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
Chris's nap lasted all of an hour when he heard Nathan and Josiah talking on the stairs. They weren't loud, in fact they were rather quiet, but Chris had learned to listen to any noise. It had saved his life too many times before. He looked over and saw Vin react to the voices near the door. Vin stirred restlessly, but Chris put his hand on his shoulder like he used to do for Adam when he was sick. Vin relaxed again. He wondered if Vin had ever truly allowed himself a moment to relax since the undeserved bounty was declared. The door opened gently, and Nathan entered looking more rested than he had since Vin had been shot. Josiah nodded to Chris as he took both his jacket and hat and Nathan's to shake out the rain water and hang them up to dry.
"How's our brother feeling?"
"With my hands," was the muffled reply from the bed.
Nathan shook his head and walked over to the bed. He checked Vin's pulse and rested his open palm on Vin's forehead.
"He drink any of that tea?" Vin scowled when he saw Nathan was asking Chris.
"I drank that stuff. Tastes like ditch water."
Vin tried the Larabee glare when he saw Nathan was going to change the bandages again, but he had forgotten that Nathan wasn't afraid of the Larabee glare any more than he was. He kept the rest of his opinions to himself as Nathan gently but efficiently cleaned the wounds with carbolic and then re-wrapped them with Josiah's help. Vin wasn't stupid, though. He accepted their help as they helped him take care of personal business. Sitting up was still a chore, but he decided to get ornery again when Chris and Nathan discussed his slight fever.
"I got shot in the back and the arm, Chris. I didn't get shot in the head." He sighed when they continued their discussion and Josiah sat down in the chair next to him.
"You ready to eat? Buck and the others are bringing a feast up here. That is if they can get it here without the rain washin' them away."
"It still rainin'?"
"Off and on for the last three days. Gonna be good year for the ranchers and the farmers."
Vin shook his head in agreement and then shifted again.
"Your back botherin' you? Ya want somethin' for it?"
"I'm fine, Nathan. I'm just tired of layin' around doin' nuthin'."
"Well, get used to it, cause you ain't goin' nowhere for at least another week an' a half." Nathan cut him off before he could protest. "Don't even bother. I got eight people promisin' ta hog tie ya if ya so much as even look like ya gonna get up fore I tell ya it's okay. Ya know you coulda. . . .?"
"I coulda died." Vin finished the sentence for Nathan. "I know. If I ain't heard that I've heard, 'How ya feeling?' twenty times a day." He turned his scowl on Chris. "Talk 'bout me being borin'."
Vin looked at Nathan, then Josiah, then Chris. When he saw no quarter would be given, he decided why waste the energy it would take to argue with them. He was saved from any comments or lectures when he heard JD's voice. The kid was arguing with Buck and Ezra. Vin could just picture what they were doing to his dinner. If it was soaked with rain, not even Chris would be able to save them. Besides, he had a bone to pick with JD. Damn kid could have gotten himself killed breaking cover like that.
Josiah went over to the door as Nathan looked back at Vin. "You eat what ya can, and then when you get tired, I'll send everyone off. You still need yer rest."
"Yes, Nathan."
Josiah winked at Vin from the door. "Smile, these boys have been waitin' to brighten your day."
Vin just looked at him like he was crazy. His retort was cut off as Josiah opened the door and stepped back to reveal a large umbrella blocking the door.
"Will you remove that damned obstruction now, Mr. Dunne?"
The disdain in Ezra's voice made Vin grin. It turned into a chuckle when he heard JD's famous, "Huh?" The other men in the room laughed with him when they heard Buck.
"Hey, you two want to move inside the damn door 'fore I drown out here? JD, move outta Ezra's way. You let water get on that food, an' you can explain to Vin why his dinner's all soggy. Mad as he is at ya, he's libel to shoot ya."
The umbrella was removed as Ezra came into the room with a huge platter covered with a cloth. Josiah helped Ezra as JD continued arguing with Buck. "What's he mad at me for? You're the one let him get shot."
"That does it. Vin ain't gonna have to shoot ya. I'm killin' ya now."
Ezra stopped them before it escalated into a full-blown war. "Gentlemen, you do recollect the other trays Mrs. Bridger needs carried over here? The umbrella will not be needed as those trays are covered, but you both will need to go and retrieve them. I for one refuse to swim through any more mud this evening." He flicked imaginary raindrops from his sleeve and turned to survey the man who had saved his life.
