Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, wish I did.
Follows The Clinic.
Many thanks to my wonderful Beta readers, Sar and Kathye. I can never thank you enough for all your encouragement and support.
Buck Wilmington stalked out of the livery, clutching JD's hat. He'd just returned to town after spending several hours with Vin and Josiah, trying to find a trail, a clue, anything to lead them to the gang of rustlers. He stopped and glanced up at Nathan's clinic. Vin hadn't said one word about JD being shot until they'd arrived at the camp and found that damn stupid hat. Buck's grip tightened on the hat in question, crumpling the brim.+ + + + + + +
Buck rode into the clearing and looked around. Off to his left the ground was heavily trampled. Judging by the smell, he figured that was where the cattle that Vin had told them about on the way had been penned. The remains of a fire pit were in front of him. The camp had all the signs of being quickly deserted.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vin and Josiah ride in from different directions. They had split off from each other as they approached, in the hopes of taking anyone in the camp by surprise. Spotting something familiar on the ground, Buck felt his heart leap into his throat. He dismounted and absently looped the reins around a nearby tree branch before heading toward the object. As he got closer to the object, he let out a low growl. Dropping to one knee, Buck touched the soiled ground next to the very familiar hat recognizing the stain as dried blood.
"Vin," Buck shouted. "Vin, get your sorry hide over here." When Vin didn't move fast enough, Buck stormed over and pulled Vin off his horse.
"Damnit Buck! Let go of m'arm." Buck's grip tightened for a moment, but recognizing the look in Vin's eyes he released the arm with an exaggerated gesture.
In a very controlled voice Buck asked, "What happened here, Vin? Where's JD?"
"JD's back in town," Vin answered evasively, mentally cursing Larabee for leaving him to tell Buck that his best friend and adopted little brother had been shot. He glanced over at Josiah, who watched the two of them patiently, ready to intervene if things got out of hand.
Vin walked over to JD's hat, picked it up and dusted it off. "I don't know all the details. I just know that Ezra and JD stumbled across this camp and that the kid left guarding it managed to get a shot off at JD before Ez took care of 'im."
The color left Buck's face as he looked mutely at Vin, his eyes filled with worry. Josiah, almost afraid to, but needing to know the answer, asked the question Buck seemed incapable of uttering.
"How bad?"
Vin looked up from the hat in his hands to the preacher and said, "He's gonna be all right. Nathan checked 'im over. Said he'd broke a couple a'ribs, but other than that it was just a graze."
Josiah closed his eyes and said a quick prayer of thanks while Buck regained his color with a sudden surge of anger.
+ + + + + + +
"Brother Buck, you seem to have a tremendous burden weighing you down. Why don't we head on over to the saloon and see what we can do about relieving it?" Buck started when Josiah placed his hand on his shoulder. He'd been so caught up in his memories he hadn't heard the other man approaching.
The lean gunslinger nodded before taking off towards the saloon, not even noticing that Josiah wasn't right behind him.
The former preacher stood watching his friend tear off towards the saloon with a thoughtful expression on his face. After a few minutes, he said, "He's right. You and Chris should have told us before we left town."
Vin looked over at Josiah for a moment before saying, "Reckon we'd best let Chris and the others know what we discovered."
Josiah smiled ruefully, "Well that shouldn't take long."
+ + + + + + +
Chris sat quietly at his usual table at the back of the saloon. It gave him a good vantage point to see who came in. He grinned sardonically. It also gave him a good view of the stairs leading up to the rooms above the saloon. Chris's eyes narrowed as he watched Ezra casually walk down the stairs and stop abruptly on the second to the last step when he spotted him.
Ezra looked longingly at the swinging doors and the outside. He wanted nothing more than to go see JD, but he knew that would draw unwanted attention since he had just come from there a short time ago. Deciding to bide his time, he moved to sit down at the table with Chris.
Chris sipped his whiskey as Ezra pulled a deck of cards from his jacket pocket and idly began to shuffle them.
