Vivian had seen the gunman, heard the shot and pushed Marita out of the way. She then stumbled into Marita and they both fell to the ground.

"Vivian" Marita called out to Vivian who was sprawled on top of her. "Vivian" she said again as she rolled Vivian off and onto her back.

"Oh GOD!" Marita said when she saw blood streaming from Vivian's temple. "Vivian" she said again as she patted her cheek. "Oh God" Marita said as tears began.

Marita did not know what to do. She could not carry Vivian in the house and she did not want to leave her to go and get help. Then she heard footsteps running up the porch steps and looked up. It was James, one of their hands.

"Ma'am, you alright?" he asked anxiously as he looked from her to Vivian.

"Yes but Vivian's been shot. I need you to carry her inside" Marita said as she got up from the ground.

"Yes ma'am" James said.

"Be careful" Marita said as James bent down to pick up Vivian.

James followed Marita into the house and up the stairs to one of the spare bedrooms. He gently laid Vivian down.

"I need you to go into town and get Dr. Williams"

"Yes ma'am but Mr. Logan wanted me and Thomas to stay near the house."

Sean had told her that he wanted someone to keep an eye on her until they were sure that Bonnie had left town. Marita insisted that she did not need to be guarded but Sean would not change his mind.

"Well, somebody needs to get the doctor!" Marita said in frustration.

"OK ma'am. I'll find somebody near by to go" James said then left.

Marita turned to Vivian to see that her wound was bleeding more profusely. She pulled back the quilt on the bed and ripped a portion of the sheets and tore it into strips. She used the strips to bind the wound, hoping to stop the bleeding. Marita then began praying that Vivian would recover. James returned a few minutes later and told Marita that someone was going into town to get the doctor and Sean.

"Would you get my Aunt Eleanor?" Marita asked him as she watched Vivian turn an ashen gray. "I think she's somewhere on the farm."

"Ma'am, I really don't fell comfortable leavin' you alone."

"Where's Thomas!" Marita snapped as fear for Vivian began to grab her.

"He went after the fella that shot at you and Miss Vivian."

"ma ma" Sean-Michael had woken from his nap and came into the room.

Marita turned to Sean-Michael and got up from the bed and picked him up. She hugged him tight and kissed his forehead. What if Sean-Michael had been outside? What if he had been shot? Marita shut her eyes and held him tighter as she thought of that calamity.

"I'm gonna wait outside and if any of the hands come by, I'll send 'em to get your Aunt" James said then went back downstairs.

Marita held Sean-Michael as she waited for someone to come. A few minutes later, Marita heard someone running up the stairs calling her name.

"Marita! Marita! Marita!" Clay shouted.

Marita ran to the door. "We're in here Clay."

"What happened?!" he asked as he approached the room. "Where's Vivian!!" he said as he walked into the room. "VIVIAN!" he cried as he ran to the side of the bed. "Vivian" he said a little softer. "Vivian" he cried as he saw her lying lifeless on the bed. "WHERE IS THE DOCTOR!" he turned angry eyes to Marita.

"One of the hands went into town to get him" Marita said with sadness.

"What happened?!" Clay asked as he turned his eyes back to Vivian. "WHO DID THIS!" he demanded.

"I don't know. James said that Thomas went after the man who shot at us."

Clay held Vivian's hand and kissed it as he waited for the doctor to arrive. The minutes seemed to crawl by as Clay and Marita waited. Sean-Michael must have sensed that something was wrong because he was not his usual active self. He quietly laid his head on his mother's chest and was content to be rocked in her arms. After what seemed like an eternity, Marita heard the front door open and slam shut. She left the room and walked toward the stairs.

"Marita!" Sean called out.

"I'm up here" she said from the top of the stairs.

"Are you alright?!" he asked anxiously after he had ran up the stairs. He grabbed her upper arms then looked down at Sean-Michael who was still in her arms. Word had gotten to him that there had been some kind of accident.

"I'm fine."

"pa pa" Sean-Michael lifted his head and smiled at Sean.

Sean smiled at his son, lovingly ran his hand over his head, and silently thanked GOD that Marita and Sean-Michael were unharmed.

"What happened?" he turned his attention back to Marita.

"We walked out on the porch" Marita said as tears formed in her eyes. "And someone shot at us."

"WHAT?!" he shouted as he imagined someone pointing a gun at Marita. Anger swept over Sean. He instantly thought of Bonnie and her thinly veiled threat. He would kill her with his bare hands if she was behind this.

"Someone shot Vivian" Marita said, still barely believing it herself.

"Where's Clay?"

"He's in the room with Vivian."

