DISCLAIMER: I do not own nor do I profit in any way from the characters of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. They belong to Trilogy, MGM, Mirisch, CBS and now TNN. However I would like to state that I do not wish my original characters borrowed without my knowledge or consent. If you are not certain a character is canon or mine, I will be happy to let you know. Just ask or look at my list of original characters.
References are made to the episodes "Safecracker" and "The Collector".
RATING: PG 13
Nathan was on JD's heels and knelt on the other side of the two men. He saw the wound on Vin's left arm and ordered JD to press the handkerchief he was handing him directly on the wound to stop the bleeding. He turned to the wound that Buck was trying his best to keep from bleeding.
"Can ya hold him steady for a jest a little longer?" Buck nodded yes and moved his hands to right under Vin's shoulders.
"I think the bullet went straight through 'im, Nathan." Nathan nodded and checked out the wound. It was right below Vin's left lung. The pressure Buck had applied had done its job in slowing the blood flow, but it was still bleeding, and the bullet could have caused internal bleeding that no one could see. If Vin was really lucky it might have missed all his vital organs. Nathan wanted to know a little more before he moved Vin off of the roof.
"Has he been out since he got shot?" Nathan looked up at Buck and saw the guilt in the big man's eyes. Buck probably had the softest heart when it came to any of the seven men.
"He was conscious til I grabbed him by his left arm. Hell, Nathan, I didn't know Vin'd been shot in the arm, too." The big man shook his head. Even his mustache drooped over his lips. Nathan looked up at Buck with raised eyebrows. "I shoulda got this guy fore he got close enough to shoot Vin." Buck shook his head in disgust at himself. "I saw the sun glance off his rifle barrel, but I couldn't catch the bastard. He was already crossin' the street when I got to the alley."
JD's hand rested on Buck's shoulder. "He was too far ahead of ya, Buck. You saved Vin from fallin'. You did what ya could. If ya'd shot at him any sooner, the robbers might have taken hostages. Vin wouldn't have wanted any innocents to die cause of him." Buck looked at him and then at Vin. The kid made sense, but he got the guy who'd shot Vin. The man had been his responsibility, not JD's, but Vin was more important now than his feelings. Buck nodded at JD, and both men looked at Nathan. The healer's hands were moving rapidly, assessing the damage and readying Vin to be moved off the roof.
"He gonna be okay, Nathan?"
Concerned eyes looked back at Buck. "I'll know more once we get him off this roof. You ok?"
"I been better, pard. Ain't nothing gettin' Vin better won't cure." Nathan and JD both agreed with that. "What'd ya need us to do?"
"JD, his arm still bleedin' a lot?"
"No, It ain't bleedin' so much any more. That good?"
"Yeah. Looks like I'm gonna have to dig that bullet out, but this one went through like Buck said. Don't look like it hit anything too bad. I think once we get Vin off this roof and wrapped up, he'll be fine."
Buck let out the breath he didn't even know he'd been holding. Chris was not going to be happy, but as long as Vin was all right, Chris would be too. They all would be. One more time.
Just then, Vin woke, struggling to prevent himself from falling. Buck held the tracker closer to him as all three men started talking at one time to settle him down before his struggles caused all four to fall.
Vin's struggles came to a halt as the words they were saying penetrated through the haze of pain and blood loss, but he didn't fully regain consciousness. Nathan silenced Buck and JD with a hand and continued talking low and calmly to the wounded man while he issued instructions.
"JD, go down and tell Chris we need to get Vin off the roof. I think we ought to tie him to Buck here. That way if he wakes up strugglin' like he did before, Buck can control him better than you or me. Can you get them to help us rig somethin'? We need to do this as fast as possible." JD nodded and was off in flash.
"JD!" Buck's voice wasn't loud, but JD stopped and looked back. "We don't need no one else hurt. Slow down." JD tapped his hat and slowed down. Nathan looked JD, then Vin, then back at Buck and grinned.
"Got to watch out for these young'uns. Hardheaded, but that's what keeps 'em alive." Just the fact that Nathan was making a joke made Buck feel better. He was right. Despite his experience and his demeanor, Vin wasn't all that much older than JD. He teased Chris all the time that the former gunslinger treated Vin like a little brother, but in truth, Buck treated Vin and JD like his little brothers, too. JD was the brother who needed to learn how to make it in the harsh world he'd chosen to live in. Vin was the one who had already learned the hard lessons, but he still retained the ability to look at the world with a wry sense of humor that never failed to make Buck stop and laugh with him. He held the slight man more securely as if keeping him safe would make up for not taking out the man who had shot him.
Realistically, Buck knew he was not to blame. Emotionally, he hated to see any of his friends, no his family, hurt and injured. Now he knew why Chris had tried so hard to keep others from getting close to him. It hurt too much to watch them wounded and in pain and not be able to do anything about it. Thank God they had Nathan. The man healed more with just a touch and a word than some doctors did with all the training in the world. If he said Vin would make it, then Buck knew Vin would make it.
