Part 19
Vin sat on the bottom step of the stairs leading to Nathan’s clinic and waited for Josiah to return from Joseph Hobson’s store. He noticed the preacher’s serious demeanor as he crossed the street and shook his head in disbelief. “No luck, hunh?” he asked, knowing the answer.
“Nah, Hobson’s like everyone else in town, worried and scared. It looks like nobody’s seen the Nichols since the shootout.” Sanchez removed his hat and fanned his face. The morning had long since passed and the temperature was on the rise.
“Last night was quiet enough, you suppose they snuck outta town?”
“Could be. I didn’t figure they’d leave the brat behind but maybe they don’t know he’s being moved today.”
“The whole town knows by now, it’s hard to imagine they don’t. I’m sure they were around after we grabbed Ezra because of those fires.” Tanner took the hand Josiah offered and pulled himself to his feet. “I don’t know, maybe they did move on to regroup.”
“I think I’ll have another look around the livery. I want to make sure the two men we set up to guard it are payin’ attention. Something tells me the Nichols are gonna want their buggy back regardless.”
“Yeah, they’ll need it for the old lady. Somehow I can’t picture her straddlin’ a horse.”
Josiah grimaced. “You comin’?”
“I’ll catch up, there’s somethin’ I need to ask Chris.”
“Alright, I’ll meet you back at the jail -- the wagon from Eagle Bend should be here before too much longer.” The preacher walked away.
Vin rested his mare’s leg on his shoulder and climbed the stairs.
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Nathan tried again to get Chris to eat some of the broth he’d scooped out of Mary’s stew. In the past twelve hours, he’d reheated it three times and each time the gunfighter took a bite or two then pushed away the bowl. It was maddening trying to heal a man whose mindset was to protect even if it meant killing himself. For some insane reason, Chris’ brain refused to accept the fact his body was growing sicker; it was a fact it wouldn’t be able to ignore much longer.
He watched closely as Larabee dragged himself once again from the chair beside Ezra’s bed to the window overlooking the street. He had to hand it to him; he did a good job hiding the shaking in his hands and the stagger in his step, but he couldn’t control the flushness of his skin or the pinch around his eyes. There was little doubt his wound carried infection but he wouldn’t allow Nathan near enough to look.
Jackson was considering his options as a healer and a friend when he saw Vin enter the clinic. The tracker went immediately to Chris, doubtless to report his success, or from the look on his face, the lack of success, in locating the Nichols family. Larabee lowered his head and turned away, and he heard Vin say, ‘We’ll keep looking,’ before Tanner left the brooding gunfighter and crossed the room to take a seat next to him. “How ya holdin’ up, Nate? Get any sleep last night?”
Nathan didn’t take his eyes off Chris. “Some. I take it you didn’t have any luck.”
“Nope, Josiah and I searched everywhere we could think of – even woke several folks up lookin’ around – but we came up empty. It’s like chasin’ ghosts.”
“Well, I hope we find ‘em soon. Chris ain’t gonna last much longer if we don’t.”
Vin followed Nathan’s eyes to where the gunfighter was propped. “He’s got ya worried.”
“Dang fool won’t listen. When he ain’t over there talkin’ Ezra out of his nightmares he’s keepin’ watch. Every time I turn around he’s on his feet. The only time he’s on his back is when he’s passed out.”
“I reckon he ain’t the best patient in the world, but you can’t change what he feels.”
“I may never get a chance to the way he’s goin’.”
Vin looked away, not knowing what to say.
“Look, I understand the guilt. I was there when those bastards started cuttin’ on Ezra. Every time he looked at me, I could feel him beggin’ me to make ‘em stop, and I should’ve been able to stop them. If I’d stayed with him…” Nathan paused as the memories began to overwhelm him. He didn’t speak again for several moments. When he did, he sounded disturbingly calm. “We got Ezra back and there’s a good chance he’ll make it. Chris needs to let himself mend so when we do catch up to the Nichols he can be there to see it done.”
“You did what you had to ta save Ezra. Chris means to do the same. He ain’t tryin’ to kill himself, he just can’t sit still while those men are still out there. There’s a lot more to the way he feels than he’s lettin’ on. I don’t think it’s just he feels responsible, I think he’s just gettin’ tired of evil walkin’ into his life and stealin’ away what little sense of normal he has. He was settlin’ into the idea Four Corners is where he’s meant to be and here comes the family from hell tryin’ to destroy what he’s built. He's a fighter, it ain’t in him to lie down and take what comes. If you think about it, it’s probably that same stubbornness that keeps us all here; I wouldn’t care to follow a quitter. ”
“I know you’re right,” the dark man said with a sigh, “but he can sure try a man’s patience. He’s sick, Vin, sicker than he’s willin’ to admit.”
