Authors' note: The main characters in this story are Buck and Adam, as we wanted to show Buck as the loving uncle that we are sure he was to Adam. Small amounts of Vin and Chris/Sarah. No real plot here, just some looks as the relationship between Buck and Adam, with some minor owies thrown in for Buck. The next story (if the muse cooperates) will bring Ezra more fully into the AU. Sorry it's taking so long, but we promise to flesh out all of the seven in future stories, plus bring Inez into the mix.
Author's Note #2: If you haven't read the first story in this AU you may want to read it first, so you know what's going on. However it's not really necessary as long you know that this AU is set in Texas in modern day, Sarah & Adam are still alive and Adam was kidnapped in the first story.
Disclaimer: The boys and girls of Mag 7 don't belong to us. Barring a major lottery win, they never will. However, if I ever see them up for bid on Ebay, we may just have to see about financing a new purchase. We are extremely grateful to the writers & actors who brought these characters to life and can only hope that our little piece of the Mag 7 world does them justice.
Rated: PG, some bad language.
Feedback is appreciated. We will resort to begging if necessary. Please let us know how you like the story and the Universe. Remember the more feedback we get the more future stories there will be. No feedback tells us that you don't like what we're doing.
The sun was still high in the sky when Chris Larabee drove his truck up the long winding driveway to his ranch house. It was Friday and he'd taken the afternoon off from work in order to get an early start on his weekend.
He was exhausted. The week had been a busy one and he was still a bit stiff from an altercation he'd had a couple of days before with an uncooperative suspect. As he drove up to the large log house, he looked to his right.
His foreman, and friend, Vin Tanner was working one of their latest purchases, a beautiful chestnut mare. Chris smiled when he saw his five-year-old son, Adam, sitting on the top rail of the corral fence, watching his latest hero. Adam spent a great deal of time with Tanner, ever since the man had saved the boy from a kidnapper. The two had bonded during their ordeal in the woods of central Texas. Vin had brought Chris' son home safe and now worked for Chris.
Larabee had offered the former bounty hunter a job on his ranch and the whole family had been pleased when he'd accepted. As was their long-time foreman, who had been wanting to cut back on his day-to-day activities on the ranch. Micah still managed the books and the stacks of paperwork, but Vin handled the daily physical running of the ranch.
Chris was impressed with Tanner's natural ability with the horses. Hell, the man seemed to have a way with most animals, even befriending the ranch's usually belligerent and stubborn barn cat. Said cat now spent more time at the small house that Tanner lived in on the property, than he did in the barn. And Tanner was the only one that Chris had ever seen who could hold the standoffish feline, who usually didn't usually let people close enough to even pet him.
The blond pulled his truck around to the front of the house and turned off the engine. He sat in the truck for several minutes watching his son. He could hear the boy's laughter through the open window of his vehicle.
He loved to hear Adam laugh, especially since the kidnapping scare. Those few days, when his son had been missing, had been the toughest he'd ever had to endure.
Even now, months after the incident, his heart still ached at the thought of his son in that madman's clutches. His only hope during the entire episode centered on the knowledge that Vin Tanner had been kidnapped as well. Even in his own mind, that sounded bad, being glad that someone had been kidnapped. But he couldn't help it. The selfish father in him was grateful that his son hadn't been alone during that horror.
At the time, he'd only known Tanner for a few days. He had no real reason to trust him. Had no reason to believe his son would come home safe just because of Tanner's presence. Nonetheless, he'd hung his hopes on Tanner's shoulders.
And Tanner had not let him down. He'd been slightly injured while saving Adam and the Larabees had invited him to recuperate at the ranch. During his recovery, Chris had learned that he'd been thinking about retiring from bounty hunting. He also learned that Vin had no permanent home, just a small homestead left by a deceased uncle, which Tanner visited a few times a year when he wasn't actively chasing down bounties. He'd told Chris that he'd had several offers for the property and was considering selling.
So Chris had offered him a job and a place to live.
Tanner had accepted the offer, and quickly became a member of the family, although somewhat reluctantly on his part. He'd sold his uncle's place for a good price and settled in on the Larabee ranch. He was content to be the hired help, but Sarah and Adam... and Chris... refused to let him get away with that and had continually included him in family gatherings. He was almost as close to the family as Buck Wilmington was.
As Chris watch Vin lead the horse to the fence, allowing Adam to help brush him, he was once again grateful that the man had come into his life when he had. Adam was safe and had another good man to look up to. A boy could never have too many good role models.
Chris realized that his exhaustion had disappeared, as it often did when he returned home. He climbed out of the truck and walked toward the corral. He saw Vin glance his way and then say something to Adam.
His son turned and saw him, the young face lighting up in a huge grin. He tossed the brush to Vin and climbed down off the railing, with a little help from the former bounty hunter. Chris smiled. Just a few weeks earlier, Adam had yelled a greeting to him while in the same situation, and had scared one of the other horses badly enough for it rear up, just missing Vin's foot as it came back down.
Both men had counseled the lad about shouting that close to any of the animals and it seemed that the lesson had been well learned.
Adam raced toward his father, his tiny boots kicking up dust along the way. When he got close enough he yelled "Daddy!" and jumped at his father, fully expecting to be caught.
And of course, he was. Caught and twirled around until he was giggling in delight. Chris stopped before he became dizzy, hefting his son onto his shoulders and heading toward the corral.
"Afternoon, Vin," he said he got closer. "How's the mare coming along?"
"Just fine," Tanner replied, still brushing the horse's coat. "Should be able to sit her with blanket and saddle this weekend. I can't believe this beauty was still running wild."
"You'd be surprised how many wonderful horses there are still in the wild. Not near as many as during the old west days, of course, but they can be found. Until I joined the Rangers I used to help with the round-ups. So did Buck. And my dad went along until a few years ago."
"I wouldn't mind trying that myself," Vin remarked as he removed the lead rope from around the horse's neck and slapped her lightly, sending her on her way. She galloped off, showing her still wild spirit. Vin left the corral and joined Larabee on the other side of the fence.
"Maybe we can try it next spring. I'll contact John Ruddell, see who's in charge of the round-ups next time around. He ran it this year."
Vin just nodded.
Chris lifted Adam off his shoulders and settled the boy on the railing between himself and Tanner. He glanced around, taking in the changes that had occurred during the last few months. The corral had been expanded recently and the barn had been painted. The trees that had been felled to make room for the expanded corral had all been cut for firewood, which was now neatly stacked in the shed next to the barn.
He could see that the latest delivery of hay had arrived that morning and that Vin and the boys had already moved it into the loft. As he glanced around, he saw one of the packhorses tied up outside the barn, supplies stacked nearby.
One of the Hickson boys, who helped out on the ranch most days, dropped some blankets on the pile already there, and then began loading everything onto the horse.
"Dillon and Hank going out on the trail?" Chris asked.
Vin glanced over and smiled. "Nope."
"You?"
"Nope."
"Tanner," Chris growled.
"Yep?"
"That's for Mama," Adam supplied.
"Mama?" Chris turned toward his young son, who only replied with an enthusiastic nod.
"Hey, Handsome, need a ride?" The sultry voice came from behind. All three turned to see Sarah Larabee astride a large bay stallion. Her curly red hair was loose, the slight breeze blowing it softly around her face, the sun showing off the golden highlights. She wore black jeans and a dark green shirt, which highlighted her green eyes.
Chris gasped. She'd never looked more beautiful. His wife still took his breath away.
He didn't reply for a long moment. Then he smiled.
"Depends. Which way you headed?" he asked.
She shrugged. "Thought I'd go find me a sunset. Care to join me?" She slipped her left foot out of the stirrup.
"I never turn down a beautiful woman." Chris turned toward his son, who was whispering into Tanner's ear. Both were smirking at the blond. "What about the munchkin?" he asked.
"Buck's gonna pick him up after work. He's gonna watch Adam this weekend," Sarah replied.
"All weekend?"
"Yes. I told him we'd be back sometime on Sunday. Until he gets here, Vin said he'd keep an eye on him."
