Part 7
“I want to be there,” Tanner said.
“”Vin, we’d all like to be there but that’s just not possible,” Jackson said.
“Why isn’t it Nathan?”
“We’d just be in the way. Look, I explained this to you last night. They’ve cut back on the sedatives and Dr. Lewis will remove the ventilator from him this morning. He said he’d let us know when we can see him. Look, eat your breakfast and as soon as we get word I’ll bring you up to his room.”
“When will the rest of the guys get here?” Tanner asked as he took a mouthful of the cereal.
“They should be here anytime. They stopped off to get breakfast first.”
“What about you. How come you didn’t go with them?”
Nathan laughed, “Do you really think I’d trust you to stay away from Chris’s room. No way, Vin, I know you and if one of us wasn’t here to stop you you’d have been up there at the crack of dawn.”
Vin looked at the medic and grinned. “Am I that easy to read?” he asked.
“When it comes to Chris, yes. Now finish eating.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“What’s wrong, Jenny?” Dr. Lewis asked the nurse as he hurried into room four sixteen.
“He’s a little agitated. I’ve been trying to get him to relax but he doesn’t seem to hear me.” Jenny said.
Dr. Lewis leaned over his patient until he was sure he would see his face when he opened his eyes. “Mr. Larabee, open your eyes.” he said softly. “I’m going to help you now. We’re going to get rid of the tube down your throat but we can’t do that till you relax.”
‘Doctor. No it’s a trick. It’s Shale or Marseilles. Please, Vin, help me,’ he thought.
“Come on, Mr. Larabee, I know you’ll feel much more comfortable with this thing out of your body. Just open your eyes and look at me.” Lewis said, trying to calm his patient.
‘No, can’t open my eyes. They’ll drug me again,’ Chris thought and clenched his eyes tightly.
“This is getting us nowhere.” Lewis said as he moved away from the bed. “His chart says he responds well to Vin Tanner. He’s a patient on the second floor. Call down and see if he’s able to come up here.”
“Yes, Doctor.” Jenny said as she hurried out of the room and over to the nurses desk.
~~~~~~~~~
Vin finished his breakfast just as the other five men showed up.
“How are you, Vin?” Dunne asked.
“I’m fine, JD. Nathan I ate it all. Let’s go.”
“I told you, Vin, the nurse will let us know when the doctor is finished with Chris.”
“They taking him off ventilator?” Wilmington asked hopefully.
“Yes.” Jackson asked.
“Excuse me.” all eyes turned to see the same nurse from the day before enter the room. “Mr. Tanner, Dr. Lewis would like you to come up to the ICU.”
“Is something wrong with Chris?” Tanner asked sliding his legs over the side of the bed.
“He’s a little upset and Dr. Lewis thinks he might calm down if he sees you.” the nurse said. “I’ll get you a chair.”
“I can walk just fine.” Tanner said as he wrapped an extra gown around himself.
“Alright, but you take it slow and if you get dizzy you sit down.”
“That’ll be the day.” Jackson said.
“Nathan.” Tanner said as he held onto his IV pole and walked out the door. Six men followed him out.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Mr. Tanner, thank you for coming.” Dr. Lewis said as he met the entourage at the door. The rest of you can wait in the room across the hall.” he said.
“What’s wrong with him, Doc?” Tanner asked as he stepped up to the bed.
“I think he’s confused and hasn’t realized where he is yet. What I’d like you to do is talk to him and assure him that he’s safe.”
“OK, Doc.” Tanner said as he moved so that Chris would be able to see his face when he opened his eyes. “Hey, Cowboy.” he said.
‘Vin, no, can’t be. He’s in Billings,’ he thought.
“Chris, come on now open your eyes and look at me. Dr. Lewis wants to get rid of that tube down your throat but he won’t do that till you calm down.”
‘Vin, it’s really you,’ he thought as he opened his eyes and looked into the pale face of his best friend, the one man he considered his brother.
“That’s it, Pard.” Tanner said grinning happily until he saw a tear fall from his friend’s eyes. “Hey, what’s this about? You feeling sorry for yourself?”
