Chapter Two:

Twilight Manoeuvres

"I hope this ain't no wild goose chase." Buck grumbled as he rode alongside Vin and Chris.

It was close to midnight and the three men rode away from Four Corners when Nathan Jackson failed to return. Although reservation was some distance out of town, the ride back to Four Corners did not justify the healer's continued absence. It was seriously out of character for Nathan to go wandering off without telling anyone first. Since becoming the unofficial guardians of Four Corners, Chris was conscious of the fact that the seven men were targets for outlaws and bandits who might think the town was easy pickings. In the last year alone, there were many encounters with such men who did not forget easily. If Nathan had come across one of these men alone…

Chris did not like to think of the possibilities.

"It's only an hour's ride or more to the reservation." Chris replied. "He should have been back by now."

Because of the warm day, the night was quite pleasant. The day's heat could still be felt but the temperature was mild with a faint breeze sweeping across the plains.

"He may be off with a girl for all we know." Buck continued complaining. When Chris had told them, they were going in search of Nathan, Buck had been making good headway with a new saloon girl named Doreen.

"No that's you, Buck." Chris said shortly, knowing perfectly why Buck was so anxious to get back. "I'm sure the girl will wait." There was enough of an edge to his voice to tell Buck enough was enough. Chris was genuinely concerned about Nathan and until he saw the healer for himself, they would continue looking.

"You think he might be in trouble?" Buck inquired, realising that Chris's concerns about Nathan were nothing to laugh about. Chris had a keener sense of trouble than any man alive did and Buck had learnt throughout the years not to underestimate his instincts.

"Better safe than sorry." Chris replied, not prepared to voice the worst at the moment. He had a feeling that there was something wrong. Nathan rarely chose to stay away from town overnight. The black man had a strong sense of responsibility when it came to his healing abilities. He would not have simply taken off without telling anyone.

"Stop a minute." Vin remarked and pulled the reins to dismount his horse.

Normally Vin preferred to do his tracking during the day, where it was easier to read the signs in the light. However, he was a capable night tracker when it was required. The plains had offered little evidence of Nathan's presence but now that they were approaching a belt of trees, he wanted a closer examination. Chris and Buck held back as Vin stepped onto the ground and examined the terrain until the tree belt some yard away.

"Four may be five men on horseback." Vin suddenly announced. The markings on the grass and dirt were a language unto themselves for an experienced tracker. He studied the state of the marks before him and formed some other conclusions. "The tracks are pretty fresh. Last few hours I'd say."

"I didn't see anyone new coming into town." Chris stated. "Someone would only come this way if they're heading to town. There's nothing else in this direction other than Four Corners. Long way to come for not going into town."

"We don't know that for sure." Buck declared. Ever the optimist, he hated to think the worst in any situation until they had proof of it before their eyes. "I mean, there could be travellers passing through or something."

The possibility existed but somehow Chris could not abandon the instinct something bad had befallen Nathan Jackson. He lived his life playing hunches like this and that he was still alive was a testament to its accuracy.

"Or something is what I'm afraid of." He said before nudging his horse forward, leaving Buck and Vin to follow.


They found him a short time later.

Chris saw him first. His body was a dark silhouette on the ground, but Chris knew the moment they had entered the clearing that it was Nathan's form before them. He jumped off his horse and reached Nathan in two long strides. Buck and Vin were not far behind him.

"Nathan!" He called out.

There was no answer and that hollow feeling in Chris' gut constricted further. Chris dropped to his knees when he reached Nathan and immediately felt moisture underfoot. When it seeped through the fabric of his pants, did Chris realise that it was blood. It was almost a puddle underneath Nathan and Chris found himself staring at a hand that was almost drenched when he had touched the ground.

"Jesus." He managed to say and then turned to Nathan who was lying face down. Chris only had to pull him over to see the severity of his wounds. "Buck! Vin! Get over here now!"

Both men were at his side in minutes and the healer remained unconscious. Even in the dark light of the moon, they could see the entry point of several bullets across the man's chest.

"Is he still alive?" Buck demanded.

"Barely," Chris replied, feeling his neck for a pulse. When he did so, he noticed another wound across the man's throat and Nathan's breathing was ragged.

"We got to get him back to town." Chris said getting Vin's help to drag Nathan to his feet. The injured man showed no signs of movement and his body was a dead weight that only added to their fears.

"You've got the fastest horse, Chris."

"Right." Chris agreed. "I'll meet you boys back in town."

"You mean Eagle Bend." Buck reminded. "That's the nearest doctor."

"Eagle Bend's too far." Chris said savagely. "He won't make it."

They carried Nathan to Chris horse and draped him over the steed rear. It would not be an easy ride, but Chris could think of no other way to get Nathan to Four Corners any faster. He cursed himself for not having the foresight to come looking for the man sooner. As things stood, it was a minor miracle Nathan was not already dead. Chris had been unable to gauge the man's injuries closely, but he could tell the multiple bullet wounds were the cause of so much blood loss. The man was bleeding like a stuck pig.

"But you don't know if that gal's good enough to put Nathan together!" Buck insisted. He knew nothing of Alex Styles and liked it even less than he now had to entrust a friend to her ministrations.

"Get over it Buck." Vin snapped. "We don't have a lot of choice."

"I'll see you in town." Chris said shortly before he mounted his horse and dug his spurs into the animal, sending it bolting forward. Without further delay, both men and animal galloped into the dark towards town, racing against the clock that was ticking against Nathan's life.


Alex almost fell out of bed when she heard the pounding at her door.

For a moment, she sat up in the darkness, without any clue as to where she was. Realisation flooded back into her mind, as the noise seemed to grow in urgency and pitch. Swearing under her breath in a most un-lady like manner, Alex stumbled out of bed and blindly reached for the silk robe hanging off the edge of the bed. She swung the door open as she pulled the robe around herself, Alex found herself staring at one of the men she remembered seeing in front of the saloon earlier today. The expression on his face matched the black of his clothes and immediately put Alex on guard.

