Disclaimer: Not mine, etc.
Sitting outside of the saloon, Chris took a deep breath, relishing the cleanness of the air, a welcome change from the smoky, stale, crowded interior. For the past week, it had rained virtually none stop. Finally a brief respite from the downpours had arrived, and Chris and Vin had snuck out for some piece and quiet.
Intent on reading the paper and enjoying the quietness, Chris didn't realize anything out of the ordinary was going on until Vin nudged him. "Hey," the tracker said as he nodded to bring Chris' attention to Casey and Mary running out of the Clarion and charging down the street in front of them.
Looking at the retreating forms of the running women, Chris dropped the paper and rose. Stepping down off the boardwalk, he heard the rustle of Vin's clothing and footfall as the tracker joined him.
Tearing around the livery and across the short stretch to the wagon train's camp, Mary was out of breath by the time they were forced to slow down. Following Casey through the maze of campfires and wagons, they skidded in the mud to a halt beside a large connestoga wagon.
Beside it, a large gruff looking man had Billy by the arm yelling at him. >From the look on her son's face, Mary wasn't sure if he was being hurt or just scared by the man's tirade.
Scared of the anger apparent from the unknown man, Mary tried to reason with him. "Please, let go of my son. I'm sure whatever has happened we can work out without scaring him any further."
The gruff man however seemed not to even hear Mary's words as he continued to yell at the young boy. "What you need is to learn to leave other people's things alone! I know just how to teach you a lesson you won't forget," the big man snarled as he took his free hand and began to loosen his belt.
Realizing what the man was doing Billy began to struggle against the man anew. "No! Let me go!," the youngster screamed as he tried to kick and hit the man to get away.
Mary, not going to stand around while Billy was beaten, shot towards the man trying to grab the belt he had managed to release from his belt loops. "No! Let him go!," Angrily, the man shoved Mary aside.
Staggering against the assault, Mary was saved from hitting the ground by a pair of strong hands. At the same time a voice cut through the air like a whip.
"Drop it and let the boy go!,"
Startled the big man turned to locate the speaker. Seeing a tall man in black with a pearl handle pistol showing plainly on his hip behind him, the man slowly lowered his arm holding the belt but didn't let go of Billy. Glancing back towards the blond hair woman, the big man saw a man with a sawed off carbine on his leg was now beside her.
"Stay out of this! Mind your own business!," the gruff man snapped as his eyes went back to the man in black behind him.
"Mister. This is my business," Chris snarled as he took another step forward.
Still struggling to be released, Billy cried out. "Chris! Make him let go of me!,"
The man shook Billy hard. "You shut up."
Scared, Billy began to cry and struggle with renewed earnest.
Mary instinctively started to take a step forward to get to Billy but was stopped by a hand on her own arm from Vin. Darting a look at him, Mary realized he was correct — she should stay back out of the way. Anxiously she tried to control the fear in her own voice as she tried to calm her son. "Billy. It's going to be alright. Just stand still."
"This boy needs to be taught a lesson so he knows to stay out of things that don't belong to him."
"I didn't hurt anything. I was just looking for the puppy," Billy sniffled out.
As if on cue, a pitiful whine erupted from under the wagon. Looking down, Vin and Mary could see a young pup crammed into a wooden box too small for him.
"Seems to me we should all take a look at the pup," Vin strongly suggested, stepping towards the wagon.
The big man stepped to intercept Vin's progress. His momentary distraction was enough. One strong arm wrapped around his throat at the same time a hand as strong as a vice gripped the arm holding the belt. The big man could feel the soft stir of air with each word the black dressed man breathed into his ear.
"Let the boy go or I'm going to snap your worthless neck in two."
Slowly the big man let go of the youngster. Feeling his release, Billy flew across the short distance to Mary's outstretched arms. Hugging him closely, Mary asked him if he was okay.
"My arm hurts."
"Mary, take Billy to see Nathan while I finish up here," Chris said as he jerked the man even tighter against him by the arm around his throat.
The look in Chris' eye frightened Mary. "Chris. What are you going to do?"
"He likes to beat up on little boys. Let's see how he does with someone more his own size."
"Chris..." Mary began cautiously.
"Mary. Go."
"I'll make sure he don't do anything he'll regret ma'am," Vin softly said so that only Mary could hear.
Looking again at Chris and the burly man, now red-faced from his limited oxygen intake, and then at Vin, Mary hesitantly took a few steps backwards before she turned and began to head back to town. Glancing back once, she pulled Billy closer to her body and started walking in earnest.
Vin, watching her, spotted Casey standing to one side, her fists clenched in helplessness. Catching her eye, Vin nodded his head towards town.
"He'll be alright ma'am. The boy's arm will be a little sore for a few days til that bruisin' stops but other than that he'll be just fine."