It seemed like hours instead of minutes when Buck and Nathan saw Chris and Ezra appear on the roof with them. They didn't approach them, yet. Instead, they began tying ropes around the steeple of the church. That was going to be where they let weight settle as they helped Nathan lower Buck and Vin down to Josiah and JD. The two men moved quickly despite the worried glances they both kept throwing in the wounded man's direction.
Chris and Ezra both approached with the ropes they were going to use. As Chris handed the rope to Nathan to secure Vin to Buck he looked directly at Nathan. The intensity of the gaze would have scared the hell out of a lesser man, but Nathan wasn't a lesser man. He knew that Chris was searching for the truth. Neither Chris nor Ezra had to ask; they had already heard JD tell everyone that Vin would be okay, but the tracker was just lying there unconscious. Nathan included everyone in his assurances.
"Vin'll be ok. We just got to get him down from here so's I can get to work on him. I ain't never seen anyone luckier than him. Bullet looks like it went right through. It shoulda torn him up inside, but I don't feel any broken ribs, he's breathin' ok, so's it didn't hit no lung. All I got to do is take the bullet outta his arm, clean both these wounds real good with carbolic acid, and then wrap him up. Let's get him down fore he wakes up."
Buck looked at Chris expecting a rebuke for not getting to the man in the alley before he shot Vin. It never came, so Buck decided to help Chris out. "It's all my fault." Buck had risen to a sitting position, still hugging the wounded man to his chest. Nathan indicated that he should hold Vin's arms up against his chest to prevent any movement that might aggravate either wound. Vin moaned, and three of the men on the roof jumped like they had been shot. Nathan shook his head, but before he could say anything, the gambler spoke.
"It appears, Mr. Larabee, that there is yet another guilty participant in Mr. Tanner's injuries. I believe Mr. Wilmington is professing his guilt as well." Ezra was relieved Nathan seemed to think Vin would recover, but there was still this nagging little doubt in the back of his mind. He attributed that to the fact they had witnessed Vin dangling from the edge of the roof, and they had yet to get the tracker down from his precarious position. Trying to reassure Buck as Chris had tried to reassure Ezra earlier seemed the least he could do. Larabee hadn't said a word, and it was making Buck a little nervous. He almost tried apologizing again when Chris looked him directly in the eye.
"Ezra's right. Vin broke cover twice to save both of us. Anyone could have shot him dead, but he ain't dead. It ain't your fault any more than it's ours. The man who shot him is dead. You kept Vin from fallin', an' that's good enough for me."
Buck grinned in relief. Now if Vin just forgave him as quickly as Chris. But hell, Vin didn't waste time blaming folks for stuff. Vin considered Buck to be his friend, and his loyalty wouldn't allow questioning whether Buck had been as fast as he could in getting to the man. He would assume Buck had done his best and leave it at that. He saw a slow grin spread across Chris's face as Ezra and Nathan helped Buck maneuver over to the ledge holding Vin securely to his chest.
"Course, you drop him, an' I'll have to shoot ya." Buck cut off his laughing response as he heard Vin moan again. He shifted until he had Vin practically sitting on his lap. Nathan checked the makeshift bandage before signaling to Ezra and Chris to start lowering the two men. The ropes were strapped around Buck almost like a rope swing supporting his weight and Vin's while still allowing him to keep the younger man from bouncing around in his arms. He nodded to Nathan that he was ready.
Ezra called out to Buck just as he and Vin were completely suspended in the air. "Do hold on tight, Mr. Wilmington. Mr. Tanner has yet to give me his money to invest. I will hold you personally responsible should this financial deal fall through."
Buck heard Nathan and Chris simultaneously tell Ezra to shut up. He grinned and looked down at the semi-conscious man in his arms. "You just stay quiet an' still like this till we get you down, pard. Then you can yell and move all ya want. Well, as much as Nathan and Chris'll let ya."
Nathan interrupted him. "You're bout half way down, Buck. Josiah, I'm on my way."
Josiah's deep, rumbling voice seemed to envelop both of the men being lowered. "Take it easy, brother. We'll make sure we get them down safe."
There was a slight jolt as the rope caught on the edge of the roof, and the rope began to swing the two men back and forth. Buck tried to stop the swinging motion by twisting around to put one leg out to steady them against the church wall. Even as careful as he was, however, Vin was still jostled by the movement.
Vin gasped in pain, and his head rolled back on his shoulders as he slipped totally under one more time. Buck decided that Vin's unconscious state was probably to his benefit, so he continued to use his long legs to prevent any more jostling. The ropes were painfully cutting into his legs and his back when Buck felt strong hands steady his final descent. In a matter of seconds, his feet touched the boardwalk in front of the church. JD was there untying ropes along with Josiah as Buck continued to support Vin's weight.
"We got 'em, Chris!" JD yelled up to Ezra and Chris, and Buck felt the ropes go slack as Josiah and JD pulled the ropes from around them. Buck had never realized how heavy the slight tracker was. Shorter than Buck by more than a few inches, Vin Tanner was solid muscle and bone. Just as Buck thought he might lose his grip, he heard Nathan behind him.
