He was tempting fate. To the very core of his soul, he knew it was true. The moment the thought crossed his mind that this was the best day they'd had in what felt like forever, Chris new he'd just invited some kind of trouble into town.

He swung his feet up to the railing that framed the deck around the saloon, and tilted the chair back, balancing precariously. He chortled lightly at his thoughts. Superstitious nonsense. Far more in fitting with Josiah's belief in the omens, or Ezra's adherence to his gambling rituals. One stray thought did not bring about the end of what passed for civilization in these parts.

He watched as Nathan rode slowly into town. He'd spent the night at a nearby farm after an accident had injured one of the kids. Nothing to serious, but Nathan being Nathan, he'd stayed to keep watch. The man looked exhausted, which wasn't surprising. With Vin and Buck still out of town, they'd all been pulling extra duty. The healer had insisted he was capable of doing some patrol work, but that was vetoed. It was enough that he was minding Ezra while still helping to keep watch around town and tending to anyone else who needed aid; it would be foolish to have him out riding when Josiah and JD could help with that.

Chris was hoping he was right in figuring Buck and Vin would be back today. He doubted the Friesen family would want the outsiders staying around too long, however helpful they might be. He just hoped that the past few days of penance was having a good affect on Buck. It wasn't going to be enough, but with any luck it would help him at least start to ease up on himself. And if the time the two men had spent together helped heal some of that conflict as well, so much the better.

"Every ok out at the Daniels place?"

Nathan redirected his path over to the saloon. "Yeah. Toby will be fine. Sore for a few days, but it might teach him that climbing trees to find apples needs to be left to the older kids."

"Don't bet on it." He looked at the obvious exhaustion on the man's face. "Go get some shut-eye Nathan. JD's with Ezra. He's doing fine. Slept the whole night without waking once."

"And you know that because you stayed with him? You're the one should be sleeping."

"I got a few hours in this morning. When the guys get back we can all start getting back to normal."

The skeptical look Nathan gave him didn't have a chance to be followed by any comment as voices from in the saloon got louder quickly. Reluctantly Chris got to his feet as Nathan dismounted and quickly tied his horse to the post. They were about to enter when the doors swung wildly as a figure stumbled out of control through them, falling into the street. He was on his feet quickly, just in time to be standing when his apparent attacker charged out, leaping on him with fists flying. They rolled in the dirt as a small but enthusiastic crowd began to form, more or less divided in who they were supporting.

Once he got a look at the faces, he didn't need to ask any questions to confirm his suspicion. It wasn't the first time these two idiots had been fighting over a card game. They were regulars at the jail, although usually on a Saturday night, not in the middle of a weekday. Chris's inclination was to let the two of them exhaust each other, then throw the pair into separate cells to let them cool off, while using whatever money was left on the table to pay for damages. Same as he'd done last time.

That inclination changed in a heartbeat when one of the men reached for a gun. Well before it cleared the holster Chris had fired off a warning shot that had everyone frozen in place.

"Honest Mr. Larabee. I wasn't gonna shoot him. Just defending myself is all. Clint is faster than me, so I had to draw first."

"Shut up Dwayne. Don't you two ever get tired of being this stupid?"

He waved with his gun to point them in the direction of the jail and was surprised to see JD rushing down the street toward them, slowing as he realized what was going on.

"Aw hell. I was hopin' this was something interesting. Been too quiet around here lately."

Chris stared at him in disbelief. "Everything that has happened in the past week, and you say it's too quiet. What the hell do you want JD? Maybe a stampede through town with some outlaw gang following behind?"

Looking only mildly abashed, JD toed at the dirt. "Well, maybe not that much. But you gotta admit, things are mighty slow in the last couple of days."

"And you see that as bad thing? JD, you have got to get your priorities straightened out."

Nathan glanced toward the church. "Speaking of priorities, aren't you supposed to be sitting with Ezra?"

"He's asleep. That's all he seems to do. Even when he's awake, he ain't talking like he used to. Just lays there quiet as a –" he caught himself before finishing the thought with 'corpse' as intended.

"He needs to rest JD. And I'm the one telling him not to talk so that his jaw heals up right."

The crowd began to disperse, realizing the excitement was over for the moment and there was nothing more to see. The lawmen began walking their newest prisoners to the jail, ignoring the mumbled pleas of innocence that were being muttered.

"Not like Ezra to stay quiet, no matter what orders you give him."

Nathan smiled wryly. "No pleasing you, is there Chris? You complain when he talks, now you're complaining when he doesn't."

Chris was quiet for the remainder of the walk, speaking again only after the men were locked up and the trio had stepped outside again. "It's more than just being quiet Nathan. His whole style is off."

"Well, let's see. Run out of town, beaten and left for dead, busted up six ways from Sunday and hurting like the dickens. Yeah, I can see where that might put a hitch in his style."