“You can’t stop him if he’s got a mind to do this.”
“Oh, I can stop him,” the healer mumbled.
Tanner tried to pretend he hadn’t heard the threat.
“I just wish I knew where that gang was holed up right now. It don’t seem right they’ve been able to set all these fires and no one’s seen any sign of ‘em.”
“Ain’t nothin’ been right since they rode into town. While I was out this mornin’ I saw Mrs. Candler and her boys comin’ in with a wagon; they were bringin’ in the body of her husband.”
“Aubrey Candler? He’s the mill keeper, ain’t he?”
“Yeah. The Candlers live on a small homestead south o’ here.”
“What happened to him?”
“Seems his oldest son found him tied to one of those mills of his. He’d been beaten and left hangin’, just like Ezra.”
“The Nichols,” Nathan said flatly.
“Looks like it. I talked to Aubrey’s boy before the undertaker came. From what I can figure they must o’ come across him followin’ Ezra’s directions away from Chris’ place.”
“You plan on tellin’ Chris?”
“I was, but I reckon he’s got enough to think on right now.”
“Thanks. You add Candler to his list of folks to worry over and I’ll never get him off his feet.”
Tanner nodded and slapped a supportive hand to Nathan’s shoulder before he stood and moved to the foot of Ezra’s bed. “How’d he do last night?” he asked motioning to the gambler.
“Buck said he didn’t do well early on, kept fightin’ in his sleep. When I checked him this mornin’, he was shakin’ so hard I couldn’t keep ‘im still.”
“He ain’t movin’ now,” the tracker said as he moved closer and bent over to touch Ezra’s face.
“He stopped about an hour ago, hasn’t moved since.”
“He’s burnin’ up. Should he be that still?”
“He’s just asleep. It’s the best thing for him right now.”
“You sure? I mean he looks pretty bad.” His hand slid to Ezra’s fingers. He noted how cold they felt in comparison to the rest of him then spied the fresh bandage around his wrist. They threatened to take his hands? He just couldn’t get his head around it, it was inconceivable. Ezra must have been scared half out of his mind.
“He ain’t a pretty sight right now, but I do think he’s okay sleepin’. I’ll wake him in a little while just to be on the safe side.”
“I don’t reckon I’ve ever seen him like this before. He’s always movin’. Even when he’s sittin’ at the poker tables he’s talkin’ with his hands and constantly shufflin’ those cards of his. This just ain’t natural.” He stared at his friend and waited for him to breathe. He watched for what felt like an eternity trying to detect the tiniest of movements, and then finally a slow inhalation caused his chest to rise. That was it; that was all there was, just a slow, nearly undetectable rise and fall of the chest. It was too painful to watch, so he squeezed the cold fingers, covered them with the sheet and moved away from the bed.
Nathan watched him wander to Chris’ side. The gunfighter, who in his opinion leaned a little too heavily on his perch near the window, startled at Vin’s approach.
“Hold on, pard, it’s just me,” Tanner said, offering a steadying hand.
“Sorry,” Chris muttered.
“You know sleepin’s easier when you’re lyin’ down.”
“I’m not sleeping, I’m thinking.”
“About the Nichols?”
“Them… and Hank.”
“Yeah, I’m real sorry about Hank. I don’t know what made him go after ya like that. I was sure ya’ll had settled your differences when we put him on the trail to Mexico.”
Chris pushed himself to one side of the dresser he sat on and made room for Vin. “I was too. I have to admit it felt kind of good thinkin’ we’d put the past behind us, but I reckon a past like ours is never really put to rest.”
Vin propped a leg on the dresser and looked down at Chris’ hands. They both revealed uneasy tremors as they fidgeted nervously with the hem of his open shirt. “It’s hard to say, but I do think Hank was enjoyin’ the peace you’d made too, even if it was for just a little while. If his mind had been right, he’d of gone to Mexico and probably moved on with his life.”
“But instead, he’s a dead man.”
“What happened to Hank wasn’t your fault, you do know that.”
“He was Sarah’s father.”
“That don’t make him your responsibility.”
“Sure as hell feels like it.”
“I know, but you need to let it go.” Vin watched Chris’ hands cross and move beneath his shirt as he literally tried to hold in his grief. “There’s somethin’ I need to ask ya.”
