A Brother's Tale

by Tracy Palcic

divider bar

Part 1

Vin Tanner raised his sandy blonde eyebrows in surprise and stared at the lean, black clad gunslinger seated next to him. "You ain't just funnin' me now, are ya? You never eaten rattl'r?"
"Naw, Vin," Chris Larabee replied easily, "I mean it. Never run into ‘em that much, growing up in Indiana, and if I ever came home with one when I was ranchin', Sarah would've.." he quickly stopped speaking as his eyes filled, and he turned away from Vin, overwhelmed with emotions from his past life as a husband and father.
"Back home, we called ‘em Texas T-Bones," the rugged, former bounty hunter stated softly, trying to lighten the mood, while giving Chris time to compose himself. "They're good eatin', you'll see," Vin said, rising to turn the makeshift spit holding the meat of two rattlesnakes.
"Texas T-bones, huh? You sayin' they taste like beefsteak?"
"Naw, but back home, we sure thought it was," Vin drawled over his shoulder. "Didn't get much beef, but plenty of rattl'rs around," he said, as his midnight blue eyes drifted back to stare sadly into the flames of their cookfire.
Chris came forward and laid a comforting hand on Vin's slim shoulder. "Ya know pard," he said softly, "you've told me a little bit about your ma and growin' up. Want to hear some about my family?"
"Sure Chris, if'n you want to tell me."
"I had a brother. Guess he'd be about your age now Vin," Chris said, as he reseated himself on the ground, and leaned back against the fallen log, closing his eyes. A melancholy smile played across his softened features. Vin waited in silence, knowing Chris would continue when he was ready. He bent back to the task at hand and grabbed their two plates, sliding a portion of the rattlesnake meat onto each dish, along with some biscuits they had made at breakfast.
Chris broke out of his reverie, long, chestnut colored lashes parting to see the food filled plates Vin was holding. He leaned over to pull a bottle out of his saddlebags. "Such a fine meal is surely cause for a celebration," he said to Vin, holding up the bottle for him to see and forcing a lopsided grin onto his face.
"Rattl'r and whiskey, now that's a real Texas supper," Vin laughed back at Chris, joining him on the ground, his back also to the fallen log. They ate in companionable silence for a while, then Chris decided to continue on with his story.
"Michael, that was my brother's name. He was about ten years younger than me, but we still did a lot of things together. Growing up on a farm, we didn't see a lot of other people, ‘cause you work from sunup to sundown, and there's just no time for visitin'. There'd be a church social sometimes or a barn raisin', but day to day, it was just us for company. He seemed older, too, not just like some kid. And he was quiet, too, just like you Vin. We'd go huntin' together, he wouldn't pester me with a million questions like J.D. would, just would sit there and watch me and learn. When he was 15, there was an influenza outbreak in our town. I was still livin' at home, helpin' on the farm. I never caught it, neither did ma or pa. But Michael did, he got it bad. Died two weeks later in my arms. I left Indiana a month later--I couldn't stay, it just reminded me of Michael too much. I was mad at the world. Just started driftin', goin' from town to town. Then the War started and I joined up. Guess I wanted to get back at somebody, anybody for what happened to Michael." Chris had finished his story, blinking back a few tears from his ice blue eyes, and looked to Vin, surprised to see two shimmering tear tracks streaming down the younger man's expressive face.
"I'm so sorry Chris," Vin whispered. "You must miss him a whole lot." Chris put his arm around his friend's shoulders, this man who reminded him so much of his little lost brother and squeezed him tightly. He thought to himself, "Good one, Larabee! You brought Vin out here to cheer him up about that whole Charlotte thing and here you go tellin' him sad stories. Damn! Keep this up and the two of you'll be bawlin' like babies!"
Chris kept his arm around Vin, determined to lighten the mood, and the younger man did not pull away, but instead leaned into the embrace, enjoying the closeness with Chris. "I do miss him, Vin, all the time. But I try to remember the good times we had, and I'm not so sad then." He laughed suddenly. "He was always pullin' jokes on me. I can't tell you how many times I was doused with freezin' cold water. He'd rig a bucket over the barn door and wait ‘til I came out, then let it go. Once he set it up the night before, ‘cause I was always the first one into the barn everyday. Well, I was runnin' a little late and he must have forgot he set it up, ‘cause he went in the barn first, and got drenched with his own handiwork! You shoulda seen it! We both just sat there in the mud in front of that old barn, laughin' our asses off!"
Vin smiled at the thought of Chris Larabee, the notorious gunslinger, rolling around in the mud and laughing about it. "Sure sounds like you had some good times with Michael," Vin said wistfully. "Sometimes I wish I still had some kin around, or could start a family of my own some day. But with this bounty on my head..."
"Vin, you do have kin," Chris interrupted quietly.
The tracker stared back at Chris, a frown marring his handsome features. "What're you talkin' about Chris?"
Chris squeezed Vin to his chest again. "You got me and Buck, ‘n Nathan, Josiah...."
"That ain't the same thing!" Vin interrupted hotly, pulling out of Chris's grasp, stomping away from the fire and turning his back to him.
"Vin," Chris said soothingly, coming up to stand behind Vin. "That's all any of us have left. Well, except maybe Ezra," he added with a snort. "Can't forget about Maude."
Vin remained aloof, folding his arms over his chest and refusing to acknowledge Chris. With a sigh, the somberly clothed man turned from his friend and headed back to the warmth of the fire. He sat in front of the fire, slowly sipping whiskey from the bottle and every few minutes looked over at Vin. Vin stood stoically in the shadows, arms still crossed, back ramrod straight. After half and hour of silence, Chris decided he had had enough. "Gettin' cold yet Vin?" Silence. "Well, I don't know about you, but I just can't keep up with this stimulatin' conversation. Think I'll turn in."
"You mean it Chris?" Vin said, turning around slowly to face his friend.
"Mean what Vin? Chris replied, confused. "That I'm turnin' in?"
"No. About family. You really feel that way?"
"Sure Vin, I said it didn't I? When have you ever heard me say somethin' I didn't mean?"
Vin's shoulders sagged as the tension left his body and he walked over to rejoin Chris. He grabbed for the whiskey bottle and took a long swig. "I dunno, never that I can remember."
"Well, you see there, you just answered your own question. You're a brother to me, Vin, just like Michael was. He heard a sharp intake of breath at that statement and speared his eyes sideways to look at Vin. The younger man looked emotionally exhausted, and Chris decided that was enough angst for both he and Vin to handle tonight. He patted Vin affectionately on the shoulder. "Now if you don't mind, ‘little brother,' I'm gonna get some shuteye. Think I heard someone promise to show me a certain fishin' hole bright and early tomorrow mornin." Chris had spoken gruffly, still a little embarrassed by the depth of emotion he just expressed, but Vin ignored his tone, concentrating on the words instead. "Okay, ‘older brother,'" Vin said, chuckling, "I know how much you old folks need your beauty rest. Wouldn't want ya petering out on me tomorrow."
"Better start learnin' to respect your elders, sonny boy," Chris laughed back, as he began setting his bedroll up for the night.

The two men woke up early the next day and after a pre-dawn breakfast of biscuits and eggs, prepared to head out to Vin's favorite fishing hole.
"I can already taste that trout, Vin. Been a long time since I've had fresh fish."
"That town livin's makin' ya soft," Vin teased, his face free of the tumultuous emotions it had worn the prior evening. "Eatin' all those meals at the boardin' house, not havin' to hunt for your food. You probably forgot how to catch a fish!"
"Oh yeah? You wanna make a bet on that?" Chris jokingly challenged, steel blue eyes dancing electrically with mirth.
"Now you sound like Ezra!" Vin laughed.
"Come on, let's just see who gets the most fish. We'll see who's gettin' soft, ‘little brother'!"

Several hours later, Vin and Chris were both walking back to the campsite from the fishing hole, each holding four fish they had caught.
"So, older and wiser, you're sayin' but you didn't catch anymore fish than me," Vin smirked.
"Well, yeah, I didn't want to hurt your pride. Plus, my fish are gonna taste better than yours, and they're bigger, too."
"Well then, you can cook ‘em all up and show me how it's done. Isn't that what older brothers do?"
"Yeah sure, whatever ya say," Chris smiled back at Vin, happy to see the younger man in such good humor. He had suggested the camping trip to Vin a few days after the seven had returned from escorting the wagon train of homesteaders to their new land. He knew that Vin was still deeply upset about his decision to give up Charlotte, the married woman he had fallen in love with on the wagon train. Chris had hoped that a few days out in the wilderness would help Vin recover from his loss and it seemed to be doing the trick; Vin seemed happier today than he had in over a week and Chris was sorry they had to start the journey back to town tomorrow morning.
"You in there Chris?" Vin asked, waving his hand in front of his friend's face. "Did ya hear me?"
He was so lost in his own thoughts he hadn't even realized Vin had been talking to him. "Sorry Vin, what'd ya say?"
"I'll take all the fish and get ‘em ready to cook up. City slicker like you are now probably forgets how to cook game on the trail, anyhow," he said, his azure eyes twinkling. "Why don't you get the wood and meet me back at camp?"
"Sounds like a plan, pard. See ya in a few," Chris said as handed his fish over to Vin and turned off the path to start searching for fallen wood.
Chris entered the clearing to their campsite about fifteen minutes later, arms loaded with kindling. He was puzzled to see the fish laying carelessly on the ground, sprinkled with dirt. Vin was nowhere to be seen. "Vin! Vin! Where are ya? Thought you said you'd be gettin' the food ready to cook!"
The brush to the right side of the camp parted to reveal Vin, followed closely by two men holding guns. "Drop the wood mister, real slow like," one of the men said to Chris. Chris hesitated and the other man brought his gun up to Vin's headed and cocked it. "Better do what I said or he gets it," the man said in a low, menacing voice. "Bounty says dead or alive, don't matter much to me what it is." Chris gave a slight nod to Vin, then threw the pile of branches into the man holding the gun on Vin. The man reflexively pulled the trigger as his arm was hit by the wood, and the bullet creased Vin's scalp. Vin was blinded by the onslaught of blood coursing down his face from the wound, but still managed to grab the man's gun and shoot him in the chest. Meanwhile, Chris lunged to the ground, grabbing frantically for the gun kept near his saddlebags. He spun around, firing at the other man. His shot went wide and he was slammed back to the ground as his assailant's bullet cut into his shoulder. Chris shook off the pain to fire again and was rewarded as he saw the man crumple. From his prone position, he looked around the campsite to see both attackers laying dead, and Vin dazedly struggling to stand, blood pouring from a head wound. Valor, Peso and one of the men's horses had been startled by the gunfire and run off, leaving only a single animal, who stood nearby, happily munching grass, oblivious to the carnage surrounding it.
"Vin!" Chris hissed through clenched teeth, "Vin, c'mere. Help me out with this shoulder and I wanna look at your head."
To his dismay, Vin never even acknowledged Chris, but instead continued to wobble around the clearing, as if he were looking for something.
Chris fought off the fire that was burning in his shoulder and managed to stand up. He staggered over to his friend and grabbed his arm. Vin slowly turned to look at Chris. "What happened?" he whispered to Chris.
"Well, we're in another mess, that's what happened," Chris replied with a shaky laugh. "C'mon now, let's sit down and get fixed up. My shoulder's killin' me and you're bleeding all over that fancy jacket of yours."
"NO!" Vin suddenly yelled and yanked his arm away from Chris. Vin's eyes, normally so warm and vibrant were ice cold as they bored into Chris's. "I remember now! You're with those other two!" he said, shoving Chris away from him with such force that the gunslinger fell to the ground.
Chris gasped in pain and looked up at Vin in shocked disbelief as he saw the younger man unsteadily walk to the sole remaining horse and mount up.
Chris struggled to his feet once more and forced his shaking legs to walk over to the horse and rider. "Vin!," he cried weakly, grabbing for the bridle. "What're you doin'? You're not gonna just leave me out here, are ya?" Chris was startled to hear the desperation in his own voice as he said those last words, words he never imagined he would ever have to say to Vin Tanner.
"You're not takin' me anywhere!" Vin yelled, as he pierced Chris with his blazing gaze and furiously spurred the horse forward, knocking Chris away.
Chris fell roughly to his knees at the impact and continued to sink to the ground, his eyes focused on the dust cloud kicked up by Vin's horse as he raced away. "Why? Why? Why?" The words screamed silently in Chris's head as he slowly lost consciousness while watching Vin's retreating figure slowly fade from sight.

Vin desperately rode the horse as hard as he could, unheeding the direction and despite the sharp pounding in his head. The words "Gotta get away! Gotta get away! Gotta get away!" kept echoing in his head, but he couldn't remember who he was running from or why he had to get away. He just knew he did and it was a matter of life or death. The battering his brain had endured for hours from the constant up and down motion of riding finally caused Vin to succumb to the hammering pain in his head and he slowed his horse. Bright, distorted pictures and spots of light danced behind his closed eyelids, and he slid off the horse and sank to the ground with an anguished cry, holding his head that had become a splintering mass of agony. Vin struggled to rise, to keep running, and he inched his eyelids open, but the sunlight streaming through his slitted lids caused his head to explode anew with the hot nails of pain being hammered into his skull and he slipped into a painless oblivion. The horse, although alarmed at the noise from the man, was not easily spooked, and he remained standing over the man as he slept.

"Vin, Vin, don't leave me here...don't leave me like this....Vin..."
"Shhh, Chris, it's all right," Nathan soothed the restless gunslinger. "You're gonna be all right. We'll find Vin."
Buck stood over the pair, jaw clenched tightly in frustration. They had found Chris in the middle of nowhere, face down in the sandy dirt, unconscious, shoulder bleeding copiously from a gunshot wound. Buck, Nathan and JD had ridden out at first light, after Peso and Valor, plus a stranger's horse had walked into Four Corners just before dawn, riderless. Chris and Vin were a day overdue returning from the camping trip and normally, the remainder of the seven would not have panicked at the one day absence, but Chris had specifically said they would return on Friday, and then there was the unexplained appearance of the horses. "Where the hell was Vin?" he thought to himself. "What the hell happened here?"
"Vin! Come back Vin!" the injured man cried weakly, making a grab for Nathan's arm.
"Easy Chris, it's me, Nathan," the healer soothed as he finished bandaging the wounded area. "OK Buck, JD, we gotta get him outa this sun. From the looks of things, he was out here all day yesterday. We gotta get his fever down."
"Dammit, Nathan, where the hell's Vin! You heard him, he keeps callin' for him, beggin' him not to leave." Buck lowered his voice menacingly. "You don't think he shot Chris, do you?"
"No Buck, I don't. If Vin'd shot him with that rifle a his, Chris wouldn't have much of an arm left." He captured Buck with a hard stare. "Chris ain't wearin' his gun either, but I don't think Vin would ever use it against him."
JD broke his silence, trying to cut through the tension hanging in the air between the two men. "They had to have made camp somewhere around here. Maybe Vin's hurt back at the camp and Chris went to find help."
"Good idea, JD!" Nathan replied enthusiastically, standing up and drawing the two men a short distance from their fallen leader. "Help me get Chris on my horse and we'll head over for those rocks we passed aways back. I'll get Chris sheltered in there outta the sun. One of you ride back and get me when you find Vin."
"Nathan." The three men whirled around at the sound. Chris Larabee was sitting up on the desert floor, arm braced behind his back to steady himself. "Vin ain't at the camp. He left me there, ran off on me." Nathan and Buck rushed forward to kneel at his side. Chris tried to continue speaking, but no sound came out. He blinked a few times to try and clear his vision, swayed, then collapsed back to the ground, unmoving.
"DAMMIT NATHAN!" Buck screamed. "Vin LEFT him! He LEFT him! I'm gonna kill that son of a b..."
"Buck! Shut up!" Nathan hissed back at the furious gunman. "Chris don't need to hear that right now. Come on, we gotta get him taken care of!"
"Nathan's right Buck," JD chimed in. "We'll ride toward town and you can look for the camp and meet up with us. Maybe Vin came back, and he's waitin' at the campsite," he finished, hopefully.
"Sure kid, OK," Buck replied, cooling down a little. "Let's load up Chris and get you on the trail. I'll meet up with you later.

"He gonna be OK, Nathan?" Buck asked worriedly, as he eyed the man tossing and turning on the bed. The four men had arrived back in Four Corners as dawn was breaking. They were beyond exhaustion, having ridden all night, fueled by the desire to get Chris back to Nathan's clinic as soon as possible.
"Yeah, his fever's down some. That bullet hole wasn't so bad to start with, but it just festered out there all day in the sun. Didn't help him much that he got dehydrated, either," he finished heatedly. His expressive eyes bored into Buck's. "We gotta find out exactly what DID happen to Vin. I don't like this one bit. He's either hurt somewhere bad, or he's gonna have some real explainin' to do."

"Well, what're we gonna do when we find him?" JD asked, turning anxiously in his saddle to face his companion.
"Oh, he's gonna pay for what he done to Chris, leavin' him all alone out there," Buck replied in a deadly tone.
"C'mon Buck, maybe it wasn't like that." JD was terrified at the hardened glaze he saw in the older man's eyes. He had seen Buck angry before, but this time, his thirst for vengeance was directed at one of their own. "You know Chris said Vin had a head wound, maybe he wasn't thinkin' straight."
"JD," Buck spat. "I been hurt before and never left YOU or anyone else. We all look out for each other, watch each other's backs. What Vin did to Chris, it's just unforgivable and I aim to find him and make sure he understands my thoughts on that," he finished frostily and cantered away from J.D., leaving the younger man to sort out his confused feelings about the former bounty hunter.
After riding in an uneasy silence for several more hours, the tired and dusty duo approached the outskirts of a small mining town. Buck took in the buildings of the town with a single glance before making his decision. "Let's take a break, kid and bed down here for the night. I could use a soft mattress and some hard drinkin' before we get started again tomorrow trackin' that bastard."
"Sure Buck, sounds good to me," JD replied, suppressing a shudder at how Buck referred to Vin, and the two men headed into town.
Buck stopped his horse in front of the town's livery stable and dismounted, waiting for JD to do the same. "C'mon kid, let's get the horses taken care of first, then get us some dinner and whiskey." JD nodded and followed behind Buck as they walked their mounts inside the barn.
At the sound of the two men and horses entering the barn, the stable hand turned away from his task of cleaning out stalls and hurried forward. "You fellers need your horses bedded down for the night?" he asked JD and Buck.
"WHY YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" Buck shouted at the liveryman at the top of his lungs and threw a vicious punch, which connected with the slighter man's right cheek and knocked him to the ground. Buck launched himself again at the younger man, yanking him upright and shoving him against the stable wall. He pinned the man against the rough planking, jamming a forearm into the man's Adam apple, causing him to gasp for breath. Buck grabbed hold of the man's long brown hair and pulled sharply, forcing vivid blue eyes to look up into Buck's rage reddened face. "HOW ABOUT EXPLAININ' TO US WHY YOU LEFT CHRIS FOR DEAD, YOU LITTLE PUNK!" Buck screamed at Vin.
By this time, JD had recovered from the shock of seeing Vin working in the livery, and he sprang into action. "Buck! Buck! He can't talk with you squeezin' his throat like that, let him go!"
"Not a chance kid!" Buck yelled to JD, momentarily taking his eyes off of Vin to look at the youngest member of the seven. Vin took that opportunity to try and escape from Buck, twisting frantically in the larger man's grasp. Buck quickly turned back around at Vin's movement and like lightening, drew his forearm back away from Vin's throat, and replaced it with his hand, mercilessly slamming Vin against the wall again and again, screaming "AIN'T YA GOT NOTHIN' TO SAY TO ME VIN?" each time Vin's body connected with the wood of the building.
JD was frantic. Buck was still in a frenzy that showed no signs of letting up and Vin was starting to lose consciousness. He came up with a plan to stop the situation from escalating into more violence and grabbed a bucket and ran outside to the horse trough. He hurried back into the barn with a bucket of cold water and dumped it over Buck, hoping to cool his rage. Buck startled when the icy water hit him and let go of Vin. JD was somewhat relieved to see the former bounty hunter crumble and slide down the wall, landing in a heap in the hay.
"WHAT the HELL was that for?" Buck demanded furiously, whirling on JD.
"You gotta calm down Buck, you're really hurtin' him," JD responded, glancing back in Vin's direction.
"Kid, I'm gonna do more than just hurt him for what he done to Chris," Buck smiled maniacally back at JD. "He left my oldest friend out there to die, I ain't gonna..."
"NO YOU AIN'T!" JD interrupted furiously. "Chris don't want you to do that and you know it! He wants to know what happened, that's all! You ain't gonna hurt him anymore, and I mean it Buck!"
"Yeah, we'll just see about that, now won't we," Buck said, threateningly.
Both men paused in their argument as Vin began to come around. "Oh man," he moaned, holding his head and peering up and the two men. "What's the problem, mister? I ain't never done nothin' to you. And who the hell's Chris?"
Buck ambled back over to the stricken sharpshooter and squatted down beside him. In a deceptively calm voice he asked him, "Whadda ya mean, ‘who the hell's Chris?'
"Just what I said, mister," Vin said irritably, his voice hoarse from having his throat squeezed so tightly. "And just who the hell are you two, by the way, and whadda want with me?"
"Oh, that's a good one Vin," Buck replied. "Okay, I'll humor you. Chris is probably your best friend in the world. No, let me rephrase that. WAS your best friend in the world, until you decided to leave him high and dry. And Vin..."
"Who the heck is Vin, why do ya keep callin' me that?" the tracker broke in tersely.
"Cause that's your name, you creep!" Buck replied
"That ain't my name mister! Ya come in here and start punchin' my lights out and you don't even know my name!"
"Well, then, just what IS your name?" Buck asked smugly.
"Michael. Michael Larabee," Vin responded, sneering back. "So just go back where you came from and track down this Vin fella somewhere else, and leave us honest folks alone!"
Buck jerked backward as if he had been shot. After a split second of silence, he exploded, smacking Vin across the face with his open palm. Vin collapsed heavily against the straw again. "I don't know what kind of game you think you're playin'! Michael Larabee's dead! He's been dead for almost 15 years!" Buck shouted furiously, yanking Vin up by his shirt collar, so that their faces were only inches apart.
"He AIN'T dead, ‘cause that's me!" Vin stubbornly insisted, while trying to wipe away the blood dripping from his torn lip.
"JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!" Buck screamed, as he threw Vin back to the floor of the barn and began to beat and kick him, landing heavy kicks and blows to Vin's torso. Buck continued his enraged beating of the amnesiac, long after Vin had collapsed into unconsciousness. Finally, JD had seen enough of both men's erratic behavior. He jumped in front of Buck, blocking the larger man's path to the prone tracker. JD's stomach churned as he stepped forward to defend Vin from Buck, but he kept his voice steady. "Ease up on him Buck or I'll do whatever it takes to stop you." He rested his hand on the butt of his gun and stared back meaningfully at Buck.
Buck's fury mottled face drained of all color when he realized what JD was threatening him with. "You'd back this traitor over me JD?" Buck asked incredulously.
"We don't know for sure what happened out there Buck. It ain't right what you're doin' to Vin. We gotta take him back with us and let Chris decide."
Buck knew he could never do anything to hurt JD, and the kid was so serious about protecting Vin from him, that it could very easily come to that if Buck forced the issue in order to get his hands on the tracker again and exact his revenge. So with a loud exhale, he let the fury leave him and backed off. "For now," he thought silently. "OK, JD, I'm calmed down. We'll take this trash," he turned and indicated Vin, "with us back to Four Corners. Chris can do what he wants with him. It's his call."
"What're we gonna do with him now?" JD peered back at Buck and said a silent prayer that the larger man would not become riled again. JD knew he was too worn out to keep Buck from attacking Vin again, and he could see that the pulverized tracker was in no shape to fend off the blows himself.
"Well buddy," Buck replied, "I'm gonna get this pile of garbage over to the hotel while you take care of our horses, then we're gonna get us a steak dinner like we planned, and head home tomorrow, first thing."
JD watched sadly as Buck yanked Vin up from the floor and slung him over him shoulder. As the two headed out of the barn, JD heard a slight moan escape from the tracker's bloodied lips. He sighed in dismay at this sad turn of events, and went to work on bedding the horses down for the night.

