Curing what ails you…
Lucius opened the door to Buck and Vin carrying a tall blond haired man dressed in black between them. Larabee he presumed.
They gently set him down on the bed, Nathan felt Chris's forehead and took his pulse as they stood close by panting and sweating slightly from the effort of carrying him up the stairs.
"Sure he ain't been shot or cut again?"
"No, jus real sick."
"Hmm he was okay a day or so ago. Rained hard last night but that shouldn't have made him sick this quick." Nathan mused.
"He was sick the other day, after that ruckus in the saloon "said Vin.
"What? He didn't say anything to me..."
"When does he?"
"I wasn't in the saloon so I don't know what happened there."
"Buck?"
"Not sure, we had a dust up - seemed to handle himself okay…"
"I saw him on the floor holding his side "chimed JD who had joined them. Ezra and Josiah as well. The clinic was crowded but in a good way as only concerned friends could be.
"He got back up though." JD carried on, as if this meant Chris was okay after all.
"That'd fit I guess with when I saw him outside " said Vin
"What happened Buck? Who's the dead guy on the horse?" asked JD
"JD, get some help and take him to the undertakers," Buck ordered.
"He do this to Chris?" JD was insistent..
"Just do it!"
"Okay I'm going…"
"Who's this? "asked Buck, unwilling to discuss things with a stranger in the room.
"Sorry Buck, Vin. This is Lucius Marric, his brother was in Jericho. Wrongly convicted - came to visit Chris..."
Lucius did not miss the instant tensing of Vin and Buck's bodies as if expecting trouble.
"Nathan- you need not make it sound as if our esteemed friend here is after dire retribution and bloody revenge on our leader or us. It is far from the case." Ezra chided.
"I came to thank you all."
Buck shrugged and let it ride, there were more important things to take care of first- Chris.
By now Nathan had undone Chris shirt and was checking him over, a cooling cloth on his forehead, clucking over the black eye and another head injury so soon after the last one. They could all see new bruises and the now familiar red scar- his memento from Jericho.
Nathan nodded to Vin and Buck to hold Chris down before he lightly probed the scar, feeling for something and nothing. Chris groaned and feebly tried to push him away.
"What do you think?" Nathan asked Lucius.
"Why ask him?" Vin asked.
" 'Cause he's a doctor. " Lucius did the same as Nathan. He and Nathan exchanged look.
"I seen this in the war when I was a stretcher bearer. But I only set and stitched. I never cut anybody open…"
"What's going on?"
"See this wound? It looks healed up and all but it ain't. There's infection inside. Making him ill. Dangerous. " Nathan said, Lucius nodded in agreement.
"So, you gotta cut him open?" Buck said worried
"It's the only way, if it isn't already too late." Lucius calmly informed them.
"Don't say that!" Vin cried out.
"But he's been fine for weeks."
"Perhaps the fight aggravated or moved something inside and set it off. We don't know. "offered Lucius.
"Nate, can you do this?"
"No."
"You can't give up!"
"I ain't but Lucius here is a proper doctor and we can do it together. He's got his medicine bag with him…."
"We should not delay much longer and you can't all be in here. "ordered Lucius.
"Hang on…"
"He's right Buck. Give 'em space to work. You need us, you holler." Vin agreed.
"Okay then," said Buck. He patted Chris's leg. "You hang in there stud. Nate's gonna fix you right up."
Chris managed to open his eye "Vin!…bleeding?"
"It's alright stud. I hit him. Don't you worry 'bout a thing!" Buck reassured him.
Nathan was troubled. He would never forgive himself if Chris died, but then he couldn't not do anything. He had to try. The others would understand. He watched from the corner as Vin wiped Chris face one last time.
" Buck sorted ma tooth out, Chris. Saved me the price of a piece of string and the hassle of tying it to a doorknob…or Peso."
Chris laughed weakly before grimacing in pain. "Don't make me laugh…bloody Texan…"
Vin touched his forehead to Chris's "Don't go anywhere without me cowboy, not until we're both ready you hear me?" He thought hard clasping Chris's arm as he did so. Then he stood up.
