Riding through the cool spring air of the Colorado wilderness, Andrew took a deep breath and allowed himself to feel a moment of peace. A moment to let his shoulders relax and soak in the feeling that things were going to be okay. He really believed it. He didn't want to get too ahead of himself, after all, they were still in a very dangerous situation, but Andrew really believed that his plan was going to work and that he and Colleen were going to get out of here today.

As they rode carefully over the bumpy ground of the woods, Andrew kept thinking ahead to the moment they would soon set up camp just outside the town of Pueblo. He needed to find a way to get a hold of Clyde's water canteen. All he needed was a minute alone with it. He did have a couple of ideas. Assuming they were going to build a fire, which Andrew would insist in order to clean the medical tools he would need to operate on Jeremiah, he would also make sure that they boiled some water. After boiling the water, they would likely refill the canteens. He could offer to fill everybody's, including Clyde's, and therefore sneak in a bit of chloroform. Another thought that passed through Andrew's mind was to make willow bark tea for everyone and sneak the chloroform into Clyde's cup. He had heard the man complaining about back pain from sleeping on the ground. He could suggest with authority that he has some tea. Would he drink it, Andrew didn't know, but it was another idea at least, and a decent one if he couldn't get his hands on Clyde's canteen. There was still a little time to come up with more ideas… he would have to keep thinking.

The thought of sneaking away from Clyde was still terrifying, and Andrew felt guilty about using the chloroform in this way, but he knew he had no choice. This had the potential to save Jeremiah's life… and possibly his and Colleen's. He was going to save them. He would get them out of this.

It was this determination that fueled Andrew's confidence- that, and the newly found energy that ran through him as he started to feel better. The pounding headache that had been gnawing at him since he awoke this morning was finally starting to subside. Between finally getting to eat and the willow bark, what had been an intense pounding was now just a dull ache. He felt like a new person, and he would use that energy to get them out of here.

Colleen was so happy to see that Andrew was starting to feel better. It was obvious just looking at him. She had felt horrible knowing how much pain he was in before and it took away some of her worry knowing he was more comfortable. She glanced over at him and saw the focus in his eyes, knowing he was thinking through different plans to get the chloroform in Clyde's water. Although she felt anxious about something going wrong, she knew that this may be their one and only chance to escape. Any plan she had tried to come up with didn't hold a candle to Andrew's. His had real potential. It could actually work. They wouldn't be far from Pueblo, all they needed was to get into town. They would look for a sheriff or someone else that seemed like an authority figure. And if they couldn't find anyone, they would go to a public place where they could hide out or get some help. They could do this. In no time, they would be back home in Colorado Springs with their family and friends.

Colleen brought herself back to the present as she felt a strong gust of wind hit her in the face. She couldn't let herself think of her family right now. It would make her too emotional, and she needed to stay focused and present. She hoped Pueblo wasn't much further, every time she looked over at Jeremiah she could swear the man looked worse and worse. It didn't matter that he was a part of the group that took her and Andrew. He was a sick man, a patient, and she still needed to do everything she could to take care of him. As soon as they got someone on these men's trail, they could alert the doctor in Pueblo and bring Jeremiah into his or her clinic for an operation. It needed to happen soon.

"Are you sure we're heading the right way?" Jake asked with a raised brow. He and Hank had been traveling all afternoon now, and it occurred to him that he hadn't been paying much attention to the way they were going, he was mostly just following his friend's lead.

"We're following the river," Hank replied breezily.

"This ain't the river, it's just a creek flowing through the woods."

"The creek flows into the river."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jake said sarcastically. "I didn't know you were an expert on the rivers of Colorado. You been spending time with Sully?"

Hank rolled his eyes. "We're going the right way. The creek meets up with the river and it heads straight south. I know the land, Jake. I know what goes on around here. There's a reason I should be sheriff." He snorted.

"You're saying you could have stopped those guys?"

"No one could have stopped them unless you were there when it happened. But when we find them, I'll be able to take care of them. Better than Matthew can."

Jake pursed his lips and sighed. "Fine, so you're saying all we need is to keep following this thing south?" He gestured to the creek. "It's that easy?"

"That's what I've been saying, " Hank said tiredly.

He looked around again, choosing to believe his friend. "You'd better be right."

"I always am, ain't I?"

Now it was Jake who rolled his eyes as they continued through the woods.

Things were going well for the group of men, Colleen, and Andrew as they made their way toward Pueblo. They were just about there, with only a few miles left to go. Clyde, who was leading the way, came to a stop as they approached the top of a hill. They had exited the woods a few miles back and were now riding through the valley since they were so close to town. "Alright," he said, looking ahead as everybody else stopped alongside him. "We're a few miles out, what's the plan?"

William spoke up right away, "Let's take a wide route around town on the east side and head for the woods. We need to set up camp further in, we're gonna be there for a while."

The men all nodded in agreement and they continued on. It would take them a bit longer to reach where they wanted to set up camp, but it was necessary in order to avoid the roads coming into town. Just a little bit longer and they would be there.

