Series/Universe: Family Business
Disclaimers: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al. Original characters are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due.
Warnings: The usual ... violence, language, and references to ugliness. Oh yeah, and the original characters. Can't forget them.
Spoilers: All twenty-one episodes, my Road to Hell trilogy, (Recovery, Reunion and Reconciliation) and the stories in my Facets series will probably be alluded to.
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who emailed me while I was writing the Road to Hell trilogy ... I couldn't have done it without your support. Extra special thanks, as ever, to Elizabeth and Cin.
After leaving Nathan Jackson, Orrin Travis had a lot of thinking to do. Not just about what he had just learned, but about that fool Bryce. And that did lead back to the current situation. If Adriana Wilmington hadn't been in Pordios, then Vin Tanner would probably now be dead. Adriana Wilmington. Orrin hadn't met the young woman, not formally, but he thought it was high time he did just that.
She was just waking up when Orrin arrived at Gloria Potter's store. He had a little time before the meeting in the jail, and he knew his daughter-in-law and Nettie Welles had taken her to the store, because he had been informed of that fact by the Potter children. As he entered the general store where his own life had changed a year earlier, with the death of Bruce Potter, a young woman shuffled from the back room of the store.
Her dark hair stuck out all over the place, reminding Orrin a bit of the old story about Medusa. But this girl would turn no one to stone. He knew that she was twenty-five years old, only a few months younger than Vin. And, he realized a moment later when she stubbed her toe on something, she could swear like a longshoreman. She blushed in mid-swear, her eyes going immediately to Gloria Potter, and she said softly, "I'm so sorry, ma'am, I don't make it a habit to swear in front of ladies."
Gloria, who had been known to curse up a blue streak when she was angry enough, replied, "Well, no harm done, dear ... there's no one in the store but us at the moment." Orrin cleared his throat, drawing the attention of the two women to him. If Adriana Wilmington had been blushing a moment ago, her face was absolutely scarlet now. She seemed to be blushing to the very roots of her hair. And Orrin was embarrassed for her. How many times had he done the exact same thing? Or Evie? She of the soft voice and pretty manners, up until the time you angered her?
Gloria saved them both, saying easily, "And Judge Travis has been known to indulge in some questionable language from time to time. Usually when some twit has threatened his grandson, insulted his son, or maligned his daughter-in-law. Judge Travis, may I present Miss Adriana Wilmington, Mr. Wilmington's younger sister, and one of Mr. Tanner's rescuers from that awful place?" As nice as you please, as if the still-blushing young woman was from one of the finest families back east, instead of a life-hardened survivor.
Her face still red, Adriana moved forward and dropped a nice curtsey. The girl was full of surprises. Orrin extended his hand to her, as Mrs. Potter added, "Adriana, this is Judge Travis, Mary's father-in-law, and the gentleman who asked the Seven to keep watch over our town." The girl took his hand hesitantly, as if she wasn't entirely sure he could be trusted. The wariness he saw in her eyes didn't belong in the expression of any young person. And it shouldn't be second nature to a young woman of twenty-five.
By all rights, she should have been married a long time ago, but her father's actions when she was fifteen prevented that. There weren't many men who could get past what Adriana was forced to do in order to survive. Then there was the matter of her status as the daughter of a working girl. Both things which Adriana could not control, and while he had no doubt that this young woman could take care of herself ... he hated to think that she would spend the rest of her life alone, because of things out of her control.
He took her measure as they stared at each other. She was, as he already noted, dark-haired. She had fair skin and dark hazel eyes, which made him wonder fleetingly if there was a connection to JD Dunne that no one knew about. Their coloring was very similar. The most likely connection would be the same connection between Buck and Adriana. The not-so-Honorable Avery Wilmington.
Those hazel eyes now held his with a steady gaze which reminded him strongly of Vin Tanner, and Orrin wondered just how much she had learned from him in those two years they rode together. By the time she escaped from the white slavers, she was eighteen years old, and she spent the next year just trying to stay alive. Had Vin taught her to hold her head up, to not be ashamed of what her father had done?
There was sorrow in those eyes, sorrow and guilt. She had been through hell, and she had survived, but she was still digging herself out of the hole which was dug for her, which she was shoved into not just once, but twice. She couldn't see the light of day, yet, and Orrin couldn't have said when she could ever see that light. If ever. But no. No, she was young yet, young and strong and determined. She hadn't given up after being sold by her father, after being abandoned at the asylum. This one wouldn't give up easily.
Once more, his thoughts returned to the repugnant man who also called himself 'judge.' Orrin W Travis was a judge, and as such, he knew that legally speaking, women were property. But he had done research about Avery Wilmington in the last few weeks, and learned a number of unsavory facts about him. Wilmington was slippery, and had been caught in nothing illegal. Yet. But Orrin learned enough to keep his eye on the man.
Further, Orrin was also a father, as well as a judge, and his heart cried out against the injustice of a father selling his own child, so he could access her money. Orrin wondered if Wilmington had bothered to ask his daughter if he could have the money, or at least some of it. And as he took the measure of the wronged daughter, something occurred to him. Avery Wilmington sold the child into slavery, so he could access her money. Why did he need that money? He should have been well off. So why wasn't he?
