Hairy Days
Vin and Chris wearily dismounted when they reached the livery. It had been a three-day ride to Compton, and they had been making quick time, only stopping when it was dark and heading out again at first light. The prisoner they had been escorting had bitched the entire way, no matter how many times Chris had threatened to shoot him. They had tried gagging him, but each time he had worked it loose and started gabbing again. Now the prisoner was safely locked up in the jailhouse, and Vin and Chris were looking forward to a quiet drink in the saloon.
Vin procured a quiet table in the corner while Chris ordered a bottle of whisky and two glasses. An hour later, the bottle was half empty and the two of them were noticeably more relaxed. Their peace was shattered when a group of four large men approached their table.
"Help you fellas?" Chris asked quietly, hoping they wouldn't start something. He wasn't in the mood for a brawl.
Their attention was fixed on Vin. "Just thought we'd come over and tell you that we don't like no injuns drinking in our saloon."
"That's nice for you fellas, but I don't see any injuns in here," Vin drawled quietly.
"You sure look like an injun to me boy," the leader sneered. "Don't know many white folks with long hair."
"Yeah, well you look like a pig to me, but that don't make it so."
The large man placed his hands under the table and flipped it up, sending it careering across the room. The whisky bottle smashed on the floor. Chris stood up quickly, glaring at the man.
"I paid good money for that whisky mister, but if you turn around and walk out of her right now, I'll overlook you disturbing us," Chris whispered dangerously.
The big oaf lashed out and took a handful of Chris' shirtfront. Big mistake; Chris lashed out quickly with a right hook, catching the larger man in the jaw.
Ah hell, Chris, Vin thought as he saw Chris throw a punch.What the hell are you doin'? There's four of 'em and they're bigger than the both of us put together.
Vin sighed, and stepped forward to intercept one of the other goons who was moving in to punch Chris.
The larger goon holding Chris barely even flinched after Chris had punched him, instead he threw Chris up against the wall of the saloon. Chris hit the wall hard with his shoulder and head and crumpled to the floor, winded and dazed. The leader and another goon moved in on Chris as he struggled to regain his feet.
Vin also had two to contend with. The tracker's fighting style was quick, sharp punches, using his skill and speed to take down larger men, but these two were barely even flinching as he threw fist after fist. One of them reached out with surprising speed and caught Vin's throat in his fist. Vin choked as the grip tightened, trying with all his strength to pry the fist open. He kicked out with his feet in attempt to bring the man down, and it was a stroke of luck that a flying foot caught the man right between the legs. He went down groaning, dropping Vin in the process. Vin lay gasping for a moment, refilling his oxygen starved lungs, but a foot in his ribs expelled all the air he had been working so hard to get into his chest. Grey spots danced in front of his eyes as he struggled to breathe.
Chris was not faring much better. The initial hit against the wall had dazed him, and he had not yet been given a chance to recover. Fist after fist came at him. Chest, gut, face. He tried to curl up to protect himself, but a fist to his kidney's caused him to arch his back in pain, exposing his front once more. Eventually, they grew tired of that and threw him over one of the other tables in the saloon. Chris slid over the wooden surface, knocking off all the glasses and landing heavily on the floor. Glass shattered all around him, shards of it flying up at him.
Kick after kick was coming at Vin, who was managing to stop most of them with his legs, and his vision cleared as his breathing became easier. The next kick that came at him, he threw his arms around the man's leg and yanked hard. The man lost his balance and fell heavily to the floor. Vin scrambled up, to see Chris trying to get up amidst a pool of broken glass. His arms were wobbling and threatened to give out on him, and Vin saw one of the men making his way over to Chris menacingly. Without hesitation, Vin picked up a chair and brought it crashing down on the man's head. He fell to the floor. The second man growled at Vin and came at him swinging, but Vin ducked the punches, and came up with a combination of punches to the man's stomach. The man faltered, but didn't go down.
Chris shook his head, trying to clear the fog from his vision. His arms no longer supported him, and he fell back onto the floor, broken glass digging into his cheek. From his vantage point on the floor, he saw Vin grappling with one of the men. Two of them lay groaning on the floor, but another one of them was getting up, looking at Vin hatefully. Chris tried again to get up, he had to help Vin. Using a table for support, he finally managed to get his feet back under him. A wave of dizziness washed over him at the sudden change in altitude, but he brushed it off and shakily headed for the man about to attack Vin.
