Kiss of Death----19

"JD, I have a telegram for you from Josiah," Gloria Potter called after the young sheriff. She handed him the slip of paper and watched as he read it.

"Thanks, Mrs. Potter. I need to show this to Nathan. Have you seen him around?"

"I saw him go up to his clinic a few minutes ago," the older woman answered and watched as the young man raced toward the livery.

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Nathan heard the sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs and opened the door just as the whirlwind known as JD Dunne stepped onto the landing. He smiled at the youth, but quickly read the worry in his eyes as the younger man handed him a piece of paper.

Chris and Buck found. Chris hurt bad. Town doc says he should be okay. Sanchez.

"Damn, I should have gone with them."

"You were needed here, Nate," Dunne said, smiling as he remembered the sound of a baby's first cry. The birth hadn't been difficult, but the woman seemed more relaxed knowing Jackson was on hand.

"Thanks, JD, still don't make it no easier."

"I know, but at least there's a doctor in Midfield!"

"Yeah, that's one piece of good news."

"Are you going out to see Rain today?"

"I was thinkin' on it, but…"

"There's nothing you can do, Nate. I'll send someone out to the village if you're needed or there's more news," Dunne assured the healer. He knew the man would worry about Larabee no matter what, but at least this way he would have something to occupy his time.

"Thanks, JD, think I might just take ya up on that. Besides I need to check Rain's cousin and make sure her arm is healing properly," Jackson said and turned his attention to the trip ahead of him.

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The next few days passed slowly as the friends tried to stave off the fever sapping the blond's strength. Chris would wake up and at times seemed lucid and awake, while at other times he'd fight those who tried to help him. He screamed for his deceased family and cursed Ella Gaines to her grave and beyond as his body arched on the bed. He languished in the throes of nightmares that only he could see until the sun rose above the horizon on the forth day since he'd been found. Sea green eyes opened and looked into the worried blue ones set in the face of his long time friend.

"Chris?" Wilmington whispered the word hopefully.

"Buck? Hap…happened?"

"Is he awake, Buck?"

"Sure is, Vin. Get the doc!"

"Hey, Cowboy, I'll be right back."

"Not a cow…boy," the blond rasped as Wilmington lifted his head and allowed him to take several small sips of water.

"How are you feeling, Chris?" the ladies man asked with a tired grin.

"Don't know. Sick…hurts to move."

"I bet it does. Try not to move around too much right now," Wilmington ordered as he lowered the sweat soaked blond head back to the bed. He stared into the eyes he knew so well and saw the true depth of the man's pain. "I'm sorry, Chris."

"G…get that l…look off your face, Buck. N…none of this is your f…fault."

"Yes, it is, Chris, but I swear they'll pay for what they've done. So help me God I'll see to it myself if I have to!"

"N…no. Pro…promise me won't d…do anything s…stupid!"

"I can't promise you that right now, Chris. Ask me again after the trial," Wilmington said softly.

"P…please, Buck, N…need to know y...you'll be there…"

"I c…can't. Not now," the gentle rogue told him as the door opened and several people entered the room.

"I hear my patient is awake," Morton said and took the chair vacated by Buck Wilmington. "Good morning, Chris."

"Who…you?" Larabee frowned as he looked at the newcomer.

"My name is Richard Morton and I'm what passes for a doctor in these parts. Now I'm going to take a look at you and then see about getting you some broth. How are you feeling?"

"Hopefully not as bad as they look," Larabee said and motioned with his head towards his friends.

"Well they come by it honestly," Morton said, taking out his stethoscope and listening to his patient's chest. "They've spent every waking moment sitting with you. Take a deep breath!"

"Damn!" the blond cursed as he coughed harshly.

"Here, drink this!" Morton ordered and held Larabee's head while Wilmington fed him the water.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Your chest doesn't sound clear right now, but that's to be expected with you lying around like this. As soon as you're up to it we'll see about getting you out of that bed and sitting up in a chair for a spell."

"Ready…up now," the blond tried, but the soft laughter told him that was not to be the case as yet.

"I don't think so, Son. It'll be at least another full day before we even attempt to get you up!" Morton warned.

Chris smiled in spite of the renewed pain in his side and leg as the physician continued with his examination. He drank what they gave him and knew one of the liquids had been laced with laudanum as his eyelids grew heavy and he drifted toward sleep.

