CHAPTER THREE
"Get out."
"I'm only here … "
"I don't care why you're here. Get. Out."
Chris Larabee stood his ground as Kid Curry kept his hand on his gun. He didn't remove it from his holster, but Hannibal Heyes wasn't awake to stop him from doing so, and he was the only one who could stop him from doing so. Chris looked over to Nathan as he finished looking over the developing bruise on Heyes' flank. This was a bad injury. The healer shook his head, an action that Ezra noticed. He knew that Nathan didn't want to say it, but it needed to be said.
"Chris, may Ah see you, please?" The professional poker player wiped the … goop off his hands. He and Nathan had worked carefully to make the patient comfortable after he woke and showed the serious pain he was in. Dottie got some hot water and the herbs together for the pain tea, which Nathan spiked with just a little bit of laudanum. Ezra wouldn't take the stuff, but the rest of The Seven did, when necessary.
"Yeah," the tall blond said at the door.
"Leave."
"Leave? Why? I just want to make sure … "
"There is nothin' you can do to help the situation, but there is plenty that you have done and continue to do to make things worse."
"Mary wanted me to … "
"Ah have no doubt that she told you to make your apology to the man, but he passed out earlier with pain and he will be completely under again as soon as he takes Nathan's spiked tea. Please leave. Mistah Jones is in no mood for you and, frankly, at this time, neither am Ah."
Chris looked over to Heyes' bed. Jones was soothing his partner, his hand massaging the sweaty head of the former leader of the Devil's Hole Gang. Curry was speaking to Heyes, and it seemed the injured man was trying to respond. He was laying on his stomach, his arm resting on Curry's leg. He was grasping the fabric of the blond's pants. Kid continued to pet Heyes' head, and he took the hand and let his friend squeeze tightly. No, there would be no apologies heard this night, even if he verbalized them.
"All right. I'll go."
"Please tell Mary that Mistah Smith passed out, which he did, as we were lifting him into Nathan's carriage. He has come to briefly and once he drinks the tea, he will be out for some time. He is in too much pain to remove his clothes just now. We will try to remove them once he is asleep." Chris nodded his head, understanding that pain as he had seen Ezra in a similar state with one of his own bouts of injury to his kidneys. "Ah will bring a bedroll and sleep here with these two because they are both distressed with this turn of events, thinking they were here for healing and finding something completely different. If there is trouble, Ah will run to fetch Nathan if Ah am unable to resolve the concern. Ah have had many occasions to suffer through these kidney concerns, so Ah do expect to be able to take care of anything that should arise. Nathan will be here first thing in the morning."
"First thing?" Chris said with a smile.
"Indeed. Seven o'clock. Insanity."
"He's going to go over his history."
"Yes. Perhaps Ah could have Josiah take mah place."
"No. You have a history, too. All that you've been through, even though Nathan knows all of it, you being there might remind them that full disclosure might get them to an answer sooner."
"Because Ah was not always forthcoming?"
"You know you weren't, not always." They stared at each other and then Chris added, "I know I gave you lots of reasons not to be so forthcoming."
"And Mothah instilled in me many more."
"Okay," Chris said. He reached out and clasped Ezra's shoulder. "Thank you, for helping out."
"It is mah pleasure. Mah funds will be takin' a hit these next days."
"Thank you for that, too," though the two friends knew that Ezra's ability to make money at cards had been taking a beating for months now, since Fred's death. Chris turned back to see now that Nathan had shooed Curry away from Heyes and was speaking gently to the prone man as he helped him drink the pain tea. Pillows had been gathered; it appeared Nathan was planning to move Heyes on his side for his initial period of rest. It was a position they were all familiar with during Ezra's multiple times fighting a kidney injury. As he prepared to open the door he looked back once more. Kid Curry was staring him down, menace in every physical manifestation that a man could muster. After speaking with Mary, and Ezra and Vin, Chris knew that he had overreacted and caused a man injury who had deserved none of the suffering he currently dealt with, on top of the mystery illness that had brought a strong, healthy man to his knees. He tried his best to show his regret, but it was most likely that Kid Curry wasn't in the mood to see it, and he certainly wasn't in any frame of mind to accept it. He turned to leave, but Ezra reached out his arm to stop him.
"Is Mary all right?" the southerner asked.
"Yeah. Mad as hell about what happened. Mostly mad at me for what I did. I'm gonna go see if I'm still welcome to have supper with her."
"She will welcome you. She loves you. She may not forgive you until she is satisfied that Mistah Smith has not suffered too terrible an injury. So, go have your supper. Once she hears the details, which she will, you might be dinin' elsewhere for days."
"Great."
Back at the bed, Nathan said, "Joshua, you will be in this bed for a while, so we need to make sure you aren't layin' in the same position for too long."
"I will?" he yawned. "Excuse me. I mean, if you say I need to, then I will." He sucked in a breath of pain. "I guess. But I'll have to get up to go to the bathroom." He moaned with pain and squeezed the edge of the sheet-covered bed.
"Well, no, you can go from here," Nathan said, looking up to both the Kid and Ezra, who just returned from seeing Chris off.
"No. I can't."
"Well, Joshua, Ah can vouch for the fact that you can. There are people here who are willin' to help," Ezra said as he looked to the blond member of the two most successful outlaws in the history of The West.
Kid Curry put his hand to his chest and mouthed, "Me?"
"Yeah, no, that's not K … " Heyes started, but he realized his mistake right quick. He took a breath as he tried to figure out how to fix his mistake, and that did turn out to be the saving grace to cover his error, because that breath started him coughing. It was doing his back pain no favors, though. He groaned through the cough. Ezra knew exactly what was happening and he hurried over and sat just beside the small of Heyes' back.
"Relax, Joshua. Ah will hold you in place. Nathan's brew should begin working any moment now." Ezra placed his hand across Heyes' chest, his hand wide open and pressed soothingly. Between that touch and the gambler's own back up against the pained man's lower torso, the movement from the coughing that triggered the increased pain was more or less halted. "Breathe carefully, calm your breathing." But Heyes did not relax, and the pain was more than he thought he could bear. Kid kneeled at the head of the bed and put his hand on his best friend's cheek.
