Disclaimer: Magnificent Seven does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit. Any references to people, places, businesses, etc. are entirely fictitious.
Chapter 2: Miscreants?
Home, family: things worth fighting for…
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"They will come," assured Raine.
"Reckon patients will come," agreed Nathan. "But right now… folks are gonna be curious… some folks will go to the Four Corners Hospital just to see the new fella."
"That wasn't what I meant."
Nathan stepped back from the outer wall of their home. His sign now hung between the doorway and the window to the front room. He reached out to touch one corner and straighten it. The words 'Dr. Jackson, Attending Physician' now level. He looked at Raine standing beside him, one hand against the open doorway.
"Huh?"
"Your friends will be here for you," answered Raine.
Oh. Since the town election last fall, splitting up the seven peacekeepers, they hadn't been together as often as they used to be. Nathan had to admit, he would have liked to have had his friends with him today. Would have liked their support.
"Hope they don't need tending," stated the practical man with a rueful smile. "Patients would be better."
Paying patients at that. In all the time Nathan had been in Four Corners, there had scarcely been a day without patients. Most folks preferred going to him rather than the barber for treatments. Who would folks want to see now that they had a choice between two physicians?
"I know I promised…," began Nathan.
"It's fine," interrupted Raine.
Nathan frowned. Setting up a clinic in their home wasn't fine with him. Wasn't what he'd promised Raine when he and his pregnant wife moved into the newly built clapboard house. Thankfully, they weren't totally destitute. Nathan's share of the money from the Stutz's reward would cover the next mortgage payment. And a vegetable garden and chicken coop out back ensured they had food. The herb garden off the porch provided most of the ingredients he used for his poultices. But… the roof over their head wasn't a sure thing. Nathan felt pressured. Without a salary from the town, he needed to earn enough to make sure they kept their home, to pay the mortgage.
"Why don't you bring some chairs out onto the porch?" suggested Raine.
"Yeah," nodded Nathan. "I'll do that."
It wasn't until he set the fourth ladderback chair outside against the wall that Nathan glanced back to the Four Corners Hospital. The tall man sucked in a deep breath. He hadn't expected to see Maude Standish smiling, laughing, batting her eyes at the man from Atlanta. He thought she supported Nathan and his goal of being a physician. She'd been quick enough to declare him a physician at her hotel a few years back. Ezra had reminded her that Nathan wasn't a licensed doctor. Nathan had been flattered when Maude had insisted he should be a doctor.
"What are you up to now?"
The crafty woman seemed to be spending more time in Four Corners these days. Nathan reckoned it was only natural for Maude to want to see her son and his family. So far, she hadn't tried any cons. Or at least none that Nathan knew about. But now? He watched her pull a small bottle from her beaded reticule. Chambers took it in his hands as if reading the label. Nathan hadn't seen Ezra at all this day, and now his mother was… was… what? Consulting a physician? Maude had never come to Nathan with any medical concerns. The woman was as healthy as could be.
"What's ailing you?" muttered Nathan.
Nathan sat down in the chair he'd just placed on the porch. Chambers opened the door to the hospital and gestured for Maude to enter. For a moment Nathan had a suspicious thought.
"Are you one of those concerned citizens that Abner mentioned?"
Her exit from the building not even five minutes later seemed to squash that idea. The fashionable woman in the blue dress stormed out of the building with a scowl on her lovely face. Chambers stepped through the door and called after her. Nathan couldn't hear what the man said, but people at Potter's store turned to look. From the middle of the street, Maude turned back to the man with a snappy response.
"Wish I could hear what you're saying."
More people came outside of the hardware store and the saloon to listen to the confrontation. With a gesture of dismissal, Maude turned her back on the man from Atlanta. The determined woman strode down main street. It wasn't until she passed the jail and turned towards him that Nathan realized she wasn't going to Ezra and Mary's home. He gulped.
"She's coming here."
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"Don't seem like anything is wrong with you," assured Nathan.
Raine ducked her head and turned away trying to hide her smirk. The older woman had insisted on coming inside for a consultation. Maude sat at their table with a cup of tea. Not one of Nathan's healing herbal teas, but a regular cup of tea as if this were a social call.
"Nevertheless, I need one of your tonics," insisted Maude.
Ezra's mother waved her graceful hand at the cabinet beside the sink. Glass jars of herbs, and bottles of various medicines filled the shelves.
"Perhaps that pain reliever you gave Ezra the last time he was injured?"
"You got pain? Where?"
Nathan's concerned gaze looked over the woman, not sure what he'd missed.
"You want to tell me what's really wrong?"