"What is it?"

"A man's been shot." He said abruptly. "He needs a doctor."

Upon hearing that, Alex was wide-awake. "Wait a minute." She said withdrawing into her room. "I'll get my bag."

Judging by the fact that this stranger had beaten down her door at this time of night told Alex how badly the man was injured. Knowing she would regret the haste later, she put on her slippers and grabbed her worn leather medical bag at the foot of the bed and emerged once more. What she was wearing was probably highly inappropriate for the occasion, but it was warm and covered all of her. It was a notch above being stark naked, but she had a sense that time was against her.

"Where is he?" She asked the man.

He said nothing in response but turned away from her and strode down the hallway, expecting her to follow. A few people had peered out of their rooms to investigate the commotion and Alex felt some embarrassment as she hurried after the stranger.

"How bad has he been shot?" Alex asked as they stepped out onto the night air. As the cold air nipped at her skin, she suddenly wished she had put on more clothes.

"Can't say," Chris answered tautly. "There's a lot of blood loss. I saw a wound on his throat and at least one at his chest."

Alex considered the information and then inquired. "How's he breathing?" She asked as they made a beeline for the saloon.

Chris was suddenly aware that her questions were for a reason and he took more careful note of his answers. "He's having trouble breathing." Chris answered after a moment. "It's pretty ragged."

"Okay." Alex nodded decisively. "After you take me to him, I need you to go to my room again and get a black trunk. All my surgical instruments are there. I can't say for certain, but it sounds like your friend might have respiratory trouble, which could mean a damaged lung."

"What else do you need?" He asked as they burst into the saloon that was empty except for the seven and Inez. Nathan was laid out on top of a table as Josiah held a bloodied cloth over the man's throat. He looked up at them with more fear in his eyes than Chris had ever seen in Josiah before. He and Nathan had been friends much longer than the seven had been together and the helplessness in his eyes was apparent.

Alex did not answer. Instead, she went directly to the injured man. The others in the room stepped aside as the young woman put her bag down and removed the bloodied cloth that Josiah had used to kerb Nathan's bleeding. Alex examined the injuries and knew instantly this man's life was hanging by a thread.

"Are there rooms here?" She asked no one in particular.

"Yes," Ezra replied quickly. "You can use my lodgings." He answered, concerned etched all over his face. Even though Ezra and Nathan had begun their relationship on the wrong foot, there was no doubt he now considered the healer one of his best friends and that no sacrifice was too great.

"Get him up there." Alex ordered a course of action already set before her. "I need lots of hot water." She looked to Inez. "Keep boiling it until I say otherwise. "

Inez nodded and hurried away to the kitchen while Josiah and Ezra lifted Nathan gently off the table and started up the stairs. Alex turned her attention to JD and Chris. "What are you waiting for?" She barked. "I need that trunk!"

"Yes ma'am." Chris replied and walked out the door with JD following close by.

When they were gone, Alex hurried up the stairs the men had disappeared with her patient. She found herself at the head of a narrow hallway. She assumed the man who had offered his lodgings was obviously situated at the end of the corridor. The other doors were locked shut and Alex assumed that saloon girls were conducting 'business' in those occupied rooms.

When she entered the room, the two men had already placed the injured man in the bed. The amount of blood on their clothes and on the crisp white sheets heightened her concern. He was losing too much blood and she didn't have a nurse to conduct a proper transfusion. She'd have to stop the bleeding first. If she didn't would not matter how well she put him together, he was still going to die.

Josiah and Ezra stepped aside and let the woman take charge of the situation. Both felt similarly helpless as Nathan continued to bleed before them.

"Can you help him?" Josiah asked, trying to understand how god could allow this to happen to Nathan of all people. Seeing his friend so close to death made him question his belief in the Maker.

"We need to get these clothes off him." Alex ignored the question asked but looked at them as she made the statement. She removed a pair of scissors from her bag and began snipping the clothes of Nathan's bloodied torso. As she cut strips away of soiled material, her breath caught seeing the extent of damage. Three bullets had penetrated his body. The most prolific of these wounds was to the man's chest. Judging by the location of the entry point, he was exceedingly lucky that the bullet had not penetrated his heart. Unfortunately, the near miss was only marginally better. Instead of hitting the heart, it had entered the patient's lungs.

"He's drowning in his own blood." She replied. "Where's that damn trunk!" She swore. She had to get into his chest and she had to do it now.

No sooner than she had uttered those words, Chris and JD arrived carrying the trunk.

"It's here." Chris replied, having heard her outburst.

They set it down at the foot of the bed and Alex hurried to it and unlocked the chest. Swinging it open, the men saw why she had needed the box so urgently. Inside was a wide array of surgical instruments, scalpels, tweezers and such, all gleaming under the light.

"Can you help him?" Josiah asked again, needing an answer.

"I don't know." She finally answered, appreciating their concern was deep and they needed to hear something positive. Except Alex did not want to lie to them. "His injuries are severe. I can't make you any promises."

"Who did this to him?" Josiah swore angrily.

"Someone ambushed him." Chris shook his head, wishing more than anything he could answer Josiah's question. The normally serene preacher was understandably angry. It was Nathan who brought the preacher to the family of the seven. Chris himself was similarly enraged but he was capable of controlling his emotions better. The images of Nathan's body in that puddle of blood stayed with him all through the hard ride back to Four Corners.

"Why?" Ezra asked. "Of any of us, why Mr Jackson? He was just a healer..." His voice trailed off as the gambler tried to understand the reasoning. At least if they understood, perhaps they could then do something to avenge Nathan, instead of sitting on their hands having to rely on this stranger to save one of their own.

"Look, you can debate this later." She interrupted. "Right now, I need to get this man's chest open and I'm going to need one of you to assist me." She looked at the four men in the room.