"Hey, hey, come on, now, Joshua. You need to relax. We are so lucky to have these people here to help us. We should listen to them, right?" Kid saw the tears leaking from both eyes as his friend tried to tolerate the pain. He wiped the tears from Heyes' left cheek, the other tears having streamed down and soaked into the pillow. He clasped his friend's hands, together, and he could feel Heyes tighten his hold as well. "Breathe with me," he said, and he breathed slowly, easy in and easy out. Heyes tried to keep eye contact but the laudanum and the natural ingredients in the pain-relieving tea were working to force him to blink, his eyes more closed than open, all of a sudden. The stress of the previous day, a long couple of days of travel before, and then a more difficult day again today than was ever expected, were certainly contributing to everyone's hope that the tired, sick and sore man would be asleep in moments. His hands relaxed in Kid's hold, and then easy breathing was heard by the three men who had the keenest interest in helping Hannibal Heyes recover, now from illness and injury, even if one of those men had no idea that the man now in his care was the famed outlaw.
Kid Curry forced himself up and then went to sit in one of the comfortable, upholstered chairs. He placed his elbow on the arm of the chair and his face in the palm of his hand. "God."
Nathan took this time to check Heyes over and clean up his face as Ezra took the nearby dining chair and sat it in front of Curry. Then he went over to the table where the bourbon and four clean glasses now set – bless Dottie – and poured a drink for himself, Nathan and Thaddeus. He brought all three drinks over, set Nathan's down on the small table between the two comfortable chairs and tapped Curry's arm. Kid Curry looked up and took the offered glass.
"Thanks."
"Kidney injuries can be very painful. Ah have been the unlucky recipient of several. Ah have nevah been lucky enough to have one where Ah was able to perform routine functions before near a week. Your friend will be relyin' on all of us to help him through this period. You know him bettah than we do, so you will know best how he will react when he truly understands what it means if he does not abide by the rules."
"Rules, huh?" Kid asked as he took a good swig of his drink. He sat back and closed his eyes as he took a smaller sip, keeping the liquor in his mouth to savor it this time.
"Nathan was decent enough to find out more about this kind of injury after it happened to me the second time. Ah am quite fortunate to still be alive. Ah traveled with this injury. The organ is quite delicate once it is bruised badly, and it can suffer tears and cause internal bleeding. He could bleed to death internally before Nathan could evah think to save him. Ah did not know how seriously Ah was taking mah life in mah hands." Kid looked over to Heyes as Nathan finished cleaning his partner up. Ezra said, "Thaddeus, Ah must implore you to convince him to remain abed. He must take your assistance and Nathan's, mine as well, maybe others. The two of you cannot be mindful of him on your own. Nathan has other patients he will need to see. Ah will be here as much as Ah can."
Kid Curry looked back to Ezra. "You must have other responsibilities, too, right?"
"Ah have committed to Chris and to Mary that Ah would make mahself available for the duration of your stay. When you hear mah story, you will understand. And again, Joshua will require assistance of a very personal nature. His ability to, how shall Ah say, relieve himself will be hampered by his inability to bend without pain. He will at first be indignant at the suggestion that we should assist him in this effort. Then he will be angry that we will not listen to him. Then he will be mortified at the realization of precisely what assistance really means. Then he will be embarrassed. And then he will feel a combination of those last two. Once he is resolved to the necessity, the mortification and the embarrassment does not go away." Kid's eyes never left Ezra's as he realized that this man stepping through all of the phases that his dearest friend would have to deal with had already been through all of this, and several times. And Kid knew that just hearing about all of it was making him feel sick to his stomach. He finished his drink. He looked up as Nathan stepped up and sat in the other comfortable chair.
"Thanks, Ez," the healer said. He took a sip of the bourbon, savored it because he knew what was coming, and said. "He's out, sound, so I managed to get his pants off. He should be more comfortable." He took another drink. "Did Ezra tell you … "
"Ah did. As much as it pains me to go over the sordid details. As Mistah Jones now knows, this is something none of us should have to deal with once, let alone more than once."
"You've had a lot of bad stuff happen to you, Ezra. I think it's fair to say that we got you through it all and over all the worst of it."
"Ah assure you, mah friend, that without you and the doctors with whom we two remain friendly from our Denver trip, that Ah would not have survived to this date. So, Thaddeus, know that you and your friend … "
"Cousin."
"Excuse me?" Ezra asked. Kid had spoken so softly that Ezra truly did not know what he just said.
"Cousin. We're cousins. Well, we're not sure that we're cousins. We think we might be."
"Really?" Ezra and Nathan said at the same time.
"Yeah. Does that mean something, to H … his recovery from whatever Joshua has been sick with these last weeks?" He almost said Heyes, and Ezra's extended hard stare told Kid Curry that the gambler knew it.
Too damned comfortable.
"Ah am not a doctor, Nathan here is the near-doctor," Ezra said with an affectionate smile. "But Ah would answer no. And even if this debilitation were because of something you were both born with, it seems nearly impossible, from the perspective of odds, something with which Ah do have a passing familiarity, that you would have developed this same, sudden illness at precisely the same time. Have you evah had anything like what Joshua is suffering now?" Ezra held his gaze with Kid Curry, trusting that the exchange of eye contact would help to remind him of the necessity to not slip up on their names.
"No."
"Then Ezra's right. But that doesn't mean that we can't bring together some folks and try to figure this out."
"We have several doctors who wish to consult on this. And you said that you had a friend who you trusted. He is a healer?"
"No. He's a physician's aid, I think they call it," Kid said.
"Assistant. Physician's assistant," Nathan corrected. "Can he join us here?"
"He's been on his honeymoon, but we sent him a telegram and the doctor he works for was going to send him straight here once he returned. He's, well, he has helped with Joshua a couple of times, but I don't … I don't know that he will know anything compared to doctors. We like him. We've known him a long time. We trust him."
"Don't know about you, Ez, but I figure the more heads workin' on this the better."
"Ah agree, Mistah Jackson. Now, Thaddeus, will you be all right as Ah return to mah room and gather a few things?"
"I'll stay a while, Ez. Thanks for doin' this."
"Ah am happy to help. Ah will be back shortly."
"His kidney?"
"Yeah."
Mary Travis pushed her chair back from her dinner table. "Chris, how could you?"
"Mary … "
"No. I cannot understand this reaction. It isn't like he was intending to hurt me."
"Mary … "
"No. I am not through. Do you intend to overreact every time my life might be in danger?"
"Mary, there was no might about it. Your life was in danger."
"I don't know about that, but what I do know is that Mr. Smith saved my life."
"But he was here because he's been very sick. How do I know that he had a steady enough hand? How do I know if he was good enough to shoot the guy holding you and not you?"
"I hate to tell you this, Chris Larabee, but he was the only one in position to make the shot. Should I have hoped for some other miracle, or should I be satisfied with the miracle I received?" Mary asked. She looked away, and returned her angry stare to the man that she loved and the man she intended to marry. She loved him, but she did not like him today. "I am sorry. Would you please leave? I would like to get the press set up tonight and get to bed early."