"Nate whatever happens I know you'll do your best for him."
The last thing he heard as the door shut behind him was the new man asking if Nathan had ever used ether…
JD had taken the horses to the livery but Vin wanted to check up on them himself. It gave him something to do for a bit. Pony and Peso were in good hands, he saw JD had already taken the saddles off and was beginning to rub Pony down. He nodded to JD and started on his own horse. The steady motion of looking after Peso took his mind off what was going on in Nathan's clinic. If he wanted back in there anytime soon he'd best clean up. Bath, then food, it was a simple plan.
Vin waited on the steps and closed his eyes sending healing thoughts to his friend inside. It was a long time before Josiah came out.
"He's still with us son."
Vin relaxed and stood up.
"Hang on, give them a chance to clean up in there first." Vin turned as he heard steps behind him – Buck.
"Well?"
"It's over…." Buck paled as Vin realised what Buck thought he meant.
"No! I meant the docs're finished. Chris is holding on, just gotta wait."
Finally they were allowed in for a minute.
"S'gonna be alright Nathan?" Vin asked. Nathan traded glances with the new guy.
"Nathan?" Buck said loudly worried by the lack of immediate reassurance
"Probably."
"What kind of an answer is that?" shouted Buck "Did you fix him or not?"
"We located the infection and cleaned it out. We'll probably have to repeat that. He's ill and likely to remain so for a while."
Chris lay still on the bed, Buck and Vin strained to see his chest rise and fall.
"He ain't gonna wake up any time soon so you can just clear out right now."
"But…"
"Go. We need to watch him closely."
There was no pain that was his first fuzzy thought. The next was that he couldn't see or move. Trapped in cotton wool and fog Chris struggled to surface. Lucius saw the frown appear on his patient's face, the breathing quickened and a hand twitched. He moved his head slightly and then seemed to go back to sleep.
An hour or so later, the frown was back, his mouth opened and closed, his eyes moved restlessly under the lids. Lucius noted this as well. He got up and shook Nathan awake. If Chris had a hard time with the ether, things were going to get messy. A minute later he tilted Chris's head and got him to swallow some water. Heavy eyelids opened half way and slid shut and a sound like "hmmm" escaped as he drifted off again.
Where the hell was he? If only he could open his eyes. His old friend pain was back. Insistent. Throbbing. He groaned. There…Voices! One eye sluggishly opened. Chris did not recognise who he saw. Panicking he struggled to lift his head, his stomach lurched and he could not control or avoid the resulting mess. Chris became vaguely aware of a bowl in front of him. Finally it was over and he lay back panting with effort and pain. "Nathan? Who..what…?"
"It's okay Chris he's a doctor. He's helping me." He answered wiping Chris's face and tugging at the sheets so he could change them.
"Happened? Vin okay?" Chris tried to look past him to the other cot.
"Stay still don't wantcha bustin' them fancy stitches the first day!"
"Gunshot 'n Vin and blood..." Chris muttered. Nausea overwhelmed him again, the bowl reappeared.
"Calm down, "Nathan urged. Lucius brought over a cup of watered laudanum but Chris weakly tried to bat it away.
The door burst open and Vin strode in still trying to button up his shirt and pull his suspenders over his shoulders.
"Vin!" Chris gasped in relief sinking back down into the pillow.
"Can't leave you for a minute 'n you get in a mess, cowboy," he said.
Chris gave a choked laugh "Not a cowboy," he said choking on the water Nathan fed him. "What th' hell's goin' on?" he asked ignoring both doctors attempts to feed him the medicinal drink.
"If I tell you, will you drink this?" Vin bargained.
Chris sighed and nodded. Vin wouldn't lie to him.
"Be quick, needs his rest and a clean up," muttered Nathan in Vin's ear.
Chris opened his working eye "Heard that Nathan."
"Remember the bounty hunter?"
"Umm, he shoot me?"
"No."
"Was after you, shoot you?"
"No we're all jus' fine."
