Part 3 of 3
In Doc Sanderson's office, Josiah was going through the doctor's records. Vin had tried, but he didn't read as well or as fast as Josiah, and the medical words confounded him. He settled on searching through the rest of the office.
They had been searching the doctor's office for less then half an hour, when they heard someone slowly enter the waiting area. They looked at each other and stepped back, watching the closed curtains that separated the waiting room from the office.
The curtains separated again and Ezra staggered in. He looked at Vin and Josiah in surprise, and collapsed onto the floor.
Quickly they knelt beside him. Josiah felt for a pulse.
"He's alive." He looked at Vin. "Now I think it's time to send for the others."
Vin stepped over Ezra and started out.
"Vin!" Vin stopped and turned, waiting. "Tell them to hurry. Especially Nathan."
Vin nodded and hurried from the building.
Chris had not moved from the same spot on the floor all day. He felt cold all over. He had lapsed in and out of consciousness most of the day. He had thought he heard Raul come in once or twice, but he couldn't be sure. Nothing seemed real.
Except the pain. That was very real. Everything hurt. His thigh had swelled and it was bleeding again, but not enough to be dangerous. Not yet. His right eye had swollen shut, and he could tell his jaw was swollen, too.
He wondered why he wasn't dead. Chris took in a deep breath despite his bruised ribs.
God, he just wanted the pain to go away.
Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he could almost see Mary. Or Buck. Or Vin. Or any of a number of people he'd cared about and had hoped to see again. He would try to picture them in his mind, but their faces would grow dim and unfocused until he couldn't recognize them anymore.
Chris wondered if Buck and Vin had been looking for him. Ezra had found him but Ezra was dead.. And he wondered if maybe the others had given up. He wouldn't blame them if they had. Then it occurred to him that it was possible they weren't looking for him at all. Not if they thought he belonged here with Ella.
He started to think about Ella. Everything seemed to set her off. Maybe she was right and it really was his fault. That he deserved this. Maybe if he'd never left her in the beginning. Never married Sarah.
He shook his head to clear it, but a dull throbbing around his eye and jaw made him stop.
If he hadn't tried to escape, he would still be able to walk. Hadn't she told him how she'd fought to keep that doctor from taking his leg? And she still loved him even though he was a cripple now. Mary might've felt that way, too, but he couldn't be sure of that. She might not have.
Maybe if he told Ella how grateful he was to her, she would stop getting angry at him. And the pain would stop...
Maybe...
And then he slipped into oblivion again.
Josiah had managed to move Ezra to a cot. He was putting a bandage on Ezra's forearm as Vin walked in.
Ezra's clothes lay in a pile on the floor. They were dry but they had obviously been waterlogged. Vin stood, staring at them, puzzled. Just what the hell had happened last night?
Josiah glanced up at him. "He's got a throat wound here. Missed anythin' important. Some chest wounds, but they ain't deep. Musta fought back pretty hard. This arm took the worst of it. I've got the bleeding under control, but Nathan's gonna need to stitch it. You send the wire?"
Vin nodded. "Yep. If they hurry, they oughta be here by tonight."
"Good."
Vin picked up his hat and started out the door.
"Where you goin'?" asked Josiah.
"I ain't waitin'. I'm gonna ride out and see if I can find out where Ezra's horse was last night."
"Now, hold on. You go off by yourself and you just might run into the same people that Ezra and Sanderson did. Best to wait for the others."
Vin tried to argue, but he couldn't think of a good response. Finally he sighed. Josiah was right. It would be better if there were five of them. Whoever was helping Ella Gaines, they were definitely people who meant business.
It was dark when Nathan, Buck and JD arrived in Red Fork. When they hadn't heard from Vin, Ezra or Josiah by the previous day, they had been all set to return anyway. All day it had been all Josiah could do to keep Vin from changing his mind and going after Chris's kidnappers–and Ezra's attackers–on his own.
Nathan finished applying new bandages to Ezra's wounds. "Looks like he's gonna be okay." He wiped his hands on a towel and looked over at Ezra, who was reclining on a small cot set up in the doctor's office. "Needs to rest, of course. And with that throat wound, he really oughtn't say much right now."