Buck looked down at the unconscious tracker, sprawled helplessly on the bed. Looking at the brutality his fists had left behind, Buck felt his heart constrict with a twinge of remorse. But then, he remembered the way Chris looked when they found him, alone, vulnerable, wounded. The way he cried out in his delirium for Vin to help him, for Vin to come back for him. Chris Larabee was probably the strongest man Buck had ever known in his life. But Vin Tanner had managed to break down that iron will. Just by abandoning him in the desert. "Damn you!" he silently cursed at the beaten man laying so still on the bed. Just when Chris was starting to heal from the loss of Sarah and Adam. He'd seen him reach out to Vin. Buck smiled bitterly, thinking back over the past year. "Yeah, Chris thought he'd found a brother, someone he could trust with his life. Vin'd just been bidin' his time, playing Chris and all of us for a fool."
"God Buck!" JD exclaimed as he entered the hotel room, startling Buck away from his memories. "He looks worse than I thought!"
"Guess I got a little carried away," Buck retorted with a shrug.
JD just shook his head and walked the few short steps to the wash basin. He filled it with water and dipped a cloth into it, then made his way back to the bed. He bent over to push aside the soft, golden curls, matted with drying blood. More of the bruised and swollen face was revealed and JD looked to Buck with narrowed eyes. "He's hurt bad Buck, we need to take him to the doc's."
"NO! We AIN'T takin' him to the doc's, JD!" Buck stated angrily. "He can wait to be treated, just like he made Chris wait! Remember, he left him for DEAD?" He walked over to the bedside and thrust his face into JD's, eyes blazing with fury. "OR DO YOU NEED REMINDIN'? ‘CAUSE I SURE DON'T!"
The shouting and JD's ministrations slowly brought Vin back to consciousness, and he moaned painfully, effectively cutting off Buck's next tirade and JD's sharp retort. Bloodshot, cerulean eyes slit open to stare at the man trying to ease his suffering, then closed again just as quickly. JD turned his back to Buck and continued to soothe the broken and bloodied face with the cloth and the cool water.
"Leave him be, JD," Buck said quietly. "Let's go get us that steak dinner."
"I ain't leavin' him like this Buck," JD replied, his eyes never leaving the tracker's torn face. "You go on, I'll get somethin' later."
"Suit yourself, kid," Buck said coldly, and left the room.

He and Nathan had been the only ones in the room when Chris had finally regained consciousness after their hellish return from the desert. "Where's Vin?" Chris asked, looking around the room frantically, past Nathan and Buck's concerned faces. Not finding him, he turned beseeching, smoke-blue eyes to the two men who had stood vigil over him since his return.
"He ain't here Chris, we don't know where he is," Nathan responded gently. "We was hopin' you could tell us where he went."
Chris stared at the healer in confusion. And then he remembered. Buck knew he had, because he saw the light, the brightness that had just started to shine again, however slightly, in his oldest friend's eyes, die. He remembered that Vin had left him at the campsite, ridden away knowing that he was injured. Leaving him without food, water or a horse, and at least a two day's ride from Four Corners. Buck shook his head to clear it of the memories, but as he continued to down the whiskey at his corner table in the dusky saloon, they came drifting back, swirling around his head like the smoke that hung in the air, billowing from the magnitude of cheroots being smoked around him.
It was several hours later when he stumbled his way back to the hotel. JD had left a lamp burning in the room and Buck was able to make out two sleeping forms in the dimness. He crawled into his bunk with a groan, hoping that sleep would quickly come, and relieve him of the painful memories. But instead, his minded whirled, and he laid on his bed, eyes wide open.
"Buck? That you?" JD called softly from the far bed.
"Yeah kid," he replied wearily, "it's me."
"Buck, what's goin' on with you? Why'd you have to hit Vin so much?" he asked pleadingly. "He's one of us."
"WAS one of us, kid," Buck answered back sharply. He forced himself to soften his tone. "After all," he thought to himself, "it ain't JD I got a quarrel with. Even if the kid's too tenderhearted for his own good."
"Yeah, but he's saved all of us, includin' you, more than once, Buck. It ain't no way to treat him."
Buck exhaled, slightly exasperated, but not too surprised at his friend's stubbornness. "OK JD, ‘cause a that, we'll take him to the doc's tomorrow, first thing, to get fixed up. But then," he continued in a voice of steel, "we're headin' out, back to Four Corners. Chris ain't gonna be able to put this all behind him until he knows what happened out there. And after all he's been through since I've know him, I aim to help that man to rest easy.

JD turned his face away from the morning sunlight filtering in weakly through the hotel room's dusty windows, refusing to believe it was time to get out of bed and start the day. "God it feels good to be sleepin' in a real bed!" he thought to himself. They'd been out on the trail for over a week, searching for Vin. In that time, they had not slept in a single town. Buck always insisted on pressing on, only letting the two of them catch a few hours of sleep here and there on the trail. JD knew why Buck was so driven' he was trying to make up for lost time. After all, it had been almost two weeks after they had returned from the desert with an injured Chris before the two of them were able to go off in search of their missing compatriot. Buck hadn't wanted to leave until he was sure Chris was out of danger, then, the morning they were set to leave, word came from Judge Travis that the Murphy gang was headed toward Four Corners. With Vin missing and Chris temporarily out of action, the remaining men could not space JD and Buck, at least until the trouble with the Murphy gang had been dealt with. JD shuddered as he remembered Chris Larabee staggering out of Nathan's clinic, shirtless, hatless, skin so pale it was almost transparent. But it was the eyes that put JD's heart in his throat. Cold. Brittle. Lifeless. The remaining members of the seven had been so surprised to see their leader, they moved too slow to stop him from stalking into the street, to stop in front of the six Murphy's, gun drawn. His posture dared them to make a move against himself, the other men, or the town. The gang seemed ready to back down from the gunslinger, when one of their horses whinnied and reared suddenly, startling the mass of men. In the blink of an eye, bullets were flying. Buck had pushed JD down behind a barrel, and in between shots, he was able to keep track of his friends' progress. He was shocked to see Chris, standing tall and unwavering in the midst of the fray. "He wasn't even duckin' the bullets!" JD remembered, with a still disbelieving shake of his head. Amazingly, the Murphy gang was rounded up, minus two members who had been shot dead by Chris, with no injuries to the town's protectors or citizens. He and the others had surrounded Chris, demanding to know why had had taken such a risk. Nathan had chewed him out for even being out of bed, but Chris just shook his head and walked away, back to the clinic. But JD had seen the look in his eyes before he left. Lost and sad. He looked to Buck and knew he had seen it too. JD looked questioningly back to the older man. "He don't care what happens to himself anymore, kid." Buck had replied sadly to JD's unasked question. "This thing with Vin has cut him to the core."
JD rolled over and out of bed with one thing on his mind. Buck was wrong about Vin. There had to be some kind of mistake. JD knew in his heart the quiet, even-tempered tracker would never leave his best friend out in the middle of nowhere, especially when he was injured, without a very good reason. Nathan had practically had to pry Vin about from Chris's bedside the last time their leader had been shot. And he'd seen the guilt Vin had put himself through anytime any of their number had gotten hurt. No, he was more convinced that ever that there had to be some kind of reasonable explanation. Now, all he had to do was prove that to Buck, and maybe even to Chris.

"Vin, Vin, wake up!" JD said softly, shaking the other man's shoulders slightly.
"Oh, Jesus!" the figure on the bed thought to himself. "Not this again." He popped his eyes open angrily and glared at the short, dark- haired man standing over him. "It's Michael, not Vin! How many times I gotta tell you guys! Never heard of this Vin, don't know what all the fuss is about!" With a huff, he pushed himself into a sitting position and swallowed back a wave of pain that the sudden movement brought. "Damn but I'm feelin' bad! Feel like I been tanglin' with a grizzly bear!" he said to himself, while trying to remember exactly what had happened to him to cause him to be in so much pain. "Oh yeah, it was this guy's big friend," he reminded himself. "Man, but he's got a mean streak!"
"OK kid," he said when he was able to speak again. "Where's your friend? You know, the one who likes to beat up on people who're just mindin' their own business? I wanna have a word or two with him."
"You mean Buck? He ain't here, he went to go get the doc to come and take a look at you. Then we're ridin' ..." he stopped himself with a gulp, looking back to Vin with wide eyes, hoping the tracker hadn't noticed his slip. He knew Vin, in his current condition of amnesia, would be none too happy to go gallivanting off to Four Corners with what he thought were two strangers, one of whom had beaten the tar out of him. He exhaled in relief when he got no reaction from Vin, other than a stifled groan as he tried to stand.
"Hey! Why don't you lie back down? C'mon I'll help you, Buck'll be back with the doc soon. No reason to be movin' around hurt like you are."
"I'll be all right, kid, just help me up."
"Now that sounds like the Vin Tanner I used to know. Stubborn as a mule."
He felt the man stiffen. "My name's not..."
"Yeah, I know," JD interrupted. "Sorry. Michael, let me help you."
They were making their way over to the wash basin when Buck burst in. "Bad news, boys! The doc got called away from town yesterday. There was a mining accident and he's gonna be tied up there for the next couple a days."
"Well, what're we gonna do Buck?" JD queried.
"We're gonna do what we've done a hundred times on the trail. You and me are gonna patch Vin, here, up."
"It AIN'T Vin, it's MICHAEL!" the injured man snarled through gritted teeth. "I ain't tellin' either one of you again!"
"Yeah, well whatever your name is," Buck responded laconically. "Get back on the bed and take your shirt off, I wanna have a look at my handiwork, and get you fixed up for the ride."
"Ride, what ride? What the hell you talkin' about! I ain't goin' anywhere with the likes of you. Hell, I'd probably be dead in a hour, with another one of your temper tantrums!"
"Just shut up and do like I told ya!" Buck ordered back. "JD help him over there!" he snapped.
JD led a protesting Vin back over to his bed and eased him down on it. Vin refused to take his shirt off, so JD started unbuttoning the shirt for him. He was surprised to feel the tracker's firm grip on his arm. "Don't let him take me outta here, kid," he said softly to JD. "I didn't do nothin' wrong." JD looked up at Vin, surprised to see the fear and sadness in his deep blue eyes. "It'll be OK V--I mean, Michael," he soothed. "I'll take care of you. You'll be fine once we get back to Four Corners."
"Yeah, sure kid, whatever you say," Vin replied, looking away from JD as the younger man finished with the buttons and then slipped off his shirt.
JD winced in sympathy as he looked down at Vin's exposed chest. Deep black and blue marks scored the smooth, tanned skin over his ribcage. Vin shuddered as the cool air caressed his blemished flesh. "God it even hurts to breathe, how the hell do they think I'm gonna ride outa here?" he wondered to himself.
Buck swaggered over to the two and bent down next to Vin. "That looks like it's gotta hurt, buddy," he said with a twisted grin. "But at least it matches your face." JD gasped at Buck's cruel comments while Vin hunched his shoulders slightly, trying to protect his injured side and glared back at the larger man. Buck ignored them both and walked over to retrieve the wash basin. He had felt a brief moment of weakness when he first saw the bruises marking Vin's lean torso, but he reminded himself about Chris's painful ordeal in the desert and forced back any compassion he was feeling for the injured man. He sighed slightly. He hated what this situation was doing to JD, but it couldn't be helped. He owed it to Chris to bring Vin back home to answer for his deeds.
He gathered up the wash basin, now filled with water and walked back to the bed. He gave Vin a tight smile as he dipped a cloth into the cool water. "Now this might hurt a bit, but you seem like a pretty tough guy," Buck said as he raked the coarse cloth down Vin's injured side. Vin paled at the rough treatment, biting down on his lower lip to stifle his cry of pain.
"Buck, you could go a little easier on him!" JD scolded. "Here, let me do it..."
"Forget it kid, he can tough it out!" Buck spat back, turning away from Vin to address JD. "Go grab those strips of cloth over there and bring ‘em over here." He raised the damp cloth again, pausing as Vin cringed away from him.
"What's the matter, Michael, don't you wanna get fixed up so you can get home to see your brother?" Buck asked.
Vin eyed Buck warily. "What're you talkin' about? My brother?"
"Yeah, your brother's in Four Corners, just waitin' for ya to come home. Ain't that right JD?"
Vin turned to JD. "Is what he says true? I got a brother?"
JD cast his eyes downward, unable to meet Vin's desperate, piercing gaze.
"JD? JD? C'mon, tell me. I know you won't lie to me. I know I can trust you, even if I can't trust him," Vin said, glancing at Buck with a look of barely concealed disgust.
JD knew that he would eventually have to face the tracker. "What kind of game is Buck playing?" he wondered to himself. He bit back the anger he felt at Buck for putting him in this predicament and steeled himself to look up into Vin's troubled, ocean-blue eyes. "Yeah, there's a Larabee waitin' to see you in Four Corners," he hedged. He forced a smile on his face. "So let's get you fixed up and ready to go."
Vin looked back and forth at the two men a few times. "Somethin' ain't right here," he muttered to himself, but finally relaxed and allowed JD and Buck to finish cleaning him up and wrapping his sore ribs. He was intrigued at the notion that he had a brother and decided to go along to Four Corners without a fight. "But why can't I remember my brother? And what are these two up to?" he questioned silently, watching as JD and Buck made the preparations to leave.
"C'mon Michael," Buck broke in, interrupting Vin's thoughts. "Let's go get your gear. JD, we'll meet you back here and eat before we head out." Vin nodded to Buck, then braced himself to stand, pressing a hand to the bed to push off. He stood upright for a split second, then doubled over with a groan, overcome by dizziness and the sharp pains emanating from his ribcage area. Buck shook his head and scowled with impatience, grabbed Vin's arm in a vise-like grip, hauled him to his feet and led him out the door, leaving JD, mouth agape in horror, to follow behind them with the saddlebags.

They were on the road back to Four Corners at last. JD's concerned gaze was constantly drawn to Vin's pathetic figure, huddled miserably on his horse. From the start of the journey, Buck had ridden ahead of them and JD soon realized that he would not be stopping for a break unless forced to. He spared Vin another glance, saddened to see that his friend had sunk even lower in the saddle, barely hanging on. It was time to take a break, now. He gathered his courage and drew up next to Buck. "We gotta stop, now Buck. Vin's just barely able to hang onto the reins. We gotta give him and the horses a break."
Buck looked back at the tracker, who was now slowly sagging toward the bushy black mane of his horse. "Okay, we'll hold up here for a few minutes," he agreed unhappily. "Better go catch him before he falls face first into the dust, JD. Hate to ruin that pretty face of his."
JD raced back to grab Vin, reaching him just as he started sliding off the side of his mount.
"Ain't ya even gonna help me, Buck?" JD asked witheringly, as he struggled to ease Vin gently to the ground. "I mean, even though you don't like him anymore, he's still a human being, ain't he? Couldn't you just help him out a little bit?"
Buck saw the strain of emotions reflected on JD's young face. God, the kid's so softhearted. "OK kid," he relented, leading his horse back to the prone man and his youthful guardian. "I'll water the horses, you take care a him," he said, nudging Vin's leg with his boot.
"Thanks Buck," JD said with relief, immediately turning his attentions to the man lying at his feet.
"Michael, Michael!" JD said, shaking the sick man gently. "Have some water." He maneuvered Vin, balancing him in his arms as he held the canteen to the tracker's bloodless lips, forcing him to drink. After a few weak swallows, Vin pushed the canteen away, and looked up at JD, glassy blue eyes squinting in the harsh mid-day sun. "JD?" he whispered hoarsely. "What're you doin' here? Where's Chris?"
JD couldn't believe his ears! Vin was remembering! "Vin, Chris is back at Four Corners. You and me and Buck are goin' back there now."
Vin nodded his head, shutting his eyes against the glare of the sun. "Help me up then, kid, let's get..." JD watched in horror as Vin suddenly crumpled against him, grabbing his head in both hands, crying out and twisting in agony.
"Vin! Vin! What's the matter!" JD cried in alarm.
"Oh God! It hurts! The light, make it stop!" Vin screamed suddenly, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Buck heard the commotion and came running over with the horses in tow. "What's goin' on JD?" he bellowed.
"Don't know Buck, but he remembered for a second, then screamed and grabbed his head." JD ripped his gaze away from Vin's pain contorted face to stare at Buck with wide eyed helplessness. "What're we gonna do?"
"Not sure, kid, but there's no doctor where we just came from, so we gotta get him to Nathan as soon as we can. He'll know what to do," he soothed.
"It ain't good for him to be ridin' around like this, though," JD stubbornly insisted.
"I know it ain't the best thing for him, JD, but we can't just stay out here," Buck replied, trying to reason with the youngest member of the seven. "We'll run outta water and we can't really help Vin. We gotta get him to Nathan."
"OK Buck," JD sighed, not completely convinced about their plan of action. "But he's gonna ride double with me so I can keep an eye on him."
"Sure thing, JD, whatever you want. Why don't you try to bring him around and we'll get set to leave again."
JD untied his bandanna, doused it with water and used it to softly stroke Vin's pallid face. "Vin, Vin, can you hear me? Time to wake up and go home."
"Are we back to that again?" a frail voice answered. "I told you a million times, it's Michael, not Vin."
"Oh God," JD whispered to Buck. "Michael Larabee's back."