"Mary, don't … "
"No. I need some time. Please, would you leave? I'll see you tomorrow."
"I'm sorry."
"So am I."
"You fellas seen J.D.?" Josiah Sanchez asked as he sat down with Vin, Buck and Chris at their regular table. He poured himself a cup of coffee as Tommy stepped up to ask him for his breakfast order.
"Scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits?" he asked.
"Sounds good, Tommy. Thank you." To his fellow lawmen he asked, "Is J.D. on patrol?"
"No patrol today," Chris said. "Isn't he out at the Wells place?"
"No. Casey's stayin' in town. Nettie's visiting one of her sons in Cortez," Vin replied.
"Buck, where's J.D.?" Chris asked.
Buck finished chewing his last bite of his eggs, then said, "How'm I supposed to know that?"
"Because you're usually attached at the hip, Buck, that's why," Chris countered angrily.
"Got a bug up your … "
"Buck!"
"I don't know where he is!"
"He's not with the prisoners?" Vin asked Chris.
"No. I came from there before coming here. Marty's there." Marty Ellison, was a long-time resident and helpful resource when The Seven needed him.
"Is anyone else thinking something's not right about this?" Josiah asked.
"Yeah. Josiah, finish your breakfast. Everyone, spread out, check the town. Buck, go look at his room at the boarding house, see if anything's out of order there. Let's all meet at the church in fifteen minutes."
Ezra opened his eyes. He'd heard a noise, but he wasn't sure if it was Heyes or Curry or something else. The next sound was obvious. He stood and went to Heyes' bed. The local lawman had slept in his pants and a silk undershirt, as he expected to be up and down in assisting the famed outlaw throughout the night, and he had been. His comfort was eased by sleeping across the two comfortable upholstered chairs with two of his feather pillows to cushion his head, and one of Fred's favorite blankets should he grow chilled. Ezra put his holster on and then secured his Remington revolver in it.
He looked over to see the pillows positioned for Heyes were still in place. The dark-haired half of the outlaw duo was sleeping on his side, after a few hours rest on his stomach. The card sharp had been up twice during the night, along with the Kid, to assist Heyes with his first two attempts to urinate. Both tries were very painful and embarrassing for Heyes, painful for Curry in a totally different way. Ezra had been here before, been the recipient of the assistance that could make a man blush in pained embarrassment, but what he saw between these two men, the love for one another, the trust? It was a beautiful thing to witness, despite how few would ever say that what had gone on this night was beautiful. Curry tried to cajole his friend to pee while sitting up, but he wasn't managing it. His last attempt would remain the last unsuccessful attempt, for now, as Heyes' urgency to go did finally force the deeply reddish-rust colored urine from his body. As he struggled and groaned at the frustration and pain, as he was held up toward the edge of the bed by Ezra, holding him firmly at his shoulders, Kid kept a hand on his buttock, keeping the fluid from dampening and staining the sheets, as the one earlier resulted in a trickle though no real relief. But Kid's other hand worked to hold his friend's penis so that it funneled into the receptacle that Nathan had provided to capture the urine so that the healer could get a look at it closely.
"You think you're done?" Kid asked.
"I don't know. Doesn't feel like it," Heyes replied, his response dripping miserable dissatisfaction.
"Take your time, Joshua. You will be feelin' this pressure for days and you will not know whether you are through or not until you, well, until you are. Ah do not know any othah way to say it."
"And you've been through this more than once?" Heyes asked. "I think you're my new hero."
Ezra patted the hurting man's shoulder. "This will pass, Ah assure you. And then you will do everything in your power to avoid injury to that area."
"You did everything you could?"
"Yes, well, Ah have somewhat of a losing record where illness and injury are concerned. Please do not go by mah history to gauge what might be the norm for the number of instances one man can be afflicted by the same injury."
"If you s … say so. Aah, shit, that hurts."
"Relax, Joshua," Kid said.
"Tryin'."
The door slammed open and Ezra had his gun out of its holster aimed at Chris Larabee.
"Come on, Ezra. We gotta go."
"Ah will be out shortly."
"Now."
"Please go," Ezra said as Kid stood in front of his partner to give him some semblance of privacy.
"Ezra … "
"He said get out. He said he would be out soon. What the hell is wrong with you?" Kid Curry growled.
"Thaddeus," Heyes warned, followed by a stifled groan.
Chris finally realized what was happening. "Sorry," he said, followed by, "We gotta ride. Now."
"Ah will be out shortly," Ezra said, understanding that it had to be something important if Chris persisted on interrupting when he now knew what was going on.
"I think I'm done," Heyes said, having emitted nothing further now for a couple of minutes.
"You are certain?" Ezra asked.
"No, but, I don't think I have it in me right now to keep trying."
"Okay," Kid said. He put his friend back together and he and Ezra got Heyes back in the bed, laying on his stomach.
"I hate this position."
"Ah as well, Joshua. And now Ah must join mah fellows and determine what the emergency is this day." He walked to the room in the back to wash his hands, run water over his face and through his hair and got dressed and armed and was out the door.
"I hope they don't have an emergency every day," Kid said.
"Not exactly relaxing, is it?" Heyes replied into his pillow.
"Don't remember anyone saying that it would be."
"'Bout time you got here," Buck said as he waited impatiently for Ezra at the livery.
Ezra glanced at Buck but chose to ignore the obvious slight in regard to the gambler's tardy arrival. He noticed Nathan was with them.
"You will be joining us?"
"Don't know if J.D. might be hurt. Need to have us all," Josiah said.
"J.D.?" Ezra asked with concern.
"Yeah. He hasn't been seen since the day before yesterday," Vin explained.
Ezra looked to Chris. "We have not had patrols for a while, with the heat. You clearly did not start them again, not yet, correct?"
"No."
"And he had no need to be out at the Wells' homestead. We are certain he is not … "
"No. He ain't. Found this in his room," Buck said as he handed a piece of paper to the card sharp.
"This handwriting is familiar."
"Mason Grant," Chris said.
"And that's why we all have to go," Buck said, his annoyance with still being in town obvious.
"Ah do not disagree." To Nathan, Ezra asked, "Has Gloria been apprised of Mistah Smith's condition?"
"Yes. She knows. Dottie's going to check in regularly. Mary's bringing them lunch." Ezra and Chris looked at Nathan with concern. "She's fine, and she's making her beef stew again."