Mary sighed in relief as she gratefully looked at Nathan kneeling in front of her. Billy was on her lap, head resting on her chest, laying quietly. Suddenly, he sprung from Mary's lap as Chris and Vin walked into the Clarion's office.
"Chris!," Billy cried as he ran to greet the gunslinger.
Kneeling to catch the boy hurtling at him, Chris hugged him and then pulled him back so he could take a look at him. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Did you teach that guy a lesson?"
Smiling slightly, Chris tried to downplay the incident. "Let's just say I told him not to bother you anymore. Okay?"
"Hey partner. Look what I got," Vin said to Billy as he knelt on the floor and pulled the three month old puppy from the box out of his jacket. Billy squealed in glee as he rushed over to the tracker. Excitedly, the puppy began to squirm in Vin's hands and lick the young boy's face.
Standing up, Chris caught Mary staring hard at him. As he watched her, her eyes fell to his hands, noticing the skinned knuckles. Spinning, she moved across the room away from him and began to shuffle the papers on the counter around.
Sensing the tension that had sprung up between Mary and Chris, Vin suggested to Billy they take the pup outside and find a rope and teach the pup to walk on it properly.
"Iffin you don't need anything else ma'am I'll be goin' too," Nathan softly said, eyes darting between an obviously angry Mary and a wary Chris.
"No. Thank you Nathan," Mary gratefully smiled at the healer. Tipping his hat, he paused beside Chris to tell him to stop by the clinic later so he could treat his hands before following Vin and Billy through the door.
After a few minutes of being ignored, Chris absently rubbed the dried blood from the back of his hand while watching Mary. "Mind telling me what your so mad about?"
"What I'm so mad about?" Mary began, flabbergasted by the question. "Do you even realize the impact that you have on that boy or what you are teaching him every time he sees you do something like that?"
"Mary..." Chris tried to answer but was cut off by the tirade flowing from the angry woman.
"Do you know that every time something happens in this town and your a part of it I practically have to sit on him to keep him from running to watch you? It doesn't matter if your riding down the street, breaking up a bar fight or challenging some outlaw in the street... which by the way usually ends up in gun play. And guns... don't even get me started on that. I've had to move Stephen's guns twice after I caught Billy sitting in front of them looking at them. Said he couldn't wait til he was old enough to wear a gun and shoot the bad guys 'just like Chris does.' Thank God he didn't pick them up but who knows. Maybe the next time he will." Mary paused in her outburst waiting for some response, her face flushed from anger, chest heaving.
"I have never encouraged him to..." Chris started again.
"You don't have to "encourage," him. Your actions speak louder than any words." Pausing, the anger rushed out of Mary as fast as it had erupted. Rubbing a weary hand over her face, she raised a confused look to the man across the counter from her. When she continued, it was in a hoarse, emotion-laden whisper.
"It's just... everything is Chris this or Chris that. I'm having to constantly compete against you. Sometimes it feels like he's more your son than mine."
"What do you want me to do?" the gunslinger asked softly watching the war of emotions run across Mary's face.
Sighing, Mary wiped away a tear that had escaped down her face. She hadn't meant for this situation to blow up like it had. "I don't know. Maybe it would be best if you put some distance between the two of you for awhile. Let him find other interest."
Mary flinched at the flash of pain in Chris' face. She knew he had not missed the full meaning of her words. Putting distance between himself and Billy by necessity meant putting distance between himself and Mary.
Drawing back as if he had been struck, Chris' eyes narrowed trying to judge if Mary meant what she has said. Disbelief ran through him. Since the stagecoach accident that had almost killed Mary, Nettie and Casey Wells, the two of them had been spending a great deal of time together doing things Chris had thought he would never do again after his wife and son's deaths. Things such as picnics, leisurely dinners, quiet walks arm in arm. Mary had even taken him to her favorite meadow where they had spent the day lazy about and getting to know each other better. Disbelief turned to anger. Anger at her... anger at himself for allowing this woman to get so close as to be able to cause him to feel that a hot poker had just been ran through his gut... no not his gut... his heart.
Watching him, Mary saw Chris' face become a stone mask. It hurt to see him shut himself off from her.
Straightening and pushing himself away from the counter, Chris' voice was void of emotions when he spoke "If that's what you want." Without waiting for any confirmation, he spun on his heals and marched out of the building, slamming the door soundly behind him.
Tears sprung into Mary's eyes as a coldness that she hadn't felt in some time settled on her. The sound of Billy's voice outside reached her ears. No, she couldn't deal with him asking where Chris had gone or when he was coming back. Not right now. Moving to the door, she paused to compose herself before opening it. Stepping into the street, she hastily headed towards the livery pretending she didn't see the Billy coming up the street with Vin. Vin, seeing her, called her name. Turning and walking backwards, she tried to cover her escape.