JD looked down with despair at his ashen-faced friend gently cradled in his arms, his hazel eyes squinted against the reflection of the sun as it glinted off the golden highlights interwoven in Vin's hair. He wasn't sure if Vin had fallen asleep or just passed out from the pain and exhaustion of their journey, but either way, the result was the same. Vin was out cold and JD could not see how the tracker was going to be able to make the trip back to Four Corners in his current state. Sweat ran in rivulets down Vin's ruggedly handsome face, still miserably swollen and bruised from Buck's brutal beating. He moaned and twisted piteously in his unconscious state, clutching at his battered ribs. JD leaned behind him to moisten the bandanna once more and continued his task of bathing Vin's face with the cool water, futilely trying to both rouse and comfort the unconscious man.
"OK kid, that's enough let's get a move on," Buck grumbled, grabbing JD's hand. "I'd like us to get back to Four Corners sometime in our lifetime."
"All right Buck, help me get him up."
"You sure you wanna do this?" Buck queried.
"Yeah, I can handle it. He'd do it for me," JD replied as he mounted his horse.
Buck leaned down and grabbed the still, seemingly lifeless tracker under his arms, hoisting him upward. He walked him the few steps to where JD sat mounted on his horse, perched behind the saddle.
"Ready?" Buck asked.
"Ready," JD assured. "Go on and hand him up."
Buck hauled Vin up onto JD's horse, sliding him easily into the saddle. He quickly placed Vin's booted feet into the stirrups while JD held him steady. Buck then handed the reins to JD and met his eye with a concerned glance.
"You sure you're gonna be OK? We got a long ride ahead of us."
"I'll be fine Buck, quit worryin' about me! It's Vin that needs lookin' after," JD replied testily, reaching his arm carefully around Vin's narrow waist to keep the injured man upright in the saddle, while holding the reins with his other hand. "You just lead the way, Vin and I'll keep up. We'll do just fine," JD finished, instinctively tightening his arm around Vin's limp form.
"Good enough for me then," Buck stated and swung around to the two remaining horses. Vin's mount had been designated as the pack horse, now holding all their supplies instead of his rider. Buck grabbed its reins, then mounted up on his horse and was gone in a flash. "I'm gonna scout up ahead a ways JD, see you in a few!" he called over his shoulder as he rode away.
"See ya later Buck!" JD shouted back.
The noise startled the sleeping man awake. "What's goin' on?" he whispered confusedly, trying to twist out of JD's grasp. He caught his breath with a gasp as his motion caused a piercing torment to erupt in his side.
"Shh, it's all right," JD soothed. "Don't move around so much, you're gonna hurt yourself worse."
"JD? That you? Why am I ridin' with you?" he mumbled huskily, giving up on escaping the younger man's grasp, concentrating instead on staying conscious as the fiery pain in his side flared to new levels of hurt.
"Uh, you fell asleep back there," JD stammered, "and we wanted to get back on the trail, so I thought maybe you'd just ride with me for a while."
Vin narrowed his eyes at JD's explanation, not believing him for a second. He shook his head slowly, trying to make sense of the situation. He remembered riding on his horse, then feeling himself slipping away and almost out of the saddle. JD had appeared to guide him off his horse, resting him carefully on the ground. "Why's he bein' so nice to me, takin' care a me and all? I don't know him from Adam!" he questioned himself. "And how come his friend is out to get me? God, what the hell did I do to piss that man off?" he groaned, silently cursing Buck as each breath caused a spasm of agony to work its way through his pummeled body. He was going to get to the bottom of things. Now. "JD," Vin threatened, "I'm gonna throw myself down off this horse and refuse to ride another mile if you don't start givin' me some straight answers. And you know that's gonna make your big, tall friend real mad at you. And I've seen him when he's real mad. Trust me, it don't feel too good."
"Whadda ya wanna know Michael?" JD asked nervously.
Vin sat up straighter in the saddle, smiling slightly at JD's answer. Now we're gettin' somewhere. "This morning, Buck said we all lived in... What was the name of that town again?"
"Four Corners."
"Yeah, Four Corners." He started again, hoping this conversation would be a good enough distraction to ease the throbbing ache that his body had quickly become. "He said we all live in Four Corners together. So that means you know me, and Buck knows me. How come I don't know who you are? I've never seen you two before y'all showed up in that livery stable and Buck started kickin' the crap outta me."
"Um, I don't know V...Michael," JD corrected himself. "Maybe something happened that made you not remember?" he gently suggested.
Vin snorted derisively. "What're you talkin' about JD? That don't make any sense!"
"Let's just drop it then Vin!" JD shouted, starting to feel edgy. He did not like Vin's line of questioning.
"It's Michael, not Vin! What's with you guys, always callin' me Vin!"
"Vin's your nickname!" JD replied tartly. "That's how come we keep callin' you that! OK? So just drop it! I'm sick of you harpin' on me when I can't remember your name!"
"My nickname? What're you talkin' about? How the hell do you get Vin outta Michael?"
"I don't know, ask your mama what Vin stands for! I ain't the one that gave ya the name!" JD winced in shame at his response to Vin's question. He hadn't meant to be so sharp with Vin, but he had reached the limits of his patience. His nerves were rubbed raw from the strain of the last few days.
He paused in his thoughts long enough to notice that Buck was trotting back toward them. JD blew out his breath in frustration when he caught sight of the gunslinger's clenched jaw. He was tired of watching Buck self-destruct on the trail, stooping so low as to beat one of his best friends practically senseless, then having that same friend continue to insist that he had no recollection of them and was someone that he was not. "God, when are things going to get back to normal?" he muttered softly to himself.
"Come on, come on! Let's get a move on!" Buck said, scowling at the men riding double. "I figured you'd be a lot closer to me than this. I've seen horses walking backwards that move faster than you two!"
"Buck, Michael can't...."
The older man held up his hand. "Don't wanna hear it JD!" he warned. "Get that horse movin' or he rides with me!"
"OK, OK," JD grumbled, pressing his heels into the horse's side.

"JD, JD! Wake up!"
"It can't be mornin' already," JD groggily protested.
"It's just about and if we ride hard today, we'll make it back to Four Corners in time for dinner. So shake a leg kid!"
JD shifted stiffly and rubbed his aching backside, burrowing further into the warmth of his bedroll. "Another hard day's riding," he groaned.
"Yeah, but you'll get to see Casey that much sooner," Buck teased.
That was all the prompting JD needed. He sprang up out of his blankets, ready to help Buck break camp. It had been over two weeks since he'd last seen Casey. He was beyond anxious to see not only her but the four men who had remained behind. Men who he now thought of as family. His eyes strayed guiltily to Vin's sleeping form, huddled in his bedroll at the far edge of their campsite. ‘Should be worryin' about how to get him home in one piece, not thinkin' about Casey,' he thought to himself. Even in the dim pre-dawn light, he could tell something was not quite right with the quiet tracker. Shoving thoughts of Casey out his mind, he tiptoed closer and quietly knelt down beside his exhausted friend, not wanting to awaken him. He knew how badly Vin needed his rest to help him recover from what so far had been a hellish trip home. They had been riding hard for the past three days, steadily making their way closer and closer to Four Corners. Vin had started out each day on his own horse and was able to ride unassisted for longer periods each day. But inevitably, by mid or late afternoon, JD would look over and see the weakened man fighting to stay astride his mount. He would give Buck the all too familiar head shake and they would stop to transfer Vin to JD's horse, and they would take off again, JD and Vin riding double. Surprisingly, they had made good time, up until yesterday, when a rainstorm had come out of nowhere, pelting them with chilling raindrops for several hours. Buck had refused to let them stop and take shelter, so they had pressed on in the driving rain. Now it seemed Vin was paying the price for Buck's stubborn refusal to give in to the elements. Vin was tossing and turning fitfully in his sleep, mumbling incoherently. JD reached out his hand and began to slowly stroke the tangled amber waves of Vin's silky hair away from his face, feeling the roiling heat of fever licking at his fingertips with each touch. He remembered back to a time when he was very young, and his mother had done this for him when he was ill. It had soothed him then, and he hoped this small gesture of compassion would help to comfort Vin and ease his restless movements and harsh, labored breathing.
"JD, just what the heck are you doin?" Buck bellowed from the other side of the cook fire.
"He's got a fever Buck, must be from all that ridin' in the rain we did yesterday."
"Well, I seem to remember that you an' me were ridin' around in that rain, too. How come we ain't sick, then?"
"He's tired out from all this ridin', you know that," JD chided. "His ribs have gotta be hurtin' him and the pain's takin' a lot outta him."
Buck walked over to them and stood at the other side of Vin, peering down at him. "Yeah, but his face looks like it's healin' up just fine. He ain't so black and blue now, just kind a yellow and green with a little bit of blue. Why he's beginnin' to look like a pretty boy again!"
"Buck, that ain't funny, at all! You better quit talkin' like that! Vin's our friend and he deserves better than to have you makin' fun of him and his troubles, ‘specially since you caused ‘em!"
Buck angrily strode over to JD and grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "JD," he hissed, shaking the younger man slightly, "Let's get one thing straight! Vin caused his own troubles the minute he left Chris alone out there, fending for himself with a bullet wound in his arm! He's got no one to blame but himself. Remember what Chris said to Ezra when he found out he left us at the Seminole Village? Said he'd shoot him dead if he ever deserted us again. Well, whadda ya think Chris is gonna do to Vin when he lays eyes on him?" He shrugged dispassionately. "Maybe he'll give him another chance, or maybe I'm just helpin' things along."
"God no, Buck!" JD gasped in horror, eyes bulging. "You can't mean that--Chris would never do anything like that to Vin!"
"Well now, I'm sure Chris ain't just gonna do nothin' about Vin up and leavin' him in the middle of nowhere. Guess we'll find out soon enough," he said, eyeing JD meaningfully, "if we ever get there that is. Get him on his feet, we're pullin' outta here soon as we eat breakfast. If he's feelin' bad, he can ride with you right off instead a changing horses later."
"OK Buck, but I wanna give Milagro a rest today, she's been workin' hard, carryin' two riders and all. We're gonna ride Vin's horse today, it's fresher."
"Sure kid, I'll saddle him up for you after we eat."
JD bent down again and gently shook his fevered friend's shoulder. "Michael, Michael, come on, time to get up. Buck's got jerky and hard tack waitin' for us."
"Don't want any," a weak voice rasped back.
"Well," JD said, "You got to eat. We're almost home and you gotta keep your strength up for the ride."
"Forget it kid, not hungry."
Still on his knees next to Vin, JD exhaled loudly in frustration as he leaned back on his heels and crossed his arms. Minutes passed as the two men stared at each other, both refusing to yield. JD's stomach rumbled, finally breaking the terse silence.
"OK, that's it, I'm eatin', you can just lay there all day for all I care!" JD yelled, stomping away.
With a grim smile aimed at JD's retreating shape, the tracker eased himself into a sitting position. ‘He sure does get worked up easy enough,' he chuckled to himself. ‘Guess it wouldn't kill me to get up and eat. The kid sure looked like he wanted me to.' He couldn't explain it to himself, but it seemed that he did not want to disappoint the younger man. He was surprised at how close he felt to this stranger. Puzzled, he struggled to his feet, shaking slightly from the weakness brought on by the fever, and made his way to the fire. He caught his breath, suddenly swaying dizzily as he gazed at the two men lazing in front of the fire, their backs up against a fallen log. A vision of another campfire, with a black clad man sitting next to it flickered through his memory. The man was talking to him and laughing. He blinked his eyes and shook his head to clear it. ‘Must be this fever, makin' me imagine things,' he thought to himself, shrugging. He sat down heavily as JD and Buck looked over at him carefully.
"Get him somethin' to eat, JD," Buck ordered, standing up. "I'm gonna start breakin' camp and gettin' the horses geared up."
JD went to the fire and retrieved a plate piled with strips of jerky and several biscuits. "Here ya go Michael, don't it look good?" he joked, hoping to coax the man into eating something.
"Thanks," Vin replied, taking a biscuit and piece of dried beef off the plate. He caught the other man's eye. "JD," he began uncertainly, "were we friends back in Four Corners?"
"Yeah, we were Michael. Real good friends."
"How did we meet? I can't even remember," he whispered sadly, fever- dulled sapphire eyes sweeping dejectedly over JD's cherubic face.
JD felt the sting of tears at the corner of his eyes as he looked into Vin's troubled face. ‘He looks so lost and sad,' he thought to himself. "Just like he did back in that hotel room the mornin' we were leavin' for home. He turned away from Vin, unable to look at the despair he saw in his eyes. ‘ It ain't right for him to be suffering like this. Vin's our friend, our brother! We gotta find a way to help him remember who he is.'
"Tell you what," JD said, forcing a light-heartedness into his voice that he didn't feel, "you eat up, Buck and I'll get the horses ready and I'll tell you anything you want to know while we're ridin'. I figured you and me would ride together first thing today. Don't know about you, but I could sure use the company."
Vin nodded his head slowly, forcing down a small bite of beef jerky.
God, I hope Nathan knows what to do to help him,' JD prayed silently as he walked to help Buck with the horses.

Buck had heard enough. "Christ almighty!" he said under his breath, "those two have been talkin' non-stop since this morning!" The constant chattering cut through the still desert air, shattering any hopes he harbored for a peaceful last leg of the trip home. "Thank God we're only about two hours away from Four Corners," he thought to himself. He untied Milagro's reins from his saddle horn, holding them in his hand. "I'm gonna ride up ahead a bit, JD. You wanna switch horses first before I go?"
"Michael, you need to take a rest?" JD asked. "We could stop here for a while and switch horses."
"Naw, I'm doin' all right, let's just get there already," his companion grumbled. "I'm so sick of ridin' I don't care if I ever see another horse again!"
"Guess that answers my question!" Buck shouted, secretly relieved that he was able to escape from the incessant chattering that much sooner. "I'll keep Milagro with me. Not much farther to go boys," he said, sparing Vin an evil glance. "Be seein' your brother before you know it."
A slight shiver ran up Vin's spine as a feeling of dread suddenly overwhelmed him. He couldn't understand why Buck had looked at him like that as he made such a seemingly innocent comment about seeing his brother soon.
JD had felt the tremor rifle through Vin's lean frame. "Damn that Buck!" he shouted to himself. "Don't I have enough to worry about already?"
He transferred the reins to his hand that was wrapped securely around Vin's middle and used his now free hand to pat the other man reassuringly on the shoulder. "OK, now where were we? Think I was telling you about rescuin' Nathan from a lynchin, wasn't I?"
"Yeah, you said it was me and my brother that did that."
"Yup, you sure did. OK, so the two of you were in the graveyard and ..." A rustle in the surrounding sagebrush caught JD's eye. Suddenly, a rabbit shot out from beneath the foliage, darting in front of them.
"Whew, thought it might have been a coyote or something,'' JD began to say, but was interrupted when Vin's mount began to prance wildly, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Before JD could get the spooked horse under control, another rabbit leapt out of the brush in chase of the other, again crossing in front of the startled horse. This time, the horse bucked and then reared, front hooves reaching toward the sky, pawing at the air frantically.
Buck, who had started heading back to meet up with his travelling companions, felt as if time had stopped as he saw JD and Vin's valiant but vain attempts to stay on the out of control horse. He could only watch helplessly as the two riders flew off the stallion, spinning and somersaulting backward. He rushed forward watching as Vin somehow managed to twist his body to land first on the hard packed desert floor, using his own injured body to break JD's fall. Buck grimaced in sympathy for Vin as he heard the impact of flesh striking flesh when JD landed on the tracker, then watched in surprise as the former bounty hunter rolled JD underneath him, using his body as a shield to protect the younger man from the still furiously flying hooves of their mount. He heard a sickening crunch as front hooves pounded down into Vin's left forearm, breaking bone. Vin's ragged cry of pain spurred Buck to action. He jumped off his own mount and tried to grab hold of the frantic horse's reins. To his dismay, the stallion kept jumping just out of his grasp, and his attempts to calm him only seemed to make the horse more hysterical. Once more the deadly hooves ripped into Vin, plunging into his left shoulder. Buck lunged for the reins again and this time managed to grab hold and force the stallion away from Vin and JD. Once a safe distance from the two, he let go of the reins and backed off, hoping the horse would settle itself down.
His heart in his throat, he raced back to the thrown riders. He cringed at the sight before him. Vin's broken body lay facedown, covering JD's still form. "Oh God! No! Please let them be all right! Please let them be all right!" Buck screamed over and over in his head. He knelt down quickly and reached for Vin, relieved to hear his faint breathing as he assessed the injuries. He could see right off that one of the bones in Vin's left forearm was broken, and the shoulder hung at a strange angle. He supported the mangled arm lightly and turned him over as gently as possible, while dragging him carefully off JD. He glanced at the youth, heartened to see that he appeared not to be seriously injured. But Vin was another matter. Knowing he could leave JD unaided for a few minutes, he turned his attentions back to the gravely injured tracker. "God Vin," he whispered to the unconscious man, "I hate to see what this did to your ribs." He unbuttoned the torn and dusty shirt, bracing himself for the worst. His large hands travelled lightly over the bandage wrapped around Vin's already injured side, feeling for signs of additional injury. "Cracked bad before, now feels like at least four of ‘em are broke." He hung his head in shame as he raked his hands through his glossy brown hair. "What the HELL was I thinkin'! This is my fault! All my fault! God, what have I done to Vin? He would never do anythin' to hurt Chris..."
"Buck? Buck?" JD called from the other side of Vin as he struggled to sit up.
"Right over here, kid," Buck replied, abruptly stopping his silent tirade and making his way over to his other friend.
"What happened? What's wrong with Vin?" JD asked, beginning to panic as his eyes focused on the gory shoulder wound and the twisted bone breaking through the skin of Vin's arm.
"Horse threw the two of you, don't you remember?" Buck asked, squatting down to look closely at JD, checking him over for injury.
"Yeah, I do kinda remember, I guess," JD responded shakily. He frowned as the other man continued to look him over. "Buck, I'm fine. We need to help Vin."
"You're right, kid. Glad you're here to help me with him. Can you get a couple of my shirts out of my saddlebags? And there's a bottle of whiskey, bring that and one of the canteens."
"What're you gonna do?" JD asked Buck suspiciously.
"Don't worry JD, I ain't gonna hurt him, I'm gonna help him. I know I made a big mistake before, but now's not the time to talk about it! Get those shirts and water and that whiskey, I'm gonna stay here with Vin!"
OK Buck, settle down. I'll be right back!"
Buck settled down in the dirt of the hard desert floor to wait for JD to return with their meager makeshift medical supplies. He was filled with self-loathing as he knelt next to the stricken man, watching him struggle for every breath. "God Vin, I deserve to be the one lying there after everything I've done to ya," he whispered softly. His breath caught in his throat as he watched a single tear slide slowly down the side of Vin's face, angling sideways to disappear into the resplendent waves of his long brown hair. Buck felt his own eyes welling up at the sight of the tiny tear track, standing out clearly on Vin's otherwise dirt encrusted face. "Vin," he choked, "please don't cry. I know it hurts, but I'll get you back home to Nathan real soon. He'll fix you right up. And Chris'll be so glad to see you! Just you wait, we'll be at the saloon drinkin' and laughin' again before you know it!"
JD ran up, arms filled. The big man grabbed for the supplies and began to tear the sleeves off the shirts. "JD," he directed, "look around for a couple sticks about the size of your arm. Hurry back, we gotta get that arm taken care of right now."
Buck soaked his bandanna in the whiskey and gently began to clean Vin's shoulder wound. The former bounty hunter moaned weakly, but Buck continued to work, remembering how Nathan had always told them to clean out a wound as soon as possible to help ward off infection. He soaked the bandanna once again, then folded it into the wound, finishing by wrapping one of the shirtsleeves around the area as a bandage. He needed JD to help with the other injuries, so while he waited, he eased Vin's bandanna off his neck and poured water over it and used it to bathe the tracker's face. He then coaxed Vin to drink some water from the canteen.
"Will these work, Buck?" JD asked, holding up two stout sticks.
"Yeah, they'll work just fine. Get ‘em over here and I'll show ya what to do."
The two men made a makeshift splint for Vin's broken arm, tying it securely with two more of the shredded shirtsleeves. "OK JD, that only leaves the ribs, then we can get movin' back to town."
"Whatta ya mean Buck?" JD asked, shocked. "In his condition? We're gonna put him on a HORSE?"
"Don't have any other choice JD," Buck replied evenly. "We gotta get him back to Four Corners as soon as we can. It'll take too long if one of us rides to town to get Nathan."
"We could make a travois and drag him in."
Buck shook his head despairingly. "Not enough wood around here for the poles, JD. Believe me, I've thought about it. It's the only way."
"Buck, I don't think I can do that to him," JD whispered, struggling to hold back tears.
"You don't have to, JD," Buck smiled sadly at his young friend and stroked his heaving shoulders soothingly. "I'll carry him back on my horse. It's my turn to watch out for Vin now."

"Chris, you've about stared a hole into the road by now and you've been sittin' in that chair so long I think you sprouted roots!" Nathan Jackson exclaimed, as he walked past Chris Larabee, still sitting in the same chair and staring at the same spot in the road as he had been when Nathan had first passed him an hour ago on his way to see Josiah at the church.
"Some kinda crime against that Nathan?" the gunman questioned dangerously.
"Ain't no call to get testy with me, Chris," the healer replied, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "It's just that waitin' in that chair and starin' at the road ain't gonna make Vin come back any sooner." He dropped his hands and reached to pat Chris comfortingly on the shoulder. "We all miss him Chris. Don't worry, Buck and JD'll find him and bring him back safe and sound."
"Somethin' happened out there Nathan, I just know it," Chris managed to choke out, past the lump in his throat. "And I can't stop thinkin' about how he looked when he left. He didn't even know who I was, thought I was tryin' to hurt him or something. And he was bleedin' and... " Chris stopped speaking, pinned Nathan with a pain-filled gaze then dropped his head into his hands, deflated.
"Yeah, and you were bleedin' pretty bad, too, from what I remember," Nathan finished softly. "And you're still nursin' that hurt shoulder, so I think it's time you start takin' care of yourself better. Come on," he coaxed, "we're gonna meet Josiah and Ezra over at the boarding house and get some dinner. And," he joked, "if you eat all your vegetables, I'll even take you to the saloon afterward!"
Chris stood up with a sad smile. "Now that's the best offer I've heard all day. Guess I am kinda hungry, let's get a move on!"
The two men strode off down the boardwalk as the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon.

It was near dusk when the sad little procession reached the outskirts of Four Corners. Buck breathed a sigh of relief as he spied the outline of the familiar buildings in the distance, silhouetted by the dying sun.
"Just a little longer, Vin," he whispered to the unconscious man he held in front of him.
JD sidled up to him silently. "How's he doing?"
"Gettin' worse, JD," he replied grimly. "Burnin' up and shiverin' at the same time. We gotta get him off this horse and to Nathan real soon. We're close enough to town now, why don't you ride on ahead and tell Nathan to get ready for us."
"You sure you'll be all right if I go?" JD asked anxiously.
"Yeah, JD, we'll be all right. He's sleepin' pretty sound now. Just hurry up and get to Nathan and the others."
"Sure thing Buck, we'll be ready and waitin' for ya," JD replied, galloping away.
The hoof beats of JD's mount gradually died away, leaving Buck alone with his thoughts. As he clutched the wounded man closer to his chest, his mind drifted, thinking back over the events of the last two hours. They had finally finished tending to Vin's injuries, ending with the grueling task of rewrapping Vin's injured ribcage, and had gotten him mounted on Buck's horse without incident. After riding for about an hour, Vin had regained consciousness. His fever from that morning had flared up again, and in his delirium, he had begun to thrash against the arms that held him carefully positioned in the saddle. Buck's horse, already jumpy from carrying two riders, began to snort and chomp at the bit, jostling the two men. Buck tightened his hold on Vin, fearing that this horse, too, would throw two riders that day. He forced aside panic, knowing that Vin would not be able to take another fall from a horse in his condition. Buck nearly lost his hold on Vin as his struggles increased in intensity and the horse tried to bolt. Suddenly, JD appeared next to them and grabbed the horse's bridle, speaking softly, but firmly to the creature. Amazingly, both the horse and Vin calmed at the sound of JD's voice. Buck smiled gratefully to his young friend, and they had begun the last hour of their trip home, keeping a careful watch on Vin.

