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Disclaimer: Ain't ours.
Notes: This started out as a thought by Kim and of course you mix in
me
and my big mouth (Maggie) and this is what you get.
feedback welcome! VinTanner2@aol.com and eagleimaggs_7@yahoo.com
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Chris felt an icy rage wash over him, as he listened silently to Mary
Travis telling him what had
happened.
He waited until she was finished, and asked simply. "Nathan's?"
Mary nodded, and Chris strode angrily out of the saloon.
The four grim faced men waiting below Nathan's clinic, stepped aside
to let their leader pass.
The expression on his face, warned them all not to get in his way.
As Chris made his way inside the clinic, Nathan took one look at his
angry face and held up a warning hand. He jerked his head, indicating
outside.
"How bad is it?” Chris demanded, once they were on the landing of the
clinic's stairs.
"It ain't good. They hurt him Chris. They hurt him real
bad. Fact is,
he's gonna hurt a lot more 'fore it's over. What he needs most,
is peace and quiet and rest. He
just ain't up to handlin' none of your moods right now." Nathan told
the gunslinger sternly.
Chris started to say something in reply, but Nathan cut him off
harshly. "I mean it Chris. You say one word in there, that
ain't fit for Sunday mornin' meetin', and
I'll put you out."
Chris' angry eyes met Nathan's fiercely protective orbs, and any thought
he'd given to arguing
ended. He nodded meekly, and followed the healer back into the
clinic.
The four men waiting at the foot of the stairs, exchanged impressed
glances.Very few people stood up to Chris Larabee, and even fewer had
cowed the gunslinger so
completely.
The two men walked silently through the door and as the light fell on
the unconscious figure, Chris allowed a gasp of surprise escape his
lips.
“Damn, Nathan. What the hell was he thinking?” Larabee squeezed his
eyes
shut, but the picture of his best friend’s beaten and battered body
wouldn’t leave him.
“Of those kids. What else. You know how protective he is, so when those
bandits started threatening the children, he stepped in.” Jackson sauntered
to the
tracker’s side and laid a wet cloth along his patient’s brow. “I wish
I could get my hands on those
outlaws for two minutes. In all honesty Chris, its a miracle he’s alive.
At least six ribs are
broken, his right shoulder was pulled from the socket, and he can’t
even open one eye.” The healer
sighed as he rewet the cloth. “If them children hadn’t brought him
back when they did, he’d have bled
to death from them slashes along his abdomen.”
Nathan took a chance and shot the gunslinger a look. He blanched at
the
blatant fury permeating from the other’s eyes.
“How’d he get the cuts?” Chris kept his voice low not wanting to disturb
Vin with the rage laced inside it.
“Steel toed boots.” Jackson thought he was going to have to physically
restrain Larabee from running out of the room and shooting the first
person to look at him
wrong. “I know how you feel, Chris. But going after these assholes
right now, ain’t gonna help
Vin none. He needs us here.”
The gunslinger tried with all his might to get his temper under
control. He could only imagine the small, lanky bounty hunter
against 12 roughneck murdering bastards.
And yes, small. That was the one thing that kept reverberating in the
black-clad man’s mind.
How young and very, very insignificant Tanner looked lying in that
bed.
Larabee breathed in heavily and made himself take the chair on the other
side of the bed from Jackson. “What can I do, Nate?”
The healer watched the emotions cross the leader’s features and
immediately pitied the men that did this. “We wait and watch.
The only chance he’s got is to keep
infection out of his wounds and let his body heal itself. No matter
how long it takes.”
Chris glanced briefly at Jackson and saw the worry lines and slight
pallor of his skin. “Go rest, Nate. I’m gonna stay here.”
Nathan attempted to object but knew it was a mute point as he felt the
cloth wrenched from his grasp and gently placed back on the tracker’s
forehead. The healer
watched the kind ministrations of the gunslinger and could almost feel
the bond radiating
from one to the other.