"Well, then, I guess you've got yourself a date. Do I need to pack?"
She shook her head. "Already done."
He walked over to her horse, never taking his eyes from hers. Lifting himself into the saddle behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, as she slid her foot back into the stirrup.
"Lead on, sweetness," he said softly as he nuzzled her neck.
She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back against him. "If you don't stop that, we'll never get where we're going," she whispered. She could feel his lips against her neck as he smiled, then he moved back far enough to look over at his son and Tanner.
"We'll see you later, boys," Chris said to Adam and Vin.
Tanner just nodded. Adam waved as his parents rode off, the couple stopping briefly so that Chris could grab the reins of the packhorse.
Vin and Adam were still in the corral when Buck Wilmington drove up to the house. He joined the pair, reaching out a hand to ruffle the hair on Adam's head.
"Hey, squirt! Where's your Dad?"
Adam looked over at his favorite Uncle and smiled. "Him and Mama took a ride on Cooper."
Buck was disappointed. He'd hoped to tease his friend a bit about a horseback ride date with his wife. In truth, he envied his friend. He and Sarah had a love that had only grown stronger the longer they were together. Buck hoped someday to find a woman who would love him that deeply. Until that time, he'd tease Chris about his love life.
When Sarah had called him to babysit that weekend so that she and Chris could have a romantic weekend together, he'd jumped at the chance to spend some time with the boy.
When Vin Tanner had first moved out to the ranch, Buck had been a bit jealous of the time that Adam had spent with the other man. Sarah had tried to convinced him that Adam still loved him. And in truth, he didn't spend any less time with the boy. Only, now, Tanner was often there as well, at least when Buck saw Adam at the ranch.
It was just that Adam saw Vin every day at the ranch and talked about him a lot. Buck knew that Vin and Adam had a connection because of their shared trauma. Like Chris, Wilmington was grateful that the quiet Texan had been with Adam when he'd been kidnapped. He couldn't fathom what life would be like without the little guy.
So he'd tried to put aside any remaining jealousy and befriend Tanner. And found that he liked the man. Like Chris, he had not been enamored with the fact that Vin hunted bounty for a living. But he'd asked around about him with friends at the District Attorney's office, including Ezra Standish.
And everyone he'd talked to had nothing but good things to say about Tanner. Hell, even Nettie liked him! And she was the toughest critic he'd ever met.
But sometimes, that green-eyed monster flared it's ugly head. It wasn't often and it wasn't blatant, but it still lurked in the corner. And at times like these, when he'd come out to find Adam sitting on the fence, paying rapt attention to whatever Tanner was telling him, he nudged his heart. He'd had to push it back down before joining the two in the corral.
"So, lil bit, your folks won't be back until Sunday afternoon. What should we do this weekend?" Buck asked as he ruffled Adam's hair again.
"Pizza!" the boy exclaimed.
"Hmmm. Well, we'll have to go into town then. Hate to drive all the way into town just for pizza."
"Arcade!"
"Hmmm, well I guess we can hit the arcade while we're in town. Anything else?"
"Movie!"
Buck nodded. "We can check the paper, see if there are any good movies out there. Do you want to stay at my house tonight or come back to the ranch?"
"Your house, your house!" Adam stood up on the fence's top rail and dove off into Buck's waiting arms. "Never get to stay at your house," he said, exasperated.
"We stayed at my house just last month."
"Loooong time ago," Adam said.
"Oh, well, I guess to someone of your young years, a month is quite a long time." Buck glanced over at Tanner, only to find the younger man smirking at him. Adam was wound up. From past experience Buck knew that he wouldn't wind down anytime soon.
"Well, since you're gonna spend the night at my place, I supposed we oughta go pack you a bag, pard." Wilmington slung Adam over his shoulder and headed for the house.
The boy giggled and waved to Vin from his perch, draped over the big man's shoulder.
Vin waved back, shaking his head and moved off toward the barn to finish up his chores for the day.
The noise from the arcade could be heard a block away. When Buck and Adam walked in the door, the volume increased ten-fold. Kids were running back and forth, shouting and laughing. They got their hands stamped then walked up to the counter to purchase tokens for the machines.
After pocketing most of the tokens, Buck kneeled down in front of his nephew, handing him a couple and slipping a few more into the pocket of the boy's jeans.
"Remember the rules?" he asked his young charge.
Adam nodded. "Always stay where you can see me. Never go anywhere with anyone but you. Always come get you if I have to go to the bathroom. Kick and scream if bad people grab me and try to take me away."
Buck nodded. He hated having to make Adam repeat that litany every time they went somewhere, but the nature of the world forced him to impress the rules each and every time. He knew that Chris and Sarah did the same, as did anyone who ever took Adam anywhere. And the kid was pretty savvy for a five-almost six-year old. Of course, having been a kidnap victim once already in his life, no one was willing to have a repeat of that horrifying time.
And the arcade used numeric stamps that could only be read under fluorescent light. The number on the child matched the number on the adult they'd come with and were checked as they exited to make sure that no child left except in the company of the 'matching' adult.
Now that the safety reminders were out of the way, the two got down to the business of having fun.
First stop was the racecars game. Buck and Adam slid into adjoining seats, the others occupied by two kids a couple years older than Adam. A big screen in front of the four chairs showed the racetrack. Buck slid tokens into the machines and waited for the next race to begin.
The screen lit up and all four grabbed the steering wheels in front of them. As the cars race around the video track, the 'drivers' steered. Several near misses and a couple of crashes later, the boy sitting on Adam's left was declared the victor, with Adam a distant second. Both Buck and the third boy had been disqualified after crashing.
"I came in second, Buck!" Adam yelled. "I beat you!" He grabbed the tickets that spewed from the machine in front of him, his reward for his second place finish. At the end of the night the tickets could be redeemed for prizes.
"You sure did sport," Buck smiled at the youngster. "How 'bout we try the basher game and let someone else try their hand at crashing... I mean racing."
"Sure, Buck." Adam jumped up and started to run toward the next game. About halfway there he remembered the rules and turned around to find Buck. The big man was still trying to get his tall frame out of the 'racecar'.
Adam ran back and grabbed Buck's hand. "C'mon Uncle Buck!" He pulled on the hand until Wilmington was able to extract his long legs from under the dashboard. He took the tickets from Adam and stuffed them into his pocket for safekeeping.
They made their way over to a large board with a series of holes in it. They both picked up plastic mallets that were attached to the board with long cables. Buck dropped in some tokens and they waited.
Soon, little monster figures were popping out of the holes. Buck and Adam tried to bash the figures with their mallets. For each "hit" they gained points. Pretty soon only Adam was bashing the figures. Buck turned and softly bopped Adam on the head.
"Uncle Buck! You're s'posed ta hit the monsters." The young boy didn't let his Uncle's antics faze him, continuing to smash the creatures popping out of the board.
"I thought I saw a blob on your head."
"Buuuuck!" Adam squealed as his Uncle bopped him on the butt. He turned toward the tall man and the pair starting dueling with the mallets. After a minute the duel ended with Adam falling to the floor, giggling.
Buck raised his hands over his head. "The Victor!" he cried.
"You cheated!" Adam said from his place on the floor, still laughing.
"Me? Cheat?! I don't cheat! I saw a little bitty monster and I bopped him," Buck said, once again bopping Adam on the head, causing the boy to start giggling again.
Buck put both mallets back on their hooks and lifted the youngster off the floor by his feet. Carrying him upside down to the next game, he started asking questions, talking to the captive feet.
Adam wiggled. "Uncle Buck, I'm down here."
Buck looked around, seemingly confused. "Wow, that was good. Your feet are talking, Adam."
"No, Uncle Buck, you got me turned the wrong way!"
"I do? Buck lifted the boy up so that his face was level with his own. "Well, I'll be darned, there you are. What are doing hanging upside down like that, boy?"
"You're hanging me, Buck."
