NORA'S POV

It had been over a week since Khan and Nora had parted from Arthur. They had stayed around the Heartlands for a few days before slowly venturing back toward Strawberry. The mountains called her, and the climate was much easier on them both. Big Valley had been one of her favorite places, and she was eager to get back there. Khan seemed ready to head that way as well. By their sixth day of travel, she had stopped them along the river for a quick rest. As she was standing on the other side of Khan, she watched a group of men ride across the river. She'd been eating something, taking the time to do so. They were O'Driscoll's. No one had seen her face after what happened. The men were dead. She had nothing to worry about. That didn't stop her however, from making sure her face was not seen as they crossed the river.

They were boasting about something, laughing at someone's obvious pain. She'd heard someone cry out in agony, and thought nothing of it. Khan's ears pricked suddenly, his tail swishing in alarm.

"My lady," he rumbled, tucking his chin toward his chest.

Glancing past his neck, Nora watched the group making their way across the river. They had captured someone, they were talking too loudly about it. Focusing on the horse that had someone slumped over the saddle, Nora paused. She knew that horse. The man coughed again, and snarled in agony when one of the O'Driscoll's hit him with the butt of a gun. Nora knew exactly who they had captured.

"Son of a bitch," she whispered, watching closely. "That idiot went and got himself caught."

They were heading up the trail toward Lone Mule's Stead. She tensed and put her hands on her hips. What the hell was she going to do now?! What was she supposed to do?

"We follow," Khan said firmly, stomping his back foot.

"I can't follow now, I'll get seen," she hissed, but slowly got into the saddle. "We'll wait a bit."

Once the outlaws were gone, Nora moved across the river. She made sure to put some distance between them as she thought things over. Turning Khan, she ended up following the lake, going below the high banks. They wouldn't see Khan or her there. Not unless they were standing above the cliff. If she could take care of the camp, she'd be able to get Arthur out, but to do so meant she had to be very careful. She wouldn't be able to use guns.

"Call help?" Khan asked, and Nora scoffed.

"Not enough time," she murmured, getting on a large rock. "Can't call for help, especially if he's wanted. All of them are. I can do this alone."

"Are you sure?" he asked, and she gave him a glare.

"Yes," she muttered, and he snorted.

Grabbing her hunting knives, she made sure she'd had her throwing ones as well. She had a tomahawk with her, so she took that too. Her last choice was her revolvers if she needed them. She left Khan hidden against the bank, and slowly made her way toward the cabin. A new man had arrived just as the sun was sinking. That had to be Colm O'Driscoll. She needed a good vantage point, to see where the men were patrolling. She managed to find a good spot, hidden, but unfortunately Nora could hear everything going on in the cellar below the cabin. Hearing why Colm had taken Arthur had irritated her.

"Oh Arthur, I've missed ya," Colm laughed, and something hit flesh several times.

Arthur cried out in agony, but there was so much anger laced with it, that she looked at the ground. The man was injured, but furious. Once Colm had left, she memorized the men's scouting routine's. She'd easily be able to kill them and get Arthur out of here. If she didn't mess up. Using her senses, Nora found Arthur's things. They were discarded in a pile beside the cabin. Sneaking across the road, she came up alongside his gelding. The gelding pricked his ears forward.

"Lady," he whispered, surprised.

"Shh," she soothed, making sure the other horses stayed asleep.

She hung Arthur's belt on the saddle that the gelding still had on. The poor thing had to be sore at this point.

Waiting a bit longer, Nora made sure it was fully dark before she started moving. There were three men asleep, and three patrolling. There was likely one down with Arthur as well. Clinging to the dark, she went through and slit the throats of the men sleeping. No one would miss them. She was going to leave a statement here. Let them think his gang came through and saved him. Part of her was wondering where his gang was at. Surely they wouldn't leave him to die?

She rushed the first guard the moment his back was turned and buried the tomahawk in the back of his head. Catching the lantern before it fell, she dragged his body toward the barrels beside the house. He was heavy, but she was strong. The next one was just as easy. She had been wrong about a man being in the cellar with Arthur. The third one was making his way down the stairs when she got to him.

