Ezra looked over at the sleeping gunman and watched as the blond slowly opened his eyes. He smiled as Larabee focused on him in spite of the raging fever.

 

“Ez…”

 

“Right here,” Standish told him. “Can I interest you in some water?”

 

“Y…yeah, t…thirsty,” Larabee mumbled painfully and was grateful when a glass of cool liquid was placed before his mouth. He drank slowly, relishing the moisture as it trailed down the back of his throat. He nodded as the glass was taken away and closed his eyes as his stomach churned.

 

“Easy, Chris,” Standish said as Larabee’s face twisted with the onset of pain. He looked around to see if the doctor was there, but found he was alone with his injured friend.

 

“N…need to get u…up.”

 

“No, Chris, not right now,” the gambler ordered as he pressed the gunman back to the bed.

 

“B…back h…hurts…”

 

“Understandable, considering you recently underwent surgery to extract a foreign body from your back,” Standish blustered.

 

“Feels l…like still i…in there.”

 

“I can assure you it’s not. Dr. O’Neil was successful in her endeavor…”

 

“Ez, head’s k…killing me a…already, don’t n…need to i…interpret those f…five d…dollar words,” Larabee tried, wincing as he tried to lever himself up once more.

 

“Chris, if you insist on moving I demand that you wait until I get Dr. O’Neil.”

 

“O…okay,” Larabee winced, feeling helpless at not being able to watch out for himself, yet knowing he could not do this on his own.

 

“I shall return post haste!”

 

Chris let his eyes close as the conman left the room. He felt vulnerable and needed to change his position in order to keep his back to the wall and his eyes on the door and window. He trusted Ezra to watch his back, but there was only so much trust a man could give another. His life was his own, and there were times when he couldn’t allow others to be hurt because of his reputation. Sweat glistened on his forehead as he tried to shift onto his back and was brought up short by a stern voice from the doorway.

 

“You trying to undo everything the rest of us managed to repair, Chris?” O’Neil asked angrily as she walked into the room.

 

“C…can’t stay l…like this D…Doc. T…too dangerous.”

 

“Ezra told me you want to be on your back, but I can assure you it will be hell for you.”

 

“May…be, but at l…least I can s…see w…who’s c…coming.”

 

“I understand. Your reputation as a fast draw would certainly mean trouble if anyone found out you’ve been hurt.”

 

“C…can’t let a…anyone be h…hurt because of m…me.”

 

“What about yourself? You’re already hurt and moving around will only make things worse,” O’Neil said as she sat on the chair. She heard footsteps behind her and knew Standish and the Cross’ had joined her.

 

“Need t…to b…be able t…to see w…who’s there,” Larabee stammered.

 

“In our business it’s wise to see your enemies before they see you,” Standish explained.

 

“You’re determined to do this?” the physician asked.

 

“N…no choice,” Larabee answered and locked eyes with the woman caring for him.

 

“Well, this is against my better judgment, but I’m thinking if I try to stop you it’ll be worse than fighting with a wounded rattlesnake.”

 

“That is an apt description,” Standish said with a grin.

 

“All right, but if we’re going to do this I might as well take a look at your back and make sure there’s nothing going on there,” O’Neil warned and pulled the blanket down to the lean hips. She felt him tense beneath her hands and knew it was because she was a woman and she smiled inwardly that he was showing a bit of shyness around her.

 

Chris tried to remain still as her hand touched his bare back. He groaned as she eased the bandaging from the wound and cried out as one part seemed to have adhered to his skin because of the dried blood.

 

“Almost there, Chris,” O’Neil assured him as she used water from the basin to ease the material away from the wound. “Rose, could you bring me the new bandages.”

 

“Already have them,” the Cross woman explained as she placed them beside the basin and watched as the physician carefully cleaned the dried blood from the wound.

 

“Thank you. Ezra would you help me?”

 

“What do you want me to do?” Standish asked.

 

“I need you to help lift him forward so I can wrap the new bandages around him. Billy, would you help him?”

 

“Sure, Jenny,” the ranch owner said and stood next to the doctor. “How do we do this?”