"Oh, well, so I am. I better fix that." He then let go of Adam's feet, allowing the boy to drop a short distance before catching him again. "Hmmm, well, that didn't work, you're still wrong side down. Let's try this." Buck spun around, still holding Adam by his feet.
"Hmm, well, that didn't work either." Adam's giggling was continuing. Buck then tossed him into the air, catching him as he came back down. "Nope, not that either. I guess we're just gonna have to put your shoes on your ears and you'll have to learn to walk on your head."
"How I gonna eat, Uncle Buck?"
"Why, with your toes of course! Silly boy!"
"Oh, squishy, pizza in the toes!"
"Yeah, that would be kinda messy. Maybe we should... .oh, wait, I see Nathan! He's a doctor, he can help!"
Buck hurried across the room, having spotted Nathan Jackson enter the arcade with his fiancée Rain and Rain's eight-year-old daughter, Jasmine.
"Nathan, Rain!" he called as he got closer.
The pair looked up and smiled as the big man joined them carrying Adam. Nathan twisted down to look at the young man.
"Well, hello Adam. Looks like you got a problem."
"Yep. Uncle Buck got me turned upside down and can't get me upside up again."
"Ah, I see."
"He says I gots to eat my pizza with my toes!"
"Yuck, pizza sauce between your toes."
"Uh huh, cool huh!"
Rain and Jasmine stood behind Nathan, amused as always by the antics of "Uncle" Buck.
"Nathan, since you're a doctor, we thought you might be able to help us get him cured of his upside-down-ness," Buck remarked.
"Well, there is only one cure for that. Come with me."
Everyone followed Nathan. Jasmine and Adam talked as if one of them wasn't hanging upside down by his ankles. Nathan took them to over to the ball pit, a large wooden box, about four feet deep filled with various sized plastic balls.
"Now, this might or might not work," Nathan said, his face and voice serious, even while his big brown eyes were twinkling. "You gotta drop him in there and hope he comes back out right side up."
"Ya sure, Nathan," Buck asked, trying to be equally serious. "Sounds dangerous."
"It is, Buck. He could get lost in there. Or, his upside-down-ness could be permanent. But, we gotta try."
Buck sighed. "Okay, Nathan. You're the professional, here. I'll trust your judgment." Buck raised Adam up until he was eye level. "You ready to try this pard?"
"Yep! Gotta do it, Uncle Buck. Doctor Nathan's orders."
"Well, alright. But your ma will kill me if you don't turn out right. Here goes."
Buck slowly walked over to the side of the pit and lowered the boy head first into the plastic balls. He let go of Adam's legs and watched as the small feet disappeared after his body. The others watched the pit for a full thirty seconds.
Suddenly Adam popped up on the opposite side of the pit.
"It worked! Uncle Nathan, it worked!"
"Halleluiah!" Buck cried. "Now you won't havta eat pizza with your toes!"
Buck lifted Adam out of the pit and set him back down on the ground, where he and Jasmine promptly picked up their conversation again.
"So, Nathan, you and Rain hang out here a lot?" Buck asked.
"Not often, but this is a special occasion. Jasmine finished a big project for school that's been keeping her pretty busy lately. We promised her that when she finished it we would all go out to dinner and she could pick the restaurant."
"Care to join us, Buck?" Rain asked in her soft voice. "We can get a table in the play area and the two rug-rats can play together until the pizza gets here."
"Sure. Why don't you keep an eye on the little munchkins while Nathan and I go order the food."
"Perfect. I'll go grab that empty table," she said, gesturing toward a table in the corner that still had full view of the entire play area.
The two men nodded and moved toward the food counter, and Rain gathered the two kids together and headed toward the table.
During dinner, Buck overheard Adam telling Jasmine about the new horse at the ranch. One of their mares had foaled the week before. Chris had told him that Adam had been excited to be able to watch the birth. He'd also mentioned that Tanner had had to assist since it was a breech birth and the veterinarian hadn't been available.
Buck felt a little stab of jealousy as Adam, wide-eyed and with apparent awe, told Jasmine how Vin had pushed the baby around to get it to come out the right way, which of course Jasmine responded to with a grimace.
Rain reached over and laid her hand on Buck's arm.
"Everything okay, Buck?"
"Hmmm. Oh, yeah," Buck replied, still a bit distracted. "I'm fine, really."
"Still a little hard, huh," she stated quietly. "He's got this other good man in his life. It's new so he still talks about him a lot. Be patient. And know that his feelings for Vin do not alter his feelings for you in any way. You and Vin are two very different men. He loves you both, but for different reasons."
Buck smiled and nodded. Yes, he knew that. Now he just had to convince his heart.
Later that night, Buck and Adam were back at Buck's house in town. After watching Adam's favorite movie, Toy Story, and munching on popcorn and kool-aid, Buck decided to give Adam a bath before bedtime.
He always enjoyed spending time with the boy. He figured it gave him good practice for when he had kids of his own. And Adam was a great kid. Buck truly just had fun with him. But then, oftentimes, Buck was just a big kid himself.
He filled the tub with water, adding a little bubble bath, and then tossed in a couple of toys he'd purchased just for when Adam stayed over. Then he picked up the youngster.
"You ready for your mission, Captain?" he asked the boy.
"Yes, sir," Adam replied in their standard bath time ritual. He then brought his hand up to his face in his own unique salute. He wore a small baseball cap with the logo of the Texas Rangers baseball team on it, but nothing else.
"Very good, Captain," Buck intoned, slowly lowering the boy into the water. "Your mission this evening is to search out all the dirty germs and eliminate them. Should you accept this mission, you face some fierce enemies. You will be covered in bubbles and run the risk of getting soap in your eyes. You also must use every toy... er weapon... available to you in the effort to destroy your enemy. Do you understand and accept this mission?"
"Yes, Sir, General. I 'cept my mission!" he exclaimed, bringing up a now-wet hand for another salute, splashing water over his "commanding officer" in the process.
Buck wiped the water off his face with a fake growl to the giggling delight of his playmate.
"Hmmm, seems like you need some practice with your salute, Captain."
"No, Sir, I salute fine. I'll show you again!" Adam then proceeded to once again give a messy, splashing salute, sending even more water Buck's way, a bubble landing on his nose. He scrunched up his face, popping the bubble, which set Adam into laughter.
Buck reached into the tub and scooped up a handful of bubble and gently settled them on Adam's head.
"Captain, be careful, you have several enemies perched on your hat!"
"Oh, no, I must get away," Adam declared. He then pinched his nose closed and dunked his head underwater, hat and all. Surfacing moments later, he shook his head, flinging water in all directions, including once again on Buck. His hat went flying off his head and landed in the water.
Buck sputtered as some of the bubbly water landed in his mouth.
"Oh, this is war!" he declared.
He squeezed water out of his now soaked t-shirt then reached in and began tickling the youngster.
Adam laughed and squirmed. "Stop! Uncle Buck, Stop!" he exclaimed between his laughter.
"Do you surrender?" Buck cried.
"No! Never! Heroes never surrender!" He slapped his hand on the water, once again splashing his 'uncle'. Their laughter echoed off the tiled walls.
An hour later, both were dry and in their pajamas, snuggled on the sofa watching the Disney channel. Adam was in his Uncle's lap, his head bobbing as he tried to stay awake, not wanting the night to end. But sleep finally won the battle. Buck glanced down at his nephew and smiled. Sighing heavily, he settled deeper into the soft cushion, content to hold the little boy and watch the rest of the movie. It was times like this when Buck mused about a future where he would have kids of his own. Who knew. Maybe, someday, Adam would be snuggled up like this with Buck's son in his lap.
Buck stood and took the young boy into his guest room. He settled Adam into bed, then headed for his own room. Settled into bed, his thoughts drifted back to his earlier ruminations about his future.
The big man chuckled at the notion of marriage and children. That would be well into the future for him. But maybe... .someday... yeah, maybe. Buck's eyes drifted closed and he dreamed of wife and family.
The next morning, Adam was up early. He crept into Buck's room and climbed up on the bed, sitting next to Buck. He crossed his leg under him and placed his elbows on his knees, propping his head up. He watched Buck sleep, waiting for him to wake.