"Josiah, get Vin's feet. Buck, you want me to take him from here?" Josiah had lifted Vin's legs off the boardwalk by now, and Buck no longer had to support Vin's full weight. Between the two of them, they could get Vin to Nathan's without any help.
"It's ok, Nathan. I can manage with Josiah's help. You just go get things ready for Vin."
He heard the healer chuckle as Nathan fell in alongside Buck and Josiah, ready to lend a hand if necessary. "No need, Buck. Mary and Nettie probably got a whole mess a bandages and carbolic acid all ready for me by now. They went ahead to get everything ready for us." Nathan stopped long enough for the two men to go ahead of him on the stairs. They were handling Vin easily now that there were two of them to do the carrying. Nettie Wells was standing at the open doorway. She had a frown on her face that made all the men grateful that they were Vin's friends and not one of the bank robbers. Nathan knew Mary wasn't far behind her, so he decided to set both women's minds at ease.
"He's gonna be all right. Just got to get that bullet out of his arm and the other cleaned out and bandaged. You two can help me." He turned around and noticed that Chris, Ezra, and JD were practically stepping on his boot heels. "Y'all stay out here. I'm keepin' Josiah in case Vin wakes up while we're takin' care of him."
Buck started to join in the arguments the others were giving Nathan, but Nettie Wells cut the noise short with one statement. "You boys want Vin to bleed to death while you're deciding who gets to hold his hand? I don't know bout any of you, but I think that boy won't be too happy you let that happen."
Buck was unceremoniously shoved out to join the others. Chris started to protest, but the door was shut in his face. He turned his glare to the only other people near him. Buck just grinned, JD held his palms up in exasperation, and Ezra voiced the thought in all their minds. "That woman is the only person I have ever met in my entire life with the exception of my own mother who can positively can scare the living hell out of Satan himself."
"You got that right, Ezra. I say we stay out here until Nathan says it's safe." JD was inexperienced, not stupid.
"Sometimes, Buck, sometimes I think this kid might just live to an old age despite all your attempts to get him killed." Chris patted JD on the back. "That was a good shot you got off today. Course, Vin's probably gonna have your ass for breakin' cover like that, but I think the rest of us can protect you from him."
JD looked startled for a moment. He knew just by looking at Ezra and Buck that Chris Larabee had not only thanked him for saving Vin's life, but that he'd just told him he hadn't done anything any of the rest of them wouldn't have done for the others. It was probably the first time that Chris had come close to telling JD he was one, really one, of the seven. JD puffed up with pride. Let Vin yell at him for breaking cover. JD could handle it because he knew what the others did. JD had done exactly the same thing Vin had. The only difference was that Vin had paid the price for putting his friends' lives before his own. Chris knew that JD had learned by watching Vin the results of such a dangerously heroic gesture. There was no need to pound the lesson into JD's skull. The men settled down to wait until Nathan told them they could see their wounded friend.
Nathan went to work, swiftly removing Vin's coat. He handed it to Nettie, who in turn gave it a disgusted look. "Best put this aside to mend it. Boy's mighty attached to the darned thing." Her gruff statement didn't hide the affection in her voice. She placed the buffalo coat across the chair and turned back in time to hold the bottle of carbolic acid for Nathan. Josiah had pulled Vin's boots off, and had helped remove the blood-soaked shirt from the unconscious man. Nathan indicated that they could take care of the rest of Vin's clothing after Nathan had reassured himself that all medical problems had been dealt with. He started on the worst of Vin's injuries first.
Since the bullet had passed straight through, and had miraculously missed anything vital, Nathan determined that all he needed to do was clean the entry and exit points thoroughly with the carbolic acid. It was a good thing that Maude Standish had ordered all the extra medical supplies before she sold the hotel. She had left them all free of charge to Nathan. Her excuse was she didn't need them, but Nathan thought she was actually stocking his medical supplies in case her son sustained any injuries in his duties as one of the peacekeepers. As Nathan poured carbolic acid right into the open wound on the left side of Vin's back, he thought of Maude. She had really known just what buttons to push to get them all to jump to her tune. The only two who Maude hadn't tried to sweet talk during the war of the saloons were Vin and Chris. Both men had been too involved saving Vin from Eli Joe's plot to kill him.
After packing the wound with carbolic soaked gauze, Nathan moved swiftly using Josiah's help to turn Vin over to treat the exit wound in the front in the same manner. He used the carbolic acid liberally, checking every once in a while to see if Vin had regained consciousness. Nathan hoped he stayed under until he had dug the bullet out of Vin's upper arm. Vin was going to hurt like hell when he woke up, and he didn't need the extra pain of having the bullet removed added to that. When Nathan was satisfied that he had cleaned the wound as much as possible he, too, packed the exit wound with more carbolic soaked gauze. Then he indicated to Josiah that he was ready to bandage the area. Josiah sat on the bed next to Vin and bodily lifted the lean man for Nathan to wrap the bandage around his midsection. Mary held carbolic soaked compresses in place until Nathan had secured them with the bandages, then she moved over to allow Nettie to replace her.
