Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Chris Larabee woke with a start. Something was not right. Not moving, Chris quietly laid on his bedroll listening to the sounds around him — the crackling of the fire, the crickets and other bugs singing their songs, the wind rustling through the leaves. No, they weren't in physical danger. Something else was wrong.
Sitting up, he looked around. On his left, Josiah Sanchez was asleep. Glancing to his right, he immediately identified what was wrong — Mary Travis' bedroll was empty. Quickly scanning the campsite, he spotted Vin on lookout.
Vin Tanner, alerted by the movement, was watching Chris. When their eyes met, Vin silently nodded to the other side of the camp. Looking across the fire, Chris finally makes out a figure crumbled on the ground just beyond the edge of the firelight.
Damn. Part of him had hoped she could hang on one more day. The other knew that was impossible. She had been on the edge for far too long. It was only a matter of time before she fell into the abyss. Hell, he had been there too many times himself.
Pulling on his boots, Chris headed over to Mary who was on her knees with her head down. As Chris drew closer, he could hear her muffled sobs.
Gently laying a hand on her back, Chris softly called her name.
Mary slowly raised her tear stained face. Fighting to regain control, her words tumble out between sobs. "I... can't... do... this... Chris.... I'm... not... as... strong... as... you... are."
"We don't know for sure he is dead. You can't give up on him yet."
Shaking her head, she repeats, "I can't do this... Please God, don't take Billy away from me." Saying these words was more than Mary could take. All hope of stopping the tears vanished into the wind.
Chris felt as helpless as he had ever felt in his life. He would give anything to take her pain away. But no one could do that. Tomorrow would tell if they had made it in time. They would either find Billy well on his way to recovery or they would be burying him. Thinking about his own young son and wife taken from him in a fire, he spoke a silent prayer — God, not another one. Not knowing what else to do to help her, he did the only thing he could do. He pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could.
"Shh. It's going to be all right." he softly murmured.
Mary, crying uncontrollably, could do nothing but wrap her fingers into his shirt and hang on for dear life.
After what seemed to be an eternity, Mary's crying finally subsided into sobs and then into occasional whimpers. Chris could slowly feel her body begin to relax and her fingers loosen their grip on his shirt as she slipped into an uneasy sleep. Two days of hard riding, sleepless nights, fear, and worrying had taken a hard toll on her. Chris estimated there were a couples hours left till dawn. A little sleep could do a world of good for her. When he thought he could move both himself and her to a more comfortable position without waking her, he slowly began to shift positions.
Suddenly Vin and Josiah appeared beside him. As Josiah placed a blanket across them and laid Chris' gun within his reach, Vin quietly dropped Chris' saddle where he could lean back on it. Looking at them, Chris nods his thanks. Mary, still asleep, but restless, whimpered and cried out Billy's name softly. Tightening his arms, Chris once again quietly tells her that it would be all right. Another whimper and Mary settles once again.
As Vin and Josiah begin to move back to the fire, Josiah paused to give Chris a nod while Vin dropped his hand on Chris' shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. Both know this wasn't easy on their friend. But they also know he was the most logical person to try to help Mary through this. He knows what she was feeling far better than any of them.
Laying back, Chris couldn't sleep. He wondered how Buck was? Chris snorted and shook his head. Hell, what am I worried about him for? If I know Buck, he is playing being shot in the shoulder to the hilt. Molly probably has him all snuggled in her bed and playing nursemaid. I wonder if Ezra and JD had any luck tracking the group that shot him. He just hoped no one else had been hurt in the hunt.
Had it only been two days since all of this had started Chris wondered? It felt like an eternity. Two days since they had received word that a group of outlaws that had been robbing and killing travelers was headed for the Four Corners area. Two days since Buck had been ambushed while on patrol. Two days since Mary had gotten a telegram telling her that Billy was near death. Two days...
Mary knew it was a risk to wait for Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne to return. But if they were successful in their hunt and she waited for the two lawmen to come back, she could have an exclusive story on the outlaws who had been holding up travelers. But waiting meant the paper would be late.
Oh where are they, she wondered. When she had talked to Chris earlier in the morning, he had told her he expected them back from patrol by 11:00 that morning. It was already noon. She was already over an hour late in getting the paper out. If she started running the press now , she could get the day's paper out by 2:00 p.m. Starting the press, she grimaced. So much for the exclusive. I guess it will just have to wait.
Down the street, sitting outside the saloon, Chris Larabee was not a happy man. He hated it when someone didn't make it back on time. He couldn't help but think they had run into trouble.
"Knowing those two, they're probably just dragging their heals so they don't have to do anything else today," Vin quipped. He didn't really believe it. He only said it to try to keep Chris calmed down.
Chris snorted. "They better not be."
"I don't like it. With those outlaws in the area, they could have run into something they couldn't handle by themselves."
"That's why you had Buck go with JD on patrol remember," Vin replied.