"Oh, good your back," she stuttered, acting a little too upbeat for the occasion. "Look... I've got to run an errand... so I would really appreciate it if you could keep an eye on Billy for me for a little bit. I'll be right back. Thank you so much." Spinning, she didn't wait for an answer before hurrying down the street. Barely, she registered the sound of Vin's voice calling after her that it would be raining again soon.
Throwing the saddle on her horse, Mary quickly cinched it before throwing herself onto it and tearing out of the barn. Turning sharply, she circled the building and kicked the horse so it would run into the open plain as fast as it could. Leaning over the saddle, Mary let the tears run down her face freely to mingle with the rain drops that fell from the sky.
One and half hours later, a shivering, rain-soaked Mary led her horse back into the livery. Hoping that the livery boy was around but not seeing him, Mary forced her trembling arms to raise the stirrup to begin to loosen the cinch. A hand covered hers to stop it.
"I'll do it. Go get yourself dry."
Stepping aside, not trusting herself to fully look at Chris, Mary murmured thanks between chattering teeth before moving out of the livery towards home.
Lying in bed that night, she wasn't sure how she had managed to keep her composure while thanking Vin for watching Billy while she was gone. She had used her need to change into dryer clothes as an excuse to hurry him to the door and on his way. The rest of the evening she had tried to keep up beat and would divert Billy's attention every time he tried to talk about Chris. She didn't think it would ever be time for him to go to bed. But finally it was and she herself had gratefully sunk into her bed even though it was still early evening. Shivering, Mary curled up.
The cold that had settled on her when Chris had walked out of the office was still there only now she was physically cold from being drenched also. She just wished the extra blanket she had thrown on the bed would warm her up. Then, at least the physical cold could go away.
Groggily, Mary woke up to the sound of her own hacking cough. As awareness crept through a head that felt like it was stuffed with cotton, she realized she had finally warmed up to the point of sweating. Kicking off the covers caused more coughing to erupt. Sitting partially up to ease the tightness in her chest Mary grimaced. Oh wonderful. A cold on top of everything else. Better get over to see Nathan before it gets any worse.
Sitting herself upright on the side of the bed brought on a waive of dizziness as the congestion in her head caused her ears to pop. Closing her eyes to wait for it to pass, she wondered how late she had slept. Looking at the clock on the bedside, she realized it was already 7:30 in the morning. Pausing, she tried to clear her throat to call to Billy. It came out as a raspy croak.
"Billy?" Cough. Cough. "Billy?"
Alarmed by the lack of response, Mary launched herself upright to find her son. Blackness engulfed her as she slid to the floor.
"Chris! Chris!,"
Talking with Buck outside of the jail, Chris' head snapped around at the fear-filled cry coming up the street. The sound of it sent chills down his spine. Turning, his long strides quickly brought him the little boy running towards him.
"Billy. What's wrong?" as he dropped to look into Billy's tear-stained face.
"Momma's on the floor and she won't wake up!,"
Picking up Billy and thrusting him into Buck's arms, Chris trotted down the boardwalk toward the Clarion. Bursting into the building, he quickly scanned the floor as he moved further into it. Spotting Mary, Chris dropped beside her and reached to turn her over.
Even before he touched her, he could feel the fever radiating from her. Easing her over into his arms, he brushed her hair away from her face as he gently called her name. Hearing Buck's footsteps, Chris called to him. "Get Nathan."
Lifting her back into bed, Chris retrieved the covers from the floor to cover Mary back up. Sitting on the side of the bed, Chris again brushed Mary's hair away from her face. Feeling his touch, Mary stirred and murmured his name.
"Chris," Mary murmured as she stretched and opened her eyes to look at her husband sitting on the side of the bed brushing her hair from her face. My it is warm this morning she thought.
"Hey sleepy. You better get up or you'll never get everything ready before the others get here."
"I know," she agreed but still not having the energy to make any move to get up. Reaching out to touch his chest, she felt the texture of his shirt below her fingers. "What about you? If you don't get out of here, you'll never get back with Billy's present."
Mary thought of how pleased Billy would be with the horse Chris had bought from Vin for him. It had taken Vin and Chris an entire afternoon to agree on a price that one didn't think was too much to take for the horse and the other too little to pay. Her thoughts were interrupted by Chris' voice.
"Hey, your the one who woke me up last night," he teased as they shared a smile remembering their passionate lovemaking during the night. Their ten years together had not dulled their physical attraction to each other in any way.
"So where are you meeting Vin and Terry?"
"Over by Landon. Vin is bringing the filly there, and then he and Terry will pick up Olivia before they come on out."
"Olivia," Mary smiled, remembering briefly the precocious little pickpocket who had showed up with her mother in Four Corners so many years ago. "Billy has been beside himself ever since he found out she was coming."
Chuckling, Chris agreed "Don't you remember what it was like to be 17 years old and in love for the first time?"
