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FOUR
When Nathan was sure everyone was ready, he began to probe the wound for the slug. Josiah tightened his grip around Vin's feet. Chris ignored the pain in his hands as Vin's fingers dug into them. He bent his head low and began whispering to the tracker.
"I'm here, Vin. It's gonna be alright. Nathan's almost done. I'm here. It's alright. Almost done. I'm here. I'm here."
Finally, Nathan found the bloody bullet and removed it. He washed the wound as thoroughly as he could before sewing it closed and bandaging it. Vin, exhausted by pain and blood loss, had lost consciousness again by the time Nathan was finished.
Nathan and Josiah looked up to see that Chris was still bent over the tracker, still whispering to him.
"Chris?" Nathan called, getting his attention. "Time for you to rest, now," he said. "He's gonna need you later. We'll watch 'im now."
Chris reluctantly agreed, gently laying Vin's head back onto the bedroll before heading over to the one Nathan had used earlier.
A short time later, Ezra arrived with the wagon. The men gently moved JD and Vin into the back of it, which the gambler had padded with blankets before leaving Four Corners. The men worked silently, exhausted physically and emotionally. The only words that had been spoken were to Ezra, when he had asked for an update on Vin and JD's conditions. Nathan climbed into the back of the wagon, between the two. Buck and Chris rode close to the sides. As Ezra pulled the wagon out and away from the campsite, Josiah rode to the pile of dead wood and bodies and lit the fire, saying a silent prayer for their misguided souls as he did.
The ride back to town was slow. Nathan insisted they remain at a walk. He didn't want Vin or JD to be jostled. By the time they got back to town it was dark. Ezra pulled the wagon up in front of the saloon. Nathan jumped out and supervised the move of their injured friends. Buck easily lifted JD and carried him up the stairs to Nathan's clinic. Chris and Josiah carried Vin. Nathan went ahead and lit the wick on the lantern bathing the room in its soft glow. They placed JD and Vin on the beds in Nathan's room. Josiah went back down to help Ezra take the wagon and the horses to the livery. Nathan checked the two men and decided they needed to be bathed. They had gotten most of the dirt and grime off out on the trail, but Nathan could still see traces of blood on Vin.
"Buck I'm going to need a couple of buckets of warm water," Nathan instructed. "I want to get them as clean as I can. Chris can you start the fire in the stove? I want them to stay warm."
They both did as Nathan instructed. Buck went out and down the stairs. Mary coming up met him.
"How are they?" she asked.
"Not good," Buck scowled.
"I'll go up an see if Nathan needs a hand."
"I wouldn't go up there if I were you," Buck said grabbing her hand to stop her.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"They aren't a pretty sight," he warned. "I have to go get hot water for Nathan."
She watched as Buck went over to the bathhouse. She continued up the stairs and quietly opened the door. Mary wasn't prepared for what she saw. Chris and Nathan were removing the bandages from Vin when she entered. His body was covered in burns and knife wounds. She walked closer and gasped when she saw the angry burned flesh of the brand. Chris looked up and saw her cover her mouth and back away.
"You shouldn't have come up here," he warned not moving from Vin.
What happened?" she asked.
"Devil worshippers," Josiah answered as he entered. "Vin and JD were to be sacrificed to Satan."
"Oh my God," Mary exclaimed. "What can I do to help?"
"They both need to be bathed," Nathan said. "I want to get them as clean as we can so no infection can set in."
Buck returned with two buckets. Ezra followed him carrying two more. Nathan decided to spread two blankets on the floor and wash them there. This way they wouldn't get the bedding wet. They moved them to the floor and Chris and Josiah washed Vin while Nathan and Buck took are of JD. Mary and Ezra handed them towels and anything else they needed. They finished JD first and laid him back on the bed. Vin took a little longer because he had been cut up worse than JD. While they washed Vin, Josiah found small pieces of metal under his fingernails. Vin moaned and cried out when they removed them. He kept pleading for them to stop. Buck glanced at Chris and could see this was tearing him apart. Nathan was finally satisfied he was clean and they placed him back on the bed. Nathan handed Chris the salve and told him to spread it over all the burns. He gave some to Buck and he did the same thing to JD. Vin moaned and tried to pull away from Chris as he put the salve on. Josiah finally had to hold him. Eventually they were both bandaged and sleeping peacefully. Nathan had dosed JD with laudanum. He decided Vin was in greater pain and used his limited supply of morphine on the tracker. Mary had left earlier and returned with dinner for everyone. Mrs. Potter helped her carry the trays. They all picked at the food. Chris didn't touch anything but sat holding Vin's hand. Mary looked around the room and sighed. It was going to be a long night.
Morning finally dawned over Four Corners. The town seemed deserted it was so quiet. The only placed that seemed to have activity was Nathan's clinic. Nathan had finally convinced Chris to take a rest. Both him and Buck were sleeping on the floor. Ezra was sitting ibetween Vin and JD shuffling his cards. Nathan was sitting on the other side of JD. Mary was wiping the sweat from Vin's fevered brow when he began to stir. He mumbled something Mary couldn't understand and he opened his eyes to look at her.