"Mr. Tanner, I trust this evening finds you in better health than you have previously enjoyed?"
"He says he feels with his hands, Ezra." Chris grinned at the look that quickly passed over Ezra's face.
"Indeed. I hope you are interested in sharing the veritable feast that Mrs. Bridger has graced us with this evening. The woman has surpassed even my culinary aspirations." He withdrew the cover from the platter to reveal a pot roast. The aroma of the cooked beef and vegetables made Vin's mouth water. He didn't know who cooked a better pot roast. Mrs. Bridger or Nettie. Didn't make any difference to Vin. The aroma of the roast mingled with the fresh baked rolls. He sat up straighter and was getting ready to swing his legs over the side of the bed when Nathan and Chris both told him to stay put. Vin sighed and slumped back against the pillows. Then he regretted it as his sensitive back made him wince.
"See, you ain't up to movin' around too much. Wait til someone helps ya is all I'm sayin'." Nathan sounded too smug, but Vin held his peace while Chris helped him sit up by propping several pillows behind his back.
"That better?"
Vin nodded as he watched Nathan cut him a generous slice of roast beef to sit next to all the potatoes and carrots. Ezra polished it off with several buttered rolls. The gambler cut the meat up without asking Vin's permission when Nathan handed him the knife. It really wasn't necessary as the beef fell apart with the first touch of the knife. Vin knew that Mrs. Bridger's roast was so tender it didn't need cutting, but once again he held his peace. It wasn't easy.
His mood improved as they brought him a tray with a coffee cup next to the plate. Coffee, they were letting him have coffee. He took back every mean thing he'd thought about the healer and his friends in the last few days. Then, Nathan snaked his hand out and took the cup off the tray. Vin picked the fork up and was holding it tines down and staring at the healer's back. Chris poked Josiah in the ribs and nodded toward the man in the bed. Ezra turned his attention and his grin to the door as Buck and JD came back through the door. One carried a tray with a container that looked like peach cobbler. The other one had some dish Vin didn't recognize, but he could smell the coffee from the pot beside the cobbler. He was getting ready to demand some of it when Nathan poured a cup and turned to him.
"You want anything in this?"
"No, jest give it to me like that." The smile of contentment on Vin's face made his drawl even more pronounced.
It also made his eyes twinkle in the lamplight that Josiah had just lit. Ezra let go of the burden he had been carrying on his shoulders ever since Vin had been shot with a slight sigh. Chris and Josiah were the only two close enough to hear him, but they both kept silent. They both understood the guilt Ezra had been carrying around. Somehow, the gambler had found himself a part of this makeshift family. He'd found friends he had never really sought out, and their continued good health was something he'd never thought to worry about until three days ago.
If someone had told him that Vin Tanner would have willingly put his life in danger for him seven months ago, Ezra would have laughed. His mother had taught him that the only person you could really trust was yourself. These men had taught Ezra that his mother was wrong. Vin had broken cover to save Ezra's life, and he'd paid a high price for it. However, the gambler knew that Vin would expect nothing less from Ezra if the roles were reversed. Seven months ago, Ezra Standish would have pointed out the stupidity of such loyalty. Not now. Ezra was learning that there were those you could trust with your life and not be disappointed. He hadn't understood that until he found himself surrounded by six other men who had demanded that he live up to their expectations. That he would have dearly missed the scruffy tracker was a surprise in itself, but the fact he actually enjoyed the company of the reticent tracker was what amazed Ezra.
Outwardly, they had nothing in common. However, Ezra had noted on occasion that when it came to someone he felt needed his help or it came to the welfare of his friends, Vin Tanner could and would be just as ingeniously ruthless as Ezra could in any con he or his mother could devise. Ezra often wondered if anyone else had recognized that except Vin Tanner. He looked up from his reverie to see Chris looking at him. The nod Larabee gave him made the gambler realize that indeed someone else had seen this commonality. Mr. Larabee was becoming just too much the wiser 'big brother' in this group. He was one of the few men besides Tanner who seemed to see right through his disinterested façade. Ezra made a note to watch out for 'big brother' in the future. Ezra sat back as he quietly enjoyed the camaraderie and his own dinner.
