Hold On Mr. Larabee
Disclaimer: The Magnificent Seven and characters are the property of MGM Television, The Mirsch Corporation, Trilogy Entertainment Group and CBS. No profit has been made off of this work. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter 4
Vin met them at the door of the farm house, "Got the fire going, should be right comfy in here in just a bit." Moving out of the way of the trio as they entered the house he continued, "Found a cot in a back bedroom, thought we could bring it out here, instead of making Chris sleep on the chaise, think he's a little too tall for it."
Buck settled Chris into one of the chairs and looked up at Vin, "Let's get it then, he can barely keep his eyes open, wore himself plum out treading water until we could get him back up out of that godforsaken well."
"I'll see to getting Mr. Larabee out of the rest of these clothes, do not tarry, I fear his lips are still blue and he is still an unhealthy shade of pale." Ezra set the bags down next to the chair and knelt down near the gunslinger.
"I can change my own clothes, Ezra. I'm fine, just a little tired." Chris groaned as he pealed the blanket away and shivered violently as the outside air made contact with his still wet long johns. Leaning forward he shrugged one shoulder out of the cotton and pulled his right hand free of the clinging, wet fabric. Somehow his left hand had become impossibly tangled and Ezra reached forward to help his pull his hand free.
"Mr. Larabee, this would go much faster if you would let me divest you of your clothing. Let someone help you for a change, I do not mind." Ezra sat back on his heels as Chris glared at him from beneath a furrowed brow.
Chris grimaced, as his teeth started chattering again and the tremors returned to his muscles. "Fine, but watch where you put your fingers, your hands are cold."
A clatter from behind them interrupted Ezra's reply. Looking over his shoulder, Ezra could see Buck and Vin carrying the cot into the parlor. Setting it up near the fire, Vin pulled some folded linens from under his arm.
Smiling Vin held his find up, "I found some clean linens, they aren't musty, dusty, or anything. You are a lucky man, Cowboy."
"Yeah, kinda strange if you ask me." Chris grunted as he lifted up so that Ezra could remove the rest of his clothing. Flipping the blanket back over himself he sneezed violently.
Ezra dropped the wet items to the floor and pulled the extra set of long johns from Chris's saddlebags. He helped Chris put them on as Vin and Buck made up the cot.
"Okay, your bed's ready anytime you are, Stud. Just think, you actually get to sleep off the ground tonight." Buck chuckled and moved to the front door, "I'll go see to the horses."
"I'll be out to help you as soon as we get Chris bedded down." Vin called from where he was helping Ezra get Chris over to the cot.
~o~
Exiting the farmhouse Buck strolled over to the barn, the horses were milling around the windmill, pulling at the scattered tufts of grass. Opening the barn door, Buck cautiously stepped inside, looking around he noticed that the barn appeared well put together and was as clean as a whistle. There was something strange with this entire farm, it appeared to have been well taken care of, inside one of the rooms he found feed, and it still appeared to be in good condition. Where were the people who had lived on this farm, and why did they leave?
"Buck! Buck, hey where are you?" Buck could hear Vin calling to him, moving to the barn entrance he looked out and saw the tracker near the windmill.
"Over here at the barn!" Buck called and Vin gave him the thumbs up, Buck watched as Vin gathered up General and brought him over.
"How's it going out here?" Vin asked as he drew abreast of Buck, "Getting cold out, glad we got a solid roof over our heads and good fire tonight."
Buck took General's reins and led him into the barn, "Everything's right as rain, nice barn and the feed and hay are still good. Whoever lived here must not have left too long ago. Wonder what happened?"
"Well, I'm sure glad the farm was here, not happy about Chris taking that trip into the well, but we've been in worse situations." Vin remarked as he prepared to go back out and get Peso. "Ezra said he was going to check out the kitchen see if there's anything edible left. Looking forward to a nice meal, we've been eating trail food for three days now."
"Shake a tail feather there, Hoss. I don't know about you, but I could use some good vittles." Buck pulled General's saddle and tack off and moved him into an empty stall.
They spent the next half hour putting the horses up for the night and when they stepped out of the barn their breath could be seen on the evening air. "Hope Ezra's got something warm cooking for supper." Vin closed the barn door behind them as they returned to the house.
Buck shivered as he reached for the doorknob, "Damn, it's cold out here, let's get a move on." Pushing the door open, he could feel the warmth coming from the parlor. Sighing in happiness he strolled through the room and dropped into one of the chairs near the fire. "Ah, cozy. Think I'll stay here all night." Buck stretched his feet out toward the fire and closed his eyes in contentment.
"Don't be hogging all the fire there, Bucklin. I'm just as frozen as you are." Vin smirked as crouched near the hearth and glanced back at Buck.
"You all talk too much, you know that?" Chris turned on his side and pulled the blankets closer about himself, fixing a tired gaze on Vin and Buck.
"Thought you were sleeping, Cowboy?" Vin asked as he stood and moved toward the bed where his friend was lying.
"Not with all of you jabbering away and letting the cold air in." Chris yawned and fought to keep his eyes open.
"Sorry Chris, horses have been tended to, Ezra's scaring up some grub, and I don't plan on stepping outside again until I absolutely have to" Buck yawned and pulled his boots off, before sticking his cold toes closer to the fire.
"Yeah well, don't forget that the Peter's boys are still out there. We don't want to get caught unaware." Chris shivered violently and brought his knees up to his chest, before making sure that his feet were completely covered. The warmth from the fireplace was finally starting to take the chill off.
"I'll go check on Ezra, see if he needs any help." Vin chuckled and moved quietly in the direction of the kitchen.
Buck yawned again, "I'll keep an eye on ol' Larabee here. Lord knows he can't seem to keep himself out of trouble. Yup, had fish his skinny butt out of the well, like a poor half-drowned, sputtering kitten. Kinda looked like one too." He waited patiently for some smart aleck retort from the gunslinger. When none was tossed back his way he realized that Chris had drifted off to sleep.
~o~
As Vin entered the kitchen he found Ezra digging through the pantry. "Need any help, Ez?"
Ezra smiled so widely that his gold tooth flashed in the lantern light, "My dear Mr. Tanner, I feel like the proverbial Goldilocks. There is a fully stocked larder and pantry. We will be feasting like kings this evening."
Vin frowned in thought, "Ez, don't you wonder where these people went? Why would they leave all of this stuff behind?"
The gambler stopped with the meal preparations and stared at the tracker, "Who am I to question gifts such as these? Just remember the saying 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth' you may just loose your nose in the process."
Vin just rolled his eyes and looked down at what the gambler had collected for dinner. "Just what are you planning on cooking for supper? I was thinkin' of something real simple."
Looking aghast at Vin, Ezra cried, "Bite thy tongue, my naive friend. Have we not been swilling trail food for the last three days? I say 'Nay!' to more trail food. Tonight we will have ham and potatoes, fluffy biscuits with creamy butter, and peach cobbler for dessert."
"Didn't know you knew how to make all that, Ez," Vin chortled, "Thought you preferred fancy eating establishments."
If it wouldn't seem so childish Ezra had half a mind to stick his tongue out at Vin, he'd just have to settle for a scowl.