"And with an older woman," Mary chimed in, love for her husband glowing in her eyes. Need to get up if for no other reason than I'm going to melt in here if I don't. "Okay, Mister Larabee. Time for both of us to get moving," Mary said as she pushed the blankets back.
Catching her hands as she tried to push the covers off of her again, Chris wondered what was taking Nathan so long to get here. Re-wetting the cloth on her forehead, he finally remembered Billy. Glancing around, he was no where to be seen. Turning his attention back to Mary, he heard the sound of Nathan's voice as he entered the outer office.
"Alright now. Buck you keep Billy back til we see what we're dealin' with here."
"Let me in there Chris," the healer prodded gently as he neared Mary's bed. Moving to feel her face, Nathan absentmindedly made ticking noises. "She's burnin' up. Seemed okay when I saw her last yesterday afternoon. She say anything to you 'bout not feelin' well?"
"No. But..."
Glancing over his shoulder, Nathan impatiently snapped. "What?"
"After you left..." Chris paused as if debating with himself. Nathan watched an undescribable look of sorrow sweep across Chris' face before he continued. "She went out for a ride. I saw her when she came back. She was soaking wet and shivering."
Stirring, several deep racking coughs were rung from Mary along with an anguished cry "Billy! No!," Whimpering, Mary twitched restlessly in the bed.
Standing at the table kneading bread, Mary laughed at the mess the four year beside her was making with the flour trying to imitate her. "Sarah, honey. You are making Momma a big mess to clean up."
The blond hair miniature of Mary raised her smiling green eyes to look at her mother. No matter how many times she did that, Mary's breath still caught in her throat seeing Chris' eyes on their daughter. Laughing in glee, Sarah proudly showed a mis-shapened lump of bread to her. "For Billy."
"For Billy," Mary laughed as she took it to place in the sun to rise. Laying it down, she looked out of the window into the yard of the ranch.
"Billy, riders are coming," she called to her son on the back side of the house. Watching him walk towards the mounted men, Mary smiled at the way he moved. So much like Chris — confident, alert, assessing the strangers... ready for anything.
Turning away from the window, Mary brushed away the hair clinging to her sweaty face away and moved to clean up the mess her daughter had made while "helping." Mary couldn't really be mad at Sarah for it. She had only wanted to make her big brother something special for his birthday dinner. Sweeping up the flour from the floor, Mary began to mentally count the number of place settings needed for the late lunch.
Let's see, Vin, Terry and Olivia... JD, Casey and Buck Jr., that's six... Josiah and Gloria, Nathan, Rain... ten... Ezra and Nora... twelve... and the four of us... sixteen. Oh, how could I forget Buck! Seventeen.
Distracted by shouting in the yard, Mary quickly moved towards the window only to see one of the riders slam a rifle butt into Billy's head. "Billy! No!," she screamed in anguish.
Torn, Mary's first instinct was to run into the yard to check on her son. But years of drilling from Chris took over. Shoving the corner of the rug aside, Mary lifted the trap door hidden under it. Tossing a previously prepared bag containing a candle, matches, bullets and a pistol into the darkness below, Mary swept Sarah into her arms and began down the stairs into the tunnel that only 17 people in the world knew about. Setting Sarah down, she quickly lit the candle and then climbed back up to close the trap door. Once that was done, she used the candle to light a torch before blowing it out. Lifting her daughter and the bag containing the gun, Mary held the torch high and crept into the darkness... towards the safety of the woods, a quarter of a mile away.
Sitting in the saloon, Chris let out a deep breath before swigging the shot of tequila into his mouth. He held it for a minute in his mouth before letting it trickle down his throat. The burning feeling that resulted gave him something else to think about for a few minutes.
Several hours earlier, Nathan had finally shooed him out of the Clarion telling him that he needed space to work. "Go help that little boy figure out something to take his mind off his ma," Nate had told him closing the door firmly behind him.
Trying to explain to the youngster that his mother was sick and that she was going to be okay, Chris was glad he was still young enough not to understand the worry in his voice or the way he couldn't quite look at the other men after he had said it. After watching Billy play with the puppy, he had finally talked him into taking the dog and playing with the Potter children for a while. The others had assured Chris they would help keep an eye on him during their travels around town.
Now, sitting in the saloon with Vin and Buck, toying with the shot glass, he wished he could think of something to take his mind off of Mary. Chris almost wished it would start raining again so the saloon would get crowded and he could spend his time watching for trouble. But that wasn't happening. Frowning deeply, he again remembered the conversation between himself and Mary the previous afternoon.
"Want to talk about it?" Vin's quiet voice drifted through Chris' thoughts.
Shrugging, Chris tried to veil the emotions in his eyes before looking up at the two men sitting with him. "Not much to talk about."