Chris shook his head slowly. He wanted to tell the younger man just how happy he was to see him but the tube in his throat made that impossible. The tears were not self-pity; they were tears of relief at seeing his best friend.
“Thank you, Mr. Tanner. If you’ll wait with your friends I’ll let you know when you can come back in.” Lewis said.
Vin watched the panic enter his friends’ eyes and spoke softly. “I’m just gonna be across the hallway, Cowboy. I’ll come back as soon as they get rid of this torture device.” Tanner said, smiling as his friend. “I’ll be back, Chris.”
Larabee shook his head from side to side becoming more and more agitated at the thought of being alone again. His eyes pleaded for the younger man to stay.
“Doc?”
Lewis stared at the two men, “I have a feeling things will go a lot easier if you stay, Mr. Tanner.”
The sharpshooter smiled again as he touched his friends hand. “You hear that, Cowboy, I’m gonna stay right here with you.”
Nodding his head slowly, Larabee kept his eyes on his friend; afraid he’d disappear if he closed them.
“Are you ready to get rid of this thing, Mr. Larabee?” Lewis asked. A quick nod told him just how badly his patient wanted it out. “Then let’s get started shall we? Mr. Tanner, if you could move to the side for a few minutes we’ll get rid of this thing.” he said.
Ten minutes later the offending tube was removed from Larabee’s throat and had been replaced by an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. “Now, Mr. Larabee, please remember that your throat’s going to be sore for awhile so try not to talk too much.”
“K.” the blond’s muffled voice came out scratchy and hoarse.
“I’ve got to check on a few more patients but I’ll be back to check on you before I leave for the day.” Lewis picked up the chart and made a few notations before leaving the room.
“V...Vin.” Larabee whispered.
The younger man moved closer to the bed so his friend could see him. “I’m here, Cowboy.” he said.
“Mr. Larabee, I’m going to lift this for a couple of minutes but you’ll have to put it back on when I tell you.” she said as she lifted the mask slightly so he could talk to his friend.
“Thanks.” Green eyes filled with unshed tears as the injured man looked at his friend. “Didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
“If I hadn’t been so stupid we would’ve found you sooner and you wouldn’t be here now. I knew something was strange about that bitch.” Tanner swore.
“Not your fault, Vin.” the older man said, coughing harshly.
“”Mr. Larabee, would you like some ice chips?” Jenny asked.
“P...please.” the blond gasped.
Jenny placed the spoon of ice in front of him and he opened his mouth gratefully.
“More.” he gasped.
“Just a little.” she told him, smiling as she gave him more of the ice chips. “Now I think its time for you to get some rest. Mr. Tanner and your other friends can see you later today.”
“B...but.”
“No buts, Mr. Larabee, you need to rest and from the looks of Mr. Tanner he should be in bed as well.”
“We’ll talk later, Chris. You do as the nurses tell you.”
Chris stared at his friend and suddenly burst into relieved laughter. The sound harsh coming from his abused throat.
“What’s so funny?”
“Y...You.”
“Me? What did I say?”
“T...told me to l...listen to the n...nurses.” Larabee laughed. “You g...gonna do the s...same?”
Tanner grinned at the man on the bed. “I will if you will, Cowboy.” he said.
Chris watched Tanner leave and shivered as he thought of how close he’d come to losing their friendship. He tried to move on the bed, moaning as pain shot through both arms.
“It’s time for your medications, Mr. Larabee. Do you need something for pain?”
Memories of the Island and the drugs being forced on him made Chris think about refusing but he knew he couldn’t ride it out any longer, “P...please.”
Jenny picked up a syringe and slowly injected the pain medication into the IV. “That should help you sleep, Mr. Larabee, so don’t fight it.” she told him as she replaced the oxygen mask over his mouth.
Chris yawned and closed his eyes waiting for the pain to subside to a more bearable level, “K.” he said.
~~~~~~~‘
“How’s Chris?”
“He’s better now that he’s got rid of that damned tube.” Tanner informed them. “He’s mighty tired though.”
