He walked into the saloon with one thought on his mind...... Find Chris.......Talk to Chris.....
His head was badly bleeding. He felt has if his left leg would fall off at any moment. He held onto his remington with a death grip.
He was ambushed on his way back from Stormy Ridge. It was a simple tast that went bad. He was only susppose to transport the badguy half way then return to Four Corners. But something went bad.
He came into the saloon nearly falling over his numb left leg. He only hoped the pain would stop for only a few moments until he found Chris. His shoulder was on fire from the gun shot wound that he had gotten while trying to find a place for cover.
He felt strong hands on his shoulders...... damn that hurt... He wanted to tell the person to leave him be that he had to find Chris...but he couldn't make sound come out of his mouth.
He heard screams but they sound faded.....he thought that maybe he was just imageing them.
"Oh my God" Inez came running to him.......
He heard chairs screech across the floor, he felt his right leg start to give out from under him.............but he needed to talk to Chris.. Someone caught him before he could fall to the floor.
"Chris.........Chris....." He speech just above a whisper.
"I am right here..........just take it easy Ezra.."
Ezra opened his green eyes to look straight into the cold gray ones of Chris Larabee.
Chris helped the fallen gambler to the floor and layed his head into his lap. Chris was the first person to see the gambler come into the saloon and hated to see the way he looked.
Josiah started wipeing the blood from his face and head, whild Nathan tended to his other wounds.
"Chris...........it ....was........a ........ambush."
Chris saw the pain in his eyes........he could only imaged what Ezra went through to make it out of that ambush.
+ + + + + + +
"Just take it easy Ezra, talk when you get enough strength okay."
Ezra closed his eyes..every part of his body hurt and he wanted the blackness to take him away so he would feel nothing anymore....But he still had to talk to Chris.
"Lets get him to my room now!" Nathan looked over at Chris and with a nod Chris picked him up by under his arms being careful of his wounds, while Buck held his legs.
Nathan and Josiah worked for three hours to reset his left leg and the stopped the bleeding and bandaged his other wounds. It took them a little longer to get the bullet out of his shoulder. But they manage to do everything and being careful with the small man.
Chris tried to pry the gun out of his hands but the gambler would not turn lose.
"Come on Ezra, you are safe now, you can turn lose of the gun,"
Chris kept trying to pull the gun away and finally the gambler could not take any more pain and fell into the darkness letting the gun drop into Larabee's hand.
Four men sat on the balcony of Nathan's clinic when the door opened.
"Nathan is he okay?" Vin jumped to his feet when the door opened. He felt his heart jump when he saw the look on Nathan's face. Vin felt that he could not take it if Ezra died.
The team would not be complete.
"Yeah he will be okay, we just gotta look out for infection and fever setting in."
"Man that had to be hard for him,I mean faceing a ambush by himself and then makeing it back here to tell Chris." Jd was still in shock from seeing Ezra covered in blood and fighting for his life.
"yeah the ol boy came in like a southern thunder, wonder why he had to get to Chris though, I mean did ya'll see the way he pushed me off of him?"
Buck put his head in his hands, he hated when one of his family was hurt.
"Well when he wakes up I am going to be there and I am going to find out!"
Chris opened the door to the clinic and walked in leaving everyone outside with their thoughts.
+ + + + + + +
Darkness came through the window of the small clinic. Nathan sat in one of the chairs watching the smaller man takeing in breaths, he watched his chest moveing to make sure that he had not lost him through the night. The dark dressed leader had not moved a inch from the bedside of Ezra.
"Chris......Chris'
Chris Larabee jumped when he heard the whispered sound come from the bed.
"Just lay still Ezra"
Ezra tried to move, he knew he had to tell Chris and the others something. Chris rose and sat on the edge of the bed with Ezra trying to calm him down. Ezra started shakeing and screaming his fever had rose and his body was covered in sweat.
"Hold him Chris or he is only going to hurt himself more."
Chris positioned himself behide Ezra and put his arms around him and held him tight.It tore another piece of his heart away each time to see his friend like this
+ + + + + + +
He hated himself for allowing Ezra to take that trip alone, he knew now that he should have made one of them go with him. Hell he should have went with him.
Ezra started to calm down, he felt the strong arms around him and felt the hands on his forehead.
"Chrisss....."