Vin was dozing as the others were lounging around talking. He'd eaten more than Nathan had thought he would, and he had stayed awake longer than he had since he'd been shot. His friends were sitting around on the floor playing cards and talking except Chris and Josiah. They were on the landing outside Nathan's smoking cigars. They'd left the door open to listen to the others. For the most part, it was the most relaxed any of them had been in three days. Vin was beginning to grumble, a sure sign he was on the mend, but for some reason Chris still had this nagging feeling that something just wasn't right. It was just the way Nathan was hovering. He was more relaxed, but for some reason he didn't seem to want to leave Vin alone at all.
Chris knew that Vin wasn't going anywhere for a few days, and Vin wasn't stupid. Despite his comments Vin wasn't foolish enough to go out at hurt himself more. Sure he'd complain and threaten to leave, and he just might say he was fit a few days sooner than Nathan would like. However, until he could get around on his own, the tracker would do exactly as he was told. Didn't mean he had to like it, or even be happy about it. So, that shouldn't be worrying the healer. Whatever it was that had Nathan worried, Chris was going to get to the bottom of it. He blew lightly on the end of the cheroot watching it glow on the end.
"The burden is often lighter when it is shared."
Chris looked over at Josiah and smiled. "If I knew, I'd be happy to share. I got this feeling that something is just not right, but I can't say what it is." He looked at the older man.
"Nathan said much the same. We keep an eye out and pray for the best." They silently agreed on that and then they heard a burst of laughter from inside. They turned to join their friends.
"I saved his ass when I caught him before he fell."
"You were about to drop him when Mr. Larabee and I made our appearance on the roof to offer our assistance."
Buck was outraged, or he at least acted like he was since he saw Vin grinning at them from the bed. "I was not about to drop him, push you over the edge maybe but I'd never drop Vin. I like Vin."
Ezra, feeling better as the evening dragged on, winked at Vin and then looked back to Buck. "Well, Mr. Wilmington, you know what they say about having a friend like you." He left the statement dangling as Vin snorted at Buck's reaction.
Buck put his hand over his heart and called for Nathan. "Aw Nathan, they've wounded me; they've broken my heart."
"You ain't got a heart, Buck," Nathan gave his medical opinion.
"Ain't got much of a brain either. Both of 'em are controlled by what's below his belt." Nathan and the others dissolved in laughter at Chris's mocking assessment of his oldest friend.
Buck was in too good a mood to take the jab as anything other than what it was intended, a joke. So, he laughed with his friends and then turned the conversation back to where he wanted it. "Yeah, but if anyone saved Vin, it was JD here." He slapped the kid on the back and waited for Vin to explode. Buck hadn't really taken JD to task for breaking cover and running out into the flying bullets to save Vin. For one, he was grateful the kid had gotten the bastard who had outrun him. Second, Buck couldn't quite get around the fact that it was exactly the same reason Vin was lying in the bed with two bullet holes in him.
Vin was feeling better than he had, but his back was still very tender. He shifted more to the right, and the direction and Buck's words brought JD to his attention. The good humor from the food and company disappeared in a rush of anger. 'Damn kid could have gotten killed!' Buck and Chris both saw the look that rapidly replaced the grin on his face. They both turned to see that it was JD in the sharpshooter's line of fire. The others shifted a little in order to prepare for the verbal assault they sensed was coming.
JD stayed glued to the spot by the gaze pinning him to the floor where he sat. He was rather fascinated since he had never really been the object of Vin's anger. Hell, Vin hardly ever got really mad, but he looked downright pissed now. 'What on earth did I do to piss him off?' He didn't have to wait long to find out.
"What the hell were you thinkin' breakin' cover like that and runnin' into the middle of a gunfight? Ain't you learned nuthin'? Where the hell was your brain?"
"I had to get the guy who was behind ya." JD had expected a quiet thank you not a verbal thrashing. He snuck a sideways glance at his friend and mentor and noticed the self satisfied look on Buck's face. That was why Buck hadn't chewed on him for breaking cover like he always did when JD did something that Buck thought was dangerous. 'Sure, leave me to Vin when he's got a bur under his saddle.'
