Lene, thanks for the story idea. Had thought about that myself actually, and already have a few ideas, so that may be next. I appreciate your efforts to review -so nice! Thanks to everyone, Hope you enjoy this chapter - let me know your thoughts and criticisms.

"So, what do ya think?" Jake demanded, his patience wearing thin.

"I don't know, Jake," Robert E scratched his head, "Gonna be a big job."

"Can ya help or what?"

"I got the livery to run, ya know? I can't be spending all my time over here helping you and lose money for my trouble." He looked at Jake.

Jake sighed, "Fine, I'll give ya a dollar."

"One dollar?"

"All right, two, but that's my final offer."

"Deal." The shook hands, "Let me just go get my tools." Robert E disappeared back out of the room, leaving Jake to stare at the mess. He could hardly believe that one bath could have caused so much hassle. It was a miracle the whole bathtub hadn't come crashing through the ceiling too.

Sighing heavily, he left the room and wandered back downstairs where a number of guests, clearly shaken by what had happened, were checking out. He hurried over.

"I do hope yer not leaving our hotel because of a little incident like this," he said to one couple.

"Incident? Is that what you call it?" the man said, "we could all have been killed in our beds."

"But ya weren't," Jake latched on to the positive, "that's gotta count for something, right?" The man shot him a dirty look and led his wife out of the hotel, "Damn it!" Jake swore loudly, "This is all we need!" He looked around as if expecting the harbinger of doom to descend upon him, "Where's Emma Jane?" he asked Mandy who was fixing Victoria's jacket.

She looked up at him, "I…uh…"

"Never mind," Jake waved her away. He had more important things on his mind.

Mandy led Victoria out of the hotel and into the cool morning air. She took her hand and began the walk towards the school house.

"When's Ma coming back?" Victoria asked.

"I don't know," Mandy replied truthfully, "Soon, I hope." At that moment, she saw Sully and Michaela riding towards them and knew they were most likely looking for Emma Jane.

"Good morning, Mandy," Michaela greeted her warmly.

"Mornin' Doctor Mike."

"You takin' Victoria to school?" Sully asked.

"Uh…yeah…" Mandy hated lying.

"Where's Emma Jane?"

"She…uh…she…"

"Ma went looking for Pa and Will," Victoria spoke up innocently.

Sully and Michaela exchanged looks, "When was this?" the former demanded.

"Last night," Mandy replied reluctantly.

"And she ain't come back?" Sully was agitated.

Mandy shook her head, "She said not to tell! She's gonna be so cross with me!"

"No, she won't," Michaela reassured her, "Did she tell you where she was going?"

Mandy shook her head again, "No."

"She must have headed for Shady Grove," Sully reasoned, "She was so adamant that we should go yesterday."

"Sully…" Michaela was fearful of what might have happened. Having suffered at the hands of Dog Soldiers herself, she knew what they were capable of.

"Come on, let's go," Sully urged his horse forward and Michaela followed suit.

Mandy and Victoria watched them go, "Are they mad at Ma?" Victoria asked, looking up at Mandy.

"No," she shook her head, "they ain't mad, just worried." She sighed, "Come on, we'd better get ya to school."

SSSS

When Emma Jane woke, her neck was stiff and her body sore from lying on the hard earth. At first, she wasn't quite sure where she was, then her gaze fell on the canvas of the tepee and she knew she was at the Dog Soldiers camp. She sat bolt upright and looked around for Cloud Dancing, but he was nowhere to be found. Outside, she could hear the sound of raised voices and she crept forward to the opening. Shivering, she peered out and could make out a number of Indians hurrying around the camp. It looked as though they were packing up to leave.

Getting to her feet, she stepped through the flap of the tepee and stepped out into the camp. At first, no-one seemed to notice her, then a shout went up and two Indians immediately came flying towards her. They grabbed her arms, twisting them painfully so that she was forced to her knees. The one with the scarred face leaned in close to her and she could smell a mixture of smoke and sweat. Trying to give the impression she wasn't afraid, she stared him down, but he started laughing at her.

A sharp female voice reached her ears, and the two Indians immediately released her and stepped back. Emma Jane stayed on the ground, too afraid to get to her feet, until she saw a female sqwaw walking towards them. She was young, but her face was harsh and determined. She spoke again to the two men who slouched off towards the rest of the camp. Then she crouched down in front of Emma Jane and regarded her steadily.

"Thank you," Emma Jane said, not sure what else she could say.

"My brother has no manners," she said without smiling, "he does not understand how to treat women." She held out her hand and helped Emma Jane to her feet, "My name is Little Blossom."

"Emma Jane." She dusted off her dress, "Can you tell me what's going on?"

"You were caught trying to sneak into our camp."