Maude glanced out their front window. Chambers had a steady stream of visitors while they had been talking.
"That man!"
Maude sniffed in disdain. She withdrew the same bottle she'd showed Chambers from her bag. Ezra's mother extended it toward Nathan.
"I told him I needed something for my aches, and this is what I'd been given from my doctor in Saint Louis."
Nathan reached out and took the bottle. The physician supposed Maude might be getting joint pain. She had to be over fifty now. Nathan twisted the cap off the bottle Maude had given him as she continued talking. He sniffed. His eyebrows went up a bit. Just to be sure, he put a drop on his finger and tasted it.
"What kind of aches?"
"That man asked me to look at a doll and point to where it hurt!" continued Maude without answering his question.
Nathan pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. For all that Nathan had delivered several babies, most of his patients were men. He knew some doctors carried anatomical dolls just as well as a stethoscope. It didn't surprise Nathan to hear that Chambers had a doll in his medical bag. Some folks considered it unseemly for a man to treat a woman. Mrs. Gibson, the midwife, took care of most of the needs of women in town.
"I told him I think I'd rather talk with a physician that deals with real people! Not someone that plays with dolls!"
"What kind of aches get treated with Ezra's favorite whisky?"
Maude's blue eyes looked up at him. She smiled.
"Nathan, Chambers didn't even check the contents, didn't realize that was whisky," stated Maude. "That charlatan is no more a physician than I am!"
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Nathan stepped outside with his first patient of the day. Maude turned to look up at Nathan. She flashed a green bottle in her hand. Anyone watching would see a satisfied patient as she reached for her purse.
"Like I said willow bark tea ought to help with those aches you described," advised the physician. "If it don't help, we'll look at something stronger."
"Thank you, Nathan."
Maude started to walk away, still keeping that bottle readily visible in her graceful hand. Nathan knew the calculating woman had to know the appearance she made. But for what purpose?
"You want to tell me why you're helping me?"
The devious woman smiled. Still play acting for any watching townsfolk, realized Nathan.
"Being a physician is your dream…"
And maybe trying to play him as well?
"Owning that saloon was Ezra's dream," interrupted Nathan.
Nathan had often wondered at the competition between Ezra's saloon and Maude's hotel and casino. She had run Ezra out of business, bought the saloon for herself, and then put Inez in charge of it. Why had she destroyed Ezra's chance of owning the saloon?
"Not really," objected Maude still smiling. "Running that place would be a waste of his God-given talents!"
Nathan's eyebrows went up at her words. He remembered Ezra assuring him he knew all about running a saloon. His friend seemed to have gotten over the loss of the business easily enough. Nathan didn't think he would ever get over it if he couldn't help folks. Nathan knew, whether as a stretcher bearer, a healer, or a physician, taking care of folks was his life's work. Just what did Maude think were Ezra's God-given talents? What was Ezra's true dream?
"You didn't want him managing a saloon?" questioned Nathan. "Seems like a real profitable business…"
"Profitable yes, but not the most respectable line of work for a man trying to get his son back!" interrupted Maude. "Appearances matter."
She glanced towards Ezra and Mary's home. Mary could be seen through the big windows in the front room that now housed the Clarion. Ben and Billy played outside. Mary's orange tomcat now sprawled in a sunny spot on the front porch. Still no sign of Ezra.
"We'd never have gotten Ben back if Mrs. Bennet thought Ezra was running a saloon!"
"Huh?"
Nathan really didn't know much about Ezra's son from his first marriage. Hadn't even known the gambler had been married previously. Hadn't known Ezra had a son until Maude, Mrs. Bennet and young Ben arrived in town late last year.
"She's a teetotaler," explained Maude. "And besides, just because I raised my darling boy in gambling joints doesn't mean I want any grandchildren of mine to be raised that way."
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It wasn't until after the watchfires were lit and little Jimmy was back in his cradle, hopefully for the whole night, that someone knocked on Nathan and Raine's door.
"Ezra," greeted Nathan. "Everything alright?"
The chestnut-haired man flashed a grin. Lantern light glinted off his gold tooth as Ezra raised his right hand. Nathan saw a folded paper clenched tightly between his fingers.
"It's getting better, now that I'm back in Four Corners," drawled the gambler. "May I come in?"
Nathan stepped back. With the sweep of his hand he gestured for his friend to enter. His eyes narrowed as Ezra stepped into the room. Nathan hadn't seen the drab brown coat Ezra now wore since he had sneaked into the railroad camp a couple years ago. Ezra only wore the plain brown attire when trying to avoid notice. What had Ezra been up to today? Nathan pushed the door shut then moved to the table to pull out the chair Ezra's mother had sat in earlier.