The doors to the saloon swung violently and Buck stormed in, heading straight to the bar. Chris noted with mild surprise that he was carrying JD's hat and mentally braced himself for the tidal wave of emotion that was Buck Wilmington to hit. After securing a bottle and a glass from Inez, Buck came over to the table. He glared angrily at Ezra and tossed JD's bowler hat at him. It skidded across the table to stop in front of Ezra, who managed, barely, to keep a calm expression on his face even as he stared at the hat. It had fallen off JD's head when the bullet struck his body, throwing him from his horse onto the ground. Ezra closed his eyes. He had left the hat in the camp when he took off with JD towards town in a blind panic. He set down the cards and picked up the hat.
"What the hell was that boy doin' out there in that clearing getting himself shot at?"
Ezra looked up from JD's hat at the irate man and started to answer, "Mr. Wilmington, I assure you..."
At the same time, Chris said, "Buck, leave it be." The gunslinger cast his steely gaze at his old friend before turning it on the other man at the table as well.
"Damnit Chris."
"I mean it Buck." With a disgusted twitch of his mustache, Buck subsided, pouring himself another shot of whiskey.
"I see that Buck has decided to start drowning his disappointment without us, " Josiah said as he and Vin pulled two more chairs up to the table.
Chris eyed the colorful bruise that was forming on Vin's face and asked, "What happened to you?"
"I hit 'im. What do you expect when he waits until we're at the damn camp and find JD's hat to tell us that JD's been shot." Buck snarled before turning his attention back to his bottle of whiskey.
Inez brought over two more glasses and another bottle of whiskey, casting a disapproving look at Buck before retreating back to the bar. Ezra looked up briefly from his studious inspection of the object in his hands before returning his attention to it again.
Chris frowned as he looked at his friend, but decided to let the issue drop for the moment. He looked between the three men who had just arrived and asked, "So, what did you find?"
"Not much I'm afraid, Chris. The camp was deserted by the time we got there," Josiah answered.
Ezra looked over at Vin in surprise. "But surely, Mr. Tanner, there were tracks for you to follow? I find it hard to believe that cattle could just vanish into thin air."
"There were tracks all right...heading in every direction. We tried following a couple of different sets, but they all ended up merging in with one of the main roads." Vin watched Ezra continue to turn JD's hat around in his hands brushing off the dust that had settled on the hat.
"What of the body JD and I left behind?" Ezra looked over at Josiah, who was seated next to him, still holding onto JD's bowler. The older man took the hat from the gambler and set it on the table.
"There was a grave off to one side of the clearing." Buck said quietly. He took a deep breath before standing up. "I'm going to see how JD's doin'."
Chris and Ezra both turned to watch him leave, one with an expression of worry and the other with envy.
+ + + + + + +
Buck stuck his head around the edge of the door, checking to see if JD was awake before coming in. Sighing, he saw JD's eyes were closed and was about to leave when Nathan turned around from putting some medicines away on his shelves.
"Buck, you're just in time."
The gunslinger drew his eyes together in confusion as he looked between JD and Nathan. "I am?"
"Yes, you can stay with JD while I go grab some food for us." Nathan motioned with his head. "He needs to stay still or he'll have trouble breathing."
Buck nodded. "Sure, Nathan. Take as much time as you need." Stepping into the room, he took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair.
Nathan grabbed his hat from its hook near the door. With his hand on the doorknob, he watched Buck sit down in the chair next to the bed. "He's going to be fine, Buck. He got lucky."
Nodding in agreement, Buck looked at JD's sleeping face and said, "He sure did."
After the door had closed behind Nathan, he added, "But he shouldn't have had to."
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Vin and Josiah exchanged a look before Chris turned back to the table. He was silent for several minutes before saying with a sigh, "We're going to have to warn the ranchers. Vin, you and I'll ride out tomorrow morning and warn the ones to the south."
The doors to the saloon swung open again and Nathan entered, heading straight to the table in the back.
"Josiah, Nathan, think you can handle the ones to the north?" Nathan cast a questioning eye to Josiah, who nodded amiably.
"I don't see why not?"
Nathan grimaced and said, "Sure Chris." One of these days he was going to know what the hell was going on before he got involved, instead of finding himself in the thick of it first. He tried to resist glaring at Ezra, since he just knew that somehow he was responsible for this, whatever this was.
"Ezra, that'll leave you here in town to keep an eye on things." Ezra nodded, relieved that he would be able to stay close to JD without anyone questioning why he was doing so.