They went far enough east that they ended up near the woods again. Clyde led them through to help conceal them from being seen. Under the cover of the trees, Colleen noticed that though it wasn't dark outside just yet, it was definitely darker than it had been before. The cloudy day made it hard to keep track of time, but if she had to guess, she would say it was probably around 5 o'clock, maybe 6.

It was quiet, the only sounds coming from the hooves of the four horses and the occasional call of birds in the trees overhead. Everything was calm until suddenly, the horse William and Colleen were riding snorted nervously, sidestepping to the right a few feet. "Hey," William said gruffly, tugging on the reins. Out of nowhere, the tall mare whinnied loudly, stomping around a few times, clearly spooked by something. Colleen tightened her grip on William as the man continued to tug on the reins of the horse. The mare suddenly let out a piercing shrill of a call before it quickly jerked up onto its hind legs. So quickly, William didn't have a chance to tighten his grip as gravity pulled down his and Colleen's weight from the horse's back.

Colleen let out a scream as she fell, trying to catch herself but it was too late. The palm of her right hand hit the ground first with a snap, the rest of her body weight falling directly on top of it. Because of how fast they were bucked off the horse, William landed directly on top of her, his added weight pinning her down. They both lay there for a few seconds before finally, William rolled off of her with a groan. The wind was knocked from Colleen's lungs as she lay on the ground in shock, trying to catch her breath. She blinked a few times but something got into one of her eyes, clouding her vision. She raised her hand to wipe whatever it was away but quickly stopped and inhaled sharply as an intense pain radiated from her wrist and arm. Now that she was aware of the pain, it felt like her arm was on fire. She clutched it to her chest and rolled onto her side, curling in on herself as a whimper escaped her lips.

"Colleen!" Andrew yelled as he tugged his horse to a stop. He hopped down, making sure that Jeremiah wasn't going to fall, before sprinting over to where she lay on the ground. He was vaguely aware of one of the other men checking on William as he kneeled down next to her. "Colleen, are you okay?" He leaned in close, placing a hand on her shoulder as he looked her over. Her wrist and arm were clearly injured, likely broken by the angle her wrist sat at. There was a gash above her right eyebrow, a thick trail of blood running over her purple, swollen eye and dripping down her face. He carefully tried to wipe some of the blood away with his sleeve. Her face was also pale, likely from the shock of the fall. "Colleen," Andrew said gently, yet firmly, trying to get her to focus on him. "Look at me." She was breathing quickly, still trying to catch her breath. "You're okay, look at me. Take a breath." He watched her continue to struggle to breathe and wondered if she may have hurt her ribs when she fell. "Breathe with me." He took a deep breath in, exaggerating his features so she could follow. He released the breath slowly as her eyes finally met his face, watching him. Andrew repeated breathing this way as she tried to follow him, her exhales shaky and fast. "That's good. Keep going." He kept his hand on her shoulder as he looked over to where Leonard was tending to William. "Is he alright?"

Leonard shrugged. "Think so. He's got a cut on his face that's bleeding pretty bad-"

"I'm fine," William grunted. He sat up slowly and looked around. He wiped the blood away from the cut on his cheekbone, looking at Colleen lying on the ground. "Get her up, we gotta go."

"She's hurt," Andrew said defensively. "Give us a minute."

"We need to go now, it's starting to get dark outside."

"What do you want us to do?" He said angrily. "Look… we've done everything you've asked of us. But she's hurt and needs medical attention. We're so close to Pueblo, just let us make camp here."

William got up and grabbed hold of Andrew by the collar of his shirt, "It ain't your decision to make, boy." He held back his fist in a threat.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Andrew said quickly, "you really want to hurt the person who's going to be operating your brother?"

The two were in a standoff as they glared at each other. After several slow seconds, William finally lowered his fist and released the younger man. "Fine," he sneered.

As the two men continued going back and forth, Colleen lay on the ground in pain, trying to take slow breaths. Now that some time had passed and the shock had worn off, her body painfully felt the full extent of her fall. It had all happened so quickly. One minute, she was riding behind William and the next, something spooked the horse and she was falling wrist-first onto the ground with the man's full body weight on top of her. It hurt to breathe and a sharp pain rang through her head. She watched as blood spotted the ground in front of her in a steady trickle. The worst pain of all though was in her arm and wrist. Colleen knew how easy it was to hurt your wrist from trying to catch yourself when falling. Unfortunately, she didn't realize just how hard it was to avoid doing it. She had felt the snap when she hit the ground and now an intense pain radiated from her right hand all the way to her elbow. She continued to focus on her breathing as much as she could, but the pain was awful. As a whimper escaped her lips, she suddenly heard Andrew's voice next to her along with the feeling of his hand once again on her shoulder.

"Colleen," he said softly, wiping away more blood before it could get into her eye. "Can you sit up?" He waited until she nodded slowly before helping her up, wrapping an arm behind her back and slowly moving her into a sitting position, careful not to touch her arm. She gasped as her ribs adjusted to her body weight, taking a shaky breath. "There you go," Andrew murmured. "Wait here." She watched as he ran back to his horse and helped Jeremiah down, guiding him over to a grassy spot where he could lean back against a tree and rest. He then went back to his horse and reached into the saddlebag, grabbing something before coming back over to her. He sat down in front of her holding a piece of cloth. He folded it a few times before leaning in close, "I'm going to place this over your cut, okay?"