The boy positively turned ashen at the prospect of assisting in surgery and Alex decided then and there he would faint at the first sight of an open chest cavity. The older man was reluctant but not as shaken by the idea. She had a feeling he would have forced himself to help her even if the possibility terrified him.

The men exchanged glances with uncertainty. Alex did not blame them for viewing her request with trepidation. She had seen the bravest men shirk from the possibility of surgery. Assisting in the process seemed doubly terrifying. Nevertheless, no sooner than she had spoken, Chris stepped forward before she could say anything further. He was unprepared to let the others do anything he was not willing to do himself. Nathan was his friend and Chris was not about to let him die because he was feeling squeamish. "I'll do it." He said firmly.

"No," Alex shook her head. "You're not sterile." She saw his face hardened as he prepared to protest. "Look I'm sorry. You've been riding most of the night, you've got dust and dirt all through your clothes. I've got to open up his chest right now and you'd be more of a risk to him than you would be helping."

The man in black glared at her with penetrating eyes unaccustomed to being refused on many things. However, she also saw her patient meant a great deal to him and that meant his wounded ego would have to come second to what was necessary.

"I'll do it." Ezra said stepping forward. "I have been inside all day. I am not exactly fresh as a petunia, but I think I will suit your hygiene needs."

"Good." She nodded. "We don't have much time. Everybody else out, now." Taking a deep breath, she whispered under her breath. "I need to get to work."


It was the wait that Chris Larabee hated more than anything else.

His mind took him back to an earlier time when he was a different man. It was hot night like this one and he had promised her he would be home before the baby came. Of course, he was late. She was never angry, but he knew she was disappointed when he broke his promises. He broke his last promise to her the night he came home from Mexico and found her screaming his name, as the baby prepared to make its arrival. He remembered never being so scared in his entire life during those hours after he had summoned the doctor and was forced to wait outside while his son was being coaxed into the world.

Now, as he waited with Josiah and JD while Alex Styles and Ezra fought to save Nathan's life, Chris was reminded of that terrible memory. A bottle of whisky sat unopened in the middle of the table, while Inez hurried up and down the stairs with hot pitchers of water, to sterilise the instruments the doctor needed for surgery. An hour after they had been ushered out of the room upstairs, Buck and Vin made their arrival back to town.

"What's happening?" Buck demanded as soon as he had cleared the doors and seen them waiting.

"The doctor's with him." JD answered. "She's says he's hurt really bad."

Buck could well believe it. He saw the same thing Chris had seen and knew they could not have reached Nathan any later or else he would have died. It was a minor miracle that he had clung to life for so long. Perhaps healing so many had given Nathan the will to survive.

"We found Nathan's horse." Vin informed Chris as they joined the rest of the seven at the table. "Those tracks we found earlier were all over the place where we found him."

"I don't understand why." Buck said genuinely bewildered. "I mean Nathan's a healer for god sakes. Until he hooked up with us, he'd never crossed anyone."

"I found the empty shells." Vin said grimly. "Whoever shot him tried to empty every bullet in the chamber into him. They wanted him dead Chris."

Chris nodded, digesting the information. He could understand one or two bullets being wasted to dispatch a potential threat, if that was how the men who had shot Nathan perceived him. However, firing all bullets at a man indicated a more personal reason. It felt like vengeance, but Chris could not guess why. "We need to talk to Mary."

"Mary?" Josiah looked at him in puzzlement.

"She's known Nathan longest since he's been in town," Chris pointed out to the preacher. "If he made enemies here, she might know who they are."

"Where's Ezra?" Buck inquired, noticing that the gambler was not present at the table. His gaze shifted as he saw Inez coming down the stairs, looking exhausted. The sultry bartender had spent the last hour running up and down the stairs, providing the doctor with hot water to sterilise her instruments for surgery.

"He's up there with her." JD gestured to the top of the stairs. "She said she had to perform surgery on Nathan and she needed Ezra to help."

"What's happening Inez?" Chris looked at the woman as she came towards them.

"I did not get much of a look." Inez confessed running her hands through her dark hair while Buck rose to his feet and pulled a chair out for her. "Miss Styles would not let me get to close to Nathan. She said something about keeping the field sterile."

"She's got a real thing about that." JD replied. "Just like Nathan." He added remembering the healer's predilections. Suddenly, JD fell silent because Nathan was fighting for his life and the boy did not like facing the possibility that Nathan could die. He tried to imagine life in Four Corners without the sympathetic man who always had time to help everyone, no matter how dangerous the situation. It just did not sit well with JD that someone could act so cowardly and ambush a man who had saved so many of their lives.

"He ain't going to die." Buck said confidently. "If that pretty gal says she can put him back together again, I'm sure she will."

However, he did not seem as sure and didn't even make a snappy remark when Inez wrapped her arm around his and squeezed it tight. Buck saw she understood he was putting up a brave face because he simply had to hope for the best. Buck Wilmington was incapable of facing the worst.

"I'm going to talk to Mary." Chris rose to his feet, unable to stand sitting around anymore. He needed to act, and he needed to do it now.

"Chris, it's way after midnight." Vin called out as the leader of the seven strode towards the doors of the saloon.

"I know." He replied, having already taken the late hour into consideration. However, he knew Mary well enough to know she would resent not being told immediately. Nathan was her friend. She had once faced a group of homicidal drunks with a shotgun to save his life. No one who put themselves in the line of fire like that would do so unless they had a very good reason. Late hour or not, Mary would want to know about Nathan and Chris might be able to get the answers as to whom might have done this to him.


Ezra watched her work and could not help being impressed by her skills. There was no doubt or hesitation in her face, just the marked determination to get the job done and save a life. All other thoughts of propriety were brushed aside as she began to cut into the ruined flesh of Nathan Jackson. Until she had cleaned the blood off his body, with Ezra mutely holding a tray for the disposal of the bloodied scraps of clothing, he had not realised the extent of the damage. There were three bullet wounds across Nathan's body. There was a bullet wound in the throat, one a fraction off centre from his heart and another in his side.