Buck smirked. "Ezra? Keep quiet for awhile? That'll kill 'im sure."
"I can hear you, you know," a Southern voice rasped from the cot.
Buck grinned. "Well, welcome back to the land of the living."
Ezra tried to sit up and stopped. His chest ached with the movement. His arm was bandaged and in a sling. And his clothes were missing.
Vin hunkered down close to Ezra and looked him levelly. "You found Chris, didn't ya?" he asked quietly. Ezra nodded. Vin swallowed. The next question was a harder one to ask. "Is he alive?"
Ezra nodded again. "Last I saw, Mr. Larabee was still among us." His voice was already strained.
"Where?" Vin leaned in closer so Ezra could whisper. He listened carefully, as Ezra told him how to find the house and Chris's room. Vin straightened and turned to the others. "Let's go."
"I'll stay here with Ezra," said Nathan. He closed the door behind them, settled into a chair and tried to read one of the doc's medical books.
It was a long ride out to the ranch and just enough moonlight to see. There were lights in the windows of the house and there appeared to be no one outside.
When they were still a good distance from the house, Vin reined his horse and signaled the others to dismount. He crouched down and waved to the others to spread out and stay low. They began to move carefully through the underbrush on the furthest edges of the property.
"Now be careful," Buck whispered loudly, as he looked over at JD. "We spread out first, then we want to get real close to the house without lettin' 'em know we're here."
"I know!" snapped JD. Sometimes Buck talked to him like he was ten. He hated that.
Buck sat on his heels and grinned. "Well, I just don't want you drawin' fire is all. A bullet might mar my good looks."
JD shook his head and rolled his eyes with a sigh, but kept moving.
The next time Chris became aware of his surroundings, it was dark outside. Night. He thought for a moment about trying to get into bed, but the effort required to move at all was just too much. His body felt cold all over and he shivered slightly.
He lay there with both eyes closed. He didn't feel like moving ever again. He could hear Ella walk into the room. She knelt beside him. She touched his face and his good eye flickered open. He saw that her hand had a small bandage on it.
"You know," she said softly. "When I was a little girl, my mother used to kiss my hurts to make them better. I know that sounds silly but it always worked. I always felt better. And you have such silky lips." She brushed the fingertips of her bandaged hand lightly against his mouth.
Chris understood what was wanted. Slowly, he struggled to raise his head a little. He lightly touched his swollen mouth to the palm of her hand. The contact sent another dull ache through his jaw. His head dropped back against the floor from the effort.
Ella smiled and tenderly stroked his blond hair. "At last you understand. We're going to be so happy together. You'll see." She laid her hand on his shoulder and felt his body trembling with cold. "Why don't you get into bed?"
He felt Raul try to lift him. His body protested and he moaned. "No," he said, in a barely audible whisper. "Please..." Raul lowered him back to the floor and Chris curled up again.
"All right...It's all right," she cooed. "You can stay there if you want...I'll keep you warm." She stroked his hair again, then bent over him and kissed his cheek. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.
Something had been bothering Ezra for awhile since the guys had left. Something he'd forgotten to tell Vin. Ezra sat up with a start. The traps!
Ezra looked at Nathan, who was sitting nearby. He got to his feet. The room spun and he sat down again. "I gotta go," he rasped.
"No, you don't," said Nathan sharply. He put his hands on Ezra's shoulders and tried to ease him back onto the cot.
Ezra pushed Nathan's hands away. "They're riding into a trap. That property has been tripwires all over the place."
"Ezra, if you don't rest, you ain't gonna make it there conscious. 'Sides they're long gone. Vin's with 'em. He won't let nothin' like that happen." He hoped that was true.
Ezra looked at Nathan in exasperation. "Look, where are my clothes?"
"They were ruined from whatever swamp you fell in. We had to burn 'em."
"Burn–!"
"Vin brought over some of your clothes from the hotel. They're on the table. But you still ain't goin' nowhere. Ezra, they'll be all right."
