Part 4

Vin woke up four hours later, feeling somewhat refreshed. He slid his legs over the side of JD’s bed and rubbed his still tired eyes. He picked up the phone and called the hospital, relieved when the desk connected him to the room and Wilmington answered on the first ring.

“Buck, how is he?”

“He’s been sleeping since the nurse was in and gave him a shot.”

“He being stubborn about asking?”

“Do you really expect him to be any other way?”

“No, guess not. You need anything or are you okay until I get there?”

“I’m fine. JD just left. He’s bringing back sandwiches and coffee. Are you gonna stop in to see Bob before you come over?”

“Yeah, I figured I’d check and see if anything’s turned up on the gun.”

“Did you see anything else at the scene?” the ladies man asked hopefully.

“Nothing except the gun and a Levi Strauss button. Bob’s team came up with some prints in the dirt, but they’ll probably be hard to trace. They also found a couple of prints on Chris’ truck and the one parked next to the empty spot.”

“Vin, Chris remembers tearing the guy’s shirt and thinks the button might have torn loose at that time.”

“I’ll check with Miller to see if it matches Chris’ shirt and tell him what Chris remembers,” Tanner assured the older man.

“Vin, we need to find out who the hell did this before they decide to come after him again!”

“I know, Buck. Look, I’ll stop at the station and come right over. Should be there in an hour or so,” the tracker told him.

“Okay, look Chris is waking up...”

“Tell him to do as the doc’s say,” the sharpshooter said.

“Yeah, right, like that’s gonna happen. Bye, Vin,” the ladies man laughed softly as he hung up.

Shaking off the last remnants of sleep he stood up and made his way to the washroom. Fifteen minutes later the tracker stepped from the steamy room, a small towel wrapped around his waist. He finished toweling his body dry and dressed quickly. Forty minutes after waking in Dunne’s room he was behind the wheel of his jeep and on his way to the police station to see if anything had turned up on the gun or the simple button.

The traffic was heavier with the advent of rush hour traffic and it took Vin nearly forty minutes to get to the precinct at 220 North 27^th Street. He parked in the first spot he came to and hurried out of the jeep. He ran up the stairs, pushing the glass door open and hurrying inside. The officer at the front desk knew The Firm Agents and Captain Miller left word that Tanner was to be sent to his office as soon as he got there.

“Captain Miller’s expecting you, Vin.”

“Thanks, Rory,” Tanner said as he hurried past the desk and along a short hallway. He greeted several officers along the way recognizing them from other cases. Others he knew from Buck’s Bar and Grill, a favorite hot spot for the detectives. He entered a room where male and female officers worked at desks or stood discussing open and closed cases. The Captain’s door was closed, but he could see through the glass that Josiah Sanchez was already seated inside. He tapped at the door, opening it before the older man had a chance to tell him to come in.

“Evening, Vin,” Sanchez said as the younger man came into the room and closed the door behind him.

“Josiah. Bob.”

“Bob and I were just discussing the gun...”

“Did you find out anything about it?” Tanner interrupted.

“It’s registered to a man named William Brennan...”

“Have you picked him up yet?” the sharpshooter asked hopefully.

“Not yet, we only just got the information. I’ve sent a couple of officers to pick him and his son up.”

“His son?” Tanner asked curiously.

“Yes. William Brennan’s prints were not on the gun, but his son’s were. Taylor and Newton will call in when they’ve got both men in custody,” Miller explained.

“I talked to Buck earlier. Chris seems to remember tearing his attacker’s sleeve. Did you guys check it against Chris’ shirt yet?” the younger man asked.

“Yes, we did,” Miller assured him. “Although Chris is missing a button, this one doesn’t match the ones on his shirt. You boys are going to make sure someone’s watching Chris, right?”

“One of us will be with Chris until we find out who’s behind the attack,” Sanchez assured him, knowing there wasn’t enough evidence to warrant putting Larabee under police protection. Right now things still pointed to random violence, although the evidence was beginning to mount.

“You guys need any help just give me a call. A lot of the men here would be more than willing to help out. They respect Larabee and the rest of you and have already offered to stake out his place if you need them too.”

“Thanks, Bob, we’ll let ya know,” Tanner said, standing and holding his right hand out. The men left the office a few minutes later. Once outside Vin leaned wearily against his jeep.

“What’s bothering you, Vin?” Sanchez asked.

“Beside the obvious you mean?” Tanner asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Yes,” the ex-preacher answered.

“I’m not sure, Josiah. There’s just something about this whole thing that bugs me. I mean how the hell did these guys get close enough to take Chris down. We both know Chris is always ready for trouble, hell in our line of work it’s a given. Yet these guys were able to not just take him down, but put him in the hospital. That’s not easy to do!”

“No, it’s not, but we all let our guard down at times. Maybe these guys used a decoy, maybe they just caught Chris off guard. We won’t know for sure until Chris wakes up and he’s able to tell us. Are you headed to the hospital now?”

“Yeah, was gonna go relieve Buck and JD.”

“Would you mind if I tagged along? Nathan dropped me here on his way to see Rain.”

“Sure, hop in,” the tracker said as he opened the door and climbed in behind the wheel.