"Come on now Ezra calm down, I am right here and I aint gonna go anywhere."
"Chris....I need......to say....something...please." Ezra was in pain. Chris and Nathan could see the pain across his face. But the damn southern was trying to say something to them.
"Okay Ezra calm down and take slow deep breaths and then let me know what it is that you want to tell me." Nathan nodded to Chris that he was saying and doing the right thing.
Ezra's breaths slowed down and Chris leaned against the bed post and layed Ezra back.
"They are looking for you Chris."
Ezra's voice was nothing but a whisper and so Chris had to lean close to his mouth to hear what he was trying to say.
"Why?" "I...dont know....I heard them.....their leader...talking about it, they...are planning to take........Vin out first."
Ezra started laughing .....he let out a small moan and decided against laughing cause it hurt like hell.
"Ezra what are you laughing at?"
"ya.....know what ....is so funny? They.....are takeing....me out last........cause I mean.... nothing to ......this group......I mean nothing to........you."
Ezra closed his eyes and his head fell against the leader's shoulder.
"Nathan?"
Nathan heard and saw every word come out of the gambler's mouth....not believeing a word of it at all.
"He's asleep Chris, you can lay him down now."
Chris moved our from behide Ezra and with the help from Nathan they layed the smaller man down to rest a full recovery.
+ + + + + + +
Chris walked out of the clinic and then into the saloon where he knew that four men would be waiting.
"Boys" Vin pushed out the chair next to him with is leg..letting Chris sit down.
"Well we have a promblem."
Chris watched the faces of his men to see different emmontions across them.
"Ezra woke up." Chris retold what Ezra had told him only a few mintues ago. The only thing being left out was what Ezra had said last.
Vin Tanner knew that Chris was not telling everything because he could see it in his eyes.
"Larabee, is there something else that I should know?"
Chris waited until everyone left but Vin. "He overheard them say they were takeing him out last cause he meant nothing to this group or to me."
"Ah hell Chris, he knows damn well what he means to this group." Chris noticed how Vin didn't say him.....but he was going to get it through that southern cuss's head before the night began.
Chris and Vin walked out of the saloon on to the boardwalk where everyone was.
"Okay boy's lets get ready, Vin I want you to get somewhere that you can take a few of them out without getting seen or getting dead...okay."
Vin nodded his head in agreement.
"Now I want the rest of you to take cover and dont get DEAD!"
+ + + + + + +
"Where are you gonna be Chris?"
Chris downed the last of the whiskey in the glass and then faced Vin.
"Me and Nathan are staying with Ezra......I will be damned if that southern gets hurt today."
Chris walked out of the saloon with no more questions to be asked.
He walked into the clinic to see Ezra trying to sit up and he could see Ezra's painfilled eyes.
"What do you think you are doing Ezra?"
Chris could see how much Ezra was in pain, he would do to the outlaws that they did to Ezra......and no god in the world could help them out.
"Chris tell this stubborn man, he needs to listen to me and quit being so damn stubborn."
There was a small grin that formed to Chris's lips. He turned to Ezra.
"Ezra would you stop being so damn stubborn and listen to Nathan."
Ezra layed back down onto the pillow and gave a harsh look to Chris and Nathan.
There was a light knock on the door and Chris pulled his peacemaker out and waited behide the door for who ever was walking in.
"Come in."
The door opened and in came the Ladies man.
"Howdy pards, I came to see Ezra real quick and then right out I will go."
Chris looked over to Ezra and seen something flash into his eyes but he could not figure out what it was ....it was there and then gone within seconds.
"Could I please have a moment with Buck?"
Nathan looked to Chris and he nodded to Nathan that it would be okay.
"Sure fellers didn't know that you two were that close, you have got a few mintues and then you are outta here Buck."
Chris and Nathan walked out of the clinic leaveing Buck and Ezra to themselves.
"How are ya feeling pard?" Buck sat down next to Ezra on the bed.
+ + + + + + +
Ezra shifted a little in the bed. "Doing okay for my person to go through hell and back I guess." Ezra closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Buck ....I need....for you to......get into the top drawer .......of Nathan's chest...over there."
Buck stood up and walked to the chest and opened the drawer, he knew what Nathan kept in that drawer, hell all the guys knew.
"Now Buck ...please hand me......my gun."