Her concern was mostly centred on the bullet lodged in Nathan's lung. Ezra could well understand why. Even from his secondary position, he recognised the shallow breathing coming from Nathan; the breathing that was growing more laboured as time drifted past with uneasy pace.

"The wound in the throat is mostly superficial." She explained as she started cutting into the skin to remove the bullets in his torso. "If he lives, the worst it will cause is a temporary halt of his singing voice."

"He does not possess one worth the loss." Ezra joked; attempting to sound clever but the remark emerged as a quiet whisper.

Nevertheless, Alex threw him a bemused smile before turning back to her patient as she held back the torn tissue that had soaked the bullet in its folds. "Get that long nose clamp." She gestured towards the instrument, partially soaked in a tray of hot water, on top of the trunk. Ezra reached for the instrument and handed it to her, however Alex did not take it from him.

"Now, I need you to lean forward." She said looking at him intently. "Can you see it?" She nodded at the opening in Nathan's flesh that she was currently holding apart with what she called a rib spreader. Ezra strained forward and saw a glint of dark grey almost obscured by blood. It could hardly be recognised as a bullet but there was no doubt as to what it was.

"I see it." He said swallowing hard. Although Ezra did not want to appear squeamish, the sight of all that blood was disturbing him. Nevertheless, the gambler retained his composure in front of the lady.

"I have to keep the ribs apart so that we can get to the bullet." She explained hoping that he had the nerve to do what she was about to ask of him. Alex could see beads of sweat under his forehead that had nothing to do with the summer heat. Like most gunmen, he was only used to causing the wounds. She doubted if he had ever seen the consequences of a gunfight once the actual shooting was done. "I need you to reach in with those clamps and remove it."

His eyes flew to hers immediately. For a man accustomed to having most situations well in control, her request had almost reduced him to panic. His eyes darted from Nathan to Alex, as he struggled with the impulse to refuse. "Madam, perhaps that would be a task better suited for you..."

She cut him off before he could finish that sentence. "I'm holding him open, so the bullet can come out. This is not up for negotiation. The bullet has to be taken out now." Alex said firmly, emphasising in her tone the urgency of the situation. Ezra wanted to run out of the room and ever forget that he ever volunteered to help her, however, to do so would be to doom Nathan to death. He would deal with his apprehension later. Right now, Nathan needed him.

"Just reach in?" He looked at her anxiously.

"Yes." Alex nodded. She saw the stark terror in his eyes when she had made the request and admired him for being able to put aside those fears for the sake of his friend. Until now, she had not really paid him much concern because her attention had been focused on the patient; however, she was now glad that she had. Alex lingered on her observations for a second before returning to the matter at hand.

Ezra met her eyes once more and saw the young woman give him the go ahead to begin. Taking a deep breath, he reached into the narrow opening and tightened the clamp around the hard projectile. The bullet was slippery with blood and fluid. Somehow, Ezra managed to retain his grip and withdrew the clamp gently. The bullet remained trapped in place, gleaming with moisture. Ezra was transfixed by it for a moment, trying to associate this small projectile with the significant injuries it had inflicted on Nathan.

"Nicely done." Alex smiled. "You've got great hands."

"Well," Ezra shrugged as he dropped the bullet into a small steel receptacle. "I have been told that on occasion although I prefer to display my skills in more monetary pursuit."

"I look forward to seeing exactly what you mean by that," she winked before returning her attention to Nathan. There was still much to do, and time was not much more time than they had before.

While they entered the next phase of the procedure, Ezra could only remain in silent contemplation as to what she meant by that remark.


There was a time when it was unthinkable for him to appear at her doorstep at night but one of the first things Mary had done with the change in their relationship, was give him a set of keys to her house. Since they shared the same bed more than twice a week, it was necessary for Chris to make discreet exits in the early hours of the morning, since he was adamant about guarding her reputation. So far, his clandestine departures had gone largely unnoticed by Four Corners and until there was some formal declaration about their relationship, he wished it to remain that way. Mary's position in Four Corners relied upon her virtue as an upstanding, member of the community and Chris did not wish it sullied because of him.

It was dark in the Travis house which was hardly a surprise considering what time it was. When he was not with her, Mary was an earlier riser and that meant she went to bed at a reasonable hour. Considering what she took on each day, he supposed it was necessary for her to get her a rest. Under normal circumstances, Chris would not dream of waking her, but he did not relish facing her wrath if the news of Nathan's injuries were kept from her until morning.

It was never wise to provoke her temper.

Chris moved silently through the house and made his way upstairs, trying not to make a sound as he climbed up the stairs. The wood creaked underneath him but not enough to cause any concern. The hallway was dimly lit by the lamp on the wall, which Mary had taken to lighting in the event of his nocturnal visits. Her bedroom door was slightly ajar, and Chris entered the room to see her lying serenely among the crisp white sheets. He could hear her soft breathing and the iridescent glow of her skin under the moonlight.

Chris admired her sleeping shape for a moment, watching the luminescent skin rising and falling. Her gold hair was splayed around the pillow and although she was wearing a nightgown, the urge to slip into the covers with her was overwhelming. He leaned over and brushed his fingers against her cheek, savouring the silky texture against his palm.

Mary stirred slightly at his touch and her lashes fluttered as her hand reached for his. A slow smile stole across her face when she looked up at him.

"Hi." She said dreamily.

"Hello." He returned her gaze and leaned down to meet her rising lips. It was hardly a passionate kiss, but it was more than enough to completely lose himself in the power of her.

"Come to bed," she whispered invitingly, and Chris almost did before he remembered why he was here.

"Mary, I have some news." He said with enough of an edge in his voice to put Mary on guard. Immediately, the tender moment between them faded and she returned his stare, aware that something terrible had transpired.

"What is it?" She asked, starting to sit up.

"Nathan's been hurt." He said simply, ignoring the curvaceous outline of her body beneath the thin cotton of her dress.