JD slid Milagro to a halt in front of the saloon, dashed off the horse, and tore into the building as fast as he could. "Please be in here! Please be in here!" he prayed silently. His eyes darted through the crowded saloon, scanning for familiar faces. His prayers were answered as he spied Nathan, Chris, Ezra and Josiah, sprawled in chairs, playing poker at the back table. "Nathan! Nathan!" he called, fighting through the sea of humanity pressed into the town's saloon.
"JD!" Chris yelled, catching sight of the teen. "Did you just get back? Where's Vin and Buck?"
"Quick, you gotta come quick!" JD shouted breathlessly. "It's Vin, he's hurt bad! Buck's ridin' in with him now!"
"Oh God Nathan, I knew something was wrong! Let's go!" Chris cried in anguish, grabbing the healer's arm and propelling him quickly through the crush of people. They slammed down the boardwalk, heading toward the dim outline of a horse carrying two riders. Josiah and Ezra wordlessly followed a few paces behind.
"Nathan, Chris, thank God," Buck breathed in relief. "Nathan, you gotta fix him up, he's really hurt bad. He's really hurt bad."
"It's gonna be OK, Buck," Nathan said, "We'll take it from here. You've taken real good care of him until now..."
"No! No I haven't!" Buck exclaimed, shamefaced. "Nathan, Vin's hurt because of me! It's all my fault, I did this!" He unconsciously tightened his grip on the injured tracker and stared at Nathan blankly.
"OK Buck, just settle down now, and let go of Vin real easy like," Nathan replied in a soothing voice. "We can't get him off the horse if you keep holdin' him like that."
"Huh? Whatta ya mean, Nathan?" Buck replied confusedly.
"Nathan, if you don't get Vin off that God damned horse right now, I will!" Chris ground out through clenched teeth.
"Hold off a second, Chris," Nathan begged. "Buck seems like he's in shock or somethin'. He's actin' pretty strange. I'll get him to let go of Vin, don't worry."
"No Nathan, Vin needs your help right now! Buck's "condition" can wait." He turned to his oldest friend. "Buck, hand Vin down to me, now!" he ordered brusquely.
Chris's commanding tone seemed to bring Buck around, and he looked at Chris clear-eyed. "Chris, his left arm and shoulder are messed up and so are his ribs, be careful," he cautioned, as he gently handed the battered man into Chris and Nathan's waiting arms.
"Chris, you should let Josiah help me carry Vin, your shoulder's still a little sore," Nathan suggested.
"I'm fine," Chris replied harshly. "Vin's the one you should be worryin' about, not me. Now come on, let's get him to the clinic."
They carefully walked to Nathan's rooms, carrying Vin between them, as the rest all crowded after them. All eyes were glued to Vin as he was settled into the bed.
Nathan looked around the room at the solemn faces. "I know you all want to stay here with Vin, but some of you are gonna have to wait outside." He hated to do this, but the room was just too full of people to allow him to work freely. Dead silence. No one budged.
"OK boys," he sighed. "Here's the way it is. Buck and JD, I don't wanna see the two a you again until you've had a bath and somethin' to eat. You're both a mess and look to be starvin'. Ezra, why don't you go with ‘em and take care of the horses. Josiah, you and Chris can stay here with me."
Buck continued to stare at Vin's still form, white-faced. JD hesitated, watching Buck.
"Go on now, git!" Nathan pushed.
JD took Buck's arm and led him out the door. Ezra moved to follow, when Nathan grabbed his shoulder. "Ezra, keep your eye on Buck, he's actin' kinda strange and he don't look so good. Try to get the two of them to rest after they wash up and eat somethin'."
"You concentrate on Mr. Tanner, I'll see to Mr. Wilmington and Mr. Dunne," Ezra responded gallantly. Fear not, Mr. Jackson, I'll report back to you if he acts in any way incapacitated."
"Appreciate it, Ezra," Nathan nodded and released the southerner. He then turned to the gunslinger hovering anxiously at his side. "Chris, I hope you're up for this, ‘cause it's gonna be a long night."
"Whatever you need me to do Nathan, I'll do it. I'll be here for Vin. He needs me."
"Fine Chris, that's just fine, he replied, patting his friend's arm in sympathy. "Here's what we're gonna do. Josiah, you hold Vin's upper arm and body, but be careful, ‘cause his shoulder's dislocated, I think." Nathan continued, "First things first, I gotta get his broken arm set before I even deal with that shoulder and his ribs. Chris, you be ready and hold his legs. I know he's out now, but he sure won't like the feel of this if he wakes up."
The two men moved into position and Nathan took a steadying breath before touching the mangled forearm. "I'm gonna just twist this bone back into place and then we're gonna splint it with those pieces of wood and bandages. Chris, when I give the word, let go of his legs and grab that stuff for me." With a nod at his assistants, Nathan went to work setting the bone back to its proper place. He was pleased to find that the bone snapped back into place relatively easily and that Vin had not stirred during the ordeal. He had been watching Chris very closely ever since Buck had ridden in with Vin and he knew their leader was near his breaking point. It would hurt all of them to watch Vin suffer as Nathan tended to his injured body, but Chris would take it especially hard. He briefly considered bringing Buck or Ezra in to help him and Josiah, but then just as quickly changed his mind. There would be no way Chris would ever leave the room with Vin like this.
"Nice job fellas, now let's get that shoulder fixed." He exhaled loudly, steeling himself to begin working on Vin again. "Chris, Josiah, I gotta warn ya, this is going to be a hard one to do. Vin's gonna wake up during this one, believe me. You gotta keep doin' what I say, no matter what."
"Can't you give him somethin' for the pain Nathan? It don't seem right makin' him hurt like that. Hasn't he been through enough already?" Chris asked, staring at the healer, wretched despair written across his lean face.
"Not in his condition, Chris, I'm sorry. If there was any other way to do this, I would. I know it's gonna hurt him to get that shoulder back in place, but it'll feel better once it's back where it belongs. You just gotta stay strong and help me."
Chris looked at Vin, taking in the tight grimace the tracker now wore across his normally placid features. He nodded to Nathan. "Let's get back to work. Vin's countin' on us."

Chris Larabee felt like a used up old man as he sat slumped forward in the hard bedside chair he had now occupied for the past four hours. The cold pit of despair that had settled in his stomach from the moment he saw Vin crumpled lifelessly on Buck's horse was now working its way through the rest of his body. He blanched at the bitter tang of fear he felt lodged in the back of his throat. Misty tears began to well up in his pale, bloodshot eyes as he cast yet another heartsick glance toward the prone, bandaged occupant of the sickbed. "Vin, please, just open your eyes," he pleaded softly to the still, silent man. "You gotta be all right. I don't know what I'd do without ya."
Shaking his head in frustration, he dragged himself out of the chair to stretch aching, cramped muscles, stiffened from hours spent sitting vigil at Vin's bedside. Gradually making his way to the open window on the other side of the room, he pulled a cheroot from his pocket and lit it. Leaning his lithe body against the ledge, he smoked, waiting. God how he hated the waiting. He stared intently across the room at his friend, hoping, praying for some sign of movement. But there was none. He wiped angrily at the tears, still brimming unshed in his eyes and laughed softly in the silent, suffocating room, a bitter, mirthless sound. "It's funny, ain't it Larabee," he thought to himself. "You faced down men bent on killin' you, been in gunfights outnumbered five to one, and was never afraid for even a second. So how come now you're sittin' in this room, waitin' for Vin to wake up, scared to death? And you're cryin' like some baby to boot? What the hell is Vin gonna say when he does wake up and sees ya like this? Some tough guy, ain't ya, Larabee?"
Vin suddenly moaned in his sleep and began to stir restlessly on the bed. Chris quickly doused the cigar and rushed across the room, crouching down next to Vin. He reached out a shaking hand to smooth away a golden lock of hair that had fallen across Vin's bruised, broken cheek, then continued stroking the burnished gold tresses until Vin stilled. As the silvery moonlight bathed the tracker's sleep-slackened features in its shimmering glow, Chris found himself shocked at how young and vulnerable Vin looked. "God, he reminds me so much of what Michael would have been like," he thought to himself sadly, biting his lip in a vain attempt to stem the flow of tears that returned to fall silently from his ice-blue eyes. He knew now why he was so afraid. He had become so close to Vin, as close as he had been to his dead brother Michael. And he was now in danger of losing Vin, just as he had lost Michael, all those years ago. The pain and hopelessness he had felt so long ago as he had waited by Michael bedside, watching morosely as his brother slipped away from him was now reborn again, as fresh and strong as if it had only been yesterday, not 15 long, hard years ago that those vile emotions had vanquished him. ‘But not this time, not again!' he vowed to whatever spirits might be listening in the solemn room, leaping to his feet and shaking a fist into the air. "I've lost too many people I've cared about! You're not gonna take him too!"
With a burst of pent up energy, he began to prowl the room like a caged tiger, pacing restlessly long into the night. As the first light of the coming dawn bled into the hushed room, he finally collapsed, exhausted into the bedside chair, falling almost immediately asleep.

Waking up from a short, fitful doze, he skewed bleary blue eyes toward the door when he heard it creak open. Nathan Jackson eased into the room, his compassionate gaze immediately resting on the solemn gunslinger draped forlornly in the wooden chair. "How's he doin' Chris?"
"He hasn't woken up yet Nathan. I thought you said he would wake up when we were fixin' his shoulder, and he didn't." Chris growled at the healer accusingly. "He's hurt worse than you're sayin', ain't he!" He jumped up to clutch at the collar of the black man's shirt with desperate hands. "Nathan, what aren't you telling us about Vin? You better tell me the truth right now!"
"Chris, just settle down," Nathan replied, thrusting the gunslinger's hands away from his clothing with a huff. "I ain't keepin' nothin' from ya about Vin. Ain't no call to get all riled up like that just yet. Everybody's different, and most of the time, somebody gets their shoulder shoved back into place, they're screaming like the devil himself is after ‘em. Don't know exactly what's goin' on with Vin just yet Chris, and we won't ‘til he wakes up. Maybe he's just too worn out to wake up right now. Remember, he was on that horse hurt like that for hours. Pain like that'll take a lot out of a man."
Chris flinched at Nathan's last words, consumed with guilt as he imagined the torturous horse ride Vin had endured to get here. He clenched his slender, lethal hands into tight fists, frustrated at the helplessness he felt at this moment as he looked down upon the bandaged form that was his best friend.
"I'm sorry Nathan. I just can't stand seein' him like this."
"It's OK Chris. I know how you feel. Ain't none of us want to see Vin layin' here like this. Why don't you go on and get some rest now. I can take it from here."
"No! I ain't leavin' him! I'm stayin' here ‘til I know he's gonna be all right!"
"OK then Chris, you gotta calm down. Now ain't the time to be talkin' like this, he could wake up anytime and don't need to see ya comin' apart like this. Can ya step outta the way for a minute? I wanna check him over."
Chris nodded and stepped aside, allowing Nathan access to the bed.

"Christ Almighty," Nathan gasped as he unraveled the protective bandage he had placed around Vin's injured side the evening before. Straining to see over the healer's shoulder, Chris stared in revulsion at the angry indigo, amethyst and ebony splotches that stained the smooth, lightly bronzed skin of the former bounty hunter's left side. But it was the sight of a clearly outlined hoofprint, stamped into the inflamed flesh just under Vin's ribcage that caused bile to rise in the throats of the two men. Chris shuddered and averted his eyes quickly, but there was no hiding from the vision in the harsh, unforgiving daylight flooding into the clinic. Raw, reddened flesh puckered around the edge of the horseshoe shaped indentation. "Infected," Nathan stated softly. "No wonder he's burnin' up." He turned sorrowful eyes to the emotionally drained gunslinger hovering anxiously at his side. "We gotta treat this now, Chris. Have to get rid of the infection."
"What do ya want me to do?"
"Hold his shoulders down, but be careful of that left one," the healer cautioned. He left the bedside briefly and returned with several bottles. "Ready Chris?'
Their leader nodded and Nathan quickly began to clean the wound, pouring alcohol directly into the injury.
A ragged sob was torn from the throat of his patient as the stinging solution penetrated the cut flesh.
"Nathan! Nathan, stop it!" Chris cried out desperately, hanging onto Vin tightly. "You're hurting him!"
"Gotta do it Chris, it's the only way!" Nathan snapped back. "Just hold him steady, I'll be done in a minute."
Still in a delirious state, Vin began to struggle violently against the hands that held him in their strong grasp. "Hurry it up, Nathan!" Chris ordered, beads of perspiration breaking out on his forehead as he concentrated on holding Vin without touching any of his injuries. His hand suddenly slipped on Vin's sweat-slickened shoulder and the injured man cried out again.
"That's it Nathan! You're done! We ain't putting him through this anymore! You better give him something for the pain, now!"
"All done Chris!" Nathan crowed, triumphantly. "Think I got it all, he should be feelin' better already." He continued. "Do me a favor Chris? Go down to the boardin' house kitchen. I asked Melissa to make up some broth for Vin and it should be about ready. If he don't wake up soon on his own, I'm gonna try and rouse him and feed him some of that."
Chris glanced quickly back at the bed, uncertainty crossing his pinched, pale features.
"God, he looks so tired," Nathan thought to himself. "Come on Vin, you better get well fast or Chris is gonna be right in that bed next to ya." He then spoke out loud to reassure the hesitant man. "It'll be OK Chris. Nothing's gonna happen while you're gone, don't worry. I'll be here with him the whole time."
Chris nodded exhaustedly and headed out the door.

He woke with a start, feeling a cool, work roughened hand resting on his forehead. Forcing weighted eyelids open, he was greeted with the sight of a dark blur hovering over him. He blinked a few times, trying to clear away the hazy fog enveloping him. Finally, his sapphire blue eyes were able to focus and he was surprised to find a large black man smiling down at him.
"Hey Vin," Nathan greeted softly. "Welcome back. How ya feelin'?"
"Not again," the injured man groaned inwardly.
‘Vin?" Nathan tried again. "Did you hear me?
"Who're you?"
"My name's Nathan," the healer replied, frowning slightly with concern.
Slightly veiled eyes regarded him cautiously. "Nathan," he said softly, as if trying to place the name. "We rescued you from a lynchin' right?" he asked tentatively.
"Yeah, you and Chris sure did," he replied gently.
Just then, Chris Larabee crept back into the room, a tray containing a large bowl of steaming beef broth clutched in his hands. His tired eyes lit up joyfully when he saw Vin was awake.
"Vin!" Chris cried loudly, rushing toward the bed.
Nathan quickly stepped forward to intercept the man, blocking his path to the bed. He cast Chris a warning look as he grabbed the tray of hot liquid. "Listen Chris," he cautioned. "Something ain't right with Vin. He didn't know who I was just now."
"Whatta ya mean, Nathan? He knows who you are now, right?" he pleaded.
"No, he don't. Why don't you see if he recognizes you," he urged, pushing Chris lightly toward the bed.
"Hey Vin," Chris said, a slight tremor in his resonant voice.
"Don't anybody call me by my real name around here?" Vin pouted.
"Whatta ya mean?" Chris asked, trying to keep the anxiousness he felt from seeping into his voice.
"My real name, not my nickname. JD told me..." he began to reply, but stopped speaking as his face contorted from the white-hot spasm of pain that suddenly shot through his injured shoulder, radiating down into his fractured arm.
Nathan pressed forward. "Take it easy Vin, I've got somethin' for ya to drink. It'll make you feel better." He helped the rapidly weakening tracker drink the laudanum, then resettled him carefully back on the bed.
He and Chris silently watched Vin's eyes slowly drift shut as the drug took effect.

"I hope you're goin' to your room to get some sleep, Chris."
"Nope," Chris Larabee replied flatly, refusing to break stride to offer the healer any additional explanation.
"Dammit Chris," Nathan cursed in exasperation, "you better take it easy, wasn't that long ago you were layin' in that bed shot up. You were up all night with Vin. You gotta take better care of yourself."
The gunslinger shook his head. "Something's goin' on here Nathan, and I ain't leavin' Vin any longer than I need to, at least 'til I know he's gonna be OK. I'm gonna go see Buck and JD, then come back here."
Nathan's powerful legs carried him across the room quickly, bringing him face to face with the leader of the seven. Chris Larabee could be one stubborn man, but Nathan wasn't about to roll over on this one. He smiled conspiratorially at Chris as he moved to block the door, resting his large frame against the wood.
"What's the deal Nate?" Chris asked quizzically.
"Just want to talk to ya for a minute is all."
"I'm done talkin', Nate. You gonna get outta my way or am I gonna have to move ya?"
The healer grinned at Chris's question, never doubting for a minute that the determined gunslinger would indeed be able to move him away from the door. He stepped aside quickly, hoping to diffuse Chris's rapidly rising temper.
"Got a plan, I wanted to talk to you about it, that's all."
"OK Nathan, but make it quick."
"I'll move a cot in here for ya. That way, I can be sure you're gettin' some rest and you can stay with Vin."
"Thanks Nathan, I'd really appreciate it," Chris said, turning to go.
"Hold up, Chris, there's just one more thing."
Something about Nathan's tone made Chris Larabee stop in his tracks. This sounds bad. He spun swiftly to face the healer, noting with rising alarm that the smile he wore seconds ago had been replaced by a very serious expression.
"What is it Nathan! It's Vin, ain't it! He's worse than ya thought?"
"No Chris," Nathan replied calmly. "It's about Vin, but not what you're thinkin'. Come on over here, I want you to see something."
He led the gunslinger over to Vin's bed. "Chris, after you been in a fistfight, how do your hands usually look the next day?"
The blond haired man frowned at Nathan. "What kind of a question is that? You know as well as I do what they look like. I don't have time for this! I'm gonna go see Buck and JD!"
"Just answer the questions, Chris. I got a good reason for asking."
"All right Nathan. Busted up. They look busted up and bruised. Now, can I go?" he finished impatiently.
"Take a look at this Chris," the healer asked, ignoring Chris's last comment and drawing him closer to Vin's sleeping form. Nathan carefully traced the still slightly swollen areas of Vin's face with his finger. "Some of these bruises here look to be almost a week old. He's got some on his side, too, just like it. They were hard to see at first, 'cause of all the other fresh bruisin' he's got down there. Just noticed it when was changin' his bandages before."
"So you think he was in some kind of a fight then, before Buck and JD found him?" Chris asked tersely.
Nathan glanced up, assessing the mercurial gunslinger's mood. "This ain't gonna be good," he thought to himself, feeling the waves of tension starting to radiate from their leader's taut body. Chris Larabee looked like a rattlesnake, ready to strike. Nathan hated to be the one to deliver this bit of hard news to his friend. "Just say it, get it over with!" he encouraged himself silently.
He picked up Vin's right hand, holding it up into Chris's line of vision. "Take a look at Vin's hand, Chris. Not a mark on it. No bruises, no scrapes, no cuts." He fell silent to let Chris draw his own conclusion, watching warily as the gunman took Vin's limp hand gently in his, then leaned forward to look closely at the healing bruises on his face.
"What are you tryin' to tell me Nathan?" Chris asked in a voice shaking with rage. "You tellin' me someone beat the crap outta Vin and he wasn't even able to fight back!"
The healer nodded sadly. "That's exactly what I think happened Chris."
"Jesus, Vin, how the hell did this happen to you?" Chris asked softly.
Both men were silent, trying to imagine what had happened to Vin after his disappearance in the desert. As they were lost in their own thoughts, the clinic door creaked open slowly to admit Buck Wilmington and JD Dunne into the sickroom.
"How's he doing Nathan?" the two newcomers asked in unison.
"He's restin' a little easier than before, just had to give him some laudanum to settle him down." He paused to look at Vin before continuing. "Buck, JD, how did Vin look to you when you found him? Was his face all bruised up?"
JD eyed Buck nervously, and both men were silent.
"Well," Chris asked in a rising voice, dropping Vin's hand carefully back onto the bed and moving forward to face the two. "Answer the man! How did he look!"
JD flinched at the ire in Chris's voice and looked back to Buck again, wondering how his friend was going to answer the question.
"Well, it's like this," Buck began quietly. "JD and I rode into this old mining town and went to bed our horses down at the livery. Guess who was workin' there?" he asked rhetorically. "Vin," he continued, answering his own question. "I just couldn't believe it! And he was actin' like he'd never seen us before in his life! I got so mad, rememberin' how he just up and left you in the desert and all, and now he's actin' like nothin' ever happened. So I hit him."
"You WHAT?!" Chris yelled at his oldest friend.
"More than once, too. Once I started seems like I couldn't stop, 'cause he was sayin' he didn't know who we were, and who you were. He denied everything and I was gettin' madder and madder. He was practically unconscious when JD managed to pull me off him." Buck finished, hanging his head in shame.
In the next second, he was pinned up against the wall of the clinic, with Chris Larabee's hand closing in on his throat.
"I oughta f***ing kill you, YOU SON OF A BITCH! Nathan and I both told you Vin was SHOT IN THE HEAD and he wasn't thinkin' real clear when he left me. You KNEW somethin' was wrong with him! Why in the HELL would you do a thing like that to him! WHY!"
"I ain't excusin' what I did Chris, but seein' Vin workin' in that livery, calm as can be, I went a little crazy, and..."
"You went a little crazy? You went a little crazy?" Chris broke in. "I saw the bruises when they were a week old! He didn't even hit you back! What the f**k is wrong with you!" Chris screamed, punctuating each sentence by slamming Buck back into the wall.
"I ain't proud of what I did, Chris and I plan on makin' it up to Vin."
"You're not gettin' anywhere near Vin," Chris promised threateningly, as he released his hold on Buck and backed away, disgusted.
Nathan and JD had been watching the scene in silent horror, each uncertain of what to do. JD squared his shoulders and stepped forward to defend his friend.
"Chris, please listen for a minute," the youth started, choking with emotion as he faced his idol.
The gunman willed himself to calm down enough to hear what JD had to say. "Go on, JD," he prodded.
"I know what Buck did wasn't right and that he hurt Vin. I saw it happen. Chris, Buck IS really sorry, I know it. I saw him with Vin on the trail after everything happened. He helped fix him up after the horse trampled him. Let him make it up to Vin, please," he pleaded.
A numbing coldness descended on Chris as he felt the raw rage return to his body. He allowed it now to course through his veins unchecked, as he thought of Vin, already injured from Buck's beating, being trampled on the trail by his horse. It was several minutes before he felt in control of himself enough to respond to JD without terrifying him. "JD," he finally managed to spit out, valiantly trying to keep the anger from his voice as he spoke to the teen, "you tried to help Vin and that counts for something. I appreciate that and I know Vin does, too. But don't go and try to defend this man," he pointed at Buck, "to me! He's bigger than Vin is, and Vin was still recovering from the bullet graze to his head! How's he ever gonna make something like that up to Vin? What can he say to him? What excuse did he have?"
JD backed a few steps away from Chris's rage whitened face before speaking again.
"Uh, Chris," he gulped. There's somethin' else you gotta know." He looked over to Buck quickly, but received no encouragement from him. Buck stared pleadingly at Chris, then Vin, begging for forgiveness, and he refused to meet JD's eyes. The teen knew he was on his own. It was his duty to tell the rest of the story to the others.
"Vin thinks he's Michael Larabee," JD blurted out.
All eyes in the room snapped around to stare at JD.