He only took a couple of minutes for Buck to begin to stir. Whether he had felt the movement of the bed or some sixth sense was telling him he was being watched, he slowly drifted awake. He cracked open one eye and glanced around. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he closed his eye and rolled over, intent to curl back up and get a bit more sleep.
Just as he was settling back down he heard a sigh and felt a small movement beside him. Opening both eyes now, he saw the small face on the pillow beside him.
He smiled. "Mornin'."
Adam grinned back at him. "Morning, Uncle Buck."
"How long you been awake?"
"Long time," Adam replied.
Buck glanced behind him. Six o'clock. He groaned.
"It's pretty early."
"Yep."
"You're probably still kinda tired, huh?"
"Nope."
Buck sighed. He knew the young boy wouldn't let him go back to sleep. Adam lived on a ranch so early mornings really weren't out of the ordinary, even on the weekends. There was always too much work to do. And Adam loved spending time with his father doing 'ranch work' and being with the horses, so he was generally up before the sun.
Adam was still grinning however, and that grin was infectious. Soon, Buck sat up, pulling the young boy onto his lap.
"So, what do you want to do today? A movie? The park? The zoo?"
"Yeah!!"
"Which one?"
"All of them!"
"All of them?! Well, now, I don't think we'll have time for all of them."
"Yes, yes, yes. Park first, then the zoo, then the movie."
"Hmm... well, I can see you've got it all worked out. Good thing it's so early then."
"Yep."
"Okay, we'll give it a shot. How about you go watch cartoons while I take my shower. Then we'll have breakfast and check the paper for a good movie."
" 'kay. Hurry, Uncle Buck."
Adam jumped down from the bed and trotted into Buck's living room. Buck groaned again and flopped back on his pillow. It was going to be a long and exhausting day.
7777777
It was after nine by the time they got to the park. They'd taken their time over breakfast and then perused the paper until they agreed on what movie to see. Buck decided to bring Adam to a park that was close to the city zoo, that way he could just park in the lot near the zoo and not have to move his truck later. Neither had ever been to this park, but it was one of the largest in the city. It had lots of open space intermixed with trails for walking and bike riding. There was a huge play area with a multitude of play equipment designed for all ages.
Buck settled back on a bench as Adam made friends with several other children his age and they headed for the elaborate jungle gym. He could easily keep an eye on the boy from the bench and give himself a chance to rest up before they began their trek through the sprawling zoo.
"Your son is very cute."
Buck turned to the voice. He found himself staring at a beautiful auburn-haired woman, about his own age, who had settled on the bench next to him.
"Thanks, he's my nephew. I'm watching him this weekend while his folks are away."
"How sweet. My son is the blond in the purple shirt."
Buck glanced over to see her son and Adam climbing up the bars to get to the curving slide.
"They seem to have made friends," he said with a smile. "My name is Buck Wilmington, the handsome lad over there is my nephew, Adam."
"I'm Sandra. My little devil is Sam."
"You come here often?" Buck asked.
She laughed. "I didn't think anyone used lines like that anymore."
Buck wrinkled his brow in confusion for a moment then laughed. It was one of the older-than-time pickup lines.
"Sorry. This is our first time here. We're going to the zoo after this so just figured this would be easier."
"Apology accepted. Sam and I live a couple of miles away. We come here almost every day. It's cheap fun and tires him out so he'll go to bed early enough that I can get some work done at home."
The couple spent the next hour exchanging life stories. And phone numbers. Buck, being Buck, never passed up an opportunity to visit with a pretty woman and any future dates was an added bonus. He learned that she was a single mother and an interior decorator.
"Uncle Buck! Uncle Buck!" Buck looked to see his nephew and Adam's newest friend, Sam, running toward them. "Can we go to the zoo, now?"
"Sure, l'il pard."
"Can Sam come too?"
"Well, now that's not up to me. I got no problem with it, if he and his Mama wanna join us though," Buck said, glancing over at Sandra.
"Sorry, wish we could. It's been awhile since we've been to the zoo. But Sam has other plans today." She glanced at her watch. "And we best hurry, Sam. Your Dad will be here in an hour and you still need to finish packing."
They all quickly said goodbye, with Buck promising to call. Then Buck and Adam headed for the zoo.
"Buck, look, it's eating right from my hand!" Adam squealed.
"It sure is, pard," Buck said, watching the baby goat nibble from the young boy's palm.
They were at the petting zoo, a small enclosure that allowed kids up-close-and-personal interaction with small animals. There were about a dozen kids inside the fenced-in area at the moment. Each had a number of small goats and sheep clamoring for their attention and begging for food. The employees hovered nearby to make sure the experience was enjoyable for everyone. It wasn't unusual for smaller children to be knocked down by over-exuberant and hungry animals and they did everything they could to prevent the children being scared by the animals.
Adam raced back to his uncle's side, followed by two such animals, still sniffing his hands, searching for more morsels. Buck lifted the boy up onto his hip as they head out of the pen and walked through a door into the interior of the children's zoo area. Seeing a small crowd gathered around they wandered over to see what was happening.
Buck set Adam back onto his feet and joined the other zoo visitors around one of the employees, a petite blonde who didn't look over sixteen. She had a very large, very long, snake wrapped around her.
"Cool," Adam said quietly, in awe of the spectacle.
Buck swallowed hard. He hated snakes. Had always hated snakes.
"Can we pet the snake, Uncle Buck?"
Just as Buck started to shake his head, the young girl looked up and smiled. She'd overheard the question.
"Of course you can," she said. "You can even hold him if you like."
Buck's eyes got wide and he unconsciously shook his head.
"Cool," Adam said again as he reach a hand up to pet the slick skin of the reptile. "Is he yours?"
"No, he's a member of the zoo. But I help take care of him and the other reptiles here in the children's zoo."
"What's his name?" another child ask, gathering up her courage to also pet the snake.
"This is Buster." She smiled at the giggles. "Yeah, it's kind of a funny name for a snake. But, Buster here is always getting into mischief. And the head herpetologist...that's a person who studies reptiles...well one day, she got a little upset with him when he wandered away from his cage. She found him curled up under her desk. She said 'Ha, you're busted'. And that's how he got his name."
Everyone laughed. Adam looked up at Buck.
"Just like you and Daddy, Uncle Buck. When you catch a bad guy you yell, 'you're busted'!"
Buck chuckled softly, still wary of the big reptile.
"Would you like to hold him, ah, Uncle Buck?" the young girl asked.
The big man raised his hands in fear. "NO! Ah, no, no thanks, that's okay, let someone else do it." He looked around, slightly embarrassed at his quick and vehement refusal.
The young girl just smiled at him. "That's okay. A lot of people don't like snakes. For me, it's spiders." She shuddered. "Can't stand the little buggers."
He smiled as she moved a couple steps away and let someone else pet her large friend.
"Uncle Buck?"
Buck tore his eyes from the young girl—and her snake--and looked down at his young charge.
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry."
Buck dropped to one knee and put his hands on Adam's shoulders. "What for?"
"I didn't know you was scared of snakes. I shouldn't have petted him." Buck could see tears forming in Adam's eyes.
"Oh, l'il pard. You don't gotta apologize. Just cuz I don't like them doesn't mean you can't." He reached up with his hand and dabbed at Adam's eyes with his thumb. "You can pet all the snakes you like, well except for the poisonous ones. Your ma would kill me if you got bit."
"You sure?"
"I'm absolutely, positively, one hunnerd percent sure!" Buck smiled, breathing a bit easier now that the snake lady had moved to the other side of the room.
"I'm glad. Uncle Buck, did you know that there are some snakes that have rattles just like little babies?" he asked.
"I sure do. That's why they're called rattlesnakes. And those are ones you gotta stay away from," Buck instructed.
"Oh, I know. Vin already told me that. Can we go now?"
Buck sighed and tried to keep the hurt out of his voice. Vin again, he just couldn't seem to get away from the man. He sighed and turned his attention back to his charge.
