We was walking past the leader's cabin on our way back to the bunkhouse.

"Well, here we go again

"Whatcha mean 'here we go again?'"?

"Hear that?

The short, kinda grubby man with the chew asked the question of his taller, irritated friend.

"The cough, the cough, Kyle. It's happening again."

"The cough?"

"Come on Kyle, you heard the cough. The Kid is sick again and that means Heyes stops everything till he's better."

"Stops everything? We just finished a big job, Wheat. Ya know Heyes ain't gonna plan another job for at least a month."

"Cuz he has ta take care of the Kid and the cough."

Kyle puzzled over this claim.

"Well, Heyes never plans another job till at least a month or two after we done robbed a train. And he wants to make sure Kid is okay. Wheat, if you was sick, I'd want to make sure you got better and ifin I was sick, you'd want me to get better, right?"

"Yea, sure Kyle but you don't get sick, I don't get sick, Lobo, Hank, Preacher, none of us gets sick – it's only Kid who gets sick."

"Don't that make it harder for Heyes, worrying, I mean?"

Well, if I ever get to be leader, I'm gonna need to really think on who would be second to me; this argument is going nowhere and Kyle isn't getting my point that Heyes is more worried about Kid than he is about the rest of the boys….

"I know ya want to be leader Wheat and that's fine with me but right now Heyes is leader and we're doing okay. Kid is a good man and ya know he's always making sure that all of us is okay when we're on a job. So, I'm hoping he's gonna be okay."

Sigh, well Kyle's right there, hard to argue with that.

"Okay, Kyle, we'll see how this all goes but I think Heyes needs to know how we feel."

"Ok'"

Not sure about we, I think this is mostly how Wheat feels.

######################################################################################################################################################################

It's fall, the days are shorter and the nights colder- this is when it usually happens. The cough, the fever, the aches…it passes and he's fine but…I remember years when it was touch and go when we were home and Aunt Bridget and Uncle Sean held vigil at the bedside till he was well. I had the cabin nice and warm, a cup of coffee and a book. Just need to watch and wait.

"Kid, how are you doing?"

"Okay, Heyes, it's the usual – just tired of feeling so tired…. Sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about…as long as you're starting to do better."

"Think so, but I wonder…how come it's only me that gets sick, how come you don't ever get sick?"

"Clean living, Kid, clean living."

Eye roll, sigh, head shake….

######################################################################################################################################################################

"Hi Heyes."

"Hey Kyle."

"Want ta ask you something, Heyes, but don't want you to get riled."

"Okay, I'll try not to get riled, what do you want to know?"

"First off, how's Kid doing?"

"Well, thought he turned the corner, but he was more feverish this morning, so just waiting to see how it's going. What's on your mind?"

"Just wondering, do ya, ya know, listen to what Kid says about a plan

"Well, Kid doesn't often have a lot to say about my plans but when he does, yea I listen.

"Did ya ever change a plan ifin he had a good idea?"

"Well, sure, I would think on it if he has a good idea, but truth be told Kyle, Kid has always leaves the ideas to me."

" Oh, okay…want me to sit with him for a bit- you can get some rest?"

"Well sure, if you would do that, just as long as you call me if there seems to be any change…okay?"

"Yep, but Heyes, why is Kid the only one who gets sick?"

######################################################################################################################################################################

I went into the room where Kid was…he was sleeping but not exactly sleeping cuz he was talking, but I couldn't really understand what he was saying. Heyes done told me that he was feverish and would probably be mumbling and that' s okay, but if he started thrashing, whatever that is, to get him right away.

Kid was mumbling some names I ain't never heard him speak of before.

"Ma, Katie…. "

I went over to him, "Kid, are you okay?"

"Huh? "

"It's me, Kyle…Are you okay?"

With a racking cough.. "Kyle? Where is Heyes? Is he okay?'

"Sure, Kid, just told him I'd sit with you a while so he could get something to eat and rest a little."

"Oh, good. Thanks…. You don't hafta (cough) Kyle, I'm okay."

"Don't sound okay to me and I promised Heyes I'd sit with you till he's back… 'Sides I have a question I wanna ask ya."

"A question?…. Does it hafta be now Kyle? I'm getting a little tired." …(cough)

"Well, I'm here and you're here so it looks to me now is a good time…. Does a leader listen to ideas?

"Does a leader listen to ideas? What (cough) do ya mean?"

Well, ya know Wheat wants to be leader…"

"Wheat ain't ever gonna be leader."

"Shucks, Kid, you don't know that…and if Wheat's leader then I'm you!"

Please make him go away

"Kyle, Wheat ain't leader, and you ain't me. Now go away."

"Don't go getting proddy, Kid…."

Sigh, (cough..cough)"

"Ok, ok. Ask me your question and then me go back to sleep..."

"Well, do you give Heyes ideas?"

"No, Heyes has the ideas, he makes the plans." (cough)

"Supposing you see something wrong with the plan?

"Hardly ever happens."

"But ifin you do?"

"Okay, Kyle, I'm gonna answer this and then (cough) I'm gonna go back to sleep. You can go or you can stay, just don't talk (cough) anymore! If there's something I see that might not work, I ask Heyes a question about that part of the plan – like, we're gonna do this around 9:00 pm, right? Noticed that the mercantile is closed at 9:00 but the owner is there till around 10:30, least he has been the last two nights, and the light from the mercantile can reach the bank. what would that mean? Heyes will think on the question and then (cough) come up with a new idea…his idea. Like I said, hardly ever happens but this is what I do if I see something in the plan that looks like a problem. Now, I'm gonna go to sleep so, don't say another word till Heyes is back (cough)!

###############################################################################################################################################################################

"Hey, Kyle, thanks for the break. How's he been?"

"Sleeping now, Heyes. He was coughing a bit but I'll tell ya I have a whole lot of respect for you having to deal with him, he's just downright onery. Happy to help you out today but don't think I want to be babysitting him again. Gonna take off now, good luck."

What? Was the fever worse? Was he having fever dreams? Checked his forehead, still feverish but didn't seem to be too much worse than when I left. Gentle shake…

"Hey Kid, how ya doing?"

"Heyes? You back? Is he gone?"

A cough, slowly opening eyes, checking out the room….

"Yeah, I'm back and if you mean Kyle, yeah he's gone; was a little confused by what he was…."

"Heyes, I'm sorry I'm sick; I know it's a pain but please if I'm ever sick again..."

"IF you're ever sick again?"

"Okay, (cough) when I'm sick again, promise me that Kyle stays out of the room."

"Sure Kid, sure. Just go back to sleep, get some more rest."

Well, a little wary about finding out what this was all about…meantime, I'll just sit vigil, read my book, and wait for him to be well…

S]

"

K

"