Was it simple greed? Or something else? Gambling debts, perhaps? It occurred to Judge Travis that perhaps he should ask Ezra Standish for his aid. As this thought passed over his mind, he learned something else about Adriana Wilmington. She asked, sounding more than a little nervous, "Do I pass the test, or do you need to inspect my teeth?" Orrin looked at her in surprise, and Adriana gave a nervous little giggle, adding, "You were looking at me as if I was some mare you planned to buy. I was wondering if you needed to look at my teeth."
Anger was the first reaction ... followed by shame. He hadn't meant to make her uncomfortable. Orrin replied, gently patting the slim hand, "No, Miss Wilmington, and I apologize. I'm afraid you caught me woolgathering. It's a pleasure to meet you ... I've heard a lot from my daughter and grandson." He noticed Adriana blinking when he referred to Mary as his 'daughter,' and saw her filing it away in her mind.
He also noticed her continued hesitance, and said, "I'm meeting with my peacekeepers, excluding Mr. Tanner, in about ten minutes. I was wondering if you could join us at some point. Certain information has come to my attention, and I think you could shed some light on it." She relaxed, if only minutely, and Orrin realized at that moment that this was someone he needed to handle very carefully. Kid gloves, no ... but she was a very wary, very guarded person, which dovetailed with what he had learned of her background.
Attention made her uncomfortable, no doubt a legacy from her past. And he was a judge, the same profession as her father, whom she had every reason to hate. So long as he appealed to her protector instinct, that part of her which helped others, he would be fine. He would have to earn this girl's trust. Just as he had earned the trust of men like Chris Larabee and Vin Tanner. Moreover, Orrin had realized that his daughter-in-law was still gaining her trust.
Mary was a young woman, only a few years older than Adriana, and she had known Adriana a few weeks longer. Given her continued wariness with Mary, Orrin knew he could face an uphill battle in winning the newcomer's trust. But he was absolutely sure that he would need that trust, if he wanted to take out her father. And he did. Orrin had found a new crusade. Finding whatever Avery Wilmington was hiding ... and then making sure he could never hurt another person again.
But unless Wilmington's wronged daughter was willing to trust Orrin with what she knew, he would get nowhere. This was a place to start. Get her help in confirming Vin's physical condition when he arrived at the prison camp. True, she and Laertes had rescued him two weeks after he arrived there, but that wasn't the point. She had taken care of Vin, had nursed him back to health. And maybe, she knew something which she didn't realize she knew.
That reminded Orrin that he had to return to the jail. More than likely, JD and Chris were already there, and Nathan said he had to check on a few things before he joined them. The judge gave the girl's hand a gentle squeeze, and said, "I should see to my men. Mrs. Potter, good to see you ... and it was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Wilmington. I'll see you in about twenty minutes. Would you like me to send JD for you?"
"If you wouldn't mind ... I lose track of time when I'm busy, and I was planning to ask Mrs. Potter if she needed help around the store," Adriana answered quietly. As she answered, she glanced over at Gloria, who nodded with a pleased smile. With that taken care of, Adriana looked back at Judge Travis, who smiled his agreement. He tipped his hat and took his leave of the two women.
On his way out, he encountered Buck and Ezra. He said, "I'll see you gentlemen at the jail in five minutes. Your sister has agreed to join us, Buck, I want to hear from her about the rescue mission, and a few other details." Buck and Ezra looked at each other, Buck looked at the general store ... then turned and followed Orrin. The judge looked at the man, adding, "You don't want to check on your sister."
"No reason ... you already have," came the response. Orrin sighed. Well, that was between Wilmington and his sister. He could order the man to talk to his sister, but the truth was, Orrin knew it would do no good. Not much could be said in five minutes. Buck added, as if hearing what he was thinking, "I'll talk to her after the meeting. Make sure she's okay." Orrin nodded curtly and the trio continued to the jail.
The meeting actually ended up taking place seven minutes later, not five, as the judge had wanted. Nathan couldn't find something he wanted to show them, and he ended up being late. But at last, the six healthy peacekeepers were gathered in the jail, and Judge Travis said without preamble (Buck wasn't the only one who had been taking abrupt lessons from Chris), "It's come to my attention that there's a lot more to this puppetmaster's plan than simply kidnapping Vin and placing him in the prison camp."
Chris shifted uneasily, glancing over at Ezra. Why, the gambler didn't know, but he put his best poker face on, and the Judge continued, "Nathan, I want you to tell them what you told me earlier, about the day Vin returned to the town, so ill. And Nathan ... leave nothing out this time." The healer dipped his head, and once more, Ezra was aware of Chris shifting uneasily at his side. The gambler glanced at the leader, seeing the troubled expression in the green eyes and the frown. But Chris was staying silent.
"Well ... uh ... the first thin' ya gotta know is ... it's startin' to look like Vin gettin' sick was part of the plan. Don't know if it was Browner's plan, or the man who hired him, but Vin's illness weren't no fluke," Nathan began. This time, Chris snapped his head up, his green eyes burning, and Ezra could read the question in his eyes, clearly as Vin could read Chris. What??? Nathan swallowed hard and continued, "We wasn't thinkin' clearly, but a lotta thin's didn't make no sense."
