BY; Winnie
"I'm bout done in, Chris," Tanner said as he rode beside the older man. He could tell by the slouched shoulders that the blond gunslinger was just as tired as he was but the man would never readily admit it.
"We still have an hour or so of daylight, Vin, I figure we can cover a little more distance before we turn in for the night," Larabee told his best friend.
"I don't think my rear end'll last much longer, Pard," Tanner groused. Three days of steady riding had taken its toll on both men but the sharpshooter had finally voiced his weariness. They'd delivered the prisoner into the hands of the sheriff in the dirty little town and decided they didn't want to spend the night in the stink hole. Too many eyes were turned in their direction when they'd stopped in the dirty saloon for a drink.
"You getting too old, Tanner?"
"No, jest gettin tired and not too damn stubborn to admit it."
"Stubborn? Seems to me you were the one who didn't want to stay in town overnight. I could've had a great night sleep in a comfy bed instead of sleeping on the ground last night. Come on what's another hour of riding?"
"What's the hurry to get back to Four Corners, Chris?" Tanner asked with a slight smile. He knew the gunslinger was looking forward to seeing Billy Travis. He was always amazed at the difference in the blond's manner when the boy was in town. Chris showed a part of himself seldom seen, the part that would've made him a perfect father. 'What would ya be like if Adam were still alive, Pard. Would ya still have that lost look in yer eyes when ya thought no one was lookin'?' he thought sadly.
"I promised Billy I'd be there when he got back from visiting the Judge."
"Ya missed him didn't ya?"
Larabee turned and grinned at his friend, "Is it that obvious?"
"Reckon it is when you're in a hurry ta get back home. Seems ta me ya'd rather be out at yer shack."
Larabee reined in his horse and shook his head. "Guess a couple of hours won't make that much difference. Al right, Tanner, let's set up..." Chris turned in his saddle as a bullet tore into the rocks next to him. "Jesus!" he swore as he headed for the large boulders at the end of the narrow trail. He knew by the sound that Vin was following close behind him.
Tanner kept Peso at pace with Pony, the two horses almost in perfect symmetry with each other as their long legs covered the distance they needed to travel to safety. He knew there were at least two men firing on them and briefly wondered if they were after him or his best friend.
Chris felt Pony shudder as they reached the safety of the rocks. He knew the horse had been hit but prayed it wasn't bad. He dropped the reins, turning to cover his friend as the younger man made it to safety. He fired in the direction the bullets were coming from but was unable to get a clear shot. He watched as Tanner dismounted and grabbed the reins of both horses securing them to a branch so they couldn't run off.
"Can ya see where they are?"
"There's one on the right and another on the left," Larabee told him. "I can't get a clear shot on either one."
"Any idea who they are?" Tanner asked as he crouched behind a rock just in time as a bullet kicked up splinters of rock where his face had been moments before.
"Didn't get a real close look at them, Pard," Larabee grinned as adrenalin kicked in and he felt the thrill and excitement that came with this type of confrontation.
"Enjoyin' yerself, Larabee?" Tanner asked.
Larabee lifted his head and took a shot at the man on the right. "I'll let you know once it's over, Tanner," the blond answered, "Shit," the blond hissed as a bullet creased his left shoulder.
"How bad?" the tracker asked worriedly.
"Just a crease but it looks like they have the advantage of high ground. That one was awful close," Larabee fired another shot at the man on his right, just as a bullet kicked up dirt near the tracker's right leg. "Dammit we have to do something," the excitement diminishing now that he knew they were in real danger.
"Chris, I'm gonna see if I can circle around behind the one on the right. Think ya can keep me covered?"
"Be careful, Vin," Larabee hissed as the slight movement jarred his arm. He watched the tracker make his way to the right and turned his attention back to the men shooting at them. He fired quickly as a man moved on his right, swearing as the bullet went wide of its target.