Early this morning, Chris had received a telegram from the sheriff in Eagle Bend telling him that a gang of six outlaws who had been robbing and sometimes killing travelers was headed their way. He was thankful the wire had come before JD had set out on patrol on his own. Being the youngest, Chris didn't want him out on his own if there was a good chance of running into trouble. He just didn't have enough experience for that.
After finding Nathan Jackson and Josiah Sanchez, and finally getting Ezra Standish and Buck out bed, he told the others the news about the outlaws. All had quickly agreed that they needed to double up on the three hour patrols until the outlaws were out of the area. Two sets of eyes looking for trouble always increased their chances of finding it before it found them.
That was over four hours ago. Chris was definitely not happy.
Vin was surprised Chris waited as long as he did. He made it until 1:00 before he stomped off towards the livery. Vin looked at the others, shook his head, and headed after him.
Soon both men emerged from the livery, walking their horses. They headed back to the Saloon to talk to the others who were waiting.
Mary hated being late. She had managed to make up part of the time she had lost waiting for Buck and JD to return. Actually I did pretty good she thought as she folded the last of the papers to be delivered.
Walking out the door with the papers, she spotted Chris and Vin with their horses and the others waiting outside of the saloon. As she started down the street greeting those she crossed and handing out papers, her thoughts returned to the missing men and the men who were obviously on their way to look for them. She hoped they would find Buck and JD unharmed but she knew too well the odds of that were not good.
She had made only a few deliveries when she heard her name being called frantically. It was the man from the telegraph office waiving for her to stop and wait for him. In his hand was a piece of paper.
"Mrs. Travis!" he shouted again as he neared her. Mary noticed he seemed anxious and upset.
"Mrs. Travis. I have an urgent message for you from the Judge," he said breathlessly as her approached her. As he handed it to her, Mary noticed a glimpse of pity on his face. As he turned away, Mary heard him murmur "I hope everything turns out okay."
What a strange man, Mary thought. Continuing down the street, she tried to juggle the papers and read the message at the same time.
"Ezra, you and Nathan head out to Baker's Pass and see if you can find any sign of them. Vin and I will head..." Chris paused. He was distracted by the sound of a commotion behind him.
Turning, he saw several people trying to stop newspapers from flying all around. Mrs. Potter, the storekeeper, was standing beside Mary saying her name over and over but getting no reply. It was as if she was speaking to a statue. Even from where Chris was standing, he was struck by Mary's pallor and her unmoving stance.
Without a moments hesitation Chris dropped the reins in his hands and headed across the street to see what was happening. Stopping in front of Mary, he looked at Mrs. Potter who simply shook her head as if to say she had no idea what was wrong. After getting no response from saying her name several times, Chris reached out and moved Mary's head up to look in her face with one hand, while gripping her arm with another. In her eyes, he saw flashes of shock and absolute terror, and then emptiness.
Alarmed and not knowing what else to do, he sharply asked "Mary, what's wrong" as he shook her slightly. Chris wasn't sure if it was the tone of his voice or the movement, but he slowly saw recognition forming in her eyes.
"Chris..." she choked out.
"Mary, what's happened?"
Before Mary could reply, Chris heard a wagon tearing into town. Looking up he could see JD on the wagon seat with a young woman beside him, looking terrified. Chris could see no sign of Buck.
"Chris! Nathan! Get over hear! Buck and another man have been shot!" JD yelled as he pulled the wagon to a stop.
Chris was torn. Go to Buck or try to figure out what was wrong with Mary. Desperately he looked at Mrs. Potter. "Go ahead. I'll wait with her." she said. Chris barely took the time to nod his thanks before running to the wagon. He could see Nathan, Josiah, Ezra, and Vin running up the street towards the wagon also.
Chris didn't realize he was holding his breath until he saw Buck alive in back of the wagon. Letting out a breath of relief he took a quick assessment of everyone in the party. Buck was conscious but had an obvious bullet wound in his left shoulder. He was trying to stop the bleeding in the other man's chest with his right hand while trying to keep himself from being jostled too much by the wagon ride. From the pained look on his face and the amount of blood on the man's chest and Buck's hand, he wasn't having much luck doing either.
"I'm okay" he told Nathan, " but I don't think this guy is doing very well."
Taking a quick look at both of them Nathan had to agree. "Ezra. Vin. Help me get this guy to my place. Josiah, you bring Buck." The men jumped to their assignments.
Chris watched the injured men being moved out from the back of the wagon before turning to JD who was helping the young woman from the front of the wagon.
"Don't worry Laura. Nathan is the best. If anyone can help your dad, he can" JD told her reassuringly.
"Excuse me Ma'am." Chris tipped his hat to her. "What happened JD?"
"Buck and I were just about ready to head back to town when we heard a scream and shots from over the hill. We headed over there to see what was going on. We hadn't even made it to the top of the hill before they were firing at us. They got Buck almost right away but we finally made it to cover." Glancing at the young woman beside them, JD continued "There we found Miss Washburn and her father."
"Did you see who it was?"
"Not really, but I can tell you there were six of them and the leader was riding an appaloosa just like in the telegram this morning. They took off heading northeast."