Chris hit him with his shoulder, pushing the two of them into the nearest wall, but the larger man recovered quicker than Chris and started laying into him once more.
Vin was growing tired. Blood flowed freely from his nose and a split lip. He noticed a commotion behind him, and turned for a split second to see Chris losing a fight with the man he had taken down earlier. Vin cursed Chris for not staying on the floor where he would have been safe, and thrust an elbow in his opponents face, feeling the man's nose squash satisfyingly. The man fell back, blood spurting from his broken nose. Vin jumped into Chris's fight, when a gunshot resonated throughout the saloon. Vin and the goon turned to see the source of the noise, while Chris tumbled to the floor. Vin recognised the sheriff they had handed their prisoner over to not two hours ago.
"Fight's over boys," the sheriff said. "Kyle, I suggest you and your men get out of here."
The large man looked at the sheriff sullenly before turning to help his comrades.
"Reckon you and your friend should be coming with me," The sheriff said to Vin. Vin bent down carefully to Chris, his bruised body protesting.
"Chris?" he said quietly, turning the gunslingers face towards him. Chris's eyes opened and he fixed Vin with an uneven stare.
"'S'it morning already? 'Cause I gotta go take Mary fishing," Chris slurred. Vin sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.
"Can you give me a hand here, Sheriff?" Vin said, and between the two of them they managed to haul Chris to his feet. They half-dragged, half-carried Chris to the jailhouse and laid him down in one of the cells.
"Well, well, looky here. Looks like you boys finally got your comeuppance." The prisoner they had escorted was laughing in the cell next door.
"Shut up," Vin snarled at him. "You got a doctor here?" Vin asked the sheriff.
"Yeah, but he's out of town at the minute. Don't get back until tomorrow. 'Fraid you'll have to take care of yourselves for now."
"Well, then I'm gonna need some water, and some bandages."
"I'll see what I can do," the sheriff said, and swung the cell door shut and turned the key.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Vin asked.
The sheriff shrugged. "You boys was brawling. Law says I gotta lock you up."
"You let those other guys go!"
"Yeah. well, I'd only get more trouble if I tried to lock those guys up. Best to leave 'em be."
"You mean you're afraid of them," Vin accused.
The sheriff bristled. "That ain't so. But think of this as me locking you up for your own protection. Those folks don't get beat easily, and they don't take kindly to it when they are. They might come gunnin' for ya."
The sheriff left Vin alone with Chris, a muffled giggling coming from the cell next door to them. Vin glared at the culprit before heading to Chris' side.
"Chris? You hear me?"
Chris opened his unfocused eyes and looked up at Vin. "Vin? That you?"
"Yeah, it's me. Chris. How d'you feel?"
"Like I went ten rounds with a grizzly."
Vin smiled. "Yeah, me too. How's your head?'
Chris grimaced. "Hurts."
"Yep. I reckon you got yourself one of them concussion thingies Nathan's always talking about."
"You okay?" Chris peered up at Vin, trying to bring him into focus.
Vin nodded. "Bit sore, but I'll live I reckon."
The sheriff re-entered with a bundle of cloth and a pitcher of water. "This's all I could get," he said apologetically, handing them to Vin. "Reckon the most you fella's need is a good night's sleep though."
Vin spoke quietly through the bars. "Maybe, but I'd 'preciate it if you could have the doctor come see us when he returns to take a look at my friend."
The sheriff nodded, and then left.
"God-damnit! That bastard broke my nose!"
"Oh, pipe down, will you, Jasper. We ain't none of us come out of that unscathed," Kyle said.
"God-damn injuns! Shouldn't be allowed in the same places as decent white folk."
"Yeah, well, we'll be takin' care of him soon."
"What d'you mean Kyle?
"I mean him and his friend are spending the night in the jailhouse. So what do you say we have ourselves a little bonfire..."
Chris was sleeping soundly on the cot. Vin had bathed his cuts with water, and tried to remove some of the larger chunks of glass from his face, but he couldn't get some of them with just his fingers. Chris had drifted in and out of consciousness, sometimes coherent, sometimes not. Vin hoped he'd be okay come morning.
That done, he turned his attention to himself. His ribs were hurting something awful, and judging from the massive purple bruise on his chest, he suspected he might have cracked one or two. He was pretty sure they weren't broken though, he'd been moving too freely for that to be so. His leg was littered with bruises, and he could feel it stiffening up. He figured he'd been limping come morning. He lay back on the hard floor, and drifted off to sleep.
