Heath rides at a relaxed pace through the countryside headed home after a two week trip to the livestock auction in Carson City. Usually Nick makes the annual trek to the auction, but this year Nick surprised Heath by asking him to go instead. Heath knew Nick loved the ranch more than just about anything. He had poured his life into making it one of the most successful ranches in all of central California. That Nick trusted him implicitly to find and procure the best stock for the ranch at the best price meant a lot to Heath.

Heath stops at the top of a ridge and takes a drink from his canteen when he hears a strange sound. He stops to listen and hears an axe splintering wood. An unusual sound to hear when no one is around for miles. He turns Charger to follow the sound which seems to be coming from a ravine just a little way off the trail. The closer he rides to the ravine, the clearer the sounds becomes. He also hears something or someone crying out in pain. Heath sees fresh wheel tracks and hoof prints in the broken dirt leading up to the edge of the ravine. He dismounts and walks over to the edge unsure whether he really wants to see what's at the bottom. A prairie schooner, or what's left of one, lies shattered at the base of the steep rock wall. The contents of the wagon are either smashed or strewn about over the ground. With an ax in hand, a woman is desperately trying to hack away at the wagon. He can't be sure but he thinks he sees another person at the woman's feet.

"Hello." Heath cups his hands around his mouth and shouts down.

The woman steps away from the wagon, shielding her eyes from the sun and waves her arm above her head to signal hm. "Help. Please. Help!" She yells.

"Hang on. I'll find a way down." He shouts back.

Heath swings back up on Charger and rides a little further around the edge of the ravine until he finds a spot he's sure his horse can navigate. The horse carefully picks his way down the rocks. He slides a little on some loose dirt but quickly regains his footing and jumps to the ravine floor. Heath turns Charger and rides back to the site of the wagon. The woman is standing waiting when he rides up.

"Ma'am." Heath tips his hat and looks the woman over. She can't be more than twenty years old or so he guesses. She's wearing a plain blue dress covered in dirt with a rip in one sleeve below the elbow but otherwise appears to be in one piece. "Are you alright?"

The woman wipes her tear stained face with the back of her sleeve and tucks strands of long chestnut hair that have fallen around her face behind her ear. The first thing she notices about the man coming to her aid is his blond hair and piercing blue eyes. The man is dressed like a cowboy in a blue shirt, vest, gun belt and spurs but he rides a fine horse with an expensive saddle and bridle that no typical cowboy could afford.

"My husband. He's trapped under the wagon. Will you help him?" She pleads with fresh tears running down her face.

Heath dismounts and follows the woman over to the wagon.

A man lies on his back pinned under the overturned wagon. The backend of the wagon rests on his chest with the rear axle jutting out just above his head. The man's breathing is shallow as the weight of the wagon prevents his chest from rising fully. Heath is amazed the man is still alive given the distance of the fall and the steepness of the ravine. Guessing at the weight of the wagon, he figures the man is probably crushed beneath it.

"The wagon is too heavy for me to lift." The woman explains. "I was trying to cut away this section here to lighten it, but I only managed to get a few boards off."

Heath considers taking the ax to the wagon himself but realizes the jarring motion would only hurt the man further. His only hope is to raise the wagon enough to slide the man out. Heath grabs a couple of broken boards and brings them over to the side where the man is trapped. "I'm going to try and lift the wagon enough for you slide these boards underneath." Heath crouches underneath the axel and rests his back against the sideboard.

"Ready?" He asks. She nods in acknowledgement.

Heath pushes with all his strength and lifts the wagon up about an inch. It is enough for the woman to slide a couple boards underneath. The man cries out as the weight lifts from his chest and he is finally able to fully expand his lungs. The woman tries to pull the man out but his legs are still pinned further under the wagon.

"We need to lift it a little more. One more time Cowboy?" She asks Heath who is resting from the exertion of the first lift. Heath catches his breath and positions himself for another attempt. His legs and shoulders protest against the weight, but Heath pushes harder. The woman slides another layer of boards under the wagon.

"That's it!" She yells. The woman grabs the man under the arms and drags him out. When Heath is sure the man is clear, he drops the wagon.

He helps the woman pull the man into a patch of shade provided by an outcrop of rock. The woman is immediately at the man's side. "Daniel. Can you hear me?"

The man responds by clasping the woman's hand and holding it close to his chest. He is in his mid-twenties, probably a year or so older than Heath. He has thick black hair and a moustache accompanied by several days of beard growth. A gash on the left side of his head just above the ear has left a stream of blood down his neck. His hands and face are roughed up, but otherwise fine. The real damage though is from the waist down. It only takes a quick glance to see the man's hips and legs lying at awkward angles to know they are crushed beyond repair. The man will never to walk again, Heath thinks. That is if he even survives.

Heath quickly grabs a blanket and lies it across the man to save the woman from seeing the mangled legs. He also brings a canteen full of water and passes it the woman. The woman tears a strip of cloth from her underskirt, wets it with water from the canteen and washes away the blood from the wound on the side of the man's head.

The man fixes his eyes on Heath's. "My name is Daniel Waters and this is my wife Allison." The man says, struggling to breathe. "We sure thank you for your help."

"I'm Heath. That's quite a tumble you took. What happened?"

The woman continues to wash the man's face and recounts the crash. "We're from Denver, travelling to San Francisco. We were on the trail headed toward Modesto when a rattler spooked the horse. She bolted and ran. Daniel pushed me from the wagon when he saw the ravine. The horse tried to change directions at the last minute but the edge was soft and she almost went down until she regained her footing. The tongue snapped and the horse ran off. But, it was too late for the wagon. It just slid right over the edge. It took me awhile to get down here to him."

