Slight update on my life that hopefully won't slow down my writing: I'm moving back to the U.S. before the end of the year. Yes, between the election and pandemic, the timing is terrible! But I have not been happy in my job and I have missed my family and friends, since it's been over a 18 months since I went overseas. But since I want to complete a 14 day quarantine in time for Christmas, my life has been thrown into chaos trying to arrange a fast move.

The good news is that any slow down in my writing schedule can be made up while I sit in a hotel for 14 days by myself haha!

Chapter 24: End of an Era

Despite Arthur's initial success the first night, it was impossible to get Hosea to rest. Dark bags formed under his bloodshot eyes, and even when exhaustion dragged him under, his worrying would jolt him awake within an hour.

John wasn't helping the matter, either. His fever quickly spiked, requiring constant care to keep him cool and calm. Arthur was able to rouse him enough to take water and medicine, but otherwise John remained in a fitful sleep.

Finally, after Charles slipped out of the apartment to find the rest of the gang, Arthur had enough. He brewed a cup of tea, ironically a blend given to Albert by Hosea himself to help Arthur sleep after his own injuries.

He carried the steaming mug back into the bedroom, pausing at the door. John's lungs continue to shudder with each labored breath, and Hosea watched every one with tears in his eyes. He looked up when Arthur knocked on the door frame. Taking a whiff of the beverage, he asked, "Is that my-"

"Your knock-out tea? Yep," Arthur said, smiling. He shoved the mug towards Hosea, but the older man wouldn't take it.

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"I have to watch John."

"I can take care of John." Still, Hosea shook his head no, so Arthur tried a different method. "You ain't going to be able to help him if you can't keep your eyes open. I'll wake you up if anything is wrong. Please, Hosea."

Reluctantly, Hosea took the mug and began to drink. The effect was slow, but eventually the calming effects of the tea became enough for Hosea's eyelids to droop and his head to fall back onto the pillow.

Now, Arthur could focus all his attention on John for a few hours. He checked the cloth over his head and decided to replace it with another. Maybe it was his imagination, but John's fever seemed down from before.

John shifted, letting out a small whine. Arthur was used to this now. It meant John was surfacing just a little, and he might be able to get some water down his throat. He started to prop John up on more pillows when his eyes opened just a sliver. They weren't nearly as clouded as the last few times and stared straight at Arthur.

"Hey," Arthur said giving his uninjured shoulder a small squeeze.

John opened his mouth, and Arthur thought he was about to say something. Then John coughed once, turned his head, and threw up.

"Aw, gross, Marston!" Arthur exclaimed, but he reached forward and helped turn John to his side. The gagging and choking subsided after a minute, and John was able to squint up at him.

"Arthur?" John said.

"Yeah, it's me." Arthur grabbed the cup of water from the bedside table and lifted it up for John, who gulped it down.

"How did you get here?"

"You're in my apartment," Arthur said, amused. "Charles brought you here, remember?"

"No?"

"Not surprised. You've been pretty out of it."

John sank back into the pillows with a groan. His eyes drifted down to his heavily bandaged shoulder. "How bad?"

"Could've been worse. You had a bad fever, but you seem to be healing now." Arthur watched as John turned his head to the other side, eyes widening when he took in Hosea and the bandages sticking out from under his shirt. "Hosea got grazed by a bullet, but he'll be fine. He wouldn't rest because he was so worried about you. I had to give him some of his tea."

"That nasty stuff that makes you tired?"

"Exactly!" Arthur laughed. Hosea looked so peaceful, finally, that Arthur hated the idea of waking him up. But he knew how much Hosea needed to see that John was okay, so he leaned over and gave Hosea's shoulder a gentle shake. "Hey, Hosea, wake up now."

Several seconds went by, but with encouragement, Hosea managed to open his eyes. "Arthur, what's wrong?" he asked.

Arthur's grin spread wider as he said, "John is awake."

Hosea sat up fast, probably too fast considering the groan that followed. He pushed through the pain and turned to John. Tears began to flow from his eyes. He wrapped John in a hug, mindful of both their injuries, and said, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" John asked.

"It's my fault you got hurt. I was an idiot thinking we could rob that bank! I'm sorry," Hosea said. Both Arthur and John tried to protest, but Hosea wouldn't budge on his opinion, so they soon gave up. John quickly melted into Hosea's hold, almost to the point of falling asleep again.