Damn. Chris had hoped the telegram was wrong and the outlaws had headed in another direction. After this, they had little choice but go after them.
"Okay, JD. Why don't you show Miss Washburn where her father is and we'll talk about this later."
At about that time, Vin came back from Nathan's. Chris started to ask Vin how Buck was when he was interrupted by a shout.
"Hey! Stop her. She's stealing my horse!"
What now. Spinning around he is astounded to see Mary tearing down the street on a horse. A man who had ridden into town earlier in the day was running after her and screaming for her to stop. Turning Chris glanced at Vin who looked as shocked as Chris felt.
After what seemed an eternity, Chris finally got his legs to move. Running to his horse, he grabbed the reins, and quickly mounted. Yanking the horse around, he saw Vin doing the same.
"Giddup!" he yells to the horse as he begins to chase Mary.
Chris and Vin tear through town and out into the hills. They can see Mary ahead of them lying low in the saddle running the horse as fast as it will go.
Shouting to be heard, Vin yells "What in the hells gotten into her?!"
Chris' only answer is to lean further toward the ground and urge his horse to go faster. After several miles, they can see Mary's horse being to tire. The men begin to gain on her, slow but steady. Finally, they able to pull beside her, one on each side. Both grab the reins and began to slow all the horses to a halt.
"Let me go! I have to get to him" Mary screams at them. Pulling to a stop, Chris jumped out of the saddle and pulled Mary from the horse. Struggling to get away from him, she again screams "Let me go!" Trying to understand the events unfolding in front of him, Vin dismounts and tries to calm the horses spooked by Mary's screaming.
"Stop it Mary!" Chris said harshly. "Stop it and tell me what's going on!"
Just as in town, Mary slowly realized that it was Chris who had a hold of her. She stopped struggling knowing that it would not do any good. "Chris?" Mary says hesitantly.
Okay, maybe now I'll find out what the hells going on he thought. Frustrated but instinctively sensing the gravity of the situation, Chris takes a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. "Yea, its Chris. Just try to relax and tell me what made you steal that man's horse and try to kill yourself riding like that."
Slowly Mary looked up. Chris is once again stunned by the scared, haunted look in her eyes. "Chris, you have to help me get to him before its too late."
"To who? Before its too late for what?"
"To Billy." Hesitantly Mary begins to raise her hand. It is only then that Chris realizes she is holding a crumpled piece of paper tightly in her hand. From what little Chris can see, it looks like a telegram.
Not trusting that he can let go of her, Chris calls for Vin. "Vin, come see what's on this telegram."
Feeling like he and Chris were trying to catch a wild animal who could turn on them at any moment, Vin cautiously walked up to the couple. "Mrs. Travis, why don't you let me see what's on that piece of paper."
Mary looks down at the paper. From the look on her face, neither man is sure that she even realized it was there. Slowly she opens her hand far enough that Vin can extract the paper from her fist.
Straightening it out, Vin scanned it. Visibly paling, he quickly looks at Chris.
"What is it" Chris demands.
Vin swallows hard and then slowly reads the telegram out loud.
BILLY NEAR DEATH. STOP. BITTEN BY RATTLESNAKE. STOP. DOCTORS NOT SURE HE WILL MAKE IT. STOP. COME AT ONCE. STOP ORRIN TRAVIS. STOP.
Looking at Chris, Mary once again begs him to help her. "You have to help me get to him before its too late."
Josiah, Ezra, and JD were in the saloon discussing the events of the day.
"What do you think got into Mrs. Travis?" JD asked the other two.
"I don't know," Josiah said, "but from the look she had on her face, whatever has happened is not good."
"I don't know either, but I do believe our Mr. Larabee will have to do some quick talking to explain this mysterious situation to the owner of the confiscated horse" Ezra observed nodding to he horse's owner who was at the bar ranting 'about hanging horse thieves where he comes from.'
As Josiah and JD turn to look at the man, they see Nathan enter through the doors. Motioning at them, he takes a detour to the bar to grab a glass before joining them at the table.
Looking exhausted, Nathan dropped into the chair and grabbed the bottle to pour himself a drink.
"How's Buck and Mr. Washburn doing Nathan?" JD asked anxiously.
"Buck's okay. I got the slug out and he's sleepin'. He'll be sore for a few days but iffen he don't do anything stupid he'll be back to his old ways in a day or two. Suspect he'll be hounding me to go back to his own place by mornin'. Mr. Washburn on the other hand, well, that's touch and go. The bullet went in deep and he lost a lot of blood. Guess, it'll depend on how much he wants to live." Shaking his head, Nathan downed the shot and then rubbed his eyes. "His daughters with him right now. She's awful young to be losin' her pa."
Seeing how despondent his friend looked, Ezra wished he could say something to help him. "If anyone can pull him through Nathan you can" he softly said. JD and Josiah quickly added their agreement.
Nathan was grateful for the lift. Looking around he realized Vin and Chris are nowhere to be seen. "Where's Chris and Vin? They haven't gone after that group on their own have they?"
