ON YOUR HORSES, BOYS

Part 24

Vin turned Josiah away from the cell and pulled him to the front of the office where Buck and JD were standing. "He's as messed up as the rest of his family."

"I'm afraid you're right," Sanchez admitted sadly.

"So why d'ya think they blew the jail without makin' a play for junior back there?" asked Buck.

"I can't figure them leavin' one brother behind when they've been so hell bent on seekin' revenge for the sake of another," Vin said, eyeing John. "They've been real busy terrorizing the town since the shootout, but today they've picked up the pace. Something's changed."

"Sounds to me like they're tryin' to keep us busy so they can sneak outta their little hidey-hole and take off."

"Without the brat?" asked Josiah.

"Nah, it don't figure."

Vin stared at John's arrogant demeanor. "It does if they're distracting us for another reason." He spun and ran to the gun case.

"Chris and Ezra," Buck said.

"Yeah, my guess is they're headin' to the clinic." Vin was out the door in an instant.

Buck grabbed another gun for himself. "Josiah, stay with JD just in case they double back here." Then he too was gone.

The preacher put out a hand to stop JD following. "You heard the man, son."

"But…"

"No buts. They can handle things at the clinic. You and I need to see about organizing a few of the men outside to help patch that hole in the back. Besides, the law from Eagle Bend will be here soon. We need to make sure our prisoner is ready to travel."

JD didn't like it, but he knew Josiah was right.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

Vin rounded the corner to the clinic to see smoke billow out the door and windows. "Damn it! Hurry, Buck!" he shouted as he raced up the stairs. He darted inside to find Nathan on his knees, calling to an unconscious Chris while unsuccessfully trying to move him. Vin grabbed the healer around the shoulders and moved him aside so he could take a closer look. "What is it, Nate?"

Buck, guns drawn, ran into the room. "Vin, are they alright?" When he saw his friends huddled on the floor beside the bed he hurried to join them. "We need to get outta here." He stopped cold when he saw Chris' battered body sprawled on the floor. "Oh God, what happened?"

Nathan tried to crawl back to his patient. "The Nichols were here," he replied.

Vin put an arm out to stop him when he saw blood coating his hands and shirt. "Easy Nate, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he stated simply, then looked at his fingers. "No, this ain't mine, it's Chris'."

"What the hell did they do?" Buck asked, making no attempt to keep the anger from his voice.

Jackson rubbed the back of his aching head as he indicated the bloody rifle behind Buck. "My guess is they beat the hell outta him with that."

The ladies man gawked at the gun. "Those sons-of-…"

Vin watched the blaze at the back of the room. "Come on, we need to get them outside." He rose to check the bed. "Where's Ezra?"

Buck looked around. "He ain't here!"

"Nate, where is he?"

The healer stared at the bloody mess that was Chris' face.

"Nate! Where is Ezra?" Vin asked louder.

Jackson didn't look up. "He came to for a while but he was confused, kept blaming himself for Chris' death."

Buck circled the bed. "Chris ain't dead!"

Obviously still dazed, the healer raised a hand to the twitching body in front of him. "I know… I know. But Ezra thinks he is. He wouldn't listen to me. Then the Nichols broke in."

Wilmington quickly checked the back room for signs of the gambler and returned with a fearful look on his face. He shook his head at Vin as the tracker tried to gather Nathan off the floor. "Get him outta here, Vin. I've got Chris."

Tanner steered Nathan away from the growing flames as Buck went to his old friend's side, hooked him under the arms and knees, and pulled him close. The motion elicited a groan from Chris just before his head fell back over Buck's elbow. "Just stay with me, pard," Wilmington pleaded and followed the smoke out the door.

M7M7M7M7M7M7M7

"Whoa, whoa," Vin heard someone say as he assisted Nathan down the stairs, then saw two horses and a wagon roll to a stop in front of the clinic. "Archie?"

"At your service, Mr. Tanner," Sanders said as he tied the reins off and stepped down from the rig. He gestured for the two young men with him to start unloading their cargo.