“Looks like his nurse just gave him an injection. He’ll probably sleep for awhile so why don’t we all go get something to eat?” Jackson suggested.
“Where’re we gonna go eat?”
“You’re gonna go eat in your room.” Jackson said. “Your lunch is probably already there.”
“Shoot, Nate, you know I hate hospital food.”
“Yeah well you’d think that’d be a reason for you to stay out of them.” Jackson said. “Come on, let’s get you back to your room.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Chris was awake and memories of the past few weeks played on his mind. Every time he moved a new pain made itself known. The tube in his chest was bothersome but not as painful as the memory of the raven-haired woman. He wondered if she was dead.
‘Oh, Mary, I’m sorry,’ he thought as Allycia’s words came back to haunt him. Mary Travis, the beautiful blond haired blue-eyed woman was dead because of him. Billy Travis was an orphan because he’d had the nerve to date his mother.
Chris looked up to see Vin Tanner enter the room. He didn’t feel like talking to anyone and turned his head away.
“Hey, Cowboy, what’s the matter?” Tanner asked worriedly.
“Everything, Vin.” Larabee answered, his voice heavy with sadness.
“Want to tell me about it?”
The blond head turned towards his friend, unshed tears in his eyes as he met the blue-eyed gaze of his best friend. “How am I going to face Billy?” he asked.
Tanner looked deep in his friends’ eyes and wondered what could have put such profound sadness in them. “What are you talking about, Chris?”
“What do you think I’m talking about, Vin? I’m talking about the fact that because of me Billy Travis will grow up without his mother!” Larabee cried, once again turning away from the younger man.
“Now wait a minute, Pard. Mary Travis is fine.”
“Don’t lie to me, Vin. Allycia told me she’d killed her.”
“I’m not the one who’s lying to you, Chris. If it’ll make you feel better we can put in a call to Mary. That way you can see for yourself.”
Chris Larabee turned back to the sharpshooter. He wanted more than anything to believe that he was telling the truth. “Mary’s alive?”
“Alive and well. Actually Orrin said she wanted to come down here with him but she had other things she couldn’t get out of. Do you want to call her?”
“Maybe later.” Larabee’s relieved voice was music to Tanner’s ears.
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” the blond answered. Struggling to get comfortable without the use of his arms. He grimaced and closed his eyes as his body protested his movements.
“I’ve got your pain medication right here, Mr. Larabee.” a tall, dark haired nurse told him as she inserted it into his IV.
“Thanks.” he said. “Vin.”
“Yeah, Cowboy?”
“What happened to Allycia and her father?”
“They’re both dead, Chris.”
Larabee’s eyes grew sad and his voice could barely be heard as he answered. “Can’t say I’m sorry.”
“Neither am I, Pard. She deserved what she got. So did her father.”
“There was another man, Vin. From what her uncle said she murdered him.” Larabee was quiet for a minute and Vin didn’t interrupt, instead giving his friend the time he needed to express his thoughts. “I think I would’ve ended up in the same way if you guys hadn’t arrived when you did. You guys saved my life.” he whispered, as his eyelids grew heavy from the medication the nurse had given him.
“That’s what we’re here for, Cowboy. The seven of us are a team and we watch out for each other. Go ahead and sleep I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Thanks, Cowboy.” Larabee said as his eyes closed and he slept.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Two weeks later Chris Larabee sat on the front porch of his ranch house. Both arms were still immobilized and he had no choice but to let Vin and the rest of the guys take turns looking after him. The stitches had been removed from his leg but the itching was an irritation he could do nothing about. The doctors had also told him the drug Shale had used had worked its way out of his system and there didn’t seem to be any lasting effects.
A small blue car pulled into his driveway and he it belonged to Mary Travis. He’d talked to her a couple of times from Bayfront Medical centre but this was their first meeting face to face and he was a little nervous. He stood on shaky legs and was going to walk down to meet her when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
“Going somewhere, Stud?”
“As a matter of fact I am. Just going to meet Mary and Billy.”
“Now you just sit right there and rest. Let Mary and Billy come to you.” Wilmington ordered.