"No, that's not it. He's – I don't know – unsettled? Defeated?"

Nathan had to concede he had noticed it too. The defiance, the overconfidence, the spirit, seemed to have been beaten out of him as well. Even as he was beginning to regain his strength, there was no sign the attitude was returning. And while Nathan might have been expected to think that was a change for the better, the truth was he was almost as disturbed by it as Chris seemed to be.

"Ah, he'll come around." There was that eternal Dunne optimism again. "Just needs a bit more time to see that things are back to the way they were. What might help is getting him out of that church and into the clinic."

"What about it Nathan? We've all been asking about when we could get him outta there."

Nathan nodded. "Way he's healed up over the last few days it could be we can do that later today."

They opened the door and walked in, Chris in the lead. The others almost slammed into him when he stopped short. "Son of a bitch. He's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone. He was asleep when I left." JD ran forward, refusing to believe what had been said. "Think someone came for him? Would Clarice – Anna – whatever, would she have done that?"

Chris shook his head. "She doesn't strike me as being stupid enough to come back to town for that, knowing what would be waiting for her." He turned. "He strong enough to be moving on his own?"

Nathan was muttering to himself about stupid, stubborn southerners, so it took him a moment to respond.

"Maybe – barely. Doesn't mean he should be. Gonna rip open some of those cuts again."

JD headed toward the side door. "Maybe he just needed to – well, you know."

"Got a pot under the bed for that." The others followed him to the door and stepped out back.

"Damnit!" Nathan charged forward to where Ezra lay sprawled on the ground, the blanket he had wrapped himself in only partially covering him now. Rolling him slowly and carefully, he was rewarded with a flailing of weak hands try to swat him away."

"Leave me alone. I am fine."

"Yeah, you look just dandy." Chris knelt next to him. "Where the hell do you think you're going Standish?"

"If you ripped up all the work I did I've got half a mind to just let you bleed, you damned fool."

Ezra went still again, closing his eyes and cursing to himself over yet another failure. All he wanted to do was get out of here. He thought he felt well enough to ride out, to go somewhere else to rest and recover. Somewhere that he was wanted. He'd barely made it 20 feet from the building before the earth spun out around him and he landed unceremoniously on his face. Even when he was trying to do as he'd been told, he couldn't get it right.

Chris watched as emotions played across the gambler's normally unrevealing face. Something was troubling him, and it was looking like it was a good deal more than simply the trauma of his beating. He didn't know what he could say or do to break through the uncharacteristically stoic silence, but he had a feeling there was one thing that might help.

"We're gonna get you back to bed Ezra, but not the church. Think you've had enough of that. You need yourself a proper bed."

Nathan wasn't keen on trying to get him up the narrow steps to the clinic after this, but he agreed it would be an improvement. If for no other reason than easer access to his supplies, limited as they were. "Gonna be tricky getting him up the steps."

"Too your place – yes. To his room, not so much."

"No. Too far. And he needs to be patched up."

"You indicated you had no intention of addressing my injuries Mr. Jackson."

It should have been a defiant comment, but the tone was pure dejection. Nathan looked down, then over to Chris, raising an eyebrow in question. Chris merely nodded his agreement with the unspoken thought – Ezra's physical problems were quickly becoming the least of their concerns.

"OK, slow and easy. You take one side and I'll get on the other. Wish Josiah was back. We could use another hand. JD, go ahead and make sure his bed is ready. Then get your butt back to the clinic and get me my kit so I can put him back together."

"Hey Ezra – you're going home. Back to your place. Ain't that great?"

As JD took off like a bolt, Chris headed back into the church. It took him only a moment to find Josiah's sarape and he grabbed it and headed back out. Moving Ezra without causing any more harm was going to be more of a challenge than it seemed.

With Nathan concentrating on how to make the move with as little additional damage as possible, it fell to Chris to try to keep Ezra distracted, starting with the difficult task of getting the wrap on him to provide a bit more coverage for the trip through town. "You got a lot more bulk to you than it looks. For someone who never lifts a finger unless it's to shuffle, you got a lot of muscle on you."

After laying Ezra's arm over Chris's shoulder, Nathan positioned himself to be able to wrap his arm around Ezra's waist and support the more seriously injured arm to keep it as still as possible. It was almost impossible to find a way to hold him up that didn't put strain on some injury, but throughout the efforts Ezra remained silent.

"Okay Ez. You ready to move?" There was the faintest hint of a nod as a response, but both men could see he was clenching his jaw, which had to be making things even worse. The pain lines around his eyes had deepened and sweat glistened on his face. Nathan came within a hair's breadth of calling the whole thing off, but the determined look on Chris's face made him realize that would be a waste of breath.

"We're going nice and slow, and you don't do anything. We are moving you. Understand?" Another small nod.