The older woman had brought the pan after emptying the boiling water into yet a second pan boiling on the pot-bellied stove. The instruments Nathan would use to probe for the bullet were inside the pan. At Nathan's nod she held the pan out to him, and he took the probe. Vin moaned slightly and moved his head back and forth as Nathan probed the fleshy part of his upper arm for the bullet lodged inside it. Josiah put both arms over the unconscious man to prevent Vin from moving and thus damaging what Nathan had already attended to. Nathan found the bullet with little effort and proceeded to remove it before Vin fully regained conscious. Mary held the arm steady, and Nathan cleaned it thoroughly with carbolic before packing it also with carbolic soaked gauze. Nettie handed him the clean bandages and took away the pan with the dirty instruments and blood-soaked cloths. As she separated them for cleaning, Mary spread a thin blanket over Vin as Nathan and Josiah stripped him of the rest of his blood soaked clothing. After making certain he was propped up on enough pillows to protect his arm and his back, Mary walked to the door to tell the others that everything was fine. She didn't need to ask Nathan for she had noticed that once he had finished wrapping Vin's arm, he relaxed and smiled. Nathan never would have done either if the man on the bed were still in danger.
Nettie caught her eye as she opened the door, so instead of being greeted by four worried men, she ran right into Chris Larabee's chest. Strong arms steadied her and a soft, "Sorry, Mary," was her reward for not paying attention. As she looked up into those worried, green eyes that still managed to smile just for her, Mary made a mental note to herself to run into Mr. Larabee more often. She didn't have time for much more when four men started asking questions at one time.
"He ok?"
"Will our Mr. Tanner recover fully?"
"Vin awake, yet?"
"How is he?"
Since she was standing in Chris's arms, she answered him first. "If looks are any judge, Nathan is smiling. I think Vin will be just fine."
She saw the relief in his eyes before she stepped out of his way to allow them to enter the room. Nathan had walked up wiping his clean hands on a towel Nettie had given to him. He spoke softly not wanting any loud voices to startle his patient who was giving every indication of returning to consciousness. Nettie had moved the chair by the bed and was wiping Vin's face with a warm, wet towel. Josiah was still sitting next to Vin with his arm across Vin's chest in case he woke up struggling not to fall off the roof like he did earlier. Nathan had warned him that might happen, and he wanted someone strong like Josiah to keep Vin from reopening his wounds. He explained this all quietly to the others. Buck, Ezra, and Chris all sighed in relief. Nathan was trying not to grin at them. Their collective guilt had had all three of them picturing the worst case scenario while the others had worked on Vin. It didn't stop JD though. He was still on an adrenaline rush that hadn't subsided much. Nathan had said Vin would be fine, and JD trusted Nathan implicitly. Besides, his youthful optimism wouldn't allow for any morbid thoughts. He slapped Buck on the back.
"I told you Nathan said Vin would be ok. You guys have got to stop being so, so," JD was at a loss for the word he wanted.
"Pessimistic?" Ezra supplied the young man with the word he needed.
"Huh?"
"Expectin' the worst, kid.
"Yeah, that's the word," JD grinned at his friends. "Thanks, Ezra." JD turned to Nathan. "Can we see, Vin?"
Nathan shook his head. "He's still out. Why don't y'all go and get somethin' to eat. I'll stay." Three voices interrupted him but got no further as Vin abruptly fought his way back to consciousness.
He was falling. His feet were entangled by something that wouldn't let him break his fall.
"Vin!" He was sliding down the roof trying to catch on to something with his right arm.
"Vin!"
Finally, he managed to grab on to a lifeline.
"Vin!" Someone was talking to him. He didn't have time to talk now. He was falling, wasn't he? He heard several voices now as someone was patting him on the face.
"Vin, you're not falling. Open your eyes. You're safe."
Vin opened one eye to see Nathan looking down at him. Then, he opened the other one and saw Josiah was holding him down, and he saw Chris and the others over their shoulders. Chris and Buck were holding on to his legs, and Ezra was holding a pan of water. Nettie and Mary were there with JD. They were all staring at him like he was sitting on one of Mrs. Potter's shelves with a For Sale sign on him.
"I got shot." Nathan grinned at him.
"Shore did, twice. I need you to drink some of this water and take this medicine."
Vin hated it when Nathan got that grin on his face. It meant that whoever was on the receiving end of it was lucky to be alive. It also meant Vin was going to be Nathan's guest for a while. Damn, things were easier back when he was alone. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like being fussed over at all. He drank the water Nathan put to his lips from the cup by the bed. Then he drank the foul tasting laudanum. Since he hurt pretty badly by that time, he didn't fuss any when Nathan told him to close his eyes and get some sleep. He heard them arguing over who was going to stay with him. He fell asleep with a smile on his face and a question he had forgotten to ask. What the hell had happened after he got shot, and did they stop the bank robbery?