“Buck!”
“Do I have to call Dr. Midland and tell her you’re not obeying her orders? You only got home yesterday and you’re supposed to be resting.”
“Been resting so long I don’t remember what it’s like to move around.” Larabee said as he sat back on the swing.
“Hi, Chris.” Billy’s excited voice called as he jumped out of the car and ran towards the porch, his face filled with excitement.
“Hi, Billy.” the blond said, the smile on his face showing he was just as excited as the boy.
“Billy Travis, you be careful.” Mary called as she took packages from the back seat of her car.
“Let me help you with those, Ma’am.” Wilmington said as he hurried towards the struggling woman.
“Thank you, Buck.” she said as she passed the packages and hurried over to the swing. “How are you feeling, Chris?”
“I’m fine, Mary.” he answered automatically.
“Sure you are.” she laughed. “Billy, why don’t you go help Buck put those things away?”
“Ah, Mom, do I have to?”
“You mind your Mother, Billy.” Larabee said, trying to suppress the smile threatening to belie the sternness in his voice.
“Sorry, Mom.” the young boy said as he followed Buck into the house.
Mary sat beside Chris in the swing, her eyes misted with tears as she saw the lines on his face. “How are you really feeling, Chris?” she asked.
Larabee raised an eyebrow and gave her a half smile. “Honestly, Mary, I’m doing better. I just keep thinking about Charles Shale.”
“He’s the man who tried to help you in the end?”
“Yeah. Seems he finally realized he didn’t have to bow to the wishes of his brother and his niece.”
“Don’t feel to sorry for him, Chris, if he’d refused to help them in the first place none of this would have happened.”
Larabee thought about what she said but still couldn’t help the way he felt. He felt Charles Shale was as much a victim as he was. He’d been under Marseilles thumb for so long he hadn’t been able to get away from him. When he finally found the strength to do so he’d lost his life. “She told me you were dead.” he said finally, unable to meet her eyes.
She lifted his chin till their eyes met, tears glistening in both green and blue orbs. “I’m sorry, Chris. Sorry you had to go through all that. Allycia Marseilles and her father were twisted people who thought they could take what they wanted. It’s over now and she won’t be hurting anyone ever again.”
“Except in my nightmares. I see her coming after you and Billy all because of me.” he told her, shifting slightly in the chair, gasping as his mending ribs strained against the pull.
“Those nightmares will fade.” Mary told him as she placed he hand in his.
“I know they will, Mary. I’m just glad they’re nightmares and not reality. I could never live with myself if something happened to you or Billy because of me.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, Chris. Now why don’t you get some rest while I fix lunch.” she suggested.
“Can I give you a hand?” Blue eyes met green and suddenly laughter erupted from both of them.
“Hey, you two wanna let the rest of us in on the joke?” Wilmington asked as he and the rest of the seven walked out onto the porch.
“Chris just offered to give me a hand to fix lunch.” Mary gasped through her laughter.
“Oh, that’s a good one, Stud.” Wilmington said as each man joined the laughter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Don’t you think you should get some rest, Cowboy?”
A smile furrowed the blond’s face as he looked at his friend. The others had left hours ago and he’d been content to just sit in the swing on the porch, taking in the sights and sounds of the ranch. It always gave him a sense of freedom to be able to sit out here and watch the carpet of stars surrounding the full moon. The sounds of crickets chirping no longer seemed a lonesome sound for him. The fact that he had friends who cared made him see things in a different light.
“Thought I was resting, Cowboy.” he answered contentedly.
“It’s been a long day, Chris. How’s the pain?”
“It’s not bad, Vin. Right now I just want to sit out here and enjoy the freedom.”
“Alright, Pard, just let me know when you get tired.” Tanner said, sensing his friends need to be out in the open.
“Thanks, Cowboy, thanks for everything.” the blond said, sending his feelings through his green eyes.
“That’s what friends are for.” Tanner said as he sat next to his friend and closed his eyes.
THE END!
PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3 / PART 4 / PART 5 / PART 6
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