"Sure, what do you want to see now?"
"Tigers! Wanna see the tigers!"
"Tigers it is!" Buck exclaimed, his smile genuine as the young boy, as always, brought his spirits back up. "How about piggy-back?" he asked, turning slightly to put his back toward Adam.
"Yeah!" the boy said and jumped up, wrapping his arms and legs around the big man.
Buck stood up, making sure his own grip on Adam's legs was secure, and the pair continued on their journey, in search of tigers.
The two menfolk spent the afternoon gazing at the varied and sometimes exotic animals of the large zoo. They laughed at the giraffes and marveled at the elephants. They joked about the hyenas and imitated the monkeys. They ate lunch near the outside sea lion pool, then ventured into the bird atrium. They saw lions and tigers and bears...and assorted other four-legged and two-legged creatures. They saw flying bats and swimming fish and burrowing insects.
By the time they made it back to Buck's house, they were both ready for a nap. So Buck laid the sleeping child onto his bed and stretched out next to him. He only planned to sleep for an hour or so. But when Adam woke him later, he realized that more than two hours had passed. Too late now to hit the movie theater, as planned, they opted for a night at home watching movies on television. They searched the channels until they found one that interested them both, but it wouldn't start for almost an hour. So Buck ordered a pizza and they ate while they waited for the movie to begin.
One movie led to another, which led to popcorn and grape soda. And later, they happened upon an old Abbott and Costello comedy. Adam loved Abbott and Costello. Buck marveled at that. He grew up watching the old movies himself as a youngster. Now it was something that he and Adam shared. The young boy would always imitate Lou Costello, standing up on the sofa next to Buck and shouting " AAAAbbott!"
It cracked Buck up every time he did it. Which, of course, is why Adam always did it. He loved to hear his Uncle laugh.
Midnight found both asleep on the sofa, Buck laying flat with Adam draped across his chest. A sofa blanket was laid across them both. A nearly empty bowl of popcorn was on the floor and the coffee table was littered with napkins, glasses with half-melted ice and half-full soda cans. And the television played on, late enough now to be showing an infomercial for the latest kitchen gadget.
The only sounds in the room were the announcer extolling the greatest invention since the light bulb and the soft snores of the two snoozing on the couch.
Morning again came too early, but wake-up wasn't sounded by Adam Larabee this time. Instead it was a persistent pain in Buck's neck. Literally a pain in the neck. Although his sofa was good for the occasional nap, it was highly uncomfortable for overnight sleeping. He woke with a groan, which caused the still sleeping Adam to stir. Adam still lay across his uncle's chest, seemingly in the exact same position as the night before.
Taking a quick glance out the window, Buck could see that it was daytime, but just barely. The sun hadn't fully made it over the horizon yet. He groaned again then slowly began to move. Gently, he slid out from under the small bundle that continued to softly snore, and lay Adam down on the sofa. Making sure the young boy was indeed still asleep, he stood, biting back a louder groan at the stiffness in his body. He moved into his bedroom, stretching out his muscles as he walked. He undressed and stepped into the shower.
Turning the water on full, he adjusted the temperature until the water was just a notch short of scalding, then turned his back to the shower head and lowered his chin to his chest, letting the hot water hit his neck. He groaned again this time in pleasure. After the heat lessened the discomfort in his neck, he stepped forward and let the stream hit his lower back. He stayed like that for a couple of minutes before finally picking up his shampoo to finish his cleansing.
By the time the water turned cold, he felt half-way to human. He dried off and dressed then headed for the kitchen, peering over the back of the sofa on the way to be sure Adam was still asleep.
Ten minutes later, he was sipping on a fresh cup of black coffee when he heard soft footsteps in the hallway. Seconds later, his tow-headed guest came around the corner, rubbing his eye with a fist. Buck smiled.
"Morning, squirt," he said softly.
"Mmmmm," Adam mumbled as he moved to stand next to his Uncle. Buck lifted him up into his lap.
"What do want for breakfast?"
Adam laid his head back to lean against Buck's chest. "Waffles?"
"Hmm, yeah I think I have some in the freezer."
"Freezer waffles?"
"Yep, just gotta pop 'em in the toaster."
"Toaster waffles!" Adam exclaimed, coming more awake.
"Toaster waffles, with blueberry syrup."
"Ewww, yuk, not blueberry. Strawberry."
"Hmmm, well, I'll have to check. Not sure I have strawberry. Will Mrs. Butterworth's do?'
"Yep."
"Okay, then, waffles with Mrs. Butterworth's maple syrup, coming right up. You need to go to the bathroom?"
Adam's eyes got wide, as if suddenly realizing his bladder was full.
"Go on then," Buck said, setting him back on the floor. "You go do your business and I'll get breakfast started." Adam started out of the room. "And don't forget to wash your hands!"
"Okay, Uncle Buck."
Vin Tanner was carrying a load of firewood up onto the porch on the rear of the main house. Although it wasn't strictly part of his job, he was caught up on all his other work and needed something to do, so he'd started chopping up the firewood and replenishing the supplies at the main house, the bunkhouse and his own small residence on the property.
Sarah and Chris weren't due back until the next day and he knew Chris had planned to complete this chore over the weekend. But he knew that the other man had been working some tough cases recently, which was one of the reasons why Sarah had wanted to get him away for the weekend. No need to have him come back and work. Might as well let him enjoy the entire weekend.
He opened up the back door of the house, carrying in an armload of wood. He set the wood into the basket next to the fireplace, then proceeded to set up a fire, doing everything but lighting it. He figured Chris could do that when he and Sarah returned.
As he was finishing up the phone rang. He knew that Chris and Sarah left their answering machine on, so he didn't pay much attention. When the message kicked on he was just getting ready to close the door. However he stopped when he heard a female voice come over the phone identifying herself as a nurse from Mercy Hospital.
He snatched up the phone as soon as he heard her mention Adam.
"Hello!"
"Mr. Larabee?"
"No, ma'am, he's not here right now. This is his foreman. What's happened to Adam?"
"I'm sorry, Mr... ?"
"Tanner, Vin Tanner."
"Mr. Tanner. I am sorry, but I'm afraid I can't give this information to anyone but the parents."
"They ain't here right now. They took the weekend and went up to their cabin."
"Do you have a phone number where I might reach them?"
"No phone. I'd have to drive up there. And if I do, they are gonna wanna know something. Can you at least tell me how badly he's hurt."
"He's not. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that. But if I can't get hold of his parents, than I'm going to have to call Child Services to come and take him until they can make arrangements to have him picked up."
"Where's Buck?"
"Who?"
"Buck Wilmington. Adam's uncle. They were spending the weekend together."
"Oh, I see. Well, I do see here that he was in the vehicle with a male adult, I didn't know his name. The man is being treated for injuries sustained in a traffic accident. He's unconscious at the moment. And we really aren't equipped here to handle taking care of the child for very long. So I really do need to contact his parents."
"Yeah, okay. I can come and pick him up."
"Unfortunately, Mr. Tanner I wouldn't be able to turn the boy over to you without the parents permission."
Vin blew out a frustrated breath.
"Look give me your name and phone number and I'll send someone up to contact Chris and Sarah."
The nurse relayed the necessary information to Vin who wrote it down quickly.
"Now you're sure that you can contact them soon?" the nurse asked.
"It'll take about an hour for someone to drive up to the cabin, but I'll make sure he takes a cellphone with him. I just can't guarantee the phone will work from way up there."
"Well, Mr. Tanner, if I don't hear from them fairly soon, I will have to contact Child Services. Like I said... "
"Yes, ma'am, I heard ya. Look, I'll send one of the hands up to the cabin and I'll start for the hospital myself. That way when you finally are able to talk to them, they can tell ya that it's okay for me to bring the boy home."
"Well... "
"I'll talk to you about it when I get there. You did say Mercy Hospital right? On Taylor?"
"Yes, that's the one. Just come into the Emergency Room and ask for Stacy."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll be there within the hour."