"Hurt?" Her blue grey eyes widened. "How?" She gasped.

"All we know is men ambushed him on the way back from the reservation." Chris replied automatically and fast becoming weary of having to give that same answer repeatedly.

He saw her face cloud over with the same confusion that had gripped all of them when this information had been made known. She sat quietly for a moment, digesting the terrible news. "I'll get dressed." Mary pulled the covers aside and rose from the bed. Chris watched in silent appreciation as she padded to her wardrobe and let the nightdress fall from her shoulders. "How badly is Nathan injured?"

The image her alabaster skin was immediately driven away by the darker memory as how he had found Nathan Jackson flashed in his mind. Chris opted to give Mary a slightly more sanitised version of what he had seen. "He took a couple of bullets. The doctor is with him now."

Mary looked over her shoulder, blond hair swaying across her bare back like a shimmer of gold. "Doctor? What doctor?"

"She got in today." Chris answered, realising that Alexandra Styles would have seen little reason to report to the newspaperwoman when she had arrived.

"She?" Mary looked at him hard.

"Alex Styles." He reminded her so that Mary would realise that 'Alex' was not necessarily a male name.

The realisation that the doctor was female was not as much of a concern to Mary as how Chris knew her. Nevertheless, she would query the acquaintance some other time. "What does she say about Nathan?" Mary inquired as she covered her bare skin with layers of slips and undergarments.

"It's touch and go." He said grimly. "He lost a lot of blood Mary." His eyes involuntarily indicated to her that while they should hope for the best, the possibility of the worst had to be kept in mind as well.

"Who would do this?" She said she disappeared into the washroom attached to the bedroom. "Could it be some of the men you have encountered in the past year?" He heard her ask.

Chris shook his head in response. "Could be but I don't think so." He replied considering the question with deeper scrutiny. "They waited for him out of town, so someone knew he was going to the reservation today. They wanted to get him alone. I don't remember Nathan crossing anyone in the last year that they would come after him specifically. If anyone was a target, it should have been me."

"Now Chris," Mary appeared from the wash room, drying her skin with a small towel. Still clad in a slip and petticoat, she placed herself on his lap and slipped her arm around his neck. She knew where he was going even before he voiced it. "This is not your fault." She declared firmly, refusing to tolerate any guilt on his part. He already blamed himself for too many things in his life that went wrong, and she was not prepared to let him assume responsibility for another. "Nathan would have gone to the reservation even if the whole Confederate Army was coming after him. You had no reason to talk him out of going. Besides, I doubt if you could have anyway. Trust me, I know him longer than you do."

"You're pretty when you're bossy." He said with the barest hint of a smile.

Mary returned his smile and kissed him lightly on the nose before she got up to get dressed again. He was starting to take heed of her little snippets of advice, sometimes involuntarily. However, it was Mary's ability to make him feel light in the darkest moments of despair that was part of the reason why he was so in love with her.

"Anyway," she said slipping on a familiar apricot coloured dress with modest neckline, he had seen her wear when she was not required at the Clarion. "If what you say is true then who ever shot him was after him personally."

Her conclusion was one he had reached himself. "Yeah," he nodded. "So, would you know if he had enemies before the rest of us came to town?"

She considered the question thoughtfully as she braided her hair. "Before you arrived in town, Nathan was only healing. He did not do anything else. Most people were nervous about having a black man being the only doctor around, so he stayed pretty much out of sight."

"That's what I thought." He said unhappily. It was clear something was bothering him beyond the obvious.

"What is it?" She asked concerned.

"Can't say." He replied honestly. "But I hope it ain't just the beginning of something worse."


Two bullets were removed from Nathan Jackson's body and he was still breathing. As far as Alex was concerned, this was a good sign. She had been working solidly for almost two hours now, trying to repair the torn flesh the bullets had created so that her patient would have half a chance of surviving the next few hours.

Muscle and sinew were sewn together with catgut, allowing Nathan's damaged lung a decent chance of recovery. Statistically it was possible to survive with one lung. Alex did not want to discount in before every effort had been made to repair the damage. The bullet she had removed from his side had penetrated the liver but fortunately that organ was regenerative, so his own natural processes would soon take up whatever repairs she had made.

Her hands were covered in blood, cleaned only when she paused intermittently to soak her hands in pure alcohol, an action Ezra was familiar with. Dropping the last instrument into a bowl of hot water, cleaning the stains of the strong surgical steel. She wiped the sweat from her brow with her forearm and turned to Ezra. "I can do the rest on my own." She said breathlessly, obviously exhausted. "You can go if you like."

He was tired, and he did want to go but something would not let Ezra leave just like that. He had watched this woman do work that would make most men shudder, without reservation because it was her calling to do so. "I prefer to remain." He said sincerely. "What else is there to be done?".

"Now?" She glanced over her shoulder at Nathan. "Nothing really," she answered. "I'll need to bandage the wounds but that's all I can do. I've administered a morphine anaesthetic, so he'll be asleep for some time. He has lost a lot of blood, so I may have to enlist one of you to donate blood for a transfusion. However, he survived the surgery so that means he is strong and a fighter. A good combination."

"I can personally attest to both those qualities in Nathan." Ezra replied. "You'll have no shortage of benefactors for your transfusion."

"Good," Alex nodded with a smile.

"Miss Styles," Ezra added. "My friends and I had reason to doubt your skills when you first arrived. I for one do not have any further doubts as to your qualifications."

Alex was in the process of bandaging Nathan's wounds when she heard him say that. The woman paused for a moment and looked over her shoulder. "Thank you. I know it was hard coming to me for help."

"His life was all that mattered." Ezra glanced at Nathan who was oblivious to everything around him.

"You are all very close, aren't you?" She observed the camaraderie between the men ever since she arrived in town and later, when the man in black had come to her help. She guessed it was not easy for any of them to trust strangers but a deep fear for one of their own had forced them to put their faith in her. She felt privileged by that.