Something had woken him. He tried to sit up, but his chest protested and he sank back with a quiet groan. Trying again, more carefully this time, he managed to sit up. He listened carefully, alert to any sound. He had woken up for a reason, but he wasn't sure what.
Suddenly something flew through the window and landed with a crash on the floor outside the cell. Bright orange flames spread out over the floor, some not more than a few metres from their cell.
"Shit!" Vin yelled, rushing over to wake Chris up."Chris, wake up. Wake up!"
Chris opened his eyes, recognising the urgency in Vin's voice. He sat up sharply but a wave of dizziness caused him to fall into Vin.
"Chris, we have to get out. The jail's on fire."
Chris looked over Vin's shoulder to see the flames covering the floor and shook off the dizziness.
"Ah shit!"
"Fire! Fire!" Vin yelled, hoping someone outside would hear.
"No time Vin. We have to get out."
"We're in a jail cell, Chris, where do you propose we go?"
Chris shook the bars of the door as if it would magically open, but the heat of the fire drove him back.
The prisoner next door had woken, and was screaming "Fire!Fire!"
At the back of the cell the heat was not so bad, but the smoke was billowing through the room, and Vin and Chris were coughing violently. Chris felt the dizziness wash over him again, and he stumbled against Vin.
"Damnit, Chris," he said between coughs, "stay with me."
Chris tried to pry his eyes open, but he felt darkness descending on him and he crumpled to the floor as Vin could no longer hold him up. Vin searched the walls of the cell for a means of escape, but it wasn't long before the darkness enveloped him, too.
Vin woke slowly, feeling a soft bed beneath him. He groaned as tried to move. He was hurt. Was he at Nathan's?
"Easy there young fella. Looks like you'll be hurtin' for a little bit. That'll teach you to be fighting with folks bigger than you."
Vin pried his eyes open and saw an old gentleman with a kindly face looking at him.
"Where...?" he croaked out, his throat as dry as a bone. He started coughing.
"Take it easy. You shouldn't be talking yet. Here, have some of this." He lifted Vin's head so he could drink some water.
"Chris!" he suddenly remembered with a jolt. He tried to sit up.
"Now now, calm down. You're friends doing okay. He's in that bed over there." Vin looked over, and sure enough Chris was there, sleeping peacefully.
"He okay?" Vin croaked.
"He should be okay. Got a nasty bump on his head though, and he's pretty beat up too. You both inhaled a lot of smoke though, which is why you'll be my guests here for a day or two more."
Oh yes, Vin remembered, the fire. "How did we get out?"
The doctor snorted. "You can blame that damn fool sheriff for that. Soon as he realised the place was on fire, he doused himself in the water trough, ran inside and hauled the both of you out. Burned his hands up pretty good but he'll recover. There was someone else in there, too, but he didn't make it I'm afraid."
Vin nodded. "He was going to hang anyway."
"Yes, well...You really shouldn't be doing any talking, just resting. I'll leave you alone now."
The doctor left, and Vin drifted back to sleep.
Chris stirred the next morning, and Vin was at his side in a moment, forgetting his own aches and pains.
"Hey, cowboy."
Chris opened his eyes to see Vin standing above him. He groaned.
"How do you feel?"
"Like I drank about seventeen bottles of whisky last night," he said in a scratchy voice. Vin helped him drink some water.
"We heading back today?" Chris asked Vin.
Vin smiled. "I don't think you're in any condition to be travelling cowboy."
"Nonsense, I'm fine…" Chris attempted to sit, but thought better of it and sank back to the pillow, groaning.
"Yeah, you're just fine."
"I'll be okay on a horse. And you'll be there. Just give me an hour or two."
"Why the hurry to get back?"
Chris sighed. "Billy's going away to stay with his aunt and uncle for a month. He leaves on Monday, and I promised I'd be back in time to take him fishin' on Sunday. It's Thursday, right?"
Vin nodded.
"Then if we leave today we got four days riding easy to get back," Chris finished.
Vin sighed. "Well, you always were a stubborn cuss, Larabee. Reckon that boy's heart would just about break in half if you weren't there to say goodbye."
Vin looked into Chris's eyes, judging for himself how 'fine' Chris was.
"Okay, provided…" Vin said quickly, seeing Chris smile. "Provided we stop to rest when I say, and the doc here says it's okay."
"Done." Chris smiled.