Vin quickly hungup up the phone and torn the sheet of paper off the pad. He ran out the door, closing it behind him, and ran toward the stables.
"Micah!"
The older man was just exiting the stables with Dillon Hickson, one of two brothers who worked on the ranch.
"Vin, what's up?"
"I need one of the boys to drive up to the cabin and get Chris and Sarah. Looks like Buck and Adam were in a car accident. Adam's okay, but Buck is hurt and they need someone to get Adam. They won't release him to me without the Larabee's permission. I'm gonna head to the hospital and make sure he's okay. Whoever goes to the cabin needs to take a cellphone." He handed over the paper he'd written the info down on. "This is the nurse's name and phone number in the ER. Have them call."
"I'll get the truck," Dillon said and slipped around the back of the stable.
"Make sure they know that Adam ain't hurt, they just need someone to come get him. They said they'd call Children Services if they can't find someone to get him. That's why I'm going over there. They can call, give permission for me to bring Adam home."
"How's Buck?" Micah asked.
"Still unconscious. I didn't wanna talk to her too long. I'll find out more when I get to the hospital and call you."
"Okay."
By that time Dillon and his brother, Hank, had pulled the truck around.
"We figure Chris and Sarah will bring the truck back. We'll stay up there and pack up and bring the packhorse down."
"You got the phone?"
"Right here," Hank replied, patting his pocket.
"You might want to make a lot of noise as you get close to the cabin, give them some warning that you're coming in," Micah reminded them. "They aren't gonna be expecting company."
Dillon and Hank smiled and nodded..
"We'll honk the horn a few time before we drive in," he assured his boss.
Dillon put the truck in gear and the two brothers headed up the road that would lead to the cabin.
Micah dug his keys out of his pocket.
"Why don't you take my truck, more room," Micah offered.
Vin nodded, accepting the keys from the older man.
"You want some company?" Micah asked Vin.
"No, you better stay close to the house. If they can't reach the hospital with that cellphone, they may try to call here. I'll call as soon as I hear anything and you can at least relay whatever information I can get."
"Alright. I'll go on up to the house and maybe start a big pot of stew. That way Sarah won't have to deal with that when she gets back. And if they decide to stay up there, then you, me and the boys can have it for dinner."
Vin shook his head. "Buck's hurt. I seriously doubt they'll stay up there."
"Yeah, probably not. But there's always that chance, especially if you get to the hospital and find out that Buck is actually just fine. And the quicker you get there, the quicker you can call me."
Vin chuckled. "I'm going, I'm going." He shook his head as he opened the door of the truck mumbling under his breath. "Pushy old man."
"I heard that Tanner!"
"Surprised at that," Vin teased. "You musta got new batteries in your hearing aids."
Micah reached down and picked up a handful of dirt and slung it at the truck, just missing the grinning Tanner as the younger man rolled up the window in the nick of time. He grinned and started the truck, putting it into gear and leaving.
Micah smiled. He really liked the young man that Chris had hired to take over as foreman of the ranch. But, damned if he wasn't an ornery cuss.
Vin walked into the Emergency Room and headed straight for the desk, only to be stopped by a shrill "Vin!"
He turned in time to catch the young boy who was running toward him, followed by a severe looking woman in a business suit.
"Adam, are you okay?" The boy's face was tear-streaked.
"I'm fine, Vin, but Uncle Buck was hurt. They won't tell me where he is!" the youngster said indignantly.
"Well, what say we see what we can find out together."
"'kay." Adam wrapped his arms tightly around Vin's neck.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but you can't just take the boy." She reached for Adam, only to be rebuffed when Vin took a step back.
"Excuse me, Ma'am, but I ain't taking him anywhere. We're just going over there to check on his uncle." Vin pointed toward the reception desk. "You're welcome to join us."
Tanner continued on his journey, holding Adam on his hip, the woman following in their wake at a quick step, trying to keep up with Vin's long strides. She kept calling after him, only to be ignored.
"Hello, my name is Vin Tanner. I'm looking for Stacy."
"One moment please," the young man behind the counter said, picking up the phone. While he dialed, the woman continued to try to take Adam from Vin's arms. Adam just clung more tightly, wrapping his legs around Vin's waist, and buried his face against Vin's neck.
"Stace, there's a guy out her asking for you... yeah, he's holding the kid... she's still here too," he said, looking at Adam, then the woman behind Vin. "Okay, I'll let 'em know." He hung up the phone.
"Nurse McCain will be right out. She's just talking to your friend."
"Is Buck alright?"
The man shrugged. "She'll give you an update when she comes out."
Vin nodded, then began to pace, the woman trying to keep up.
"Sir, you must hand that boy over right now. I'm from Children Services and I have the authority to take the boy. Now if you will just hand him over... "
"I'm not handing him over to you or anyone else," Vin insisted. "His parents are being notified and will be here soon. I don't think Ranger Larabee will appreciate his son being removed from the hospital. And I know Miss Sarah wouldn't like it either."
"That's all well and good, but until such time as his parents arrive, he is in my custody."
"That's fine ma'am, he can be in your custody and in my arms at the same time."
Any response from the woman was interrupted by the arrival of the nurse.
"Mr. Tanner?"
"Yeah, I'm Vin Tanner. How's Buck?"
"He's going to be fine, but he will be laid up for awhile. He's got a broken leg and some cracked ribs, not to mention a concussion and general bumps and bruises. He was asking about Adam. I promised him I'd bring the boy in to see him, so that he could see for himself that he's okay." She reached for Adam, but the youngster refused to let go of Vin.
Stacy smiled. "Hmm, well unless I want to have a surgeon come down to remove Adam from your neck, I supposed you'll have to come along as well." Adam smiled at her from his perch.
"Excuse me, but the boy is in my custody," the woman stated.
"I guess that means you come to, ma'am, cuz right now, we're all going to see Buck," Vin stated matter-of-factly. "Lead on, Ma'am," he said nodding to the nurse.
After several seconds glancing between the two, Stacy just shrugged and moved to an exam room, the others right behind her.
"Adam!"
"Uncle Buck!" Adam wiggled, trying to loosen Vin's grip. Wilmington lay on a bed, his left leg in a cast from just above the knee to his toes. White gauze was wrapped around his left forearm and a small bandage decorated his forehead, discoloration from a bruise showing around the edges.
"Easy, Adam. You can't be jumping all over Buck," Vin said. "You don't wanna hurt him worse, do ya?"
Adam froze, then shook his head.
"Okay, now be real easy," Vin said as he set Adam down on the bed next to Buck.
Adam slowly moved closer to his uncle, placing one hand on Wilmington's face.
"You okay, Uncle Buck?" he asked in a soft, scared voice.
"I'll be fine, l'il bit. Thanks for being so careful there," he told his nephew, with a grateful glance at Tanner.
"Don't wanna hurt you no more, Uncle Buck." His voice was so soft that Buck barely heard him. "I was so scared."
"Hey, hey. I'm gonna be okay. I'm sorry I scared you, Adam." Carefully, Buck pulled the young boy against him and wrapped his arms around him, letting him cry out his fear. He ignored the slight pain from his injured ribs.
"Buck, we'll wait outside," Vin said softly.
Wilmington just nodded, his attention on the fragile soul in his arms. He ignored the indignant CS worker, who was herded out of the room, protesting the entire way.
Buck rubbed his hand along Adam's back, calming the sobbing child
Fifteen minutes later, Vin stuck his head back in the door. Buck looked up and waved him in.
"How ya doing, Buck?" he asked.
"Fine now." He glanced down and smiled. Adam had fallen asleep against his chest. "Adam?"
"He's fine. Just scared."
"Who was the lady in the suit?"
"Children Services. When they couldn't reach Chris and Sarah, and with you unconscious, they were called to take custody of Adam. Since I'm not family, they won't let me take him."
"You can't let CS take him away," Buck insisted.
"Won't be an issue now. Chris called while I was outside just now. He and Sarah gave the hospital permission for me to take Adam home when he's ready to go. They are apparently going to have to keep you overnight cuz of the concussion."