"Quit with your excuses, Nathan, and get to the point," Chris growled. JD nodded, glaring at the healer. It was odd, seeing Nathan on the receiving end of those glares, and to his consternation, Ezra found absolutely no desire to gloat. Mother would be appalled ... would say her 'darlin' baby boy,' was getting soft. But Ezra had no energy to gloat, not when an appallingly ugly picture was starting to take shape.
Buck said, shifting attention away from Nathan, "No excuses, Chris, just explanations. We had to bury a child, same time Vin was sick. What Nathan's tryin' to say is ... aw hell. Chris, part of the reason Vin got so sick was, he was shot, and the wound got infected." Ezra winced at the blunt delivery ... especially when Larabee's green eyes first widened, then narrowed. Ezra looked around, trying to find some cover, because he knew this wouldn't be pleasant.
He was right. Chris growled, "Vin was shot, and you two didn't think it was important enough to tell me?" Uh-oh. A quick glance at JD told Ezra that the young sheriff was feeling the exact same way. And Josiah looked just as angry as Chris. The leader continued, "I want to hear everything. From the beginning. No more lies, no more half-truths. Everything. You tell me where he was shot, what kind of bullet it was."
"Chris, we didn't keep nothin' from ya. We just wasn't thinkin' clearly. Vin was shot in the thigh. By the time he got back to town, the bullet was out, we thought at first he removed the bullet himself. He got sick because the wound was infected. Looked like he used a knife that weren't clean to remove it," Buck soothed. If he was, indeed, trying to soothe the leader, he had chosen ... now, how would Mr. Tanner put it? Oh yes. He had chosen a piss poor way to do it. And this was no time to be baiting their leader, not even now, when Vin was recovering.
He wasn't the only one in a bad mood. Ezra realized this when Josiah growled, "Vin knows better than that. He's been living on his own for years, he knows what happens when you don't use clean instruments to remove the bullet. He ain't stupid!" Oh, this looked to get interesting. The preacher shook his head in disgust, adding, "I really expected better out of the two of you. Vin didn't have no need to dig that bullet out, not when he could ride back to town with a bandage on that wound."
"Josiah, we didn't have no way of knowin' when he got sick! For all we know, he coulda dug that bullet out after he was sick, he coulda been shot when he was sick, we just didn't know. And we didn't know we had this puppet master gunnin' for us. All we knew was that Vin was shiverin' and burnin' up. That was it. We just knew he was sick, and that he had been shot. Thin' is, the wound was infected, but he wasn't just sick because of that. That was a part a' it, yeah, but it weren't the only thing," Nathan replied.
Chris didn't say a word. His eyes were burning with rage, and Buck said quietly, "He was shiverin.' He'd been caught in a bad rainstorm. We thought at first he hadn't found shelter. 'Til it was pointed out to us that he woulda made shelter for Blaze. We didn't think nothin' of the rawness on his wrists. But now. Well now, it ... it looks like someone shot him first, then left him out in the rain with his hands tied behind his back."
A black fury erupted from beside Ezra, but the judge was there to keep Chris from killing either man. That didn't keep a steady stream of invectives from pouring from the mouth of the enraged leader. Not for failing to protect Vin on the trail ... but for failing to tell him everything sooner. Judge Travis just held on for dear life, and it was only Larabee's respect for the old man which kept the judge safe, because neither Josiah nor JD were helping.
Ezra decided it was time he partook in this conversation. He said quietly, once the Larabee rant started losing steam, "I wasn't there when Mr. Wilmington carried Mr. Tanner to Mr. Jackson's clinic. I was in my room, getting drunk because of the argument I had with Mr. Tanner before he rode out. But both Mrs. Travis and Inez filled in the missing pieces for me. Will you listen to me, Mr. Larabee?"
The leader nodded slowly, the rage of only a moment earlier gone, and Judge Travis released Chris. He took his seat once more, staring at Ezra. The gambler sighed, collected his thoughts, then began, "Like I said, I argued with Vin before he left town. 'Argument' is actually something of a misnomer ... I lashed out at him. He was trying to be my friend, trying to help me, and I lashed out at him."
Still, Chris said nothing, and Ezra continued, "Inez told me that Vin came riding back into town, barely hanging onto his horse. It was raining that day. I had started drinking again, because it was so cold. And damp. I heard Mr. Wilmington screaming for Nathan, but I didn't pay any attention. Inez told me that Mr. Wilmington carried Vin upstairs to the clinic himself. About an hour later, Mr. Wilmington came into the saloon. He told Inez that Vin was unconscious, and Nathan was looking after him. As soon as Buck had something to drink, he was riding out after the men who attacked Vin."
"I didn't find a damn thing. You know I ain't a tracker, Chris, but I knew about where Vin usually goes when he needs to think. I covered as much ground as I could, but I was gone two days, and I needed to get back. Nate needed m' help. Vin was in a bad way ... and that was right about the time Powell showed up, with that phony medicine a' his. And at first, we thought it was workin.' Vin's fever seemed like it was breakin.' Powell said, oh, you're not givin' him enough ... up the dosage," Buck said bitterly.