Colleen nodded in acknowledgment. She gasped in pain as he held the cloth to her head with some pressure, trying to stop the bleeding. "Andrew," she said in a low, pained voice. "What's going on?"

"Do you remember what happened?" he asked her seriously.

She started to nod before stopping abruptly. Bad idea. Don't move your head while someone's putting pressure on it. "I know the horse got spooked and we fell," she continued in the same pained and raspy voice. "But are we staying here, or are we leaving again?"

Andrew leaned down so he could see into her eyes, or at least her left eye. "I think I convinced them to let us make camp here. We're so close to Pueblo. I know they wanted to get on the south side of town but with…" he looked at her sympathetically. "With you hurt and Jeremiah in critical condition, not to mention William's horse is still pretty frantic, by the time we would all be ready to go again it would be dark outside. It's already starting to get dark out and if William and Leonard want to get into town tonight, which they do, then they need to get moving soon. I got the impression they want to go while the stores are still open."

"So, we're staying here?"

"We're staying here," he said with a comforting smile. He grabbed her good hand and gave it a squeeze before turning serious again, shifting into doctor mode. "How are you feeling? What all hurts?"

Collen swallowed painfully, her throat stinging. "It's not that bad."

"Colleen," Andrew said sternly, but with care. "That wasn't a small fall. You're obviously in pain. I need you to tell me what all hurts."

She sighed, feeling like a burden. Her getting hurt wasn't supposed to happen. "My arm… or wrist… something snapped when I landed on it. And my ribs. That's it, well… my head," she added. "It's just the cut though, otherwise it's fine."

"Thank you," he smiled. "I want to move you closer to Jeremiah, then I'll examine your arm, okay?"

"Okay."

"Can you hold this?" Andrew asked, referring to the cloth on her forehead.

"Yeah." Keeping her right arm cradled to her chest, Colleen used her left hand to hold the cloth in place over her cut.

"Which side do your ribs hurt?"

"Right."

"Take a deep breath and then we're going to stand, okay?" Andrew moved to her right side so that as he put an arm around her waist his hand was cradling the left side of her back and ribs and not her right. Once Colleen took a breath, he grabbed hold tighter and helped her to stand. Slowly, they walked over to where Jeremiah sat resting against a tree. He helped Colleen sit down, leaning her up against a neighboring tree trunk. "I'll be right back." Andrew stood to retrieve his medical bag from the saddle of his horse. Looking around, he saw Leonard and William over by their horses talking about their trip into town. At least, he assumed that's what they were talking about. As they talked, William held his horse by the reins and stroked its face, continuing to calm it down. Clyde stood nearby angrily, it was clear he was still upset at having to stay back and babysit them instead of going into town like their original plan. After a moment the man started walking around, unpacking some things from the bags, and starting to set up camp.

Medical bag in hand, Andrew walked back over to Colleen, taking a good look at her and feeling a pit in his stomach. She did not look good. Her face was still pale, and her hair, which had been twisted back in a ponytail, was messy, half of it free from the elastic and falling different ways. Blood smeared her face and stained the front of her dress alongside dried mud and dirt. She was resting her head against the tree trunk with her eyes closed, taking shallow breaths that informed him it hurt her to breathe. He frowned as he walked back over and sat down in front of her, lightly placing a hand on her arm. "I'm back."

She opened her eyes and lifted her head, still holding the cloth to it. She glanced over at their patient just a tree over. "How's Jeremiah?" she asked.

"He's fine. He seemed to do okay on the ride over here, but I'm glad he can rest for a while now. If he can rest and sleep, it'll help keep him stable for a bit longer." He opened his medical bag and began to remove some of its contents before looking back and meeting her eyes. "I'm going to take care of your head first, we need to stop the bleeding. Then I'll take care of your arm, just keep holding it like that," he said, referencing how she held it close to her chest.

"Okay," she answered quietly. Her arm was throbbing terribly, but she knew it would hurt even more when he examined it, so she sat still and continued to hold it close.

"Let's see here," Andrew gently took the cloth from Colleen's hand and removed it, using it to wipe away some of the excess blood. The thicker flow had stopped, but it was still bleeding more than he would like. "I'm going to need to stitch this up, it's a pretty big cut." He looked at her sympathetically. "This may hurt a bit, I'll try and be quick." She gave a slight nod as he took hold of the necessary tools. Carefully, Andrew leaned in and began to stitch up the cut on her forehead. Colleen winced as the needle made contact with her skin, squinting her eyes shut tight. "Almost done," he murmured while he worked. Finally, Andrew finished the last stitch and cut the thread, checking over his work one last time. "All done," he said, giving her a quick smile as she opened her eyes.

"Now for your arm… " He gave another sympathetic look as Colleen sighed painfully. He reached for it gently, putting one hand under her wrist and the other under her elbow.

"Ow… " she moaned as he moved it closer to him. Tears welled in her eyes.

Working as tenderly as he possibly could, Andrew examined her arm, rolling up the sleeve of her dress to get a better look. The bone at her wrist was sticking at an odd angle, not enough that it broke the skin, but close. Her entire forearm was swollen, and as he felt it with his hands, he was able to quickly determine her injury.