“Alright. I’m gonna let the others’ know whats going on and then I’ll
come back in a few hours to relieve you.”
“No need. I ain’t leaving until he can walk out that door with me.”
Larabee paused in his swiping the sweat from Vin’s brow and raised
determined eyes to punctuate his
statement. “Tell the boys to be on the lookout and make sure them kids
get home alright.” Chris
dropped his gaze to end the conversation.
Jackson stared for a few more minutes then decided he was needed
elsewhere. As he began to shut the clinic door he heard Larabee’s soft
voice began reciting a
poem. The healer felt shameful for eavesdropping, but for some reason
his heart needed to hear
the soothing words.
‘My life as it is,
Is full of turmoil and strife.
Nothing seems to go right,
No matter how hard I fight.
I wake each morning,
With a new pain in my heart.
Even though I ignore them,
The faces never seem to depart.
I willed the first one to go away,
But I see you each and every day.
You appear at my side,
And I know I cannot hide.
You see the war inside me,
You fight it when you can.
You know what I want to be,
But just accept me as I am.
For this I thank you kindly,
And beg of you not to stop.
For you are my anchor,
My shelter in this storm.
Help me carry my burden,
No matter what I say.
Because in the end,
I know you will be there, my friend.’
Nathan caught the slight tremor in Chris’s voice as he finished the
poem. With a slight nod, Jackson shut the door softly and went to inform
his friends of Vin’s
prognosis.
Four pairs of anxious eyes met Nathan's, as he stepped onto the
landing. He put his hand up to indicate they should wait, as
he made his way down the stairs.
"Let's go to the saloon." He told them wearily. The others
exchanged
uneasy glances. They spent a lot of time in the saloon, but it
was rarely Nathan who
suggested it. No one voiced what they were all thinking.
If he needed a drink, Vin must be pretty bad
off.
It was a somber group that made it's way into the saloon. For
once Buck
ignored the working girls, as they settled at their table in the back.
Ezra paused long
enough at the bar to get a bottle and 5 glasses. He joined his
partners, and poured drinks for everyone.
Nathan didn't appear ready to talk, and the others were prepared to
wait as long as he
needed. He tossed back the drink Ezra poured, and held his glass
out for another one. The tension
around the table was becoming almost unbearable. The gunslinger's
knew that Nathan had seen
a lot of the ugly things men did to one another. If Vin's condition
upset him this bad,
it wasn't likely to be easy on any of them.
The clinic:
Chris sat beside the bed, his eyes never leaving the younger man's still
face. He gently played the damp rag against the worst of the bruises
on his friend's face. A soft
moan escaped the sleeping tracker.
"Easy pard" Chris said in a low voice, as he laid his hand gently
on
Vin's uninjured shoulder. Christ Vin, he thought to himself, can't
you ever, just once, look out
for you first? Christ smiled ruefully, and shook his head.
No, it wasn't in the softhearted tracker's
nature. There was no way he'd let a bunch of murdering outlaws
hurt those kids, even if it meant
getting the shit kicked out of him by the whole bunch.
Saloon:
Nathan took a sip from his second whiskey, and began to tell his
partners about Vin's injuries. The grim faces around him had hardened
into stone, by the time he'd
finished.
"Damn Nate, sounds like they came right close to beatin' him to death."
Buck's shocked expression spoke for all of them.
"That's just it Buck. I think they were pretty sure they did."
Nathan
took another drink before he told them softly, "and, they still might
have." The healer looked up at
the men sitting around the table, waiting for the meaning of his words
to sink in.
The clinic:
Chris sat at Tanner's side the better part of four hours continuing
to
attend the wounds and talk softly. "Okay, pard. I've had about all
of this I can stand. I need to
see those all knowing eyes boring into my soul and telling me you're
fine."
Larabee waited hoping his plea would be met, but the still, unmoving
form mocked him. "Damnit." The gunslinger had taken all he could. He
threw the cloth
across the room jumping to his feet in the process. Chris stalked
to the window and leaned his
forehead to the cool glass. "Don't do this to me, cowboy. I've
just gotten some semblence to my
life back."