The shadows had lengthened since they'd first been attacked and as dusk descended Larabee noticed movement to his left, near the edge of the trail. He lifted his pistol, fired a quick shot and smiled as he watched the man fly backwards. Chris had no time to think as shots were fired at him from both the left and right side of the narrow trail. "Fuck," he swore as another bullet landed next to him.
"Angered by the constant bombardment and the pain in his shoulder he moved to his right and took a shot at the man moving along the ledge. He grinned as the man cried out and fell to his knees. 'Too late, Vin, I already got him,' he thought as he turned to move along the trail. He stayed to the boulders just in case he'd only wounded the man on the left. Movement on his left caught his attention and he saw a blur of short red hair as he fired a quick shot. 'Must've been at least three. Where the hell are you, Vin,' he thought as he hurriedly shot the man a second time.
The air took on a deathly still quality as the man in black crouched behind a boulder waiting to see if there was any other movement. Nothing moved not even the trees or bushes surrounding him.
Chris slipped out from behind the rock and made his way down the trail, relieved when no more shots rang out. "Vin!" he shouted as he stood in the center of the trail. A sudden chill ran down his spine, as there was no answer forthcoming from the tracker. "Vin, dammit answer me!"
Larabee made his way to the right hurrying in the direction his friend was supposed to travel. He found one dead man and knew it was the one he'd shot. 'Where the hell are you, Pard?' he thought as he moved back to the horses.
"Easy, boys," he soothed the horses as he slipped past them and followed Tanner's boot prints in the dust. He stood perfectly still, his lean body shivering in spite of the heat as he saw where the boot prints leading to the right instead of to the left. "Please, God, No!" he prayed aloud as he hurried towards the spot where the man he'd shot disappeared over the edge.
It felt like it took forever for him to make his way to the spot. Daylight was rapidly leaving the area as he knelt at the edge, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. "Oh, Jesus! No!" he screamed as he saw the buckskin clad body lying in a heap at the bottom of the gorge. His mind replayed the shooting in slow motion and he finally grasped what he'd done. "Jesus, Vin," he cried as he stumbled over the edge and made his way to the bottom. "Don't be dead. Dear, God, don't let him be dead," he begged as he once again saw his bullet tear into the younger man. The fear made his heart beat at an alarming rate as he made it to the bottom.
Chris Larabee felt his soul torn from his body as he saw the pool of blood seeping from the wound in his friend's right side, "No!" he screamed as he sat back on his heels. "Godammit, you can't take him from me!" he screamed at the sky as he reached out and tentatively touched the tracker's chest. He breathed a sigh of relief as the chest rose beneath his hands. "Thank you," he whispered as he tore off a piece of his shirt and pressed it to the wound. He held it tight till the bleeding stopped and turned his attention to the rest of the body.
He slowly perused the body, noting the awkward way the right arm lay under the tracker. He gently took hold of the arm and pulled it from behind the injured man's back. He probed the limb from wrist to shoulder, swearing sharply as he felt the break just below the elbow. 'You did this to him, Larabee. You shot your best friend!' "Shut the fuck up," he swore aloud at his guilt-ridden subconscious.
He continued to check the body relieved when he could find nothing busted in his ribcage or his legs. "Jesus, Tanner, you're a fucking mess," he said as he noticed the blood covering the right half of the younger man's face.
"T...think I t...told ya t...that a f..few t...times."
Chris looked down at the younger man surprised to see the pain filled blue eyes open and focused on him. "How're you doing?" he asked.
"J...jest fuckin' great! W...what h...happened?"
'I shot you, Cowboy,' the gunslinger thought angrily as he started to clean the large gash over Tanner's right eye.
"Chris? W...what's w...wrong?" Tanner asked as he noted the blank look on his best friend's face.
"Nothing, Vin." 'Nothing that turning back the clock wouldn't fix,' he thought as he pressed the cloth to the head wound.