Ezra closed his eyes. Now they were coming to the hard part. The memories ... the nightmares ... whatever you wanted to call them. But it was Judge Travis who said softly, "And that was how the peyote got into his system." The two men nodded numbly, and Judge Travis continued, "And it never occurred to either of you that something was terribly wrong with this medicine? When Vin seemed to be getting worse instead of better?" Ezra remained silent from his seat. He was still reconstructing what happened.
"I'd never come across the medicine before ... Doc Powell told me that it would get worse before it got better. He told me it was part of the healing process, he seen it before. I didn't have no reason not to trust him," Nathan answered softly. He shook his head, saying, "Y'all know the rest of the story. How me and Buck got so run down from taking care a' Vin. Then the mercenaries came. Gave us a coupla days to make our decision."
"The wrong decision," Buck added. Well, yes, they knew that. Just like they knew how Nathan was afraid that Vin would become violent in his hallucinations ... memories. Which was why he wouldn't allow Mary or Inez to help him, or Nettie or Mrs. Potter. They knew all that. Buck added after a moment, "Wasn't until earlier that we understood why Vin still thinks we blame him. He thinks we blame him for getting sick."
"Speaking of which," Judge Travis said, "JD, I want you to run to Mrs. Potter's store, and tell Miss Wilmington that we're ready for her." The boy nodded and as he left the jail, it was Ezra's turn to shift uneasily. He knew about the judge's desire to question Vin's surviving rescuer. He just didn't know what kind of light she could shed on the puppetmaster. Looking at Buck's face, he could tell the big gunslinger agreed. But it wasn't up to them. Adriana had already agreed, and one thing Ezra had learned about that young woman ... she made up her own mind, damn whatever anyone else thought.
JD had come to the same conclusion as Ezra, regarding both Adriana's character and her part in the rescue. He really didn't see what she could add to what they knew about what happened in the town, not when she was in Pordios. She and Laertes rescued Vin, yes, but what could she tell them about Four Corners, what would she know that they didn't? Still, the judge wanted to talk to her, and JD still worked for the judge.
He found her in Mrs. Potter's store, quietly arranging products on the shelves. Her back was to him, and JD found himself thinking about what Vin told him on the way to Four Corners, after Laertes' funeral earlier in the day. About the first time he really woke up, after the rescue from the prison camp. The first thing he had seen was Adriana's back as she quietly conferred with Laertes. But it wasn't until he actually heard her voice that he realized why she seemed so familiar to him.
Mrs. Potter looked up from her inventory and cleared her throat. Adriana turned her head and smiled faintly at JD, asking, "Judge Travis is ready for me?" JD nodded, and Adriana stepped carefully down from the ladder she had been using. She told Mrs. Potter softly, "I need to wake up Laura, so she doesn't think I'm abandoning her. Will you be all right with the rest of this?"
"I'll be fine ... go ahead," Gloria answered. Adriana dusted off her skirt, then slipped into the back room of the store, where Laura evidently slept. Mrs. Potter turned her attention to JD, asking, "How are things?" The young sheriff shrugged. Not much to say. Gloria added, "I mean with the rest of the Seven ... do you think you boys will stay?" JD looked toward the back room, wondering what was taking Adriana so long.
When she didn't appear, JD admitted, "I don't know. Chris just told me that someone told him that Vin already made his decision. He just ain't told us yet, 'cause he don't realize he made the decision. I don't know what's gonna happen to us. Vin told me I oughta forgive Buck, but I ain't sure I should. I don't know if I can trust him any more. Buck, I mean, not Vin. And I don't like that, you know? Up until we got back from Eagle Bend, I couldn't imagine a time when I couldn't trust Buck. Now I can't imagine ever trusting him again."
"I can understand that," a soft voice said, interrupting the conversation. JD and Gloria looked toward the newcomer, and Adriana smiled faintly, saying, "Laura will come and help you in a few minutes, Mrs. Potter. She likes being helpful, so ... " She shrugged, but both JD and the widow understood what she meant. Laura was a little girl who liked being useful. Adriana looked back at JD and asked, "Are you ready, Sheriff Dunne?"
He nodded and stepped to one side, allowing her to pass. She smiled at him, then at Mrs. Potter, and as she stepped from the store, JD followed her. They were silent for several moments, then JD asked, wanting to break the ice, "You know, I never heard why Vin calls you 'Drina.' I imagine there's a story behind that." She flashed another smile, a smile which faded as she slipped behind him. JD noticed the reason why immediately ... Mr. Conklin was approaching, and JD swept his arm behind him, seeking to protect his companion.
Once the growling storekeeper was passed, Adriana resumed her position at JD's side, replying, "Not much to tell. Vin just decided that 'Drina' was more ... in line with my personality than 'Adriana,' and that's what he started calling me. It didn't bother me, because my mother never approved of nicknames, and Buck ... he always called me 'DeeDee,' which I hated. But he was my brother, so I didn't complain about it. It was always how I knew he loved me. At least, that's what I thought."
"You won't let him call you that any more," JD stated and Adriana shrugged. He had learned, however, that just like Vin's silences, Adriana's shrugs had various meanings. JD continued, "You said that 'DeeDee' was dead, that she died in that place." He couldn't use the name for the place where she had been left, any more than he could use the name for the place where Vin had been taken.