Colleen whimpered in pain, shutting her eyes and trying to imagine she was anywhere else but here.

"Colleen?"

"Hmm?" she opened her eyes and focused on him.

"I'm going to find something to splint your arm. Just relax for now, okay?" he squeezed her knee before standing up to look for something, a piece of wood perhaps, that he could use as a splint. As he looked around, he couldn't help but glance back at Jeremiah and Colleen sitting at their respective trees side-by-side. He sighed with another frown and kept looking.

After a short while, he found a piece of wood that was about the length of Colleen's forearm. He returned and sat in front of her, taking out some dressing from his bag. Carefully, he reached for her arm again, looking to see if he could reset the bone. "I'm sorry, Colleen," he said as he worked, listening to her whimpers and moans of pain. She had looked away, staring at a spot on the ground. "Colleen," he said, getting her attention again a minute later. She slowly looked back at him, eyes watery. "Are you familiar with a Barton fracture?"

The name rang a bell in Colleen's head. She couldn't completely remember what it meant though. "It has to do with the wrist, a dislocation?" she tried to recall.

"That's part of it. A Barton fracture is both a break and a dislocation. It means your radius is broken and the joint connecting it to your wrist is dislocated." She nodded in comprehension as she remembered. "I'm going to splint your arm and then wrap it. But first, I need to shift your wrist back into place so that it's at the correct angle for realignment. I'm not going to lie, it's going to hurt."

"I know," she said quietly. She had assisted Dr. Mike many times while she had reset patient's bones. "It's okay."

Andrew nodded. "I wish I had something to give you for the pain, but once I'm done you'll be able to rest and I can make you some tea."

Colleen nodded, frowning nervously as she braced herself.

Andrew went through exactly what he needed to do in his head before proceeding, wanting to cause as little pain for her as possible. He then put one hand on her forearm and the other on top of her hand in a solid grip. "On the count of three, I'm going to reset the dislocation. Take a deep breath. One… two…. three!"

"Ah!" Colleen's scream caught in her throat from her swollen trachea and injured ribs as she gasped sharply, pressing her head back against the tree trunk as Andrew put her wrist back in place. "Ow… " she moaned while he continued to work, a few tears slipping from her eyes. He aligned the piece of wood against her forearm where the broken radius was before grabbing his dressing and wrapping it all up.

Once Colleen's arm and wrist were wrapped in the proper position, Andrew unwrapped some more dressing in preparation to make a sling. "We're almost done, keep taking those deep breaths," he said, looking at her ashen face. He reached out and brushed her hair to one side so it wouldn't be in the way as he prepared the sling. He then carefully grabbed Colleen's wrapped arm and had her hold it close to her body in a certain position before wrapping the dressing under her arm and around her neck several times, making sure it was secure. Once he was finished, Andrew grabbed Colleen's good hand and gave it a gentle squeeze "I'm all done. Now all you need to do is try and keep your arm still, okay?"

She nodded back, exhausted from the pain but incredibly relieved that the worst was over.

Andrew looked at her with concern once more. "Collen, I do want to check the rest of you over. Is anything else in pain besides your ribs?"

"That's it," she said quietly.

"Okay," he nodded, pulling his medical bag closer. Over the next several minutes, he checked her vitals, pulse, and felt her head for bumps. Aside from a few new bruises, she seemed to be alert and okay elsewhere. He then helped Colleen lay back on the ground so he could check her ribs. "I'm just going to press gently, okay?" He waited for her okay before proceeding. Her left side was fine, no tenderness there. When he got to the right side, Andrew carefully held Colleen's slung arm up with one hand while he gently pressed on her ribcage with the other. Colleen moaned in pain, nodding her head when he pressed on two of them. "Try taking a deep breath for me. It's going to hurt but I want to listen to your lungs." He held his stethoscope to her chest and listened as she took a deep breath.

She couldn't help but let out another cry of pain, but she was able to take a full deep breath, which was a good sign. "I think they're just bruised," she said in a raspy tone.

Andrew gave her a questioning look. Her lungs sounded okay but he needed her to be fully transparent in order to assess her correctly. "Colleen, how much pain are you in, honestly?"

"Really Andrew, it's not terrible. It hurts… but I think if they were broken I would be in more pain. I mean it." And she did.

He nodded slowly, believing her. "Okay. They may just be bruised, but if the pain gets worse I need you to let me know immediately." He gave her a serious look.

"I will. Thank you, Andrew."

He looked down at her face, still a little pale, covered in dirt and blood, stitches, a black eye, and a couple of other smaller bruises from her fall. He reached out and brushed some hair from her forehead, moving his hand down to cup her cheek gently. They looked at each other for a moment. "I'm sorry you're in so much pain, I wish there was something I could do." His thumb stroked her cheek in a soothing rhythm.

She gave him a small smile through the pain. "You're taking care of me. I can't thank you enough for that."

He gave her a caring smile back, his insides warming. "You don't need to thank me. I'm always here for you, Colleen."

"Thank you." Colleen's smile grew bigger and they sat in the peaceful quiet of the moment. About ten seconds later, however, a flash of worry came over her face. "Andrew," she said quickly.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She looked at him with big eyes. "The chloroform," she whispered.