Ezra sighed and fell back against the pillows. He rubbed his throat and looked up at Nathan. "All right, Mr. Jackson. You win. Do you think you could at least make me some tea for my throat?"
"All right." Nathan started for the back of the building, then stopped. He picked up Ezra's boots and jacket, and took them with him. "Just to make sure you ain't goin' nowhere."
Ezra glared at him.
"Mighty cold night," Nathan grinned, then disappeared, headed for the little stove in the back.
Ezra waited till he heard Nathan at the stove. He grabbed his pants and shirt and headed out the door. He had to warn the others. And besides, that evil woman owed him some new haberdashery.
"Say, Ezra, you want any sugar in that tea?" Nathan called out. He came back to an empty room. Nathan rubbed the back of his neck and let out a tired sigh. He should have known.
Vin craned his neck in the moonlight. He could just see that Josiah, JD, and Buck had finally taken positions in a semicircle around the front of the house. They began to creep silently towards the house.
Suddenly he stopped. Something didn't feel right. He looked down at the wire by his feet. Why hadn't Ezra told them about this, he thought irritably. Vin exhaled slowly until his frustration subsided. Ezra was hurt after all, and maybe he just forgot. But still...
He whistled softly and Josiah turned. Vin pointed to the wire. Josiah straightened slightly and took a few steps toward the tracker until he could see what Vin was pointing at. He nodded and waved to JD.
JD had been crawling on his hands and knees and was now stopped. He had just found a wire of his own down near his wrist.
"Buck!" he whispered loudly.
"Not so loud, Kid!"
"But–"
"Ssh! Stop makin' so much danged noise! You'll–" Buck took a step forward. A loud shot cracked through the quiet night air and Buck felt something whistle past his ear.
He looked at JD.
"Oops."
Chris was awake again. And awake meant pain. And cold.
A hurricane lamp was lit on the table. Raul must have left and come back. He felt Ella's body leaning against him. She had her arms around him. Her warm breath exhaled rhythmically against his shoulder. He tried to see her face in the lamplight, but couldn't raise his head enough.
Suddenly he was dimly aware of a sound like a shot in the distance. At least he thought that was what he heard. He wasn't sure of anything anymore.
Ella lifted her head sharply and glanced around. She scrambled to her feet and hurried to the window. She peered out for a moment, then turned to him.
"That'll be the rest of your friends, no doubt," She said coldly. Ella walked slowly towards him. "I knew they'd come."
Chris felt his whole body tighten instinctively, as her voice began to raise. "I just knew it! Everything was going to be so perfect! They're ruining everything!"
She was screaming now, her entire body shaking with rage. "They're here to take you back with them! I won't let them! If I can't have you, NOBODY ELSE WILL! They're not taking you away from me! NOBODY IS! EVER!"
She grabbed the lamp from the table and hurled it to the floor. It shattered and erupted in flames. She whirled around and ran from the room.
He could hear her running through the house. The crash of another lamp, the whoosh of flames. Another crash. More. He could hear and smell fire but his body refused to move. He knew he should try to get out, should try to do something, but the chain on his ankle and the agony in his body stopped him.
Chris knew it wouldn't be long before the warm air near the floor was replaced by choking smoke. He would die like his family had. In a fire started by Ella Gaines. The realization made him hate her again.
He felt strangely calm. Soon he would be away from her. And he would be with Sarah and Adam again. The thought made his eyes tear, or maybe it was the smoke; he wasn't sure and it no longer mattered.
It was just a matter of time now.
Vin froze as the sound of a shot echoed across the ranch.
Buck had set off one of the traps, but he appeared to be unhurt. Damn! They couldn't have announced themselves more thoroughly than that. He looked toward the house for any sign of movement. The windows were brighter than before. It looked like...
Fire!
Vin straightened and ran toward the house. JD took his cue from Vin and immediately started running in a low crouch in the direction of the house. Josiah and Buck saw them and followed, but they were still several yards behind.
As they neared the house, Josiah called out to Buck. "You smell kerosene?" It looked as if several small fires had been set throughout the building.