"What did you just say?!" Chris shouted in disbelief.
"It's true, ask Buck if you don't believe me," the teen retorted stubbornly.
"I believe you JD, now just tell me what happened," Chris growled at the teen.
"W-well, after Buck beat up Vin the first time..."
"The FIRST time! How many times did you beat him, you sick son-of-a- bitch!" Chris yelled, lunging for Buck.
"Easy Chris!" Nathan said, stepping between the two men. "Let's hear the rest of the story, first, OK? And try to keep it down, we don't want to disturb Vin."
"OK Nathan, I'll listen to the rest of it, then Buck and me are leavin' to have a little PRIVATE conversation, ain't we old buddy," the gunman stated sarcastically.
Buck couldn't hold Chris's gaze. He dropped his head again and slumped half-heartedly against the clinic wall, his hands fiddling nervously with his gunbelt.
"Go on JD," Nathan urged gently.
"Buck kept callin' him Vin, and using your name, Chris," JD continued on, "and Vin finally said his name wasn't Vin and he didn't know any Chris. Well, Buck got mad again..." JD stopped, momentarily losing his nerve as he saw Chris go for Buck again. He was relieved to see Nathan continue to shield Buck from their furious leader. "And asked Vin just who he was then, if he wasn't Vin Tanner. That's when he said his name was Michael, Michael Larabee."
"Oh my God," Chris uttered hoarsely. "The campfire! We were sittin' around the campfire talkin' the night before we got attacked. I was tellin' Vin about my little brother Michael. And then when he got grazed in the head with the bullet, I told you how strange he was actin', like he didn't remember who I was..."
"Sounds like he's got somethin' called amnesia," Nathan interjected. "I saw it a few times in the war with head injuries. People forget who they are, lose their memory. Usually comes back, but it can take a while, might take a week, might take longer. I heard sometimes people never remember and they just live out their lives thinkin' they's somebody else."
"You serious, Nathan?" Chris asked incredulously. "Vin might never remember who he is? He could think he's Michael Larabee forever?"
"Now just hold on a minute there, Chris. I never actually seen that happen to anybody. The men I saw in the war, they got better after a while. It's only been a few days with Vin and he's been through a lot since it happened. He could wake up right now and be himself again. We just have to wait."
JD cleared his throat nervously, drawing Nathan and Chris's attention back to him. "He knows his brother lives here. I told him a little bit about you, Chris, 'cause he asked me to."
The gunslinger turned abruptly to stare intently at the youngest of the seven.
"Well, he and I rode double most of the time on the way back here. He was too hurt to ride on his own," JD rambled, uncomfortable with Chris's piercing gaze. "He seemed so upset that he couldn't remember stuff, so I just played along and acted like he WAS Michael Larabee. I even got used to calling him that. And I told him all about you and the rest of us, and his life here. That was OK, wasn't it?" he finished worriedly, unsure if he had done the right thing.
"You did just fine, JD," Nathan reassured. "Didn't he Chris?" the healer prodded.
"Yeah, JD, ya did just fine," Chris repeated absently. "Nathan, what should we do when Vin wakes up? What if he still thinks he's Michael? How do we handle it?"
"Just like JD's been doin'. We act like he's Michael Larabee for as long as he thinks he is. He's gonna be confused enough as it is, with all of us being strangers. Don't think he'd believe us anyway if we tried to tell him he WASN'T Michael Larabee."
"Yeah, well you forgot about one thing, Nathan," Chris added in a deadly tone. "Not everybody here is a stranger to Michael Larabee. He knows JD and he knows Buck. And I'm sure he's gonna remember his old friend Buck when he wakes up. If you're through JD, I think it's time Buck and I had a little discussion outside." He side stepped around Nathan, grabbed Buck by the collar and pulled. "Come on, buddy, let's go."
"Hold up, Chris," Nathan urged.
"Not this time, doc," the gunslinger scowled as he shook his head.
"Chris, you can't do this, it ain't right! Buck beat up on Vin, right? And now you're gonna pay him back for that, doin' exactly the same thing to Buck." He shook is head angrily at his friend. "How come it's OK for you to do that to Buck, but not for him to do that to Vin? Do you think that's what Vin would really want? The two of you facin' off against each other?"
"What are ya askin' me do Nathan, just forget about the whole thing?" the gunman asked bitterly. "Forget what Buck did to Vin and just act like nothin' happened?"
"I ain't askin' ya to do that at all, Chris, just give it a little time. And let Vin have a say in things. It's his call, wouldn't ya say?"
Chris visibly deflated in the face of Nathan's sound logic. "OK Nathan, you win. I'll give it a little more time."
"You're doin' the right thing Chris," the healer reassured. "JD, Buck, think it'd be best if you two left us alone for a while."
"Sure thing Nathan, just let us know if you need anything," JD said as he led Buck toward the door.
Buck broke away from JD's loose grip on his arm to turn toward his oldest friend. "Chris, if there was any way I could make this up to Vin, I would. You gotta believe me." Buck pleaded.
The gunslinger stared scathingly at his former friend. "I catch you anywhere NEAR Vin, Buck, and I'm gonna forget the promise I just made to Nathan! You stay the HELL away from him! Now get outta my sight!"
Without another word, JD grabbed Buck again and pulled him out of the room.

"Chris, did you have to be so hard on him?"
"Hard on him, Nathan? You forget what he did to Vin? I think he got off pretty damn easy!"
"But Chris, he's your oldest friend, y'all have been through a lot together!"
"Drop it doc, don't want to hear it," Chris warned.
"OK Chris," Nathan agreed, figuring he had pushed far enough for now. "Why don't we get that cot set up in here for ya? You can catch a few winks, Vin'll sleep for a little while longer now that all the shouting's died down."

Two hours later, Nathan started at the soft knock on the clinic's door. Shutting the medical book he had been absorbed in, he hurried to open the door and was surprised to find JD on the other side.
"Hey Nathan," the youth greeted, "I brought some food up for all of ya, thought you'd be hungry."
"Thanks JD, that was real good of ya. But I think you better not come in, Chris and Vin are still asleep, and I'm not sure what kind of mood Chris is gonna be in when he wakes up."
"I gotta come in Nathan," the teen persisted. "Vin knows me. I know he'll feel better if he sees me when he wakes up. Maybe he won't be so scared, bein' in a strange place and all."
"It's OK, Nathan, go on and let him in." The two men in the doorway turned in surprise.
"Come on over here, JD," Chris continued. "I wanna talk to you about what happened on the trail."
"S-sure Chris," JD stammered nervously. "But don't you think we should wait until later?" He eyed Nathan hopefully, praying he'd come to his rescue. "I mean, we might wake up Vin talkin' and all."
"It's OK, JD," Chris replied, misreading JD's apprehension. "I ain't mad at you for what happened. I know ya tried to help Vin."
"I ain't worried about that Chris," he answered back quickly. "I just don't want you to get any madder at Buck, is all. I know it sounds bad and it wasn't right, but you gotta understand..."
"I understand all I need to know, JD," the gunslinger retorted coldly. "If you just came in here to talk to me about Buck, then get out. But if you're here to see Vin and try to help him, then you can stay. You decide. But you better make up your mind fast."
JD sighed sadly. "Okay Chris, I'm stayin. For Vin's sake."
"Good," Chris said, smiling tightly.
"Hey, he's wakin' up!" Nathan shouted.
The two men joined the healer at Vin's bedside, watching as Vin struggled to open his eyes.
After a few minutes, Vin's vivid blue eyes stayed open, focusing on the three men surrounding his bed.
"Hi, how are you feelin'?" Nathan asked.
"Tired. Got a headache," Vin replied weakly.
"JD, get me a glass of water, would ya?" Nathan requested.
The young sheriff hurried back with glass is hand. Vin noticed the younger man when he handed the water to Nathan.
"JD?" he frowned. "What happened? Where are we?"
Nathan silenced the teen's reply with a curt nod of his head.
"You're in Four Corners," the healer answered instead. "You remember who I am?"
"I remember you from before. You're Nathan, right?" Vin said shakily.
"Yep, that's right," the healer responded smiling slightly. "Now, tell me your name."
"Don't you know?" Vin asked, his voice rising in alarm. "Ain't this where I live? You don't know me? JD, JD, what's goin' on!"
"I know ya, just relax, everything's Okay," Nathan quickly soothed. "I'm just makin' sure you know your name. You got banged up on the way here, and I wanna be sure your head's all right."
"Oh, okay," Vin said, calming somewhat. "Yeah, sure, I remember my name. It's Michael."
"Michael what?" Nathan pressed.
"Michael Larabee," Vin finished.
He thought he had been prepared, but Chris couldn't help the sharp gasp that sprang from his tightly compressed lips when he heard Vin call himself by his dead brother's name. "Keep it together, Larabee," he willed himself, ignoring the sweat pooling in his palms. He concentrated instead on clenching his hands so tightly that he felt the skin over his knuckles start to crack open. He felt Nathan's and JD's eyes on him. He had to do it, it couldn't be put off any longer. He forced a smile on his face and leaned forward.
"Hey cowboy! How ya feelin'?"
Vin turned to Chris with a blank expression. "Do I know you?"
"I sure hope you do, Michael! I'm your brother!"
Vin quickly looked to JD for confirmation of the stranger's statement. "That true JD?"
JD darted his eyes to Nathan and Chris and saw the approval there. "He sure is Michael, remember I told ya all about him?"
"Yeah, I remember some," Vin said softly.
Nathan noticed his patient was growing tired. "That's enough for now, boys." He gestured for the two others to follow him to the door and spoke quietly so Vin would not hear. "Chris, you doin' okay with this? You wanna help me with Vin or should I send JD to get Josiah?"
"No, Nathan, it's okay, I can handle it."
"You sure? I saw your face when Vin said he was Michael Larabee."
The gunman stiffened at Nathan's last words. "Gotta admit it was a shock, Nathan. Been a long time since I heard my brother's name. But don't worry about me, we gotta do this to help Vin."
"OK, if you're sure then," Nathan acquiesced. He looked at the youngest, who was staring glumly toward the bed. "JD, why don't you come back later tonight? I think Vin would like to see you again when he wakes up."
"OK Nathan," JD replied perking up a little. "I'll come by after dinner." He looked at the two men hopefully. "Did you want me to bring anybody else with me?"
Chris pointedly ignored the question, walking away back over to Vin. Nathan took pity on the youth. "No JD, Vin can't have a lot of visitors just yet. It's real confusin' for him right now, since he don't know where he's at, and can't remember a lot of things. You just come on along by yourself for now, that'd be best."
JD nodded and left.

As darkness descended on Four Corners, Chris Larabee was becoming very anxious.
"It's been hours Nathan, and he hasn't opened his eyes!"
"Relax Chris. Ain't nothin' strange about that. All that talkin' he did took a lot outta him this mornin'. He's just restin' up a bit."
"Guess you're right," the gunman reluctantly agreed and stood up to stretch his long, lean body.
"Well, will ya lookee there," Nathan's voice boomed.
Chris stopped, mid-stretch, and bent back over the bed, relieved to see that Vin was waking up.
"Nathan! Nathan!" Chris whispered urgently. "Whatta we do? Whatta we say to him? You think he's Vin or Michael?"
The healer frowned back at his friend. "Just let him take the lead Chris."
Both men watched silently as Vin slowly pulled himself into complete consciousness.
"Hi," Nathan said slowly. "How ya doin'?"
"Guess I'm OK," Vin replied unsteadily.
"Anything hurt?"
"Have to say just about everything doc."
Chris and Nathan exchanged quick, hopeful glances. "Doc. He just called Nathan "doc." Vin's been callin' him that since he met him," Chris thought to himself excitedly. "Please, please be Vin," he prayed silently as he reached out for his injured friend, wanting to catch his attention.
At the gentle touch, Vin turned his head to the other side of the bed. His pain dulled blue eyes widened in surprise at seeing the gunslinger standing over him.
"Chris," he blurted out hoarsely. "What the hell happened? We were fishin'..." he paused as he looked around the room slowly, "...and now I'm lyin' here at Nathan's?"
"Vin! Vin! Is it really you?" the gunslinger cried happily.
"'Course it's me! Who the hell did ya think it was?" the weakened tracker responded irritably as he shifted in the bed.
"Easy Vin," Nathan broke in, his practiced eye easily catching the grimace of pain that Vin quickly tried to hide. "You got a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder, plus some busted ribs. No reason for you to be movin' around like that just yet. We'll get ya whatever ya need. Just gotta ask."
"OK Nathan," the tracker yielded. "Could ya get me some water?"
Nathan and Chris both helped the injured man drink the liquid.
"Feelin' better?" Chris asked hopefully. "Vin? Vin? Did ya hear me?"
The tracker was breathing heavily, trying to will away the bright burst of pain blossoming behind his now tightly shut eyelids. "Oh God," he whimpered softly. "Chris! Make it stop....make it stop! I can't stand it!"
"Vin! What's wrong! Talk to me!" Chris begged helplessly, clutching his friend's hand in both of his. "Nathan, help him!" he pleaded desperately.
The healer ran for the medicine cabinet and returned with a small bottle. "Lift his head a little Chris, I gotta get him to drink this!"
"Vin! Vin! Drink this, it'll make ya feel better," Nathan ordered.
Vin obeyed and both men were relived when Vin's struggles ceased moments later.

"Yeah, he did have a spell like that on the trail," JD recalled, as he, Chris and Nathan sat in the clinic, discussing Vin's condition, later that same night. "He remembered who I was, plain and day, then grabbed his head and started screaming." He looked back and forth at Nathan and Chris curiously. "Whatta ya think it means Nathan? Is he gettin' better or worse?"
"I think he's remembering' things, and that's good," the healer replied, easing both JD and Chris's minds. "But, someone has to be with him all the time to watch him, in case he gets another one of these 'spells'".
"You don't gotta worry about that Nathan, I'll stay with him."
"Figured as much, Chris," Nathan grinned at their leader. "But even you gotta take a break sometime. And, once he's doin' better and can get outta bed, it ain't gonna be easy to keep our eyes on him, 'specially if he's actin' like the Vin Tanner we all know."
The three men shared a laugh, thinking about how stubborn their friend became whenever he was recovering from an illness or injury.
"What I'd give if that would happen this time Nathan," Chris replied somberly.
"I know how ya feel Chris," Nathan comforted. "We just gotta believe things will work out all right." He yawned suddenly and snapped up out of his chair. "I'm gonna check on Vin and then get a little shut eye. JD, you're fallin' asleep in that chair, go to bed. Chris," he ordered, "I expect you to get some sleep tonight, I didn't set that cot up for nothin'."
Chris watched as Nathan carefully checked Vin's wounds. "He's doin' just fine Chris. Should sleep through the night with that laudanum I gave him, but I'll be right next door if you need me. See ya in the morning."

Nathan walked into a happy scene at his clinic the following morning. Chris was hunkered down in the bedside chair, gesturing wildly at Vin, who was propped up in the bed by several pillows, his blue eyes dancing with laughter.
"What's all this about?"
"I was...just...telling Michael about the time...we tried to give our cat, Sunshine...a bath in the horse trough Nathan," the gunslinger breathlessly answered, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Except Chris and I somehow ended up in the horse trough, and the cat got in the house and ran off with the fried chicken we were s'pposed to have for lunch!" Vin finished, doubling over as he laughed.
"Okay Chris, enough with the Larabee Brother's exploits, I've gotta check on my patient. Why don't you go get some breakfast while I check on Michael here?"
Chris rose reluctantly from the chair and plodded to the door. He hated to leave Vin, but obviously Nathan wanted a few minutes alone with his patient. "All right Nathan, but I'll be back in a few minutes." He turned to Vin and noticed that he was looking at Nathan with uncertainty. His stomach dropped at Vin's anxious expression. "Larabee, how stupid can ya be!" he scolded himself. "He thinks you're his brother, so he's gonna trust you, but he doesn't know Nathan! And he sure as hell ain't gonna trust a stranger after what happened with Buck." He quickly walked back to the bed and carefully sat down next to his injured friend. "God, Vin, like I'd leave you alone with somebody that's gonna hurt ya!" he thought to himself as he placed a reassuring arm around Vin's slim shoulders. "It's okay Michael," he said soothingly. "Nathan's our friend. I'd trust him with my life and so would you. You'll be fine here with him."
Nathan smiled at Vin encouragingly. "We'll be just fine until your brother gets back, won't we Michael?"
Vin looked slowly from Chris to Nathan and seemed to relax a little. "Okay Chris, I'll see ya after breakfast. Guess me and Nathan have some catchin' up to do."
"Sounds good Michael, just don't let him tell you any stories about me!" Chris replied, trying to keep the mood light.
"Michael, I'm gonna give Chris our breakfast order, then I'll be right back to see you," Nathan said, walking the gunslinger to the door.
"Chris, you okay with all this?" Nathan asked softly. "This has gotta be hard on ya, bringin' up these memories of your brother."
"You didn't see Vin when he woke up this morning. He was so upset 'cause he couldn't remember anything about his past, so I thought of a funny thing that happened to me and Michael and I told him about it. It made Vin feel better after he heard it. And you wanna know somethin'? It's kinda funny Nathan, but when I was tellin' Vin that story about me and Michael, I felt happy. It was like I was back there with Michael, tryin' to give that crazy cat a bath." He shook his head, suddenly embarrassed that he had revealed so much to the healer.
Nathan gave Chris a knowing glance and squeezed his shoulder gently. "Go on and get. I'll take good care a Vin while you're gone. And could ya send somebody up with some breakfast for me and him? I'm starvin' and he's gotta be, too."
Chris nodded. "One more thing Nathan. What was that JD was sayin' last night? He told Vin that some people called him "Vin" as a nickname. Think he bought it?"
"Don't know, but let's not push it. If he don't remember who he really is by the time he's up and around, we'll deal with that then. In the meantime, let's try to limit his visitors. Think he might get a little confused and scared seein' all these strangers and then if they keep callin' him Vin, don't know what will happen. We know you, me and JD are okay with him, and we can fill in the rest of us about his condition. They can visit him gradually, but let's keep out everybody else.
"No Nathan," Chris responded coldly.
"Chris you gotta agree to this!" the healer whispered desperately. "We can't have everybody in Four Corners paradin' through here! Vin's gonna get really confused and pretty upset if some people are callin' him Michael and some people..."
"That ain't what I meant!"
"Well just what are you talkin' about then? Spit it out!"
"Got no problem with you restrictin' his visitors doc and I agree, the rest of the seven can come and go as long as Vin's all right with it. But Buck Wilmington ain't settin' foot in this room!"
"Chris..." Nathan began.
The gunman held up his hand. "Don't even waste your breath, Nathan. I ain't lettin' him anywhere near Vin. I'll send one of the other fellas up with some food, but my words final on that! Now why don't you go and take care of Vin and I'll be back in a little while."
Part 2

"Come on now Michael," the healer coaxed. "I know you're hungry, why don't you just eat it?"
"Ain't hungry Nathan and I'm sick of this room! When am I gonna get outta here?" Vin replied, sulking.
"I ain't lettin' you outta here until you get better. And if you don't eat that, you ain't gonna get any better! And I went to a lot of trouble gettin' that food for ya. I'm hungry, too ya know."
"Then you eat it, 'cause I ain't! I've had enough of this!" Vin replied and started to get up out of the chair, headed for the door.
"Oh no ya don't! " Nathan shouted, realizing Vin's plan, and moving swiftly to block the younger man's path to the door.
"Get outta my way Nathan, I'm leavin'!"
"No ya ain't! Just sit back down and eat that breakfast now!"
Both men started as a loud knock sounded at the clinic door, followed by the appearance of J.D. Dunne.
"What's goin' on guys, thought I heard shouting?" he asked.
Nathan and Vin exchanged silent glares, each almost daring the other to say something about the situation to J.D.
"Nothing goin' on JD," Nathan answered. "Michael here was just about to eat breakfast, weren't ya Michael?" He did not wait for a reply, turning instead back to the door. "And I was just about to go out and get somethin' to eat myself. JD, would ya mind keepin' Michael company? And makin' sure he eats?"
With a smug grin to Vin he headed quickly out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Nathan walked briskly through town, taking a much needed break from his patient. He shook his head with annoyance thinking about uncooperative and irritable Vin was becoming with each passing day. It had been a week since Vin had been brought back to Four Corners, severely injured, and the tracker had been making a remarkable recovery. He had hoped to appease Vin this morning by finally letting him get out of bed and have his breakfast in the bedside chair. He was disappointed, but not too surprised to find that his plan did not work. Vin was even crankier than usual and Nathan had quickly reached the end of his rope when the convalescent complained about his "incarceration" and stubbornly refused to eat his meal. 'Ain't gonna be able to keep that boy down for much longer,' he sighed to himself tiredly as he continued walking.