"Well, what I want to know is what possessed Mary to go ridin' in the rain yesterday... with no coat on top of it," Buck threw out. He had heard of Mary's abrupt departure but not the cause of it.
Shifting uncomfortably, Chris threw him a scowl before pouring another shot into his glass.
"Guess she needed some space," Vin offered remembering the controlled fury of Chris movements as he exited the newspaper office yesterday and the sight of Mary's eyes bright with unshed tears as she had tried to find some excuse for her outing. Vin didn't need years of experience reading people to know that whatever had transpired between the two after he had taken Billy from the building had been intense and painful... for both of them.
Both Vin and Chris were saved from any more of Buck's questions by the sound of JD's voice.
"Chris."
Chris looked up at the sheriff standing at the bottom of the stairs leading to their table.
"Nathan says you better come."
Rushing through the door of the Clarion and into the living quarters, Chris was met by Nathan standing in his path and stopping him with a hand on the gunslinger's chest.
"It's not good Chris. Fever just keeps climbin'. Sent Josiah and Ezra for more water. Gonna have to start spongin' her down."
Looking past the healer, Chris could see the sweat drenched form of Mary restlessly moving in the bed. Between coughs, he could hear her mumbling something.
"She's been like that for the last 20 minutes. Can't make out much of what she's sayin' except for your name and somethin' about when you get back." Letting his hand drop, Nathan stepped aside. "Talk to her. See if you can get her to settle down some."
Looking between Nathan and Mary, Chris hesitantly took a step towards the bed. Wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans, he sat down on the side of it. Sweat had made Mary's hair look as wet as it had after her ride in the rain.
"Mary... shhh... I'm here. It's okay now."
At the sound of his voice, Mary's eyes flew open. "Chris!," she rasped out, reaching for him. Chris realized that she was being torn between sobbing and coughing.
Hiding in the trees, Mary could see the riders rounding up the horses from the corral and barn. Her main focus however, was the form on the ground - Billy. Sarah, who didn't understand what was going on but who was frightened by it, kept asking when they could go home. "When daddy comes home," was all she could tell her daughter. In between bouts of trying to calm Sarah, Mary kept talking to Chris under her breath, wishing him to come back.
After the riders had rounded up the livestock and gone through the house, Mary continued to watch as they prepared to leave. Her heart stopped when she saw them pick Billy up and throw him over the back of one of the horses. Hugging Sarah, tears fell down Mary's face, grieving for her son being taken from her before her very eyes... and there was nothing she could do about it.
A strange quiet settled on the area when the raiders were gone. Looking at the position of the sun, Mary estimated it would be at least another hour before anyone would be at the ranch. Settling down, Mary knew the best thing to do was wait for them. She just wished it wasn't so hot.
At the first sound of horses and wagons coming, Mary tensed. A sob of relief escaped from her when she heard familiar voices on the wind. It was them. The seven were coming. Lifting Sarah, Mary began to pick her way towards the group.
Walking the distance, Mary knew she could see them but they wouldn't be able to see her until she was closer. That was one of the reasons Chris had picked this route - in case he needed to get back undetected. Watching them in the gaps as she walked, she ached for the stunned stillness of Chris as he took in the empty corral... door on the house wide open... the eerie silence... his tormented scream of her name as he bailed off the horse and scrambled into the house. Reappearing, Mary saw him shake his head and send the others men around the area to search it before he started towards the woods.
He hadn't gone very far before Mary appeared. Setting Sarah down, Mary staggered towards Chris. By the time she reached him, anguished sobs were coming from her.
Chris had barely sat down on the side of the bed when Mary grabbed his shirt and began to pull herself upright. Chris automatically wrapped his arms around her to support her.
"Chris... they took Billy..."
"I've got Billy," Chris tried to soothe the obvious fear in her voice.
Shaking her head, Mary didn't hear him "Riders came... took baby and..." cough. cough. "...they hit him..." cough. cough. "...threw him over the horse..." cough. "Oh God, he wasn't moving...." Mary's coughing increased.
"No... shh Mary... I've got Billy."
Looking into her face and her tormented blue eyes, Chris saw the fever raging and taking her to someplace else... very far from Four Corners. Spasms of coughs racked Mary's body. Chris pulled her close to support her during the onslaught. Even with her face pressed against his neck — the coughing making it virtually impossible for her to draw a breath — she continued to try to tell him of the men she had watched take her son. Mercifully, Mary slipped back into unconsciousness.
Behind Chris and Mary, the other peacekeepers who had filed in to check on Mary's progress, shifted restlessly — powerless to fight the enemy who was attacking their friend.
"Maybe... if she heard Billy for herself?" JD desperately suggested.
"Worth a try," Nathan agreed.
Being closest to the door, Ezra stepped outside to bring Billy inside. He had seen him earlier in the day playing with the puppy on the side of the building. In a few minutes, he was back — a somber look on his face. In his hands was a rope that had obviously been cut. Neither Billy nor the puppy were anywhere to be seen.
