I figured you would prefer a shorter chapter that came quicker than waiting for a longer one, so here it is. Thank you for being patient while I was away.

Chapter Eight

Adam knew he'd been overreaching, but a small part of him had hoped beyond hope that Joe would simply have hidden his friends in the livery as they'd planned and he would walk in and find his brother alive, safe and in one piece. He was still chewing over just what he'd say when he saw him, but in the end it didn't matter anyway. The bitter taste of disappointment got shoved aside as he focused on what he needed to do next.

Hank had confirmed what he already instinctively knew. An older mare was missing and he knew it was just the kind of horse he would have chosen for the job. Not a spirited animal that would be harder to control. As much as Joe thrived on the challenge of handling horses and was already showing an aptitude for working horses, this wasn't the time to show his skill. His brother would have been scared, panicked even and needing the calmest, reliable horse he could find that he could remove quietly and quickly without drawing attention.

After scouting around the outside of the livery and not finding any further clues, Adam wasn't surprised to see his brother coming his way.

"I got Mister Cass puttin' together some supplies for us. Pa's gone up to see Roy and fill him in."

Adam nodded at his younger brother, noting that he looked calmer than he had for hours. Having something constructive to do was always helpful when Hoss was agitated. Adam wished it was that simple for him as his gut was churning with recrimination. He was so quick to think he knew what his brothers were thinking. He'd known there was more to Joe's odd questions and he was kicking himself that he hadn't pushed harder and dug deeper. He should have known that Joe's mind worked like a kid and not like his granite-headed eldest brother. It was Joe's insult of choice to throw at him whenever the two were at loggerheads and he knew he'd pay good money to hear it hurled at him once more.

As Adam pulled himself back up into the saddle and followed Hoss back to the doc's office, he decided they needed to start thinking more like Joe and less like an adult. As Mitch's tale had come out in pieces like some kind of puzzle to be reconstructed, he realised that far from being ridiculous, Joe's logic was actually … well not quite logical … but it certainly made sense. He pushed aside his mounting thoughts and focused on just finding him.

Roy was propped up against the bedhead and he was listening intently as Ben filled him in on all they had discovered. Paul hovered behind them, his thoughts going off on another tangent. As Ben relayed their plans, he finally stepped forward.

"Ben, there's something else you need to consider. You may not have heard probably, but there's been two cases of measles at the school. I know Little Joe's had it, but I don't know if either of those boys have. They've certainly been exposed to it and with the incubation period, they'd be getting sick right about now."

Ben knew only too well what his friend was telling him. He'd seen measles turn deadly. Joe would have no idea what he was dealing with or how to help. It just added to the sense of urgency to get out on the road and find them.

"Roy, I need you to send out those wires. We'll be heading along the stage route, as far as we need to go."

Roy nodded as he considered his friend's face. That would be all the way to San Francisco if need be.

Joe had no idea why Matthew was suddenly being so irritable, but he figured it could be because the boy wanted to be with his brother instead of in front of Joe. The sun was riding high in the sky and he decided it was time to call a stop for a rest. That way, Matthew could have some time with Derek and maybe stop grizzling at him. As he scouted around for any sign of water, he finally found a small tributary running down a steep gully. It was too tight to get the horses down so he pulled up and pointed at it.

"I'm gonna go down and fill up the canteens. You two get some food ready and I'll be back in a minute."

After he slid down from the horse, he reached up a hand to help Matthew down.

"C'mon, little buddy." The words slipped out before he even thought about it and his breath caught in his throat. Would either of his brothers ever want to call him that again?

He brushed it aside and focused on the job of filling the canteens, but by the time he came back he was surprised to see the two boys seated on the grass with no food ready. Derek looked up and frowned at his approach.

"What's wrong?"

Without speaking, Derek lifted the edge of Matthew's shirt and pointed. Angry red spots were clear to see across his chest and stomach. The younger boy scratched at his chest while Joe dropped the canteens and slipped down beside them. He reached out a tentative hand to touch the inflamed skin and was surprised at the heat. He had just figured it was a warm day and it was uncomfortable having Matthew leaning up against him.

"What is that?"

Derek squinted against the sun as he looked up at Joe's face. "You ain't seen that before?"

Joe shook his head as he shifted back on his haunches. "Don't think so. Why?"

"I reckon it's measles. I had it a few years back in the orphanage. Lotsa kids got it and got …" He barely stopped himself from finishing that thought as Matthew looked up at him.

"I'm sick?"

"Yeah, I think you might be." He reached across and hugged the younger boy against him. "But you're gonna be just fine, right Joe?"

