Author's note: Probably won't get another chapter out today, because of my little jaunt to St. Helens today, so read slowly. Slight language alert, too, just in case you're screening for younger readers.

OOOOOOOOO

Although River insisted he was fine, Jacob and Tom obviously didn't agree because they pretty much insisted on supporting the Californian between them from the corral – where they'd left the horses – to the nurse's cabin. Ian could understand why; River was wobbly and unsteady – although most of that wasn't because of the injuries he'd sustained under the horses. It was from riding in the first place. The Californian hobbled between the two wranglers, more than willing to drape his arms over their shoulders and allow them to take most of his weight as they made their way to the little cabin at the very top and left of the main hill.

The nurse was on the porch of her cabin, sitting on a bench and applying a Band-Aid to the skinned knee of one of the seven-year-old girls, under the watchful eye of Kelly. All three looked up when the four men approached.

"What happened to you guys?" Kelly asked before the nurse could.

"They got in the way of a couple of the horses…" Tom said as they helped River up the steps to the porch.

The Californian winced as he sat down on the hard bench, and Kelly gave him a sympathetic look.

"Anything broken?" She asked.

Ian shook his head, coming over and sitting down beside River. He ached, too, but he knew River wasn't hurt seriously, and he was pretty sure that he hadn't broken anything, either. Bruises and scrapes weren't serious – certainly not worth worrying about.

"We're fine."

"Speak for yourself," River said, leaning back against the front wall of the cabin and watching as the nurse finished with her small patient. "I ache."

"We need to get back to the corral," Jacob said as he and his brother headed back down the stairs. "Come back and finish that ride whenever you're free."

Which wouldn't be that day, they were sure – and they were pretty certain River would never take them up on that offer. Ever.

Before either cadet could answer, Mandy turned to them, her gaze suddenly as intent as any that Ian had seen on Janet Fraiser. She had finished bandaging the little girl's knee and was ready to deal with her more seriously injured counselors.

"Any loss of consciousness?" She asked, reaching out and running her hands gently through River's blonde hair, checking for bumps and cuts.

He shook his head.

"I just got caught underneath one of them."

"Stepped on?"

"Maybe… I'm not sure. It happened pretty quick…" He turned to Ian, knowing that his friend would have remembered everything that he saw.

Ian shrugged, though. He'd been above the melee for the first few moments, and hadn't seen if River had been stepped on or not.

"I'm not sure, either. Probably."

That was probably what had made Buttercup stumble in the first place. Maybe.

"I don't feel any bumps. Did you hit your head?"

River shook his head.

"It's the rest of me that hurts…"

"And you?" she asked, looking at Ian.

He shook his head, too.

"Just one big bruise…"

She didn't exactly accept that, though. Instead, she ran them both through a series of quick motion tests, making sure they had feeling everywhere and nothing was broken. Then she double-checked to make sure they were both visualizing properly, and double-checked their reflexes. After a semi-lengthy exam, she declared them to be battered and bruised but not broken. She gave them ice packs, and told them to use them – after making sure they knew how to use them properly – and then sent them up to their cabin with an admonishment to stay off their feet for a while.

"If I never see a horse again, it'll be too soon," River grumbled as they walked up the hill towards Australia.

"Horses aren't so bad."

"Speak for yourself. My testicles are hiding up somewhere around my liver, and I'm pretty sure they're not going to drop any time soon…"

Ian snorted, but refused to get into any conversation about River's testicles.

"Don't be such a baby."

It could have been a lot worse. Bruises would hurt for a couple of days, but that was it. No casts, no splints, no stitches.

The kids weren't back from their ride yet, so the cabin was echoingly empty – which suited both of them just fine. River dropped onto his bed, icepack already in position, and closed his eyes. And opened them again at a curse from Ian, who had barked his shin getting up onto his bed.

"Fucking rail. I ought to rip it off the fucking bed."

"If you do that, then you'll fall on your head in the middle of the night…" River told him, closing his eyes again. "And I'd hate to have that wake me up."

Ian scowled, and flopped down on his bed, putting one icepack on his shoulder and the other on his elbow – where he was the most sore.

"Dinner's in a couple of hours."

River groaned.

"I can't walk…"

OOOOOOOOOOO

"I can walk."

"Janet said you were supposed to stay off your leg."

"She didn't mean you were supposed to carry me."

"But-"

"Just bring Jake, Jack," Sam told him, shaking her head in mixed amusement and annoyance. "I can use the crutches and get myself into the house."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

He finally gave in, but only because he couldn't figure out a way to make her see reason. She was pretty stubborn sometimes, after all.

"Fine. But I'm cooking tonight, and you're staying off your leg."

Sam nodded. She didn't feel like doing anything, anyways. Her leg was throbbing in time to her heartbeat, and all she really wanted to do was stretch out on the couch and be babied a little. But that didn't include being toted around like a sack of potatoes.

"Fine. Just make something that can't burn. Like salad."