Sean and Marita walked to the room and Sean went over to his brother. He looked down at Vivian and saw the blood soaked bandage. Fear gripped him as he saw Marita lying where Vivian was. He saw Marita bleeding uncontrollably. He saw Marita in a state of unconsciousness.

"Clay" Sean said softly as he put his hand on Clay's shoulder.

"Why would anybody want to shoot her?!" Clay cried as he tried to understand the reason for this tragedy.

"We'll find whoever did this" Sean promised. "I'm sorry Clay" Sean said after a few moments.

Sean then walked out of the room with Marita following behind him. He knew in his gut that Bonnie had something to do with this and guilt began to wash over him. Vivian was lying near death because of him.

"Did anybody see who did it?" Sean stopped and turned to face Marita. His eyes were now full of anger and revenge.

"James said that Thomas went after him. We need to get the sheriff" Marita said when she saw the look in his eyes.

Sean looked at Marita and she knew he wanted to take the law into his own hands. Sean knew she knew what he was thinking. He told her without words that nothing she could say or do would change his mind. With determination, he turned away from her and headed down the stairs.

"Sean" Marita called to him as she followed him. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Sean! Where are you going?" she said again when he did not answer her. "Sean!" she called after him as she chased him down the stairs.

"Marita, stay in the house!" he said as he opened the front door then slammed it shut. As Sean walked out on the porch, Ned, Isaac and Lexy were riding up.

Marita ran to the door and opened it. "Sean!"

"STAY IN THE HOUSE MARITA!!" he turned and yelled at her.

"What is going on?" Ned asked as he ran up the stairs with Isaac and Lexy close behind. He did not want to believe someone had shot Vivian.

"Somebody shot Vivian" Sean answered as he turned to Ned.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Lexy asked in a worried voice.

"We don't know" Marita said. "We're waiting for the doctor."

Sean whipped around and gave Marita an angry stare. "MARITA!!!! GET IN THE HOUSE!!!" he bellowed. "NOW!!"

Sean-Michael was perched in his mother's arms looking at all the big people wondering what exactly was going on. When his Aunt Lexy made her way over to him, he reached for her. Lexy took him and gave him a kiss.

"Lexy" Sean said. "Take him in the house. AND YOU" he said as his eyes landed on Marita. "GO TOO!"

Lexy obeyed immediately and went inside with Sean-Michael.

"Sean..." Marita tried to implore him.

"Marita" Isaac said as he walked up to her. "Get in the house."

"Pa Pa..."

"Go on inside" he urged her.

"Will you stay with him" Marita said fearfully. "I don't know what he's going to do."

"OK, baby girl. Just go on inside."

Reluctantly, Marita went back inside. After she closed the door, she went over to the window and looked out on the porch. Sean was pacing back and forth and she knew that his temper was ready to explode.

"What in the world is going on?" Ned asked.

"I'm not sure" Sean said angrily.

"Why would someone shoot Vivian?" Ned asked in a bewildered voice.

"I don't know Pa" Sean said. He would keep his suspicions to himself until he had proof that Bonnie was behind this.

"Where is Clay?" Isaac said.

"He's upstairs with Vivian."

"I'd better go and check on him" Ned said then went inside.

"Whoever did this will pay" Sean said murderously.

"Son, you've got to keep a level head..." Isaac said.

"Marita could've been shot!!!" Sean said furiously as his angry eyes bore into Isaac. "That could've been her up there bleeding to death!!"

The sound of a carriage coming turned Sean and Isaac's attention. The carriage stopped in front of the porch and Doc Williams emerged. He rushed up the steps and into the house.

"Where is she?" he asked Marita, who had been watching out the window and opened the door for him.

"Upstairs."

"Would you bring me towels and hot water?" he asked.

"I'll heat the water" Lexy offered, then took off to the kitchen with Sean-Michael following behind her.

Marita led Doc Williams to the room where Vivian was and then went to get towels.

"What took you so long?!" Clay shouted when Doc Williams entered the room.

"Clay..." Ned said as he put a hand on Clay's shoulder.

"What happened?" Doc Williams asked walked over to Vivian.

"We don't know! She was shot. And now she's bleeding to death! WHY DIDN'T YOU GET HERE FASTER!!!" Clay shouted as tears choked him.

"Son!" Ned said. "Calm down."

"It's alright Ned" Doc Williams said as sat on the bed and loosed the make shift bandage Marita had put on Vivian.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Clay asked in an anguished voice.

"It would be better if I examine her alone" Doc Williams said.

"I'M NOT LEAVING!" Clay shouted.

"Son" Ned tried to reason with him. "The doctor knows what's best..."

"NO HE DOESN'T!!!" Clay insisted as tears slid down his cheeks.