Andrew's eyes widened. The chloroform. It had completely escaped his mind. "I forgot all about it."

"I'm sorry, it's my fault-"

"No. Colleen, it's not your fault at all. I'll figure it out." He stood quickly and looked around, taking in his surroundings. Over to his left, Clyde was squatted down trying to start a fire. A little further behind him, William was already on top of his horse, picking at something in his teeth. He didn't see Leonard anywhere.

Andrew, suddenly remembering he was supposed to tell William what he needed for Jeremiah's surgery, quickly pulled out a pen and a scrap of paper from his bag. He took a few minutes to write down the tools and a description of what they looked like before walking over to the man. "Here," he said, holding out the paper.

William took the sheet from his hand and read it before tucking it into his pocket. "I'll get it."

"Good." Andrew turned around and started to walk back, but paused when he heard William call out his name. He turned back around. The man was staring at him with a stern look.

"When we get back, be ready to operate."

Andrew paused, squaring his shoulders and taking a breath. He took a few steps forward and looked him in the eyes. "Listen, William. I will operate. You have my word. But the sun is already starting to go down. You need to be back within the hour or I'm going to have to wait until morning. I will operate, but I'm not operating in the dark." He continued to stare him down.

William glared back at him, opening his mouth to reply before stopping. He wanted to argue against him, but he wasn't a fool. It would be dark out soon. He wasn't going to let his brother be cut open in the dark. He nodded slowly. "Fine. I'll be as quick as I can. If I'm back in time you're operating tonight."

"I know."

His face softened for the briefest of moments, "Can he make it 'till morning?"

Andrew sighed, tilting his head in thought. "I believe so. If I can keep his fever down and get him to eat and drink something. I'll keep a close eye on him."

"You better," William said with a final nod.

Leonard suddenly appeared from behind them, fastening his belt. "Ready?" he mounted his horse.

"Let's go," William said. And just like that, they took off and were out of sight.

Andrew took a moment to look around, knowing he had to find Clyde's canteen. He tried to look casual as he walked around their camp, but he knew he couldn't just go snooping through Clyde's saddlebag. He continued to search but didn't see the canteen anywhere. As he headed back toward Colleen and Jeremiah, his eyes suddenly spotted it just behind Clyde, leaning against the pile of wood he had collected. Damn it. Clyde had surprised him by keeping his water close by. He sat back down by Colleen, informing her of this. "Don't worry, once he has a fire started I'll make some tea and see what I can do." He brushed some dirt from her cheek. "Are you comfortable here, or do you want to sit up?" She was still lying on the ground.

"Could you help me up?"

"Of course. Here," he carefully reached a hand behind Colleen's back as she put her left arm around his neck. He heard her grunts of pain as he helped her to rest back against the tree. As she sat back he let go, making sure she was comfortable. "Is that okay?"

"Yes. Thank you," She released a breath. "What's the matter?" she asked, seeing the worried look on Andrew's face.

He scooted so that he was right next to her, speaking quietly. "I… Colleen, are you going to be able to ride?"

She looked back at him, not having thought about that part of their escape. Her getting hurt seemed to be ruining everything, but they had to get out of here. Even if she was in pain she would make it work. "Of course I can. I've got one good arm to hang on," she added with a tiny smile.

Andrew did his best to smile back. He just hated the thought of her being in pain. And he knew she would be… riding a horse with injured ribs and hanging on with one arm. But, they needed to escape. "Okay, you're right. We'll make it work." They sat side-by-side for a few minutes before Andrew looked to their left where his original patient sat. "I'm going to check on Jeremiah, see if his fever's risen. Try to get some rest." He said, looking back and giving her a small smile.

Colleen nodded in reply, leaning her head back while Andrew went to check on the sick man. Her ribs hurt, her head and throat ached, her arm was killing her… and it sunk in again just how much trouble they were in. All she could do for now was hope that they really would be able to escape.

After a quick break for the horses, the search party was back on the move. They were trying to cover as much ground as they could while they still had still daylight. Knowing they were on the right trail gave them an abundance of confidence as they continued further and further south. They knew they had to be getting close to Pueblo, and Sully believed that they could reach it by nightfall if they kept up their pace.

They continued along, the horse's hooves trotting carefully over the uneven ground. Sully was on constant alert, knowing they couldn't just stumble upon these criminals by surprise. They had to be prepared, they didn't know how big the group of men was or what they were capable of. They needed to have a plan, and he was working through a number of different scenarios in his head in preparation.

As the group passed through a particularly thick brush of trees, Sully suddenly spotted something in the distance. He quickly held out his hand in a stop signal to everyone behind him. "Hang on," he whispered. "Stay, boy," he added in a low tone to Wolf, who quickly stopped beside him.

Everyone tugged on the reins of their horses, anxiously wondering what lay ahead. Michaela, who was just behind Sully, whispered, "What is it?"

Sully stepped down from his horse slowly, "I saw something. I'm going to go check it out. Stay here." He tiptoed forward, carefully lurking his way through the woods. He stealthily moved from tree to tree, keeping himself hidden. He went so far ahead that Michaela and the rest of the gang lost sight of him. Whatever it was the man had seen, they were glad he saw it before they all happened upon it.