"Very well … " Ezra started to ask about what the gameplan was for retrieving J.D. from the clutches of an angry man who felt the town owed him both undying gratitude and monetary compensation for the use of his land to keep any number of livestock safe from a southside fire earlier in the year, including all of the animals at the livery, Robert Merton's cattle at his near-town stockades and all of the small farms and ranches in the potential path of the wildfire that promised to spread dangerously. A sudden cloudburst took care of the worst of the fire, and the full arroyo from that downpour and the heavier rains in the mountains allowed the townspeople to snuff out the remainder of the fire. The rancher Merton agreed to pay the man one thousand dollars and Grant's choice of any four of the cattle in the stockades. J.D. went out to make the offer, a good and more-than-generous one. Grant had been belligerent with the young sheriff, and J.D. said that he could accept the offer and the thanks of the grateful townspeople for his help, even though that assistance ended up only lasting the better part of a day and a half. He also presented Grant with a list of free goods and services from the merchants in town. Grant came back with a "thanks for nothin'." J.D. asked if that meant he should take the offer back and Grant told him no. He also told him to get the hell off his land. He'd ripped up the paper with the free offers and said he would be at Robert's stockade first thing in the morning to pick out his beef and that his money had better be there waiting for him. He also told J.D. that he had best never see him at his place again. Since that time five months previous, there had been borderline-threatening letters received by The Seven, always mentioning all of them as a group but all of them addressed to "That joke of a sheriff".
"What the hell're we waitin' for?" Buck yelled.
"Calm down, Buck. Let's ride out. Ezra, we'll stop at Logan's place, bring you up to speed on the plan."
"Very well."
"I hate that," Buck said, not nearly under his breath.
"Ain't none of that necessary, Buck," Josiah said.
"If he's the reason we don't get there in time … "
"He won't be, Buck. We're headin' out, and we'll be there in plenty of time," Chris said.
"With no money," the ladies' man reminded his partners.
"We've got a plan, Buck. Just get on your horse, keep your head, and let's ride," Chris warned his longtime friend.
It took the six lawmen no time to get to Jeremy Logan's ranch. Chris and Vin were especially familiar with the rancher who raised horses in the area to supply most of the territory with work animals. But they were not the only members of the Magnificent Seven to spend time at Logan's ranch. Ezra would ride out and help the rancher when he had a particularly cantankerous horse on his hands. The southerner had a deft hand with equines, and Jeremy Logan took advantage of the special ability that Ezra had with horses, but also with the affection he clearly had for the genus, from the draft horses Logan specialized in to the quarter horses he kept for his own use, and even the donkeys, which were new to the rancher's business but a preferred animal for smaller pack work.
"There a problem?" Jeremy asked as he walked up to the six men still on their horses.
"Yeah. Mason Grant nabbed J.D. We're heading over to get 'im back," Chris explained.
"Need some help?"
"No, but we're going to work our way through the plan to get in there and get J.D. and arrest Grant for kidnapping a law enforcement officer."
"That sounds like the right outcome. Come on and get down. The bunk house is empty, we can all talk there." Ezra and Chris dismounted first.
"We can manage this, Jeremy," Chris said. "Go on back to what you were doing." It was obvious that the rancher was working with one of his assistants with one of the horses when the six men arrived.
"Actually, Jeremy, could you join us for a moment?" Ezra asked as he kneeled down and petted first a little terrier mix and then a hound mix, so reminiscent of Fred, except for the more standard brown, black and white coloring of a Beagle or Foxhound. Also, the long legs on this dog. And Fred's orange and white coloring stood out as unique, just like the little hound dog's personality.
"Come on, Ezra don't waste the man's time, or ours," Buck said angrily. Jeremy frowned and ignored the outburst from the former Texas Ranger. He also saw the pain of loss on his friend's face. Jeremy was an ear for the wounded Ezra when he finally was able to do more than eat, bathe, walk, groom Chaucer and mourn the loss of his canine best friend.
"I think I can help you get onto Grant's property without him knowing, and it won't slow you down because you can just follow me across my property. There's a deep stand of trees where our properties meet. We'll have to cut down some fence. But you'll get there, from a direction he won't be expecting. Is he expecting you to come with ransom money?"
"Five thousand dollars," Chris replied.
Jeremy whistled. "You got that with you?"
"No, we don't," Buck offered, his annoyance ramped up to its highest point.
"Ah assume the saddlebags that Buck and Josiah have are overstuffed with a few weeks' worth of old issues of the Clarion News?" Ezra asked.
"Come on. Let's talk about what we're doin'!"
"Buck," Chris said, glaring at his frustrating friend, "you, me and Josiah will be going in from the front after we give Jeremy, Vin, Ezra and Nathan time to get to Grant's property. Jeremy, how long will that take?"
"About twenty minutes. Then it's about ten-fifteen minutes further through the trees, bosque and some rock formations. That takes us to a stand of trees behind the barn nearest the house."
"All right. It's about thirty minutes to get to Grant's house from here. Go on ahead and get going. We'll make sure you have ten minutes, minimum, once you get to the barn, give you a chance to look around. Be careful, stay hid. If you have a good feel that you know where J.D. is on the property, and you can get to him safely …" Chris said, not needing to finish the direction, but looking to Vin and Ezra as a father would in warning to his sons, which made Jeremy lower his head so that the former gunslinger didn't see him smile.
"Isn't this kind of dangerous, Chris? Grant wanted us all there."
"Well, he'll have to deal with the fact that we had an emergency in town yesterday and couldn't leave it unprotected."
"Go on, then," Buck said to the group that would be accessing Grant's property from the south.
"Are you all right?" Jeremy asked Ezra quietly.
"Ah am fine. He is … upset," Ezra said, glancing briefly at Buck.
"I'm sure he is. But still … "
"Thank you for your concern. Ah am fine." The gambler got on his horse. Jeremy took the big red he'd been riding as they approached his property. Ezra, Vin and Nathan followed Jeremy at a good clip as they headed to what they hoped would be a successful retrieval of one of their own.
"Izzit too soon to move to m' side?" Hannibal Heyes mumbled into his pillow. "I hate layin' like this."
"I know you do," Kid said as he sat in the chair positioned at the head of the bed. "If you can make it another fifteen minutes, Dottie'll be here with some pastry and coffee."
Heyes snorted a laugh. "Did you use me to convince Dottie t'bring you somethin'? You know it's only been a little while since br'kfast." The former gang leader put an exclamation point on his slurred commentary with a wide yawn.
"Whadda you know? You've been sleeping on and off. It's almost eleven."
