Pa.

It was Mark's last conscious thought before he slipped into darkness, escaping the pain that tormented him. But in exchange for the physical relief, the young man found himself trapped in a world of distorted memories and horrific imaginations.

Help us. His mother was there, begging for help; pointing behind him and disappearing just before Mark could reach her. He turned around to see Jeff driving a wagon, a dark shadow shouldering Lucas's winchester. Help him. Mark yelled a warning and ran to Jeff's side as the boy tumbled from the wagon. He dropped to his knees and turned the body over, only to see Charlie staring back at him. You killed them. The young man whipped around as Jenny continued screaming at him, a small bundle in her arms. You killed them! You killed them! She beat her fist across his chest. It's all your fault! The ground began to crumble, opening up just below her feet. Mark reached out to catch the baby, merely grabbing hold of an empty sheet. He's given up. Mark suddenly found himself surrounded by water, unable to break the surface as Lou pleaded with Lucas. Go home, Cowboy. There's nothing for ya here. Mark's mind began to spin as Doc loomed over him, peering through the water. He doesn't want to stay here with you. He's stopped trying. Let him go back to Margaret. Mark shook his head, air bubbles rising as he screamed for their attention. He hadn't given up. He was trying. He gasped for breath as he came out of the water. Watch him die. Willie's voice rang in Mark's ears as he was again pushed beneath the surface. You killed my father, you'll watch him die! A different voice answered; tight, muffled, filled with grief. Mark looked around, but he couldn't see him. Fight. I need you to fight. Mark suddenly felt a hand grab him, pulling him onto the bank. He turned around, looking up to see Willie take aim at Lucas.

Watch him die.

"NO!" Mark bolted upright, gasping in pain as he grabbed at his abdomen. He resisted the firm set of hands pushing him back, the scene at the creek slowly fading away. "…N-No…"

"You're safe, Son… you're alright…"

Mark's eyes darted around the room as they slowly adjusted to the lack of light. He swallowed hard, struggling to take in a full breath as his lungs kept trying to force air out.

"Easy, Son… everything's alright… you're alright…"

He finally relaxed against the pillow, releasing his grip on the bed sheets as his vision focused. "…P-Pa?"

Lucas nodded, bringing a hand to rest on Mark's cheek. "I'm here, Son; you're alright now. …Thank God you're alright…"

Mark briefly looked around before his eyes again settled on Lucas. "Jen…Jenny?"

"She's fine. Dirk and Willie are both in jail."

Before Mark could ask anything else, the door swung open, Doc rushing inside. "Luke, did I hear… Mark!" He hurried to light a lamp, causing the young man to briefly shield his eyes. "Isn't this a sight for- Luke what happened here?!"

Father and son both looked down to see a small blood stain. Doc quickly removed the sheet and bandage to find that Mark had torn open his stitches.

"…He sat up before I could stop him."

"Mark this isn't gonna feel too good," Doc informed him, reaching for a needle and thread. "But it's necessary to make sure it heals properly and to help keep it from getting infected."

"…I… I know."

"How do you feel?"

"…Sick to my stomach. …It… it doesn't just hurt like… like I got shot… it feels all bruised on the inside."

"Considering all the food you lost, my poking around, and then not eating for three days, that doesn't surprise me. How does your head feel?"

"…It hurts… where Willie…" Mark sharply inhaled as Doc began closing up the incision. "…And I… I feel real… light… headed…"

Lucas tightened his grip on his son's shoulder as Mark closed his eyes. "…Where Willie what?"

"Earlier this… summer… where he kicked… me…"

"What about your eyes?" Doc asked. "Any flashing lights or spots of color?"

He shook his head. "Just took a… a minute to… to focus…"

"Good. Anything else?"

"…I kinda… ache all over… my throat… hurts…"

"Hopefully a good amount of water will be able to fix that. Luke, would you get him some?"

The father nodded, waiting for Doc to finish before propping Mark's head up and helping him take a drink.

"I know this won't make you feel any better, but your symptoms are about what I expected them to be. …I'm sure you're hungry, but I want to see you handle plenty of water before we introduce anything else. …You've been through a lot, Mark; if you need anything, ask. I don't want you trying to do anything on your own. We'll see about sitting you up in a day or two, but under no circumstances are you to try to get out of this bed."

"…Yes sir."

Burrage hesitated before looking up at Lucas. "…I know it's been hard to wait; I'll leave you two alone for a while. But if he tires, let him sleep. If anything changes, call for me."

"I will."

"Doc?" Mark waited for Burrage to look back at him. "What about… about the baby? They… they were kinda rough with Jenny…"

"She's real early… there's not really much I can check at this point. But there haven't been any signs of anything being wrong. I'll watch her extra closely for a while, just to be sure."

"…Thanks."

As Doc left the room, Lucas again sat down on the edge of the bed. Mark looked out the window, trying to make sense of what the doctor had said.

"…Three days?" he asked, turning back to Lucas.