"You had blood. I saw,,,"
"I lost that tooth that was bothering me you remember?" Vin explained. He kept it simple, not wanting him to know just yet how Buck thought he'd shot him.
"Yes. Then what's wrong? Why the doctor?"
"Nathan and this here's Lucius Marric--- had to cut you open. You weren't healed right after Jericho."
"Knew sumthin' wasn't right…bastard…." Just the thought of Jericho made his gut lurch again…
"Warden and Quince? Yes they were. Now drink this and quiet down."
"No, me- ungrateful bastard, n' you still came after me…."
"Of course we did Chris."
Chris turned away for a moment, one hand stealing down to his side to feel the thick swathe of bandages.
"Pony, okay?" Chris frowned, blinking trying to collect scattered bits of memory.
"He's fine too. Now drink this" Vin urged, ready with the medicine. Chris's eye slid shut and he relaxed onto the pillow.
"You know I'm gonna tell Buck you asked after Pony and not him," Vin said with a grin.
Chris's mouth quirked up in a little smile "Sneaky Texan…" he muttered.
"Heard that, now shut up and go to sleep."
Nathan and Lucius watched the exchange. In mere moments Vin had calmed Chris down told him what he wanted to know and got the tea in him. Chances were they'd have to repeat the entire conversation again in a few hours, but for now all was quiet. With Vin's extra hands they made quick work of tidying Chris up and dealing with clean sheets.
"He is going to be alright isn't he?" Vin asked, worried by Chris's confusion and sickness.
"That's probably the after effect of the anaesthesia- the ether. It put him to sleep for the operation. But…some people have a problem with it in their bodies after an operation. Makes them very nauseous. It appears that your friend Larabee is one of them."
"But the cuttin' you did -that worked didn't it?"
"As far as we can tell, yes. But we'll watch out for infection from that too. It's going to be a rough day or two till we know for sure."
"Oh."
"Tell me why did you come to see Mr Larabee, just now?"
Vin looked in surprise at the doctor "He's ma friend, why shouldn't I visit?" He said sharply
"I realise that, but how did you, could you know that he was calling for you? If you hadn't intervened…"
Vin shifted in the chair "Just knew I had to come. Somethin' wrong with that?"
"Not at all."
"Good. Y'all look tuckered out. I'll get some of the others to relive ya. Get some food from the Saloon." Vin left.
Lucius turned to Nathan "You weren't surprised Nathan. You've seen that before."
"Yup. Don't understand it, but I thank the Lord for it."
"How'd he get the drop on Chris…?" JD asked
"Don't know, but my guess cause he was injured more than he thought he was…"
"Oh..I hadn't thought of that."
"This doc- he an okay guy?" Buck asked his young friend.
"Yes. They really going to cut him open…?"
"Have to kid."
"Oh…how long til we know?"
Buck shrugged "Don't know."
"Hate waiting."
"So do I, kid so do I "and Buck took another drink and tried not to think about Chris maybe dying. Mean, cocky bastard was gonna die one day. Buck just didn't plan on it being like this instead of a good gunfight or preferably old age thought Buck grimly. Not that Chris had thought about old age in the last few years when he was trying so hard not to make it to the next hour, day or week.
Vin entered the saloon to hear Buck's slurred voice.
"What kind of fool name is Lucius anyways?" Buck's head rested on his forearm across the table. The other hand absently twirling a shot glass puddled in whiskey on the table top.
"Well dandy or not, seems to have fixed Chris."
Buck sat up.
"He's awake. Or was. Sick but okay for now. Why dontcha go 'n see?" Vin said softly.
Buck blinked and suddenly lurched to his feet and rushed out the batwing doors. "The docs need some down time. " Vin said pointedly.
Josiah nodded and headed over to the clinic.
Lucius'd warned them that Chris might be sick again and he was right. They just cleaned him up and got as much liquid and broth down him as they could.
Chris had never felt so wretched in his life. He could feel a fever rising in him and could do nothing about it, it swept him away
The last thing Chris clearly remembered was being bound and Vin and a gunshot.