"Chris," the sharpshooter swallowed hard and gasped as the pain emanating from his side rose up to engulf him. "S...shit," he gasped as Chris turned him on his side in order to empty the contents of his stomach without choking on it.
Larabee eased the younger man back to the ground; worried about the amount of blood the sharpshooter had already lost. 'My fault, Vin, my fault you're hurt.' "No time for that, Larabee," he hissed.
"N...no time f...fer what?" Tanner asked weakly, his blue eyes a stark contrast to the pale skin of his face.
"No time to waste. I need to set your arm and check to see if my fucking bullet's still in you."
Larabee's voice was filled with a tortured sound that made the younger man cringe. He tried to speak again but found his mouth was suddenly as arid as the desert they were in. "C...ss," he tried but the sound barely made it past his lips. 'What do ya mean yer bullet?' he thought as he lost the battle with the call of darkness.
"I shot you, Vin," Larabee gasped as his own body trembled with the force of his emotions. "I shot my best friend. Stop it, Larabee. You need to get a fire started and set that arm. You got work to do before you even think about giving in to the fucking guilt," he thought as he left his friend to get the saddlebags and canteens from the horses.
The gunslinger hurried up the hill and ran to the horses. "Sorry, boys, I'll come fix you up as soon as I'm finished what I gotta do," he muttered as he ran back to the edge of the trail and slid down to the bottom.
He quickly gathered enough twigs and branches and started a small fire. The landscape moved in shadow as the flames leapt out and pushed back the darkness, bathing Larabee and Tanner in a tiny circle of light.
Larabee pushed the pain of guilt to the back of his mind as he slowly knelt beside the injured man. He reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a small-blackened pot. He poured water from his canteen into the pot and placed it near the fire to warm. He pulled out the small package Nathan insured they all carried. He knew the contents by heart and pulled out the bandages and the crushed herbs.
The gunslinger searched the area until he found two almost equal length sticks he could use for splints. He knelt beside the fallen man and reached his hand under his body. He lifted the body and gently probed for an exit wound. "God, I can't do this," he thought as his hands came away dry. 'How the fuck do I get you back to Nathan?' he thought as he pushed the self-recrimination aside for later.
He settled his friend back on the ground, swearing at his own stupidity for not bringing the bedrolls down with him. "Be right back, Vin," he said as he hurried to retrieve them. By the time he was half way back down the hill he heard the sound of retching and dropped his burden where he was. He rushed to his friend's side and made sure he was able to clear his throat. "Easy, Vin," he said as the younger man groaned and held his side.
"Jesus, C...Chris, w...what the h...hell hit me?" he asked as his arm, head, and side beat out a staccato rhythm of agony.
Larabee swallowed the guilt as he tried to help the sharpshooter. He held the canteen to the younger man's mouth and helped him drink a couple of mouthfuls. "Not too much, Pard, you've already been sick."
"Mouth tastes like I've had to mucha Nathan's horse piss."
"Not yet, Tanner, but it's coming," Larabee forced a weak smile to his face.
"Ah, hell, Larabee, yer all heart, why don't ya jest shoot me now?" the sharpshooter quipped, not realizing how much his words hurt the other man.
"Gotta set your arm, Vin," Larabee swallowed the lump in his throat. 'I already did, Tanner,' he thought as he removed the broken limb from the tracker's buckskin jacket and shirt.
"Reckon," the younger man hissed. "Best get it done then."
"Here," the gunslinger held his flask to the younger man's mouth and helped him drink some of the liquid fire. "You ready?" he asked as he placed the flask on the ground beside him. Tanner nodded and groaned as he set off the fireworks in his head once more. "Alright, on three," Larabee warned as he reached down and took the arm. "One," he could feel his friend tensing up as he waited for the second number which never came as Larabee snapped the bone in place, eliciting a long drawn out scream from the injured man. Tears came to his eyes as he put the long smooth branches in place and wrapped them in bandages to hold the arm in place. He noticed the glistening beads of sweat on the pale face and gently swiped the long hair away from his friends face. "Jesus, Vin, I'm so sorry," he said.