"Gentlemen, if you would be so kind as to step outside."
Leaning forward to ease Mary back down, Chris brushed his lips over her temple before rising. After a moment of standing and looking at her, Chris turned tormented eyes to Nathan. "Do what you can for her."
Following JD, Josiah, Vin and Buck through the door, Chris settled his hat on his head. Not seeing the youngster anywhere in sight, he looked at Ezra for an explanation. "So... where's Billy."
"There were six of them... they headed south.... about an hour ago." Mary said into Chris' neck as she tried to control the sobs that threatened to overwhelm her.
"Sh.... I'll find Billy. You stay here and take care of Sarah." Chris huskily said as he hugged her fiercely. Before he pulled away, Mary felt him brush a kiss on her temple.
Watching her husband join the other six men on horseback waiting for him, Mary was grateful for the support of the other women around her. As Rainne and Casey wrapped their arms around her waist and urged her to go into the house, Mary said a little prayer that all of them — including Billy — would soon be back safe.
"Anything?" Chris asked as the six reconvened in front of the jail.
"Nope. He ain't on that end of town," Buck said, nodding to the buildings he, JD, and Ezra had just searched.
"Gloria Potter said he was there til after lunch then he left. Had the puppy with him at that time," Josiah offered, squinting down the street hoping to see the boy appear.
"Don't suppose that big man came after the puppy do you?" Vin suggested, leaning against the post and looking straight at Chris.
Chris frowned. Even if he had, what did that have to do with Billy being missing unless....
"Let's go find out."
Sidestepping mud puddles and children running off energy from being cooped up too long, Chris and Vin wound their way through the camp looking for the man who had tried to whip Billy.
Staring at the now empty camp site, Chris stopped a man walking by. "Where'd this wagon go?"
"Pulled out. Said he was tired of waitin."
"When did he leave?" Vin asked.
"Couple hours ago," the stranger said as he began to move away.
"Hey... wait a minute. Did he have a little boy and a puppy with him?" Chris called after him.
Pausing the man thought a minute. "Didn't see any boy, but he did have a puppy."
Closing the door of the Clarion, Chris moved to check his saddle one last time before pulling himself into it. He hated to leave town now to follow the wagon, but they had eliminated every other place that Billy could be.
"Any change in Mrs. Travis' condition?"
Shaking his head at JD's question, Chris cut his eyes to Vin. "You find the tracks?"
Nodding his head once, Vin assured him. "With all this mud, he won't be movin' very fast or be hard to find."
Turning their horses, the six riders galloped out of town. As Vin had suggested, they didn't have any problem locating the wagon ruts. They had only followed them a few miles when they spotted the rig, mired in the mud. The driver was cruelly whipping the horses trying to make them pull the wagon from its predicament.
The burly man was startled when he was suddenly confronted with six riders surrounding the front of his wagon. Before he could react , Chris nudged his horse closer to the rig and dismounted on the front of it. Pulling his gun, he laid the barrel of it on the man's shoulder to get his attention.
"Where is he?" Chris barked.
"Where's who?" the big man challenged, refusing to be intimidated by the men surrounding him.
"Where's the boy?" Chris impatiently asked a second time.
"How should I know where that kid's at."
The man's surly tone of voice did nothing to improve Chris' disposition or opinion of him. Raising his gun to point is straight at the man's face, Chris repeated the question in a low hiss, announcing each word very slowly and distinctly.
"Where... is... the... boy?"
Looking at Chris, the man tried to gauge whether or not he would indeed shoot him. He didn't like the answer. Swallowing hard, his bravado slipped away by the second as he tried to placate Chris.
"Look, I don't know where the boy's at. All I did was take my dog back after I saw him beside that newspaper building. Didn't see no boy then and I sure ain't seen any since."
Raising back a little, it was Chris' turn to look long and hard at the man to judge if he was telling the truth. Not finding any reason on his face to believe he wasn't, Chris stood up and slid his pistol back in his holster. He may not like this man, but he didn't think he was lying about Billy.
Jumping off the side of the wagon, Chris' feet had barely touched the ground when a familiar voice called his name — from inside of the wagon.
"Ch.. Chris?"
Spinning back to momentarily pin the man with a glare, Chris darted to the back of the wagon. Sputtering, the burly man stood to dismount and follow him but was stopped by the sound of five guns being cocked. In a few minutes, Chris reappeared with the missing youngster in his arms. The boy was rubbing his eyes as if he had been asleep.
Stopping beside the wagon, Chris had an evil glint in his eye as he again pinned the man with a glare. His tone, however, when he spoke to Billy was deceptively gentle.
"Did he hurt you?" Chris asked, pointing to the man on the bench seat.