"Don't die on us now, Morgan," the man smirked, but Arthur didn't answer.

"Hey," Nora smiled, making the O'Driscoll swing around.

He didn't even have a chance to draw his weapon. Her tomahawk was out of her hand, burying deep into the man's forehead. He fell loudly, but she didn't care. They were all dead. Yanking her weapon out, she cleaned it off on the dead man's shirt. Turning toward Arthur, Nora sucked in a breath. They had strung him up by his feet in chains, and had stripped him down to his long-john. It was soaked in blood, making her nose wrinkle. A gunshot wound on his shoulder looked bad. They had shot him more than once. The slug was still in there. He'd been cut along his stomach, and was sporting a black eye as well.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Nora moved forward. He hadn't even registered what was going on around him. Crouching down, Nora kept her eyes on the cellar door, but spoke softly.

"Arthur," she hissed, and when he didn't reply she clenched her fist. "Arthur, don't you dare be dead."

He sucked in a breath moments later, and coughed in pain. "Oh god. Wh…Nora?"

"The one and only," she replied dryly. "I have to cut you down. Do you have any strength?"

"Oh, sure," he replied, his voice hoarse.

Frowning in concern, Nora grabbed a chair and set to work on picking his chains. It opened after a bit of soft cussing, and then he fell. He'd at least tried to prepare for the fall, and didn't make too much noise. Rolling to his side, he spit blood the moment he ripped the bag from his head. Hopping down, Nora hurried to his side, and eased him against the wall. His fingers dug into her arms as she did, a soft gasp of pain leaving his chest.

"Jesus," she murmured. "What happened?"

"It…was a set up," he grunted, as she grabbed the whiskey on the table. "Colm talkin peace….fucking…fucking Micah. I told them it wasn't right…but no…no one listened."

"How long?" she asked, using her knife to get the slug out of his shoulder.

"Days," he whispered, and did his best to keep from crying out. "Longer…I don't know."

She caught his head when he went to throw it back after she poured whiskey on his wound. Having to clean it somehow, Nora whispered apologies as he grit his teeth. Grabbing his clothes and boots, she helped him at least get the boots on. There was nothing else she could do beside get him out of here.

"I need to clean that," she murmured. "It looks really bad, but I can't do that here."

"The gang…outside…"

"They're all dead," she muttered darkly, and he looked at her fully. "I'm pretty dangerous when I'm not cornered."

"Christ," he muttered.

"Come on, let's get you where you got to go," she sighed. "And get that shoulder treated."

"You didn't…you..you shouldn't be here," he managed to get out, making her smile.

"Well, aren't you glad I am?" she asked, and he smiled slightly.

"Yeah," he admitted. "Saves me from saving myself."

"No doubt," she laughed, and managed to get him to his feet.

His breathing was rough, but they managed to get out of the cellar. She wanted to wash the blood off him, but there wasn't time. They had to go. She could care for him later. She supported him as much as she could.

"Can you walk?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yes," he growled.

Leading him toward his horse was slow, and making sure he had something to step onto so he could get into the saddle took time. They somehow managed to get him onto the horse's back though. The gelding was so happy to see him it was touching.

"We need to stay off the road," she said softly. "There might be others."

Inhaling, she gave off a low whistle, and Khan came into view moments later. The stallion had come up the bank and had ventured closer than she'd wanted. She'd be angry at that later. Getting into the saddle, she glanced at Arthur again. It was a miracle he was even sitting up. The man had steel in his blood to be functioning after all that torture. It was well into the night, giving them the time they needed to get away. Khan started walking, and Arthur's gelding followed.

"Rhodes?" she whispered, and he blinked several times.

"Yes. Clemens…Point," he whispered.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," she muttered to herself.