"Well, I really would like you boys to rest up here for a day or two more, but if your business back in town is really that pressing, then I guess I can't keep you here." The doctor smiled up at Chris and Vin, mounted on their horses. "This here is something to put in his drinks for his head." The doctor gave a small package to Vin. "And make sure he gets plenty of rest along the way. If he gets wore out, he's liable to feel worse."
Vin nodded. "And take care of yourself, too," the doctor added.
Vin tipped his hat at the doctor, and the two of them headed out of town.
Jasper watched the two men leave town, and then headed back to report to Kyle.
"They're gone. Headed straight back to Four Corners, from the look of it."
Kyle nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. We'll give them a couple of days, follow them from a distance. Then we'll make our move."
They travelled slowly, taking rests whenever Vin thought it was necessary, but the going and the weather was fair, and they were making good time.
Chris allowed his black to follow Peso, shutting his eyes and letting Vin lead the way. The pain in his head seemed to lessen then.
Vin had slipped the doctors gift into Chris's coffee that night, and to Vin's surprise it worked. Chris slept soundly all night.
By the beginning of the third day, Chris was almost back to his old self again, the headaches only bothering him on occasion.
Around midday, both horses pricked their ears up, sensing something the men didn't. But they reacted, alert to any threat.
There was no warning. The first bullet coursed through Vin, knocking him clean off the saddle. Chris immediately dismounted and went to Vin's side, gun drawn and searching for the danger, but a bullet hit him in the thigh and knocked him off his feet. He lay still. And waited.
He wanted to move. God, how he wanted to move. Pain shot down his leg at the slightest twitch, and he could feel the warm sticky blood on his leg. But he had to see how Vin was. He knew that they could still be waiting though, and that any sign of life would be a death warrant.
Eventually, his horse began to crop at some shrubs nearby, so Chris knew whoever had been there was gone. He crawled over to Vin. The tracker was laying motionless, blood soaking his side. He groaned when Chris poked at the wound, but did not wake. Chris pulled Vin's bandana from his pocket and fixed it over the wound as best he could. He then took his own and tied it around his leg. He grunted with pain as he pulled it tight, but he knew he had to stop the blood flowing or he would die.
The pain in his head was back again, and he felt a familiar wave of dizziness wash over him as he stood up carefully, favouring his leg. He pulled the black nearer the fallen tracker, and with a great deal of grunting and groaning, managed to hoist Vin onto the black's back.
Chris scrambled up behind him, and they headed for home. Chris tried to get Peso to run for home, hoping to give the others an advance warning and send them out to looking, but Peso would not leave the black.
Chris felt himself growing weaker as the day went on. Vin was deadweight in his arms, and once or twice slipped to the side. It took all Chris's strength to haul the tracker upright again.
Chris rode on through nightfall, though he could feel the black wanting to stop for the night. He pushed it on, knowing that if they stopped, he might never be able to get Vin back on the horse. Or himself, for that matter.
Billy fidgeted anxiously as his mother attempted to straighten his necktie.
"Billy, if you don't hold still I can't do this!" Mary scolded.
"But Ma, I can't wait for Chris to come home so's we can go fishin'!"
"Well, church is first, and I don't want you fidgeting all the way through Josiah's service, you hear me?"
"Yes, ma." Billy said, trying to contain his excitement.
Outside on the boardwalk, Buck and JD were heading down to church as Mary and Billy emerged.
"Buck!" Billy yelled excitedly, running to Buck's side. "Is Chris back yet? When's he coming back? Is he back already?"
"Whoa, calm down there little britches!" Buck laughed. "I reckon he's on his way back to see you right now. In fact, he might be waiting for ya when you come out of church!"
Chris was nearly home. He could feel the black's ears prick up as he recognised the familiar smells. Peso also felt it, and began to gallop back to town. Chris barely noticed Peso's departure. It was all he could do to keep himself and Vin on his horse's back.
Buck and JD were escorting Mary and Billy towards the church when they heard a commotion coming from the other end of the street. They turned to see what was going on.
"Looks like a horse got loose from the livery stable," Mary commented.
"Yeah," Buck answered distractedly. "I think JD and me'll go help out. Why don't you go on into the church Miz Travis." Buck pushed Mary gently towards the entrance to the church.
When Mary had gone inside, JD asked "What was that all about, Buck. I'm sure they can take care of a loose horse by themselves."
"That's Peso," Buck said. JD's mouth fell open in horror, and he and Buck ran towards the loose horse.