"Damn! Chris and Sarah ain't coming back here, are they?"
"I tried to talk them out of it, but... "
"Get me a phone!" Buck tried to sit up, jostling his ribs and his casted leg. Hissing in pain he lay back down again. But his movements woke up Adam.
"Buck?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.
"Sorry, sport, didn't mean to wake ya. Vin, can you take him for a bit?"
Vin didn't reply, but reached out to take Adam into his arms. The nurse walked in as Vin was leaving the room.
"Nurse, I need to make a phone call. It's urgent!" Buck said.
"Mr. Wilmington, please stay still. That cast hasn't completely dried yet."
"Well, then get me a phone. I need to call Adam's parents and tell them to stay on vacation. They don't need to be traipsing back here for a little bump on the head."
"If you calm down, I'll see what I can do." She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down on the bed. After several seconds of fighting him, she glared. "Mr. Wilmington, if you don't settle down, I will resort to drugs and sedate you. I think you'd like to be conscious to talk to your friend."
Buck instantly stilled. He smiled up at the forceful nurse. "Damn, but don't you sound just like Sarah."
She lifted her hands from his shoulders. "Is that a compliment?"
"The highest you could ever receive," Buck assured her. "Now, darlin' how about that phone?"
She shook her head walked over to the wall phone. "What number do you want?"
"Chris, really, there's no need to come back. Sarah has been planning this weekend for over a month. Enjoy it!... Yes... Vin will take him home. He's fine... I can put the nurse on and you can ask her... oh, okay, so then she already told you that Adam wasn't injured... Chris, really, I'm fine. Broken leg, some cracked ribs, that's all. They just want to keep me overnight cuz I got a slight concussion... I'll have Vin come back. Or JD can come and get me. In fact, that might be easiest. He just moved into that apartment down the street from me. Then Vin can concentrate on watching Adam... "
Buck reached for the cup of ice water that Stacy had brought, winking at her as she moved around the room. She tapped the face of her watch as an orderly walked in. He nodded.
"Chris, look I gotta go. My ride upstairs just got here... Yeah, I promise everything is fine. Adam is in good hands and so am I. You and Sarah stay up at the cabin and enjoy the rest of your romantic weekend. Don't worry. You can come by and see me at home tomorrow."
Buck held up his hand as Stacy reached for the phone. "What? Oh, well okay, but I don't want to put you out... yeah, okay, okay, fine... .I'll mention that to Vin... oh, you already did. Fine, well I guess I don't need to call JD then. Yeah, okay, bye."
He handed the phone to Stacy, who gathered up the long cord and hung the receiver back on the wall, draping the cord over a hook on the wall to keep it off the floor and out of the way. She and the orderly then unlocked the wheels on the bed and began to wheel him out the door of the Emergency Room cubicle.
Vin, Adam on his shoulders, moved up beside the bed and began walking with them.
"Uncle Buck, Vin says you're coming to stay at the ranch!"
"Seems so, l'il bit. That okay with you?"
Buck smiled at Adam's enthusiastic nod.
"It's gonna be fun, Uncle Buck. I can take care of ya and then when you get all better we'll have a party?"
"Party? For me? Well, heck, l'il pard, I'd be right honored."
They two continued to talk as Buck was wheeled to his room and settled in.
"Easy, Buck," Vin said as he opened the front door.
Wilmington, using crutches, gingerly stepped across the threshold and across the room. He thumped down onto the sofa. His grunt of pain had Adam moving close.
"Uncle Buck?"
Buck looked over at the concerned face and smiled. "I'm good, Adam. Just sore."
"Okay. You want me to take your crutches?"
"I got 'em, Adam," Vin said, reaching for the crutches and setting them against the sofa arm. "Why don't you get Buck a glass of water so he can take his pills."
Buck glared at Vin, who just smirked at him. Wilmington had already stated, on the drive out to the ranch, that he didn't need to take any pain pills, that he was fine.
"'Kay." Adam spun around and headed to the kitchen. The two men heard the wood footstool that was in the room for Adam's use scrape across the floor. A minute later, the young boy slowly and careful returned, carrying an almost full glass of water.
"Here, Uncle Buck. Take your medicine."
With no easy way out, Wilmington accepted the tablets from a smiling Tanner and downed them, finishing the water. He handed the glass back to Adam, who raced to return it to the kitchen.
"Thanks, Tanner," Buck said sarcastically "I told you I didn't need any pain pills. I'm fine."
"Yep, Sarah said you'd say that."
"Oh, she did, did she?"
"Yep."
"Did she also put you up to getting Adam involved." He was a bit miffed that he was having to rely on Vin Tanner ...and that Tanner seemed to be enjoying it. And seemed to be getting Adam involved in his subterfuge. His nephew didn't needed anyone pushing him to help his uncle. He'd do it anyway.
Vin smiled, but didn't respond. Grabbing the remote from the coffee table, he handed it to Buck.
"You comfy? I need to check in with Micah." Vin could see that Wilmington was upset, he just wasn't sure if he was upset over being incapacitated or if Vin had done something to anger him. Either way, he figured it was best to leave him be for the moment.
"I'm fine," Buck replied, snatching the remote from Tanner's outstretched hand.
"I can help him, Vin," Adam said, coming over to sit next to his favorite uncle on the sofa. Buck placed his arm across Adam's shoulders.
"I got me a real good helper here, Tanner. You just run along now," Buck said, waving his hand, wanting the young boy to himself for a bit.
"Adam, you keep him in line. Remember what your mama told you."
Adam nodded. "I 'member."
"And come get me or Micah if you need help."
"Okay, Vin, I will. Uncle Buck, you wanna watch a movie? Do you need a pillow? How 'bout a blanket? I can fetch some gummy bears if you're hungry? Are you hungry?"
Vin chuckled as he walked out the door.
Three hours later, Chris and Sarah quietly stepped into the room.
Buck was sleeping on the sofa, stretched out, with an Adam-supplied pillow and blanket. Adam was curled up in the nearby recliner, his own blanket covering him.
"Let's not wake them," Chris said.
Sarah nodded as they turned and left the room, arm in arm.
Buck woke up, sniffing the air. He smiled.
He began to stretch, his progress halted by stab of pain from his side. It was only then that he remembered the accident, the hospital and coming back to the ranch.
"Buck, you awake?"
He opened his eyes and looked up. Sarah Larabee smiled down at him.
"Well, hello, handsome. About time you joined us." She sat down on the edge of the cushion. Reaching up, she felt his forehead, careful not to disturb the bandage. "You been taking your medications?"
"Yes, Mom," he replied with a smile.
She slapped him lightly on the arm. "It's important, Buck. The prescriptions they sent home with you are painkillers and antibiotics. You don't want to get these cuts infected."
Buck lost the grin. "I know, Sarah. I promise, I took the pills."
"Good. You need to get up?"
"Yeah, could use a trip to the little boys room. Am I smelling what I think I am?"
"Micah's stew, yes. He made a big pot yesterday," she replied as she helped him sit up. Then she reached for his crutches and assisted him in getting to his feet. Once he was steady, he grabbed the crutches and lumbered his way down the hall to the bathroom.
When he came back out, Chris was standing in the hall.
"Shower?"
"Hell, yes," Buck replied.
He followed Chris to the master bathroom, which had a separate shower stall that he could use without having to climb into the tub. Chris made sure everything was close by, then wrapped up Buck's cast with plastic so it wouldn't get wet.
"You set or do you need some help into the shower?"
"Naw, I got it. Thanks, Chris."
"I'll leave the door cracked. If you need help just yell."
"Will do, thanks."
"We're having a party, we're having a party." Adam skipped down the hall, the words said in a sing-songy voice, as he followed his mother down the hall.
Sarah just smiled. Chris had taken Buck to the doctor's office to exchange to big, cumbersome cast removed and a smaller one put on that would allow him to bend his knee. A barbeque and party was scheduled for their return.