"No wonder you're hungry. Have we heard anything 'bout the emergency?" the hurting man asked. He had a fine sheen of sweat, though no fever. An occasional tear soaked the pillow. Spikes of pain came in waves to go along with the steady throb in Heyes' lower back.
"Let me take this cool cloth to your face," Kid said. He wiped what he could reach without making his best friend move.
"Thanks." Heyes sighed at the relief of the cool, wet cloth, followed by a soft, dry one. "Any word from Standish and the rest?" Kid smiled. Heyes and Ezra Standish had a lot in common: excellent at poker, fancy dressers, at least when his partner was flush and hadn't worn out his latest decent set of duds, well-read, smart. Kid figured the gambler charmed the ladies as well as his fellow reforming outlaw, though Kid himself felt on equal footing with the two dark-haired men on that count. But it seemed there was a rocky start to the Heyes-Standish dynamic, though Kid's partner had to admit there were far more positives than negatives to that budding relationship.
"Yeah. Ben said the sheriff, one of The Seven, J.D., was taken by a man and he left a note about getting him back alive only if they brought some money."
"How much?"
"Don't know, but Ben was worried; they were heading out without any money."
"Risky."
"Figure they wouldn't do it if they didn't think there was danger to this fella." Kid stepped away and placed the cloth in a bucket and took a fresh one from a nearby basket to have handy.
"Reckon." Heyes sighed and then groaned quietly.
"Tired?"
"This pain is pretty bad. It's draining fighting it."
"Then don't fight it."
"Don't have much … " Heyes breathed in at a sudden stab of pain, and then groaned as he bore the lingering, pulsing throb of it all, then added, " … choice. I get regular reminders about it."
"You want me to have Dottie prepare some of that pain tea, take a little laudanum?"
"No, I definitely don't want the laudanum. Terrible stuff. Maybe I'll have some after Larabee and his crew get back."
"Heyes, um, Joshua … hell … you don't have to wait for that. They don't care if you aren't awake to greet them." Hannibal Heyes closed his eyes. Kid sat in the chair, knowing that his friend had consumed some laudanum before in one of the healer's healing teas, and said, "How about just the tea after some coffee and whatever Dottie brings?"
"Dottie has arrived and she has brought some goodies from all of the ladies of the town," Dottie Pike said through the window. Kid jumped from his seat and opened the door for her. She carried a large platter with assorted plates and baskets, a small pot of coffee, sugar and milk, and two fresh, clean cups.
"Wow, this looks good."
"Good," Dottie said. "I will tell you all about the food once we get Joshua in a sitting position.
"I don't know about that, Dottie. Don't know if I can manage that."
"You can. It will be a little bit of pain for the relief of sitting up like a normal person for a while. I know Ezra always appreciated it when he would be allowed to sit like a 'human being', or so he called it."
"You seem to like Ezra. A lot," Heyes said.
"Joshua," Kid warned.
"No, Thaddeus, that's all right. I don't like Ezra. I love him. My husband is fully aware of my feelings for Ezra," Dottie said, winking at Kid when she said it as she set the tray on the small dining table. "I don't love them the same, but I love them both. And since you will be here for a while, you will soon learn why I feel that way."
"Well, that's okay. I love this idiot here, but not the same way … well … nevermind," Heyes finished, mumbling into the pillow.
"Hey!" Kid caught himself, then continued, "Don't stop there, you're gonna leave Dottie with the wrong impression."
"It's all right, Thaddeus. It's fine, if that's how it is."
"Yeah, well it ain't how it is. And if my partner wasn't down for the count, I'd put him down with a good right hook."
"Sorry. Think maybe I've been down in this bed for too long. My brain isn't firing quite straight. Could I get some help up if we're going to do this? So, your husband and Ezra, they're a lot alike. Same coloring, same build."
"They are. Both slight. Built but slight. Like you." Kid snorted a laugh.
"Slight?"
"That's okay, Joshua. I like them slight. Like Ben, like Ezra. Slight, dark and handsome," she said, adding, "No offense, Thaddeus," as she patted him on his arm and then walked around him to head to the far side of the bed.
"None taken," Kid said, still laughing.
"Shut up," Heyes said.
"All right. We're going to get you sitting up, same as last time. Just let Thaddeus and me do all of the work. All of it," she warned. "You just relax. We'll get you sitting. I'll leave and let you and Thaddeus take care of business, since you've become a bit of an expert at that." Kid snorted a laugh. "Stop that."
"Sorry, ma'am." Dottie stared him down. "Sorry, Joshua."
A full ten minutes later, Dottie returned. "Jeremiah wanted to come over and spend some time with you two. I told him that we should give Mr. Joshua a few days to feel a little better. He said that was probably a good idea. He's just so stinkin' cute."
"I think it might be fun to spend some time with Jeremiah," Heyes said.
"Well, I am able to fend him off, but in just the last two days I've got this bruise, and this bruise and this bruise," she said, pointing out the bruises on her calf, her forearm and then pushing her waistband over just enough to show the top of a dark bruise at her waist.
"Ouch," the two men said.
"Well, he's a little boy, and he is very little, but he's getting stronger every day. He doesn't mean to hurt, and we are working on gentling him."
"Just like a horse," Kid said. "No offense."
"None taken. So, I think it best to let him think he's doing the right thing by staying away. He is a very sweet, smart and gentle little man."
"And raised right."
"It takes an entire small town, sometimes." Heyes and the Kid smiled, knowing how true that was for them, before it all went to hell. "Anyway, let's talk about your elevenses," she said as she started removing the napkins that covered all of the goodies she'd brought.
"What?" Heyes asked as his partner turned and he could get a look at Kid's reaction.
"Elevenses. You haven't heard of …." Dottie stopped talking once she raised her head and saw the reaction of the two men. "What's wrong?" She was facing Thaddeus but she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. "Don't you dare move." To the blond she asked, "What's wrong?"
"We … I … it's been a long time," Kid replied softly.
"Je … Just come here. Sit," Heyes said, hoping that his switch from Jed to 'just' made it past the extremely sharp woman.
Dottie noticed how pale Kid looked. "I think you should listen to your partner," she said as she took his elbow and walked him over to Heyes. "Sit." Kid sat, and Dottie retrieved a glass of water for him. "Drink." She looked from one man to the next and then said, "I obviously said something that has brought up some bad memories."
"Not bad. Just long forgotten." Heyes looked at Kid. "Take a drink, Thaddeus." Kid did, then set the glass on the table. Heyes reached over and held on to his dearest friend's wrist. Dottie poured a glass of water for the injured man, who took a good drink. "Thank you. Thaddeus' mother used to call us in for elevenses. It was always the best, most wonderful part of our day. So much love. So much fun." He looked over to the table with an affectionate smile, and pointed. "So much food." He patted Kid's hand; Kid was still a bit dazed from the use of the word. "Thank you for all of that."