This was worse than jail. It was hell pure and simple. His friends were trying to kill him with kindness. It had been two days since he had been shot, and life was not being kind to Vin Tanner. Nathan had absolutely refused to let Vin have anything more than broth since he had been shot. Vin was starving to death. His friends were going to miss Nathan, but Vin decided that if they didn't feed him soon, he was going to have to shoot Nathan. Either that or he was going to get his harmonica and drive Nathan as crazy as Vin was becoming. And he was going to get out of this hellhole even if he had to crawl. All he had to do was get by his jailer in the chair. Nathan had spent the night delivering Mrs. Hudson's baby. The healer was so sound asleep, that Vin knew he could knock the tin cup against the metal pan and still not wake the man.
Vin threw the covers off the bed. He looked around the room for his pants. That was another thing for which Vin would never forgive Nathan. Nathan refused to let Vin have anything more to wear than his underwear. It was so damned embarrassing to have Nettie, Miz Potter, Mary, and Inez walk in and sit next to him while he was practically naked. It just wasn't decent. Only a glare from Chris had kept him quiet while Mary had taken the seat right next to the bed in order to spoon-feed him the broth. Miz Nettie had sat on the bed next to him. He had nearly died both times of embarrassment.
Vin knew his friends were laughing at him, but Vin had lived most of his life on his own. He wasn't ashamed of his body; he just didn't get why all the women acted like they did around him. Sometimes they giggled, flirted a little, and some even made suggestive remarks. It happened to him the most when he took his shirt off, so he'd taken up the habit of keeping his shirt on in front of others, especially women. He remembered that widow woman he'd worked for. He'd been barely sixteen and that woman had taught him things he'd never thought possible. It had all started when Vin had taken his shirt off to chop wood. He smiled at the memory, but he didn't have time for such memories right now. Sides, Mary and Miz Nettie didn't look at him like that. Miz Potter just treated him like she did JD, but he'd seen that look in Inez's eye every once in a while. However, while Buck showed an interest in her, Vin was not going to let on he'd noticed.
It was a shame Vin was going to have to leave today. He'd really come to think of the men he rode with as his family. Josiah and Nathan, although older, treated Vin with the respect of an equal. He found it easy to talk to either man about most anything. Vin shifted as he favored his left back side. It ached the most, though why it hurt worse than the exit wound in the front, Vin had no idea. He spotted some clothes on a chair on the other side of the room. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and put them on the floor. It was cold on his bare feet. He'd go get them as soon as the room stopped spinning. It was lack of solid food that was making him dizzy. Soon as he got far enough out of town, he was going to eat everything he could. He was gonna miss those biscuits Mrs. Bridger made almost as much as he'd miss Nettie's fried chicken and peach cobbler. Hell, he'd even miss Ezra, JD, and Buck. They were his friends, but he'd miss Chris most of all. Chris was the brother Vin always wanted. He was the friend who accepted and trusted him without question. No one except his mother and his Indian friend had ever given Vin that unconditional trust, that feeling of belonging that Chris did. He'd miss them all, but he wasn't staying here and starving to death. He'd been hurt worse and survived on his own before. He could do it again.
Vin put his right hand out on the table next to him to steady himself when he stood. Just as he started to rise he saw Nathan's eyes pop open. 'Damn.'
"Goin' somewhere's?" Nathan didn't look happy.
Vin blinked several times in quick succession. Then he licked his lips. Then he turned the most innocent look he could muster on Nathan. Ezra would appreciate his cunning.
"I was just tryin' to sit up, Nathan."
"Then why were ya lookin' over at them clothes?"
"What clothes?" Nathan didn't look convinced. "Aw hell, Nathan. I was tryin' to figure out a way to get some food. Yer starvin' me."
The man looked at him for a minute, and then he sighed. Nathan thought takin' care of JD when he got knifed was bad. That was a piece of cake. Vin was probably the worst patient he'd ever had the misfortune to meet. He did everything Nathan told him to. He took the medicine; he didn't complain; his usual wry sense of humor just didn't allow him to moan and groan about how he felt. That was just it. Vin wasn't used to people fussing over him, so he didn't know how to just lie back and enjoy the attention.
If you asked him how he felt, all Vin would answer was that he was fine. Vin was fine all right. He had been shot twice and damned near fell to his death. He could have been killed. He could have died slowly and painfully, but all he'd say was he was fine. Well, whether he wanted to or not, Vin was going to be fussed over and treated with kid gloves until Nathan said he was fit. And, Vin would enjoy it. If he didn't, Nathan would tell Chris to shoot him. At least Nathan knew one thing about Vin. He was hungry. It was the first time in two days that Vin had asked for food. If Nathan had known he felt like eating, he would have given him some solid food the day before.
Nathan remembered when they had all lined up to help Vin find Eli Joe. Vin had no idea why his friends would be risking their lives to help him find the man who had framed him for murder. He was so used to dealing with things on his own that he really didn't know how to accept help. And his shyness, Nathan almost smiled. Vin was embarrassed by the fact that he only had his underwear and a sheet between him and any visitor. He would blush every time any of the women would show up and sit with him. Nathan wouldn't let Vin wear any undershirt simply because he couldn't change any of the bandages as easily if they had to help Vin in and out of an undershirt. So any time anyone came to visit, especially one of the women, Vin would pull the covers right up under his chin and turn icy blue eyes on Nathan. The healer would laugh if he didn't know how good a shot Vin was. So Nathan figured Vin was pondering a way to get out of his medically imposed incarceration. He'd have to tell the others that their tracker was ready to run.