Nettie was making a cake and Casey would be there also. Rain, Nathan and Jasmine had agreed to come. Chris had mentioned inviting JD from the office, and since Ezra Standish had been there at the time, he'd invited him as well, although he doubted that the attorney would show.
They'd gotten to know Standish a little better since the ordeal with Adam's kidnapping, as he was the one handling the prosecution of those involved and had interviewed them on several occasions. He seemed like a kind, if aloof, man. But Sarah liked him. When she looked into his eyes she saw compassion and a desire to bring wrongdoers to justice. And she loved the way he talked.
Sarah shook her head. She would not think about the horror of almost losing Adam today. This was a day for celebration and she refused to let anything interfere with the joy of having Buck still in their lives!
He had been their friend for almost a decade, having met Chris in the police academy. The two men had joined the Rangers just a year apart. Buck had been the best man at their wedding and was godfather to their son. He was as much a part of their family as Nettie and Casey.
Speaking of which — Sarah looked out the front window and saw Nettie's old blue Ford pickup coming up the driveway. By the time Sarah and Adam walked out the front door, the two Wells women were beginning to unload items from the back. She and Adam greeted them, then helped them carry in the cake and other food they'd brought.
By two o'clock that afternoon, the party was in full swing. Decorations had been hung to Adam's specifications. The guest of honor was ensconced in a recliner which had been relocated to the back deck and his every need was being catered to.
The long folding table was laden with food, in the center was the sheet cake that Nettie had baked. She had decorated the cake to look like two roads intersecting, with two miniature pickup trucks smashed together. Also dotting the tiny collision scene were fire trucks and police cars. A tiny police helicopter sat in one corner and miniature paramedics with a stretcher stood beside the crash. On the stretcher lay a cowboy, complete with handlebar mustache and ten gallon hat.
Wilmington had laughed when he'd first seen it and insisted on several photos being taken before the cake was cut. He'd promised Adam that the decorations would be added to the toy box at Buck's house, so that they could both play with them the next time Adam came to visit.
"Well, Mr. Wilmington, you seem to be recovering nicely."
Buck turned, not immediately recognizing the voice.
"Standish?! Well, dang, boy, what brings you out slumming?"
"Really, Mr. Wilmington, this is hardly the slums. And I came to wish you a speedy recovery, of course."
"I appreciate that. And what's with the 'mister'?"
"Ah, well you are off-duty, are you not? Therefore, the title "Ranger" really doesn't apply in this instance."
"You can call me Buck, ya know."
"It is proper not to call someone by their first name until requested to do so." Ezra smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles of his suit coat, all the while watching the game of catch that was occurring in the back yard between Chris and Adam.
"Young Master Larabee seems to have recovered nicely from his ordeal of last month," he commented.
Buck slowly turned his head to watch Adam and Chris. He smiled at hearing the child's laughter when the ball he threw went wide, forcing Chris to chase after it.
Just as Buck was about to comment, Nettie came out onto the deck and rang the "dinner bell" which was a large metal triangle which hung from a cross beam. The other guests, who were scattered around the deck, yard and corral began moving toward the tables.
"Wait! Buck gets first!" Adam yelled, racing to get to his uncle's side. "What do you want, Buck? Can I fix your plate?"
"Sure, l'il pard. Just give me some of everything."
"'Kay. Mama, Uncle Buck wants everything!" Adam moved to stand next to his mother as she dished up Buck's plate. "Some of that, Mama. And that. Oooh, Buck likes that Mama, better gives him lots!"
Sarah filled the plate up and then followed Adam back over to where Buck sat.
"Here you go, Buck, enjoy."
"Thanks, Darlin'," Wilmington said as he reached for the plate.
"I'll get you another drink, Uncle Buck," Adam said and ran off before Buck could acknowledge the offer. He looked up at Sarah and shook his head.
"Boy has more energy than a locomotive."
"Why do you think we invite you here so often? He wears us out."
Buck laughed. Sarah winked at him and walked back to the table to fix a plate for her son.
An hour later, everyone had finished eating and were gathered on the deck, alternately praising the great food and complaining that they'd eaten too much of it. Adam was settled in Buck's lap, watching the horses run around the corral. Buck watched as Vin got up to head to the barn. He fully expected Adam to join the foreman, as he always did for evening chores. When the youngster didn't move, he shook him lightly.
"Aren't you gonna join Vin?"
"Nope. Gonna stay with you. Today is your party, so I asked Vin if it would be okay if I didn't help him."
Buck smiled, surprised at how great Adam's statement made him feel. He briefly tightened his hold on the boy. "Well... " he began, then had to clear his throat before continuing. "Well, that's real nice. I know how much you look forward to working with Vin."
Adam was silent for several minutes. Then he leaned back and stretched his neck to better see his uncle.
"Uncle Buck, are you mad at Vin?"
"What? No of course not, why would I be mad at Vin?" Buck looked off toward the barn, not able to look his nephew in the eye.
"Vin says that sometimes you don't like to be around him. He says he thinks it's cuz he reminds you too much of when those bad men took me."
Buck sucked in a deep breath. "He did, did he?" Wilmington briefly closed his eyes. His heart still hurt whenever he thought of that time.
Adam turned around in Buck's lap, then stood up, his feet on the chair, straddling his uncle. He reached up and placed his hands on Buck's face, causing the man to finally look at him.
"Uncle Buck, don't be sad."
Buck did not respond immediately. He reached up his large hands and placed them over Adam's. "Sorry, l'il pard. I'm not really sad. I guess I've just been missin' ya. It don't feel like I get to spend as much time with ya as I used to. You always seem to be with Vin and the horses."
Adam looked confused. "Just 'cuz I like helping Vin with the horses don't mean I don't love you."
Buck smiled. "I know, l'il pard. I guess I was just feelin' a mite jealous."
Adam cocked his head. "What's jealous?"
"Ah, well, it's when you see someone that has something you want? You're jealous 'cuz they got it and you don't."
"But you got me, Uncle Buck."
"Yeah, yeah I do, don't I." Buck wrapped his arms around Adam and hugged him close. "I guess I don't got any reason to be jealous of Vin, do I?"
"Nope! That's silly!" Adam stated emphatically. "Mama says there's enough of me to go around."
Buck smiled at Sarah, who sat a few feet away, next to her husband. "Your mama's right."
"Really? Good, 'cuz I wasn't sure what she meant when she said that. I can only be one place at a time."
Buck laughed. "Well, l'il pard, I sure am glad that place is with me right now. What say we go down and watch Vin. That way we can all be in the same place and you won't have to stretch yourself so thin."
"Really?"
"Yep. You gotta help me though. Can you grab my crutches?"
"Sure, Uncle Buck!" Adam jumped from his perch and picked the crutches up from the deck next to Buck's chair. "Buck, does this mean you aren't jealous of Vin no more?"
"Well, l'il pard. I think I'll always be a little jealous of him. But I'll work on it, okay."
"Okay. Cuz I really like Vin, Uncle Buck He's my friend."
"Yeah, I know you do. How about we go see if he'll be my friend too."
"Cool! Now, be careful, Uncle Buck. Go slow, now."
The others on the deck all laughed and turned to look at Nathan. Adam's words were exactly the words that Nathan used every time Buck had to use the crutches. No one realized that Adam had been paying so much attention.
"I'll be careful, Adam. Wouldn't want to fall down and bust my butt, now would I?" Buck glanced over at Nathan, again mimicking another of the doctor's oft-repeated cautions. He settled the crutches under his arms, then he and Adam headed, slowly, toward the corral, where Vin was gathering up the horses.
Chris and Sarah exchanged smiles before Chris got up and joined them. They had been mildly concerned about the sometimes obvious jealousy that Buck garnered toward Vin Tanner. They tried to convince him that he had nothing to worry about. Heck, even Buck himself, had admitted that he knew that Vin wasn't a threat.
But what the mind knew, it sometimes took the heart a little bit longer to acknowledge.
It hadn't surprised either of the Larabees in the least that Adam would be the one to set his Uncle straight.
THE END
Feedback to : Authors