Billy looked up at the man and shook his head no.
"Did he put you in the wagon?"
Hesitantly, Billy again shook his head no.
Relaxing a little bit, Chris dropped his arm and finally looked away from the man and turned his gaze to Billy.
"Then how did you get in there?"
Hiding his face in Chris' neck, Billy mumbled his reply. "I climbed in there."
"You climbed in there? Why?"
It took Billy a minute to answer. When he did, the words tumbled out in a rush. "Cause... he took my dog and put him in there. And... and I waited for him to leave and then I climb in there to get him only..."
"Only what?" Chris prodded, as he forced Billy to raise his head to look at him.
Fighting to hold back tears, the youngster continued. "Only... when I got in there, he came back and then... then the wagon started to move and... and I was scared if I yelled out he would of whipped me for being in his things again. Then I fell asleep,"
Shaking him slightly in exasperation, Chris couldn't believe what he was hearing. "And what were you going to do when he did find you and you were miles away from home?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Billy hid his face back in Chris' shirt.
"Oh the reasoning of a child," Ezra murmured as he slid his gun back into his holster.
Realizing the danger for him had now passed, the burly man jumped off the wagon. He was insulted that he had been accused of taking the boy and angry that the kid had been in his things again. He, however, did not have enough sense to stay quiet. Raising his voice, he snarled at the back of the man in black moving away from him.
"Mister, you best be teachin' that boy of yours to stay out of places he don't belong before someone does hurt him."
Watching Chris walk towards this horse, the others saw him pause in mid-step at the man's words. Continuing forward, Chris deposited Billy on his saddle before he stomped back and stuck his face into the other man's face.
When he spoke, his voice was tight with anger and something else the others couldn't quite decipher. His words were short and clipped. They were not open to discussion or comment.
"I am only going to tell you this once. What I teach or don't teach that boy is between him, me and his momma. It doesn't concern you."
Foolishly, the stocky man opened his mouth to say something but snapped it shut again at the look on Chris' face. At that, Chris turned and moved again to the back of the wagon only to reappear with a squirming puppy in his arms. Marching past the burly man now sputtering about Chris taking the young dog, Chris handed it up to Josiah before he strode to his horse. Pulling himself up, he settled into the saddle and reached around Billy to pick up the reins. As he started to turn his horse to head back to town, the man yelled for the group to stop.
"Ain't you goin' help me get unstuck?"
Ignoring him, Chris nudged his horse forward. Looking at each other, the other five turned their horses to follow. Vin, being the last to leave his position by the wagon, smiled slightly at the outraged look on the man's face. "Appears not," the tracker said before he kicked his horse to catch the others.
Shifting to find a more comfortable position in the saddle, Chris cursed the mud that was slowing their progress. Chris knew it wasn't — because it had not rained any more, but — it somehow seemed worse than earlier. He wanted to get back to check on Mary. At least Billy wasn't talking non-stop. That was good... or was it? Glancing down at the child sitting in front of him, Chris couldn't miss the sad look on his face.
"You alright?" he finally asked the lad after watching him for a few minutes. Receiving a head shake yes, Chris waited a few more minutes for Billy to say something. When he didn't, Chris ventured another guess at the source of the boy's mood.
"You worried about your ma?"
Receiving another head shake, Chris hugged him slightly. "Nathan's taking good care of her. When we get back, we'll go see her."
Finally, a small voice wafted up to Chris' ears.
"Are you mad at me?"
Chris had to stop and think for a minute before he could answer that one. Did having the life scared out of you qualify? It was bad enough that Mary was sick, but to have Billy come up missing too...
"I know you were only trying to save the puppy but you can't just go after something or jump into things without stopping to think about what might happen. You could of gotten lost or hurt or worse. Then what would of your ma done? Uh?"
"But he was hurtin' him. You would've done something!," Billy challenged.
Chris heard the snickers from the others around them. Throwing a glare at them he tried to reason with the boy.
"That's different. I'm older. Besides, it's my job to stop people... or puppies... from being hurt."
"It can be my job too," Billy announced stubbornly.
"You already have a job," Chris said as he looked down to make sure he'd gotten Billy's attention. "Your job is to take care of your ma. That means more than just making sure nothing bad happens to her. It also means helping her by doing your chores and listening to what she tells you to do, and making sure she's happy by spending time with her."
"I can do both."
Smiling at the solemnness of Billy's announcement, Chris continued. "That's not what I've heard. Seems you been getting into things that your not suppose to and spending too much time with me. That's made your ma pretty unhappy and your going to have spend some extra time with her to make up for that."
Stuttering, Billy seemed distressed by Chris' announcement. "Momma's not happy? I... I never meant to make her sad. Is that why she so sick now?"
Chris flinched at Billy's remark. "No son," he firmly corrected. "Your ma's sick because she got soaking wet in the rain. It's not your fault."