"Uh, sure you are. I had measles when I was real little and I was just fine. And Derek just said he had them and he's fine too!"

Both boys looked at each other across the top of Matthew's head and tried to force a smile at each other. Each read the fear in the other, but neither would say anything to frighten the younger boy as he looked scared enough already. The trio forced down a hasty meal before remounting the horses. It was a very quiet trek on towards the next valley as Joe kept his focus on the far ridgeline. He knew the road was only a mile or so off to their right, but he would not risk being seen traveling on it. He'd been that way often enough to know the horizon ahead of them looked right, but he wasn't so sure of the last part to Reno. He decided they might have to chance the road at some point, but only so he could get his bearings again.

By time they found a place to stop for the night, both boys were growing more concerned. Matthew had fallen asleep in the saddle which wasn't so unusual as Joe knew he'd done the same on a long ride with his pa or brothers. The problem was that once they stopped, Matthew seemed reluctant to wake up and grizzled loudly when forced to. The rash had spread and was creeping up onto his face. Derek pulled his brother onto his lap and tried his best to coax him to eat something while Joe watched as he barely took in enough to feed a bird. Hop Sing's angry voice floated through his thoughts as he recalled how often he had skirted danger by not eating enough of the man's cooking.

"You no grow! You stay Little Joe forever!"

It was almost enough to make him smile, but the overwhelming rush of emotion behind it almost knocked him off his feet. He staggered away, trying desperately to control himself. By the time he returned, Derek had settled Matthew on the outstretched saddle blanket and the younger boy was sound asleep.

Joe edged closer and was shocked to see tears dribbling down Derek's cheeks.

"He's all I've got. He's been my brother for two years now and he's all I've got."

Joe hunkered down beside him. "What do ya mean, two years? He's seven!"

Derek looked up and nodded. "He ain't my blood brother, Joe, but he's still my brother, same as if he was. We found each other in the orphanage." Derek swallowed back the breath that threatened to choke him and a sob escaped instead. "He can't die, Joe! He just can't!"

"He ain't gonna die. He's just got the measles!"

"Kids die from the measles." The tone was flat and most unlike Derek's usual resolve.

"You didn't and I didn't … and neither did my brothers."

"I bet your pa got you a doctor, Joe. And took real good care of you."

Joe frowned as he tried to recall the days he had been confined to bed. He remembered being hot and sleepy and his eyes hurt in the light. Everything itched like crazy, but most of all, he remembered his ma singing to him and stroking his head. Hoss was huddled up with him in the same bed and he guessed it would have been easier to care for two sick boys if they were in the same room. He knew that Adam had been sick too, but he couldn't remember seeing him for some reason. It never occurred to him that at sixteen, Adam had been so sick, he hadn't wanted his brothers anywhere near him.

"My ma was there." The comment was barely a whisper and Derek lifted his head to hear better.

"Joe …at the orphanage …. kids died. Some got better … but some got real sick and they just went to sleep and didn't wake up again."

Joe scooted closer to where Derek was holding onto his brother as he slept. "He's not gonna die! We won't let him!"

Ben would have called it Joe's obstinate face and Adam referred to it as Joe's mule-headed face. Hoss just usually laughed when he saw it because it always meant that Little Joe wouldn't quit until he got what he wanted. At least until he ran into something he couldn't budge or climb over.

"Joe, he's gonna get much sicker than this. If we take him to a doctor, they're gonna lock us up. If we don't …." Once again the tears spilled down Derek's face.

"We'll think of something. Don't worry, we'll think of something."

Joe found sleep eluded him for many hours as he tossed and turned, looking for a solution. Matthew's restless sleep kept Derek from sleeping too and by the time the sun rose, all three were exhausted.

Kent Johnston stood and watched as another body fell, face first into the dusty ground. The former juror twisted in pain for a few minutes before his body stopped moving altogether. It brought no satisfaction to the escapee to see his vows fulfilled. Rather it was just another day of the emptiness that had taken over his soul and his very existence since that judge had pronounced sentence on him. He'd declared that he wouldn't stop until every last one of them was dead. The count was rising, but there was still a few who had evaded him so far. They had up and moved out of Virginia City since he'd been incarcerated and threats and beatings were not always producing the information he needed. At least this one had tried to bargain for his life with information and Kent had taken the information and then shot the sniveling coward in the gut anyway.

As he walked towards his horse, he did a mental tally and knew he was down to only four left on his list before he turned and headed for his new life at sea. San Francisco sounded like the kind of place he could disappear without a trace.