"Hello, Vin," she said softly. Vin saw her and panicked.
"NO!" he screamed. "Stay away from me!"
Vin tried to move as far from Mary as he could.
"Easy, Mr. Tanner, everything is alright," Ezra soothed and sat down next to him on the bed.
"No, keep her away," he sobbed, burying his face against Ezra.
Ezra could feel the heat radiating off the smaller man. He tried to soothe the distraught tracker but it was no use. He was terrified of Mary. Chris was awakened when Vin screamed and moved to his side.
"Easy, Vin," he said taking him from Ezra. "It's alright, it's only Mary."
"No... keep her away," he sobbed.
"Mary, maybe you better leave," Nathan suggested. Mary nodded and went out the door.
"Shhhh, Vin, it's alright. She's gone," Chris said pulling him into an embrace.
"Chris, please make them stop," Vin said deliriously.
"It's Ok, Vin, You're safe," Chris soothed.
Chris pulled Vin up so he was lying across his chest. Vin held tightly to Chris. He continued to rub his back until Vin fell asleep. Chris looked at Ezra and he could see the gambler was shocked but trying not to show it. Those damned women had hurt Vin in more ways then just physical. Vin had always been shy around women and Chris wondered what would happen now. He got comfortable and drifted off to sleep cradling Vin in his arms.
TWO WEEKS LATER
"Vin. It's alright, it's alright," Chris soothed, smoothing the tracker's hair from his brow. "You're safe, now."
"JD?" Vin rasped, desperately clinging to Chris's sleeve.
"JD's fine, too," he replied tiredly. "Come on, now. Open your eyes. We're still here in Nathan's clinic."
Vin opened his eyes and looked around. He closed them again, sighing in relief. Then winced as he released himself from Chris's strong arms and eased his worn body back down to the mattress. Before he knew it, Chris had an arm around his shoulder, gently lifting him as his other hand put a cup of water to his lip. The tracker drank greedily before Chris took it away and lowered him back to the pillow.
"You ready to tell me yet?" the gunslinger asked quietly.
But Vin just gave a single shake of his head, turning his gaze away toward the window. The same as he did that morning. The same as the night before. The day before, and so on.
Chris closed his eyes and hung his head. It had been almost two weeks since he and Buck rescued Vin and JD from those devil worshipers. Two weeks of hell, wondering first, if either of the two would survive and now, if the nightmares would ever stop. Chris stood up and walked to the other side of the room. He splashed some cold water on his face and looked up into the small shaving mirror Nathan had hanging on the wall. 'God, I look almost as bad as Vin does,' he thought, noting the dark circles under his eyes.
They'd been able to get most of the story about what had happened from JD after he'd been well enough to talk. They'd also seen with their own eyes what the women had done to the two, before they rescued them. Their injuries told part of the story as well. Chris didn't like to think too much on them. But something else was nagging at him. He knew JD had left a few gaps in his story, things that must have been too horrible for him to describe - the branding for instance. The boy just got all silent and pale when he got to that part. He couldn't put it into words. But they knew it had happened. The ugly red wound on Vin's abdomen was testament to that. But Chris knew there had to be more. Something was still plaguing Vin, causing him to relive the torture every time he fell asleep.
Chris sighed and returned to the chair at Vin's bedside. He looked down at the tracker and put his hand on the bed, next to Vin's, let him know he was there. After a moment or so, he took Vin's hand in his own. Another thing he'd have to get used to for a while. For the past two weeks, unless Vin was looking right at you and knew what you were doing, the slightest touch would make him jump in fear.
"What's going on in there, Vin?" he asked quietly, not for the first time.
Vin just squeezed his hand tight and closed his eyes.
Josiah entered the room quietly, so as not to disturb Vin.
"Come on, Chris, time for dinner," he said, pulling the gunslinger up by his arm.
"No, I'm fine," he answered.
But the preacher just gave him a look, saying, "We've been through this every day, now, Chris. You ain't gonna do him any good if you're too sick yourself."
Again, Chris relented and let the big man take his place in the chair.
"How's JD doing?" he asked before heading to the door.
"So far, so good," Josiah replied. "I saw Buck bringing his dinner up to him in his room a few minutes ago."
"Thanks, Josiah," Chris said, closing the door.
Chris made his way down to the saloon and ordered dinner from Inez at the bar. As he sat there, toying with the food served him, he pondered the events, all the things JD said the women had done, all the things they had seen evidence of on the two injured men. No man should be subjected to such tortures. But he thought that at least,Vin, with his background and all, would somehow be immune to it. Hell, Vin's the one who told them stories about what the Comanche would do to their prisoners and why. He'd understand the underlying reasons for inflicting the injuries, right? Vin always seemed so strong, so unbreakable. Hell, even JD had stopped having the really bad nightmares. What did they do to Vin that they didn't do to JD?
He pushed the uneaten food away from him, put some money on the counter and headed for the boarding house. Walking to the door to Nathan's clinic, he paused and listened, made sure Vin and Josiah were okay. Then he headed down the hall to JD's room. Knocking quietly, he opened the door when he heard Buck tell him to come in.
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