"I don't care if I got five men with guns on me! You don't break cover, ever! That was as dumb a stunt ya pulled as when ya stood up to that fake marshall." Vin had exhausted himself with that outburst, but no one seemed particularly upset by it. JD noticed that both Chris and Ezra seemed fascinated by the rain they could hear outside the window, but he could see their lips turning upwards in a grin. Josiah winked at him, Buck was sitting there grinning ear to ear, and Nathan just nodded at him. JD decided he could do one of two things. He could argue with Vin and get the tracker even more upset, or he could point out that he hadn't done anything different from what Vin had done. JD chose the later. If Vin was too weak and too mad to see reason, JD would take the high road. Besides, it was about time for JD to teach the other fellows a few things about JD Dunne.
"You're right, Vin. I should never have broke cover like I did. It was a dangerous stunt that coulda got me killed." Vin's eyes flew open a wide, blue-eyed confused look that signaled his anger had been checked. "But I had a choice to make just like you did. I decided I'd rather take a chance and get shot instead of goin' to your funeral." Buck burst out laughing, and Chris turned so that Vin couldn't see his grin. Vin did notice that Josiah, Ezra, and Nathan were all grinning and nodding their heads in agreement with JD.
Vin had to give the kid credit. He was turning the tables on him with his own logic, and Vin was just too tired to argue with him. Then JD went and ruined it.
"I didn't do anything you hadn't already done yourself, only I didn't get shot. I guess being younger an' all, I just move faster."
"C'mere, JD. I'll show you fast." The look on Vin's face made even Chris's iron control break. He joined the others as they succumbed to laughter. Vin and JD were the evening's entertainment, but it was ruined when Vin couldn't hide the fatigue he'd been fighting off ever since he had eaten. His yawn signaled the end of the evening as the others began to collect hats and jackets in order to go out into the rain that had turned into drizzle. All except Josiah and Nathan said goodnight to their friend and wandered out the door. Josiah was arranging a time when he could relieve Nathan during the night. Chris slapped JD on the back and offered to buy him a drink. Vin did get the last word, though. Before Chris shut the door, Vin hollered out, "I ain't finished with you, JD!"
The kid stuck his head back round the corner and grinned. "Didn't 'spect you were." Vin saw Buck's hand grab JD by the collar and pull him back out the door as Chris shut it. Josiah grinned at the exchange as he held out a cup of tea to Vin while Nathan checked the bandages and felt Vin's forehead to see if the food he had eaten had caused his temperature to spike.
"Here's some more ditch water for you to drink."
Vin managed to snort despite the yawn as Nathan asked for the final time that night, "How ya feelin'? Ya need anything for pain?" Vin pulled the covers up over his head with his right hand. He fell asleep to the quiet rumblings of his two friends. Tomorrow he would be stronger. Hell, it couldn't possibly get worse.
Nathan had finally let him have his pants back. With some help, well a lot of help from Nathan, Vin had even gotten to bathe. He was sitting up in a chair by the window wearing everything but his coat and boots. He couldn't believe Nathan was actually going to let him go to the saloon tonight. He'd been allowed to go and eat lunch with the boys yesterday. It was downright embarrassing how Mrs. Bridger herself had come out to serve them. She had practically hugged him in front of everyone. Nettie, Casey, and Mary had hugged him. Even Inez had dropped in and put her hand on his arm and told him how glad she was to see him up and around again. Next time he got shot, he'd make sure no one was around. Vin Tanner wasn't a hero.
It had been over a week and a half since he'd been shot and his arm was healing nicely except that dull ache and a pulling sensation when he tried to move it. Nathan insisted he wear the sling although Vin had told him it was unnecessary. He still felt warm and cold at different intervals like he had a fever, but Nathan had said that was his body adjusting to the ordeal it had been subjected to. Even the exit wound in the front was healing, but his back was still giving him fits. It was still sensitive to touch, but Vin remembered being shot a while back and that wound had hurt the entire time it was healing and then for a while after he'd been declared fit.
It hadn't helped that he'd scraped the back wound on the pew this morning when he'd been allowed to go and sit in the church while the others did odd jobs helping Josiah set it straight. JD had seen him do it when he'd leaned over to get the kid the hammer. Vin had a time convincing JD he was all right and that the kid didn't need to go and get Nathan. He'd had to start fussing at JD again for breaking cover. That got the kid started on an argument with him, but it had made JD forget about Vin hurting himself. He was convinced that he'd just irritated his back and that the pain would eventually ease up. It really hadn't, but he had been able to put Nathan off by telling him he was fine and griping so much the healer finally left him alone.