Ezra laidd his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes once again to ride out the pain that was takeing him into the darkness once again.
"Ezra, I just dont know about this, I mean you shouldn't even be thinking about moving just yet."
"Com on......Buck you dont....know what will.....happen tonight.....and I will be a........extra gun."
Buck hated doing what he was about to do but he knew that Ezra was right.
"Okay Ezra only if you have to use them."
Ezra nodded "I will go to hell fighting if I have to."
Buck put his hand over Ezra's and smiled down at the southern. "Well pard ya wont be by yourself on that one."
Buck walked out of the room shutting the door behide him and meeting Chris and Nathan.
"Buck go with the others , its near midnight."
The midnight hour was apporaching fast, the lawmen of Four Corners were getting into their places, while the ten riders rode in town like lighting.
Vin was the first to see them and start fireing his mareleg watching one by one fall from their horses.
Buck and JD were in the church with Josiah. They knew which way they would be coming and if they couldn't take all of them out or at least most of them, Nathan and Chris would get the rest of them..
The gunfire was over before it really even started.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah Nathan we are fine, the undertaker is going to be awful busy is all."
Buck chuckled and then slapped the kid on the back with laughter.
"Where's Chris?" "He's still with Ezra."
Smith walked in the back door being quiet not to make any noise. He saw the leadeer looking out the window and the gambler was in the bed. He hated that gambler cause he had ruin his plan to take out the even. He never thought he would make it back to Four Corners alive after what him and his men done to him.
"Well, well gentlemen how are you both doing today......oh Mr. Fancy pants dont look like he is doing all that well...so why dont I just go ahead and shoot him and get him out of his misery."
Chris turned around when he heard the voice and saw Smith pointing his gun at him.
"Okay now Larabee dont move or you will be joining your southern friend here in hell, dont cross me cause I dont like either of you that much and I dont give a damn which one of you dies."
Chris went for his gun but let go of it when Smith jerked Ezra out of the bed.
Ezra let out a scream of pain when Smith jerked him up.
"Let go of him, you dont need him." Chris stared Smith down with a icy glare.
Smith pulled Ezra closer to him and held his gun to Ezra's temple. There was nothing Chris could do while Smith held the gun on Ezra.
Ezra knew there were no hope for him makeing it through this.He knew Smith held the cards in his hand, he also knew Smith had the winning hand. He looked to Chris and he knew that Chris was thinking the same thing.
Chris saw the flash of metal under Ezra's shirt and knew that the southern cuss always hid the ace in his hand.
Smith lead Standish down the stairs into the street where he was met by five cold stares.
"All of you just stay away or this man will die right here in front of you ." Smith pulled tighter around the neck and he could hardly breath.
"Mister ya not gonna get far, I promise you if you shoot him you will die where you stand."
Vin looked to Chris and both men hated feeling helpless, they stood by with their hand in tight fist just waiting for the moment that they all could put a bullet in Smith's head.
"All of you drop your guns, I am sure that ya dont want nothing to happen to this here cheat.
Chris looked to all the other men and nodded his head for them to do as Smith said.
Vin hated to drop his gun while Ezra was in danger. He knew if he could get a clear shot with hurting Ezra he would.
Smith back away still holding Ezra by the neck tightly. Nathan looked to Ezra to see his lips and face turning blue. He looked to Josiah who was saying a silent prayer for Ezra.
"Josiah , Ezra can't take much more of that, his face and lips are blue. Smith is cutting his breating and chokeing him. We have to do something and do it fast."
"What are we going to do Nathan, we have no guns."
JD hated seeing one of his family memebers in trouble. He moved out west to start a new life and came upon these six gunslighers and now one of them were in danger.
Buck looked to Chris and could see the blame and guilt in his eyes. He knew that if something happened to Ezra that Chris would not be the same to have one more death over his head and he was not ready to take Chris on again. He just got him to stay out of that bottle and he didn't know if he could get him out this time cause he knew he would be there beside him.
Ezra couldn't breath, he was in so much pain. He looked to the faces of the men that he called friends and see anger and hurt across their faces.He wonder why they were looking that way he didn't know that these men cared that much for him to risk their lives..Ezra remembered his remington that he tucked into the rim of his pants before Smith came in the clinic. He looked to Chris and seen Chris nod his head that he was ready for anything.