Helping him get away was one thing, but the man needed real care. Getting him back to his gang would be the best, and maybe, she could patch his shoulder. Checking on him again, Nora made sure he was secured in the saddle, and asked the horses for a fast canter. They veered off the road and followed the lake until it was safe to cross the river. There had been two men patrolling the road, but neither of them heard the horses sneak by. Part of her was glad she'd killed all the men. With the shape he was in, it was amazing Arthur was alert as he was. This was an outlaw who'd been hurt often. Some men could function through this sort of thing.

Nora knew the general area of where Clemens Point was, and so did his gelding. Mainly, she wanted to make sure he got there without falling out of the saddle, because an hour into the ride, he slumped forward. Alarmed, Nora moved Khan closer to check on him.

"I'm…I can't," he whispered. "Assholes."

"We'll get you back," she said softly, moving some of his hair from his face.

He was angry, so angry they had made him weak. Aware that she had reached out to touch him, she focused back on the road. Pushing the horses on, she tried thinking over what to do. She couldn't give away anything when they got to camp. She wasn't about to trust these people. Shit, she was hoping they'd just let her go once she made sure Arthur was okay.

A few hours later, they came upon the camp. At his gelding's exclamation, Nora knew they had found the right spot.

"The trail, the trail!" he cried, so Nora followed him.

She checked on Arthur once more, and soon they broke through the trees. His gelding whinnied loudly, causing enough sound to alert everyone. Arthur groaned loudly, and Nora was out of the saddle as fast as she could move. The moment he started to fall, she managed to catch him a little, easing him down to his feet. His body failed him at that moment, bringing them both heavily to their knees. He was a big man, and heavy. Nora winced when her knees smacked the hard dirt, and Arthur sucked in another breath. A woman cried out, rushing forward with someone else.

"Arthur!" she cried.

"Arthur!"

"Arthur!" Dutch's voice rang clear as he ran over.

Nora was able to get him back to his feet as Dutch approached them. His eyes traveled over the bloodied body of one of his most trusted friends, before narrowing on her. Arthur's arm tightened around her with what little strength he had. Dutch noticed the movement.

"Who are you?" Dutch demanded.

"I…I'm Nora," she answered, and shook her head. "Listen..there…he…there's a gunshot wound on his shoulder. It needs to be cleaned badly. He's hurt in a lot of places."

It must have been the desperation in her voice that got through to Dutch, because his shoulders dropped immediately. As he stepped forward to help, Arthur told him what had happened. She ignored what was being said. The woman who walked over was older, a scar running along her cheek. She was a firm looking lady.

"Let's get him to bed, someone take him from her!" she ordered, and Dutch walked over to Arthur's other side.

Arthur's arm tightened around Nora's shoulder again. He may be wounded, but that anger was keeping him going. She didn't blame him. Dutch called for someone, and much to Arthur's protest, he was removed from her shoulder. The man who had taken him looked native. He gave her a thoughtful look as he moved.

"You said he had a wound that needed cleaning?" the older woman asked, grabbing Nora's attention.

"He does," she nodded.

"How good are you with it?" the woman asked, and Nora sighed.

"Pretty damn good ma'am," Nora answered, and she nodded.

"Come. Mary-Beth get the medical box!" she said. "I'm Susan."

"Nora," she murmured. "I need alcohol too."

Nora found herself hurrying after Susan, heading toward what was clearly Arthur's tent. It had given them time to get him in bed and wash him off. At his gasp of pain, Nora kept herself from rushing to him. Once he was ready, she listened to Dutch speak.

"You're safe now, son," Dutch murmured.

"Oh that's pretty," Arthur coughed, lying on his bed. "That's real fucking pretty, Dutch."

His anger had made Dutch step back. Clearly he wasn't used to Arthur being angry like that. She was aware that Dutch narrowed his gaze toward her, but Susan shook her head sharply.

"Fuck," Arthur hissed, and then his eyes opened. "Nora."

"I'm here," she said gently, walking into the tent. "I told you, I was going to clean that wound up. I'll be on my way when it's done."

She tried hard to ignore the look Dutch had given her. The man was dangerous, there was no doubt about it, but so was she. She'd just taken out a whole camp damn it, she didn't need to be scared of this one. The woman, Mary-Beth walked over with everything she needed, setting it down on the table.