"Not yer fault, L...Larabee," Tanner groaned as he felt his arm placed on the ground.
'Yes it is, Vin,' he thought but wouldn't burden the younger man with his guilt. "Vin, I'm gonna get the bedrolls and place you on it so I can check the hole in your side. Try to stay still for a second, ok?"
"D...don't think I c...could m...move if'n I tried."
"Then don't try," Larabee ordered as he hurried back to the bedrolls. He felt the overwhelming guilt return as he tried to concentrate on the tasks at hand. He needed to be calm and in control of his emotions until he got the other man back to town and turned his care over to Nathan Jackson. "I'm back, Pard, I need to change the bandages on your side and head," he said as he poured some herbs into the hot water by the fire.
"Ya s...sure ya g...gotta do t...that?"
"Not much choice since I'm the only one around," Larabee told him as he spread out the bedroll and carefully placed the injured man on it, ignoring the muted cries of pain that escaped from the dry lips.
"Damn, guess I'm stuck with ya then," Tanner quipped, hoping to see a smile from his friend instead of the pained look he read in the green eyes. 'What aren't ya tellin' me, Cowboy? What's put that look in yer eyes?' he thought as he felt something wet placed against his head. He groaned as Larabee cleaned the cut above his eye and fought against the building nausea that threatened to engulf him once more.
"Easy, Vin, I got ya," Larabee muttered as he finished the wound on the sharpshooter's head.
"Easy, L...Larabee? Wasn't nothin' easy b...bout that."
"Guess not," the gunslinger said as he turned to the job he dreaded most. "Vin."
Tanner opened pain filled blue eyes and tried to speak. His strength was rapidly leaving him as he tried to focus on the blond face above him. The light from the small blaze cast shadows across the gunslinger's face, but Vin could tell there was something definitely wrong with the gunslinger. "Chris, ya alright?"
"I'm fine, Vin. I'm not the one who's hurt. Now just lie still and let me tend to you. I'm gonna take a look at your side now," Larabee informed the tracker as he began removing the younger man's buckskin jacket and shirt.
'Something's wrong with ya, Larabee and as soon as yer done I aim ta find out what it is,' Tanner gasped as Larabee plied the shirt from the wound in his side.
"S...sorry, Pard, I gotta lift you up a bit," the blond said as he gently pulled the tracker up against his own lean body. He tugged the remaining sleeve off the left arm and dropped the bloodied jacket and shirt beside the bedroll. 'Jesus, Vin, I'm sorry,' he thought as he placed the younger man back on the bedroll.
"C...cold," Tanner hissed as his body trembled violently.
"Shit, Vin, I gotta look at your side before I can cover you up. Just a few more minutes, Ok?"
"O...ok," Tanner's teeth chattered as the pain combined with the cold to make his life a living hell.
Larabee turned his attention to the bloodied hole in his friend's side, 'I did that to him,' he thought as he used some of the whiskey from his flask to clean the wound. "Easy, Vin," he said as Tanner's body jerked against the sharp burning sensation. "Almost done."
"J...Jesus, h...hurts, C...Chris."
"I know it does but I don't have much choice," Larabee said as he cleaned the wound. He breathed a sigh of relief as the younger man finally lost consciousness. He quickly finished cleaning the wound and wondered how he was going to get his friend back to the top of the gorge let alone back to town. He finished the task at hand and placed his own bedroll over his friend, hoping to ward off the chill before it took to firm a hold on his friend.
Larabee checked the pot of herbs and knew they were ready. Somehow he had to get Tanner to drink some of the tea but he didn't want to wake the man. He knew the danger of leaving a bullet inside a body but there was no choice. He had no idea how to remove it and was afraid of doing more harm than good. 'I'll see how things are in the morning,' he thought as he moved to tend the horses.
TBC