"No. They went after Mrs. Travis." JD exclaimed.
"Mrs. Travis?" Nathan asked, unaware of the events after he left the wagon to work on the injured men.
"It seems our fine newspaper editor decided to take today of all days to steal a horse and go for a ride." Ezra dryly remarked.
"Mrs. Travis!?" Nathan was astounded by what he was hearing.
Nodding towards the window, Josiah began to rise. "And we may finally get to know why."
Quickly the others followed him out. They could see Chris leading Mary on the stolen horse, and Vin trailing after them. Stopping in front of the Clarion, Chris dismounted and moved toward Mary. As the men approach the trio, they are struck by the pallor in Mary's face and how unresponsive she is to the activity around her. It is only when Chris says something softly to her that she seems to realize they have reached the town. Helping her down, Chris catches her as her legs refuse to work and she almost tumbles to ground.
Seeing the other men approach, he calls for Nathan while turning to Vin.
"Vin, why don't you find the owner of the horse and tell him his horse is back. Explain the situation to him and that it would not be in his best interest to pursue any legal action against Mary. Then get the supplies ready we'll need. I'll meet you back here in about a half hour." Taking the reins of the horse, Vin nods at Chris and heads toward the livery.
When Nathan reached Chris and Mary, Chris quietly explained the situation to Nathan so others passing do not hear. Although they can't hear what Chris is saying, Josiah, Ezra and JD see Mary visibly flinch at his words.
As Nathan takes Mary's arm he begins to urge her toward the door of the Clarion. "I'll take Mary inside and help her pack. She should have a few minutes to lie down also. She's had quite a shock. A little rest before you leave will do her good."
Mary slowly looked at Nathan and Chris. Chris once again says something to her that the others cannot hear. Finally she begins to move with Nathan's help.
As Mary goes through the door, Josiah, Ezra, and JD move towards Chris. "I take it the situation is not good," Ezra intones, a question as much as a statement.
"No, it isn't." Chris flatly replies. This had been one hell of day and it isn't over with yet Chris thought. Shoving his hat off his head and running his hands through his hair, he says "How's Buck and the other man doing?"
"Nathan says Buck will be fine. The other man is still touch and go" Josiah replied. "Now, what's going on with Mrs. Travis?"
"Come on. I need a drink." Moving towards the saloon, Chris fills in the others about Mary's telegram. As they enter, they noticed Vin talking to the owner of horse. As Chris, Josiah, JD, head for the table to sit down, Ezra detoured towards the bar to pick up a bottle and glasses.
"I'm sorry about that lady's little boy, but dammit. she stole my horse! I want her arrested!" Ezra could hear the man saying. Grabbing the bottle and turning around, he caught Vin's eyes. Oh my, Mr. Tanner, you do have your hands full don't you. How are you going ever going to take care of this reprobate without shooting him, Ezra wondered.
Heading to the table, Ezra set down the bottle and glasses.
Nodding towards Vin and the other man while pouring his drink, Chris asks Ezra if everything was taken care of with the owner of the horse. Looking quickly at Josiah, Ezra paused before responding, as if to choose his words carefully.
"Let's just say that man does not know yet that he holds a losing hand."
Pausing in mid drink, Chris looked at Ezra and then turned his gaze towards the man still arguing with Vin at the bar. Watching, JD sees the man falter in mid sentence, feeling the full force of Chris' heated stare.
Glancing back to see what had caught the man's attention, Vin leaned closer and said something while motioning back towards the table with the four lawmen. JD again saw the man begin to speak then stop. Shakingly he grabbed his drink, tossed it back, and said a final word to Vin before heading out the door.
Vin turned and approached the other four. "JD, check my back. I think it got burnt by the look Chris just gave that man."
Snorting, Chris tossed back another drink before saying, "I take it things are settled."
"Well, let's just say I had to use some choice words to convince him."
"Like?"
"Oh, things like 'Chris Larabee'... 'friend of family'... 'Judge's grandson'... 'justifiable shooting in the line of duty'... 'no questions asked'... things like that."
"My, my, you are improving in your communication skills aren't you" chuckled Ezra.
Well, I guess this isn't the first time my "less than stellar reputation" has been used to stop someone from doing something stupid, Chris thought.
As the five men where beginning to strategize their next moves, Buck and Nathan joined them at the table.
Surprised but glad to see his friend up and about, Chris nodded a welcome to Buck and shot a questioning look at Nathan.
"She's layin' down. Hasn't said a word yet though. Don't like that. Miz Cooper is with her til one of us gets back there."
"Nathan filled me in about Billy. Damn shame" observed Buck. "So what's the plan?"
All eyes turned to Chris. "Vin knows a short cut that takes a half day off the ride so he and I are going to take Mary to see Billy. JD, Ezra, I want you to scout around and see if you can find out which way the outlaws that shot Buck went. When you find out, don't do anything stupid. Send word to me at the Judge's and wait til we can get back. Buck, Nathan, you two are responsible for keeping things calm around town. Are you up to it, Buck?"