"Without becoming unnecessarily sentimental," Ezra tried to sound non-committal. "We are comrades in arms and perhaps brothers in our self - imposed exile."

"It's good to have friends." She agreed as she fastened a metal clip to hold the bandage in place around Nathan's throat. With that, she had done all that was possible for the healer. Now it would require something beyond what she had learnt in medical school. Nathan's face had taken on an expression of peaceful slumber and Alex hoped his dreams were pleasant. She replaced the linen around him with fresh sheets and bundled up the soiled ones to dispose. Finally, she pulled a blanket over him and stepped away.

"It's up to him now." She sighed washing her hands in the basin of hot water Inez had provided. She looked down at herself and saw that her clothes were stained with blood and would require laundering, if they were at all salvageable.

Ezra could see the shadow in her eyes and knew the minor miracle she performed tonight had taken its toll on her as well. At that moment, she looked a universe away from the beautiful woman who stepped off the stage this afternoon. With a sudden flash of insight, he looked at her and had to ask.

"Have you done this before?" It never occurred to him to ask until now. Earlier on, she had acted with such confidence that they had all believed she must have been a seasoned physician. However, now he was not so sure.

Alex met his gaze uncomfortably. "I have assisted in minor surgery before but no," she shook her head putting to rest that question. "I've never operated on my own before."

"You should have said something." He declared, remembering how terrified he had been to simply remove a bullet with a pair of clamps. He could not even begin to imagine how frightened she must have been to conduct the surgery all on her own for the first time.

"You didn't ask." She half smiled. "Besides, if I had said something, none of you would not have let me do my job and he would have died. Isn't that true?"

Remembering how Buck had behaved earlier that afternoon and Chris' startled discovery that their new doctor was a female, Ezra could not defend his friends by saying otherwise. "You are correct." He nodded. "We would have been blinded by our concerns for his wellbeing. I thought you were a doctor."

"I am a doctor being a lady doctor in this day and age is akin to practicing witchcraft to some people," Alex tried to explain as she began packing up. "It has been made clear that we are not wanted. I applied for a dozen position across Europe in the worst places and they still would not accept me because of my gender. I read somewhere that they were desperate in the American West for good physicians, so I took a gamble and came out here."

Ezra understood what it was like to be on the other end of a male dominated society. He had seen his mother battle it all her life. While she used schemes to succeed in her ambitions, Ezra knew if she had been a legitimate businesswoman, she would have been a tycoon by now. These days, things had improved considerably. However, progress still rarely allowed for the influx of women into professional fields to be treated indiscriminately. "You have my respect Miss Styles."

It suddenly occurred to Alex that she had no idea what this man's name was. "What do they call you anyway?"

Ezra smiled his most charming dimpled grin and replied gallantly. "I am Ezra Standish at your service."

"And him?" She glanced at Nathan.

"He is Nathan Jackson. Until you arrived, he was the local healer."

"Local healer?" She asked not understanding.

"During the War of the States, Nathan had been assigned to a northern hospital. He gained a considerable knowledge regarding the healing arts. In this locality, he's offered his services to mend broken bones, treat gunshot wounds and a small variety of ailments. It was his idea that Mrs Travis began a search for a qualified doctor. Apparently, Nathan did not feel he was qualified to do any more than that. Before your arrival, he was sending people to Eagle Bend if anything was beyond his ability."

"What happened to him?" Alex asked, wondering why a man liked this deserve to be shot so savagely. It sounded as if Nathan Jackson was a caring and responsible man who appeared to value the sanctity of life above all else, too much to end up in such a tragic state.

"All we know is that he was ambushed on his way from his monthly examination of the people at the near Indian reservation." Ezra answered, feeling his jaw tighten with anger at the person or persons who had taken part in such a cowardly attack. Now the immediate danger had passed, Ezra had time to feel the rage buried until now. Like the others, he wanted retribution.

"There was a lot of anger behind this. Anyone of those bullets could have been perceived as fatal. Whoever shot him wanted to leave nothing to chance." She pointed out.

Ezra nodded in agreement. His instincts warned him of something on the horizon. Nathan's attack seemed to be the opening act of drama that may have grave implications for the seven lawmen of Four Corners.

When Ezra and Alex finally made their appearance downstairs, everyone who mattered was present in the saloon, waiting for news regarding Nathan's condition. The moment they appeared, Josiah rose to his feet and quickly asked.

"How is he?" The preacher looked at Alex intently. Indeed, all eyes were turned to the young woman wearing nothing more than a robe stained with blood.

"If he survives the night, he'll have a good chance." Alex replied honestly.

She saw a wave of genuine relief move through the room like a ripple of water and realised Mr Jackson had a great many people who cared for him

Inez had taken to serving cups of coffee to those present. It gave her something to do while they waited. The room had been almost deathly silent in the hours before Ezra and the new doctor's reappearance. No one wanted to wish the worst but then again, what they saw of Nathan's condition, did not inspire hope. Josiah seemed to be the worse for it because Josiah's relationship with Nathan preceded the formation of the fellowship. Mary Travis was similarly concerned, Inez noticed. The pretty young widow spent most of her time next to Chris. No one made note of their intertwining fingers beneath the table.

"Would you like some coffee?" Inez inquired of the new arrival to Four Corners. Doctor Styles looked almost pale, which was saying quite a bit considering the dusky colour of her skin.

"No." She shook her head politely, but her eyes noticed the bottle of whisky in the middle of the table. Without saying anything else, she poured herself a glass on approach and down it with one sharp tilt of her head. The men looked at her with some surprise although Ezra, Mary and Inez noticed that she was shaking slightly. Once the amber liquid had disappeared down her throat, Alex looked up at the others. "I needed that."

Once she had composed herself, she spoke again. "Someone should stay with him." Alex replied. "I don't think that there will be any complications, but I need to get cleaned up." She gestured to her soiled clothes. "I'll try not to be too long, but he really should not be alone."