"Chris," the hoarse whisper caught Larabee by surprise. He did an about
face and found the familiar gaze locked with his.
"Hey, Vin. How ya feelin'?" The gunslinger resumed his seat quickly,
placing a trembling hand on the younger man's brow.
"Like I done been trampled by a herd of buffalo and then by stampeding
cattle for good measure." The tracker tried to smile but only succeeded
in gasping with
pain.
"Easy now, no big movements. Your in a pretty bad way. Nate said it'll
take a few days before you can do anything.
"The kids?" Vin gave Larabee a startled look and tried to raise up.
"Damnit, Vin, didn't you hear what I just said?" Chris grabbed the
bounty hunter and held him to the mattress. "Those kids are fine, thanks
to you. Now behave or I'll
call Nathan to come and give you some of that medicine you like so
much.
The spark of defiance in Tanner's eyes caused a slight grin to crease
the gunslinger's lips.
"You wouldn't?!" Vin tried to sound angry but the swelling of his left
face only made it sound slurred.
"Try me." Larabee patted his friend's shoulder when he saw the surrender
etched there. "Good. Do you need me to get you anything?" Chris watched
as the tracker fought
against the blackness. "Its okay. I ain't going nowhere. Just rest."
Tanner licked his lips and attempted to thank the gunslinger but the
realm of sleep claimed him once more.
The saloon:
"What does Chris want us to do?" Buck Wilmington had only felt the rage
encompassing his body now, one time before. The day he and Larabee
had found Sarah and
Adam's charred remains.
"He said to keep a lookout and make sure them kids get home safe."
Nathan never let his eyes veer from the whiskey bottle in front of
him.
"I'm sure you've done everything humanly possible, Brother Nate. Its
up
to God and Vin." Josiah placed a large hand on the healer and turned
to the faces around him.
The anger, worry, and fear in those features made the preacher shudder.
Ezra twirled the last remians of his liqiuor slowly pondering the exact
words Jackson had told them. *May have beaten him to death.* The gambler
swallowed hard, trying
to picture the bounty hunter against twelve men, most assuredly twice
his size. "When
are we to exact retribution on the miscreants responsible for Vin's
injuries?"
Each man jumped at the underlying fury in the southerner's voice and
was
even more surprised at the one to reply.
"The quicker the better." J.D.'s innocent eyes were anything but. He
raised his gaze and met the other's with determination. "Vin didn't
deserve this."
The five men shared a nod of agreement and then left to attend the
children who had saved their friend's life.
Mary held the door open, as the five gunslinger's entered silently.
The
His normally warm brown eyes were cold and hard, as he recited the
"How could anyone be so cruel?" she wondered aloud, as the
tears
"I don't know Miz Travis," Nathan shook his head, as he continued.
"The
"And pray, Brother Jackson." Josiah added solemnly.
Nathan nodded his head. "And pray." He agreed.
"Nathan," Mary put her hand on his arm. "We've got to tell
the
Nathan patted her hand gently. "Alright." He said, already
heading
Nathan knelt down in front of the children. "Hi, I'm Nathan,"
the
The oldest girl searched the healer's broad, honest, face, and gentle
"I'm Rosa. That's Maria. That's Anita. And that's
Pedro." She
"Is Mr Vin gonna be OK?" She asked, her black eyes full of concern
for
“Honestly, Rosa, I don’t know. But thanks to you he’s got a fightin’
“You mean, he might still die?” Maria’s little voice pulled at the
“Its definitely a possibility, my dear. But if we know our Mr. Tanner,
I
“I wanna go home.” Pedro suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the
“Alright. We’ll take you home, okay?” Standish could see the unshed
The little fellow nodded his head and went back to stand with Rosa.
“Ms. Travis, we’ll be back by nightfall. Would you mind checking in
on
“I’d be happy to, Buck.” Mary squeezed the gunslinger’s arm and stepped
The clinic:
“What time is it?” Vin’s whisper woke Larabee instantly.