"Hell yes. Maybe I should go with JD and Ezra to look for that bunch?"
"No. Nathan is going to have enough to do taking care of Mr. Washburn and his daughter and making sure you heal up proper. You need to stay in town and take it easy."
"What's Josiah going to do?" JD queried.
Chris paused a moment, looked at the whiskey he was twirling in his glass and then at the preacher man silently watching him. "Josiah, if things don't work out with Billy, we are going to need some of your "spiritual guidance" and if we run into that band of outlaws we're going to need some of your firepower. I want you to go with us to the Judge's. Will you?"
Josiah was both astounded and honored. Chris had just asked him to do something he had never done before — to help ensure not only his physical safety, but to be there to help him deal with the grief of losing a child if necessary. Given Chris' history, Josiah knew this was not an easy request for him to make.
Nodding ever so slightly to acknowledge the vote of trust just given to him by his friend, Josiah quietly replied "I'll go pack."
Knowing that daylight was quickly slipping away, six of the seven moved to do what they could to prepare for the long trip ahead, while Nathan went to check on Mary. After packing his gear, Chris headed to the jail to pick up shells and a couple of rifles only to find that Ezra and Buck had them ready for him. Walking out of the jail, he noticed JD coming up the street with Mary's and Josiah's horses saddled and ready to ride. Chris reached the newspaper office just as Vin and Josiah arrived with provisions for the two day trek.
Pausing outside of the door to watch his friends stow the gear on the horses, Chris was once again amazed and astonished by the strange stroke of fate that had taken seven men — all very different from each other, yet sharing a similar sense honor and justice — and made them a "family" in such a short amount of time.
Mary's world had come to a halt. Not just the world around her, but the world within her too. Looking around everything and everyone seemed to slow and stop. Time became irrelevant. Rationale thought and reasoning blew away in the wind. She wasn't even sure her heart was beating. She couldn't remember the last time she took a breath. Everything seemed frozen in time.
Nothing else mattered but the words screaming at her from the piece of paper in her hand. COME AT ONCE the message said. God knows she tried. She's not sure what she said to Mrs. Potter to get her to let go of her arm. All she remembered was that she was standing on the sidewalk when she saw a horse in the street, saddled and ready to go. It didn't matter that it wasn't her horse. It was there. So she took it.
And rode as fast as she could. She didn't hear the town people yelling around her. She didn't hear anyone chasing her. Every bit of her being was focused on getting to Billy. Nothing else matter and she would fight anyone who tried to stop her.
Well... almost anyone. When men suddenly appeared beside her and made her horse stop, she knew how a wild animal felt when it was caught in a trap. She would get free no matter what — even if that meant killing or being killed. COME AT ONCE. There was nothing else. Until a voice began to penetrate the ice.
She knew that voice. Sometimes scathing. Sometimes tender. Always truthful. Always a voice she knew she could trust. It was calling her name. It was Chris. He would help her get to Billy if she could just get her mind to form the words and her tongue to say them. "Chris, you have to help me get to him before its too late!"
Then those words were said again. NEAR DEATH... BITTEN BY RATTLESNAKE... NOT SURE WILL MAKE IT. The small part of her that had fought so hard to break through the ice silently cried out as it once again slipped beneath the surface.
Not much else got through. She vaguely heared two voices talking in earnest to her. "go back to town..." "two and half day ride..." "no food or water"..." "hang on a little while longer for Billy's sake..." None of it really mattered to Mary.
Then the voice broke the surface again. A lifeline slowly penetrated the ice. "We will get there in time. Everything is going to be all right." Chris' voice. He had never lied to her. If she could just hang on to those words and ignore the others...
It was the hardest thing Mary every had to do.
Physically, she felt herself being put back on the horse and told to hang on. Mentally, there were only the words. Mary wasn't sure how long it took them to get back to town. Nor did she realize the activity that was going on around her once they got back.
Even now, two hours later, she couldn't stop the words that continued to echo in her head. A few simple words — thirteen heart wrenching simple words to be exact. BILLY NEAR DEATH. BITTEN BY RATTLESNAKE. DOCTORS NOT SURE HE WILL MAKE IT. That's all it took to destroy her world.
No! Don't listen to those words Mary. Think of the others. Chris' words.
The battle of words in her head raged the rest of that day. It didn't stop to sleep that night. It continued the next day. It was relentless.
At times, it was too hard. The words from the telegram would overtake her and threaten to suffocate her until once again the voice — the other words — would grab hold of her and drag her to the surface.
It was during this time that some part of Mary was aware of the men and the events around her. Part of her knew that they would take turns riding with her. The other two would spread out — one ahead, one behind. Mary got the impression they were expecting trouble along the way, but she couldn't understand what it could be. Her Billy was dying. Nothing could be more threatening than that.
At times, she could hear them speak to her. Most of time, she didn't remember the specific words; only a vague echo of the voices — always kind; always reassuring.