"I'll do it." Mary spoke up, rising from her chair. "Thank you, Doctor Styles."

"Call me Alex." Alex answered, unaccustomed to that title just yet. She had earned her diploma long ago but had seldom been called doctor by anyone, that it felt somewhat unsettling hearing it now.

"Can we see him ma'am?" Josiah inquired. His initial fears had dissolved somewhat because Josiah had faith in Nathan's ability to endure. He sensed the sincerity in the new doctor's diagnosis and took comfort that God was at least giving Nathan a fighting chance at survival.

"Of course." Alex nodded, admiring the concern they all shared. "However, he needs his rest so one or two at a time." In truth, Nathan Jackson would be oblivious to any visitation by his friends, but the gesture was more for their benefit that his own.

"Thank you, kindly ma'am." He said politely and then proceeded up the stairs without any further hesitation.

The grim atmosphere in the room had abated slightly now that they had some hopeful intelligence regarding Nathan's condition. However, the underlying anger remained concealed under the acknowledgment that their immediate crisis had passed. Chris surveyed the faces around him and saw that the weariness in all expressions. It was after all a few hours away from dawn and most of them had been awake all night.

"Ezra," Chris turned to the gambler who slipping on his coat. "Why don't you walk Doctor Styles back to the hotel?" They had things to discuss and as much as the woman had proven her ability, she was still a stranger and Chris was unwilling to make her privy to his plans to deal with this situation.

"That's not necessary," Alex started to say but he froze the protest with a cool stare. Somehow, Alex had the impression she would be escorted no matter what she thought.

"Yes, it is." Chris said hardly registering the protest and even if he did, he ignored it. "Ezra?" He met the gambler eyes that immediately discerned that was a motive behind the sudden gesture of chivalry to the lady.

"Mr Larabee has spoken." Ezra said understanding what Chris was alluding. "I would not bother arguing with him. I have found it to be a pointless exercise."

"Trust me," Mary remarked, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Mary more than any person in the room could understand what it was to be in Alex Style's position. The exasperation and frustration that Chris Larabee was capable of engendering was something she was completely familiar with. "I know."

Chris gave Mary a look before he returned his high-powered gaze back to Alex. "Thank you for what you did Dr Styles. We'll be sure to expect you back when you're ready."

"Well," Alex let out a sigh of weariness ignoring the almost obligatory response. "I had help." She glanced at Ezra. Despite herself, Alex could not shake the belief the imperceptible Mr Larabee was summarily dismissing her. Although, the idea raised her ire to no end, Alex was too tired to deal with it. The day had been exhausting as it was. Suddenly, she had a need for a bath and a good night's sleep but would settle for the first since she had a patient.

"Shall we?" Ezra gestured towards the door.


Once they were gone, Chris could talk freely. While he meant no disrespect to the new doctor, Chris was wary of anyone he did not know well. The people in the room shared more than friendship, they had seen out danger and other trials together. He knew without doubt that everyone presents shared the same commitment to each other as he did. By that same token, Chris knew each of them shared his outrage at this cowardly attack on Nathan Jackson.

"We can fill Ezra in when he gets back," Chris said opening the conversation; they were all waiting to here. Each one of the remaining seven were poised to act and they required only Chris' word to do so.

"Vin," Chris began after considering what course of action they ought to take. "You and I will ride out to the reserve at first light. I want to know if Chano or any his people saw anything that might help us. Whoever shot Nathan knew when he was leaving the reservation to ambush him further up the trail. They would have had to keeping lookout to know when he started riding back to town."

Vin seemed to agree with Chris' assessment, recalling what he observed from the tracks he'd been able to see. "I want to look at the place in daylight too, make sure I didn't miss anything in the dark. Maybe check out Purgatorio too."

The tracks he had seen headed away towards Four Corners but since they were working on the assumption that the men had not come here, there was little else in this direction other than Purgatory. Beyond that was too much of a gap to the next town for them to attempt the ride without a stopover for supplies. Not only was the collection of shantytowns the most uncivilised place in the territory but it was also the home to many murderers and cutthroats. There was no better hiding place for a group of murderers.

"Good idea." Chris nodded and saw Mary frowning slightly, a hint of worry in her eyes.

Mary had not sought to change him because Chris believed what he was excited her a little, but she was in the nature of things, a woman who felt things deeply and who had already lost one man to violence. It was understandable if she did not want the same thing to happen to him.

"Buck, JD." He looked to the two friends. There was a great deal of ground to cover and Chris had a feeling that time was not on their side. "I want you to talk to everyone in town. Go do the rounds of the other saloons in town to see if anyone knows anything about strangers asking after Nathan." Buck was always the best man to send out for such investigation. He had a naturally disarming manner that made people unafraid to talk to him.

"I'll get on it." Buck said nodding firmly, knowing the procedure well enough to have a few ideas of his own. "JD and I might also talk to the folks at the hotel and maybe look around the lodging houses to see if anyone new has come into town and laying low."

"Worth a try." Chris agreed. Personally, he did not think Nathan's attackers would be foolish enough to remain in Four Corners but then very little about this whole affair made any sense. It was wise to be thorough when so much about this situation was puzzling.

"I can wire the judge." Mary suggested, wanting to help in her own way. Nathan was one of her closest friends in Four Corners, she liked and respected the man who gave so much of himself. "I know it's unlikely to be a random attack but there might be someone out there we don't know about whom Nathan might have run into. Perhaps someone who did not want to be found."

"She's right." The bounty hunter stated. "We're assuming it was someone who had something against Nathan. Could be just he got in their way." It was not unheard of for such a thing to happen. There were so many outlaws running loose across the Territory and it was quite possible for an innocent bystander to become caught in their crossfire.

"Mary and I will take turns looking after Nathan." Inez offered. "I'm here more than you are Mary. It would be easier for me to look in on Nathan while I'm working. Besides, it's usually quiet during the day."