"I jumped just as the wagon went over, but my legs caught in the reins and pulled me down with the wagon." Daniel adds. He is trying to remain conscious, but the pain in his head and chest is almost too much to bear. Surprisingly, he feels no pain in his legs. In fact he cannot feel his legs at all. "My legs Allie. I can't feel them."

"It's probably best you can't. They're broken pretty bad." Heath responds. "Does it hurt to breathe?"

"Yes, can't get enough air."

No doubt the man has several broken ribs which explains the difficulty breathing, but there is something more that worries Heath. He places his ear next to the man's chest and hears a gurgling noise every time the man exhales. "Try taking slow, shallow breaths." Heath instructs. "It will help slow down your heart so you won't need to breathe as hard."

The woman cradles the man's head in her arm and raises a cup to his lips. He manages a swallow and looks lovingly into her face until his expression changes to concern. "Allie, love, you're hurt." Daniel puts his hand up to Allison's temple where a trickle of blood from her head has dried upon her brow.

"I'm fine darling. Don't you worry about me." Allison strokes his hair and holds his hand. "I got scraped up a bit sliding down the rocks to get to you, but I'll be just fine. You're the one we need to worry about." In truth, Allison hasn't had a chance to assess her own injuries. She landed hard on her shoulder falling out of the wagon and sprained her ankle coming down the ravine wall. Her backside probably looks rough after sliding most of the way down the rocky incline on her bum. Her body will heal, but she knows it doesn't look good for Daniel. She shudders to think what condition she would be in if Daniel hadn't pushed her from the wagon when he did.

Figuring he will be staying for a while, Heath walks over to unload his horse and to give the young couple some privacy. He strokes Charger's neck and thinks through his options. The nearest doctor is at least a day's ride away and the man can't ride in his condition. Even if he built a travois to transport him, it will take too long. He'll never make it.

Heath's thoughts are broken as the woman walks up next to him. "Can we get him to a doctor?" She asks quietly.

He turns and looks into her eyes. He's never seen eyes such a bright green before. They remind him of a meadow that's just been soaked by a summer rain. He dreads telling her the truth but knows she needs to hear it.

"The nearest town is about 15 miles west of here. It's too small to have its own doctor. The best chance at a doctor is in Modesto 20 miles out. His legs and pelvis are crushed. He can't ride. I think his broken ribs may have punctured one if not both of his lungs. That gurgling sound you hear is his lungs filling with fluid. He might have other internal injuries we can't see." He pauses to allow his words to sink in. He expects her to fall apart and break down, but instead she remains steady on her feet. She just nods her head and closes her eyes releasing the tears pooled there to stream down her face.

After a moment of silence, she opens her eyes and looks at Heath. "How much time do you figure he has?"

"An hour or two." Heath tries to be direct without sounding heartless. But he knows there is no point in giving her false hope. "I'm sorry Ma'am."

Allison looks over at Daniel and then back at Heath. She holds out her hand and says with a wavering voice, "Well, Cowboy. I'm sure you have things and people you need to get back to. We thank you for going out of your way… to help us."

Heath looks at her dumbfounded. Does she really expect him to leave with her husband just hours from death? She can't bury him all by herself and it's certainly not safe for her to be out here in the middle of nowhere by herself. Heath takes her hand and covers it with his own. "Ma'am, I'm not leaving you or your husband." He says definitively. He releases her hand and goes back to untying his bundle and removing his saddle bags.

Allison says a silent prayer of thanks and heads back to Daniel. She raises his head carefully and slides underneath so his head is resting in her lap. She caresses his face and runs her fingers through his hair talking quietly to him.

For the next hour, Heath busies himself with collecting water and building a fire so they can eat and stay warm once night comes. While sitting at the fire, he hears the woman call out and signal him over. Heath strides over and gets down on one knee beside Daniel and Allison.

Daniel takes a folded piece of paper and stuffs it into Heath's shirt pocket with a shaky hand. Heath starts to pull the paper out and read it but Daniel stops him. Daniel's breathing is labored and his words are slow. "Please make sure Allie gets to San Francisco. That paper is everything she needs."

"I'll get her there." Heath assures the man and pats him on the shoulder.

When Heath tries to stand, Daniel grabs Heath's sleeve and pulls him down so their faces are inches apart. "My wife is a wonderful woman. An honorable woman." Heath understands the man's need to speak plainly, knowing he doesn't have much time and is worried about leaving his wife behind. "Promise me, you won't let anything happen to her." Daniel struggles to get the words out but his light brown eyes clearly convey all the meaning behind his words.

Heath looks at the Allison and then back at Daniel. "I promise." He swears.

Daniel takes Allison's hand and kisses it tenderly. Then he looks in her eyes and tells her how much he loves her. He's sorry he can't be there for their dream, but he will see her again one day. Allison bends down and kisses him slowly on the lips and then on the forehead. "I love you darling." She whispers to him. He closes his eyes and his breathing starts to come in irregular patterns. She softly hums a sweet tune in his ear and rocks him.

Heath waits silently and watches Daniel's chest rise and fall slowly for several minutes. Then Daniel takes a deep ragged breath and exhales it slowly. It is his last. Allison continues to hum and run her fingers lightly over his face and through his hair. She knows he is gone, but she wants to hang on to him for a just a little longer. "Oh Daniel." She sobs cradling his head to her chest.

Heath helps Allison wrap Daniel's body in a blanket and together with the use of some rope and the horse, they manage to pull his body up to the top of the ravine. They bury him under a birch tree and cover the mound with rocks. Heath stands back with his hat in his hands and head bowed while Allison says a prayer and sings a verse from a church song Heath has never heard before. Her sweet voice carries on the breeze and seems to swirl all around them. When she finishes, she kneels and lays a handful of wildflowers on the grave. She places her hand over the flowers and says goodbye.