Emma squeezed the water out of the rag and placed it on Buck's forehead. Lou stared at her friend, there was so much blood and the bruises were showing on his chest and abdomen. Anger filled Lou's heart but she kept the words to herself as Buck started to stir. A quiet moan escaping his lips. Ike stood from the table and hurried to his brother's side grabbing his hand and willing him to open his eyes.

"Come on Buck open your eyes" Lou insisted quietly voicing what the others were hoping.

An angelic voice floated above him and he could feel the coolness of the rag on his forehead. He heard the footsteps and felt the bed move as someone sat down beside him. His eyes were heavy as he tried to open them. Blinking to focus his eyes in the dim lantern light, he saw his brother smile at him with moist eyes. Lou exhaled the breath she had been holding and Emma taped up the last of the bandages on his chest. She looked at him with a smile.

"Lou, get him some water" She said.

Lou hurried to the table and retrieved the cup of water that Teaspoon was pouring. Ike helped Buck sit up to sip the water. The water felt good on his parched tongue. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realized he was home and safe. He saw the worry on the faces of the people around him. Ike plopped the pillow up and helped him get comfortable. "Thanks Ike" he said and watched as those simple words put a smile on his brother's face.

Teaspoon walked toward the bed and asked "You feel like tellin' us what happened? Sam was here earlier and said some men thought you were stealin' a horse."

Buck swallowed and shook his head " They stole my horse.. " He corrected trying to catch his breath. "At the… Rock Creek … Station. They stole mine and.." Buck stopped and raised a hand to his pounding head.

Emma stopped the interrogation by saying "Ok Buck you just rest. You can tell us what happened tomorrow."

The bunkhouse settled down as everyone prepared for bed. Buck lay on his bunk listening for horses in the distance. He knew they would come back. He closed his eyes and tried to find sleep but it seemed to evade him. His ribs still ached and his head was pounding like a ceremonial drum. He took as deep of a breath as he could without his ribs hurting and tried to calm his mind. His mind and body needed sleep. He could feel his body relax as sleep finally overcame him.

He was lying on the ground, surrounded by dust and screaming voices. He felt the boots as they kicked and stomped his body. He tried to catch his breath. He couldn't get up. He couldn't reach his gun. The blood in his mouth made him nauseous. He had to get up, He had to run. He stumbled to his feet and pushed one aggressor to the ground but was tackled from behind. Arms held him down. He couldn't move. He couldn't breath.

Buck woke up in the arms of the nightmare, his body beaded with sweat and tangled in the blanket. He panted for air as his lungs seemed to be the size of a pea. He sat up and ran his shaking hands over his face. He looked around the bunkhouse and everyone else was asleep as he stood and limped to the bunkhouse door. He stepped quietly onto the porch and inhaled the cool night air. He heard the slight footsteps behind him and knew who it was without looking. He smiled and said "Go back to bed Ike, I'm fine."

Ike shook his head and signed to his brother. "You are not fine. You had a nightmare. You wanna talk about what happened?"
Buck looked at the one person he could always count on to understand him. "I just need some air. It was like I couldn't breath." He shivered as he remembered the feeling of being held down and defenseless. Ike placed a caring hand on his brother's shoulder. Buck saw the concern in his friends eyes.

"I should have just come back here instead of trying to deal with it." Taking a deep breath made his ribs hurt.

"Come on Ike, Let's get back inside." Buck said as he rubbed his hands together trying to warm them.

Buck stopped just before entering the bunkhouse. Something didn't feel right. Ike saw the concern on his face. Buck turned toward the barn and listened to the sounds of the night. There it was again, the sound that didn't belong. He reached for the gun that wasn't there and panicked when he realized his gun was in the bunkhouse. He stared at the barn watching for movement. He was aware of the shadow that stood just beyond the back corner of the barn. He was also aware of the butt of the gun being placed into his hand. He pointed a finger toward the right side of the barn; Ike nodded and silently slipped back into the bunkhouse. Buck listened for the back door to open, and then slowly walked off the porch in the direction of the shadow that was slowly moving away.