"How is he, Doc?" Tanner asked.

"His fever's broke, but that doesn't mean he's out of the woods yet," Morton explained as he turned to face Larabee's friends. "He needs to take it easy and give his body the time it needs to heal!"

"Chris ain't one ta be patient," the Texan observed.

"Don't expect he is, but you boys are gonna need to make sure he does as he's told!"

"Damn, give us something easy why don't you?" Wilmington asked and heard the others chuckle.

"Buck, we'll sit on him if we have to," Sanchez said.

"Just make sure you don't sit anywhere that he's hurt!" Morton warned.

"Damn, guess that don't leave much!" Tanner said seriously as he looked at the sleeping man. The colorful array of bruises had spread and covered much of the surface area until Larabee looked as if he'd been put through hell and Vin took a deep breath as he realized that was as close to the truth as anything.

"Like I told you boys his fever has broken, now comes the real chore of getting him back on his feet," Morton explained.

"We'll do whatever it takes, Doc," Wilmington assured him.

"Good. First thing you have to do, Buck, is put that damn sling back on and quit acting like there's nothing wrong with you! I may not know you very well, but I'm sure your friends here know when you're hiding something. Now quit acting like you're a hundred percent and get some rest or I'll just slip you a little something to make sure you do!" the physician promised.

"Mr. Wilmington, I do believe he sees right through your valiant charade," Standish said, smiling as he pointed to the little used bed at the opposite side of the room.

"I'm not tired," the ladies man said.

"That so? Then perhaps you wouldn't mind letting one of your friends force you into bed. I don't think it would take much right now. What do you boys think?"

"A soft breeze would probably do the trick," Tanner observed and watched as the defeated ladies' man made his way to the bed and sank down onto the mattress with a heavy sigh.

"Well, Hallelujah!" Sanchez said and earned himself a baleful glare from the injured man.

"Now, Gentlemen, I want you all to get some rest. If Chris is anything like the rest of you I may just have to take you up on the idea of sitting on him," Morton said as he finished his examination and sat back.

"You heard him, Boys. Ezra, I believe you have the funds to procure our next feast," Sanchez said with a toothy grin.

"Why is it whenever we are in search of a repast I seem to be the only one with funds available?"

"Well, Son, it's probably because the good lord saw fit to bless you with quick hands and the ability to know who you're playing against," the ex-preacher observed.

"Yes, that is true, but…"

"Come on, Ez. We don't get movin' and ya'll have ta cheat some more in order ta pay for it," Tanner said.

"I do not need to cheat in order to win!" Standish stated as they exited the room.

Morton shook his head at the antics of the trio who'd just left. He turned toward the man lying in the other bed and saw that he was up on his elbow and watching the sleeping blond. The guilt on the rogue's face was evident as the blue eyes sparkled with unshed moisture.

"Doc, he is going to be all right isn't he?"

"As long as we keep him from doing anything stupid he'll do fine. That goes for you as well, Buck. I've been watching you and I know you're not sleeping, so, I am going to get Martha Collins to mix one of her herb teas. I think once you drink that you'll find it easier to sleep and once you wake up I might even let you sit with Chris for a while."

"Okay," the ladies' mans easily agreed and laid back against the pillow.

Morton looked from one man to the other and was again taken aback by the depth of friendship these men felt for each other. Touching his hand against Larabee's cheek he was relieved to find it cool to the touch.

"You're one lucky man, Chris Larabee," he whispered and used the cloth to wash over the man's face before standing and stretching the kinks from his back.

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Angela Tate-Wilmington grew angrier with each passing minute. Rosemary Clark was fairly well recovered from the minor wound she'd received and at present was sleeping on one of the small cots. The red head stared at the man sleeping on the cot in the next cell and silently cursed the traitorous sonofabitch. No matter how much she threatened him, no matter how many ways Rosemary told him they could chop him into little pieces, Ethan Turner refused to listen.

"Don't worry, Angela, things will work out," Rosemary had assured her more than once in the last week, but as she heard the approach of the stage she knew things were about to get worse. She moved to the side of the jail and tried to see out into the dusty alley, but even on her toes she could not reach the bottom of the window.

"Damn it!" she cursed and sat spitefully on her cot as she awaited word on her fate.