But without warning, John stiffened and asked, "What happened to Dutch?"

"We don't know," said Arthur. "Charles said Dutch wanted to hop on a boat, any boat, to get out of the city. The law hasn't said anything about capturing them, so I assume they made it. To where, I don't know. Could be the islands, or Europe…"

"Or Tahiti," John muttered.

"Where?"

"I don't know. Some place Dutch always talked about, said it was a paradise."

Hosea sat up a little, running his fingers through John's long hair, saying, "It doesn't matter right now, John. You just rest."

"What about Abigail? And Jack? They alright?"

"Sadie went to warn them and move the gang to a different spot. Charles went out to see if he could find them. They're fine, I'm sure of it," said Arthur. Not that he wasn't nervously awaiting Charles' return, but John didn't need to know that.

Hosea gave John a critical look and said, "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," John said with a yawn.

Arthur smiled and said, "Alright, go back to sleep. Both of you."

Hosea hugged John once more, then settled back onto his side of the bed. Arthur watched as John shifted slightly and settled into pillows. He thought he was asleep, but then John whispered, "You're a good brother, Arthur."

The words warmed Arthur's heart. The years follow John running from the gang and his son left their relationship tense at best. Even when he was advising John to take his family and leave the gang, they were nowhere close to repairing their friendship. "You're a good brother, too. I'm proud of you, John."

"What do you mean?"

"You're worried about that boy, aren't you?"

John nodded slightly.

"Once Charles gets back, we'll get you to Abigail and Jack. I promise."

John was asleep a few minutes later, and Arthur was able to get a little rest as well.

The next morning, Charles returned. He found the gang in a small, abandoned swamp town called Lakay, and brought a wagon for John and Hosea. It seemed that the law believed Dutch and the gang slipped out of the city already, because they were no longer carefully patrolling the roads. Still, they threw a cover over John and Hosea until they got out of the city, just in case.

The short but strenuous travel seemed to put John in more pain. Small whimpers slipped out at every bump and drop. As they approached the town, the half-collapsed buildings and giant mosquitoes were rather worrying. But the smile that spread across John's face when they arrived at the camp, growing even wider when Abigail called out, made the trip worthwhile.

"John! You got him. You got him!" Abigail shouted, abandoning the chore she was doing to run over to the wagon.

She started to climb into the back to hug John, but Arthur quickly said, "Careful, Abigail. Idiot got himself shot. Hosea too, though not as bad."

"I know, Charles told me." She carefully wrapped her arms around John. Then, she jumped up and hugged Arthur as well, saying, "Thank you! You saved him, thank you!"

"Of course. Now, let's get these two fools in bed, shall we?"

The other members of the gang began to gather around, so Arthur enlisted their help in setting up room for their two injured friends. Charles and Arthur grabbed John, while Mr. Pearson and Reverend Swanson helped Hosea walk the short way into the cabin. Once they set John on the bed, Jack came running over. "Pa!" he shouted, and Arthur grabbed the boy before he could launch himself at John.

"Careful," he said. "Your Pa hurt his shoulder."

"He'll be alright, Jack," Abigail said, adding with a mutter, "He better."

"You can bring him here," said John, holding out his uninjured arm towards Jack. The boy seemed unsure after hearing that his father was hurt, but John reassured him with, "I got hurt, but Charles and Arthur saved me. I'll be better in no time."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Arthur stepped back towards Hosea, both men watching the Marston family. John had come a long way since Jack was born, and no matter what happened next, they both wanted them to have a chance at a fresh start.

Hosea soon turned to Susan. "Did Dutch ever tell you where the chest was hidden?"

"Never, Mr. Matthews."

"We should get it if we have the chance. Arthur, got a map?"

Hosea pointed out the location and described the markers for the gang's savings, repeating over and over that if he saw Pinkertons in the area to leave immediately. Fortunately, Arthur was not bothered as he traveled down near Shady Belle, collected the money, and returned to Lakay.

When they counted it out, the gang had over seventeen thousand dollars.

"This should keep us going for a while," Miss Grimshaw said to Hosea, Arthur, and John. The four of them were figuring out what to do. "At least until those boys get back."

"If they get back," Hosea whispered. The days since the bank robbery, Hosea seemed in a sour mood. He often spoke of the gang's future sarcastically, and ignored most words of hope and faith.