"That is nothing. Everyone here wants to help." She pulled one of the dining chairs up to the two men and sat on it. She looked at Kid Curry. "Are you okay?"
He blinked and looked at Dottie with a sad smile. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks."
"So, are you two related?" She looked from one to the other, and then back again. "I don't see it."
Heyes smiled, as did Kid. "Well, if we aren't, we might as well be. We've known each other all our lives. Lived on neighboring properties. We've assumed that we were, but we don't bear any resemblance to each other. We say we're cousins when it suits us, always said it when we were little. But mostly we're jest the most important people to each other," he said, using the incorrect pronunciation of 'just' to try to hide his slip from earlier.
"But the memory is a sad one for you."
"Yeah. We lost all of our family in the border wars."
"Oh my god! And it's just been you two against the world ever since?"
"Well, no. We went our own way for a long time after, well, after we were old enough to move on. But we've been traveling and working together now for a good number of years." Dottie looked to both men and shook her head. She felt tears pushing their way to the forefront. Heyes leaned over to try to take Dottie's hand with the one not holding on to the Kid, but he hissed at the pain that caused.
"Stop," the shop owner said as she sat up, walked around the bed and made sure Heyes lay back comfortably.
"I will. But don't feel too badly. We have made peace with our childhoods."
"Oh my god. How old were you when this happened?"
"Young. But we aren't anymore, and the experience didn't make killers out of us like the ones who killed our folks."
"If you weren't in so much pain, I'd give you a hug. Here's a kiss to hold you over until I can do that. But you, you don't have the same limitations as your 'cousin'," Dottie said with a wink and a smile. She walked around the bed, sat on the edge of it and pulled Kid Curry into a hug, a bear of a hug. Heyes smiled when Kid's hand slid out from under his own and he returned the hug, obvious comfort received from Dottie Pike's kind action.
The two broke off the embrace at the same time. "Don't forget, I owe you one of these, Joshua."
"Oh, I won't," Heyes replied. He rubbed Kid's arm, the affection so obvious between the two that they couldn't hide it even if they tried, so they didn't try. Kid took his friend's hand and held it tight, then stood and finally spoke.
"So, how about you tell us about this elevenses. This is a little more elaborate than Ma used to do."
"Like I said, everyone here wants you to feel welcome and comfortable while you're here. I understand that Mary's father-in-law sent you here because a friend of his was worried about you."
"Yes." Heyes didn't want to expose too much of their story, so he kept the response short.
"Are you all right?" Dottie asked.
"I'm fine."
"Are you tired?"
"I think that's perpetual right now," Heyes said with an embarrassed grin.
"I'm sorry."
"It's all right. I figure we're here for a reason and I'm holding out hope that things get righted," the man in the bed said.
"Me, too."
"Me, three," Kid said.
"So, now that we are in agreement, let's talk about what we have here. One each for each of you, though don't worry, Joshua. Nothing has gone to waste. Thaddeus seems quite happy to make sure nothing goes bad that is brought into this room."
"Don't know why things would be different here than anywhere else we've ever been."
Dottie laughed heartily. "You two are adorable."
"Thank you," Hannibal Heyes and Kid Curry said in perfect harmony.
Dottie snorted another laugh. "All right. Cheddar-chive scones from Gloria. Pecan twirls from Abigail. I know you won't know all of the names of these folks, but all of these ladies know how to bake. And you're missing the delicious baking from Nettie Wells and Inez Rocios, they're both out of town. But Mary has made a batch of Inez' delicious green chile corn bread. It's SO good. Casey, she's Nettie's niece, made some cheesy drop biscuits from cheese, a small batch due to disobedient goats, made by my handsome husband. And there is an assortment of cookies that my sweet son helped me make. I promise he had clean hands and he stopped putting his fingers in his mouth after the fourth time I made him go wash his hands." The two reforming outlaws laughed. "There is a small glass of freshly squeezed orange juice each, from the oranges that Ezra had shipped in." Dottie looked to Heyes and said, "He is a very generous man with his winnings, so be nice."
"Did I say anything?" he asked.
"No. And good for you." Kid snorted, a good sign. "He also is generous with his coffee. I can't afford to keep this coffee around, but he told me to make sure you gentlemen enjoyed 'the good stuff'. That bottle of bourbon was sourced from Kentucky by Ezra. He keeps some fancy French stuff, but we try to keep it away from him because he has a tendency to drink too much of it, especially when he's, well … never mind that." Heyes and Curry exchanged a look, both wondering about when the man would overindulge. He didn't seem the type. They hardly ever did, but it was inherently unwise for wanted men to do so.
"Okay. I promised Jeremiah that we could go see Joaquin." She rolled her eyes at the thought.
"Joaquin?"
"Yep. I'm taking my son to go see a donkey. I wonder if motherhood is driving me insane?"
Kid laughed. "No, seems to me motherhood suits you real fine."
"Oh. My. Goodness," Dottie said as she stepped up and took Kid Curry into another big hug. He hugged her back and saw Heyes smiling at the embrace. Kid rolled his eyes this time. "All right. Stop being like this."
"Like what?" Kid asked.
"Oh, you know. You both know how you are. Bye!" she called as she headed quickly for the door. The partners saw her run for the front of the building and then she was gone.
"Does she remind you of Clementine?" Kid asked.
"Yes, Kid. Thaddeus." Heyes shook his head and smiled. "Yes she does. And because she does, I think it best we not think about Dottie when she's not here. How 'bout bringing me that juice, a cup of coffee. And I think I'll start with that cheddar-dill scone."
"Could it really be as easy as this?" Ezra asked.
"Uhn I ee!" Vin smiled as J.D. grew angry at being found but not being freed.
"Come on, let's untie him," Nathan said.
"Now, now, Nathan, we only just arrived. Quite fortuitous to find our prize so quickly."
"It was, but we might get back ta town ta eat before two if we git movin'," Vin said.
"Ah am not stopping anyone. Ah would say two things. One, Nathan, you and Jeremy should take J.D. back to the bosque, near the stand of cottonwoods and the large boulder. Two," Ezra added as he kneeled in front of J.D., "Ah know you are angry that we did not release you in the first thirty seconds of our arrival. We are doin' it now. Remembah that we do not wish to alert Grant or anyone else on the premises to our presence or to the knowledge of your freedom. Keep quiet. Head with Nathan and Jeremy. One or more of us will come retrieve you once Mistah Grant is in custody. Do you understand?" J.D. nodded in the affirmative. "Very well." Ezra cut the rope from his hands, and then his feet while Nathan removed the kerchief, tied too tight.