"Just over. It's about two o'clock Saturday morning."

"How… how did you find me?"

"…Jenny said you told her to wire… don't you remember?"

Mark thought back, slowly nodding. "…I didn't think… she was… gonna."

"…She also said Willie showed up at the ranch, first?"

"He said he had heard… men talking in Pine Valley… that they… were gonna kill her. …And I told him exactly… where she was. …I should have never… never trusted him, I-"

"Mark, anyone would have acted on information like that."

"…I should have been more careful."

"You did what you could with what you knew. And because of that, Jenny's safe and her aunt will be going away for a long time."

"…She told you?"

"She didn't want to run any more." A few moments passed before he asked, "Did you know about her aunt before all this happened?"

"…Yes and… no. …I've known that she… she's been hiding something since she arrived… I just didn't… know what. I eventually figured out… that she was avoiding… her aunt, but I… I didn't know why. I… I didn't know she was… was in this kind of… danger."

"…What happened after Willie took Jenny into Pine Valley? …I found the rope by the tree… why didn't Jansen just leave you at the cabin?"

"…He tried patching me up, first… but Willie and… and Jenny were late coming… back. …He wanted to go… looking for them… but he didn't want Willie to… to find me alone… at the cabin…" Mark hesitated before explaining, "…Willie was bent on killing me… he would have back… back at the creek if… if Dirk hadn't stopped… him. …So he left me tied up out there and… it… it took a long time, but I… got loose. …I just couldn't… get very far. …And then you were calling… my name."

"If… if you realized it was me… Son, why did you keep fighting?"

"…I didn't. …Not at first. I thought… it was Willie or Dirk. …I didn't recognize you… until you turned me over. …I wanted to… say something… but everything… everything just stopped working. …I couldn't fight the pain anymore… I guess that's when I… I passed out."

Lucas nodded in understanding, trying to push the memory from his mind.

"…Pa, are… are you upset with me?"

"Upset with you?"

"…For riding after Jenny. …I thought maybe… you would be since… well, a lot of reasons."

"Worried, yes. …Scared, yes. But not upset. You did what you needed to do."

"…I know you said… Jenny was fine, but… I mean, more than… than whether or… not they hurt her… is she alright?"

"It shook her up quite a bit, but I think she will be."

"…Has Micah calmed down… at all about… about the baby?"

Lucas nodded. "…Part of him will always be sad for the time Jenny's lost… for the complications she'll have to face. …But I think he's warming up to the idea… maybe even getting a little excited."

Mark grinned, remembering how much Micah had softened around Fancy; his smile fading as he recalled their encounter a few days prior.

"…Mark?"

"…What did Micah… say that night you… you went to talk to him?"

"…That he thought he was protecting Jenny. …That he'd never forgive himself for hurting you. …He's worried about you… even when he was over in Pine Valley, he wired several times to see how you were doing. …He's sorry, Son. But I know that doesn't change what happened. …If you aren't ready, I'll ask him to stay away until you're better and feeling up to discussing it."

Mark shook his head. "…I know we need to talk about it… and there's no… point in putting it off. …I just want things to… to go back to normal. …As much normal… as they can, anyway." He sank farther into the bed, letting out a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "…I wish this summer… had never… never happened."

Lucas hesitated to respond, not wanting to trudge up any more painful memories for his son, but knowing Mark would want to be told. "…I know this doesn't make losing Jeffrey any less painful, but you should know that we caught his killer."

"…What?" Without thinking, Mark tried to sit up, Lucas gently pushing him back. "When?"

"…Tuesday night, while… while we were waiting for Doc to finish with you."

"Who did it?! Wh… why did they… do it?"

"…Jim Patterson. He sold most of the guns to settle gumbling debts. …He didn't realize some of those guns were repairs Henry had done. The gun he kept… Henry recognized it at the saloon." Lucas watched as disgust settled in his son's eyes. "…Mark?"

"…Money… what he did to Jeff… all for a few pieces of… paper he could've… could've worked for. …Now… Now Jeff's dead… and Jenny and the baby… they'll be on… their own, and-"

"Not alone, Son. …No one could ever replace Jeff, but with a friend like you… with help from Micah and Lou… Jenny and her baby will be just fine."

"…Pa, what… was it like?"

"What was what like?"

"…Without Ma. …I mean… I know what it… was like, just the… the two of us, but…"

"…As a father?"

Mark nodded.

"…Like a lot of things in life… it wasn't easy. …Not because of anything you did or were… but parenting… it was meant to be done by two. …And I had to figure out how to make it work on my own."

Mark listened as his pa went on, reminiscing about the early years after Margaret's death. The difficult times, the moments of contentment, the seasons of joy he had experienced rearing a young boy. Almost an hour had passed when Lucas realized that Mark had fallen asleep. He continued to look down at his child, letting go of the little boy that once was.