"She did," Adriana answered flatly, "she died almost two years ago, and there's no resurrecting her. DeeDee was a trusting little fool. She doesn't exist any more. I killed her, so I could survive." JD glanced to his side, to see her jaw working and her eyes bright with unshed tears. He swallowed hard. Him and his big mouth. Adriana continued, sounding as if there was a lump in her throat the size of a boulder, "I am trying ... so hard, Sheriff Dunne. I am trying. To forgive him. To let go of the rage. But ... "
But no one would let her. Wasn't that what she had told Chris, in a roundabout way, after the confrontation between Chris and Vin, the confrontation which he had sparked? No one would let her, or Vin, heal on their own terms ... they kept trying to take from him, trying to force her into forgiving them before she was ready. And that included JD himself. He tried to think of a way to apologize to her, but anything he might have said was cut short as the door to the jail swung open.
Judge Travis was waiting for them, and said with grave courtesy, "Thank you for coming, Miss Wilmington. Would you like to have a seat? This may take some time." Adriana nodded and chose the desk, which put her right beside Chris. The black-clad leader rose to his feet, helping the young woman to settle herself on the surface of the desk, then sat down beside her. Judge Travis asked, "Now ... the first thing I need to know is how you came to know of Vin's capture and subsequent time in the prison camp."
Adriana arranged herself on the desk, and answered softly, "It was chance, I think. I remember I was working in the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast, when Laertes rode up, his horse in a lather. As if the demons of hell were after him. And I remember thinking that something had to be terribly wrong in town for him to be riding like that. He never rode like that, never pushed his horse like that.
"I went outside immediately, and he asked me what I knew about the protectors of Four Corners, the men they called 'The Magnificent Seven.' When I told him that I knew of them, and knew some of them, he asked me if I knew Vin Tanner. I said yes, and that was when Laertes told me that Vin was at the prison camp. That he had been abandoned by his so-called friends when bounty hunters arrived in town."
JD flinched at the bitterness in her voice. He knew that she didn't know initially that it was just Buck and Nathan who turned Vin over to the mercenaries, but it still hurt to hear her talk like that. Adriana continued, regaining her composure, "I wanted to go to the prison camp that very day, but Laertes convinced me that we needed a plan first, that we couldn't go off halfcocked, or we'd end up getting Vin killed. He told me that Vin had been in there for a week, he could hold on for another week."
"Which he did," Judge Travis pointed out, when Adriana didn't continue. She gave a short, quick bob of her head, but said nothing further. Everyone was silent when she didn't speak. JD felt something jump in his chest. Something was terribly wrong. He wasn't the only one to sense it. Judge Travis asked, "What aren't you telling us? I've heard about the rescue from Mary and Nettie. But there's something else."
"He was only barely alive. Didn't even recognize faces. Only shapes. He thought I was one of the ... guards ... when I went into the infirmary to unchain him. I realized much later that if we delayed the rescue any longer, we would have been retrieving Vin's body for a proper burial. It was dark, I only saw that he wasn't dressed. Laertes grabbed a blanket once we got him loose from those damn manacles. It wasn't until we got back to the house, and lit some lamps, that we could see how bad off he was," Adriana replied.
There was a lot she wasn't saying, and JD knew it. But he kept silent, as Chris asked softly, "Little princess, when you examined Vin at the house ... just how bad was it? Were there any wounds that you noticed, aside from the bruises and his broken ribs?" Adriana nodded, her face tight with a memory which evidently hadn't stopped haunting her since that night. Chris put his hand on her shoulder, giving a supportive squeeze.
"He had been shot. Right thigh. It had been cleaned, but was in the process of getting infected again. Laertes and I cleaned it, bound it up, then started cleaning him up. I think that's why he got sick again, because of us cleaning him up. But he was sick, delirious. So angry. I would hold him when it got really bad. I think somehow, he knew I was there, even if he couldn't remember my name or my face," Adriana replied.
"Why didn't we ever see the scar?" JD asked, casting his mind back over those early days, when he and the others first arrived at the Townsend ranch. He looked back at Adriana, adding, "True, Vin's legs were covered most of the time, but you would think a limp of some kind would be noticeable, and I don't remember him ever limping in the time we were there." JD looked first at Adriana, then, against his will, at Nathan.
It was Adriana who answered, "That was us. We made sure Vin was wearing trousers, to protect his dignity. Vin's a proud man, and so much had been taken from him already." JD noticed with vicious joy that Nathan looked at his feet. Adriana didn't seem to notice, or care, as she continued, "The wound in his thigh was a flesh wound, but one that got infected, which is why you didn't see much of a limp. Besides, he was so unsteady on his feet at first, a limp wouldn't have been noticeable."
"What about his previous illness? I'm told that your ... guardian ... had some medical knowledge. Did he have any thoughts about Vin's earlier illness?" Judge Travis asked. Adriana shifted her weight, cocking her head to one side as she eyed the Judge. What was she thinking about? JD could sense the distrust. She wasn't sure why he was asking her these things, so she wasn't sure if she should answer the questions.