"Son! Let Doc Williams examine her!"

"I can't lose her Pa!" Clay turned tear filled eyes to his father.

"I know son" Ned said sympathetically. "Let's leave so he can examine her."

Clay looked back at a pale Vivian, kissed her white lips and slowly got up from the bed and let his father guide him out of the room as Marita brought the towels. Outside the room, Clay leaned against the wall then slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Silent tears rushed down his face as Ned bent down to embrace him. When his father's strong arms surrounded him, Clay let out an anguished cry. Ned held his son and tried to comfort him as much as he could. Marita's heart broke as he walked past Clay to go back downstairs.

Lexy had put the water on the stove and was coming from the kitchen when she heard Clay's cry. She looked at Marita with tears in her eyes before she ran up the stairs. She saw her father holding her brother as he cried uncontrollably. She rushed over to Clay and Ned, fell to her knees and threw her arms around Clay. Ned and Lexy sat with Clay, holding him, comforting him as best they could.

When the bedroom door finally opened, Clay lifted his head and jumped to his feet. He looked at the Doc Williams' expression, hoping for good news.

"Clay, did you know Vivian is pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" Clay was thrown into a state of shock. He had no idea Vivian was pregnant.

"Yes" Doc Williams shook his head.

"Is she... gonna be alright" Clay was afraid to ask.

"She lost a lot of blood" the doctor said. "But her pulse is stronger than I expected it to be, so there's a good chance she'll pull through."

"What about the baby?" Lexy asked.

"For now, everything seems to be OK with the baby."

"Thank you doctor" Ned said.

"Doctor, is there anything we need to do for her?" Marita asked. She had come up the stairs when she heard Doc Williams' voice.

"I'm going to leave some ointment for her wound. Change her bandage at least twice a day. Keep her warm and check for fever. If she gets one, bathe her in alcohol. And if you would, get her a nightgown to put on. I'll be back tomorrow to check on her, but if anything drastic happens, send for me."

"Alright" Marita said as she went to her room to get one of her nightgowns.

"Can I see her now?" Clay asked.

"Go on in" Doc Williams said.

As Clay went in to see Vivian, Ned and Lexy walked Doc Williams downstairs.

"Thanks again Doc" Ned said when they were on the porch.

"Is she going to be alright?" Sean asked as Doc Williams' carriage pulled off.

"He said she has a good chance of pulling through" Ned told him and Isaac.

"And she's pregnant" Lexy informed them.

"Mr. Logan!"

Sean and Ned looked toward James, who was riding up on his horse.

"Mr. Logan, Thomas caught up with the fella that shot Miss Vivian."

*************

After Marita had gotten a nightgown for Vivian, she walked into the bedroom and found Clay sitting next to Vivian holding her hand.

"She didn't tell me she was pregnant" Clay said solemnly as he kept his eyes on Vivian. "I thought she was gaining weight" Clay laughed lightly. "I can't wait to see her get fat" Clay let out a livelier laugh.

"I'm going to tell her you said that" Marita laughed herself. She was glad that Clay was thinking positively about Vivian's recovery.

"If you do, she's gonna have me horsewhipped" Clay returned with a genuine grin.

"Would you like to put the nightgown on her" Marita said as she watched Clay's loving gaze.

"Yeah, I'll do it" Clay said.

"Did you want me to help?" Marita said as she walked closer to the bed and handed the nightgown to Clay.

"No, I can get it."

"If you need anything, I'll be right downstairs."

"OK" Clay looked up at her and she smiled at him. "Marita" he called to her when she reached the door. "Thanks... for being such a good friend to her" he said when she had turned and looked at him. "She says you're the first real friend she's ever had."

"She's been a good friend to me" Marita smiled.

"I'm real proud of her for changing some much" Clay said.

Marita and Vivian's friendship grew as the days went by. Everyone but them was still astonished that these two had become so close.

"I'm proud of her too" Marita smiled then left them alone.

When she got back downstairs, Lexy told her that Thomas had caught the man who shot Vivian.

"Where did they go?" Marita asked anxiously when she looked out the window and did not see Sean, Isaac or Ned.

"I don't know. Sean went running off the porch and hopped on Ahab. Pa and Isaac ran after him" Lexy said.

********************

When James said the gunman had been caught, Sean did not hesitate as he ran down the steps of the porch over to Ahab. He hopped on his horse in one motion and followed James. Ned and Isaac made it to their horses and followed after Sean. When Sean saw a man walking with his arms raised, he pushed Ahab harder. When he got near enough to see the man clear, he pulled up on Ahab and jump to the ground before he came to a complete stop. Without breaking stride, Sean charged toward the man.

To Be Continued...............