A few minutes later, Sully reappeared, grabbing his horse by the reins and waving them all forward. "It's okay, come and see. Here boy," he retrieved Colleen's glove again from his pocket and held it out for Wolf to sniff, hoping to confirm what he saw. Within a matter of seconds, the dog was barking and running forward, giving him the confirmation he was looking for.

It didn't take them long to see what had caught Sully's eye. "Oh my God," Michaela said, eyeing the large, broken-down wagon sitting abandoned in the middle of the woods. One of the wheels had broken off and it sat crooked on the ground, leaning against the broken axle where the wheel should have been. An array of various items and bags sat scattered all around it, and Michaela walked closer to examine them. There were several articles of men's clothing including a couple of pairs of pants, a flannel top, a heavy coat, a hat, and some undergarments. There was also a small bag with a razor and a hairbrush inside, some tools, a lantern, and two blankets. Preston, Matthew, and Robert E were investigating the items as well.

"Michaela," Sully called, kneeling next to Wolf on the other side of the wagon. She came over to see what exactly it was that had the animal so excited. She gasped in shock when she saw what sat in her husband's hand.

A hair ribbon. A thick, purple hair ribbon that she knew for a fact Colleen had been wearing yesterday. She remembered because when the girl had come down for breakfast she had asked her for help with the bow, insisting she couldn't get it straight on her own. It had struck Michaela as odd, because since being away at college, Colleen had become quite talented at doing her hair in complicated braids and up-do's, as was the popular style for girls her age. This day, she had created braids that twisted back into a ponytail, a hairstyle she had seen her recreate multiple times before. As she pulled the hair ribbon into a neat bow, she realized her daughter's persistence on perfection was likely because he was going to be spending the day with Andrew and she wanted it to look just right. She had smiled to herself, thinking how sweet it was. After all, Michaela knew just how fond Colleen was of Andrew. After giving the material one last pull and tug, she had given the girl a smile, telling her that the ribbon looked perfect. The ribbon that she now took from Sully's hand and held in her own shaky palm. "It's hers," she said quietly, closing her fingers around it.

Michaela felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Matthew standing beside her, staring down at her hand with a pained look on his face. He took a breath, "I'm sure she's fine," he said through tight lips. She reached back with her free hand and put it on top of his, clinging on to it tightly.

Sully stood, face serious, as he turned back toward the wagon. "What do you think happened?" he asked Robert E, who was crouched down near the broken axle, examining it.

"There's a crack in the main hub, this thing's got to be at least ten years old. With enough weight, all it would take is going over these rocks a bit too fast for it to fall apart."

"They'd be okay, right?" Preston asked slowly. "I mean, going through the woods like this, they couldn't have been going that fast."

"You're not wrong," Sully replied, words he had not uttered before. "The trees are too thick around here for them to have taken this thing too fast."

"Fast enough for a hair ribbon to fall out," Matthew muttered under his breath.

Sully gave him a look. "Look, these men have been traveling for a long time, the piece was probably cracked before today. And it's not that tall of a wagon, I don't think anyone could have taken too hard of a fall. I bet they're all fine." He tried to sound convincing, but even he could hear the slight hitch in his voice. He knew they would find them, but there was something about finding the wagon broken down like this in the middle of nowhere that gave him an eerie feeling.

"I'm sure you're right," Michaela agreed, ignoring the waver in her own voice. She tucked Colleen's hair ribbon into the pocket of her jacket and took a deep breath, ready to focus on the positive. "Sully, how close do you think we are to Pueblo?"

"I'd say we're only a few hours away. It might be dark by the time we get there, but we'll be able to make it tonight."

"You know, something like this would have slowed them down," added Robert E, nodding toward the broken wheel.

Sully nodded back. "That's a good point. We can't be too far behind them."

"Let's go," Matthew said, already headed back to his horse.

It was dark outside, and getting to be late. The last hour had seen more yelling and arguing, but things were finally starting to settle down for the night.

Leonard and William each had successful robberies in town. However, since they knew they were going to be camped out here for a while with Jeremiah's surgery, they each went separate ways out of town and rode around for a while before circling back to their camp in the woods, just to ensure no one was on their trail.

In the end, it was much too dark for Jeremiah to be operated on tonight, plain and simple. William was frustrated, and a bit on edge, but he knew that the surgery would have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Clyde, still bitter about staying back, was also on edge, grumbling to himself and short-tempered. He had yelled at the blonde upon his arrival, and the two had gotten into a shouting match, yelling all sorts of obscenities at each other. Leonard was relatively calm, frustrated that they had to wait longer before traveling on to Santa Fe, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Andrew was incredibly frustrated with himself. In the few hours he had to slip the chloroform into Clyde's canteen, he hadn't been able to get it done; an opportunity never presented itself. The canteen never left where it sat near the fire, and that's where Clyde remained almost the entire time. He had watched for any opportunity, but Clyde never strayed farther than the horses. Even when he went to the bathroom, he simply turned around in place. Andrew did make an attempt when he made some willow bark tea, but Clyde refused to take some. He told the man that it would help his back and other pains he had been complaining about. But Clyde wasn't having it, he made it very clear to Andrew to leave him alone, and the young doctor didn't want to mess around with the older man when he was already so angry.