 

“First, we need to get him turned onto his back,” O’Neil explained. “You and Ezra will have to do it for him because I don’t want him putting any pressure on his back and ribs. Chris, I want you to remain still while they move you. Okay?”

 

“T…try,” the blond whispered and tensed as the two men tried to turn him. He grit his teeth and fought back the mounting nausea caused by the excruciating pain traveling along his nerves. He swallowed several times, clenching his hands into fists as he struggled to control his reactions. Chris had no idea how long it took, but he soon felt the doctor touching his back once more.

 

“Okay, you two need to hold him still until I get the bandages back in place! Rose, get over there with Ezra and help me with this!” Ignoring the weak cries of pain from the injured man the group continued to work to make him comfortable. Between the two women they quickly encircled Larabee’s abdomen with the bandages and made sure the other lacerations were cleaned. Finally done, Jenny reached for the extra pillows and placed them behind the trembling man before motioning for the two men to lower Larabee back to the bed. She watched his face closely and knew the move had been a bad one and if she had her time back she would have stuck to her guns. Reaching for her bag she found the vial of morphine and the needle.

 

Chris opened his eyes and tried hard to breathe past the pain and shivering that controlled his body. He saw the familiar objects in the woman’s hands and knew it would give him a respite from the agony spreading through his lower back. He watched as she reached for his left hand and soon felt the tip of the needle enter his arm. He knew from experience that it would soon put him under and he licked at dry lips before speaking.

 

“Thanks…Doc.”

 

“You’re welcome, Chris, now I want you to try and rest.”

 

“W…water?”

 

“Of course,” Jenny smiled as she reached for the glass and helped him drink. She saw the true extent of the pain in his eyes and knew the move had taken more out of him than even she could see. He didn’t drink very much, but at this point she was glad he was taking anything in as the fever sapped the moisture from his body. She smiled as she removed the glass and Larabee breathed a sigh of relief. “Better?”

 

“Yeah…thanks,” Larabee said as he looked into the gambler’s eyes. He saw the concern there and tried to smile, but it came out as a tight grimace.

 

“Chris, the morphine is going to make you sleepy so don’t fight it.”

 

“O…okay,” the blond agreed and smiled weakly before surrendering to his body’s need for rest.

 

“Thank you, Doctor,” Standish said of the care the woman was giving his friend.

 

“There is no need for thanks,” O’Neil assured him before turning to Billy Cross. “Billy, I need some supplies from Swift Creek. Do you think you could send one of the hands to pick them up?”

 

“I’ll send Chet. Will Emmett give him the things you need?”

 

“Certainly, just let me jot down what I need.”

 

“Do you think Chet would send a telegram for me?” Standish asked.

 

“Can’t see why not. Just write out what you want to send and I’ll have him send it for you,” Billy assured him.

 

“Thank you. We’re indebted to all of you for helping us,” Standish told them and followed the Cross’ out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Andrew Cross opened his eyes and blinked away the sweat running into them. The sun was on its final leg of its daily journey and the heat of the day was staggering as he struggled to stay in the saddle. Several times he’d nearly fallen but had managed to stay where he was in spite of the uneven terrain. He knew they were nearing the ranch and made sure he kept the animal moving along, but would sometimes drift off and wake up to find the horse grazing on the grass. The house loomed ahead and he winced as he heard someone shout his name. The pain in his side was beginning to overwhelm him, but he knew he had to finish this final leg of the journey.

 

“Gotta make i…it…” was his final thought as he fell from the saddle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Carl Lewis looked up as he heard the sound of a horse in the distance. He studied the horizon, squinting against the bright sunshine until he spotted a horse and rider nearing the fence. He studied them for several minutes until he recognized the man listing to the right.

 

“Andy!” Lewis called as the rider tumbled to the ground. “Billy, you’d best get out here!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

What now?” Billy thought, turning away from his wife and walking out through the kitchen door. He spotted Carl Lewis jump the fence and knew something was up.

 

“What is it, Billy?” Rose asked.

 

“Not sure, but I think I’d better find out,” Cross said and hurried after the ranch hand.

 

Rose frowned as she stepped out onto the porch and placed a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun. It didn’t take her long to spot a rider less horse and Carl Lewis racing towards it, her husband not far behind.

