Tim isn't sure what woke him, perhaps just the feel of something being wrong. He glances across at Raylan, the room is gloomy, it's the early hours of the morning. Something just ain't right.

Tim puts his hand on Raylan's, it's hot and dry to the touch, "Raylan?" he whispers, no answer and Tim reaches for the alarm bell. Every second may count because Raylan is getting sicker.

The crash team arrive at the gallop, and Tim moves aside to let them work, as Rachel wakes up.

It's worse this time. Raylan hardly seems to recognize them, although he reaches for Tim's hand. They promise to keep out of the medics' way, but they need to stay close.

It really isn't looking good. Raylan's temperature has risen and there's no sign of his fever breaking. He's weakened and breathing heavily, he doesn't even seem to recognize Tim now, but Tim still holds his hand, stroking his fingers, feeling the familiar weight of Raylan's horseshoe ring, as much part of who Raylan is as his hat and boots.

Rachel slips out of the room. She really needs to call Art. It's bad, it might get worse, but she still fights that battle with herself. What she is really saying, if she calls Art, is that they need to let go, and Rachel doesn't want that on her conscience. Saying it is like wishing it on him. She can't think past that to a sadder and darker place, because she knows it would be sadder and darker without Raylan.

She stands in the doorway, the lights are fairly dim, but they don't need to be brightly shining for the medical people to do their work. She realises that Boyd is awake, and he's watching. Watching them fight for Raylan's life. She sees the pain on his face, the tears that run slowly down his cheeks, knows that he's a sneaky, manipulative, murderous, treacherous son of a bitch. But the tears this night are for something that might have been or maybe never could.

Boyd Crowder, criminal, crying for Raylan Givens, marshal, because whatever separates them holds them together too, that and a mine, and two teenage boys.

She makes the call, because to deny Raylan the comfort of his oldest friend from outside of his Harlan childhood would be too cruel. She can hear the dread in Art's voice, she gives him the bald facts, Raylan is sick, and Art should come. More than that she cannot say.

It's a long night. Art arrives, they are still working on Raylan, upping his doses of anti-biotics and painkillers, using icepacks to bring his body temperature down, whatever he has succumbed to is knocking him out fast.

But Raylan Givens is the most stubborn man in Art Mullen's known universe. And the most bull-headed. He fights, as Art knew he would. At first light Tim is still holding Raylan's hand, he's exhausted, he's held on all night through Raylan's crisis but the joy on his face when Raylan's hand finally squeezes his hand in response is a sight to behold.

Art smiles then. Even though he knows that Raylan is not out of the woods, that he won't be leaving hospital for some time, he's closer to being on the mend than he was even a couple of hours ago.

Tim's back on the cot, he can hardly keep his eyes open, and Raylan is still holding his hand, which is presumably a manifestation of Raylan's bone-deep stubbornness. And presumably Raylan's link to the human world. Art's not superstitious, but he is a man of faith, if that's what it takes to drag Raylan back to the real world, it's fine by him.

He's pretty certain that Raylan and Tim have got some serious talking to do some time soon, but until then the physical link will have to do. Art just hopes that this means that he gets to keep both of them, rather than the less than satisfactory alternative.

Raylan sleeps most of the day, and Tim keeps watch, in truth he sleeps nearly as much as Raylan, worn out by the night's events and the tensions that are still hanging around him from the shooting. He's never felt quite like this before. He knows he did his job, and that's normally enough but it's a shock to find that his emotions are more engaged on this one.

Boyd watches them both. In some strange way it does his heart good to see the honest affection between the two men. Whatever it might mean in terms of relationships, Boyd is grateful that Raylan has someone in his life who won't disappoint him, who will be there for him and take his back when he needs it. Boyd no longer has that right. He's too far down another road, and he and Raylan might be enemies now, even though he's learned to regret that. But it's too late to change that course.

Ava walks in. It should be awkward Raylan and Boyd in the same hospital room, but she's more concerned with half the Marshals' office being present. She came by the night before, but the room was full of Marshals and she left. It's afternoon, the lights are off, and they've opened all the doors and the windows that do, trying to cool the place down a little from the summer sun. She walks up to Boyd's bed, and his good hand reaches out to her, despite the drips attached to it, and the monitoring equipment she takes his hand in hers. Focused on Boyd, and she feels something like love welling up in her.

Love for a Crowder.

She reaches out a foot, and hooks it around the visitor's chair. Sits down. All without letting go of Boyd's hand. The wonder she feels at this new facet to their relationship. The one where she really loves him. She wonders how that happened.

Boyd doesn't want to talk, he just wants to lie there and revel in Ava's presence. He can feel her heart reaching out to his, and he wants to hold that jealously to himself for now.

He glances across at Raylan, and Raylan's protective shadow. The injured marshal is breathing a little easier now, but he still looks pale and very tired. Gutterson is dozing, he had a stressful night himself, but Boyd has no doubt he would leap into action to protect Raylan if needed.

Ava glances across to Raylan and his friend. It seems strange to see Raylan laid up in here. She knows she will never forget what he did to save Boyd. Can't keep a secret in Harlan. She's tempted to go over and tell him that, but he looks so tired and wiped out that she doesn't. Besides, she's not leaving Boyd.

Raylan can sense her, and Boyd, but he's too tired to do anything. Tim's there and he can deal with everything else in the morning. He opens his eyes to check on his friend, it was confused last night, but Raylan has a very strong feeling that one person kept him grounded through his pain and delirium, and he has an even stronger suspicion who it was. That's a new thought, one that Raylan is curious to find he is receptive to.