There wasn't anything he could have tried, but he was still so mad at himself for not being able to get it done. On top of that, he had not been able to think of any other ways to get him and Colleen out of here.

Colleen also felt guilty. She knew Andrew said it wasn't her fault, but if she hadn't gotten injured, he would have had a chance to grab Clyde's canteen right away. Instead, he had been busy tending to her. If she had just been more careful when she fell, tucked in her arms, or aimed to land on her side. But it was no use now. She was so tired, both mentally and physically, and she was in a lot of pain. Her head, ribs, and arm all ached terribly, and anytime she moved too fast she was met with shooting pains throughout her body.

The only positive right now was that they were all going to be able to get some rest. They knew they weren't going to be traveling until sometime after Jeremiah's operation tomorrow. Andrew did not want to perform it out here. Any number of things could go wrong, and it wasn't a clean environment, but he didn't think he had a choice. At least the darkness bought him at least eight hours of time. He was grateful for that.

Over by the horses, Clyde, Leonard, and William sat around a fire, drinking and talking. Andrew, Colleen, and Jeremiah sat a little further away. Not too far, but far enough that they felt like they had a bit more privacy. Andrew had moved Jeremiah earlier, claiming to find a flatter and more comfortable resting space for the man, but in all reality, he just wanted to be farther from the group of men, especially after last night. He had built the three of them their own fire, which helped as the air was a lot colder tonight.

Jeremiah lay on one side of the fire, sleeping and actually looking pretty comfortable. He still had a fever, but with some more quinine, it had stabilized and was also helping him sleep restfully. On the other side of the fire, Andrew and Colleen sat side-by-side, sitting close to keep warm. Andrew's jacket sat around Colleen's shoulders loosely, enveloping her smaller frame.

Neither of them had talked for a while. They were both exhausted, but they didn't want to go to sleep just yet. The fire crackled and popped, sparks flying up into the cool night air. The moon shone brightly in the sky tonight, and more stars were starting to appear as the clouds let up. In the distance, the creek rippled calmly, and crickets and cicadas chirped around them.

Colleen took a deep breath, wincing at the sharp pain in her ribs. "Andrew," she said quietly, rasp still ever present in her voice, "I'm so sorry. It's my fault you couldn't… you know what today. If I hadn't gotten hurt, you wouldn't have been distracted."

"Colleen, it isn't your fault-"

"Andrew, please, if-"

"No," he said sternly, yet kindly, looking at her in the eyes. "Colleen, I'm not going to let you feel guilty for something that wasn't your fault. I could have done things differently. I could have tried to grab… something, right away, but I didn't." He slowly reached out and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm not going to apologize for taking care of you."

She stared at him, looking at the obvious care in his eyes. The side of her mouth twitched up in a sad smile. "I don't know what I would do without you through all of this. Thank you… really thank you so much for taking care of me today, and since we've been out here."

"Of course. I'll always take care of you."

Colleen's smile turned a little less sad. "I'll always take care of you, too." As she looked back into the fire, she leaned her head against Andrew's shoulder, closing the tiny gap of space between them.

A shiver ran through her, and Andrew looked down at her in concern, noticing how drained and worn out she looked. "How are you feeling?" When she hesitated to respond, he put his index finger under her chin and gently lifted her head to meet her eyes. "You can be honest with me. I want to take care of you, I know you'd do the same for me."

Colleen sighed, "I know."

"So, how are you feeling?" he persisted gently, moving his hand down to grab her uninjured one.

"Honestly, Andrew," she looked down in her lap, and tears quickly formed in her eyes. She took a few deep breaths, tears spilling over as she finally looked back at him and said what was really on her mind. "I'm really scared," she whispered, allowing the tears to fall. She tried to stay quiet so the men wouldn't hear, but she didn't hesitate to let out the emotions she had been holding back all day. It hurt her chest but Colleen didn't care, she needed to cry right now.

Andrew's heart ached as he watched the young woman he cared so much for break down in front of him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, while his other hand wiped a tear from her cheek. He leaned his head down, resting it on hers, forehead to forehead. "I'm scared too," he whispered. "I don't know how to get us out of here." He felt that, as the man in this situation, it was his job to save them. It showed him how much he trusted her that he could admit his fear and not have to put on a brave face.

She looked at him through watery eyes, tears continuing to fall. "What are we going to do?"

Andrew lifted his head, softly cupping Colleen's cheek with his hand, stroking away a few more tears with his thumb. "I don't know. But I do believe that we'll figure it out. We will. But we don't have to know right now, and that's okay."

She nodded, wiping away at her tears, sniffling.

As they looked at each other, Andrew continued to stroke her cheek, catching a few more stray tears as they fell. After a moment, his eyebrows knit together in worry, "Colleen, are you feeling okay?" He moved his hand to her forehead and opposite cheek. "You're a little warm. Be honest with me, how are you feeling?"

She sighed, shaking her head and looking down at the ground. "Not great," she mumbled. A breeze ran through camp, and she shivered in response.