Vin kicked at the door and ran inside. JD was right behind him. The entry hall was already in flames. They looked around but saw no one. Vin took the stairs two and a time and raced down the hall to where Ezra said Chris's room was located. He hoped Ezra hadn't left out anything this time.
Josiah and Buck had reached the front door of the burning house when Josiah suddenly stopped and caught Buck's arm. "Did Vin tell you which room was Chris's?"
Buck shook his head. They stepped back from the house and began to scan the windows, looking for some sign of where Vin and JD had gone.
As JD cleared the top of the stairs, he saw Vin run down the hall and turn a corner. He followed, already starting to choke on the heated smoke that was filling the hall.
They paused in the doorway, squinting through the thickening smoke. Part of the room was already on fire.
"Chris!" Vin shouted over the roaring fire. "Chris!"
Vin and JD could just see someone lying on the floor, silhouetted against the flames. It was Chris. He was laying on his side, naked, his knees drawn to his chest. And he wasn't moving.
JD and Vin rushed into the burning room and knelt beside him.
"God, Chris," said Vin in a choked whisper. "What'd she do to you?"
Vin had hoped to find him alive, but not like this. Chris's body looked as if he'd been badly beaten. His left thigh was bandaged and swollen, and it looked to Vin as if it were broken.
JD quickly yanked the blanket off the bed. "We can carry him in this!"
Vin nodded and hastily removed his belt. He cinched it around Chris's knees, binding one leg to the other as an emergency splint.
As he helped JD maneuver the injured gunslinger into the blanket, he noticed the chain attached to Chris's ankle. Vin crossed the room to examine the chain where it attached to the wall, then knelt beside Chris again. He drew his weapon and pointed it at the lock on the ankle band.
"Sorry Chris," he muttered, and fired. As the lock was blown off, Chris cried out softly, his leg flinching. The weak, piteous cry tore at Vin's heart, releasing his anger. Vin fervently wished he could put his hands around that woman's throat right now for what Chris must have suffered.
Buck and Josiah heard the single shot from Vin's gun. Buck pointed to an upstairs window, and he and Josiah plunged into the burning house.
With Chris in the blanket, JD took the end by Chris's head, Vin took the other end and together they carried Chris out of the room. JD started down the stairs first. Vin was just about to follow when a pair of hands grabbed him roughly from behind and pulled him back, causing him let go of his end of the blanket.
It was Raul.
Raul wrapped an arm around Vin's throat and dragged him backward down the hall, further away from the stairs. Vin pulled his gun from its holster, but couldn't aim it. With both hands, Vin shoved the butt of his gun into Raul's gut, causing him to double over. Vin snapped his elbow up into the big Mexican's face and Raul staggered back. Vin twisted out of his grasp and headed back to the stairs.
JD had lost sight of Vin, and he still had to get Chris out of the building. The heat and flames grew more intense and his eyes were tearing. He was trying to decide what to do when Josiah suddenly passed him on the stairs. Josiah grabbed Vin's end of the blanket and together they carried Chris outside.
As Vin started downstairs, he could feel Raul right behind him. He was more than halfway down when there was a loud, ominous creaking. Suddenly a section of ceiling caved in over the stairway, causing the stairs to collapse, and sending the two men crashing to the first floor.
Vin was pinned, sitting amidst fallen timber, his back against the wall. He coughed and tried to see through the thickening smoke. Raul was slowly crawling toward him over the debris, a malicious grin on his face. Vin looked around and saw his gun nearby. His whole body strained but it was just out of reach. That was when he looked up to see Ezra's Mexican girl standing by the collapsed stairs. She was staring at him and at the gun. Vin struggled again to reach it.
Raul took another step towards Vin. He was almost close enough to reach the tracker. From seemingly out of nowhere, Buck lunged at Raul. His fist slammed into Raul's face and both of them stumbled over the wreckage. As the two men struggled to regain their footing, Raul picked up a large piece of burning wood. He swung it at Buck, who dodged it. He took a step toward Buck and swung again. Buck reached for his gun as he stepped back, but lost his balance and fell. Raul grinned.
