"How's he doing?" Buck whispered, peeking around the door. Chris motioned him in and he took the chair Vin had been sitting in. Vin was asleep in Chris' bed. His shirt, pants, and boots were piled neatly close enough to the bed that he could reach them in an instant. He slept in his long johns. "Did he eat much downstairs?" Buck asked.

"Some, said it hurt to swallow..." Chris looked over to make sure they weren't disturbing Vin. "He was more interested in getting warm."

"I bet, his hands were like ice yesterday...what is it?" Buck asked. An angry look had settled on Chris.

"Ice." Remembering what Vin had said about his hands.

"What about ice?" Buck didn't understand what Chris was getting at. When Chris looked back over at Vin, Buck got annoyed. Still whispering, he conveyed his annoyance. "Look here Chris. I'm gettin' a little bit tired of having to drag every blessed thing out of you about Vin. You're the one he seems to turn to the most, sure - don't mean the rest of us got nothin' to say about it."

Chris gave Buck a squinty look, considering. He knew Buck would wear himself out taking care of any one of the boys, especially JD - maybe especially Vin now too. Chris knew that Buck had a stronger gentle side, if that made sense, and was more willing to expose that gentleness. That might be what Vin was going to need to get through this. So, briefly, quietly, Chris told Buck what Vin had told him about his hands.

Buck had never struck a woman in his life, but at that moment he would've gladly thrashed Vin's grandmother.

"Sometimes Chris, I am amazed that Vin turned out as nice as he did...way he was raised up - amazin' he ain't the murderer he's s'posed to be...and that's what he's told you. Imagine what he ain't talked about yet."

Yet. Chris didn't want to hear anymore. "Amazin' he survived at all..."

Buck considered the look on Chris' face. "You want me to spell you here a bit? Get some air? Don't look like he's gonna wake up anytime soon."

"No, thanks Buck." Chris almost took him up on it. But he didn't want to risk not being there if Vin did wake up.

"Tell y'what - I'll bring a cot over so y'don't have to sleep on the floor...you got a hard floor and don't I know it!" Buck laughed quietly. "Bring some supper over for you later on, too." Buck stood up and before he turned to leave, lightly thumped Chris on the shoulder. "You're doing a good job here Pard."

Chris nodded, not entirely in agreement. "I'm doing my best."

M7*M7*M7

The pain in his throat woke Vin. He only heard the last few sentences, then the sound of Buck leaving. He didn't move for a minute, he was comfortable in the bed, warm under the quilt. Beds were for being sick and Lord, he felt sick. His throat hurt so bad now, he wanted the ditch water that would make him feel better... He wondered if his voice would even carry.

"Chris?" He pushed himself up on one shaking arm.

"How're you doing?" Chris went to the bed. Vin sounded worse.

"Want t'sit up..." Vin said and Chris helped him sit back against the headboard, tucking the pillow behind him. "Thanks..."

"How's your throat?"

Vin sighed. "Hurts - got any of that damn ditch water? Woke me up it hurts so bad." Chris gave him a cup of the repulsive water and pulled a chair over to sit next to the bed.

"Buck n' me didn't wake you up, did we?" Chris asked. "We tried to be quiet - - he wanted to see how you're doing." But Vin knew that was only partly true.

"He wanted to see how you were doin'..." he took long swallows out of the cup to get it over with fast. "He worries 'bout you same as he worries 'bout the rest of us... more probably, bein' your friend so long."

"You ain't heard us arguin' then."

"I heard you. Y'argue like brothers, y'know that? Y'spit n' holler at each other, then sure's shootin', the next thing you're sittin' out on the boardwalk together, talkin' like nothin' happened."

Vin finished the water and Chris took the cup from him.

"You shouldn't be talkin' so much, ain't good for your throat." Still, it warmed Chris some to hear - he'd never thought of it that way, him and Buck being like brothers. But now that Vin said it, yeah, that's exactly what they were like. Sometimes it seemed like you yelled the worst at the people you knew you would never drive away, the people who took you back no matter what. And that was Buck. 'Sure's shootin''.

"He'd follow y'into Hell y'know." Vin went on. "Even if you was wrong." He tried to look and sound deadly serious, but a smile tugged at his mouth as he finished: "And y'know - you're wrong a lot." Chris glared at him, but Vin laughed as much as his throat would let him.

"You gotta do better than that Larabee if you're trying to scare me. I seen scarier faces on old women."

M7*M7*M7

Buck and JD came into the saloon after dropping off the cot and some supper to Chris. A friendly game was in progress, between Nathan, Ezra, and Josiah, and they sat down at the table to wait the next hand.

"How fares our young Mr. Tanner and his angel of mercy?" Ezra inquired.

"Vin's sleepin', off 'n on Chris says. He was sleepin' when we were there." Buck told them.

"Chris gonna make sure Vin eats?" Nathan asked. "He ain't gonna get better, he don't eat."

"Chris said he'd try..."

"Chris never struck me as one for 'trying'." Josiah observed. "He does or he don't, nothin' in between."

"Vin's the same way though." Nathan said. "Hate to see those two go head to head..."

"Well, if Mr. Tanner remains ill enough to keep him docile, we may avoid such a confrontation for the time being..." Ezra laid down what would've been the winning hand if Josiah hadn't had all the aces.

"Who would you bet on if it did happen?" JD asked.

Ezra shook his head at his sudden bad luck at cards, but didn't take a second to consider his answer to JD's question. "I would place all my money on Mr. Tanner." he said as he gathered the cards to deal again.

"Why?" JD had to know. Chris seemed the sure bet to him.

"Because JD -a man always fights hardest when he has nothing to lose."

M7*M7*M7

Footsteps.

Vin sat bolt upright in bed, heart pounding, cold hands trembling. Please please please... But the footsteps went down the hall and he relaxed. One night at least he wouldn't get walloped.

He was about to lay back down when he froze - he heard breathing. Lord, no. He's in here with me. Please God, please... In the utter darkness, Vin couldn't see where he was. But he could hear the breathing. He was in here somewhere, asleep by the sound of it and Vin knew he had to get away.

Vin put his hand over the side of the bed and found his clothes where he always kept them at night. Quiet with years of terrified practice, he pulled on his pants and shirt and fled the room, not stopping to put on his boots till he was out on the boardwalk.

He had to find Chris. Chris would protect him. Vin's hands were cold and he felt feverish and lightheaded. Chris would protect him. But he couldn't remember the last place he'd seen him. He tracked his brain, trying to remember.

When Chris woke up, it was barely still nighttime, with just enough light coming through the window to show him that Vin was gone. At first he thought that Vin must've gone out to use the privy and Chris was annoyed that he hadn't worn his hat and coat. But when he saw Vin's holster and gun still slung over the back of the chair - then Chris worried.

tbc