Mister ya best turn him lose,cause either way you are going down."
"Mr.Larabee either way, I am takeing one of you with me when I go down, so chose which one that you want to die."
Chris looked to all the men standing around. He looked back to Ezra and nodded his head.
Ezra pulled the from the rim of his pant and then pulled Smith down to the ground. There were two shots fired and then both men fell to the ground.
Only one thought was running through Chris's mind and that was to get to Ezra.
The six lawmen ran to the two men lieing on the ground. Vin Tanner kicked Smiths gun away while picking Ezra's up and putting in it the rim of his pants.
Josiah went to make sure Smith was dead cause if he wasn't god help him cause Josiah wouldn't.
"Nathan is Ezra....?" Nathan rolled Ezra over and all the men standing around held their breaths. "He's been shot!" Chris was to Ezra's side within a matter of mintues.
He saw the blood comeing from Ezra's side.
'I need him in my room now!"
Chris picked Ezra up like you would a infant child. "Chris let me help you."
Buck walked up to Chris and could see the guilt and pain in his face..
""NO........clean up the damn street and stay the hell away, do you hear me?" Buck was shocked by Larabee's tone and the cold stare on his face so he backed away only nodding his head. The others stood and watched as Chris carried Ezra's limp body to the clinic.
Chris layed Ezra back onto the bed where he was laying before. They took his shirt off and Nathan started working on him fast. There was a moan that came from the smaller man and Chris held him down and talked to him in a calm voice.He rubbed his back until he finally calmed down.
HOURS LATER:
Nathan looked to Chris. "He lost alot of blood the next few hours will tell." Nathan walked out onto the balcony. He looked to the worried faces that stood in front of him.
Nathan dropped his head with tears in his eyes.
"No....No......he can't......" Buck put his arm around the kid to calm him down.
"Time will tell....right now he is in that room fighting for his life and there is nothing more that I can do."
Nathan stormed off down the steps and into the street. Vin ran down the stairs after Nathan, but than came out of the livery a few mintues later. Josiah went after Nathan, he would be damned if he lost two souls today.
Chris sat beside the bed....watching Ezra fight his demons from the fever.
"CHRIS....NO" Chris jumped to his feet and tried to hold Ezra down. Buck ran into the room to see Chris fighting with Ezra.
"Help me hold me Buck!" they held on to him until he calmed down.
"Shew.....never knew him to be that strong." Buck backed away from the bed watching as Chris still held on to the gambler.
"Wheres Nathan?"
"Dont know he rean off, Josiah is looking for him now , he seemed pretty tore up about Ezra."
"Go find him now"
Buck ran out of the room in search of Nathan.
Vin sat on the mountain side looking across the plains. "Why......I mean ..why Ezra he is a good man........WHY" he screamed over the plains.
Nathan was in the church when Josiah found him. "It's not your fault Nathan, Ezra is a strong man and I have faith that he will make it through this cause you know him just about the same that I do and he ain't gonna go down like this."
Buck walked into the church with JD at his side. "Chris wants you in the clinic now."
Nathan stood up and walked to Josiah "Let's pray your words are true." Nathan walked out.
"Oh yeah he pull through cause like I said fellers......he is southern thunder."
"How is he doing Nathan?"
Nathan looked up to Chris and then looked behide him as Vin came walking through the door.
"He's gonna make it. His fever has broke and he will be okay."
"Good cause that sorry cuss made me a promise that he would never run out on me again."
Two weeks later the clinic housed all the men.
"Come on Mr. Jackson I am well enough to return to my own room."
Chris sat with Vin and laughed at the scene that was unfolding in front of them.
"Come on Nathan have a heart on the man."
Nathan turned his icy glare to Vin "Vin I want you to realize what you are asking of me."
"I know that Nathan but still have a heart."
"Fine, that is just fine but since you two find this so funny you can keep a eye on him." Nathan walked out of the room slamming the door behide him and trying to hide his smile.
"Well gentlemen since you are my caretakers how about a drink and a game of chance at the saloon?" Ezra ran out of the room before the two men could voice their thoughts.
"Southern Thunder"
Chris loooked to Vin to see the same look he knew he has on his face.
"AW HELL!"
Could be heard all over town from the lanky tracker.
The End