In retrospect, Mary could not deny her friend's words. She had a paper to run and Inez was correct about being in closer proximity to Nathan since it was unlikely that he could be moved from his room for some time. "Thank you. I'll take over in the evenings."

"Uh Chris," JD suddenly spoke up as a thought occurred to him. The young men rarely offered an opinion, preferring to allude to the wisdom of his older companions. However, he was forced to speak because as of yet no one else had considered the notion. "What if they come back?"

Everyone stopped talking.

"Come back?" Mary exclaimed having none of the restraint possessed by the men in the room. "Why would they come back?" However, judging by the look on Chris and the others, it appeared that even though they had not considered the possibility before, it now left a feeling of unease in its wake. JD had brought up a very valid point.

"They were damn sure trying to kill Nathan." Buck retorted, remembering the blood he had seen in the dark sand. His stomach hollowed at the sight of the puddle when he realised the blood belonged to Nathan. "If word gets out they didn't finish the job, they may come back to do it right."

"I'll stay behind with Ezra." Josiah announced his return to the table as he walked down the stairs. "We'll make sure nobody gets near Nathan unless they want a priestly send off to God." The hard edge to Josiah's normally soothing voice was enough to send a shiver of ice through most of them. Josiah was always the level-headed preacher who never had an ill word for anyone no matter how much they might deserve one. Seeing him so determined, unsettled everyone including Chris, who was normally unperturbed by anything.

"Alright then," Chris decided that it was time for them to turn in on that note. "Let's rest up," he said rising to his feet. "It will be light in a few hours and we've all got jobs to do."

There was a hunt to begin.


"So, do you have family anywhere?" Alex heard Ezra ask as they started walking back to the hotel. She was still somewhat disgruntled about the abrupt way she was ushered out of the saloon. While she did not expect them to fall over her in gratitude, it stung somewhat that she was so easily discarded once her usefulness to them had ended.

"Family? No. My father died about a year ago and my mother when I was a child."

Truth be told, there were relations on her father's side of the family, but they were so scandalised by William Styles' decision to marry a local in India, they'd cut all times and Alex grew up never knowing them. In truth, Alex didn't mind. Her mother's people were also gone and being alone had allowed her to take charge of her destiny.

"What about you? Do you have family here?"

"Only my mother." Ezra said quickly. "And she stays away long enough to suit us both."

"There sounds like a story behind that," Alex laughed. "So, what do you do in Four Corners?" Outwardly, Ezra Standish looked no different from any European gamblers she had seen abroad, who moved from one place to another in search of the best stakes.

"Little as possible," he remarked and was pleased when she uttered a soft laugh. "Actually, I own the saloon." Really, he shared ownership with his mother but there was no reason to offer this beautiful woman that much detail into his business affairs. "It's just a little distraction during my stay in this fair municipality."

She liked the way he spoke. "You remind me of an English professor I used to have."

During the surgery, there had been little opportunity to study him personally beyond the need to decide if he was capable of helping her during the operation.

He was very handsome. That much could not be denied. Without even having to know it for certain, Alex was certain that boyish smile saved him from numerous untenable situations. There were not many men she encountered who was able to wear that roguish charm while possessing the visage of the perfect gentlemen. This was the kind of man that could drive the woman he loved him to distraction, even if she savoured every illicit moment of her journey there.

If one could overlook the flaws hidden by that charming exterior, that is.

"The joys of private school." Ezra shrugged, unable to decide whether he ought to smother her in usual charming manner towards the ladies or to try a more genuine approach. Instinct told Ezra to attempt the later. For some reason, he had a feeling Alex Styles would be able to see through him if he tried something as clumsy as that. Ezra had no wish to present any façades to a woman with such a sharp intellect. Despite himself, he had a weakness for strong women, a residual effect of being raised by an equally strong mother, who had taken a man's game and turned it into an art.

"I remember." Alex said understanding all too well. "My poor father had decided when I turned thirteen it was time I became a proper young lady. This was after spending the first thirteen years scrambling across the world with him. I lasted about a year and half before the mistress wrote him with a polite but firm request to take me away."

Ezra tried to imagine this elegant woman as a scrappy tomboy and could not picture it. "Well I was not so extreme," Ezra answered after a moment. "I just kept writing these letters to my mother, informing her I was going to take up the priesthood. She was so horrified by the prospect of a son of hers becoming a man of the cloth that she arrived to withdraw me from school within the month."

"I had to convince him not to send me to a nunnery. I don't think I ever saw my father so angry with me."

"I am glad that you were spared that fate," he said gallantly. "I for one would think it a terrible misfortune to men everywhere."

"Why Mr Standish," she said as they reached the doors to the hotel. "Are you trying to charm me?" There was a hint of teasing in her voice.

"Certainly not," he answered, with a look of mock hurt. "After everything we've been through?"

On that note, she sobered remembering that he had been through something of an ordeal. "I could not have done it without you Mr Standish." She said honestly. "It was hard enough for me, I could not imagine what it was like for you."

"He's my friend." Ezra replied without hesitation or thought. "I could not let him die when it was in my power to help him."

"Under the circumstances, you acted admirably." Alex commended. "I've seen men faint at the sight of all that blood."

"How do you cope?" He asked, genuinely curious. It seemed like such a terrible vocation for such refined woman. "It cannot be any less daunting for you."

"My father gave me a piece of advice once." She said softly, remembering the old man with a pang of grief that still felt raw after a year. "He said the flesh is like sculptor's clay and when the pieces are broken, it's best to treat it as such."

"Does it work?" He looked at her sceptically.

"Not one bit." She retorted. "But the memory of my father does." With that, she took a step towards the open doors of the hotel. "Goodnight Mr Standish."

Ezra tipped his hat slightly. "Goodnight Ms Styles."

She looked up at him as the moonlight danced off her skin and offered him a dazzling smile. "Call me Alex."

Ezra found himself smiling. "I would be honoured to, Alex."

She disappeared into the building, leaving him standing on the walkway, staring after her.