"You all right, J.D.?" Nathan asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Damn it, Ezra!" J.D. said too loudly. Ezra put his hand over the sheriff's mouth.
"You need to remain quiet," Ezra whispered. "We do not know if there are othahs about. You are jeopardizing our safety and the safety of the rest of our brethren." Ezra removed his hand.
"I want to go with you," J.D. whispered angrily.
"No. You are likely dehydrated and Ah know you will be stiff from being tied far longer than any one of us likes to think. Go with Nathan and Jeremy. We will be along." Ezra rubbed J.D.'s arm, and then patted his shoulder and watched as the young man left with his companions.
"Let's jest take it slow," Vin said to the former con man. "We got here quick, found J.D. right quick. Should be able to git to the front of the house without bein' seen. There's a lotta trees and buildings," the ever-observant tracker said.
"That sounds fine by me," Ezra agreed.
Within five minutes Vin and Ezra were behind a gardening shed, behind the fenced in vegetable garden, at the southeast corner of the house. They could hear Grant's angry yelling as Chris explained how he would not get his money until he saw that J.D. was alive and healthy.
"That weren't the deal, Larabee!"
"It's my deal. It's the only way you see this money, Grant."
"You people are all full o' yerselves. Who made you the boss o' everyone?"
"We aren't the boss of everyone, but we are the law. What you are doing is illegal. But we want J.D. back, so we got your money. But we need to make sure we are only letting a kidnapper go and not a murderer," Chris said. He could feel Buck seething beside him, he didn't have to look at him to know that he was going to scare Grant into doing something dire if he didn't calm down. "Buck, show him a couple of the fifty-dollar notes."
Buck walked to Clyde, opened the saddlebag and removed two of the bills Mary had arranged to borrow from the bank. The man who could easily pass for J.D. Dunne's brother in his looks, and definitely would pass the same test by measurement of his heart, walked up to Grant and waved the paper money in Grant's face.
"Bring him out here or take us to him," he ordered.
"All right, all right. One of ya can come. Josiah, you come. Leave yer weapons. You two, get over there, in the corral."
"In the corral?" Buck questioned, dripping with venom. Josiah handed his gun to Chris.
"Git in or we jest stand here."
Chris and Buck walked over to the corral.
"Git in and latch it." The two lawmen followed the order and watched as Josiah walked in front of Grant to the far side of his house, away from the nearby barn. The rancher held a gun aimed at the preacher's back. They rounded the garden, heading to one of the buildings to the rear of the house. They walked behind the garden shed and were out of sight of Chris and Buck.
"Let's go."
"No."
"Come on. We can reach him," Buck insisted.
"And what if he has someone working with him? Or more than one. One keeping a lookout and one with his gun on J.D.? No, we have eyes on the back of the property. Let's see how they do."
"You know, Mason, you won't likely get away with this, unless you're planning to leave the territory once we give you the money," Josiah said.
Mason Grant stopped and looked at the big former preacher. "Whaddya mean?"
"I mean, you kidnapped a lawman. You are, right now, extorting money from people, which will be tried as a ransom. You already got paid for the kindness you showed the townspeople during the fire, turned down other kindnesses offered in return. If you hurt that boy, that's assault. If you killed that boy, you won't likely live until a trial, and no one will ever find your body." Grant stared at the simmering menace in the face of Josiah Sanchez. Josiah continued, the calm voice countering the menace in his visage. "You have a choice to make. I hope you choose wisely." A clear threat, with no witnesses.
"I didn't kill that boy."
"No, you did not, Mistah Grant."
"What the hell!" Grant roared as he changed the direction of his weapon from Josiah's back to Ezra's chest. And he fired. Ezra fired, too, with his Derringer, and Vin with his Mare's Leg. Ezra shot Grant's gun right out of his right hand, which moved the trajectory of the bullet from a death sentence of a chest wound for one Ezra P. Standish, to a shot that tore into his arm at close range … and somehow did not exit. The gambler went down to his knees as Vin's bullet tore through Grant's left arm, just above the elbow.
Josiah picked up the gun that Grant dropped and then called, "Nathan!"
"He ain't here. Him and Jeremy took J.D. back to the bosque to the back of the property," Vin said as he sped to Ezra and got to his knees opposite his friend. "Ya'll right?" he asked as he holstered his weapon with his right hand and then steadied the former conman with his left.
At the same time Vin asked his question, Chris and Buck showed up, guns drawn. "Is the kid all right?" Buck asked.
Vin turned, glared at Four Corners' resident Lothario, then said, "Yeah, he's fine." To Ezra he asked again, "Ya all right, Ez?" Ezra looked at the tracker. He blinked and then started to keel to the right. Vin held him as he sat in the grass and dirt, scooted over, and eased Ezra into his lap. "Settle down, Ez. I got ya." Vin pulled his bandanna off and pushed it up against the wound to try to stop the bleeding, then tied it tight.
"If J.D.'s okay, where is he?"
"That lunatic shot me," Ezra said as he closed his eyes to bear the pain. He groaned as he tried to grab his left arm with his right. Vin pulled the arm away. He leaned his mouth down to his friend's ear and whispered something that calmed the southerner. Ezra took deep, shuddering breaths as he tried to tolerate the open wound on the front of his upper arm, with a bullet still in his arm that likely caused some serious damage.
Vin looked up to Chris. "Nathan and Jeremy took J.D. back to the bosque on Grant's property. Need Nate. Ain't no exit wound," the long-haired Texan said as he kept eye contact with his best friend, both men understanding how quickly a wound like this could turn bad.
"Why'd they have to take J.D. back there? Is he hurt?"
"He's fine, Buck! I just said that. Ezra ain't fine." To Chris, Vin continued, "Head straight back, behind the big barn, then the silo, then about ten minutes straight on. You'll see 'em. Peso and Chaucer are behind the lean-to at the far side of the pasture. The kid'll need a horse."
"Why does he need a horse?"
"Buck! Milagro ain't here, it's ten minutes to get there," Josiah said. "Do you want him to walk?"
"Right. I'll go get 'em," Buck said. "Sorry, Vin," he said.
"Yes, sorry, Vin," Ezra said, obviously not with it enough to know what he was saying. Buck looked remorseful as he walked quickly back around the garden to get Clyde in order to ride out and bring Nathan back to help Ezra.