The gunfighter didn’t look up. “What’s that?”
“Hank’s body is still at the undertaker’s. You got any idea where he should be buried?”
Chris blanched and his head dropped further.
“You alright?”
He didn’t answer.
“I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s…”
Vin waited.
When Chris raised his head there was a look of alarm on his face. “It’s just I have no idea. I ain’t heard from Hank since Sarah and Adam died. I know his wife passed on a long time ago, but I have no idea where she’s buried. The old man moved his family around quite a bit… I just don’t know.”
Tanner could see a different kind of panic rising in the eyes of his friend. “It’s alright, Chris, we don’t have to decide on it now.”
“Yes we do. I don’t wanna leave him at the undertaker’s like that, it ain’t decent.” He stirred from his seat and tried to rise. When he did, he felt his stomach muscles clench around a sharp pain in his side.
Vin’s hand shot out the moment he caught the look on Chris’ face and grabbed him by the elbow. “Hang on, I’ll get Nathan.”
“No.”
“But you…”
“I said no.”
The tracker looked over his shoulder to see Nathan standing at the cabinet where he stored his medicines. There was a troubled look on his face, but he couldn’t tell if the healer had seen Chris’ moment of pain or not. Vin drew himself up when he realized he was behaving like a schoolboy hiding something from the teacher. “You need to get some rest, Chris. Nathan’s right about that.”
“After the Nichols are caught.” He blew a long breath past his lips and sat straight as a board. “I can ride it out.”
Vin looked again at Nathan and saw him mixing herbs in some hot water, no doubt for pain. He smiled at the healer until he saw him reach for a small brown bottle on the top shelf of the cabinet.
Chris shuddered then slowly began to collect himself.
“Better?”
“Yeah, it just sneaks up on me.”
“Large holes in your gut’ll do that.”
“Shut up, Vin.”
Tanner eyed his friend closely, sparing only a glance at Nathan who had replaced the tiny bottle in the cabinet unopened.
“I’m sorry,” Chris said after a moment or two of scrutiny. Feeling decidedly uncomfortable, he changed the subject. “About Hank – I think we should bury him with Sarah and Adam.”
“You sure?”
“I don’t hold what he did against him. He could be a hard ass, but he was Sarah’s father and she loved him. Every man should be buried near family.”
“I’ll take care of it for ya,” Vin said. He rose from the corner of the dresser, strode to the window and looked outside. The sun had reached its peak in the sky and its position made him feel oddly calm. There were no long sweeping shadows to distract, no lazy pools of shade in which a man could hide. The sun’s brightness brought the whole town into focus at once and he felt compelled to take advantage of the spotlight it offered. “I should get back out there.”
“I’m goin’ with you,” he heard Chris say.
The statement took him by surprise and he wondered if he’d misunderstood, but when he saw Buck enter the room with the same look of disbelief on his face he knew he’d heard right.
“You’re what?” Buck asked.
“I’m gonna help,” Chris repeated as he levered himself off the heavy dresser and moved to grab his gun belt from a nearby table.
“I think that fever you’ve been brewing has settled in your brain. You ain’t fit to be goin’ after three armed killers.”
Larabee wrapped the belt around his waist and buckled it low on his hips. “I don’t want an argument, Buck.”
“Well that’s just too damn bad because you’re gonna get one.”
Vin stole a fast look at Nathan. The healer took the brown bottle from the cabinet again and tipped its contents into the tea he’d been steeping. Tanner turned to the gunfighter as he began buttoning his shirt. “I think you’re gonna want to rethink this, Chris.”
“Would you two knock it off? I’m going.”
“Chris, you’re in pain…”
“And if you’re in pain,” Nathan interrupted, approaching Larabee with a full cup of tea, “you take somethin’ for it. Don’t fight with him, Vin, you ain’t gonna win.”
“You can’t be serious,” Buck hollered.
Nathan gave Tanner a knowing look before he answered Buck. “I ain’t arguin’ with him any more. The man wants to drop dead in the street, I can’t stop him.”
“But,” Wilmington began as he watched Chris down the warm tea in a single drink. “I don’t believe this.”
“I’m going, Buck, believe it,” the blonde said firmly.
“Just stay close, Vin. Maybe you can catch his stubborn hide before it hits the dirt,” Jackson advised.
Vin stepped nearer.