"How's the kid doin', Nathan?" Vin asked.
"Oh, he's doin' just fine. Now that big brother's showed up and prob'ly woke him up." Nathan chortled, before continuing, "Figured I'd let JD suffer for a bit before rescuing him from Buck's nagging."
The rest of the men chuckled as they pictured the scene that was probably taking place in Nathan's rooms at the moment. Ezra forced a laugh as well, trying to fight the twinge of jealousy he felt towards Buck. Pushing the feeling down ruthlessly, he picked up the deck of cards from the table and asked, "Well, then, since our business appears to be concluded for the moment, may I interest anyone in a game of chance?"
+ + + + + + +
Buck sat quietly watching JD for several minutes before standing up to walk over to the window. He turned back towards the bed when JD shifted slightly, causing the blanket to slip a few inches. Shaking his head, Buck walked back over to pull it back up. JD murmured something unintelligible and shifted again. Acting on instincts he'd never known he had until he met JD, Buck laid his hand gently on the kid's forehead and said, "It's okay. Nothin' gonna hurt you while I'm around."
JD's eyelids fluttered and he mumbled, "Ezra?"
Buck pulled his hand back as if it had been burned and sat down heavily in the chair.
JD's eyes scrunched up tightly before slowly blinking open. Turning his head, he looked over to see Buck staring at him, looking like he'd just been gut-punched.
"Buck? What...." JD swallowed. "What happened?" He started to sit up and winced as the skin across his chest pulled.
The older man moved to help him sit up. By the time they had JD in a more upright position, he was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Buck patted him on the shoulder gently and turned to the side table.
"Here you go, kid." Buck held out a glass of water.
Trembling from the exertion, JD took the glass and managed to spill some on himself before Buck's hand closed over the top of his to help hold the glass steady. With a grateful look, JD slowly sipped the water. After he'd had his fill, he let his head fall back on the pillow.
Buck put the glass back on the table, trying to avoid looking at his friend. He needed answers but didn't want to push the kid. JD's eyes closed as he tried to concentrate on breathing nice and slowly.
"JD?" Buck turned to look at his best friend and adopted kid brother.
"Yeah." Eyes still closed.
"You mind tellin' me what you were doin' in that clearing with Ezra?"
JD's eyes snapped open and he looked over at Buck. "I..." he stumbled to a halt, uncertain of what or how much to say. He trusted Buck with his life, but could he trust him with this?
"Did Ezra trick you into something?"
"No, he..."JD managed to get out before Buck interrupted.
"The two of you have been spending a lot of time together lately..." Buck's eyes narrowed as he looked intently at JD. "What's he conned you into, boy?"
JD forgot about his breathing as he raised his voice, "Nothing! Buck, it ain't what ya think! What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong? You could have been killed, that's what's wrong!" Buck shouted back.
"You think this..." JD waved his arm indicating his wound. "...is Ezra's fault?"
"Isn't it?"
"No! You're wrong! It wasn't like that at all!" JD shouted before his chest seized and he flopped back on the bed.
"The hell it wasn't," Buck growled, storming to the door. "I'm gonna reach down his throat and rip his lungs out."
"Buck, don't! Please! I wanted to be there!" JD struggled to sit back up, his breathing ragged and shallow as he blurted out, "Don't hurt him, Buck. I love him." Buck stopped where he was and turned to look at JD, dumbfounded.
"What the hell is going on in here? We could hear you all the way down the stairs!" Nathan bellowed as he slammed open the door. He rushed over to JD's side and pushed him back against the pillows. "Nice slow breaths. Come on...you can do it. Calm down."
"JD, you don't know what you're sayin'," Buck declared.
Nathan turned to glare at Buck, before looking past him to the man who still stood in the doorway. "Get him out of here."
"Come on, Buck. Why don't we go back to the saloon and get some coffee." Vin moved over to stand next to the distraught man. Glancing over at JD with worry, Vin put his hand on Buck's shoulder and gently steered him out into the hallway.
Just before Vin closed the door, JD gasped out, "You're wrong, Buck, about a lot of things."
As Vin escorted Buck away from the clinic, neither one of them saw Ezra standing in the shadows.