"I was hoping that you could help me."

"Help?" Little Blossom looked confused.

Emma Jane nodded, "I'm looking for my husband and my son. I believe…I mean, I think…that some of your…contemporaries might have seen them."

"You believe we attacked them?"

"No, but…" she paused, "I'm really just looking for help."

Little Blossom stared at her, "You must be hungry."

Emma Jane hadn't really thought about it, but her stomach rumbled at the mention of food, "Yes, I suppose I am."

"Come," Little Blossom led her towards the centre of the camp where a large fire was burning. A few Indians were sat nearby, but most were finishing packing things away. Little Blossom gestured for her to sit down and then brought a bowl of something which smelled suspiciously like soup. "Here, you eat."

Emma Jane took the bowl from her host and held it up to her mouth. She drank in the warm liquid and marvelled at how delicious it was, "It's lovely, thank you." She watched as the Indians worked, "Are you leaving Shady Grove?"

"We do not stay in the one place very long," Little Blossom told her, "It is the way of the Dog Soldier."

Emma Jane paused, "I've never known a female Dog Soldier before."

Little Blossom smiled slightly, "It is unusual."

"I suppose I never considered a woman would be capable of doing the things the Dog Soldiers are known to do." Emma Jane regretted the words as soon as she had said them.

Little Blossom's face grew hard again, "We do not expect the white man to understand why we stand up against them. We fight for what we believe is ours."

Emma Jane didn't want to say that they did more than fight; they murdered too. She tried a different approach, "Do you know if anyone has seen my family?"

"Sit, I will ask," Little Blossom got up and Emma Jane watched as she spoke to various Dog Soldiers dotted around the area. They all seemed to know nothing by the bemused expressions on their faces, but she noticed that Little Blossom's brother grinned as she spoke to him. Their exchange was angry, and Emma Jane felt her heart thump in her chest. Finally, Little Blossom came back to her, "My brother, Lone Eagle, tells me he has seen your family."

Emma Jane leant forward, "And?"

"He says he fought with a man with long hair."

"Hank…" Emma Jane breathed, "Did he say what happened to him?"

"He says he left him in the woods."

"Alive?"

"That he will not say."

"What about my son?"

Little Blossom looked down, "He say he drown the boy."

Panic filled Emma Jane, "No, no he can't have. Please, he can't have!" She got to her feet and rushed over to where Lone Eagle was standing smirking from a distance. She grabbed his arm, "Please, please tell me you're lying! Please, you didn't hurt him, please!"

Lone Eagle stood and laughed while she railed against him. Little Blossom hurried over and prised them apart. She spoke angrily to Lone Eagle.

"Please…" tears streamed down Emma Jane's face, "please tell me he's lying…"

Little Blossom turned to her, "I am sorry."

"No!" Anger took over, "I don't believe you! I'm going to find him!" She pushed past Lone Eagle and began running towards the edge of the camp to where she had left Hurricane.

Her flight came to an abrupt end as one of the Indians caught up with her. Grabbing her from behind, he pulled her around and she saw it was Lone Eagle. Before she could protest, he grabbed her hair from behind, forcing her head back and kissed her hard on the mouth. Emma Jane screamed in protest, her fists flailing and she brought her knee up quickly between his legs. Letting out a howl of pain, he released her and she continued to run back up the valley to where Hurricane was still waiting. Not pausing for thought, she grabbed his reins, pulled herself up on him and turned him back in the direction of home, galloping at full speed away. After a few miles, she pulled up, relieved that she hadn't been followed. Then she realised she had left Cloud Dancing behind.

SSSS

The sharp pain of the previous day had been replaced in Hank's body by a dull ache in his ribs every time he moved. He had woken at first light and, not knowing where he was, had started in what he thought was the direction of the river. His progress through the wooded ground was slow and laborious and he frequently had to stop to catch his breath. As he walked, he scanned the area for any sign of his son, hoping against all hope that Will had either somehow found his way back home, or had been found.

After he had walked for what seemed like hours, he reached the river and gratefully drank from it and poured the water over himself. He sat for a moment, thankful that he had found what he was looking for, but he wasn't sure what way to head. Squinting up at the sun, he tried to work out which way was north, but his head was pounding and he couldn't seem to find the mental strength.

"Git up, come on," he muttered to himself, grabbing onto a nearby rock and trying to pull himself up. As he did so, a sudden pain shot through his stomach and he yelped in pain. He hung on to the rock as long as he could, then sank to his knees where the pain was less. He waited a few moments and then tried to get up again, but the pain returned with a vengeance and he started to sweat. Thinking he was going to be sick, Hank dropped over onto his side and lay on the grass taking deep gulps of air.