“’Bout dusk. Why, you going somewhere?” Chris knew his giddiness had
Tanner stared intently into the aqua-marine eyes of his best friend
and
The gunslinger snorted knowing he’d been caught. “How come I can’t every
“Your avoiding the question.” The tracker shifted slightly noticing
the
“I’m fine. Just worried about you. After all, who’s gonna watch my back
“I ain’t planning on going nowhere. You?”
“Not unless we go together.” Chris finally raised his gaze to meet the
Before either man could say another word, gunshots resounded below them
Larabee jumped up and ran to the window in time to see J.D. and Buck
“How bad?” Vin was attempting to get off the bed as he spoke.
“Damnit Vin, stay put.” Chris rushed back to the tracker long enough
to
“Shit, Chris. I can’t stay here knowing..” Larabee immediately cut off
“You can and you damn well better.” Chris waited for a few seconds until
Vin lay there all of five minutes and then he heard the yelp of pain
“Nathan ain’t gonna be happy. What am I saying, Chris’ll probably hog
Vin shook his head in disgust knowing there was no way he would escape
He limped to the window and opened it. He LEANed into the sill and
There was a large buzzing in his ears and his head felt like a ton
“Easy, Tanner.” The tracker quickly grabbed the sill and stop his
*Oh God. What if they were dead?* Vin stopped the horrid thoughts and
“What the hell do you think you were doing? Have you completely lost
Tanner tried to answer but was cut off by the sudden words of Josiah.
The tracker tried again, but was stopped once more. “Perhaps fever has
“Look, fellas...” Vin let go of the window sill but grabbed it quickly
“Thanks for the concern, Vin, but I’m fine. I was just hit by some
“Look, J.D.” The bounty hunter was cut off by the impending form of
Larabee absorbed his anger knowing the tracker would take it to heart,
Vin grimaced at the laced fury in the words and just nodded his head
in
“You busted any of those stitches?” Nathan finally stepped forward when
As Tanner began to reply, Chris interrupted him. “You pull another stunt
“No wonder we’re the best. We sure as hell don’t fight fair.” Tanner
The End
grim faced men removed their hats and nodded at Mrs Travis, as
they entered. Three little
girls, who looked to range from about 8 to about 12, and a little
boy who couldn't have been more 5 or
about these men since they'd begun protecting the town. It hadn't
taken her long to realize,
that the quiet tracker's rough exterior hid a heart as soft as the
buckskin coat he wore most of the
time. Her eyes filled with tears, as she thought of how he'd
looked, when Josiah took him down off
the horse those children had managed to keep him on for the three mile
journey to Four Corners.
She smiled reassuringly at the children and turned her attention back
to Nathan.
litany of Vin's injuries. Mary couldn't restrain a gasp, when he got
to the part about the steel
toed boots.
spilled out of her eyes.
only thing we can do now is wait."
children something. They've been worried sick, since they brought
him back."
towards the frightened children. The other five followed him,
trusting that he'd know what to
say to them.
healer spoke softly, his voice warm and friendly. "We just wanted to
thank you, for what you done for
our friend." He nodded his head towards the men standing behind
him, who touched their
foreheads and smiled in acknowledgement.
eyes for a long moment. A wan smile played across her face.
When she finally spoke, her words
poured out, like water gushing through a broken dam.
pointed as she named each child. The thick black braid that hung halfway
down her back swung freely with
her movements. When she finished introducing the other children, she
turned her
attention back to Nathan.
the man who'd befriended her family.
chance.” Nathan saw the confused looks enter the childrens’ eyes and
waited for the questions he
knew where coming.
gunslingers’ hearts.
think that will be highl y unlikely.” Ezra had squatted beside the young
girl and was now patting
the other’s hand.
gambler’s arm.
tears in the young boy’s eyes.