John was quiet, too. He confessed to Arthur that he was looking to leave. But Miss Grimshaw didn't know that yet, so she turned all her ire on Hosea.

"What is with you lately, Mr. Matthews? I never thought you would begin doubting! Charles reported that they got the money and got out of town-"

"And it doesn't matter if a few people die along the way?"

"Mr. Marston will be fine."

"John could have died! Would have died if Charles hadn't dragged him away from Dutch's escape plan. And maybe he wouldn't have been shot in the first place if Dutch hadn't listened to Angelo Bronte… and then murdered him!"

"What happened with Bronte anyway?" Arthur jumped in. The newspapers were not clear what happened that night and never even reported Bronte's death.

"Dutch brought us to Bronte's house," John said. "We grabbed him, thinking Dutch was going to try to ransom him. Instead, he fed him to the gators."

"Jesus," said Arthur.

"I shouldn't have pushed Dutch to rob the bank after that," Hosea said, shaking his head. "I should have told him to pack up and move the gang somewhere else. But I thought… I hoped… it was just so much money and it would have solved all our problems."

"And it will," Susan insisted. "They will be back."

"When?" Susan didn't have an answer for that. "And the gang just has to wait?"

"So what's your plan then, Mr. Matthews?"

"Divide the money."

"WHAT?" both Arthur and John shouted.

"We divide the money," Hosea repeated. "Let them decide what they want to do. If the want to stay and wait for Dutch, they can. But if not…"

"How could you suggest that?" Susan asked. "We just take the money and abandon Dutch, is that it?"

"We're not leaving them with nothing. How much did they get in the bank, do you know, John?"

"Not an exact amount, but they grabbed a lot. Over twenty thousand, I'd say."

"And five of them escaped with that money," Hosea said. "Five people splitting over twenty thousand dollars, and the thirteen of us splitting seventeen? We're the ones taking a loss here."

"Wait," Arthur said, counting on his fingers. "I only saw twelve people here, unless you're counting Jack. Speaking of, where's Molly been?"

"I'm counting you, too," said Hosea. "You were a part of this gang for twenty years. John and I might not be alive without you. You deserve the money." Susan did not argue against that.

"No." Arthur shook his head, backing away slightly. "I did my work, kept my half, and gave my half to the gang. I never expected any of it when I walked out, and I don't expect you to give me some now."

"And from your half, how much did you donate to the box all these years?"

"That was my choice," Arthur said. "And if you're giving money to me, what about Mary-Beth and Kieran? And Trelawny? They all left, too."

Hosea sighed. "We'll decide how best to divide it later. But those people out there? They are scared, Miss Grimshaw, and I don't blame them. We've had government on our tail for months, folks got killed, and now Dutch is gone. If they want to go, they deserve something to help them get by."

Susan still resisted, saying, "If people want to go, they can go! But the gang savings belongs to the gang!"

"Well maybe there shouldn't be a gang, Susan!"

All three of them stared at Hosea like he was crazy, their eyes wide. While Arthur knew that Hosea had been pushing some members, like John and Lenny, to pursue other livelihoods, he never expected that Hosea wanted an end to the gang. "Hosea," John began, "I know we've been talking about me leaving, but you want everyone to go?"

"How could you say that? We're a family," Susan said.

"Yes. I'm sorry, Miss Grimshaw, but it's over. Our time passed a while ago, and we've been barely holding on."

"Well, we'll see what the others say about this," Susan said.

And so they did, later that day. Everyone gathered into the cabin. Arthur found out that no one had seen Molly for at least two days leading up to the bank robbery, and he couldn't help but be worried for her.

The gang looked between Hosea and Arthur expectantly, despite the fact that Arthur was sitting off to the side. It was Hosea who spoke.

"Everyone, we don't know when or even if Dutch will return. There are lawmen in the city and the area looking to arrest us. I know all of you are loyal to Dutch, but if you want to leave, I understand. We've counted the gang's savings, and if you want to take your share and build a different life, you are welcome to do so."

No one said anything at first, no one even moved. But John and Abigail glanced at each other, and John said, "We would like to go, and start our own life. Once I'm healed, of course." Hosea nodded, and marked them down on a piece of paper.

The dominoes began to fall. Uncle was next. "It's been a real pleasure, Mr. Matthews. Miss Grimshaw."

Strauss avoided looking at Arthur, but said to Hosea, "Perhaps my work will do better elsewhere."