Vin drew back when he saw lidded buckets of water passing from man to man. "Archie, how did you…"

"When I heard the explosions at the jail I figured there might be another fire to put out. There wasn't one there but Mr. Sanchez said there might be trouble here at Mr. Jackson's place so I thought I'd see if you boys needed a hand." He hefted some of the buckets to the ground himself all the while keeping an eye on his helpers. "Hurry it up, you two, we need to save as much of this place as we can."

Vin lowered Nathan to the boardwalk. "Archie, how is it you know so much about fire-fightin'?"

"Why I'm from Chicago, son," he replied as if the statement alone was explanation enough.

"Chicago?"

"Yessir! Back in '71, the biggest fire you ever laid eyes on burned our city. Nearly everyone who lived there became instant fire fighters."

The tracker recalled the stories he'd heard about the tragedy and stood in awe of the other man's experience. "Well, this town's beholdin' to ya."

Sanders shrugged the praise aside and looked up. "Oh God in Heaven," he said, appalled.

Vin raised his sights at Archie's exclamation and saw Buck halfway down the stairs with Chris cradled against his chest.

"You men," Archie snapped, "get the rest of that water unloaded!" The two youths quickly obliged as Sanders ran over to offer Buck a hand. "What the devil has been goin' on up there? Is there anyone else to bring down?"

Buck shook his head. He wasn't sure how or why Archie was there barking orders, but he was grateful for the help hauling Chris away from the fire. They moved to the boardwalk and eased him down beside Nathan.

"Alright, boys," Archie shouted, "let's put out that fire!"

"I'll go with you," Vin announced.

"You'll do no such thing. Right now your priority is taking care of your friends," Sanders said firmly. "Besides that, you're near dead on your feet."

"But…"

"Now listen to me. I've got help on the way. The fire at the Clarion should be out by now and the men there'll be following any time. You just get your men outta harm's way and let me handle things here. The sooner this fire's out the sooner I'll be able to go home to my missus." He gave Vin a surprisingly wicked grin, slapped him on the back and grabbed a bucket of water. He was up the stairs without another word.

Vin returned his attention to the boardwalk when he heard Buck trying to coax Chris awake. "Come on, buddy," he said encouragingly. "Let me know you're still in there." The gentle pleading was eventually rewarded with a cough, a sputter and curse. Buck gave thanks in silent prayer and moved nearer. "There ya go. That's it."

"Get off… off me, you son-of-a-bitch," Larabee stammered and pushed away.

"Slow down, pard."

Chris' eyes nearly crossed when he opened his eyelids. "You're a dead man, Nichols."

"Snap out of it, Chris, it's Buck."

"Buck?" His eyes stilled and his old friend's frightened face settled before him. "Buck." He stopped wriggling and cursed again when he realized how awful he felt. "Where are we?"

"Outside the clinic."

"Outside?" Chris raised his head to see the heavy smoke roiling overhead. "Ezra!" he said sharply and grabbed Buck's arm.

"Hold on now, Ezra ain't up there."

"He…" The gunfighter struggled to think as several men ran past him and up the stairs to the clinic. He would have asked about them but was too busy trying to understand the disconcerting images in his mind. "I heard him, I heard Ezra yell."

Buck touched the bloodied face. "Listen to me, Chris. Ezra wasn't in the clinic when we found you."

The devil's face flashed before him. "Nichols," he said anxiously. "That bastard took him!"

Vin knelt beside Buck. "Why would he do that? Why go to the trouble of carryin' him off when he could just kill him where he lay?"

"He's not done with him. He wants to torture him some more before he kills him," Chris spat. "I can't let that happen. I've got to stop him!"

"We will, Chris, I swear it," Vin replied, holding the gunfighter down.

"Vin, if they get away with Ezra, we're likely to find little pieces of him scattered all over town! I have to get on my feet and I have to find him!" He shoved away the hands on his thighs and shoulders and scooted away.