"Chris, Chris! Wait up!"
"Who's watchin' Vin, Nathan?"
"JD's with him. I bet they're playin' checkers or somethin' by now. Don't worry, he's fine, just gettin' a little testy," he assured. "Where ya headed?"
"Gonna get somethin' to eat Care to join me doc?"
"Yeah, I was headin' over there myself."
They walked in silence to the boardinghouse's restaurant. There were several other customers, including Josiah and Ezra. Nathan and Chris acknowledged them, but the healer led Chris to a secluded table away from the din.
The gunslinger raised one ruddy blond brow in question. "What's on your mind doc?"
"Chris, I wanna talk to you about somethin'. It's about Vin."
"What about Vin?" Chris asked, feeling a sharp stab of fear twist in his gut. "He's gettin' better ain't he?"
"That's exactly it. I can't keep him stuck in that room much longer Chris. He is gettin' better and it's time for him to be up walkin' around, gettin' his strength back. And it's time he moved back into his own room."
"No, Nathan," Chris protested. "It's too soon, he's still too weak."
"Chris," the healer stated firmly. "I'm the first one to say that I ain't no doctor, no matter how many times you and Vin call me that," he said smiling slightly at Chris. "But I'm the closest thing to one this town's got. And when I say Vin's ready to start movin' around, he is."
"But he was hurt real bad, Nathan, you sure you're not pushin' it?"
"No, Chris, it's time. Especially after this mornin', believe me, it's time. You're just afraid somethin's gonna happen if he's walkin' around town, ain't ya?"
The gunslinger exhaled slowly. "Guess you're right Nathan.," he agreed reluctantly. "What's gonna happen when people in town see him and call him Vin Tanner? What about the bounty on his head? People could be gunnin' for him and he's gonna have no idea what's goin' on!"
"Your're right Chris, but we can't keep him cooped up in my clinic. Haven't you noticed how irritated he's been?"
"You mean irritatin', don't ya doc," Chris grinned back. "He's always that way once he's feelin' better, I didn't think nothin' of it."
"You gotta point there Chris," Nathan laughed. "But we gotta come up with a plan on how we can keep Vin safe."
"I got an idea Nathan. Vin can stay with me for a while. We'll move a cot into my room and that way I can keep an eye on him easier."
"Sure you wanna do that Chris?"
"Yeah, I'm sure. You said it yourself, Vin shouldn't be left alone in case he has another of those spells. And his arm's still in a sling. I've been laid up like that before. It ain't easy to get around like that."
"Sounds good to me then. Let's get your room set up and get on back to the clinic and spring Vin."

"No! I've had it JD! I ain't stayin' in this room another minute! I been stuck in here forever!" Vin ranted to his younger friend. "And no, I don't wanna play another game of checkers with you, I don't wanna play another hand of poker with Ezra and if Josiah reads me another Bible verse, I'm gonna scream!"
"Settle down Michael," JD said nervously. "You know you can't go anywhere 'til Nathan says so. I can't let ya leave."
"You gonna try and stop me then?" Vin growled back at JD.
"No, but I will!" a new voice answered sharply. "Michael, quit givin' JD such a hard time!" Chris Larabee ordered, as he and Nathan walked into the clinic. "He's just doin' what Nathan and I told him. You got a beef, bring it up with me!"
"Yeah, I got a beef all right! When the hell am I gettin' out of here?"
"Where do ya wanna go Michael?" Nathan asked quietly.
"Anywhere but here!" Vin rumbled in reply.
"Michael, you ain't bein' very polite to Nathan," Chris scolded. "He's been takin' care of you all this time and lettin' me stay here and this is the thanks he gets from ya?" He captured the former bounty hunter in his stern gaze. "I want ya to apologize to him and JD."
"B-but Chris..."
"Right now Michael! I mean it!"
The recuperating tracker hung his head meekly. "Nathan, I'm sorry I've been actin' ungrateful. I 'preciate everythin' you done for me, and I'm sorry for causin' ya such trouble," he said, looking at the floor as he apologized, unable to meet Nathan's eyes in his shame. "JD, sorry I yelled at ya. I shouldn't have done it."
"You ain't been any trouble Michael, it's okay," Nathan reassured, coming over to lay a comforting hand on the chastised man's shoulder. "And I've got some good news for ya."
The tracker lifted his eyes hopefully.
"It's time you get outta this room. You up for an outing?"
"You betcha!" Vin shouted, springing back to life. "I'm so sick of starin' at these four walls! Where we gonna go?"
"Thought we'd walk down to the church and see Josiah," Chris answered. "Then I wanna take ya to the boardinghouse where we live."
"That mean I'm gettin' outta here for good?"
"Yep, can't think of a reason to keep ya here anymore. You just take it easy with that arm and those ribs. And come back tomorrow morning so's I can check on ya," Nathan replied.
"C'mon Chris, let's go!"
"One more thing, Michael," Nathan added. "I don't want ya doin' too much, too soon. After y'all seen Josiah and get settled at the boardinghouse, I want you to get some rest."
"Aw, Nathan," Vin started to protest.
"Michael, you heard the man," Chris warned. "You don't agree to what Nathan said, you're stayin' here, back to square one."
"Okay Nathan, I'll do what ya said," Vin replied, rolling his eyes as he walked out the door. "Geez," he muttered softly to himself, "older brothers."

Vin was leaning heavily on Chris as the two men made their way to the boardinghouse later that day. Josiah had been glad to see Vin and eagerly showed him the progress he was making on the church. Chris had realized too late how exhausted the former bounty hunter was getting from the day's activities when the younger man reeled into a pew at the church, and would have fallen to the ground if Josiah had not been there to catch him. He had started to carry Vin to the roominghouse, but the tracker had caused such a ruckus about being carried that the other two men feared he would re-injure himself. In the end, they decided if would be best to let Vin make the trek with Chris's help. Vin was pale faced and shaking by the time they reached the steps to the boardinghouse, but he stubbornly pressed on. Chris was half-tempted to sling Vin over his shoulder and cart him up the stairs, kicking and screaming, but he controlled the impulse and instead gently guided the younger man up the stairs with a strong hand.
"Here we are, Home Sweet Home," Chris stated cheerfully as he helped Vin into the room.
Vin looked around the space, taking in the bed, cot and miscellaneous personal items. His eyes rested on a tan coat and hat, laying on the bureau. Chris watched Vin's forehead crease in concentration as the younger man looked at the buckskin items, then back to Chris.
"Somethin' wrong Michael?"
"Don't think so," the tracker replied, shaking his head slowly while trying to catch his breath from the tortuous climb upstairs. "But that coat and hat reminded me of somethin'."
"Whatta ya mean?" Chris asked carefully.
"Not sure, but it's gone now."
Chris watched in concern as Vin bent over slightly, fighting for air. "Why don't you lay down, you don't look so good."
The tracker shook his head again, continuing to look around. At last he brought his bright blue eyes around to face the gunslinger, frowning with uncertainty.
"We share a room?"
"No, this is my room Michael."
"Well, then where's my room Chris? What's goin' on?"
"I was hopin' you'd stay with me for a while."
Vin wobbled unsteadily as he stood in the middle of the room, still frowning in confusion at Chris. "How come?"
Chris quickly grabbed Vin before he toppled over and led him to the bed, helping him to sit down.
"Well, you're still hurt for one thing. How you gonna get dressed with a broken arm? How you gonna get up and down the steps by yourself with them ribs still hurtin'?"
"Hadn't really thought about it I guess," Vin replied slowly, still sounding somewhat unsure about the arrangement.
Chris sat next to Vin on the bed, grabbing the younger man's hand in a tight grasp. "Michael, you're my little brother. Won't you let me take care of you for a little while?"
With a start the younger man realized just how important it was to Chris to take care of him. And he knew he couldn't refuse that wish when he saw the desperate pleading in Chris's stormy blue eyes.
"Okay," he agreed, struggling with fatigue to keep his eyes open and finish the conversation. "I'll stay with ya for a while 'til I'm feelin' better." His eyes slowly closed as he feebly tried to fight back against the encroaching darkness. Exhaustion finally won out and he slipped backward toward the pillow, supported by Chris's strong arms.
The black-clad man smiled in relief as he watched his best friend sleep.

"Chris! Chris! Wake up!"
The gunman roused himself groggily at the insistent voice. He opened his eyes to see Vin Tanner crouched in front of him and was instantly alert.
"What's the matter!" he shouted, surprised to find the younger man in his room.
"Nothing, you just fell asleep in the chair. And it's getting dark, thought you might be gettin' hungry. I know I am."
Taking in the sight of the sling encased arm and still bruised up face of his best friend, Chris suddenly remembered why Vin was in his room. 'Oh yeah, he's stayin' with me. He still thinks he's Michael.' He walked to the wash basin and threw cold water on his face. "You feelin' better Michael? Guess that walk to Josiah's was a little too much for ya, huh?"
"No, I'm fine," the tracker responded defensively. "I thought it would make you feel better if I took a nap, that's all."
"Okay Michael, whatever ya say," Chris replied, ready to drop the matter as he chuckled to himself. 'Christ, even when he doesn't know who he is, he's still as stubborn as a mule.'
"Can we go get something to eat, please?" Vin nagged.
"Sure thing brother, let's go," Chris said, leading the way out of the room.
Vin felt much stronger after his rest and the two men quickly made their way down the steps. As they walked outside, both were surprised at the chill in the early fall air.
"Wind's really picked up, hasn't it?" Chris remarked, glad for the warmth of his black duster.
"Yeah, sure has," Vin answered, shivering as the wind blew. "Cuts right through, that's for sure."
Chris turned sharp eyes to the tracker at his comment, noticing that the younger man was not wearing a jacket. "Michael, I'm gonna go get your coat, it's too cold for ya out here without it. Will you be okay? I'll just be gone for a minute."
"I ain't a baby Chris," Vin protested angrily. "I can stand here alone for a minute. Ya know what? Why don't I go get my coat and you can stand here, if ya don't trust me!"
"No, that's not it at all. Oh, never mind! I'll be right back, forget I said anything," Chris retorted, exasperated, as he went back inside the building.
While he waited, Vin surveyed the town. The sun had almost dropped behind the horizon, but he could still easily make out the faces of the townsfolk who walked leisurely along the main street of Four Corners. He noticed a pretty blond woman leaving a glass fronted building, directly across the street from where he stood. He stood mesmerized, staring at the woman, unable to place her face, but feeling in his heart that he knew her very well. He saw images of the woman standing with Chris, laughing and joking in front of that very building. 'Why can't I remember? Why can't I remember?" he berated himself, as his head began to pound from the effort of thinking. A blinding pain in his head erupted once again, as he continued to force his mind to recall events. Soon, he was unable to do or think about anything. He sank to the boardwalk, curled into a ball, holding his head in his uninjured arm. He bit his lip to stifle the cries of pain, drawing blood that flowed from his mouth onto the wooden walkway he rested on. "Help me, someone, please, help me," he cried feebly, fighting back tears of anguish and frustration. He suddenly felt strong arms fold around his body, drawing him close. He pressed himself into the warmth of the burly chest, relieved to be lifted off of the cold, hard boardwalk. He forced his eyes open, and gasped sharply as he recognized the face of the man who held him.
"B-Buck! Put me down! Why are you helpin' me?"
The taller man looked down into the fine, pale features of his friend, grimacing at the pain he saw reflected in the luminous indigo blue eyes. 'I've caused this!' he berated himself silently, and clutched the injured man closer to his chest as he felt shivers race through the slight form.
"You're my friend. Why wouldn't I help ya?" he answered softly, fighting hard to keep his voice steady.
"You ain't my friend," Vin cried, struggling to twist out of the larger man's grasp, but only succeeding in making his head hurt more and aggravating his broken ribs. Buck cringed at hearing Vin's low moan of pain, distressed that he was yet again causing the tracker pain.
"Where's Chris, Michael? Just relax and I'll take ya to him, okay?" he pleaded, trying to quiet the tracker's desperate escape attempts.
"Inside, he went inside to get my coat," Vin managed to gasp out.
Buck turned to take Vin inside the boardinghouse as the door flew open. He found himself face to face with an infuriated Chris Larabee.
"What the hell did ya do to him Buck? I told ya to stay away from him!"
"Chris, I'm sorry," Buck apologized, involuntarily taking a step back from the enraged gunslinger. "I saw him from across the street and just planned on comin' over to apologize, and then he just fell down. I was just tryin' to help him."
"We've had just about enough of your kind of help Buck!" Chris retorted angrily. "Give him to me and get the hell away from both of us!"
Buck paled as he was assaulted by the waves of anger radiating off the gunslinger. He quickly handed Vin into Chris's waiting arms. "Chris, at least let me go and fetch Nathan for ya?" he pleaded.
"Fine Buck, you do that," Chris agreed coldly, turning his back on the man abruptly and heading into the building carrying Vin.

Chris waited impatiently for Nathan to arrive as he watched worriedly over the unconscious form of his best friend. 'C'mon Vin, wake up,' he begged silently as he alternated between gently dabbing a cloth against the still bleeding cut on the tracker's lip and slowly stroking the soft brown hair back from his forehead.
It was as if the sleeping man had heard him, because Vin's eyes popped open at that very minute.
"What's goin' on Chris? What are we doin' back here?" he queried, looking around the room dazedly.
"Thought maybe you could fill me in on that, Michael," Chris replied, with a slight smile. "I went to go get your coat, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, now I do. That tan coat and hat I saw earlier. They're mine, ain't they?"
"Yeah, they are. I brought a few of your things over to the room for ya. But never mind about that, what happened outside Michael?" Chris gently pressed.
"I don't know," Vin replied, lips starting to tremble. "I remember layin' on the boardwalk and it was so cold. Then Buck came and picked me up off the ground. Chris, he said he was helpin' me 'cause he's my friend. What did he mean by that? 'Cause he sure didn't act like my friend when we met up in Shiprock. But then he was so nice to me just before. I don't understand what's goin' on."
"Don't think about it anymore, okay Michael? Nathan's comin' over to take a look at ya and I want ya to just rest 'til he gets here."
"I am kinda tired," Vin agreed, closing his eyes and immediately falling back asleep.
"Okay Buck," Chris muttered under his breath, "Look's like we're due for a little chat." As soon as Nathan checked Vin over and found him to be all right, he was heading out to take care of some unfinished business with Buck.

After he had found Nathan and sent him to Chris's room, Buck headed for the saloon, hoping, like he had done so many nights already this week, to drown his sorrows in a bottle of whiskey. He pushed past the batwing doors and dropped into a table at the rear of the saloon. He prayed none of the other seven would join him. Misery was enough company these days.
He reflected back on the week since he, JD and Vin had returned to town. Several times a day he begged JD for updates on Vin's condition, and knew that Vin still believed himself to be Michael Larabee. Chris
had completely cut him out of his life and forbidden him to come anywhere close to the tracker. He mourned the loss of his oldest friend and suffered many sleepless nights reflecting on his cruel treatment of the former bounty hunter. Buck was also deeply saddened that by following Chris's orders, he was unable to apologize to Vin for his actions.
He had been surprised to see Vin standing alone on the boardwalk and had watched the younger man for a few minutes to be sure that Chris was not around. He was walking over to Vin, hoping to get a chance to apologize, when the tracker had collapsed onto the boardwalk. He ran to his friend, wanting to help and comfort him in way he could. It was risky to face the wrath of Chris Larabee, but Buck knew this was the least he could do after the terrible way he had behaved to Vin.
He laughed bitterly as he tossed back another full glass of amber colored liquid, determined to try and drink away the guilt that ate at his heart and squeezed his gut with an iron fisted grasp. He replayed the scene in Shiprock's livery stable over and over in his head as he drank alone in the dark saloon. He would never forget Vin's battered body, slumping to the straw covered floor, or the bruises and cuts that soon appeared on his own hands. He looked at those hands now, examining them closely in the dim lamp light. They were powerful and strong, these instruments he had used so cruelly to beat a friend with. The cuts were healed and only a shadow of bruising remaining. It didn't seem fair. He had caused all the hurting with these hands, but they looked fine, almost unscathed, while Vin's face and body still bore the marks they meted out. It was then that he realized it was hopeless. There would never be enough whiskey in Four Corners for him to drink to help ease his guilty conscience. He threw a few coins on the table and went out into the night, running smack into the imposing form of Chris Larabee.

"Just comin' in to get you Buck. Glad you saved me the trouble."
"Chris." Buck's eyes lit up briefly, then dimmed as he saw the naked rage burning in Chris's cold blue eyes.
"Been meanin' to talk to you about Vin, Buck. Let's go."
"Where?"
"The jail. Come on," Chris replied flatly.
The two lanky gunslingers walked across the street in silence. Buck kept looking over at Chris's face, trying to read through his icy countenance. 'Is Vin worse? ' he wondered to himself.
They reached the jail quickly. Chris stalked through the door, surprising JD, who sat at his desk, feet propped up, reading a dimestore novel.
"Hey Chris! Hey Buck! How's Vin doin'?"
"He's fine." Chris answered shortly. "JD," he continued, "Buck and I need a few minutes in here. Alone."
"Sure thing, Chris," he replied hesitantly, eyes darting nervously to Buck then back to Chris. He didn't like the idea of leaving Buck alone with their leader, knowing how angry he was with Buck for causing Vin's injuries.
"Go on JD, it'll be all right," Buck reassured his young friend.
"Okay then," he said, handing the keys to Chris.
"We'll lock up when we're finished, JD. See ya in the morning," Chris said.
He turned to Buck. "Have a seat. We might be here a while."
Buck sat down in JD's recently vacated chair and turned to Chris expectantly.
The black clad man struggled to keep his composure as he stared down at Buck. "Care to explain to me why you went against my orders? I told ya to stay away from Vin!"
"Chris, he was layin' on the ground all alone, so I picked him up. Didn't see nobody else around to help him."
"You sayin' I can't take care of Vin?" Chris yelled, grabbing Buck by his shirtfront and yanking him out of the chair.
年o Chris, I didn't mean it like that! I just wanted to help, that's all. And I wanted to apologize to him. I don't see what the big deal is!"
Chris rammed the mustached man into the wall, still clutching his shirt. "The big deal is that Vin's hurt 'cause of you! And now he's layin' in bed, askin' me why you told him you were friends! Don't you think he's got enough to handle right now? Your decision Buck! Either stay away from Vin or get the hell out of town!"
"Chris, please..." Buck pleaded.
Chris was unmoved. "You bother him again and I'll forget we were EVER friends, Buck. I'll run you out of town myself."
Gunshots suddenly filled the late night air. The two combatants moved to the door of the jail, Chris reaching it first and flinging it open.
"Sounds like it's comin' from the saloon!" Chris shouted.
"Let's go, what are we waitin' for?"
The gunslinger rested a restraining hand briefly on Buck's arm as he passed by. "Just so you know Buck, this changes nothing. I meant what I said."
"Okay Chris," Buck replied sorrowfully. "Guess I can't expect no better after what I did to Vin. Let's go help out the boys in the saloon."

An hour later found Chris, Buck, JD and Josiah in the saloon, helping Inez to clear up the leftover debris from a gunfight. It had all started when three strangers, who had been playing poker with Erza for several hours, took exception to Ezra's uncanny knack for winning. Having consumed countless drinks, one of the players threw a glass of whiskey at Ezra, which the southerner deftly ducked. The whiskey instead hit a player at the next table, and the saloon, which was filled to capacity with inebriated men, spoiling for a fight, erupted. Soon fists and bullets were flying and the peacekeepers, minus Vin, stepped in to settle things down. Ezra had sustained a fleshwound to the upper arm and was being cared for by Nathan at his clinic. The townsfolk were sent on home, and the three strangers were sent on their way, their pockets much lighter upon leaving Four Corners than when they first arrived.
"Senors," Inez called to the four, "thank you for helping me tonight. Please let me buy all of you a drink."
"Right kind of you, sister," Josiah said, stepping to the bar.
"Thanks Inez," JD said, walking to stand beside Josiah.
Only Chris and Buck held back, each seeming to be waiting for something.
"Maybe another time, Inez, thanks. I'm kind of tired right now, think I'll turn in. Goodnight," Buck said as he left the saloon.
Chris stepped forward, clapping Josiah on the back. "What will we drink to, fellas?"