Course until the skin was whole again and a scar visible, Vin felt Nathan would treat him like he was a piece of china in Mary's cupboard. He hadn't been left alone for a minute, and he was getting more than tired of it. It was beginning to irritate him to no end. Nathan had finally put the bandages on after Vin had bathed and said since the wounds were no longer seeping and had scabs forming over them, he wouldn't change the bandages as often. He'd been ready to bolt when Chris had intervened.
Between Josiah and Chris they had managed to convince Nathan to allow his patient a few outings. The healer had insisted he lie down and rest after they got back from his first outing. Like he'd done so much sitting there talking to his friends and eating. Vin hadn't felt tired after returning from the church this morning either, but it was the only way Nathan would let him out again. So now Vin was waiting impatiently for Chris and Josiah to come and get him. They'd better get here soon, or Vin was going to kill Nathan. He'd hate to do it, but if Nathan felt his forehead or asked him how he felt one more time, Vin wouldn't have any choice but to kill his friend.
"Now Vin," Nathan was getting that hovering look. Before he asked one of the questions that Vin had vowed to shoot him over, the tracker gave Nathan exactly what he wanted to hear.
"I'm not goin' anywhere you ain't. I'm not doin' anything but sittin'. I won't drink anything but coffee. If it rains, I'll stay where I am until it stops. I won't overdo it."
It was more than Vin usually said in a day, and Nathan had to admit that Vin had been pretty good until now. He could understand the need Vin felt to get out of this one room, so Nathan smiled and handed Vin his boots.
"You gonna need some help with those." He bent over to help the very independent tracker.
"Thanks Nathan. You take real good care a folks, 'specially us." Nathan smiled in pleasure at the compliment that was whispered quietly as if someone might overhear what Vin was saying. He saw Vin looking at him. "Sorry I been a bear, but I ain't never had no one to take care a me." Before the red in his cheeks threatened to become permanent, Nathan saved Vin from further embarrassment.
"I reckon ya'd do the same for me." They both nodded, and the conversation turned back to more comfortable territory. "You ain't goin' nowhere without yer boots." Nathan helped him put the boots on.
Chris and Josiah walked in to find Nathan helping Vin into his coat. "Think they've been waiting on us?"
"Looks that way. I won't ask how you're feeling, brother." Josiah looked over at Nathan noticing he wasn't wearing a coat, "You're comin' aren't you?"
Nathan looked at his friends and grinned. "Yeah, I'll be there in a little while. Got some stuff I need to take care of first. Sides, I'm getting' tired a lookin' after that one." He saw the three hesitate. "Go on, I'll be there fore the hour's up. Y'all just make sure Vin don't get me any more business."
Vin was about to protest when he felt Chris put his hand under his right arm. He turned to a steely-eyed stare, but it didn't stop him. "I can walk." He backed up into Josiah and jarred his back. Only Josiah heard the slight gasp the encounter had forced from Vin.
Josiah steadied him before Nathan or Chris could ask him how he felt. "You can also fall down those stairs. Now shut up and behave 'fore I get Ezra to teach you how to talk to your friends."
"Aw geez!" Vin would have protested but his back was hurting now, and he didn't want Nathan to see how the encounter had set the pain off again. It had just begun to ease up from when he'd scraped it on the pew this morning. Vin worked to avoid eye contact with Nathan and Chris as he let Josiah go ahead of him out the door. Before Nathan could say it, Vin did. "I'll be careful." He let Chris steady him on the right side as Josiah walked within easy reach ahead of them down the stairs. He could feel Nathan burning a hole in his back looking for anything that might injure his patient. Nathan really needed to get out and have more fun. He was just too serious sometimes.
They'd made it to the saloon without mishap and Vin had done a wonderful job of keeping his aching back to himself. Convinced the pain was caused by the two accidents he'd had, he really didn't stop to think anything was seriously wrong. He did catch himself squirming in his chair trying to get comfortable, but when he saw JD and Buck both watching him, he made an effort to sit still. He just couldn't get comfortable, so when Nathan stepped out for a few minutes once they returned to his room, Vin took a small drink of the laudanum. It eased his back enough to allow him to drop off to sleep. Thinking he was worn out from the activities of the day, Nathan let him sleep. Neither man knew that tomorrow would nearly kill one of them.
This story is continued in the next fanfiction The Telegram.
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