Chris and Vin for us?” Buck raised sad eyes to the blond as he thought
about his two friends’
in the clinic.
back to let the children and men pass through the door.
something to do with the tension and lack of sleep he was feeling.
caught the underlying fear. “You alright, cowboy?”
get nothing by you?”
swelling had gone down in his left eye.
if your gone.” Larabee heard the slight hitch in his voice and immediately
busied himself
checking the (YOUNGER MAN’S, I love torturing you Kim!) bandages.
bounty hunter’s once more. What he saw reflected there made all the
doubt about his best friend’s
recovery vanish. The Tanner stubborness had taken hold and wasn’t gonna
let go.
in the streets, followed by the distinct voices of the other five protectors.
take cover behind a water trough.
push him back to a reclining position. “I’m gonna go help. Don’t you
dare move, do you hear
me?” The gunslinger put all the venom he could muster into his words.
Which wasn’t hard,
considering he’d caught sight of the leader of the gang now attacking
them, steel toed boots.
Tanner’s protest with an icy glare.
he figured the bounty hunter got the point and then headed out to the
gunfight below.
from J.D. Almost passing out twice, he finally managed to get to his
feet, only to stop and wonder
what he was planning on doing. His shoulder felt like a hot poker had
been jammed inside it and
he could feel the blood began oozing from his wounds in his stomach.
tie me to this bed for a month.” Tanner shudder at the thought of the
leader’s wrath and quickly
went in search of a weapon. “Chris said to stay put, he didn’t actually
say in the bed, so
if I just stay in the room, I’ll be fine.” The logic worked up until
the tracker found his mare’s leg.
“Yeah right.”
the doom from the others, so instead decided to try and help save their
sorry hides.
brought his gun up to waist level and fired. The first shot almost
knocked him down, but after
several calming breaths he resumed firing and was happy to see at least
two outlaws fall.
weight, but he still continued to fire until the last round was spent.
As the weapon clicked omniously
from the empty chamber, Vin began to slide down the wall. He hadn’t
realized he’d hit the floor
until he began to tilt sideways.
descent. As he tried to get his breathing and the dizziness under control,
he noticed the stillness
below him.
attempted to lift himself up enough to look out the window. But before
he could begin his
task, the clinic door slammed open and six very furious men stalked
into the room. The bounty
hunter would have laughed at the situation if the faces of the gunslingers’
hadn’t been
one of mass rage.
your mind? Did those fellows knock a few screws loose in that brain
of yourn’?” Buck
Wilmington wasn’t one to keep his anger quiet.
“The Lord does watch over fools and little children.”
set in and adled Mr. Tanner’s cognitive process to the point of imaginary.”
Ezra, a man well
versed in masking his feelings, was allowing the full force of his
fury to encompass the
injured man.
when he felt himself sliding again. “I heard J.D. yelp and I thought
he was hurt, and so I figured if
I just helped out from up here, it would even the odds more.” Tanner
knew he was loosing ground
fast.
flying wood chips.” J.D. stepped from behind Wilmington and felt his
anger grow at the pitiful
sight before him. “Damn, Vin. Can’t you think of yourself for once?
What if you’d gotten hurt
more? How do you think that would have made us feel?” The teen respected
the tracker immensely,
but was mad that he would think so carelessly of himself.
Chris Larabee standing over him. He swallowed hard as he met the other’s
eyes. “Hey, Chris.”
with Tanner the gunslinger was going to have to use a different approach.
“You need a
hand?”
agreement. “Yeah, I could at that.”
he saw the fresh blood on the bandages around the other’s abdomen.
like that, cowboy, and the only thing you’ll be doing for a month is
watching us go by from a
chair. Do I make myself clear?” Vin stared at the determined look of
his best friend and then
glanced at the mirrored faces around him and sighed.
gasped as he was helped to the bed and reemed out by the healer for
his fool stunt. But none of
that mattered as the tracker began to drift into sleep. They were still
seven and Vin would give his
life a hundred times over to make sure it stayed that way.