Andrew pulled his jacket tighter around her, mindful of her arm in the sling. "You may have a slight fever. With your injuries, it's not unusual, but I do want to keep an eye on it. How do you feel besides that?"

"Everything just kind of hurts… " she trailed off, losing focus as another shiver ran through her.

Andrew watched her worriedly while running a comforting hand up and down her back. It was obvious how much pain she was in, and it killed him that he couldn't do more for her. "You need to rest, you should try and get some sleep."

Colleen's eyes widened at that, a fearful look crossing her face. She shook her head, "I'm fine."

He sighed, knowing how badly she needed some rest. The last thing Colleen needed right now was to be stubborn, but… he understood why she was so hesitant. After last night, it made complete sense why she would be so afraid to close her eyes tonight. "Hey," he said softly. "You're going to be okay. I'll stay up and make sure nothing happens. And last night after… " he paused. "Last night, William told Clyde to leave you alone. I don't think he'll try anything tonight. But I'll stay up and keep an eye out."

Colleen looked up at Andrew in appreciation. "You can't do that," she said softly. "If you're going to operate on Jeremiah tomorrow you need to get some sleep, too. You can't stay up all night."

He sighed again. She was right about that. He was going to do everything in his power to avoid performing that surgery in the morning, but he knew full well that there was a large chance it would happen anyway. It was risky enough surgery, he couldn't do it while running on no sleep. "Colleen, you need to rest. I'll stay up for a while and keep an eye on things. I'll make sure I get some sleep eventually. We'll be right next to each other, if anyone comes anywhere near you, I'll be right here." He looked her in the eyes seriously, watching a mix of different emotions pass through them.

After mulling it over for a minute, she finally nodded her head, knowing she could trust him.

"Good," he smiled. "Everything's going to be fine. You should lie down, we'll get you settled." He put a hand behind her back and helped gently lower her to the forest floor. She shivered again at the cold temperature of the ground. He adjusted his jacket and laid it over her like a blanket before reaching up and brushing some hair back from her face. "Hang on a minute."

Colleen watched tiredly as Andrew turned around and poured some water from their canteen into a pot, the one he had borrowed from the men earlier to make another batch of willow bark tea, and put it over the fire. After a minute, he removed the pot and retrieved a clean cloth from his medical bag. Andrew carefully poured a tiny bit of water from the pot onto the cloth and then moved back to sit next to her. "Try to relax," he said softly. He took the wet rag and gently ran it over Colleen's face, wiping away some of the excess dirt and blood that had dried there earlier. He added some more warm water and carefully moved it under her black eye and then down her cheek where a trail of blood had dried. It didn't all come off, but it was much better than before.

As he worked, Colleen studied Andrew's face, lit up by the flickering fire, the flames giving it a soft, orange glow. Here he was, taking care of her in the middle of nowhere, so gentle and tender while he no doubt was exhausted himself. His eyes concentrated on their task, rings underneath them from lack of sleep. Since the first moment she had met him, there had been something there, what exactly Colleen didn't know, but something. She had been attracted to him of course, but it wasn't just that, there was a connection of some sort. She was attracted to who Andrew was as a person. He was kind, gentle, and selfless, he worked to put others before himself. He was a great doctor who had already accomplished so much, and she strived to be like him someday. As he continued to take care of her and clean her up, she looked back at his eyes, so tender and caring. "Thank you, Andrew," she whispered. "For taking care of me, and looking out for me."

He smiled softly, taking her in. Even while unwell, she was still so beautiful. "You don't need to thank me," he whispered back. Putting the rag aside, he laid down next to her on the ground, leaving a small, respectable space between them, similar to their sleeping arrangement last night. He turned to her and propped himself up on an elbow, resting his head in his hand. "I care about, Colleen. I would never let anything happen to you." He reached out and grabbed her left hand which sat just a few inches away, holding onto it tightly. "Nothing is going to happen tonight, I will make sure of it. You are safe." As soon as he said it, he sighed, scowling minutely to himself.

"What is it?"

"I just… as soon as I said it, though I meant every word, I realized how it sounded, being that we're out here and you're hurt. But I do mean it," he added more seriously. "You are safe." He would make sure of it.

She gave him a tiny smile. "You make me feel safe."

He smiled back. "You are. Try and get some rest, I'll stay up for a while."

"You need to get some sleep too."

"Colleen, it's no trouble, really. I'll stay up-"

"It's okay," she interrupted. "you're here. Nothing's going to happen." The tiniest hint of nerves still etched her voice, but she trusted she was safe with him next to her. "Just don't let go," she added, giving his hand a squeeze.

"Never," he said, squeezing it back. He watched as she rested her head back and closed her eyes while holding tight to his hand. He released a breath, happy she was finally allowing herself to get some rest. He moved to lay down on his back, debating for a second before scooting an inch closer to her so that their arms touched. He stared up at the sky, the stars and moon peeking through the treetops. He was tired, exhausted more like it, but he wanted to stay up for a while. Colleen said he could go to sleep, but he knew how nervous she was. A part of him was nervous too, but he would be here to make sure she was okay. It wasn't until he heard Colleen's breathing even out next to him that Andrew finally let himself close his eyes, hoping for a peaceful and uneventful sleep.