Ezra watched the two men walk down the street towards the saloon before heading up the stairs to Nathan's room. He stood outside of the door for a few minutes debating on whether or not he should go in, but his heart won out over his head. Something he figured he had best get used to where JD Dunne was concerned. With a shy smile, he knocked softly on the door before going inside.
Nathan sat beside the bed, taking advantage of JD's being asleep to check out the bandage wrapped around his chest. He slowly peeled it away until the wound was exposed and then gently probed the skin surrounding the long gash, checking for any signs of infection. Finding none, he looked at Ezra and motioned him over.
"I need an extra set of hands and you're it." Nathan indicated he should sit on the bed. "I need you to hold him upright so I can get this bandage wrapped around his ribs nice and tight."
Ezra gingerly sat down and with great care maneuvered himself behind JD, until JD was reclining against his chest.
Nathan started re-wrapping the bandage around JD's ribs, keeping a close eye on his face for any signs of discomfort or wakefulness. This whole process would have been much easier if he'd been awake, but whatever had happened earlier with Buck had worn the boy out and he'd lost consciousness almost before the door had shut.
Nathan glanced up at the gambler, expecting to find him waiting impatiently for him to finish. Instead, for a fleeting second, he caught a look of incredible longing and wonder on Ezra's face as he looked at JD, before Ezra realized that Nathan was looking at him and put his poker face back on.
"I'm finished." Nathan stood and walked over to his table to wash his hands.
Ezra watched him, tightening his arms around JD, unwilling to give up this closeness, but knowing that Nathan would insist. Giving into impulse, he closed his eyes and buried his face in JD's hair, breathing in deeply. He was still finding it hard to believe that JD loved him. He'd heard him say the words, but the time spent in that clearing seemed almost like a dream.
"Ezra? Ezra, you can lay him down now." Nathan walked back over to the bed and said, "Here, let me give you hand."
The gambler reluctantly moved from behind JD and laid him back down on the bed.
"You mind tellin' me what's goin' on with you?" Nathan's dark eyes stared at the other man.
"I don't know what you mean?" He adjusted the sheets on the bed, avoiding Nathan's eyes.
"Yes, you do. Somethin' happen on that patrol that you're not tellin'."
Ezra sighed and looked up at the healer. This was not how he had wanted people to find out. He had hoped he and JD would have time. Time to get used to....he looked down at JD and smiled. It would be all right.
"I..." he began, only to be interrupted by the door banging open.
"Nathan, you need to come quick. There was a fight and we've got some people that need tending." Vin stood in the doorway, nursing a split lip. Frowning, Nathan moved to grab his bag, quickly tossing some extra bandages and iodine inside.
"Where?" he asked, pushing past Vin.
"Jail," Vin answered. Looking between JD and Ezra for a moment, Vin sighed and tilted his head, indicating he wanted to talk to Ezra in the hallway. After closing the door behind them, he said, "I didn't want JD to hear this, at least not tonight."
"What happened?"
"Buck tore up the saloon. Josiah had to use that bear hug of his on him. He was ranting about you and JD until Larabee knocked him out."
Ezra's face paled. Closing his eyes, he asked quietly, "What was he saying?"
"You don't need to worry 'bout that. He didn't say nothin' specific, just said he was gonna kill you and that JD was just confused. Stuff like that." Vin looked compassionately at Ezra, who was staring at the floor, before adding, "He's not the only one who knows. Larabee already suspected and I figured it out awhile ago, but I weren't sure until this mornin'."
Green eyes snapped up to meet blue ones questioningly.
"I've seen the way you looked at him when you thought he weren't lookin' and the way he would look at you."
"Why..." Ezra swallowed hard and tried again. "Why did you not say something?"
"Weren't none of my business. Still ain't." Vin touched the brim of his hat in salute and started to leave, but turned back to add, "For what it's worth though, I'm happy for ya both." Pausing, he waited until Ezra met his gaze in surprise. "Happiness is hard to find in this life, you should count yourself lucky to have found it."
"I do, Mr. Tanner, believe me, I do."
Vin nodded in approval and left. Smiling with relief, Ezra walked back into the room.
fin
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Continues in: The Church