Later that morning, Mark woke again, experiencing much more pain than before. Doc looked him over before explaining that the rest of the sedative he had been given simply wore off.

"If you're still doing well in a few hours, I'll give you a little laudanum, but I want to be sure you can stay awake for a while, first. Luke, make sure he drinks plenty of water in the next little while and then we'll see about getting him some broth."

As the doctor turned to leave, Lucas reached to get a glass of water, Mark taking it before his pa could lift his head.

"Are you sure?"

Mark nodded as he proceeded to take a drink. "I'm not completely… incapable, you know."

Lucas smiled, relieved to see a little bit of life back in his son's eyes. "In that case, I'll put you on dishes as soon as we get home."

"…When can we go… go home?"

"I'm sure it'll be a few days at least."

"But…"

"…Mark, we didn't… we weren't sure if… if you were going to make it. …I don't want to take you home until… until Doc's absolutely sure nothing will go wrong."

"…I'm sorry, Pa. I… I understand."

He nodded, gently squeezing his son's shoulder.

Two hours later, a knock sounded at the door. Lucas stood to answer it and was soon allowing Jenny inside the room. She walked to the foot of the bed, tears welling in her eyes.

"…Pa, could you… you give us a minute?"

Lucas hesitated before apprehensively nodding. "…I'll talk to Doc about getting you some broth."

As the rancher left, Jenny shook her head, tears falling down her face. "…Mark, I… I cannot tell you how sorry I am!"

"…Sorry? For… what?"

"For not listening to you! If I had told my uncle what was going on, you wouldn't have-"

"This wasn't your fault."

"It's entirely my fault! Willie wouldn't have ever come back if Dirk hadn't hired him, and-"

"You don't know that. …Willie hated… hated us. I don't think… he was capable of… of letting go. …The two events just… happened to overlap. The only… people who can… be blamed for what happened… are the people who… who put it in motion. …If it hadn't been for… you wiring my pa… I would've died… died out there."

"I almost didn't even do that!"

"…But you did. And… we made it and… and everything's gonna turn out… alright. …Jenny, there will always… be things we wished we had done… differently. But we can't… change the past. …All we can do is… learn from our regrets… and move on. …But next… time you have a crazy… crazy aunt after you… if you don't tell… anyone, so help me…"

The feigned seriousness of Mark's expression finally won a small chuckle from the young woman. He joined her laughter, watching as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"…I'm glad you're alright. …I was thinking… if Doc lets me… out of here by then… maybe we could tell… the Wallers Saturday?"

"…Thank you, but that's the last thing you need to worry about. …Uncle Micah and I are going over there tomorrow afternoon." Seeing Mark frown, she quickly asked what was wrong.

"…I just know… Jeff was concerned about… about how they'd react. …Since he can't be there, I… I'd like to do… what I can."

"I appreciate that, but I think it'll be alright. …Besides, I don't know if… your injuries would remind them of…"

Mark hesitantly nodded, accepting the possibility. "…Have you thought about names yet?"

"Names?" She laughed. "I haven't had the time."

"Good, because I had some ideas for you. If it's a boy, you could name him Aldous, and if it's a girl-"

"I have to get to the store. I'll see you later."

"…Son, I think maybe it's for the best. After you're feeling better…"

"It's been two days, Pa. He hasn't stopped by once and I want to know why. Either he's still upset at me for some reason, or-"

"Micah has no reason to be upset with you."

"He didn't have any reason to hit me, either. If this had happened a week ago, Micah wouldn't be giving me a moment's peace. So either he still thinks he has something to settle with me, or he doesn't care about what happened."

"Don't you think you're overlooking something?"

"Like what?"

"Like maybe he's ashamed of what he did and doesn't know how to face you."

"He sure didn't mind facing me when he thought I was the father of Jenny's baby!"

Lucas was surprised by the hint of bitterness in his son's voice. "…Do you want to talk so you can sort things out, or so you can make him feel worse about it?"

"…I want to talk so I can find out if he trusts me or not."

Lucas's brow furrowed as he waited for his son to go on.

"…I know we've talked about not caring what other folks think… but even if I ignored everyone else… I've come to realize you and Micah are two people I'll never be able to disregard. …After what he did, I don't know why it's so important to me, but I still want his trust and respect. …A few weeks ago, I thought I had it. …But he didn't even bother asking me to explain before laying into me."

Several moments passed as the rancher thought on his son's words, finally nodding. "…Mark, you've spent a good part of your life trusting Micah, respecting Micah. You know that one mistake doesn't define a person… and that's why, despite his wrongdoing, Micah's opinion still matters to you. …But I think this is about more than his trust and respect. …You love Micah like family, and that's not a bond broken by one offense. His attack felt like a betrayal of your bond, and because of that, I think you're left wondering if he cares about you the way you thought he did. But you listen to me. That man loves you as if you were his own grandson. He always has, and he always will."

"…I need him to tell me that."

Lucas studied his son, taking in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. "…I'll see what I can do."