There was a shot. Raul dropped the wood. His eyes slowly glazed over and he fell. Buck looked at Vin. Vin was looking at the girl, who was holding his gun in both hands. Buck scrambled to his feet, took the gun from her, and began to shove aside the tangle of wood that trapped Vin.
Vin tried to stand and instantly regretted the move. His knee had twisted. Nothing serious but it was painful. Buck helped him to his feet. They started out the same way JD and Josiah had gone, then stopped.
Flames now blocked the door Josiah and JD had just left through. They needed another way out and fast. And there wasn't time to look for one.
They looked around frantically when Buck felt a tug. Ezra's Mexican girl pointed frantically.
"This way?" shouted Buck.
She nodded. Buck didn't wait for her to show him. He turned his back to her and, with Vin leaning on his shoulder, hurried toward the back of the house.
Buck half-dragged, half-carried Vin out the door and several yards away from the house. When they looked back, the rear door was a wall of flames and the girl was nowhere to be seen.
Maria was following a few steps behind the two men, when suddenly she was caught by the arm. She began to fight, desperate to free her arm from whoever was trying to drag her back into the burning house. She froze in terror when she saw it was Ella Gaines.
"TRAITOR!" Ella gave Maria's arm a vicious twist, pinning it behind her back. The girl's face contorted in pain. Ella shoved the Maria away from her. Maria stumbled and fell. She looked up at Ella with wide, frightened eyes.
Ella's face was dark with fury. Her dress was torn and sooty, her hair hung in tangles, and she was carrying a fireplace poker in her hand. She took a step toward Maria and raised her arm. Maria saw the fireplace poker swinging at her face. And then she knew nothing more.
Ezra rode up in time to see the house burning out of control. He slid from his horse and started toward the house, but his knees buckled and he sank to the ground. He needed rest, just as Nathan had admonished, and his wounds ached horribly. He watched the house anxiously, too exhausted to move. He saw Josiah and JD emerge from the burning building, carrying a blanket Ezra presumed contained Chris.
He looked around but couldn't see Vin, Buck or Maria. Maria. He'd promised he'd come back and he had. Where was she? He wanted to call her name but his injured throat wouldn't let him. He struggled to stand so he could go search for her. He hoped she was already outside somewhere.
Josiah knelt beside Chris, wrapping the blanket around him to protect him from the chilled air. He looked up at JD. "We gotta get him back to Nathan. And fast. See if there's a wagon or something in the barn."
JD looked toward the house. "Where's Buck and Vin?"
As if in answer, Buck and Vin appeared from around a corner of the house. Vin was leaning on Buck and limping slightly.
JD ran to the barn as Buck set Vin on the ground near Josiah. When Buck straightened, he saw Ezra a few yards away. Ezra was barefoot and he wasn't wearing his coat, but he seemed to not notice the cold. In the light of the blaze, Buck could see the worry and fear in his face.
Buck slowly walked over to him. This wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done.
Ezra stood up on shaky legs and looked searchingly into Buck's face. "No!" he whispered. He started to run toward the house, but Buck caught him around the waist and held on tight. He dragged the struggling Ezra further away from the house.
"Ezra, no! There's nothing you can do! Ezra!" Ezra stopped struggling. Buck felt him go limp in his arms and released him. Ezra sank to the ground and sat there, stunned.
Finally he looked up at Buck. "I promised her I'd come back," he whispered tonelessly.
"And you did. But, Ezra, there was nothing you could do." He put a hand on the gambler's shoulders. "She never came out. If it helps, she died savin' Vin and me."
Ezra looked away and nodded.
Buck laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm goin' to help the others with Chris. You meet us back in town when you're ready."
Ezra nodded again.
Buck patted his shoulder and walked away.
It had taken awhile to get Chris back to town. They took him to Sanderson's office. Nathan was still, there, waiting. He was sure someone was bound to come back needing him. He always hoped that wouldn't be the case, but it always seemed to work out that way.