Chris groaned as the early morning sunlight streamed in through the window, feeling the lingering effects of every one of the many shots of whiskey he had consumed just a few hours ago. As the sun relentlessly bathed his face in its yellow glow, he tried to ignore the bright, hot rays for as long as he could, but finally admitted defeat and opened his eyes.
"Damn!"
Chris's attention was caught at the soft curse that sounded from the other side of the room. He rolled onto his side to see Vin Tanner struggling to get dressed, hampered by his broken arm.
"Havin' a little trouble there cowboy?"
"Thought ya were still asleep Chris. Sorry if I woke ya up."
"Let me help ya Michael," he said, leaving the bed to come to his friend's aid.
He deftly buttoned up Vin's shirt, tucked it into his soft tan pants and quickly buttoned the fly. Vin flushed with embarrassment at the close contact and pulled away from Chris hurriedly.
"I can't wait to get this stupid thing off," Vin complained, gesturing at the sling and splints. "First I got Nathan dressin' me and now you. I feel so helpless! I can't stand it no more Chris!" He yanked the sling from around his neck and started ripping off the splints and bandages covering his left arm. Chris sprang forward and grabbed Vin in as tight a hold as he dared with his injured ribs, immobilizing his right arm to keep him from doing any further damage to his broken left limb.
"Michael, Michael, stop it! You're gonna hurt yourself! Just settle down!"
The tracker fought against Chris furiously, trying to free himself. "Let me go! Let me go!" he howled in frustration, writhing frantically in the gunman's firm grasp
"No Michael! Settle down! I ain't lettin' go of you 'til ya do!"
Vin twisted and pushed against Chris for several more minutes until his strength began to give out. Chris felt him go limp in his arms and relaxed his grip slightly.
"What was all that about, Michael?" he asked softly.
"I dunno Chris," Vin replied, taking in a shaky breath.
"Come on, Michael," Chris coaxed. "I know somethin's botherin' you."
Vin sniffled and wiped roughly at his eyes before he answered. "Chris, how'd I end up in Shiprock, workin' in that livery? If I live here, what was I doin' there? What aren't ya tellin' me Chris?" he asked, raising his eyes beseechingly to Chris.
The gunslinger took one look at Vin's pale, tearstained face and his heart broke. 'What the hell am I supposed to say to ya, Vin?' he asked himself hopelessly. 'I'd do anything to make this all better, but I can't.' He hugged Vin tighter in his arms, not sure if he was comforting his best friend or himself with the gesture.
"Is that the only thing botherin' ya, Michael?" he asked, stalling for time.
Vin shook his head sadly. "I can't stand bein' watched all the time, Chris. You or Nathan are always right there, followin' me around. How come?"
Chris took a deep breath and held it. 'Vin's always been able to see right through me. Guess I shouldn't be surprised he'd notice that,' he thought to himself ruefully.
The discussion was interrupted by a knock at the door 'Thank God,' Chris breathed in relief as he let go of Vin and went gratefully to answer the knock.
"Probably Nathan, here to check up on me," Vin said sourly.
"JD, what a surprise," Chris deadpanned, looking at Vin with a slightly amused expression on his face. "Come on in."
"Hey guys, just wanted to see how you were doin' Michael."
"I'm feelin' better JD, thanks."
Chris noticed that Vin was smiling at the youth and seemed genuinely happy to see him. He began to form a plan, a way to keep Vin occupied so he wouldn't ask Chris anymore questions that he couldn't and wouldn't answer.
"JD, you eaten breakfast yet?"
"No Chris, was just headin' downstairs to eat when I thought I'd stop by."
"Michael, why don't you and JD go downstairs and eat. I got in kind of late last night and I wanna get a little more sleep. That okay with both of you?"
"Okay with me Chris," JD replied cheerfully.
"Yeah, I'd like that," Vin said, smiling at Chris, happy to be out from under his large, overprotective wing.
"And maybe we can walk around town a little bit afterward?" Vin asked hopefully.
"See how ya do at breakfast, Michael," Chris laughed. "If you feel strong enough and JD don't mind takin' ya, it's fine with me. But not too much, okay?"
"Sure thing, big brother. See ya later," Vin replied, bouncing out of the room with JD in tow.

JD glanced over at Vin as both men sat in the boardinghouse restaurant, waiting for their breakfasts. He had only had to offer minimal assistance to his friend as they descended the stairs from their rooms to go to breakfast and he was glad to see that Vin looked better than he had a few days ago.
"Michael, you know that Buck and me are real good friends, don't ya?"
"Yeah, I remember from Shiprock, JD."
"Well, he's real sorry about what he did to ya. He and I've been talkin' about it a lot. He wishes he could tell ya himself how sorry he is."
"Then how come he did it JD?"
"I can't explain it to ya, Michael," JD said. "Buck should be the one doin' that, and I'm not even sure he knows why. But he is sorry Michael, he really is. I believe him." JD had been angry with Buck for his harsh treatment of Vin when they found him working in Shiprock and on the ride home to Four Corners. But then, he had seen Buck's tender treatment toward the tracker after he was mauled by the horse on their return trip. The tide had turned then, and Buck began to express remorse for his actions, something he continued to do to this day. JD forgave Buck and hoped that Vin would find it in his heart to forgive Buck, too, but he realized that it would be harder for Vin to forgive him, since he was the one injured. So JD had silently vowed to help Buck win over Vin.
"I don't know JD. I'll think about it," Vin promised.
"That's all I can ask, Michael, thanks," JD replied and then dropped the matter.
After eating, the two stepped out onto the boardwalk to look around town.
"What do ya wanna do Michael?"
"Just walk around a little, I guess, JD. Chris took me over to see Josiah's church yesterday, so I was hopin' to see some other stuff."
"Okay, why don't we go over to the livery? I'll show ya the horses."
Vin nodded his head and the two took off, JD leading the way.
They entered the stables and were surprised to find Buck inside, brushing down his horse after his early morning patrol.
"Hi Buck," JD greeted.
"Hey JD, hey Michael," Buck answered back, nervously.
"Buck," Vin began tremulously, "thanks for helpin' me yesterday."
"It wasn't nothin' Michael," Buck replied modestly. "I was glad I could help ya."
Vin thought about what JD had said to him earlier in the restaurant. If he was going to try and forgive Buck, he was going to get some answers first. "Buck, how come yesterday you said we was friends? I asked Chris about it, but he wouldn't answer me. Were we friends before Buck? What happened to change it?"
"Michael, I ain't supposed to be talkin' to ya now," Buck hedged, glancing around furtively. "Why don't you guys go someplace else while I finish up in here, okay?"
"What do ya mean you ain't supposed to be talkin' to me? Why can't ya answer me Buck?" Vin asked, voice rising in frustration.
"Chris just thinks it would be better right now if..."
"IF HE LEFT YOU ALONE, MICHAEL, ain't that right Buck!" Chris Larabee's voice thundered from behind them.
"Yeah, that's exactly right," Buck finished weakly.
"Michael, get out of here," Chris ordered. "Go on back to the room and get some rest. You've been out too long as it is. Buck, a word with you," he ended coldly, grabbing the tall gunslinger and thrusting him toward the door.
"But Chris, Buck wasn't doin' nothing! JD and me came in here, he was already in here, groomin' his horse!" Vin protested loudly on Buck's behalf.
"Don't wanna hear it Michael! Now go on and do what I said!" he commanded sharply. "JD, Buck and I are gonna need to borrow the jail again for a few minutes!" he shouted over his shoulder as he left the livery, dragging Buck alongside him.

Chris shoved Buck into the jailhouse, slamming the door behind them. "Twenty-four hours Buck and you better be gone! I'm gonna wire the judge and fill him in. I know he'll see things my way. Don't want a peacekeeper around that can't be trusted."
"Chris, ya can't mean it!" Buck pleaded in disbelief.
The gunslinger flew at Buck, grabbing him by the shirtfront and pinning him against the back wall. "I told you to stay away from Vin, and I meant it Buck! I turn my back for a second and there you are with him!"
"Chris, he and JD found me! I was in the livery, minding my own business, I didn't do nothin'.
"The hell you didn't Buck, this is ALL your doing! Vin's hurt 'cause of you! He was one of your best friends and you beat him practically to a pulp! How does that work Buck? Why don't you tell me? Do ya plan on beatin' up all your friends eventually, or just Vin? Who's next Buck? JD? Or maybe you wanna take a try at me?"
Buck started to get mad, shoving Chris back away from him. "Shut up Chris! Just shut up! I'd never hurt JD or any of the rest, you know that! It was a mistake with Vin! It was a real bad mistake I made! And I wanted tell him that, but you wouldn't let me get anywhere near him!"
Chris tightened his hold on Buck's shirt and yanked him forward, bringing him just inches from his face. "Just what he needs Buck! He's confused enough as it is! You ain't gonna say nothin' else to him! You got that?" Chris shouted, spinning Buck around and propelling him back across the room toward JD's chair.
"Yeah, don't you think I know that? Remember, he's the one that LEFT you alone in the desert with a bullet hole in your arm, not me!" Buck yelled, as he crashed against the chair, then sprang back up to face Chris. "Seems like he's been confused for a long time, don't it Chris!"
"What the hell are you tryin' to say Buck?" Chris asked, in a deadly tone as he advanced on the taller man.
"I'm sayin' I see my oldest friend layin' shot up in the middle of nowhere and his good friend, Vin Tanner who was with him is nowhere to be found! So what am I supposed to do when I find him, Chris? THANK him for leavin' ya like that?" Buck shouted back furiously, throwing Chris back. It was his turn now to grab the gunman's black shirt, pinning him against the rough stone wall.
Buck continued his tirade, his face reddened with anger as he held Chris tightly to the wall. "And then, he acts like nothin' happened and that he don't know who I am! Sayin' he's my oldest friend's dead brother? You're damn right I got mad! What would you have done if it was me that got left behind in the desert? Or don't I matter anymore? Maybe I should ask you what you'd have done if it was Vin that had gotten deserted by one of us! What would you do Chris? What if JD, or Ezra or Josiah would have gotten hit in the head and left Vin out there! First time you saw 'em and they were actin' like nothin' was wrong, think you'd be so forgivin'? Or do ya think you'd pound the hell outta them, like I did to Vin? Yeah Chris, I was wrong! I made a BIG mistake. I wanna make it up to Vin, believe me! But I did it 'cause I care about you!"
Chris's taut body sagged against Buck's hand. 'Christ, I never knew Buck felt like this about me and Vin,' he thought to himself guiltily. 'Buck's been in my life for so long, but Vin's my best friend now. Never knew it bothered Buck so much, it's almost like he's jealous..' "Jesus Buck, what the hell am I supposed to say to that? You hurt Vin 'cause you care about me?" he yelled incredulously.

Neither of the two noticed the long haired man listening in the window from the outside of the jail. Vin Tanner flattened himself against the building and slowly sagged onto the boardwalk. Tears streamed down his face and he made no move to wipe them away. He had heard everything.
'What am I gonna do?' he asked himself frantically. 'I ain't Michael Larabee! I'm someone named Vin Tanner and Chris is my friend! And I left him out in the desert, when he was shot! What kind of man am I?" He began to sob hysterically. 'I've been such a fool! Chris has been playing along, acting like I'm his brother. And his brother's dead. God, this has got to be killin' him!"
With a deep breath, he lurched upward on unsteady feet, nearly toppling over from the awkwardness of the sling and still painful ribs. 'I gotta get outta here, I gotta leave!' he screamed inwardly, feeling that the only way to alleviate his shame and the hurt he'd caused Chris, and to mend the rift between Buck and Chris was to leave town. He sadly trudged back to the livery, walked in and leaned back against the door, glad that JD had gone onto the saloon and he was left alone inside. "If I go away, Buck'll be Chris's best friend again. And Chris won't have to pretend I'm his dead brother!" he said softly to the silent building.

"Chris, it tore me up when I came to my senses on the trail and realized what I'd done to Vin. I'm gonna live with it everyday of my life, thinkin' about it. I'd do anything to take it back."
"Okay Buck," Chris said, "I'll let ya talk to Vin, if Nathan says it's all right."
"Thanks Chris."
"But if Vin can't forgive ya, you're gone in 24 hours."
Buck stood stunned as Chris's words hit him like a ton of bricks. It dawned on him that even though Chris now looked calm on the outside, he was still boiling with rage inside. And that he had not forgiven Buck for his treatment of Vin.
Buck shook his head in dismay. "Chris, ain't there anything I can do, anything I can say to make it up to ya? I don't wanna leave."
"Shoulda thought of that before your fists starting flying, huh, Buck. And I ain't the one you gotta make it up to. I ain't the one walkin' around with my arm in a sling, remember. Think you should be talkin' to Vin, not me."
"Okay Chris, you've got your way," Buck whispered, eyes downcast. "Let's go talk to Nathan, and I'm gonna talk to Vin if he's says I can."
Buck dragged his feet, defeated, as he walked across the dusty street. He'd lost his oldest friend and now was in danger of losing everything he cared about. The respect of his friends, well he had destroyed that, just as surely as he had broken Vin's arm and ribs, hadn't he? Then his heart dropped even lower. The kid. He couldn't ask JD to leave town with him. JD had a job and the closest thing to a family he'd had since his mama died. Hell, he even had a girl. And he was so young and had so much a head of him. For Buck, it was all over, he had nothing left. Best to just head out of town and never look back.
"Buck, I wanna check on Vin first, meet me over at Nathan's," Chris said, breaking Buck out of his reverie.
"Okay," Buck replied passively. "Chris, I'm just gonna duck into the livery for a minute first. Wanna check on my horse. Didn't get finished rubbin' her down, wanna make sure Frank saw her and finished the job for me." Buck figured since he was most likely headed out of town soon, his horse better be ready to ride. 'How am I gonna break it to the kid?' he questioned himself, as he walked to the stables.
"Mornin' Mr. Wilmington," Frank, the liveryman greeted. "Saw your mare needed a rubdown, took care of her for ya."
"Thanks Frank. I should be headin' out soon, appreciate it."
"Oh, you headin' out, too? Mr. Tanner just left a few minutes ago. You meetin' up with him?"
"What're ya talkin' about Frank? Vin headed out in his condition?"
"Yeah, he sure did. I had to saddle his horse for him, what with his bad arm and all. Didn't want Peso either, took that other horse you brought with y'all when you came in last week. Didn't think it was a good idea, that horse is still kinda green, I think."
"Yeah, he was kinda jumpy," Buck replied, distracted, remembering Vin and JD being thrown off its back out on the trail. "Frank, how did Vin seem when he rode outta here? Was he all right?"
"Well, now that ya mention it, he coulda been upset about somethin'. He's usually so quiet and all, but I just figured it was from being in town too long. I know how he gets, know the feelin' myself."
"Frank, can ya do me a really big favor?" Buck asked quickly. "Go find Chris. He should be either at Nathan's clinic or in his room. Tell him about Vin leavin' and let him know I already rode out after him. And hurry."
"Think somethin's wrong?"
"Not sure, but I'm gonna feel better when we find him. Which direction was he headed?"
"South."
"Okay, tell Chris that, too. Thanks Frank," Buck said, hurrying to saddle his mount.

"Vin, Vin, where the hell are ya!" Buck repeatedly muttered to himself as he scoured the countryside south of Four Corners for the missing man. He had been able to make out Vin's trail relatively easily at the start, but he was now riding into rocky terrain and lost sight of the horse's prints.
He scanned the horizon in desperation, unsure of which direction to go. His frantic search paid off as he spied a lone horseman in the distance. "C'mon girl!" he cried, pressing his heels into his horse's side, pushing her into a gallop. Desert shrubs whizzed by as he rode hard to catch up to Vin and after several minutes at the breakneck pace, he was pleased to find he was catching up to the tracker.
"Damn!" he cursed, uttering the oath as he moved within an easy sight of Vin, seeing that his friend was heading straight for the rim of the El Morro canyon.
"What the hell is he thinkin'? Vin knows that ground's unstable! He's seen dozens of rock slides there, we all have!"
"Sh**!" he cursed again, coming even closer now as Vin's horse slowed. The tracker was weaving in the saddle, coming dangerously close to falling off twice. 'What the hell is goin' on up there?' Buck wondered to himself as he kept riding.
Vin finally reached the edge of the canyon and slipped off the horse, crumpling to the ground. Buck closed the gap as he saw Vin pull himself to his knees, holding his head in his good hand.
"Michael!" he cried out, jumping off his horse.
"Don't you mean VIN!" Vin screamed at Buck, enraged.
"You remember?" Buck asked hopefully.
"NO! I heard you and Chris at the jail! I HEARD EVERYTHING!" He suddenly tensed up and screamed in pain. "My head! God, help me! It hurts! Where's Chris? He's shot, I gotta go for help!" Buck watched in horror as Vin screamed again and staggered to his feet. He wavered then leaned against his horse for support.
"No Vin, Chris is fine," Buck said, trying to keep his voice calm, hoping to soothe Vin.
"No! I saw him Buck! His bleedin' bad! Those men tried to jump us! Help me!"
Buck snapped around at the sound of thundering hoofbeats resounding behind him. "Chris! Thank God!"
"What's goin' on?" Chris shouted to Buck, concern creasing his face into sharp lines. "Michael? Michael? What is it? Let me help you!" he said, walking toward Vin.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Vin suddenly pushed away from his horse to face the two men. "I know what you did, I know you lied to me! Leave me alone!"
"Buck, what the hell is happening here?" Chris whispered urgently to Buck.
"I ain't sure Chris, but he seemed to be rememberin' what happened to you two in the desert a minute ago. Now I think he's back to not knowin' who he is. And he heard us talkin' at the jail. He knows he ain't really Michael."
"Vin, let's get you back to town, okay?" Chris coaxed, taking two tentative steps toward the injured man.
"No, I ain't goin' anywhere with you!" Vin screamed, taking two steps backward, away from Chris and Buck. "How could you, Chris!" Vin shouted, his voice breaking with emotion as tears welled in his eyes. "You lied to me! You know I ain't your brother! I've been so stupid!"
"You ain't stupid, Vin!" Chris yelled back, walking toward the tracker again.
"Stay back!" Vin shouted, walking back again, standing perilously close to the edge. "Leave me alone! Just leave me alone!" He screamed again as his head began to pound, shutting his eyes tightly against the images that swirled in front of him.
Buck reached out to stop Chris as he started to run to Vin. "Stay back, Chris!" Buck hissed, as he held him tightly. "Every step you take forward, he takes one back. One more step and he's gonna go off the edge!"
"What are we gonna do Buck?" Chris asked desperately. "We can't just leave him like that, he's hurt and he's gonna fall," he choked out in a voice thick with emotion.
"Don't worry buddy, I'll think of something," Buck assured. He looked at the weak, injured tracker, folded in on himself, eyes closed, obviously in terrible pain. An idea formed. He released Chris from his tight grasp. "Chris, I know this is gonna sound strange, but just go along with me, okay?"
"I'll do whatever ya say Buck , if it'll get Vin away from that edge."
"I think it will, Chris. Lay down on the ground and look like you're hurt."
"What?"
"Just do it!" Buck commanded sharply, relieved to see Chris comply.
"Vin! Vin! Chris is hurt! You gotta help me with him! Come here quick!"
Vin's eyes snapped open. "W-what? Chris? He's hurt? Yeah, he got shot, I remember Buck."
"He's over here with me, come on!"
Vin stepped a few feet forward, leaning to try and see Chris.
"Gimme your bandanna Vin, hurry up!" Buck urged.
"Just a few more steps, just a few more steps and we got him Chris," he whispered jubilantly to the prone man.
Chris wasn't willing to take the chance that Vin could change his mind. Before Buck could stop him, he jumped up and ran to Vin, trying to tackle him. The tracker's reflexes were as sharp as ever, though, and he easily sidestepped the gunslinger, leaving him laying in the dirt, arms empty.
"You tricked me!" Vin shouted stridently, hurt evident in his voice. "Just like you did before," he finished mournfully.
"Sorry Buck," Chris apologized, chastened as he picked himself up off the ground and walked to rejoin the taller man. "Think it would have worked if I hadn't jumped the gun."
"It's okay Chris, we all make mistakes," Buck said with a sad smile. 'Okay,' he said to himself, 'plan B.'
"Chris," he said quietly, keeping his eyes on Vin, "we're gonna ride outta here and leave Vin alone for a while."
"No Buck! I ain't leavin' him!"
"Just for a few minutes, Chris," he pleaded desperately. "Then we'll come back and get him. He's bound to calm down after we leave and get away from the edge. Then we can come back and grab him."
Chris looked at Buck appraisingly. He had come up with two sound plans for helping Vin, and Chris had fouled one of the them up already. The plan was better than any he could think of right now. He had been unable to think clearly about anything since he's gotten the message from Frank that Vin had ridden out of town. And his heart had been in his throat since he'd come upon Vin, weaving at the edge of the canyon.
"Let's do it Buck."
Buck nodded at Chris. "You tell him Chris and mount up. I'm right behind ya."
"Okay Vin, you win. We're ridin' out of here. But you come back to town if you need anything, all right?"
"I don't need nothin', just wanna be left alone is all."
"You got a deal. See ya later," Chris replied, mounting up on his horse and heading him toward town.
Vin relaxed slightly and took a step forward. Buck saw his chance.
He ran forward, grabbing Vin by his shirtfront and pulled him forward forcefully. The tracker sprawled on the ground, now a safe distance from the edge of the canyon. The force he used to propel Vin, however, sent Buck staggering backward, throwing him off balance. For a split second he teetered on the rim, trying to regain his balance, arms flapping frantically at his side. And then he was gone, plunging off the canyon rim.
"Buck!" Chris shouted, springing off his horse and rushing to the edge. He looked back at Vin, who was slowly sitting up in the dust, dazedly shaking his head back and forth.
"Chris," he said hoarsely, "what the hell happened?"
"Buck fell over the side!"
"Oh Jesus, no!" he stood awkwardly and rushed over to join Chris.
"Easy cowboy," Chris cautioned Vin. "Don't need two of you over the side. Stay back."
He desperately peered over the side, unable to see Buck. "Buck! Buck!" he shouted repeatedly.
"Down here," a faint voice finally answered.
"Buck! Where are ya? Are ya okay?"
"Hell no I ain't okay, I'm holdin' on to a root and I'm dangling off a canyon wall for Christ sakes! Get me outta here!"
"I can't see ya, where are ya?"
"I'm below ya, there's a little ridge in the rock. I got a toehold, but I ain't sure how long it's gonna last."
"Let me get a rope, I'll have ya outta there in a minute."
"Chris, one other thing. I think my arm's broke."
Chris's heart sank at the news. Buck was not going to be able to hold on and walk his way back up the side with a broken arm. "Don't worry, we'll think of somethin'," Chris reassured.
"Stay there and keep talkin' to Buck, Chris, I'll get the rope," Vin said.
Chris watched over his shoulder as Vin tottered a few steps, then regained his equilibrium, walked to Valor and pulled a rope from Chris's saddle bag. He leaned against the animal briefly to steady himself, then straightened up quickly, holding his ribs and carefully walked back to Chris's side, whitefaced.
"Sit down, cowboy, before ya fall down," Chris ordered sternly, his voice gruff with worry.
"I'm all right, Chris," Vin protested, ignoring his order. "How we gonna do this?"
"YOU ain't doin' anything but sittin' there and resting. I'M gonna get Buck outta there." He glared at Vin, trying to cow him into obeying him, then turned back to peer over the side of the yawning chasm.
"Buck! I'm gonna send the rope down!"
Silence.
"Buck!"
No answer.
"Dammit Buck! This ain't no time to be funny! Answer me!"
"I think he ain't hearin' ya Chris," Vin said forlornly. Must a knocked his head when he fell."
"I think you're right Vin," Chris answered, equally dejected. "I'm gonna have to go down there and get him. Can ya bring Valor over here? And if Buck's got a rope with his stuff, bring that over, too."
Vin found the rope and walked Valor over to his owner. "What's the plan?"
"I'm gonna tie this rope to the saddlehorn and walk myself down to Buck. I need you to keep a tight hold on Valor, keep him steady for me. Then I'll tie this other rope around him and toss the end back up to ya. Think you can tie it to the saddlehorn? And then walk Valor backward so Buck and me can get back up?"
Vin cursed his broken arm, wishing it was him going down there instead of Chris. The plan sounded dangerous and he didn't like the risk Chris was taking. He looked at Chris's grim face and knew there was really no other way. They had to do this now. "Yeah, no problem, Chris, I can handle it."
"Good, let's get to work."
Vin nodded and pulled the sling off his broken arm, then tied Valor's reins tightly around his right wrist, grunting softly when he moved his left arm. Chris paled at Vin's actions, not fully realizing until just now what Vin was going to have to do. He shuddered inwardly, knowing Vin was already hurting and it was only going to get worse. He hated what he was asking Vin to do, but there was no other way, there was no time for anything else.
Chris tied the rope firmly to Valor's saddlehorn, then looped the other end of it rope through his legs and tied it tightly around his waist. "I'm sorry to put ya through this Vin," he said, giving the tracker one last concerned look as he eased himself over the side, holding the other rope.
"Ain't nothing to be done about it Chris, don't worry none about me. You're the one takin' all the risk," Vin said softly as he watched Chris slowly disappear into the void. After several minutes of agonizing of silence for Vin, Chris's disembodied voice rose from the cavity.
"Vin, I've got Buck! You were right, he's out and his head's bleedin' real bad. Vin, I got him tied, here comes the rope!"
The lifeline landed at Vin's feet and he bent to retrieve it, while still holding tightly to Valor's reins. Waves of dizziness threatened to drive him to the ground as he lowered his head. He fought against the rising blackness, leaning into Valor for support. 'Pull it together Tanner, now ain't the time,' he scolded himself. He grabbed for the rope with his bad arm, forcing it to move.
"Got it Chris!" he shouted, shaking off the dizziness, refusing to give in to it. He looked at his injured left arm disdainfully. The fingers were stiff from disuse and it took him several tries to tie the knot to his satisfaction. He inhaled sharply at the knife of pain that sliced through him as the knitting bones shifted and twisted when he pulled the knot taut at last.
"Ready Chris?" he called, swallowing back bile as his stomach churned from the white hot pain shooting up and down his left arm.
"Ready Vin. Got ahead and start walking backward."
Vin had just started walking when the rock at the edge suddenly crumbled, slightly at first, then larger chucks began to break off. Valor began to chomp at the bit and prance, unnerved at the now unstable terrain. Vin hung onto the reins tightly with his right hand, using the left to grab and steady the ropes, as they swung wildly in the air, matching Valor's movements.
"Vin! Vin! What's goin' on up there?"
"Part of the rock cracked off and Valor's goin' crazy! Hold on, I'm gonna get you up!"
Willing his broken arm to hold out just a little while longer, Vin pulled back on the ropes and Valor as hard as he could. Beads of sweat broke out on his face as he felt the healing limb snap from the strain. "GOD!" he screamed with agony. "CHRIS!" he screamed into the air, as spots of light danced in front of his eyes.
He collapsed to the ground when he saw Chris and Buck appear at last over the rise and crawl the few feet to safety. He closed his eyes as relief washed over him, no longer able to feel anything.