When they would stop, the voices would urge her to drink water or eat a little food. At night, the men would take turns on watch — watching her and watching for trouble. Periodically, they would come to her and gently make her lie down on her bedroll and tell her she needed to sleep. But she couldn't do that. The words wouldn't let her.
She almost made it. But fatigue had weakened her. Her guard slipped a little. It was enough. The words became too loud to ignore. The weight of them became too much to bear. The perfect ice cocoon that had insulated her from the pain associated with their meaning began to rapidly melt.
Looking around frantically, she needed to escape. She had to do something to divert the tidal wave from overtaking her. Scrambling from her bed she stumbled towards the horses. In the dark, she did not see the tree root sticking up in the ground, tripping her.
The pain from falling on her knees was the final straw. A wave of emotion — the emotions she had tried so not to feel for the past two days — engulfed her. The tears began to fall. Soon she was sobbing and rocking herself.
She didn't hear anyone approach her. Chris was suddenly there — hand on her back, softly saying her name.
Slowly raising her head to look at him, Mary struggled for some kind of emotional control. "I... can't... do... this... Chris.... I'm... not... as... strong... as... you... are."
Swallowing hard, Chris rubbed her back. "We don't know for sure he is dead. You can't give up on him yet."
His hope was not enough any more. "I can't do this... Please God, don't take Billy away from me." There she had said it. Billy could be dying or dead. It was too much. All hope of stopping the tears vanished into the wind.
Strong arms engulfed her and pulled her to him. Clinging to him, Mary cried like she had never before cried. She cried for the little boy who she had carried in her body for so many months. She cried for the blond hair newborn she had held in her arms with such pride. She cried for the toddler who followed her everywhere she went. She cried for the lost little boy who saw his father being gunned down. She cried for the little man who was given back to her when his father's killers were brought to justice. She cried for all the things he might never be able to do if his life ended now. She cried for all of this... and more.
When she could cry no more, she tumbled into an uneasy sleep. The words she hated would periodically run through her head and she would cry for Billy not to leave her. But then, she would feel Chris' arms around her, and hear the other words "Shh. It's going to be all right."
Hearing low voices, Mary slowly fought to wake up. She couldn't remember a time when she had ever felt so tired, nor, strangely enough, so safe. She instinctively knew that the longer she could stay where she was, the longer the events of the past couple days could stay a distant memory. Waking up and leaving the safety of Chris' arms meant she would have to face the haunting possibility of losing her son.
One by one her senses began to register the sensations around her: the scratchiness of a shirt against her face; the solid feel of Chris' body against hers; the smell of sweat, dirt, and stale smoke mixed with his body scent; the taste of salt from the previous nights' tears on her lips; the sound of Chris' heartbeat, the wind rustling the leaves, and the water from the stream a short ways away all mixed with the sound of two voices quietly conversing; and finally, the sight of Chris and Vin drinking coffee.
Mary realized that it was just after dawn. Propped in Chris' arm and resting on his chest, Mary struggled to follow what Vin was saying.
"...the tracks turn east about a mile out. The trail became really rocky so I can't tell you for sure which way they went after that."
Chris frowned. "So they could be waiting for us somewhere ahead."
Vin, realizing that Mary was awake and watching them, interrupted Chris before he could say anything else. "Mornin'' ma'am. Glad to see you finally getting some sleep even if it wasn't the most comfortable of places."
Looking down, Chris took a quick assessment of Mary. The fatigue was still all to evident, but something had changed. She seemed to more alert and actually listening to what was going on around her. That's my girl, Chris thought.
Helping Mary sit up, Chris offered her the cup of coffee he had been sipping on. Gratefully, Mary rewarded him with a small smile.
After taking a few sips, Mary found she still had to clear her throat several times before she could speak. "Is everything all right?" Having only heard her voice in her head for the past several days, it sounded strange to her.
To Chris, Vin and Josiah who had realized she was awake and interacting with Chris and Vin, it was one of the most beautiful sounds they had ever heard. It gave them hope that at least for the time being she was going to be okay.
Smiling slightly, Chris reached up to brush Mary's hair away from her face. "It's nothing to worry about. Vin spotted a couple sets of tracks. Probably just some local folks heading for town."
"How much longer do you think it will be before we are there?"
"Only a couple hours left ma'am. We should be there by late morning" Vin assured her. "Josiah's fixin' some breakfast but you've got time to wash your face and freshen up if you want. I've brought your bag over in case you need it."
Nodding at him, Mary was grateful for Vin's thoughtfulness. Looking at Chris, her eyes clouded over as she saw for the first time the toll the past several days had taken on him. It bothered her that she had caused him such pain and worry. "I'm sorry Chris. I know this hasn't been easy on you either."
Fearful that Mary was going to backslide if their discussion got too serious, Chris shook his head and deliberately acted like he misunderstood her meaning. "Don't worry about me. It's not the first time I've lost a few hours sleep." Slowly rising to let stiff muscles and joints stretch, he reached down to help Mary stand. "Now, you better hurry if you want to get cleaned up before breakfast is ready."