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Orrin Travis was hot and tired and was glad he'd been the only passenger since leaving Eagle Bend. He'd been thinking about the last telegram he'd received from Sheriff Evan Rawlings and was worried about one of his peacekeepers.

According to the message, Chris Larabee had been shot twice, had a broken arm and several bruised or cracked ribs, plus several stitches to a wound above his right eye. Travis hated that one of the men he'd hired and respected had been seriously injured, but his distaste grew as soon as he'd read that two of the three people charged were women. It would be hard to get a conviction because men seemed to shy away from the idea of hanging a woman, but if everything he heard was true they deserved to be strung up from the nearest branch. As the Stage drew to a stop in front of the hotel, Travis leaned out the window and quickly spotted several familiar figures. He quickly stepped down and waited for his bag, not at all surprised when the lanky Texan grabbed the piece of luggage and carried it toward the hotel.

"How is Chris?" the judge asked.

"He seems better today. Dr. Morton says if he continues to improve he might just let him sit a spell tomorrow," Sanchez explained.

"As long as he doesn't overdo things," Travis said. "I'd like to see him as soon as I'm checked in."

"I would be honored to take care of registering you, Judge Travis," Standish said.

"Thank you, Ezra. Tell Lottie I said to put it on my tab," Travis told the gambler and headed towards the physician's house at the edge of town. He'd been there several times in the past, taking statements and getting the full story on a supposed crime. He knocked on the door and hurried inside when a male voice bid him enter. "How is he, Richard?"

Chris had been resting his eyes, but opened them at the familiar voice. "Hello, Judge."

"Hello, Chris, I hope you're not giving Dr. Morton any problems."

"He's being real good, Judge," Wilmington said from his seat at the small table.

"Shut up, Buck," the blond groaned. "How are Billy and Mary doing?"

"Billy is doing very well in school and is excited that his mother is staying with Evie for a month. He's really come out of his shell since his father's killers were brought to justice."

"He's a good kid. Didn't deserve what happened to him."

"You saved his life, Chris, and I'm forever in your debt. That goes for all of you," Travis said. "Now, how do you feel about telling me what happened?"

"I…"

"Orrin, does this have to be done right now?" Morton interrupted.

"The sooner the better, Richard. I'd like to know where we stand on all issues. We all know how hard it is to see someone hung and it's especially hard when it comes to a woman…two women," Travis said.

"That may very well be, but right now Chris needs his rest. When are you setting the trial for?"

"Tomorrow morning if Gerald will allow us use of his saloon," Travis answered.

"I don't think Gerald will stop you from using his place. Now why don't you and I go speak with him and let my patient get the rest he needs?" Morton suggested.

"All right," the judge said and turned to Larabee. "Chris, get some rest. I'll speak with you before the trial starts tomorrow."

"I want to be there!" the blond stated, shocking everyone present.

"Chris, you can't be serious!" Wilmington stated.

"I'm sorry, Chris, but I don't think you're strong enough to be out of bed that long!"

"I need to be there! Need to make damn sure they don't get away with any of this. Did anyone telegram St. Louis to see if their stories were true?"

"Evan sent out several telegrams yesterday, but there's been no answer yet," Wilmington explained.

"Chris, I'm not gonna say yes to you being there tomorrow, but I'm not saying no either. If, and this is a big if, you get plenty of rest tonight and there's no sign of fever in the morning, then maybe we can arrange for you to be present during the trial. However, there is something I want from you."

"Anything, Doc," Larabee stated tiredly.

"I want your promise that when I say you've had enough then you'll come back here without an argument. Got that?'

"I got it," the blond said with a small grin and a heavy sigh as he turned towards his long time friend. "I just need to make sure they can't hurt you anymore, Buck."

"Hell, Chris, wasn't me they hurt," Wilmington stated.

"Look in the mirror and say that, Buck. A blind man could see the pain in your eyes."

"Chris…"

"No Buck, don't say it. Just know this and mark my words. You have nothing to feel guilty about and I'll damn well kick your ass if you don't smarten up!"

"He's right, Brother, you did nothing to be ashamed of," Sanchez assured him.

"Buck, may not kick…kick your ass right n…now, but will soon," the blond said and gave in to the siren call of sleep.

TBC