"Someone gonna look at my arm and my hand?" Grant asked.
Josiah's menace toward the man remained front and center. "Eventually, Mason. For now, let's take this," he said, as he ripped the man's kerchief from his neck and wrapped it around his hand, and then took the one around his own neck and tied it tight around Grant's arm.
"Hell, that hurts."
Josiah looked at him. "Shut up. Don't move. If you move, I will tie you up. If you don't keep quiet, I'll do the same. Do you understand?" Grant didn't answer as he sat in the dirt. "Do. You. Understand?"
"Yeah."
Chris kneeled beside Ezra and Vin. "Did ya get a look at the wound?"
"No," Ezra answered.
"I'm not talking to you, Ezra."
"Oh. Sorry."
"Vin?"
"No. I jest took my kerchief and wrapped it and tied it tight. Bleeding on both ends. I didn't see anything come out. The bullet might be stuck in his jacket or shirt, or it could be still inside, jest nipped the skin enough to cause it to bleed on the back."
"It's still theah. It hurts like a son of a bitch. Ah b'lieve it hit bone. Just mah luck."
"Least it's not your shootin' arm." Ezra looked at the leader of The Seven with disdain. "It's not you're primary shootin' arm. Think it's a good sign that you still want to talk," Chris said.
"Ah dislike disappointin' you, Chris, but Ah do not feel … " Ezra said, his eyes rolling about, unable to focus, " … Ah wonder if … it seems unlikely …." Ezra's head, already heavy against Vin's chest, seemed to settle deeper onto the former bounty hunter's body.
"Ezra? Ez?" Vin asked as he tapped his friend's cheek carefully. "Ezra?" he asked louder. "Hell."
"Passed out?" Chris asked.
"Yeah."
"All right. Keep him comfortable." Chris turned to Josiah. "How's he?"
"He'll live."
"You bastards."
Chris strode over to Grant. "You got nothing to say that anyone needs to hear. You were given appreciation from a lot of folks for the very little you ended up having to do during that fire. Thankless piece of shit. And the threats and grief that J.D. had to suffer, all of us. The vile things you said to the sheriff of your town. He didn't want to make a fuss. We decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. Realize the mistake we made there, now. You will be cut no slack when it comes time for the judge to hear your case."
"The judge?"
"What'd you think would happen next?" Josiah asked. Grant started to speak, but Josiah cut him off. "Nobody needs to hear from you until you talk to the judge, or your lawyer. You got some of that thousand dollars left to hire yourself a lawyer, don't you? I could be your advocate, but I doubt you're interested in hiring me. The only other person in town who has the knowledge and skills to argue your case is layin' over there unconscious. Don't know. Think you might have to defend yourself. I hear it's costly to bring in an attorney from out of town."
"Josiah," Grant said.
"Don't bother," the big preacher said as he stood away from the man, and back far enough so that he could take the occasional glance to see how his friend was doing while he continued to keep a close eye on Grant.
Twenty minutes later, Buck rode lead, at a fast clip, up through the big barn and outbuildings, with J.D. riding Peso beside Buck's gray Clyde, followed by Nathan, with Jeremy not far behind on his horse, holding Chaucer's reins as Ezra's amazing horse took up the rear.
"How's he doin'?" Buck asked.
"Passed out," Chris said. "Nate?"
"Comin'." Nathan jumped from his horse, medical bag already in hand, and ran to Ezra. J.D. held Honey Pie's reins and watched sadly as Nathan took a look at their downed fellow lawman.
"He'll be all right, J.D.," Buck said.
"Don't know how you can say that, Buck. We don't know anything yet."
"I know. But the one thing we all know is that Ezra is one tough son of a gun."
"I know. But a body can only take so much. And what if this injury starts him back with headaches. Or worse."
"Can't think of any reason why it should."
"None of us are doctors, Buck. We should just hold tight and see what Nathan says," Josiah said.
"It's gettin' hot out here. Can't we move to the barn?" Grant asked.
"I thought I told you to keep quiet."
Grant shut his mouth.
Nathan spent twenty minutes looking over Ezra. The gambler woke while the former slave felt around the wound at the back, where he found the bullet, well under the skin, but far enough away from anything important that he felt comfortable leaving it there for the ride back to town.
"Ezra, just stay put, relax. I'll be right back," the healer said as he tied the last of the bandage on the wound, and then pressed his hand comfortingly on his friend's chest. He stood up and walked to Chris, Buck and Jeremy. J.D. and Josiah kept their eyes on Grant.
"I had a look. The bullet caught him high on the inside of his arm, and then moved on to the shoulder blade. Damn shame, he really don't need more hurt to that shoulder. Might have to have a talk with him about heading somewhere to get it worked on permanent."
"Is there something permanent for that?" Jeremy asked.
"The docs we saw in Denver all believe there is. Considering his pain now, I'm pretty sure it got nicked. I could feel a small piece of bone when I felt the bullet."
"You don't think you should take it out now?" Chris asked.
"No. Not here. It's way too dirty. So's Grant's house." Nathan and Buck both went into the house to see if it made sense to attempt the bullet removal and to dig around for any bone chips, but the house was dark and dirty. "I packed it good, cleaned it well, and we saw Grant's wagon. It's got good suspension. Jeremy says the draft horse in Grant's corral is strong enough to manage Vin and Ezra in the back. Grant, too. J.D. said he can drive."
"I can do that," Buck said.
"Better if J.D. does. It's a nice rig and the suspension makes it a little heavier. Ezra's smaller, J.D., Vin is not like having Buck or Josiah on the wagon," Jeremy noted. "Nathan is. No offense."
"I'm not offended," Nathan said with a smile that disappeared quickly as he glanced at Ezra.
"So long as everything else is straw and blankets, Grant's horse should do fine," Jeremy assured everyone.
"If we go slow, pad it with as much fresh straw as we can find, use our bedrolls, and keep him steady, we should be able to get him back to town without further injury. If it looks like we'll have enough light, I'll take the bullet out when we get home. If not, we'll do the surgery in the morning. He won't like it, but he won't likely know, that I'm puttin' laudanum in his tea when we get home. He's in a lot of pain, and there ain't no need for him to be feelin' that when he could just be knocked out."
"He'd rather have a punch to the face than that stuff," Buck said.
"I know he would, and the pain in his shoulder from a punch would make him pass out for sure. No, I think laudanum, but only just enough," Nathan said. "He doesn't have to know, and none of you needs to tell him."
And they weren't the ones to tell him. It turned out laudanum wasn't what was needed this day.