Chris paused and scanned the room – he needed to reload his weapon but decided he could do it at the jail since he needed to go there to grab an extra rifle. He blinked his eyes against the growing ache in his head and only just noticed the worried faces staring at him. For some vague reason he felt the need to explain his decision to leave the clinic but decided his men knew him well enough to already know the answer. It was then his eyes trailed to Ezra’s idle body on the bed. He wanted more than anything for the gambler’s motionless form to jerk or twitch or show any sign of life at all, but nothing happened. He brought a hand to his temple. “Nathan?”
“Yeah?”
“Ezra, he…”
“I don’t know, Chris.” Jackson saw the sadness in his friend and knew how deeply it ran. Vin was right – he truly wasn’t trying to kill himself. He simply had had enough of the evil that flowed through his life. In that instant, the healer almost regretted his actions – almost.
The gunfighter swayed and stumbled as he turned to leave but Nathan didn’t know if it was because of the drug he’d just dosed him with or because his body was finally giving out. Regardless, he moved closer and waited.
“Take care of him, Nate,” Chris slurred as the room reeled around him. He took three steps and then staggered. A hand appeared from nowhere, offering support, and he blindly grabbed hold.
“Chris?” Vin called.
“I’m alright. I told you, I can ride it out.”
“Sure you can, but maybe you should do it sittin’ down.”
He pulled away in frustration and aimed himself at the door. “It’s time to put an end to this.”
Tanner watched his friend clutch at his belly with one hand and grab for the dresser with the other. It was a full minute before he straightened and reached for the door knob. It was then Vin spotted the blood on his fingers. “Chris, you’re bleedin’ again.”
“It’s… ‘salright… let’s g-go.”
Buck suddenly became aware his friend was on the verge of passing out. He slid himself between Chris and the door and hooked him under the arms. Without waiting for permission, he dragged him backwards to the cot and sat him down. “Damn it, Chris, this is crazy,” Buck barked.
Larabee watched as his friends’ faces floated in front of him. They were speaking to him, well actually yelling at him, but he was to the point he didn’t care. He knew what he had to do, why couldn’t they understand? He tried to push himself up again, but there were hands all over him pushing him back down, and despite his best efforts he couldn’t resist. His brain had lost control of his limbs and no matter how he willed it there was no getting that control back. There was a feeling spreading across his body, a feeling he recognized from times past, and it suddenly dawned on him it wasn’t his body betraying him. It was something else, someone else… “N-Nathan,” he managed to say despite the numbness around his mouth. The healer’s face came close to his and he could feel warm hands holding his head up. “W-what did you do?”
“Take it easy, Chris, just rest.”
“You tricked… me… lied…”
“No, I didn’t lie to ya. I told you I wouldn’t mess with you if you didn’t mess with me.”
His mouth was beginning to fail him. “D-didn’t m-mess… you… son-m-btch.”
Buck came to Jackson’s defense. “No, you asshole, Nathan likes it when the men in his care try to kill themselves. Now shut up and go to sleep.”
Chris thrust his hand forward and tried to grab something with which to hoist him off the cot.
Buck easily swiped the hand aside. “No, pard, you’re gonna rest.”
The blackness skirting his vision slowly crept inwards and took away the light, his friends and his consciousness.
Seconds later, Buck watched as Chris slumped to one side and drifted into oblivion. “Thank God,” he said as he straightened the gunfighter’s body on the cot. “He’s the most stubborn man I’ve ever known. I was…”
FIRE! Someone yelled from the street. There’s a fire!
Vin snatched his weapon by the door and headed out onto the landing. He could see Josiah come running from the livery and meet up with Joseph Hobson in the street, who was apparently the person doing the shouting. Tanner hurried down the stairs.
“There’s a fire down at the newspaper office,” gasped Hobson.
“Oh crap,” the tracker said before he and Josiah broke into a run towards the Clarion.
Part 20
“I don’t believe it,” Buck complained. “How the hell did they get away with settin’ a fire in broad daylight?”
Nathan watched through the window as Vin quickly descended the stairs and took off up the street. “I got no idea, but they seem to be takin’ bigger risks.”
“Maybe Vin and Josiah’ll come up with something.”
“Maybe, come on we need to see to Chris right now.” With Larabee asleep, Nathan could finally get a look at the bullet wound in his side without protest. Every effort he’d made to treat the gunfighter’s injury since his surgery had been met with colorful language and hands pushing him away. Unless he planned to keep Chris drugged until he was well, this would be his one and only chance to get his hands on the man.
Buck brought an extra lantern to the side of the cot where Nathan was kneeling. “You know he ain’t gonna be real happy with you for puttin’ him to sleep.”