 

“Is something wrong, Rose?” Jennifer O’Neil asked as she entered the kitchen.

 

“I have no idea. Billy’s gone to find out.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Billy spotted Carl kneel down beside the horse and he frowned as the other man waved him on. He finally reached the man and recognized the body lying on the ground. Several things ran through his mind at once as he looked at the blood stained shirt. Guilt gnawed at his gut as he thought of the decision he’d made to tell his brother to leave.

 

“What the hell happened, Andy?” the older brother asked worriedly as he knelt beside the injured man. The eyes opened and finally focused on his, even as a bloodied hand came up to touch his own.

 

“Shot m…me…stole m…money, B…Billy…s…so sorry. T…tried t…ta s…stop…m…my f…fault…”

 

“Easy, Andy,” Lewis said as he lifted the edge of the ruined shirt.

 

“N…no…gotta tell ya. R…robbed, Billy, h…he r…robbed me ‘fore I…I g…got ta t…town! T…that’s w…why d…didn’t g…get h…home. D…didn’t…” He grabbed his brother’s arm leaving a trail of bloody finger prints as his eyes grew wide. “Didn’t m…make t…the b…bank…”

 

“I know, Andy, just take it easy. Jenny’s at the house and she’ll have you good as new in no time. Then you can tell us about the man who robbed you,” Billy explained, fighting against his own anger.

 

“Doc’s h…here? W…why? Rose h…hurt?”

 

“No, Rose is fine, Andy. Don’t worry about anything, but getting you back to the house. Carl, can you hand him up to me?”

 

“Sure Billy,” the ranch hand said and waited for his boss to mount up. It took a lot to get the semi-conscious man on his feet and lead him to the horse, but they finally had Andrew Cross seated in front of his brother.

 

“We’ll see you back at the house, Carl!”

 

Lewis nodded and frowned as he turned away from the two men. Something about Billy’s story didn’t set right and he looked back over the trail the horse had made through the long grass. If Andrew Cross had been robbed on the way into town like he said then why was he riding from north of the ranch. Swift Creek was decidedly south of here and there would be no way Andy should be coming back this way.

 

‘Guess the horse could have got lost,’ he thought, but didn’t really believe that was the case as he strode back towards the house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rose and Jenny hurried out to meet the horse as it entered the yard. Both had recognized the two riders and O’Neil knew Andrew Cross must’ve been injured in some way.

 

“What happened?” Rose asked as her brother signaled for Frank to come help them.

 

“He’s been shot! Be careful of his left side!” Billy warned and lowered his brother to the waiting hand. He quickly dismounted and reached fro his brother’s left hand. Andy hung between them as they carried him towards the house.

 

“S…sorry, Billy…m…y fault,” Andy continued to mumble as they carried him inside and up to his room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ezra continued to use the cool cloth to try and ease the heat raging through the gunslinger, but turned towards the door as a commotion sounded. He placed the cloth across Larabee’s forehead and hurried to the door. He caught a glimpse of Rose Cross entering the room at the end of the hall just as the physician hurried into the room and grabbed her bag.

 

“Ezra, keep him cool,” O’Neil ordered.

 

“I sense there is someone else in need of your expertise?”

 

“Yes, Billy’s brother was shot…”

 

“I do hope it is nothing serious,” Standish said and watched the woman hurry from the room. He moved back to the bed and heard the raspy whisper, but didn’t quite catch what was said. He took the cloth and wet it once more as sea green eyes fought to open and a moan escaped through fever baked lips.

 

“E…Ezra…what’s h…happened?”

 

“It appears that you were not the only man to suffer a mishap with a gun,” Standish said as he soaked the cloth once more.

 

“What are you t…talking about?”

 

“Our host’s brother was shot and Dr. O’Neil has just gone to tend his injuries,” the gambler explained.

 

“Damn…how b…bad?” Larabee gritted his teeth as he tried to get comfortable.

 

“I have no idea…where do you think you’re going?”

 

“We need to f…find o…out how h…he got shot!” Larabee winced and found himself easily held down by the conman.

 

“Do you trust me, Chris?”

 

“H…haven’t l…let me d…down,” the blond ground out.