Vin burst through the door, followed by Buck. They were carrying someone in a blanket, and Nathan could glimpse a blond head inside. They'd found Chris. He noticed the boys were dirty and they all smelled of smoke. But explanations would have to wait. Vin and Buck laid Chris carefully on the doc's surgical table.
Nathan opened the blanket and examined Chris thoroughly. "Lord have mercy," he said softly.
It was the first time anyone had had a good look at Chris since they'd found him. Chris's body was covered in welts, bruises and dried blood. His left thigh was swollen and purplish. It was wrapped in a worn, sooty bandage that had old bloodstains mingled with fresh ones on it. His ankle was bloody from a fresh wound. There was a cut on his lower lip, and his jaw and right eye were slightly swollen.
Vin felt his stomach lurch at the sight and JD turned away, not wanting to see Chris this way. Buck's hands balled into angry, helpless fists.
Finally Josiah spoke. "Let's wait in the next room, let Nathan do what he has to do."
It seemed like an age before Nathan stepped into the doc's waiting room. Nathan sighed, feeling more tired than he ever had in his life. "He's real weak. Bruises. Welts. Cuts ain't bleedin'. Looks like there was some swelling to this eye and his jaw." He took a deep breath before continuing. "But that leg. It's broke, but it's a clean break that oughta be easy to set...But there's somethin' else in there… Someone's gotta take it out."
Buck shrugged. "Why don't you do it?"
JD looked at Nathan in surprise. "Yeah, why not? He needs you."
"What he needs is a surgeon. I ain't no surgeon."
"What about these medical books? Won't they help?"
"All them Latin words?" Nathan shook his head again. "Won't do me no good."
The room fell silent. Nathan was afraid. And if Nathan was afraid, Chris had to be worse than they thought.
Buck moved closer and put his hands on Nathan's shoulders. He looked into the healer's brown eyes and his voice was strangely quiet.
"Nathan...You know I've known Chris a lotta years. Now I know he trusts you to do your best. And so do I. That's all anybody's askin.' If somethin' goes wrong, we'll always know you done your best. So will Chris. Now if you're gonna do it, it's gotta be right now…or he's got no chance at all ."
Nathan looked at the floor. Finally, he looked up and nodded. "Somebody's gotta help me get that metal out. That broken bone cuts an artery and he could bleed to death. Vin? Would you help me?"
Vin looked surprised. "Me?"
"You been with the Kiowas and Comanches, ain't ya? I'll take any kind of healin' I can get."
"I learned some stuff, but I ain't no medicine man." Vin read the apprehension in Nathan's face. "But if you think I can help ya--and Chris--then I will."
Ezra rode back to town slowly as the sun was coming up. He never knew a man could feel so tired. His thoughts hopped around between Maria and Chris. He regretted not getting to know Maria better. There was something special about her. And she saved so many of them. It was one debt he would have been glad to repay.
Part of him wanted to head straight for the doc's office. He knew Chris would be there in Nathan's capable hands. But the weaker, more tired part of him won out. He would head for the hotel for some sleep and clean clothes. Then he would see Chris. He needed to see Chris.
Vin stepped out the back door of the doc's office and into the sunlit alley. He sighed heavily, and sat down on a small bench against the wall. He leaned over, his head in his hands.
Josiah came out and looked down at him with concern. "How you doin'?"
"Good," he replied unconvincingly.
Josiah sat down beside him. "Doubt that. You've hardly slept or eaten in nearly 2 days."
Vin shrugged and leaned back against the wall. They sat in silence for a long time.
"I should've found him sooner," Vin said bitterly.
"We found him alive."
Vin looked at the ground. "Barely. And now...I don't know if what we did...if he's going to walk...if he's even going to make it..."
"He's got a better chance now than he'd have had without you."
Vin shook his head. "I don't know about that."
"That's that 'faith' thing, again, Vin."
Vin looked at his hands. For the first time he noticed the dried blood on his hands and shirt. Chris's blood. "Josiah? I just...need to be alone, all right?"
"Sure." Josiah patted him on shoulder, stood up, and started to go back inside.