“I’ll worry about that when he wakes up. Right now, I’m more concerned about this wound.” Jackson felt the bandage resist its removal. “Hand me a wet rag, will ya?”
Wilmington did as he was asked, then lowered himself to the floor next to the cot. He watched the healer lightly moisten the bandage before he tried to pull it away again. A minute or so later the blood-caked cloth let go and Nathan set about cleaning Chris up.
“How’s it look?”
“Not good. He’s torn it open and set it to bleedin’. It’s also infected. Dang it, I thought I had it cleaned out.”
“You did the best you could but that bullet passed through several things, including Ezra, before it ever hit him. Not to mention he hid it from us for several hours with a dirty rag.”
Jackson rocked back on his heals. “I’m gonna get some soapy water to wash this again then mix up some carbolic acid to work into the bullet hole. I’ll sew it up when I’m done. That stuff I gave him ain’t gonna keep him out long so I best get to work. As soon as he wakes up, I’ll make some more tea to help with that fever of his. I just wish I could get more of it down Ezra.”
“He’ll come around again and I’ll see to it he gets some. Right now I’ll get that water for you.”
“Thanks,” Nathan replied as Buck left the room. It was hard to understand all that had happened in the past few days, but the healer was the first to appreciate the toll it had taken on his friends. Chris was running himself into the ground and Ezra, well, he had no idea how the gambler was doing really and wouldn’t know until he could talk to him without the interference of a raging fever, unbearable pain and well-meaning friends.
His thoughts were interrupted when Chris began to moan and shiver. As he'd mentioned, what he’d given the gunfighter wouldn’t keep him out long, but it should have put him under enough to stop him feeling pain. He felt as if he had failed again. He had planned to stop his friend from killing himself, but it looked like all he’d done was slow him down. Leaning closer, he mumbled softly, “I’m sorry, Chris. I’m so damned sorry.”
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Vin skidded to a stop in front of the newspaper office. “Mary!” he shouted when he spotted her rounding the corner from the bathhouse lugging a large bucket of water. He took the heavy pail from her and pulled her into the street. “Mary, are you alright?”
The fear in the young woman’s blue eyes became clear the instant she brushed the disheveled hair from her face. “Yes, I’m fine. I just… I…”
He took her by the elbows when she faltered and moved her further away from the fire. “Take a deep breath,” he instructed her gently.
“No really, I’m alright. It’s just the Clarion, we’ve got to get this fire out before it’s destroyed.”
“Josiah and I will help put out the fire. You need to get away from here.”
“No, I’m not leaving.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “Archie and some of the others have started a waterline from the bathhouse, we need every hand we can get to keep it moving.”
“Archie,” Vin said shaking his head, remembering the man present and accounted for at every fire the Nichols had set. “We should really make him Fire Chief.”
Mary didn’t hear him. “Why, Vin, why the Clarion? Why are they attacking so many people who’ve done them no harm?”
“I think it was random in the beginning but you, Mary, I think they probably chose the newspaper because you helped us.”
“Helped you? I don’t understand.”
“You brought food to the clinic and the jail and they saw it,” he answered. Then he turned to look over his shoulder. “Which means they were watching from some place between here and Nathan’s.”
“They were watching me?”
“More like they were watching us.”
“Then they’re probably still watching,” she replied, her eyes following his.
“That’d be my guess.”
Josiah ran past him carrying two large buckets and took a place at the head of the waterline. He spread the water with a sweep of his large arms then reached back to grab the next load brought his way.
“Come on,” said Vin, “let’s put this fire out.”
“What about the Nichols?”
“When I’m done here, I’ll find them. I swear to ya, if I have to take this town apart board by board, I will find ‘em. Are you sure you’re alright?”
“Yes,” she answered, lightly patting the hand still holding her elbow.
He nodded sharply, let her go and ran towards the bathhouse. Mary followed, more determined than ever.
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“So what d’ya think?” Buck asked, looking over Nathan’s shoulder.
Nathan leaned back from the cot, holding his bloody hands open on either side of Chris’ wound. “I think I’ve done just about all I can. I had to cut into him to clean deep enough, but he should heal better now. Good Lord willin’, I got to all the infection.”
“You did a fine job there, Nate. I’m not sure I’d’ve had the nerve.”
“I set him up for this by not doin’ a better job when I took that bullet out.”
“You kind of had your hands full before.”
Jackson sighed. “That ain’t a good excuse. It’s gonna take him a lot longer now to get back on his feet.”