Chris looked Buck over quickly once he pulled him farther away from the crumbling edge. The injured man had regained consciousness near the top of the rock face and was now trying to sit up.
"Easy Buck," Chris cautioned. "Lay back down, let me check you over."
"I'll be okay, go check on Vin," Buck insisted, breathlessly. He reached up with his unbroken left arm to pat Chris reassuringly on the shoulder, when the older man hesitated slightly. "Go." he ordered quietly.
Chris nodded slightly to Buck. "I'll be back soon as I can," he promised and rushed to his other fallen friend.
"I ain't goin' anywhere, pard," Buck whispered to Chris's retreating back. He leaned back down and closed his eyes against the throbbing agony tearing at his head and arm. Despite the desert heat, he shuddered violently, remembering Vin's tormented cry for Chris that had knifed through the still air, seeming to echo off the red rocks to surround the two men as they scrambled to safety.
"Vin! Oh God, no! Vin!" Chris cried, seeing Vin sprawled in the dirt. He fell to his knees in exhausted anguish, crawling to Vin's still form. Despite the splint and bandages cushioning it, Vin's left arm lay at an unnatural angle. Chris knew at a glance he had rebroken it badly. Vin's right wrist hung suspended in the air, still lashed tightly to Valor's reins. Chris untied him quickly and gently lifted him away from Valor's restless hooves.
The slight movement roused Vin from his stupor. "Chris," he whispered, trying to grab at the gunslinger's sleeve. "Don't make him leave. Please."
"Sshh. It's all right Michael, just rest now," Chris murmured, brushing away the soft curls that had tumbled over Vin's face.
"No," Vin protested weakly. "Don't call me that. I ain't your brother, I know who I am. And I ain't worthy of being your brother or even your friend after what I did to ya, Chris," he said miserably, trying to roll away from Chris and beginning to cough from the effort.
"Just stay down Vin, and take real easy breaths," Chris ordered softly, gently picking up Vin's right hand and checking it over for injuries. "So you remember everything, then?" he asked, trying to keep Vin awake and calm.
"Just about everything. I remember us campin' and then you got shot and I rode away from ya, Chris. I just left ya. I don't know why, I'm so sorry," Vin finished, so ashamed of himself and so overwhelmed with all that had happened in the last few hours that he started to cry.
"Vin, don't cry, ya don't have anything to be upset about," Chris begged, picking Vin up carefully to hug him. "I'm all right and I ain't mad at ya or anything. You were hurt, too, remember?" he asked, stroking the slender, heaving back over and over. "Ya got grazed with one of the bullets and ya weren't thinkin' real clear. I know ya'd never leave me if you were in your right mind."
Several minutes passed, with Chris continuing to rub Vin's back, trying to comfort and calm the guilt-ridden tracker. Finally, Vin hiccuped and gasped for air. Chris patted his back lightly, relieved when Vin began to breathe normally again.
Chris drew Vin away from him and looked him in the eye appraisingly. "Feeling better now?"
"Yeah, thanks," Vin drawled softly, sounding a little stronger than he had before.
Chris took Vin by the shoulders, squeezing them lightly. "Vin, your arm's broken again."
"I know, felt it give out on me," Vin nodded sadly.
"I don't wanna try and set it out here. It's a bad break, think it'd be best to let Nathan handle it. Okay?"
"Sure Chris, I'll be fine," Vin assured bravely. "Chris," the injured tracker continued, "I heard ya tell Buck to pack up. I forgave him for what he did to me. Please don't make him leave on account of me. I'll leave before I'll let that happen," he said stubbornly.
"Settle down Vin, nobody's gonna be goin' anywhere." He looked at Vin, favoring him with a sardonic smile. "Well, let me rephrase that. The three of us are goin' back to town, somehow, and you and Buck are gonna spend some time at Nathan's. And that's as far as anyone's gonna be goin'."
"Chris, where is Buck?" Vin asked, looking around quickly, as memories of Buck saving him from falling off the cliff came flooding back to him.
"He's safe, don't worry. I'm gonna go check on him again, but I wanted to make sure you were all right, too. I'll be right back."
As soon as Chris had his back turned, Vin struggled to his feet to follow, ignoring the stabbing pain that flowed from his left elbow to his wrist and the gnawing ache in his side that flared anew with each step he took toward his two friends.

"How's Vin?" Buck asked anxiously when Chris returned to his side.
"His arm's broken again."
"Damn," Buck cursed in response.
"But, he remembers who he is now. He's knows he's Vin Tanner, and not Michael Larabee," the gunslinger answered, kneeling down to next to the injured man.
"Good," Buck replied with a wistful smile. "I'm really glad things worked out with you and Vin, Chris,"
Chris hung his head and exhaled slowly, unable to meet the pain- filled eyes of his oldest friend 'Larabee, you've made a real mess of things!' he scolded himself. 'Time to make things right!' He snapped his head up, capturing Buck in a determined gaze. "I don't want ya to leave town, Buck. I was wrong. Vin told me he's forgiven ya for what happened in Shiprock. It was a mistake, like ya said, a real bad, sad mistake. And we all make 'em," he said solemnly, staring at Buck intently. "You saved Vin's life Buck, pullin' him from the ledge. I'll always be grateful to ya for that. I sure wasn't no help to ya, don't know what I woulda done without ya back there." A tear glistened in his eye and he looked away from his oldest friend quickly, trying to compose himself.
"Thanks Chris," Buck said softly. "That means a lot to me comin' from ya like that. And I'm real sorry about this whole mess..."
"I know ya are Buck," Chris cut in easily, wanting to keep Buck from feeling any more anguish over the situation. "Let's put it in the past and get you and Vin fixed up so we can get back to town. Let me see your arm."
The mustached man's eyes looked past Chris and suddenly lit up. Chris stole a quick glance over his shoulder to see what had caught his friend's attention, already having a good idea what he would find.
Chris pushed himself to his feet wearily as Vin shuffled painfully over to them. Buck smiled happily at him over Chris's shoulder.
"Hey Vin, how ya doin'?" Buck asked, in high spirits after his talk with Chris, despite the throbbing in his head and arm.
"Feelin' fine Buck, how 'bout you?" Vin gasped in reply, trying to appear less injured than he was, not wanting the two older men to worry about him.
Never better," he joked back lightly, wincing slightly as red-hot pain burned through the break in his arm
"Okay you two, that's enough!" Chris ordered, trying to sound stern, but not completely succeeding. He tried again. "Vin, sit down before ya fall down. Why am I always havin' to tell ya that? Christ, now I know how Nathan must feel," Chris grumbled as he stepped to the tracker and helped him ease to the ground. "Now stay there or else," he threatened Vin.

"Ouch!" Buck roared in pain. "Damn Chris, that hurts!" Buck yelped as Chris twisted Buck's fractured limb back into its rightful place.
"Guess I don't have Nathan's touch, sorry Buck," Chris said wryly, as he tied Vin's discarded sling around Buck's neck and placed his arm carefully in it.
"Or his bedside manner," Buck retorted.
"Enough Buck," Chris growled. "We have to figure out how to get back to town."
"I can ride," Vin and Buck said simultaneously.
"Yeah, sure you can," Chris said sarcastically. "That damn milk JD is always drinkin' has more color to it than your faces do right now."
"Chris, I'm feelin' a lot better than I was a few minutes ago. My arm's set, and my head don't hurt that bad anymore. I'll be fine on horseback," Buck promised.
Chris looked at Buck and Vin, assessing the condition of each man with a practiced eye. "Okay Buck," he acquiesced reluctantly, "I'll help ya on your horse and you can ride back. Vin, I want ya ridin' with me. Ya don't look so hot."
"Aw Chris..." the tracker began to protest.
"Nope. You heard me," Chris replied, refusing to budge.
He got Buck standing and helped the still shaky man to mount up. "Doin' okay?" he asked, concerned.
"Yeah, doin' just fine now. Let's get home."
"Right behind ya, Buck." Chris said, carefully putting Vin on his feet and getting him set on Valor, as Vin's horse trotted behind docilely.

The three had not ridden far when two riders came pounding toward them, their horses stirring up huge clouds of dust.
Chris tightened his hold on Vin, who was slumped forward in the saddle, asleep, and drew his gun, easing it back into the holster when he saw it was Nathan and Josiah that rode furiously toward them.
"Sure glad to see you fellas," Chris stated.
"Need some help, Brother Larabee?" Josiah asked.
"Damn Chris, what have y'all gotten into now?" Nathan asked, managing to sound perturbed and worried at the same time.
"Had a difference of opinion with a canyon wall," Chris replied coldly, his eyes hard.
"You hurt?"
"No, but Buck and Vin are. Both have broken arms. I set Buck's, but you're gonna have to take care of Vin's. I think it's a bad break."
Nathan nodded in agreement. He looked at the tracker, who was stirring, finally coming awake. "Hey Vin," he greeted softly. "Heard your arm needs fixin' up. Think ya can hang on 'til we get to town? Don't really wanna do it out here with all this dust."
"Yeah Nathan," Vin replied, looking around, slightly confused, "I'll be fine, it can wait."
Nathan smiled encouragingly at Vin. "I'm gonna give ya some laudanum for the rest of the ride in and then we'll get ya fixed up, good as new." He turned to the other injured man. "Buck looks like ya hit your head, too."
"I did, but I'm doin' okay, Nate. I'll make it in just fine."
"Need anything for the pain?"
"Nah, it's not too bad. Give it to Vin."
"I don't need nothin', I'm okay," Vin protested weakly.
Nathan ignored him, pulling the familiar brown bottle from his saddlebag.
"Hand him down, Chris, I'll give him some of this and he can ride back with me."
The gunslinger shook his head. "I've got him, Nate, he's stayin' with me. Give me the laudanum, I'll get him to drink it."
"Ain't I got a say in this?" Vin grumbled.
"Nope," Chris replied flatly. "Bottoms up Vin," he ordered.
Vin swallowed reluctantly. "Yuck!" he gagged. "That stuff is really nasty. I hate it!"
"I know it is Vin," Chris agreed sympathetically. "But ya need it and it's gonna make the ride home a lot easier on you and me."
"Don't see why..." Vin muttered with a yawn, as his eyes closed.
Chris settled his friend back against him and gave the signal to start the group headed back to Four Corners.

Vin opened his eyes slowly. He took in his surroundings, gradually realizing he was in Chris's room.
"'Bout time ya woke up."
"Chris? How'd I get here?" he asked, groaning as he shifted to sit up in the bed.
"Carried ya over from Nathan's a few hours ago. How's your arm feelin'?"
"I ain't gonna tell ya if you're gonna make me drink more of that stuff," Vin replied, wrinkling his nose with distaste as he remembered the foul taste of the laudanum.
"Yeah, it sure does knock ya out, you've been sleepin' for hours," Chris remarked. "JD's bringin' some food up in a little while, but before he gets here, Vin, there's somethin' I wanna say to ya."
Chris looked so serious that Vin was worried. "Ya mad at me for somethin' Chris?" he asked uneasily.
"No, Vin, it ain't nothin' like that." He walked over and plunked himself in the bedside chair, resting his elbows on his long legs as he stared at Vin.
"What is it Chris?" Vin questioned nervously.
The older man closed his eyes briefly and sighed. He snapped them open to capture his friend in a piercing blue gaze. "God Vin, you remind me of Michael so much sometimes."
"Chris, I'm sorry..."
The gunman held up his hand in a silencing gesture. "I need to say this to ya, Vin, let me finish." He reached for Vin's hand and squeezed it lightly. "I really liked havin' ya for my brother, even if it was only for a little while. You're the kind of man Michael would have grown up to be. Anyone, includin' me, would be proud to call you kin."
Tears welled up in the former bounty hunter's eyes. "Chris," he choked out, "I can't believe I was so lucky to find ya. You're the brother I always wanted."
"Hey, this a private party or can anyone come in?" Buck interrupted jovially, popping open the door. He strode into the room, carrying a basket in his one good arm. JD came close behind with a large tray of food.
"Won't you come in?" Chris invited sarcastically.
"Don't mind if we do, pard, thanks," Buck replied gleefully. "Thought we'd all have a nice dinner in here. How does that sound Vin?"
The tracker's blue eyes were shining with emotion as he looked at his friends gathered around. "Sounds great, Buck, I'm starvin'! Let's eat!"

"Ya holdin' up okay there, Vin?"
The tracker favored his friend with a dazzling smile, showing his perfect white teeth. "Doin' fine Chris. Sure is a fine day to be out ridin'."
Chris nodded in agreement, looking contentedly at the scenery, which included the rapidly disappearing forms of Buck and JD as they rode ahead of the tracker and gunslinger. It had been two weeks since the incident at the canyon, and today Nathan had finally given the approval for Vin and Buck to be allowed to ride. One hour later, Chris, Buck, Vin and JD eagerly rode out of town, headed for Chris and Vin's favorite camping spot.
Chris had suggested the trip to Buck a week ago, hoping to re- establish their close friendship after their falling out. He had been very pleasantly surprised when Buck asked that Vin be invited along with them. Chris had readily agreed and insisted that JD come, too.
"Think that arm can stand a little faster pace?" he challenged Vin.
"Yup, thought ya'd never ask," Vin replied with a slow smile and pressed his heels into Peso's sides, darting away from Chris in a flash.
The older man laughed softly, shaking his head at his daredevil friend, riding like the wind, with only one arm to hang onto the reins with. He urged Valor into a gallop, and soon all four men were riding neck and neck, whooping and shouting into the sun.

Several hours later, four very tired men and horses trotted into the clearing where Vin and Chris had last camped. Vin dismounted shakily and looked around warily.
"Maybe this was a bad idea, cowboy," Chris said, silently coming up behind Vin to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Nah, it's okay, Chris. I was just rememberin' what happened last time we were here." He turned sad blue eyes to his friend. "I'm sorry for leavin' ya like I did."
"I know ya are Vin. You've already apologized, and it wasn't really your fault, you know that. Ya ain't got nothin' to be sorry about. This trip is for us all to have some fun, remember?"
"Well, what are we waitin' for pards!" Buck interjected, bouncing up to stand between the two of them, clapping a hand on Chris's shoulder. "Hey old buddy, since me and Vin are a little out of commission, how about you and JD unpackin' the gear and rustlin' us all up some grub!"
"Nice plan Buck," Chris retorted dryly.
"Tell ya what," Vin suggested. "Me and JD can handle it from here. Buck, you and Chris can go catch us some supper. We'll have things waitin' for ya by the time ya get back."
"Sounds good to me, c'mon Buck," Chris replied, sending Vin a look of gratitude.
Vin returned the look, glad that Chris and Buck would have a little time alone to work things out, then turned to help JD unload the supplies.

"Just like old times, ain't it Chris?" Buck sighed happily as he and Chris were walking back to the campsite, loaded down with a dozen fish.
"Sure is Buck. I caught all the fish as usual. Guess some things never change."
Buck was about to reply when the sharp sound of gunfire split the air. The two men broke into a run when they heard the two gunshots, hearts hammering in their chests. They rounded the bend and gasped in relief when they spied Vin and JD standing in the grass, unharmed.
"What happened?" Chris asked fiercely. "We heard shots."
"JD got himself a rattler," Vin said proudly.
"Did ya now, kid?" Buck asked.
"Yeah, my first one," JD squeaked excitedly. "Hey, why don't we grill it up with the fish for dinner? Heard they're pretty good eatin'."
"Oh no ya don't!" Chris protested, grabbing the snake and flinging it away in one fluid motion. "Eatin' rattler on a campin' trip is what started all of our troubles in the first place! I've had my first and last taste of rattler. It's fish or nothin' boys!"
"Guess you could say eatin' that snake really rattled you, huh Chris?" Buck queried, winking at Vin.
Chris looked so disgusted at the pun that Buck actually shrieked with laughter, laughing so hard he fell over. Vin slid to the ground, grabbing his ribs protectively as he tried to help Buck get to his feet. Both men, hampered by their slings, were thrown off balance, and collapsed to the ground again, landing in a heap, laughing helplessly each time they tried to stand. Chris rolled his eyes at the two as they writhed in the dirt, tears of laughter streaming from their eyes.
"Come on, JD," he said, pulling the younger man.
"Ain't we gonna help 'em up?" JD asked, confused.
"Not 'til they ask for it, kid. Come on, let's go start dinner." Chris took one more look over his shoulder, smiling contentedly as he saw his two best friends sitting on the ground, arms around each other's shoulders, laughing happily.
The End