"Let her work," Susan ordered. "If you need anything, yell."

"Thank you," Nora murmured, keeping her voice soft.

They'd cleaned him off, leaving him with just a blanket over his hips. There were lacerations criss crossed on his chest. She glared at it. His bloody clothes laid in a pile at the foot of the bed. The noises he'd made during that had given her the shivers. Now seeing him up close, it made her sigh.

"Mine as well get started," he murmured hoarsely.

"Yeah, I know," she answered, meeting his gaze.

He'd tried his best to stay quiet as she worked. She'd cleaned off all the smaller wounds first, giving him a chance to rest before she got to the main thing. A lantern was all the light she had, but she had good sight. He sucked in a breath when she finally got to his shoulder. Reaching down, she grabbed a strap of leather. His body trembled, and sweat began to glisten in the light on his body. He took the strap between his teeth, and nodded.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, making sure nothing was in his flesh.

"You saved my life," he rumbled, his voice clear around the strap. "Again."

"Not to keep counting," she teased, and he smirked.

She helped him sit up so she could finish what she was doing, and made sure that there was nothing on his back from the gunshot. She began the long process of stitching his wound when he was ready. It took her some time, and at one point she figured he'd passed out, but when she looked, his eyes were open. While she'd been working, the women had put tent sheets up around his wagon, giving them privacy. Nora was thankful for that.

By the time she was done, it was just about dawn. It had taken her hours to get everything done. Washing her hands, she then moved and wrapped his shoulder. That was tricky, since he was so exhausted, but he refused to have someone in with them.

Once she was all done, he was able to rest. She washed her hands after she'd gathered all his bloodied things to burn.

"I liked that shirt…"

His voice surprised her, so she turned sharply to look at him. Arthur gave a small smirk, and gestured to the black shirt.

"I liked that," he grunted, making her chuckle.

"We'll buy a new one," she offered.

Keeping him propped up would help the wound from swelling, and it put him in a comfortable position to sleep. She sighed, and sat down on the stool beside him when she was completely finished.

"Well, I did all that could be done," she said, making sure his shoulder was wrapped.

"Thank you," Arthur rumbled, reaching up and grabbing her hand.

"Nothing you didn't do for me," she smiled gently. "Now.. rest.."

It took him only moments to pass out. Extracting her hand from his, Nora pulled the blanket up past his waist and to his chest. She checked his wounds one more time, before she went to the table. Putting her hands down on it, she leaned heavily forward and controlled her emotions. The healing was up to him, and they had to make sure it didn't get infected.

Movement behind her had her standing up quickly. Dutch paused when he realized he'd surprised her. Nora flushed with embarrassment. He'd been gone for hours, the moment Arthur's head had hit the bed.

"Sorry," Dutch murmured. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I think so," Nora replied, glancing back at the sleeping man. "I hope so."

"Thank you…for helping him," Dutch rumbled. "And saving him. You…"

"He did the same for me a few weeks ago," Nora answered honestly. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I'm glad I was."

"So are we," Dutch nodded. "You should clean up and get some rest. It's been a long night."

"Thank you," Nora whispered, knowing she was in dangerous waters.

She walked out of the tent with him, and Susan walked over to them. Nora swayed on her feet suddenly, and Dutch reached out to steady her.

"You should lie down," Susan ordered, and Nora shook her head.

"I have his blood on my hands. I need…"

"Come, I'll help," she said gently, and Nora looked at her. "Come on."

Dutch guided her to Susan and watched as they headed toward the lake. Nora was able to walk on her own, but she was so incredibly tired. Susan helped her wash off, and gave her something to eat as well.

"I set up a small bed in there," Mary-Beth said walking over. "So you can rest."

"Thank you," Nora said gratefully, and let the women walk with her back to the tent. "I…my horse.."

"He's been taken care of, don't you worry," Susan nodded. "So has Arthur's. They'll be okay."

The moment she was on the makeshift cot, Nora was asleep.