surprise when Stump's head looked through the door frame.
"How did you come here?" The Gila monster asked.
"Hi, buddy!" Now Kinski and Chorizo appeared behind Stump. "Nice to see you."
"Don't talk sobstuff," Bill said. "And where have you been? Because of your delay, I had that stupid sheriff on my heels."
"We were going to get you out, but you were already gone," Kinski explained and together they surrounded the bed.
"Does he want to arrest you?" Stump asked.
Bill snorted. "Whatever. Something new?"
Stump grinned. "Indeed. And we have something for you."
Please no flowers, Bill thought.
Stump took something out and threw it on the blanket.
It was a little sack.
Bill snorted. "What's that? Sweets?"
Kinski chuckled. "Open it."
With sigh Bill took it and looked inside.
"What the...?"
Bill couldn't believe when he took out a gold nugget.
"Our reward," Chorizo explained.
"Yeah, there was a bounty on the heads of the bandits which kidnapped you. We took the dead bodies and collected the rewards."
Bill was still speechless.
"By the way, what did you find in the tunnels?" Stump asked.
"What? Eh... nothing yet."
"I think we don't need it for a while, do we?" Kinski said.
"What shall we buy with that?", Chorizo asked.
"A television!" Stump cried. "With over 300 channels."
"No, I wanna have a card for free for a bowling game."
"What about a roadrunner-racing bet?"
Bill watched his henchmen discussing and yawned. He was so tired. While the three companions made one suggestion after another, he winced softly when a strong wind gust blew around the building. The Gila monster looked out of the window. The sun was shining but the wind still didn't leave the area.
"It might be that you won't survive the next few hours," it echoed through his mind and let him ran a shiver over his skin.
Despite he had told the sheriff that he would never thank for that, he was very relieved and intended to spare the town for a little while. Just a little while.

- The End -