"JD, you run and wake Ezra. I'll fetch Nathan. We're riding out."
JD ran into the saloon, while Buck headed for Nathan's. Within minutes, they were assembled outside, about to saddle up, when JD pointed down the street.
"Look!" They all recognised Chris' black instantly, but were horrified to see the two men hunched over on it's back, tilting precariously to one side. Before they could reach them, they lost their balance on the horses' back and landed with a thump on the soft earth.
Buck was at Chris' side in a second, while Nathan turned Vin over. "We need to get him upstairs now." Nathan said to Ezra. Ezra nodded, and between them they carried Vin up to the clinic.
Buck patted Chris' cheek lightly. "Chris? You here with me, Chris?"
Chris opened his eyes slightly. "Vin?"
"It's me, Chris, it's Buck. Vin's being taken care of, don't you worry."
"Did I make it? Billy?" Chris mumbled. Buck smiled.
"Yeah, you made it, pard. Don't think you'll make the fishin' trip, though. Let's get you looking presentable for the boy instead."
Buck and JD carried Chris up to where Vin had been taken moments before.
Chris woke that afternoon. He turned his head to see Vin sleeping in the bed next to him. Nathan smiled.
"He's fine, Chris," Nathan said, answering the question before it was asked. "He lost a lot of blood, but the wounds clean and I've stitched him up good as new."
Chris tried to sit up, but grey spots danced in front of his eyes.
"Hey, take it easy," Nathan scolded gently. "You lost a fair bit of blood too, and I noticed a fairly big bump on your head from a couple of days ago. You're going to have to rest up for a bit." Nathan looked from the sleeping Vin to Chris. "So what the hell happened? You two look like you got in a fight or something."
Chris sighed. "Long story."
"So give me the short version."
Chris smiled. "Well, we got in a bar room bust-up, got thrown in jail, jail burnt down, we headed for home and some bastard shot us. I've a pretty good idea it was the same guys responsible for all of it though."
"All that and you were only gone a week? Remind me never to travel with you Chris, trouble just seems to follow you wherever you go."
When Chris next woke up, Buck was at his side.
"Hey pard, how you feeling?"
"Whatever that whisky was, Buck, it sure was good stuff."
Buck laughed out loud. "Well, your sense of humour's intact; I'll give you that. Reckon you're up to receiving a visitor?"
Chris smiled. "I reckon."
Billy stood at the door shyly after Buck had told him he could go in. He didn't like to see Chris in bed, it made him think that Chris might die or something.
"Are you gonna stand there all day, Billy?"
Hearing Chris's voice made Billy forget his shyness, and he ran to Chris's bedside. Chris ruffled his hair.
"Sorry about our fishin' trip."
"That's okay. I'm glad you're here anyway," Billy said. "I didn't want to go without saying goodbye."
"When are you leaving?" Chris asked.
"Ma says I've only got ten minutes."
"Well, why don't you tell me what you got up to while I was out of town…'
Vin woke slowly, conscious of the nagging pain in his side.
"Chris?" he croaked out.
"Hey, cowboy." Chris tried to get out of bed, but Nathan growled at him
"You stay put, Chris, or I'll move you to another room across the street."
Vin smiled weakly. "Glad to hear nothin's changed round here."
Nathan appeared in Vin's line of vision. "How you feelin', Vin?"
Vin grunted. "Who the hell shot me?"
"Reckon it was the same boys we met up with in the saloon Vin." Chris said. "Sheriff from Compton wired this morning to say they'd been arrested for settin' the jailhouse on fire."
"Hope they get ten years hard labour," Vin said quietly. "You see Billy?"
"Yeah," Chris replied. "He left about an hour ago. Glad I didn't have ta break my promise, even if it did mean dragging your sorry ass all the way back here."
Vin smiled. "I seem to recall me dragging your sorry ass half the way here."
Chris chuckled. "Reckon we're even then."
"Reckon so."
"Although, this really was all your fault."
"My fault? How do you figure that, Larabee? You're the one who started the damn fight."
"Yeah, but you're the one they didn't like. And you insulted them."
"Well, if you weren't such an ornery son of a bitch, you wouldn't have hit the guy."
Nathan chuckled to himself as he left the clinic, hearing the two arguing as he went.
"And if you cut you damn hair, then people wouldn't single you out to pick on."
"What the hell is wrong with ma hair??!!'
The End