Mary reached for the saddlebag from Vin. Pausing, she caught Chris' eye to let him know she was aware of what he had just done, and to express her gratitude for it. She knew he understood when he gently squeezed her hand before taking the coffee cup from her.
Mary moved towards the stream located about 150 years from the campsite. Over the centuries, the stream had managed to wind itself a curved path through a rock formation. There were few places that animals or men could get to the stream easily. The path Mary had taken was the only one within a mile either way. On the opposite bank, the shore quickly ended into a rock wall that ran about 20 feet straight up. To the right of where Mary knelt, the bank was littered with boulders that had fallen from the rock face. To her left, fallen trees and vegetation made the shoreline impassable.
As Mary splashed her face, she couldn't help but notice how clear, shallow, and fast running the river was. Just the kind Billy likes to play in. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the riders approach until it was too late. Six men, the leader riding an appaloosa, had been riding in the stream using the water to cover their tracks and mask the sound of their approach.
Watching Mary move towards the stream, Chris flashed back to his dead wife Sarah and found himself comparing the two women. Both were strong, intelligent and beautiful. One he had loved with all his heart and soul. The other, well, that remained to be seen how far the feelings would go. If things had been different, the two women could have been the best of friends. They shared so much in common. A wave of sadness washed through him. As it was, unless he could find Sarah's killers and find some meaning to her death, both were lost to him.
Josiah and Vin had been watching Chris and saw the fleeting mixture of emotions cross his face. Concerned that Chris could be getting lost in memories, Josiah tried to divert his attention. "Seems like Mary has finally decided to come back to the land of the living. Let's just hope the rest of the day is as rewarding. Let's start breaking camp so we can get her to Billy before she slips again."
Moving with a renewed purpose, the men quickly began to break camp. For the first time since the ordeal had started, the men thought they could lower their guard a little at least where Mary was concerned. They were wrong.
Chris had just picked up his horse's blanket and saddle and taken a few steps towards the big black when he heard Mary's scream.
Dropping what they were doing, the three men tore towards the stream, drawing their guns as they ran. Unsure of what was happening, the men slowed and spread out as far as they could in the narrow path as they neared the river. Rounding the curve, they could see five men on horseback in the stream. A sixth was trying to restrain Mary who was struggling to get free. From the corner of his eye, the stranger saw Chris, Vin and Josiah coming. Quickly he grabbed Mary, hit her hard enough to stun her, and spun her in front of him to use as a shield. When she again begins to struggle, he grabs her arm and twists it behind her back.
Vin and Josiah cover the five on horseback while Chris moved towards the sixth stranger.
"Mister, I don't know who you are but let her go" Chris growled menacingly.
"Oh no. You drop your gun and back off and the lady won't get hurt" was the reply.
Pausing Chris tried to judge what the man was going to do. Softening his voice, he tried another tact. "We don't have to do this. Let her go and you can ride out of here."
"I think I'm going to ride out of here anyway" the man sneered back. He began to move towards his horse forcing Mary to move with him. Wading through the water, Mary slipped on the wet rocks underfoot.
Cruelly, the man jerked her upright by the arm twisted behind her. The force was enough to tear the sleeve from the shoulder on her shirt and a cry of pain escaped Mary's lips.
"Mister, you just made a big mistake."
Mary, realizing the Chris, Vin, and Josiah would never make a move against the men as long as she was the middle, summoned all her strength. Raising her foot, she quickly kicked backwards into the man's shin. At the same time, she slammed her elbow into his ribs as hard as she could.
The force of attack caught the man off guard. Without realizing it, he let up on Mary's arm slightly. It was enough. Mary wrenched it from his grip and began scrambling towards the cover of the boulders on the shore line.
All hell broke loose. Chris moved to place himself in between the man and Mary while snapping off shots at her capture. One shot grazed the man's head, but only momentarily dazed him. Vin and Josiah had found cover and were trading shots with the other men.
Two riders suddenly toppled from their saddles. Vin immediately recognized the sound of rifles being fired. Scanning the top of the rock wall opposite him, he spotted two men firing down into the melee. He was about the yell at Chris and Josiah to watch out when he was able to see that one of the rifle shooters was wearing a familiar red coat and the other a bowler hat.
Realizing that they were now outgunned, the remaining outlaws on horseback threw down their weapons and surrendered. The 'leader,' the man who had held Mary, however, refused to give up. Screaming in rage, he began to fire a continuous barrage of bullets in Chris' and Mary's direction.
Diving for cover, Chris knew this man would never be taken in alive. He just hoped that Mary didn't get hit by a richocet before the outlaw could be stopped. When the outlaw paused, five guns rang out in unison. The outlaw dropped where he stood.
Rising, Chris assessed the situation. Vin and Josiah had disarmed the remaining outlaws and had them gathered on the shore. Holding his hand up to block the glare of the sun, he got a good look at the two men who had joined into the fight. Damn it, I told those two to not do anything stupid.
Ezra and JD raised a hand towards Chris. "You okay?" JD called down.