This was borne out a moment later, when Chris leaned over and whispered something to her. She nodded and replied, "Laertes said that he thought the medicine, without the peyote, probably dealt with the fever. Dr. Powell liked doing things like that for his experiments, testing the effects of a new drug on us. Laertes and I really didn't know much about his earlier illness, until Vin finally regained consciousness. As he grew stronger, and found it easier to speak, we started putting the pieces together. And I swore I would kill all of your men if they came to finish the job they started here in Four Corners."
This was said with a glare at Nathan. There was a nervous shuffling of feet among the men in the room, JD included, as they wondered if her vow to kill remained good. Perhaps sensing this, Judge Travis asked next, "What can you tell me about Dr. Wallace Powell? I know he was at the asylum where you were kept against your will, and that he was hated." The sudden flare of hatred in Adriana's eyes proved this, but she remained sedate beside Chris. Of course, that could have something to do with the gentle hand which Chris kept on her shoulder.
"He was a bad man. It sounds simplistic, but it's true. He enjoyed hurting people. Always said that inflicting great pain was necessary in order to heal our afflictions. The people in that place who weren't insane often ended up going insane in that hell on earth. I managed to survive, because of something which I learned from the working girls in the cathouse where I grew up," Adriana replied.
Now her eyes shifted to her brother and blazed with an unholy fury. She bit out the next words, saying, "I asked Aunt Dulcie once, when I was about fourteen. I asked her how she held on when she was with someone who hurt her. She told me that if there was no way out of it, if he was a new customer, then she would just ... make herself be someplace else. And that's what I did. I made myself be somewhere else. Until I couldn't take it any longer."
The next words out of the judge's mouth weren't a question, but a statement as he said, "You weren't surprised when you found out about Vin being sold out ... about his incarceration in the prison camp." JD swallowed hard, suddenly fearing what came next. And that was when he understood his earlier sense that what was said here would end up driving the Seven further apart, rather than healing them.
"Of course not," came the answer, "my brother left me in that hellhole called an asylum. It didn't surprise me at all to find out that he turned Vin over to those mercenaries. Chris was too drunk to come for me when I needed him, I figured the same happened this time." This was said with an apologetic look at Chris, who just squeezed her shoulder and looked down at his feet in shame. Adriana looked back at the judge, adding, "As for the others ... I didn't know them. But I knew Vin. And I knew he would move heaven, hell, and earth, for one of his."
There was a heavy silence in the jail after she finished speaking. Buck was looking at his feet, his face very pale, and Judge Travis asked next, "You spoke a minute ago of your aunt Dulcie ... detaching herself from what was happening to her, with a new customer in the cathouse. Did ... something similar happen to you?" Now JD did look at Buck, because he had an uneasy sense that he knew what the answer would be.
"Oh yes. Men or women, it didn't matter. They have to comb the dregs of society to find people who will work in those places, Judge. No sane person with a trade wants to ... be in that place, for any reason. Not as a patient ... not as a worker. Not even as a doctor ... okay, maybe as a doctor. Gives some of these quacks a captive audience to torture. But there were several times when an orderly put his hands in a place they didn't belong. I made 'im pay for it later, too," Adriana answered bluntly. JD watched quietly as Buck blanched in horror.
Not just at what his sister was saying, but at the matter-of-fact way she was saying it. As if this was a common part of her life for those six months. For his own part, JD was having a hard time with what he was hearing. He knew those places were awful, always knew that. But to hear this ... Adriana continued after a moment, "Judge Travis, I'm at the point where nothing bad surprises me. I expect the worst from people, that's how I've lived as long as I have. If I expected the best from people, I would have died of a broken heart on the day I realized the only person who could rescue me from that evil place ... was me. I could rely on no one else."
There was another long silence, as it seemed no one knew what to say. Then Judge Travis cleared his throat and said, "Yes. Well. Thank you." He fell silent again, and this time, the silence lasted longer. After a few moments, he asked, "About the prison camp ... do you have any idea who might have taken control from Jessie Quince, and helped Rupert Browner to escape? Were there any new people in Pordios in the weeks leading up to that change?"
"Not that I can remember, but I didn't go into town much. Usually, Laertes went, even before we rescued Laura along with Vin. I saw Julian Poplar when he first arrived in town, before he took his assumed identity and went undercover with Browner's men. And Daniel Neely, but he was always in town. He wasn't new. You might want to check with Reverend Hurst, if he's still in Pordios. Or Aurora, though she usually told Laertes if she saw anyone she considered suspicious," Adriana replied.
She paused, then went on, "We didn't really see that many bounty hunters around our little area. I think most of them were scared off by the insane asylum. There was one time, when a rather inept bounty hunter p ... angered some people in town. First rule of bounty hunting, sir. You don't call attention to yourself. Gaining a reputation as being good is one thing, but you don't purposely draw attention to yourself. This bounty hunter did just that ... and ended up in the asylum. I know, because he's the one who helped me escape."
"Not much of a bounty hunter, but still a decent person," Judge Travis observed and Adriana nodded. Though JD was fairly sure he knew the answer to the question which was obviously coming, he kept silent as the judge asked quietly, "Why didn't he come with you, if he helped you to escape?" Adriana lowered her eyes, and once more, the atmosphere in the room changed. Everyone could feel it.