Tilly had a few tears in her eyes when she said, "I think I'm going to find Mary-Beth in Saint Denis. I do hope you keep in touch. I would like to see Dutch again. Karen?"

Karen took a long swig of the bottle she was holding. She had been drinking for a long time, or so Arthur heard. Pretty much ever since Sean died. "Doesn't matter," she slurred. "I can stay, or go. Don't even want the money, I don't care."

"Karen, come on now," Tilly said. "We'll find Mary-Beth, it will be just like old times."

"No, it won't."

"Do take the money at least. Please," Hosea said, leaning forward to take her hand, but she yanked it away.

"No, it doesn't matter," she repeated. "Let someone else have it."

"She'd spend it all on booze anyway," Susan complained.

"Enough, we'll settle this later. Mr. Pearson? Reverend?"

"Dutch has always been good to me," Pearson said. "But I don't want to wait."

"If it seems that everyone is leaving, then I will as well," Reverend Swanson said. He seemed sober. Perhaps he had been for some time.

Arthur could tell how dejected Miss Grimshaw felt at more than half of the remaining gang choosing to take the money and leave. "Charles?" Arthur asked.

"I was assisting the Wapiti tribe and Chief Rains Fall in Saint Denis. If the gang is breaking up, then I think I would like to go north end help them more."

"That's where Albert is right now. He's doing a project with Evelyn Miller. I'm heading up there once everyone is settled, if you want to ride together. Mrs. Adler?"

"Ain't no reason to stick around," she said. "Don't know where to go, though."

Finally, it was just Miss Grimshaw. "Susan?" Hosea said gently.

"Shame on all of you for abandoning Mr. Van der Linde!" she cried. "And you, Mr. Matthews? Where are you going to go after leaving your friend? What would you say to him?"

"I don't know," Hosea admitted. "I'd say that I'm doing what I think is right. Or that our time has passed and it was the only way to save them. Either way, it's decided, Susan. We'll divide the money."

And so they split it into thirteen piles, a little over thirteen hundred dollars each. Hosea insisted on giving money to Arthur, whether he felt he deserved it or not. That afternoon, he and Charles went boar hunting, bringing back a large portion of meat for Mr. Pearson to prepare. They all sat around the campfire, laughing and drinking and telling stories of the good times with the gang.

But the next morning, Karen was nowhere to be found. Her money sat in an envelope on the table, deliberately placed. Charles and Arthur looked for her, but she had simply vanished. They waited, as Mr. Pearson, Strauss, Swanson, and Uncle made their way out of camp, but Karen never returned. Arthur quietly slipped her money to Tilly, asking her to deliver it to Mary-Beth instead.

Finally, there were only a few people left. Charles, Sadie, Hosea, Susan, the Marstons, and Arthur sat in the cabin deciding what they wanted to do.

"We need a place to rest for a while," Abigail said. "The money would help us get a hotel, but I'm worried about John being recognized."

"We'll figure something out," Arthur reassured her. He was hoping to get back to Albert as quickly as possible, but refused to leave John and Abigail without a plan in place. "What about you, Hosea?"

"I don't know," he said, staring off at the wall.

Abigail reached out and took his hand. "You can come with us," she said.

"Got room for one more?" Sadie asked. "Just for now. I figure you could use some protection while those two recover."

"Susan?" Arthur asked. "Do you have somewhere to go?"

"I want to be with Dutch when he returns. Until then, I suppose I will stay here. We left notes at Shady Belle and the post office that will lead him here."

"Alone?" Arthur asked.

"Come with us," Hosea said. John nodded along.

"But Dutch!"

"Send more messages. Leave a letter here letting him know how to find you. You shouldn't be alone, Susan."

She sighed and agreed. "But where are we going?"

John, Abigail, and Hosea remained silent. Arthur's thoughts turned to a small watchtower in the mountains. The fields had enough grass for their horses, and the large rock formations would hide the wagons. Sure, it needed new windows, but the structure was sturdy, and it was right in the middle of government land that hardly anyone traveled through.

"I've got an idea."

They left the next morning. Charles agreed to ride up to the watchtower with the others before he and Arthur went to the Wapiti Reservation. Susan left a simple letter on the table telling Dutch to write to Annesburg in order to find her. Hosea also left a much longer letter, and while he wouldn't say what he wrote, he was crying by the end.