Vin tiredly rubbed his eyes with one hand. He had known Chris was somewhere close by all that time. Somewhere. And yet he couldn't find him. Then when they finally did find him, Chris was as near dead as alive.
Vin stared down at his bloodied hands. He'd had those hands probing inside the warm, blood-slicked flesh of his friend. Now it was over and all anyone could do was wait. Vin's tight grip on his emotions finally gave way to fatigue.
When Josiah looked at Vin one last time before going inside, Vin was hunched over again. Josiah could see the young man's shoulders shaking in silent, exhausted sobs.
Every now and then, Chris would hear someone calling his name. Then a jumble of hushed voices. He started to open his eyes, but he found he was too tired. He wanted to tell the voices to shut up, to let him rest, but his throat was too hot and dry.
When Chris finally awoke, he found himself again in bed in a strange room. He groaned softly, trying to control his rising panic. Not again. He remembered the house burning. Had she taken him somewhere else?
The next thing he noticed was that his leg and ankle hurt like hell, but the weight of the chain was gone. Chris frowned. His leg was splinted and wrapped in a clean, fresh bandage. Chris struggled to get up, but the slightest movement sent waves of pain through his entire body. He couldn't believe he could hurt so much in so many places. Chris shut his eyes against the pain. He tried again to get up but somebody was holding him down.
Then a familiar voice said gently, "Easy there. You're out of that house now."
"Nathan?" Chris was surprised at how weak and gravelly his voice was. Nathan gently lifted Chris's head and held a glass of water to his lips. Chris swallowed gratefully as the water relieved some of the burning in his throat.
Nathan smiled and stepped away. "He's awake now."
Chris heard Buck's voice. "Good. It's been 2 days already."
Vin, JD, Josiah and Buck came into the room. Chris tried to sit up, but he was too weak.
"Now don't move," Nathan cautioned. "That leg's broke and stitched up. Speakin' of which, Vin took this out. Thought you might be better without it." He showed Chris the spotty, blackish piece of metal.
"Am I gonna be able to walk?"
"Not yet. You take care of that leg and eventually you will."
Chris nodded grimly. "Ella?"
Buck shook his head. "Don't know. Mighta died in the fire. Maybe not. The house was destroyed. Didn't find a trace of her."
Somebody was missing.
"Ezra," he said at last. That's right. Ezra had tried to save him and now he was dead. Ella killed him.
"Present," drawled a voice from the back of the room.
Chris stared, his green eyes wide with surprise.
"C'mon," said Nathan, propelling Buck and the others out the door. "There's too many folks in this room."
Ezra needed Chris. He needed to be around someone who could understand his sense of loss and his anger. He studied Chris a moment. Chris still looked pretty bad, but he'd been cleaned up and freshly bandaged. Chris had suffered far more than he had, he thought. He turned to join the others. Perhaps later. Or never.
"Maria?" Chris croaked weakly.
Ezra stopped. Slowly he shook his head. Finally, he turned back to look at Chris, searching his face for understanding. He found it. It was all he really wanted just then. Not sympathy. Just understanding. Now they both shared a common understanding of what it was to lose someone you love. And what it was to hate Ella Gaines.
Ezra reached into his pocket and approached the bed. "On my way over here, the hotel clerk gave me this. He was told it should be delivered to you."
Chris looked at the lumpy envelope with dread. "Open it."
Ezra tore open the envelope. He poured the contents of the envelope into his hand and held it out. Sarah's locket. Chris tried to reach for it but his arm dropped weakly back to his side.
Ezra took Chris's hand and placed the locket in it. He gently curled Chris's fingers over his palm and placed Chris's hand by his side.
"There's a note." Ezra pulled it out and read "'Please keep this safe for me. I'll be back for it.' Well, we know she's alive." His eyes flashed angrily. "It seems to me she deserves to be punished appropriately for her crimes. When you have sufficiently recovered, do you plan to look for her?"
"Nah, I don't have to," said Chris.
Ezra looked at him quizzically.
"She'll find me." And it frightened Chris a little to know that was true.
END
Captive Fires, the sequel to Prisoner of Desire
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