"Where have you been?"
"Eagle Bend."
Ezra sat down in the chair. He was dusty, tired, and had a pinched look around the eyes. All signs of a long ride. Nathan settled beside him. Ezra pushed the paper towards him.
"An eviction notice?"
Nathan's voice rose in surprise as he read the first line of the legal document. He looked up from the paper and glared at Ezra.
"You can't evict me…"
His friend's green eyes widened.
"Not you," interrupted Ezra. "The town. Mary and I thought you should know…"
"What?"
Ezra reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a bundle of folded papers. He laid them on the table between them and slid the packet towards Nathan.
"Mary's contract leasing the old Clarion building to the town for the hospital," explained Ezra with a tired sigh.
He reached into his coat again and withdrew a silver flask. As the gambler untwisted the cap, he spoke again.
"The contract says the town is obligated to submit selection of the tenant for my lady wife's approval."
Nathan looked up from the contract in his hands. Ezra swallowed a sip of whisky, then leaned forward offering the flask to Nathan. This late in the evening, a quiet Thursday, there wasn't much chance of Nathan's services being needed. The physician accepted the flask and took a small sip as well.
"And specifically, this contract names you, Doctor Nathan Jackson, as the agreed upon tenant," added Ezra.
"So Mary's evicting Chambers?"
A cunning smile lit up Ezra's face.
"No," the tricky man answered. "The contract is being revoked in its entirety. Any tenant lacking the name Nathan Jackson is not acceptable."
Nathan frowned. The other committee members might not interpret the contract in the same manner. The newswoman had a way with twisting words to suit her own desires, not unlike Ezra.
"So why didn't you do this before Chambers arrived?"
"We tried. We had to submit the contract to the judge for his review."
Ezra's voice held a note of irritation. Nathan glanced at his friend.
"What do you mean… tried?"
"Have you noticed any difficulties with sending telegrams lately?"
Nathan shrugged. Since coming to Four Corners there had been a handful of times he'd needed to send a telegram. Less now since he'd set up working primarily as a physician.
"Can't say I send that many telegrams."
Ezra's smile tightened.
"I first noticed a problem back in January."
Nathan pursed his lips. January… when Ezra had gone to Tucson to testify against Lucas James. The Standish's had been gone most of the month. Vin had been gone a while too. Nathan remembered the town being short of peacekeepers. He, Chris and Josiah had worked with Buck and JD to cover their absences.
"Mary sent Judge Travis a telegram when she first heard of the plans to hire that man," continued Ezra.
"That was nearly a month ago."
Ezra leaned forward across the table. His green-eyed gaze meeting Nathan's.
"Judge Travis never received it," countered Ezra. "The first he heard of it was when I sent a telegram from Eagle Bend the week before last."
Nathan chuckled and shook his head.
"Could be any number of reasons…"
"Yes," interrupted Ezra. "There could be reasons… but there have been entirely too many coincidences lately..."
"Coincidences? What do you mean?"
"The Coulson gang in January," reminded Ezra.
"Phht," dismissed Nathan. "The Coulson gang would have shown up sooner or later…"
"But they came when the town peacekeepers were conveniently short-handed."
The election last year had changed things. The peacekeepers were no longer the Judge's appointees. Now the town hired their lawmen directly. But was Four Corners actually as peaceful as it had seemed back when folks were voting to change things?
"And what about the fast-draws that keep coming after Chris?" demanded Ezra. "No one challenged Chris the first few years we rode together…"
Nathan frowned. There had been at least six gunnies come to Four Corners in the last six months. Looking for a showdown with Chris. That first boy had been lucky. Chris had turned that wanna be gunnie over to Sheriff Wilmington. The youth spent a week in jail, had three meals a day and a roof over his head, before he was sent on his way with a stern warning to not come back. The next five shootists looking for Chris… were buried over by the Stutz's.
"Most likely folks have heard about the reduction in law keeping forces…"
"Nathan, it wouldn't be the first time someone has tried to take over Four Corners."
Nathan's dark eyes met Ezra's. They both remembered the attack on the town when Marshall Bryce had been killed. Murdered actually. No one could prove that Guy Royal and Stuart James had hired the outlaws that ransacked Four Corners then. And someone had been trying to buy out the settlers in New Hope. Were the ranchers plotting another take over?
"I think someone is trying to destroy Four Corners."
Destroy Four Corners? Or destroy the men trying to protect the town, protect their homes, protect their families?
"Maybe, but it seems to be a bit of a stretch," countered Nathan. "I don't see how hiring a doctor is going to destroy a town."
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