Vin wouldn't get far running on that low-grade fever, which is one reason why Nathan had kept him on liquids for the last two days. Since his fever hadn't risen indicating any bad infection, Nathan figured Vin could eat something. The man wasn't going to like the idea that he still had to stay in bed for another week, so Nathan figured feeding him and plying him with laudanum for the pain was the best thing he could do. If Vin cooperated, in about a week and a half, Nathan might just let him get up and move around town. Nathan started to tell Vin that he would be happy to get him some food when he heard voices on the stairs. Two at least were women, one was Buck. Nathan turned his head to hide his grin as Vin muttered a curse and moved as swiftly as his ailing body would allow him to get the covers pulled up over to cover himself. Nathan took a look to see if he needed help and received that blue stare accusing him of planning these visits.
"Don't glare at me like that. I ain't the one so popular that all the women got to come by and see how yer doin'." The look Vin returned to him convinced Nathan he was on the right track. He couldn't wait to tell Josiah that he was right. Vin was one lousy patient. "Now, you behave an' be nice, an' I'll go over an' see if Miz Bridger's got any of those biscuits ya like so much."
Food. Vin would dance with the devil for food right now. He might just stay around a little longer if they would feed him. He needed some strength if he was going to escape from his friends. Maybe Miz Bridger would send him some of those peach preserves to go on the biscuits she knew he liked so much. "Hey Nathan, you think I can have somethin' on the biscuits?"
As he opened the door to admit Mary, Nettie, and Buck who was carrying a tray, Nathan looked back at Vin. "Let's see what they brought us, an' if they don't got any of those preserves ya like, I'll go get 'em."
"You finally gonna feed this boy?" Nettie smiled at both men. "Miz Bridger sent ya both some biscuits, those preserves of hers, and some cold buttermilk for Vin."
Buck brought the tray over to set it near Vin. The food smelled great, and Vin's disposition improved immensely. "Got any coffee?"
Everyone looked at him and practically shouted, "No!"
"Well, I just thought I'd ask." Hell, he hated this. He had to wait for people to feed him, and now they weren't going to let a man have his coffee. Soon as he could stand, he was outta here.
Nathan had long since gone to get some rest at the insistence of Mary and Nettie. Buck had just sat there and grinned while both women sent him off to Vin's room to get some sleep. Nathan wasn't happy about it, but he was tired and the others promised not to leave Vin. Vin had glared at the grinning scoundrel until he managed to convince the two women that Vin was perfectly safe with him. Then the tracker graciously allowed Nettie to spread the warm preserves all over two biscuits before they left. He even smiled at Mary and Nettie when they poured him a glass of buttermilk.
'Course, there's no way in hell I'm drinkin' buttermilk. I hate buttermilk. Now if I can just get Buck to find a reason to leave, I can get out of this bed and find my clothes.' Vin looked up from his plate to see Buck watching him. Buck had that damned know-it-all look on his face as he lifted the untouched buttermilk to his lips and took a big swig of it.
"Won't do to disappoint the ladies and make 'em think you don't like buttermilk."
"I hate it. I ain't drinkin' it." Vin looked at Buck to see just how he would react to that. He was certain Buck would think he was helping Vin pull a fast one on the ladies, and that the man would enjoy playing the game. He wasn't disappointed.
Buck laughed and finished off the buttermilk. "Good thing I like this stuff, but I ain't followin' you around and drinkin' this every time Miz Nettie and them try to give it to you."
"Well, iffen ya let on I didn't drink it, I'll just have to tell Ezra who put that dead rattler in his bedroll."
The two men regarded one another and decided that no one really had to know Buck drank the buttermilk. Vin blinked several times and then just took the bull by the horns and spoke.
"I hear you saved my life. Thanks. Didn't want to end up like Eli Joe plastered on the ground and all."
Buck snorted. "You wouldna been shot if I'd gotten that man like I promised. I figured savin' your sorry ass from fallin' was the least I could do."
Vin looked thoughtfully at Buck for a moment. Then he said all he was going to about the guilt Buck was heaping on himself. "Hell, you done been hangin' round Chris too long. Next thing ya know, we're all gonna be sittin' in Josiah's church moanin' bout how I shoulda just shot ya an' put us all outta your misery."
Buck started to argue, but he saw that stubborn look on Vin's face. It struck him suddenly why Chris and Vin were so damned close, always thinking the other's thoughts. They were both alike. Once they were set on something, it would take an act of God to change their minds, and then they'd argue till God shut them up Himself. The only difference was that the younger man had somehow managed to survive with an almost innocent enjoyment of life. Vin Tanner believed the most priceless things in life were friendship and kin, and he was fiercely loyal to the few people he allowed to get close to him. Maybe because he'd had so little of either, Vin treasured his friends more. Ezra was a little like that, too, come to think of it. Three totally different men who were all drawn to each other and the rest of the seven because they all needed a family and friendship they could rely on through any circumstance.