"You ain't goin' no where," Buck cried when he realized Chris was working himself into a frenzy. The rage and fear of the man were palpable, which meant he would soon be out of control. "Damn it, would you just settle down!" He reached again to grab hold.

"Get your damned hands off me! I'm sick of this!" The gunfighter crawled backwards until he was leaning against the building. He climbed to his knees and with the aid of the wall managed to make it to his feet. "I will not have another man dead because of me." Before he could turn to take a step, he slid down the wall and landed hard on the sidewalk.

"Stop," Jackson said loudly before Vin and Buck had a chance to move.

"Nathan?" Buck called.

"Don't. Just leave him," the healer insisted, then gained his feet and went to Larabee's side himself.

Chris looked at him warily but was too exhausted from his efforts to move. Dark hands touched him, gauged the temperature of his brow and then began checking the rest of his body. He looked away when they found the bloody hole in his side.

Nathan fingered the wound gently. Then spoke so softly only Chris could hear. "If somethin' happens to Ezra now it won't be on you," he said, and waited for Chris to face him. "It'll be on me."

Pain filled eyes asked the question.

"You couldn't have stopped Nichols no matter how hard you tried, not with what I gave you. As it was, you came 'round a lot sooner than you should have. I ain't never seen a man fight so hard to stay awake. But the truth is I made the decision to knock you out. I'm responsible for you not bein' able to fight when they came after you."

Some part of Chris agreed, but the look on Nathan's face decided him against placing blame. "Not… on you," he blew through clenched teeth.

"I ain't stupid, Chris. I know what's what. I was supposed to be watchin' out for you and Ezra. I got distracted and now ya'll are payin' for it." He took a clean handkerchief from his pocket and pressed it against the ragged wound before he tore a long piece from his own shirt and tied it around Chris' waist. Laying a restraining hand on the gunfighter's chest, he carefully pulled the fabric tight and waited for the cry he knew would come. It did. When Chris recovered, he told him, "They've really messed you up this time so move slow and breathe shallow 'til I can get what I need to patch you up proper."

"Nathan," Larabee said once he could speak again, "you know what I have to do."

"I know, Chris."

"So help me."

"I will, you have my word, but for the next few minutes I want you to rest easy and let us regroup." Nathan waited for the lawman to concede.

Chris closed his eyes and tried to lie on his side just long enough to stop the overwhelming need to throw up. Buck came around to help him, shedding his coat and folding it into a makeshift pillow. When he placed it beneath the blond's head, something fell from the pocket and hit the walk with a clatter. Chris attempted to open his eyes again without having them roll back into his head. It was difficult, but he managed to catch sight of something shiny resting just inches from his face. He reached a blood-stained hand across the decking until he could touch the glimmer and found his fingers curled instinctively around its shape as if they understood what it was even if his brain couldn't. He drew it closer and stared, then blinked and stared again. Suddenly he knew what he was holding and forced himself upright. "Where," he heaved in shock, "where did this come from?"

Buck saw Chris hold out his hand and unconsciously began patting his pockets. "Dang, I must've dropped it."

"You had it? H-how?" the gunfighter asked as the world began to spin around him.

"I found it just before I heard the explosions at the jail."

"Explosions? Buck, where the hell did you find this?" he groused, in no mood to pull every single detail from the man. "Tell me."

"I found it at the clinic, in a package Vin brought over from the General Store."

"A package?"

"Yeah, Mr. Hobson put together a bunch of medical supplies for Nathan and Vin brought the package to the clinic. I went to open it up and that fell out."

Vin came around to see. "What is it?"

Chris raised his hand and smiled.

The tracker looked into bright, fevered eyes. "Is that Ezra's?"

"Yes," he replied and laughed.

Worried at the unexpected response, Buck moved even closer. "Chris, what is it? What's so important about finding that little pea shooter?"

"Because, Buck," Chris said, cradling the gambler's Derringer against his chest, "this little pea shooter tells me where the Nichols are hiding. And I know exactly how to find Ezra."

TBC

A/N: Alrighty now, who knows where the Nichols have been hiding?