"He died. He sacrificed his life ... told me that it was the only worthwhile thing he would ever do. He was an inept bounty hunter ... had failed in everything he had ever done in his life. But he wouldn't fail in helping me. And he didn't. The orderly who was forever feeling me up, Duval ... he's the one who killed him. I tried to kill Duval, but obviously failed. Julian Poplar encountered him at the asylum when he encountered them," Adriana replied, nodding toward Buck and Nathan.
She sighed deeply, sagging against Chris, and added, "I don't know what else I can tell you, Judge Travis. You said you already know about the rescue, and the fire. I'm not even sure if I told you anything which you didn't already know." Chris put his arm around her once more, drawing her close for support and comfort. For a long time, JD thought that she was finished, and Judge Travis looked as if he was at a loss as well.
Then Adriana murmured, "Laura told me that Powell was gloating. Said he knew Mr. Jackson would never question the new medicine. Mr. Jackson, he said, had a misplaced sense of loyalty. Between a new friend and an old friend, he would always choose the old friend. And Dr. Powell was right again. Laura hated Dr. Powell. Hated him for inflicting pain, instead of easing it. Hated him for what he told Vin. When she told me what he said, I wanted to bring him back to life, so I could kill him again."
"What ... what did Laura say that he told Vin, little princess? When did she tell you this?" Chris asked. Adriana lifted her head from his shoulder, frowning. JD also found himself leaning forward, a sensation in his chest telling him that something was about to happen. Something important. Something which would turn everything upside down again. He looked around the room, realizing that he wasn't the only one who felt it.
"Uhm ... that was this morning. When we were coming from the funeral. She was riding with me, and we were talking about the prison camp. She told me that she was so glad I killed Dr. Powell, because she heard him say something terrible to Vin. Uhm. Let me see if I can remember this. Yeah. Yeah, that's right. She heard him tell Vin that he knew Mr. Jackson would betray him, because his kind didn't inspire loyalty. He said that all this time, Mr. Jackson had been laughing at Vin behind his back, because he wasn't really a man, but an animal," Adriana replied.
You could have heard a pin drop into the silence which followed. The young woman lay her head on Chris Larabee's shoulder once more, adding, "Dr. Powell said to Mr. Browner that he heard Mr. Jackson say that. Heard him compare Vin to a wild animal. No sense to come in out of the rain. And then, something Vin said to me, made sense. JD, you thought Vin heard from me that he was sent to that place because he was an embarrassment. But when Laura told me that, I remembered. He didn't hear it from me ... I heard it from him."
There was dead silence for several moments. You couldn't even hear anyone breathing. And then Chris dropped his arm from Adriana's shoulders, putting his hands on her forearms, turning her to face him. He stared into her eyes ... and then he turned his head toward Nathan. A half second later, a breath later, he was off the desk and heading for Nathan, screaming, "You bastard! You fucking bastard!"
As soon as the words were out of his sister's mouth, Buck knew. He remembered. He remembered the night those words were said. And he knew that once more, Browner and Powell had twisted the truth. More to the point, he knew that it was just a matter of time before Chris erupted. He was right. Even before Chris finally lost it, Buck was out of his seat, intercepting Chris before he could reach the healer.
"Goddammit, Chris, it wasn't like that!" Buck cried out, holding onto Chris for dear life. But his old friend was past rational thought ... he had been fighting the demons unleashed by Buck and Nathan's betrayal for weeks now. The only outlet for Chris had been his showdown with Daniel Neely. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough. Buck was a man who blew his stack, venting to his heart's content, then moved on.
But Chris ... Chris struggled with his demons alone. Rarely did he take out his pain and rage on someone else. There was the matter of the razor at Buck's throat, but that was a warning. Not an intention to injure. If Chris had wanted to hurt him, he would have. Buck wasn't making excuses for his old friend, it was simply the way things were. There was something else. Chris had changed since then.
Until this latest mess, Buck hadn't seen that enraged demon in months. Chris was starting to relax, starting to bring Sarah's husband and Adam's father back to life. Sarah. Buck had loved Sarah like his own sister. She would probably furious with him, for what he had done to DeeDee, as well as what he and Nathan had done to Vin. Sarah had listened, enraptured, when Buck and Chris talked about the shy young girl they both loved so much. She had always wanted to meet DeeDee ... often talked about the young girl as if she was the sister whom Sarah always wanted. And Buck knew that Sarah would have loved Vin. If only for making Chris laugh.
And now, because of Buck's own actions, that demon was back, and clawing for supremacy in Chris Larabee's soul. Judge Travis barked, pulling Chris back, "Chris, that's enough! I'm disgusted by their behavior as well, but I want to hear the rest of this! Chris! For Vin's sake, calm down!" Again, that respect for their boss was enough to get Chris to back off, though it took several moments. Judge Travis repeated, in a much gentler voice, "I know you're angry, Chris, I am, too. But we have work to do. And I refuse to lose any more sons."
With a little more nudging from the judge, Chris sat down beside Adriana again and said hoarsely, "Let's hear it, then. Let's hear what really happened." He glared at first Nathan, then Buck in contempt. Buck looked at Nathan, then at Chris, then finally at his sister, ignoring the pang of jealousy when DeeDee reached over and took Larabee's hand, holding it between her own two, a purely sisterly gesture.