 

“Not since that day in the Seminole village anyway,” Standish whispered, berating himself for having given into greed even if it was only for a short time.

 

“T…that’s in the p…past,” the injured man assured him and hoped the gambler believed him.

 

“Very well, then trust me to watch your back while you are unable to do so,” Standish said and watched the fever bright eyes close. He didn’t think the blond was sleeping yet he understood the gesture to mean that whether he wanted to or not, Chris Larabee was putting his faith in the gambler. Ezra prayed he would not fail his friend.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Billy helped remove the shirt from his brother’s body and winced in sympathy as he caught sight of the ragged hole in the man’s left side. He’d seen many bullet wounds and knew this one could cause serious problems if not taken care of.

 

“I need clean water and bandages.”

 

“I’ve got them, Jenny,” Rose said as she placed them on the bedside table. ‘What do you want me to do?”

 

“I need to get him cleaned up and see if it went through! Billy turn him on his right side for a me!” Jenny ordered and waited for the man to do as she told him. “Looks like it went right through. Hold him there until I clean it up a bit.”

 

“S…stop…it hurts!” Andrew Cross whimpered and tried to move away from the woman’s ministrations. “B…Billy make her s…stop!”

 

“Easy, Andy, just be still for a few minutes and Jenny’ll have you all fixed up,” the older brother warned.

 

“Hold him still!” O’Neil ordered as the younger Cross continued to fight her.  “Frank, get in here and help him!”

 

“Sure, Doc,” the ranch hand said and grabbed Billy’s legs.

 

Jenny and Rose worked together to clean and stitch the wound and finally placed a thick pad of material against the hole and held it in place until the two men settled him back on the bed. The injured man had lost consciousness and for that she was grateful. Jenny finished cleaning the entrance wound and shook her head as she bandaged the area.

 

“Jenny, will he be okay?” Billy asked worriedly.

 

“If we keep it clean and make sure he gets plenty of rest he should be fine,” O’Neil said washing her hands in the clean basin of water. She reached for a towel and watched as Billy pulled the blanket up over his brother and flicked at the younger man’s unruly hair.

 

“Thanks, Jenny,” Billy said as his wife came to sit on the edge of the bed.

 

“You’re welcome. I’m going to check my other patient. If he needs anything just come get me,” the physician said as she motioned for Frank to follow her out.

 

“Billy, this isn’t your fault,” Rose said as she reached for her husband.

 

“Isn’t it? I sent him into town with that deposit and when he didn’t come back I thought the worst! I was damned sure he’d gone and lost the money in a poker game or taken off with it!” Cross spat in self-disgust as he stood and walked towards the window. He frowned as he spotted Carl Lewis take a horse and ride out.

 

“Billy, you heard what Jenny said…Andy’s going to be all right.”

 

“I know, but I’ve been thinking the worst and he’s been out there with a bullet hole in him. I should’ve went looking for him as soon as I got home and he wasn’t here!”

 

“We’ve been through this, Billy. Andy’s taken off before and he comes back when he’s out of money or he thinks someone’s wronged him. Lord knows I don’t wish him any harm, but he brings most of this on himself. I’m not saying he deserved to get shot, Billy, but we both know his reputation and those men he likes to be with. None of them have a real job and most are just looking to make a fast buck!”

 

“I know, Rose, but that isn’t the case this time. I gave him a job to do and when it didn’t get done I blamed Andy without giving him a chance to explain!”

 

“I didn’t give him a chance either, Billy, but he’s here now and when he wakes up we’ll get the whole story and maybe Emmett will be able to find out who did this to him.”

 

“Whomever did this will pay,” Billy warned as he turned back to his wife.

 

“The law will take care of it, Billy.”

 

“Pa always said we Cross’ take care of our own.”

 

“Not if it means you’re going against the law, Billy! I love you too much to see you in jail for killing a man over money!”

 

“It’s not just money, Rose. Andy could’ve died out there and we would’ve always thought he was bad!”

 

“Billy…”

 

“No, Rose, look I want to sit with him for a while. Would you mind making some coffee…maybe something to eat?”

 

“Of course, Billy,” she said and drew him into a deep kiss. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too,” he assured her before sitting in the chair beside his brother’s bed.