"Yea, but you two have some explaining to do later" Chris replied.
Turning to help Mary stand and move to smoother ground, Chris was unaware that the outlaw leader had begun to raise his gun and set his sights on the couple until the sound of a single gunshot echoed off the rock walls.
Ducking and spinning, Chris saw the outlaw once again flop into the water. The smoke from Josiah's gun was slowly dissipating in the morning air.
The two men locked stares. "Josiah" was all Chris said. It was enough.
Moving toward the man to make sure he was dead this time, Chris couldn't help but think that it seemed ironic that it took seven shots to bring the outlaw down.
Standing, Mary silently viewed the scene in front of her while rubbing her sore shoulder. A bruise was already beginning to appear on her jaw from were the man had hit her.
Catching her movement in his periphal vision, Chris headed her way. "You okay?"
Nodding, she took one more look around as if to reassure herself that it was finally over. Then she looked at Chris. "I'm ready to go now."
Helping her over the rocks, Chris stooped to pick up her saddlebag to hand to her. "Head back to camp and we'll be along shortly."
It didn't take long for the lawmen to secure the prisoners and retrieve the bodies of the dead outlaws. While JD and Ezra watched them, Chris, Vin and Josiah quickly packed their gear and saddled the horses.
"Mary and I will ride ahead into town. The rest of you bring the prisoners and follow. I'll meet up with you later." After making sure they had all of their belongings, the two quickly headed towards town and to Billy.
Two uneventful hours later, two tired, dusty riders passed briskly through town on their way to the Judge's house. From the looks we're getting, we must be in pretty bad shape Chris thought. Chuckling to himself, he had to admit they were a sight.
Stopping in front of the house, Mary slid off the horse and tied it to a post. Pausing to wait for Chris, they had only taken a few steps when the front door opened. Orrin Travis stepped out into the sunlight.
Chris noticed that he too looked tired and haggard. Chris couldn't tell from his expression if the news he had to tell them was good or bad. Stopping a few steps from her father in law, Mary found she was holding her breath and looking at the Judge expectantly.
"It's okay Mary. He regained consciousness last night. Doctors say he is going to make it."
Mary didn't know whether to scream, laugh, cry, or jump for joy. So she did a little of each. Chris felt like a ten ton load had been lifted from his chest. Tears sprung in his eyes as relief washed through him. Looking away quickly, he tried to blink them away before the others saw them. Feeling Mary grab his arm, he turned back to find her gripping his lower arm with both hands, her forehead resting on his upper arm, looking at the ground.
After her initial reaction, the tension of the past two and half days poured out of her leaving her weak. Needing a steadying force, she grabbed Chris' arm and rested her head on his arm. Thank you she whispered in a silent prayer.
Chris laid his hand on Mary's shoulder and tried to see if she was okay. Mary slowly raised her head. There were again tears in her eyes, but this time Chris knew by the huge smile on her face that they were tears of joy. Smiling at her, Chris urged her to go into the house. "Go on. There's a little boy in there that wants to see his mother."
Nodding, Mary released his arm and moved towards the door, stopping only to hug her father—in-law. After watching her enter the house, the Judge turned to Chris. "I take it wasn't an easy trip."
Chris snorted, "You don't know the half of it Judge. Tell Mary I'll stop by later to check on her and Billy."
"And tell me how Mary got that bruise on her face" the Judge added.
Chris was on his third whiskey when he spotted Vin, Ezra, Josiah, and JD enter the saloon. Glancing around, they spotted the man in black at a corner table watching them. Nearing the table, they stopped waiting for the news. "He's okay."
Laughing, and slapping each other on the back, the four dropped into chairs and poured themselves a drink. Sharing a silent salute, all five downed their drinks. Picking up the bottle, Chris refilled their glasses.
"Now," pointing at Ezra and JD, "I thought I told you to find out which way the tracks were heading and then send me a wire. Would either of you like to explain how you came to be two and half days from Four Corners?"
Looking panicky, JD's eyes quickly darted between Ezra and Chris. "Well, its like this..." Struggling to find the words, he did the only thing he could. "Ezra will explain it."
Shooting daggers at JD, Ezra swallowed before speaking. "Technically, Chris, we did what you told us. You said that we should find out where the men were going and then wire you. As they had yet to reach a final destination, we were simply trying to ascertain their travel plans when we heard the gun shots. Assessing the situation, it didn't take long to realize that you were in desperate need of our assistance and that a wire would be unnecessary" Ezra finished innocently.
Chris just stared at him until both Ezra and JD were squirming in their chairs. Finally Vin and Josiah could not hold back their laughter any longer. Looking at them, and then back to Chris, the two noticed a twinkle in Chris' eye.
"That has to be one of the lamest stories I have ever heard."
"Lame" Ezra sputtered as he launched into a tirade, pretending to be insulted.
Laughing the men continued to celebrate for several hours. Finally Chris stood, excused himself, and headed out to the street. He had a lady and a little boy to go see.
The end.
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