Josiah met Nathan as he was heading back from Mrs. Potter's and turned to walk back toward the clinic with him.

"Nettie ought to be here tonight..." Josiah observed. "If Vin does have diphtheria, don't you think it'd be better to keep her away from him, keep her safe from contagion?"

"Well if you can think of a way to keep Nettie from where she wants to be Josiah, you go right ahead and try." Nathan told him. "I ain't about to get on her bad side."

"Do you really think it's diphtheria?" Josiah asked quietly. Better if no one overheard. "Could be lookin' at an epidemic if it is."

"I know - I'm hopin' it's just bad quinsy, which is bad enough. Vin ain't been outta town anytime recently, and I ain't heard of any cases anywhere's around anyway. Nobody else in town has it, or even seems to be comin' down with it. I'm hopin' it's just real bad quinsy."

M7*M7*M7

Cayenne pepper

Vinegar

Salt

Boiling water

Vin watched Nathan through sticky eyelids as he mixed these ingredients. "You - y'ain't gonna make me drink that, are you?" He asked.

"No - it's to gargle with." Nathan told him, and Vin made a face. "C'mon now Vin, this'll help your throat."

"Y'at least gonna wait till that water cools off some 'fore y'give it to me?"

"Yeah I will." Nathan came to the bed and felt Vin's forehead. He smiled down at him. "How d'you feel?"

"Hot...too damn hot in here..." Vin pushed the blankets and quilt down off his chest.

"You keep these up here." Nathan admonished him and pulled the covers back into place.

"...hot..."

"You'll be cold again soon enough. You keep covered now, y'hear? I'll get you some more medicine..." He smiled again but turned a very different expression to Chris, who left the chair to sit on the bed next to Vin.

"C'mon Pard, do what Nathan says. Keeps these covers on you." He held the blankets down on Vin's shoulders, as Vin fought to push them away again.

"No..." Vin shook his head back and forth on the pillows. "Hot."

"I know..." Chris felt Vin's forehead, felt the reason behind Nathan's worry - Vin was burning up.

"Here you go." Nathan came back with a cup. "You drink this Vin, you'll feel better." But Vin turned his head, refusing.

"No - don't like it. Don't want it...hot..." He was hot, but not sweating. "Hurts...make it stop hurting..."

"Vin. " Nathan's voice was firm. "Drink this, it'll ease the pain. You took it before, remember? It made the pain go away and helped you to sleep. Remember?" Vin remembered, but wasn't so sick that he'd give in so fast.

"Don't like it..." He kept his face turned away. "Don't want it..." His voice was weak, he sounded more like a child. He got past Chris' hands and pushed the blankets away. "I'm hot." Chris pulled the blankets back into place.

"Vin - you hear me?" Chris asked in his most intimidating voice. Vin turned to him. "You gonna take that medicine, or am I gonna hold you down while Nathan gives it to you?" He pressed just a little harder onto Vin's shoulders to indicate that he meant what he said.

"Don't like it." Vin tried one more time. "Tastes nasty."

"If it helps you Vin, it don't matter what it tastes like." Chris said.

"You ain't the one's gotta take it." Vin scowled. He began to shiver violently again. "...cold...damn I'm cold." He sounded scared.

"C'mon 'n drink this Vin. ..it's just a little bit. You'll feel better..."

And Vin finally took the cup in his trembling hands, Chris helping him sit up for the few seconds it took to swallow the aconite and nitre. He choked a little on it, and coughing felt like a knife going through his throat. He grabbed Chris' arm involuntarily, squeezing hard in pain.

"You okay? Vin?" But Vin couldn't answer. "Nathan - is he okay?"

"Hurts...hurts so bad." Vin finally managed to say. "Can't - can't breathe.."

"Nathan?" Chris demanded.

"It's okay Vin, it's okay." Nathan could see that Vin was breathing - he wasn't having an easy time of it, but he was breathing. He put his hand on Vin's back, feeling the heat of Vin's skin through his long johns. "You're breathin' Vin. Just take it slow, take as deep a breath as you can..."

Vin was scared, it showed in his eyes as he looked to Nathan for help. Chris was scared too, it showed in the way he clenched his jaw as he stared at Vin, watching the shuddering breath Vin took in and let out.

"That's good Vin. ..that's real good. You're doin' okay." Nathan encouraged him. "You do that a couple more times and I'll get you some water, all right?" Vin nodded and Nathan stepped away to get a cup of water.

"You okay Pard?" Chris asked and Vin turned back to him and shook his head.

"Cold...hurts..." Chris was holding him upright with a hand on each arm. Vin's skin was alarmingly hot, and he was shivering as though he was out in a snow storm.

"Nathan - how long it'll take for that medicine to work?"

"Half hour. His body's got to absorb it..."

"Ain't y'got nothing that'll work faster?"

Vin listened to them talk, feeling Chris holding onto him, holding him upright. He was hot, he was cold, his whole body hurt...he kept his eyes on the third button of Chris' shirt to try to hold himself in one spot while the room spun around him.

"Soon as this water cools down, I'll have him gargle with it, that'll help the pain in his throat..."

"We could get some ice, that'll cool it down faster..."

Nathan knew Chris was worried, none of them had ever seen Vin this sick, but if Chris expected to spend every blessed second of Vin's illness second guessing him, Nathan figured he'd have to rob the bank just to give Chris something else to do.

"Chris - I know how sick Vin is..." Nathan spoke slowly, more to ease his growing aggravation than to be sure he was understood. "I know he's in a hell of a lot of pain. The medicine will work, it just takes time. This all takes time."

And Chris knew he was right. He looked at Vin, who was looking at him with his scared young eyes.

"How y'doin' Pard? Y'hangin' on?" He asked gently. Vin still shivered.

"C-c-c-old C-c-Chris. Real - real cold."

"Okay, here, lie back and we'll get you covered up. That medicine'll work before you know it." He supported Vin back onto the pillows and pulled three blankets, a quilt, and his jacket back over him. "Just try to stay quiet now."

Vin looked from Chris to Nathan and back again.

"You too."

Chris glared at him and Vin smiled in spite of the heat and the cold and the pain.

"You're gonna have t-t-to do better than that Larabee if you want to scare me. I s-s-seen scarier faces on old women..."

tbc