Chris hid his need for his friends' loyalty and support with a cynical aloofness that few could penetrate, but no one ever seemed to question that Chris always put the welfare of each man before his own. Buck knew Chris's connection with Vin was the beginning of bringing the real Chris Larabee back from the shell who had masqueraded as Buck's oldest friend since the deaths of Sarah and Adam. Maybe it was that same stubborn refusal to let life beat them down that Chris and Vin recognized in one another. Buck hoped so.
For some reason, Vin Tanner had a calming effect on the blonde gunslinger. Vin had the knack of accepting a friend, warts and all. Chris's black moods never seemed to bother the quiet man. He seemed more amused than anything when Chris tried that intimidating glare on Vin. Silently supporting Chris when his demons came home to really plague him, Tanner also wasn't afraid to brave Chris's anger to say what he thought needed to be said. Vin just plain wasn't afraid of Chris, trusting him completely. Buck admired that about Vin.
Chris and Sarah had made Buck a part of their family, and he had missed that terribly. But Chris was on the road back to life again, and Buck knew it was because he was just plain fascinated by the enigma of the seven men who had banded together because they all had one common need. They needed other men like them who refused to let the bad in the world overwhelm those who couldn't fight on their own. Each man had faced hardship and tragedy of some sort and had not succumbed to it. Individually they were all strong men, but together they presented a formidable force to the evil of the world. Buck liked that feeling. He felt like he had found a home again, and if Vin refused to place any blame on him, then Buck was going to have to accept it. However, it didn't mean that Buck had to let Vin think Buck was the one who had saved him. If JD hadn't shot the man, well Vin needed to know JD had helped save his life.
"All I did was keep you on the roof till help came. It was JD who shot the bastard. Best thank him." Vin acknowledged what Buck said with a nod, then Buck saw the anger begin to form by the hardening of Vin's jaw. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that Vin was really seriously angry with the kid. "You don't look too grateful, Vin."
"I ain't. Damn fool kid coulda gotten himself killed. What the hell was he thinkin' breakin' cover like that? Where is he anyway? Been meanin' to thank him, too."
Buck had to get up and go look out the window to keep from laughing. He and Vin were in agreement about JD foolishly breaking cover to save Vin, but Buck couldn't help but admire the kid's spunk. Buck cared as much for Vin as he did JD and didn't want to see anything happen to either one of the two, so he hadn't railed at JD this time. After all, JD had saved Vin's life. Now, he found out Vin was madder than a hornet at the kid. He was going to stick around for the fireworks when Vin finally got a piece of JD. Buck knew it would happen soon, since he'd heard JD ask Chris if he could come with him and Ezra later to see how Vin was doing. Yep, Buck just might have to stay for lunch. The entertainment was going to be too good to ignore. He might even make sure Josiah and Nathan were there for the fireworks. He turned to see Vin trying to move one of the pillows.
"You hurtin' bad?"
"I been shot, Buck. Course I hurt. Just help me get these damned pillas fixed. It still rainin' out there?" Since Vin wasn't offering any more information, Buck crossed over to adjust the pillow Vin was lying against. Vin was favoring his left side, but that was only natural since that's where the bullet went in.
Vin woke up to find Chris sitting in the chair by the window reading a book. Buck wasn't there, and since there was no sun coming through the windows, Vin couldn't really tell what time it was. It must be raining still. It was the third day in a row, and Vin was getting tired of it. He missed the sun, even if it could only shine on him from the window. He barely shifted at all when Chris looked up. Closing the book, Chris leaned forward arms resting on his knees.
"You're real sorry company, Tanner. People come to see ya, and all ya do is sleep."
"It's the company I keep. Bunch of the borin'est lot I ever met. Got one friend talks less than me." Vin yawned to emphasize his point.
Larabee grinned and got up. "Ya don't say?" He put the book down and crossed over to the table by the bed. He picked up a cup and poured some kind of tea in it. "Nathan wants you to drink this. Got it from Rain's people. S'posed to make ya feel better."
Vin looked at the brew and then back at Chris. "Let's pour it out an' tell Nathan I drank it. I'm fine. Really."
The look on Chris's face didn't change much. "I ain't Buck. I'm not pourin' it out, and I'm not drinkin' it for ya." He held the cup out to Vin.
With a disgusted look, Vin took the cup of tepid tea and drank it all at one time. He handed the empty cup back to Chris and scowled. Then, he yawned again. Larabee laughed at him. "Don't give me that look. You learn to dodge bullets better an' you don't have to do what Nathan says." Vin's response caused Chris's eyebrow shoot up. "You need help with anything?"
"Gettin' outta here'd be nice."
"Right after hell freezes over." Chris watched Vin yawn and close his eyes. He picked up his book and sat back down. He still had another hour to go before the others had promised to stop and bring dinner by. Vin had slept most of the day after he had eaten and talked with Buck.
Now it was getting close to dinner, and the tracker looked to be settling in for another long sleep. Chris would have worried except that Nathan had said rest would be the best medicine and that as long as Vin didn't develop an infection he would recover fully. So, Chris decided he wouldn't worry yet. Besides, Vin was being stubborn enough to let his friend know that he was on the road to recovery.
