Doc busied himself with the sheets on the bed in his back room - normally it was his own bed, but the befallen often made it there and he slept at his desk. He heard Matt groan from the outer office and bundled the used sheets under his arm and walked out to the office. He quickly placed the sheet on the chair next to his desk as he saw Matt stir.

"Doc?" the marshal asked wearily.

Doc moved to the examination table and placed his hand on Matt's wrist, "I'm right here, Matt," he stated in a caring tone.

Matt's eyes slowly opened and looked up at the doctor, "Doc?"

Doc smiled, "What is it?"

"How's Kitty and Jonas?" Matt asked.

Doc smiled slightly, finding a hint of amusement that Matt could even think about Kitty and Jonas, "They are fine. They both need a lot of rest though," he said as he picked up Matt's wrist and pulled his watch from his pocket. "How are you?" Doc asked as he assessed the marshal's pulse.

"I feel like someone was on a treasure hunt in my chest with the wrong map," he groaned.

Doc set Matt's arm down and smirked as he ran his hand over his moustache, "I told you it wasn't a good idea for you to go walking half way across Ford County with that bullet in you," he said down at Matt.

"I don't recall asking for permission," Matt then grumbled. Matt looked around the office, "Where's Festus?"

Doc pushed away from the examination table and busied himself at his desk, "Oh, he said he'd help those army fellows track the three men," he said rather nonchalantly.

"What?" Matt said as he tried to sit up but was overcome by pain.

"Now just take it easy, Matt," Doc eased Matt back down onto the examination table. "Sergeant Williams asked Festus to accompany them to find the three men. They can't have gotten far, as it seems when I fired your gun just after the robbery, I hit one of them," Doc said.

Matt drew a deep but laboured breath, "I just don't like any of this. Something is wrong," he said with building frustration.

"Truths be known," Doc said as he leaned on the table, "I don't like it much either," he then ticked his head as he couldn't figure out why he felt the way he did.

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Festus stopped and looked down at the tracks, "It appears that these ponies have slowed up some," Festus studied the tracks along the trail.

"What makes you say that?" Williams moved his horse next to Festus and Ruth.

"The way their tracks are closer together. Anyone orta know that," Festus looked over his shoulder at the sergeant, said with a huff.

Williams narrowed his at the hill man, "How far ahead do you figure they are?"

Festus looked at Williams, "You want them awful bad, don't you?" he said in a hushed tone. He could see the jaw muscles of Williams' face flexed - he had hit a nerve. "It is an army matter and I want to get them as soon as possible," Williams glared.

"Wall I hate to disappoint you, sergeant, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow or even the next day for that," Festus said in a cool voice as he stepped down from his mule.

"What are you doing?" Williams snapped at the deputy.

"I'm setting up camp fer the night. I can't track them horses any more tonight with this little bit of daylight left," Festus said as he began to pull at the leather straps of his saddle. Williams made a face and looked back at the other men.

Sergeant Cox moved his horse closer, "He's right, you know," the gentle man said and slowly stepped down from his horse. Cox wasn't sure what was eating at Williams, other than the fact he was the one who selected the three men in the first place. Cox pulled at the cinch of his saddle and watched both the deputy and his friend - there was an uneasy feeling brewing between the two.

Williams starred along the path. He could clearly see the tracks left by the horses and he was. He bit at his lower lip before turning back toward the deputy, "You had better be ready at first light. I don't want those three to get away," he said gruffly.

"Don't you fret. I'll be ready. It'll be up to you to make sure them troopers of yer's are ready to follow. Tomorrow will be a long day in the saddle unless we find them three first. But I doubt that," Festus' eyes were locked onto Williams'. The sergeant cleared his throat and turned abruptly on his heels and walked back to Cox who was busy with the camp fire.

"I don't trust that deputy," he said as he thrust his thumbs over his belt and looked back over his shoulder.

Cox looked up at Williams and then to the hill man, "Seems to me, it goes both ways," he said before returning his attention to the fire. Williams huffed and stepped past Cox to address this me about the ride tomorrow.

Williams stood over the fire that the troopers had made, "I want all of you ready to ride at first light. I want to show this whiskered-faced deputy how the army does things, do you understand?"

"We'll be ready serge," Tome Dodds stated as he stirred the pot of coffee grounds.

"Good," Williams smiled wickedly. In the dark the troopers didn't notice the look on their sergeant's face. He slowly turned and walked back to the fire Cox had made. "Do you think we'll catch up to them tomorrow?" Cox asked.

"I'd like to think so, but there's some thing I don't like about that deputy," Williams said as he gazed over to Festus who busied himself at his own fire.

"Well, you did ask him to join us," Cox reminded Williams. His friend looked down at him and glared, "I know I did. You don't have to remind me of my actions," he said in a huff. Cox pursed his lips and drew a breath before turning his attention back to the pot he was stirring.

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Frank Elcombe leaned back onto his saddle and crossed his legs. He's forgotten how comfortable a rest they were when they weren't on a horse, but next to a fire, "What do you think Williams will say if he catches up to us?"

"What do you mean?" Dwight Hodgson asked over his coffee cup.

Elcombe sat up, "I think I've figured it out. He was either getting you to rob the stage, or do it himself and blame us. Wasn't he?" He poked his finger toward his friend in a knowing manner.

Hodgson said nothing at first. He pressed his lips together, "Damn that stagecoach and those passengers," was all he could muster.