Silently, he continued, it's mine, thinking about their clash the previous day. Mary had been right to ask him to step back from Billy. He had never intended to come between her and her son nor to have such an influence on him. Yet, at the time, all he felt was hurt and so he had lashed out by cutting himself off from her emotionally. He knew that had hurt her more than anything else he could have done to her. He was the reason she had needed to escape and had gone for the ride. Now, all he could do was try to correct some of the damage with Billy and hope he had a chance to apologize to Mary.
"Billy, you have to promise me something. You have to promise me that you will never handle a gun. When your old enough, I'll teach you how to use one but until then, you have to leave them alone. They're too dangerous for anyone to be handling unless they know how to use them. Do you understand me?" Getting a head nod, he pressed "and do you promise me to never touch a gun in anyway until your old enough?"
"I promise," Billy vowed.
Coming into town, the riders pulled to a halt in front of the Clarion where Nathan was waiting for them. Handing Billy down to him, Chris asked how Mary was as he dismounted and handed the reins to Buck.
"Gave her something to help stop the coughin' and the fevers come down some... she restin' quietly but all we can do now is wait. Mrs. Cooper and her daughter are gettin' her into some dry clothes and beddin' now." Nathan scanned the tenseness of Chris face as he gave the healer a slight nod to indicate he had heard the unspoken message. Mary still wasn't out of danger.
"I was just goin' over to get something to eat. Why don't you bring Billy here and get him some supper and by that time, they'll be done and you both can see her," Nate suggested.
Moving slightly, Mary winced at the pain in her ribs. Must of been from carrying Sarah so much yesterday. Yesterday...
God... may that never be repeated.
Never again did she want to feel the terror of watching Billy being hurt and taken from her. Nor did she want to feel the numbing agony of waiting for Chris to bring him back — not knowing whether it would be upright in a saddle or slung over it.
Eventually, they had come back. When Gloria had spotted them coming, all of the women had filed into the yard to watch their approach. A whimper of relief had escaped Mary when she saw eight riders — all sitting upright. Chris had brought him home to her safe. Just like he always had.
Mary rolled over to snuggle up to Chris. When she only found a cold empty mattress beside her, Mary's eyes flew open . .. and saw the curtains of...
...her bedroom in the Clarion?
No... this isn't right. I should be at the ranch...
Rolling back, Mary tried to stifle several coughs as her eyes scanned the room trying to make sense of where she was at. It was nighttime and a lamp was burning low in the room casting shadows. Finally her eyes fell on Chris slumped in a chair beside her asleep. One hand was laying on the bed, the other was on the sleeping form of Billy, draped across his chest and stomach.
A young Billy... not seventeen, but seven...
Not the ranch... at Four Corners...
Not my husband...
No... daughter...
No...
A tear ran down Mary's face as she reached out to take Chris' hand.
Awakened by her touch, Chris opened his eyes to look into blue eyes bright with tears. "Hey, look who's come back," he softly said. Disengaging his hand from hers, Chris stood and gently reached across Mary to lay Billy on the bed before again sitting down. Taking her hand back, he took his other had and laid it on her forehead.
"Good, your fever has broke.... Here drink this." he said as he held a glass of water to her lips.
Swallowing several mouthfuls, Mary felt a little better. At least her throat wasn't so dry. Licking her lips, she wanted to tell Chris so many things, but first...
"I'm sorry," she finally managed. Her voice was a mere whisper. "I should of never said..."
Leaning forward to hear her, Chris interrupted here. "No... don't talk. You need to sleep," he said, stroking her brow with his thumb. "We'll talk about it later."
Tightening the grip on his hand, Mary grabbed his shirt with the other to stop him from leaving. The force of her pull raised her slightly off of the bed.
"Now..." coughing made her pause. "We had a ranch... and horses... and a daughter." Another tear slipped down Mary's face. "It was Billy's 17th birthday... raiders came and took him and the horses... Sarah and I..."
Chris startled at the name but somehow it felt right.
"...went through a tunnel under the house to escape..." Coughing again interrupted her. Finally catching her breath, she struggled against the exhaustion pulling at her to finish.
"... and you had to go get him and bring him back safe... I realized that you always will... It doesn't matter how much or little time you spend with him because you will always bring Billy back to me."
"I never wanted to come between you," Chris confirmed, his own voice a whisper. He was overwhelmed by the visions Mary's words were creating in his mind. Visions of his former life started anew only this time with Mary.
But not yet...
Clearing his throat, he forced himself back to the present. "You need to sleep," he said has pried her hand from his shirt and laid her back on the bed. Reaching up to wipe the tears from her face, Chris again stroked her forehead to comfort her.
As Mary began to drift off, her brain registered Chris' voice as he whispered a solemn vow.
"Someday Mary Travis... Someday."
The End
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