Against his better judgement, Nathan took the first step forward. They made it to the front of the church before Ezra finally let out a small gasp. He tried to choke it off in what he knew was a futile hope that the others wouldn't notice. Closing his eyes, he waited to hear the inevitable chastisements that would follow. He didn't see the look that passed between the two men, or the tilt of Chris's head that signalled they were to continue. Progress was agonizingly slow as they made there way past the livery and onto the street.

The busy midday activity ground to a halt as the sight of the procession stunned the townsfolk. Despite the story that had circulated, none had been able to comprehend just how badly injured Ezra had been. Seeing him being carried, clearly still in distress, left them all thunderstruck, and no doubt silenced many of the remaining critics. When a few indicated an intention to come to assist, Chris waved them off. He knew as difficult as this was for Ezra, it would be worse if he felt he had become the object of the pity of others. He'd been wounded enough without having his pride take another hit.

Mary stood almost paralyzed in her spot in front of the Clarion office, watching the men slowly make there way past the bank, the undertaker and the other shops along the way. Her eyes glistened in a blending of guilt and anger over the role she had played in this. Yes, the town had turned on him, but she knew that was in part based on the trust they had placed in her to report the true facts. If she had stopped to think about what had been said before laying the fabrication out to Chris, maybe things wouldn't have gone so horribly wrong. She had no clue how she was going to do it, but she was going to find some way to try to make this up to Ezra, if he would allow her to.

Just as the trio reached the saloon entrance, Judge Travis came out from the office and he put a hand on Mary's shoulder. "You aren't alone in the blame here. Don't take it all on yourself."

"I started it. I listened to that - witch."

"You played a role, just as she intended you to do. Everyone had a part in this, including Standish. But the blame is on her, and sooner or later justice will find her. One way or another. It usually does. What everyone needs to do now is try to put all of this behind them."

"You can't expect me or this town to forget about what happened. What we did."

She was still staring at the saloon doors that still swayed slightly. He turned her toward him. "Not forget. Never forget. But learn from it. Not just for his sake, but for your own as well."

Ezra looked at the staircase that was the final obstacle between him and the comfort of his own bed. He couldn't imagine making the climb.

"Please." The sound was little more than a whisper, so he tried again. "Please. A moment."

"Be best to just keep moving Ezra. It's not much further."

Nathan's words rang true, but that didn't make it any easier for Ezra to hear them. He honestly feared he would pass out if they didn't stop now but explaining was going to require far more energy than he had to spare. Instead, he resorted to the only thing he could think of, going limp in their grasp.

Neither man had realized how much assistance Ezra had been giving them until he ceased to do so. He suddenly became a dead weight to them, not helping at all in keeping himself upright. Chris hooked a chair with his foot and pulled it close enough that Ezra could be lowered into it. They both kept a firm grip knowing he would slide to the floor otherwise.

"Apologies."

"Don't be stupid Ezra. You got nothing to apologize for." Chris spoke quietly in the hopes of keeping the conversation quiet. Like the scene on the street a few moments earlier, the saloon had gone deathly still when they entered. It was still in that state and Chris wanted to get Ezra into the privacy of his own space as quickly as possible.

"Nathan, you think we can carry him up in the chair."

"NO!" Ezra was mortified at the thought. This, all of this was bad enough. Being paraded through town in nothing more than a sarape, stared at by people who despised him. He was sure they were all smirking at him, thinking how he got what he deserved. Hell, they were probably right. He had always suspected that someday he would be paying the price for the life he'd chosen, or rather the life that had chosen him. But he'd never envisioned this much humiliation would be a part of it. He could tolerate the physical, but this abasement was more that he could stand. "I will not allow that."

"You won't allow it?" Nathan stared at him. What in God's name did he think he could do to stop them? He was about to voice that very question when the stillness of the scene was broken by Josiah's arrival.

"Don't know what possessed you people to try something this foolish, but if you are going to do a job, you best finish it right." He stepped next to the chair and gently lifted Ezra from it, setting him on his feet while supporting all of his weight. "Chris, you take that other spot. Nathan, stay behind us. OK son, we'll do the heavy lifting and your job is to let us. Understood?"

Not only was it futile to argue, it was far too late. Ezra nodded almost imperceptibly as he felt himself being effectively carried the rest of the way to his room. The bedcovers had been pulled back and he was quickly stretched out. JD was already waiting there for them with the medical kit, and Nathan quickly set about repairing the damage Ezra had done.

"Is an audience truly required for this? I promise you I shall not attempt another escape."

"Why'd you try this one?"

Ezra closed his eyes without answering Chris's question.

Josiah could see the issue wasn't over, but this wasn't the time. "Leave it be for now Chris. Let him rest."

"That's what we were doing. Problem with that is it gives him time to think, and I'm getting the feeling he's made his mind up on things without all the facts."

"A lot of that going around lately."

Glaring at Josiah, Chris finally nodded. "Well then, 'bout time we put an end to it."

M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7-M7

tbc