Drinking the tea and talking with Chris for just that amount of time had tired Vin considerably. Of course he would have blamed that on the tea Nathan had left for him, since he was just too stubborn to admit he was really tired. And his back still hurt him even though the exit wound in the front and his arm were now becoming a dull ache instead a constant throbbing like his back. He just couldn't seem to keep his eyes open for any length of time, and he was hot. Not so hot as to be uncomfortable, just hot enough to be irritable. It was just too easy to slip back and doze while he waited for someone to bring him something better than tea to put in his belly. He'd been hungry enough as a kid and he didn't like depending on others to feed him. He really hated being dependent.
They wouldn't even let him go to the privy by himself. It wasn't like he was going to disappear never to be heard from again. He just needed some time off from his friends. He was getting too close to them, and Vin knew that the closer you got to people the more it hurt when something happened to one of them. So, as soon as he could give them the slip, he was out of here. He opened one eye to see Chris glancing over at him. The gunslinger grinned, knowing exactly what was going through Vin's mind. 'Damn, I hate that! Go read somebody else's mind.' Vin deliberately turned more to his right side and decided to ignore Chris. He fell asleep thinking of a way to wipe that smirk off his best friend's face. Chris was definitely worse than Nathan was when it came to making someone do what he or she didn't want to. Damn man was annoying sometimes.
Chris shook his head at the intended insult. Vin didn't bother him any. Fact was he got irritated every once in a while with the man because of what had just occurred. It was damned convenient in a gunfight to have someone know what you would do and when you would do it. It was a comfort almost to know your back was always covered by one who knew what you would do next because it was what that person would also do. But it sure was a trial to have someone know what you were thinking when you just plain wanted to act like an ass. Chris knew Vin was fighting the family and the emotional ties he was making for himself in Four Corners.
Chris knew because it was the same thing Chris was doing. Vin no more wanted to get close to the other six any more than Chris did, but somehow they had all wormed their way into each other's lives. And since Chris had to suffer worrying when their luck would finally run out, he didn't see any reason why Vin didn't have to suffer, too. Besides Vin had scared the hell out of everyone dangling from that roof. It was too much like what had happened to Eli Joe, and Chris would be damned if Vin hung because Chris had to kill the only man who could clear the tracker. Tanner was going to live to be an old man if Chris had to force him to live at gunpoint.
Chris had almost been surprised that Ezra had been as worried about Vin as he was, but when he thought about it, it really made perfect sense. All the men worried to an extent about the others though they would never admit it aloud. Men just didn't talk about things like that. A friend understood those things. You didn't have to say them out loud like you had to for a woman. If a man was your friend, you looked out for him. It mattered what happened to each, but you were never going to hear any one of them say it in words. It was their actions that gave them away. Nathan hovered whenever one of the men was in need of his medical attention. He willingly gave his time and patience with good will in an attempt to make certain his charges got the best possible care. Josiah offered a calm acceptance in the void when emotional counsel was needed. Sometimes it was a pat on the back, sometimes just a word, and sometimes the big man just sat and listened to you, never passing judgement but somehow pointing you in the right direction.
Then there were Buck and JD. Anyone who didn't know it would assume the two were brothers simply because of the way they treated each other. They insulted one another, drove one another batty, and were always there to back the other one up. JD needed the emotional stability he had lost with his mother's death, and Buck and the others gave it to him. He was the youngest, but in some ways he was wise beyond his years. Vin was like that. Too wise for one so young, but that didn't stop him from being fiercely loyal to his friends.
It all had to do with loyalty, and Chris knew that was one thing they could count on, loyalty. He hadn't been too sure of Ezra in the beginning, but the gambler had proven to be a lot like the others only he hid it better. Ezra needed this makeshift family as much as the others did. He got an emotional steadiness from the other men that he'd never received from his own mother, so Chris wasn't surprised that Ezra had been so worried about Vin. Despite their apparent differences, both Vin and Ezra needed to feel like they belonged, that someone would believe them, believe in them despite what appearances said. So when Ezra had given up the chance for a lucrative card game the other night to take his turn sitting with Vin, Chris really hadn't been surprised. Chris had even managed to shut JD up before the kid had pointed the fact out to Ezra. He had received the forefinger to the brim of his hat in silent acknowledgement of the fact.
Vin shifted slightly again, and Chris looked over to see if the man needed any help. He knew Vin wouldn't ask for it, but he also knew Vin wouldn't refuse it if you didn't make too big a deal over it. He seemed to be favoring his back, but that was understandable. That's where the bullet had gone in. Chris got up and walked over to the bed. Seeing Vin was sound asleep, he put a hand out and lightly felt Vin's forehead. It was warm, but no warmer than it had been earlier. Chris made a note to mention it to Nathan. Then Chris stepped back to the vacated chair. He closed his book and put it on the floor. Then he leaned back and stretched his legs out until he could prop his feet up on the end of Vin's bed. If Vin was going to take another nap, so was he.
Continued in Part Three
Feedback to Author