"Powell and Browner had a real talent for twisting the truth. We thought that Vin had been so angry with Ezra, he didn't find shelter from the rainstorm until he was soaked through. And you know what Nathan's like when he's fussing. Hell, you ain't the only one in this room who cares about Vin, pard, you should know that by now," Buck said. He witnessed the anger flash in his sister's eyes as she tightened her grip.
"I really do not believe Mr. Larabee thinks he's the only person within this structure who cares for Mr. Tanner, Mr. Wilmington," Ezra answered, with more than a touch of ice in his voice. Buck sighed. No, that hadn't been a good choice of words on his part. Ezra continued, "Perhaps you'd like to explain to Mr. Tanner that Mr. Jackson was simply venting his frustration? That neither of you believe he's the fool which you made him out to be?"
"We been tryin' to do just that, Ezra. But Vin don't seem to want to listen," Nathan replied. Buck saw his sister roll her eyes. Nate saw it, too, but pushed on, "and Buck's tellin' y'all the truth. We thought Vin just weren't thinkin' when he got caught in that rainstorm. He's a smart man, but he's just a man. He ain't a saint, he's messed up in the past. But he redeemed hisself. That's all we're lookin' for, a chance to redeem ourselves."
"This meeting isn't about your redemption, Mr. Jackson. How you work things out with Vin is up to you. Miss Wilmington, you said a moment ago that you didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. That's not true. You've been a tremendous help, and I thank you," Judge Travis answered. He continued, "I'm heading to Pordios in three days time, to further investigate the asylum there. I will be gone for two weeks. When I return, Vin has promised to have an answer for me. Understand me, gentlemen, and understand me well. I do not interfere in your interactions. You're adults. But by God. If I ever hear of you selling each other out again ... "
He left the threat unfinished, and Nathan said, "Sir, we didn't see no other options." That was the wrong thing to say and the judge turned his full glare on the healer. Nathan swallowed hard, continuing, "I ain't makin' no excuses for what we done, but we didn't see no other way to protect the town. I ain't a leader. I'm a healer. Vin and Chris, they're the leaders. We made the wrong decision, and we been paying' for it ever since." And the judge finally said what everyone had been thinking for the last month. It was time for the festering wound to be lanced.
"You ... didn't ... try ... hard ... enough. My grandson could find ways to safeguard Vin. And Billy is only seven years old. You and Buck are both in your thirties! My God, man! Mary is no shrinking violet! Nor is Mrs. Welles, nor is Mrs. Potter! Mary came home to find my son, her husband, dead. Mrs. Potter's husband was killed right in front of her. Mr. Wilmington, your own sister rode into hell, faced her worst nightmare, in order to rescue the man whom you betrayed. And you feel like you have to protect her ... or my daughter-in-law ... from Vin's nightmares? How much worse have his nightmares been since his rescue?"
Buck lowered his eyes. Judge Travis continued, "Do you have any idea what will happen now? Every two bit criminal within the area will attack Four Corners, because two of its lawmen decided to give up one of their own teammates to a bunch of outlaws. Appeasement never works, gentlemen! You've destroyed the credibility of the Seven, because you were too goddamn lazy to fight for a friend. Just like you turned your back on your own flesh and blood."
"Vin would have come for me ... if I'd called for him. But I didn't. I knew he couldn't read or write, and I knew he couldn't afford to make his presence known with that bounty on his head. But he would have come for me. Regardless of that bounty, because that's who Vin Tanner is. Mr. Jackson says that Vin is no saint, and he's right. He never claimed to be. But he doesn't turn his back on his friends or his family. For any reason," DeeDee said very quietly.
Buck couldn't look at his sister. Every time he looked at her, he heard her soft testimony, about that bastard Duval. The one he had beaten to a pulp, the first time they met Julian Poplar. And he wanted to tear the orderly apart for what he had tried to do to his sister. But he answered her, though he couldn't look at her, "Vin is a good man, DeeDee. But he ain't perfect. He made up for what happened with Charlotte Richmond, but ... "
A peal of laughter interrupted Buck, and he jerked his head up to look at his sister. She was sitting beside Chris still, laughing helplessly. Confused, Buck looked first at the judge, then at Chris, then finally at DeeDee again. His sister chortled, with more than a trace of sarcasm in her voice as she replied, "I know what happened with Charlotte Richmond, my dear brother. I heard about it, from both Chris and Vin himself. And yet, you have the gall to bring that up? How many women did you do when you got back to town, after leaving me in that hellhole?"
Buck cringed at her coarse language, but ignored the question and said, "I told you, DeeDee. They told me that you were dead. I would have never left you there, if I knew you were alive." And now the laughter died, leaving only a quiet rage burning deep in his sister's dark hazel eyes. Buck tried again, saying, "DeeDee, I love you. I have never stopped loving you, all this time. But I couldn't face sayin' good-bye."
"What about the girls? Hmm? Did you ever think they might have wanted a chance to say good-bye? Did you ever think that Chris, once he crawled out of the bottle, might have wanted to say good-bye? Did you think about anyone but yourself, and finding a woman as soon as possible? Did you give me a second thought after you left me in that hellhole?" Adriana hissed in a low deadly voice. Now they were heading into dangerous territory, that territory of a wounded relationship between a brother and sister. He wasn't the only one who thought so.
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