This was it. He was going to die out here in the middle of nowhere without seeing Victoria or Emma Jane, or even knowing where Will was. He knew he should at least try to keep moving, but his limbs felt so heavy and the pain so great that he simply lay there like a wounded animal.

Drifting in and out of a hazy sleep, Hank thought he could hear the sound of voices, then disregarded it as the noise of the stream. Then he heard his name being called and he forced his eyes open.

"Hank!" Michaela yelled again from on top of the bluff. She and Sully guided the horses down the side of the bluff to where Hank was lying. Then she jumped down, grabbed her bag and ran over, "Hank? Hank, can you hear me?"

He breathed out slowly, "Michaela?"

"It's all right, Hank," she told him, pulling her stethoscope out of her bag, "You're going to be all right." She listened to his heart and then felt his pulse, "His pulse is weak," she told Sully. Then she looked at his injuries. His face was bruised and there were marks on his neck too. "Hank, are you in any pain?"

"Stomach," he grunted.

She pressed her fingers down his stomach and side until he groaned in pain, "There," she showed Sully.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think he's ruptured his spleen. I need to get him back to the clinic, Sully, he needs an operation."

"Ain't cuttin' on me," Hank told her.

"I have to, Hank, or you'll die," she told him straight. He didn't reply, "What should we do?" she looked at Sully.

"You can't manage him back to the clinic yourself," he replied, "I say we take him back there together then I'll come back out and look for Will and Emma Jane."

At this, Hank started slightly, "Emma Jane?"

Sully nodded, "She came out lookin' for you last night and she didn't come back."

Hank grabbed onto Sully's arm and tried to pull himself up, "Gotta look for 'em."

"Don't be ridiculous, you can't," Michaela told him, "You're in no fit state…"

"They're my family. I gotta find 'em," Hank insisted, but he groaned once again in pain and slumped back.

"Hank, you gotta listen to Michaela," Sully told him, "let us take you back to the clinic." Hank was in no position to protest, so Sully helped him to his feet and, with Michaela's help, hoisted him up onto his horse and then climbed up behind him. Michaela mounted and the three began to ride back towards town.

"Oh my God!" Loren declared as they pulled up outside the clinic. "What happened to Hank?"

"Matthew?" Michaela gestured to her son who was standing nearby and he hurried over to help Sully with Hank, "He needs an operation," she told the gathering crowd.

"Is he gonna be all right?" Grace asked. Michaela didn't reply, "What about Will?"

"I'm goin' back out to look for him," Sully replied.

"I'll come with you," Matthew said.

They both helped steer Hank into the clinic and up onto the examining table. As they turned to leave, Hank grabbed Sully's arm.

"Ya find 'em," he told Sully in a serious tone.

"I will," Sully replied, "I promise."

SSSS

"Mr Williams!" Sarah called out cheerfully as she spotted Preston's new associate meandering down the street. She hurried over to greet him, "How are we this afternoon?"

"Fine, thank you Mrs Lodge," he replied politely, "And yourself?"

"Oh fine, fine," she replied, before glancing around conspicuously, "Rumour has it that Dr Quinn and her husband found Hank Lawson."

"Really?" Frank's interest was piqued, "What about the boy?"

Sarah shook her head, "No sign of him, but apparently…Mr Lawson is quite badly injured."

"That's terrible," Frank replied, "Poor Emma Jane must be going out of her mind with worry."

"But that's the best part!" Sarah's eyes gleamed with unhidden glee, "It would appear that she vanished in the middle of the night to look for them and she hasn't returned."

"Then where is she?" Frank asked, troubled.

Sarah shrugged, "Who knows? She's most likely been abducted by renegade Indians. If you ask me, her whole manner and demeanour…" She trailed off as Frank shot past her without so much as a goodbye, "Well I never," she murmured, slightly outraged.

Frank hurried towards the Gold Nugget, hopeful that he might find some more reliable news there. Worry for Emma Jane coursed through him and he couldn't bear to think of her lost somewhere in the woods. When he reached the hotel, he pushed the door open to find the bar almost deserted and Jake sitting melancholy at one of the tables. The sound of hammering could be heard from one of the upper floors.

"What can I get ya?" Jake asked at the sight of him, leaping to his feet.

"Nothing," Frank replied hastily, causing Jake's face to fall, "I came to inquire as to whether or not anyone knew what had happened to Mrs Lawson?"

Jake looked angry, "If ya find out, let me know. She was supposed to be here this mornin' and she ain't showed up at all."

Frank was not reassured, "What about her husband?"

"Hank? Oh, he'll be all right," Jake waved his hand dismissively, "Strong as a mule, and just as stubborn."

An idea suddenly formed in Frank's mind. "Which way to the creek?"