Buck clapped him gently on the back. “You know Chris; he’ll be up and around before he has a right to. I ain’t seen a fever yet that can keep him down long.”
Larabee moaned and tossed his head restlessly.
“See, he’s at it already.”
The healer moved to Chris’ head and raised an eyelid. “Dang it, how in the world is he doin’ that?”
“Doing what?”
“Fightin’ the medicine I gave him. He should be out cold. Instead he’s actin’ like he’s comin’ round.”
Buck eyed the open wound in his friend’s belly with worry. “We’d better get a move on then and stitch him up. Is there anything I can help ya with?”
“Yeah, I’m gonna need more bandages. Grab that package Vin brought from Hobson’s store and let’s see what he got.”
Chris groaned again, louder this time, and Buck hustled to the bedside table.
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“Hurry, Vin!” Josiah shouted above the many raised voices around him. “We’ve gotta get a handle on this before the flames take out any more of the office!”
No less than twelve people had been working for nearly half an hour to slow the fire down, but the consumption of paper and ink had kept it burning despite their best efforts.
Vin squinted against the smoke and tried to see the direction of the blaze. “We need to get behind it! I can see several bundles of paper back near the presses. If the flames reach them, we’ll lose control and there’ll be no gettin’ it back.”
“Any suggestions how to do that?”
The tracker eyed the bucket of water in Josiah’s hands. “Only one.”
Sanchez glanced at the bucket himself and asked, “Are you sure?”
Vin spread his arms. “I’m sure. We gotta do something quick or Mary’s gonna lose her paper.”
Josiah hefted the water and quickly doused his friend. Then he lifted another container over his own head and soaked himself as well. “Work your way through on this side,” he yelled, pointing to the wall nearest the bathhouse. “I’ll move the line to the window and bring the water to ya! And keep an eye on the ceiling. You’ve already had one experience with fire overhead.”
Vin felt the tug of burned skin on his back and agreed to be careful. He then grabbed more water and headed into the burning building.
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Buck sat on the edge of Ezra’s bed as he cut the cord tied around the package of medical supplies. He was about to unwrap the brown paper when he noticed the gambler silently staring at him. “Hey, you’re awake,” he said softly.
Ezra didn’t move.
“Can you hear me?”
He didn’t answer.
“Ezra?”
He simply stared, making absolutely no effort to acknowledge there was anyone with him.
Despite the lazy gaze of open green eyes, Buck saw clearly Ezra wasn’t awake. In fact, the stare was so unnerving he called Nathan over and gestured nervously towards the gambler. “What’s the matter with him, Nate?”
The healer knelt down and ran a dark hand alongside the blank face. “Ezra?”
Nothing.
“Ezra, it’s Nathan, can you look at me?”
Obviously he couldn’t. Weary eyes fluttered closed, effectively ending the brief opportunity to reach his conscious mind. His head lolled deeper into the pillow and he was out.
Buck drew back in wonder. “What the devil was that?”
“I’m not sure. Some part of him might have felt you were near and he needed to see for himself. He doesn’t have the strength to talk to us, but I do think this could be a good sign.”
Wilmington rubbed Ezra’s arm. “I sure hope so. I can’t stand seein’ him like this.”
“I know. Let’s just let him rest.” Nathan got to his feet. “So, what did Vin get us to work with?”
Buck looked down at the package he held and pulled open the paper. “Looks like we got bandages, some makings for those awful teas of yours and...” Something heavy slid from the parcel and fell to the ground. He bent over to gather the fallen item and stared in disbelief as he hefted it in his hand. “What the hell? How did this get here?”
“What?”
“This.” He raised his hand but Nathan never got a chance to see what he was talking about. A large explosionsounded from the street and both men ran out the door and onto the landing. “Damn,” Buck cried. “What was that?”
A second explosion resonated through the street.
Jackson ran back inside the clinic and grabbed Buck’s sidearm and rifle. He came out shoving the weapons at his friend and shouting, “I don’t know what’s goin’ on but you’d better get down there and give the others a hand.”
“But…”
“Go, Buck, I can handle things here!”
He didn’t have to repeat himself. Buck ran down, taking the stairs two at time, and headed towards the chaos at the center of town.
PARTS 1-4 / PARTS 5-7 / PARTS 8-10 / PARTS 11-13 / PARTS 14-16 / PARTS 17-18 / PARTS 21-23 / PARTS 24-26 / PARTS 27-28 / PARTS 29-30 / PARTS 31-32 / PART 33 / PART 34
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