SSSS

Emma Jane had paced Hurricane up and down for at least twenty minutes trying to decide whether or not she should go back for Cloud Dancing. She knew he had been trying to help her and had been captured for his troubles, and surely she at least owed him for that. But another part of her thought that, he was an Indian. Surely they wouldn't hurt one of their own? Besides, her mind was full of Will. He couldn't have been drowned. Lone Eagle was lying, he had to be!

Finally, after much deliberation, her conscience won out and she turned back in the direction of Shady Grove. She rode slowly, terrified that at any moment, Lone Eagle would appear out of nowhere. She needn't have worried. She rode on and on and didn't see a single soul, and when she arrived at where the camp had been, the Dog Soldiers were gone, with only the embers from the fire to indicate they had ever been there. She paused, unsure as to what to do. She couldn't even begin to consider where Cloud Dancing might have gone, apart from the North Creek Reservation. Perhaps he had found his way home.

She turned Hurricane again and began cantering back in the direction she had come. She would go to the reservation and see if he was there, then she would keep looking for Hank and Will.

SSSS

"Hank?" Michaela moved over to the bed as Hank slowly came around from the chloroform. He groaned and tried to move, "Lie still," she warned him, "You'll still be in some considerable pain.

He looked up at her, "Am I gonna be all right?"

"Fine," she replied, "I removed your spleen and treated your other injuries. You should be fine in a few days."

Hank nodded, then he remembered about his family, "Emma Jane…Will…"

Michaela's face grew serious again, "Sully and Matthew haven't come back yet," she told him, "but I'm sure they'll find both of them." She touched his arm, "As soon as I know anything, I'll tell you."

"Thank you," Hank lay back on the pillows and looked up at the ceiling. He wished with all his heart he was out there looking for them. What the hell had Emma Jane been thinking?

SSSS

It was beginning to grow dark when Emma Jane arrived at the reservation. This time, there was no Sully to help her, so she rode on into the camp, hoping she wouldn't be attacked. She looked around at the faces of the Indians who all looked back at her with a mixture of uncertainty and hostility.

"I'm looking for Cloud Dancing?" she asked a few of them. They didn't answer, "Cloud Dancing?" She repeated his name. Suddenly, he appeared in front of him, his face bruised, "Oh my!" she gasped, "Your face! I'm…I'm so sorry…" she made to slide down from Hurricane but he held up his hand.

"Leave. You are not welcome here."

"But I…I only wanted to make sure you were all right," she replied, "I'm sorry about what happened at Shady Grove, I…"

"You displayed the cowardice of the white man. When faced with trouble, you ran."

"They told me they had drowned my son!" she retaliated, "I…I was upset, I wanted to know if it was true…" She paused, "I shouldn't have left you, I'm sorry. I didn't think they would hurt you."

Cloud Dancing stepped forward, "I have tried to help you. I can help you no more. Please leave."

Emma Jane stared at him for a long moment, hoping he would change his mind, but he continued to look back at her until she turned Hurricane and made her way back out of the camp. As she rode, tears started to fall down her cheeks. She had achieved nothing, absolutely nothing. Hank and Will were still out there somewhere and she didn't know where to start looking. She began to sob, wishing she could turn back time to a few days earlier, wishing she could have prevented all of this.

Suddenly, the sound of another horse sparked her attention and she squinted through the gloom, "Hank?" her heart thumped hopefully, then died when she remembered he had no horse.

"Emma Jane?" a familiar voice reached her ears and when he appeared out of the shadows, she cried with relief.

"Frank! Oh Frank thank goodness!" Emma Jane leapt down from Hurricane and ran forward. Frank dismounted quickly in time to take her into his arms.

"Are you all right?" he asked, holding her while she sobbed.

"I was beginning to think…I'd never see anyone again," she cried, "Hank and Will…"

"Your friends found Hank," he told her, "He was injured, but I believe he's all right."

Emma Jane pulled back and looked at him hopefully, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I believe so." He pushed her hair back from her face, "Don't cry. I must get you back to town. I went to the creek to see if I could find you, then I followed it up to this point." He smiled at her, "I must take you back so you can see Hank."

"I have to find Will," she said, "I can't leave him out here alone. He could be anywhere…" she began crying again and put her head in her hands.

Frank felt an ache in his chest as he watched her helplessly. She had pulled away from him, but the brief moment that he had held her in his arms, he had felt his heart thump harder. "I'll help you look," he told her, "but surely we should wait until morning?"

Emma Jane shook her head, "I can't leave him to spend another night out here on his own, Frank, I can't." She looked around, "We have to keep searching."

"Then that's what we'll do," he told her, "Come, you lead the way." He helped her back onto Hurricane then climbed back onto his own horse and followed her through the clearing.