Anne ran slender fingers through the stiff strands of blond hair. The nurses had tried to wash the blood from it, but it would take a shower to completely rid him of the evidence of the blood that flowed from his wound. Buck and JD were outside the door, giving her some privacy before Vin showed up. She knew how close the seven were and had no jealousy of the relationship they shared. She’d been shocked at how easily they welcomed her into the fold. She closed her eyes and thought of the last time they’d been together at her place. The love they’d shared, the sweet caress of his hands across her thighs as he knelt between her legs. She was dragged back from her memories by a sound from the bed. She opened her eyes and smiled as the green orbs finally opened and focused on her.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, her fingers toying with his hair as she moved closer to him.

Larabee licked at dry swollen lips and forced the words out. “...thir...sty...”

Anne reached for the glass on the table beside the bed and placed the straw on his bottom lip. She watched as he drank the ice cold liquid, wincing sympathetically as she watched him pull away.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly, aware of the pain a concussion caused.

“Y...yeah...” he whispered, he tried to turn his body towards her, but winced as abused muscles shifted painfully.

“Try not to move around too much, Honey,” she suggested, rubbing her hand along his right shoulder.

“Good idea,” the blond said, smiling weakly as he tried to get comfortable. He saw the lines of strain on her face and realized how hard this was on her. He wanted so much to take her in his arms and hold her, to feel the heat of her body next to his skin, but for now he would have to be content with her being with him.

“More?” Sheridan asked and placed the straw at his lips again. This time he drank a little more before settling his head back on the pillow.

“Better?”

“A little,” Larabee answered. “What time is it?”

“It’s nearly seven,” she answered.

“Still Friday though?”

“Yes, it is. You’ve been sleeping on and off all day. How does your head feel?”

“It’s okay...not as bad as it was earlier, but I could use...”

“What?” she asked, frowning at the look on his face.

“Well, my mouth hurts...”

“I’ll get the nurse...”

“Thought you were a nurse?”

“I am, but I can’t give you what you need,” she told him, running her fingers along his jaw.

“Wrong...you’re the only one who can give me what I want.”

“What do you want?” she asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously at the glint in his eyes.

“Come closer and I’ll tell you,” he whispered softly.

“Chris...”

“Closer,” he said as she lowered the rail and sat on the edge of the bed.

“How’s this?” Anne asked, her mouth inches from his.

“Almost there, just a little lower...perfect...” he said as her warm lips met his. He tasted a hint of strawberries and knew she’d recently applied his favorite flavored lip gloss. He felt her warmth through the contact and sighed heavily.

Anne welcomed the touch, but kept it light in an effort to keep from hurting him. She knew his lip had been split in the fight and didn’t want to cause it to bleed again. Wanting nothing more than to hold him and sooth away the pain, she continued to rain kisses, across his mouth, moving to the bruises that covered his cheeks. She felt his breath against her neck and a soft moan issued from her trembling lips. She knew she needed to stop this before it went too far and reluctantly pulled away from the injured man.

“Chris, I think we’d better stop before we do something we’ll both regret...”

Larabee’s eyes shone mischievously as he looked up at the auburn haired woman. “Ah, hell, Anne, I could sign myself out...”

“Like hell you will!” She snapped, all hint of humor disappearing at the thought of this stubborn man signing himself out of the hospital and going home. She saw the twinkle in his eyes and realized he was baiting her in an effort to make her smile

“Oh, you!” she said, turning away as tears filled her eyes. She felt his fingers on her arm, grabbed for a tissue, and wiped away the evidence of her tears before turning back to him.

“Anne, I know you’re worried, but I am okay,” the attempt to sooth her failed miserably as he tried to sit up and the movement jarred his arm and side. “Damn!”

“Easy, Honey,” Sheridan said as a knock came on the door, before it was opened and Vin walked in.

Chris closed his eyes as the nausea brought on by the movement grew worse. He felt the sweat forming on his brow as his head began to pound. He heard a familiar voice asking Anne Sheridan if he was alright, and attempted to speak through the nauseating pain in his skull.

“Vin, buzz the desk and...” She didn’t finish as Larabee groaned and turned on his side. She reached for the small basin, but was too late as vomit flowed from the patient’s mouth. She held him on his side, knowing the tracker had called for help.

“...sorry...” Larabee muttered as he fell back against the bed.

“Nothing to be sorry for, Pard,” Tanner said as he handed the nurse a wet facecloth.

“Chris, the nurse is bringing you something for pain and nausea,” Anne explained.

“...th...thanks...” he managed as he took a deep breath and winced as pain again erupted in his chest. He heard the nurse enter and reach for the IV in his left hand.

“This will help with the pain and nausea, Chris,” Ninheve said as she injected the medication. She’d just come on duty and knew Larabee was being as stubborn about medications as he always was. She smiled at him, her eyes filled with compassion as she removed the syringe and disposed of it.

“...okay...”

“I’m going to take your vitals and then I want you to get some rest,” the petite nurse ordered as she wrapped a BP cuff around his right arm.

The two concerned visitors watched as the nurse took the patient’s blood pressure, temperature, and listened to his lungs.

“How is he, Ninheve?” Tanner asked.

“He’s doing very well, Vin. His BP is still a little low. I’m going to call Dr. Midland and she might order blood tests to see if he needs another unit of blood,” she said, smiling as Larabee had a put upon look on his face at being talked about while he was there.

“Now, Chris, you buzz if you need anything, okay?”

“I...will...thanks, Ninheve...”

“You’re welcome,” she said, patting Tanner’s shoulder as she left the room. “He’ll be fine,” she whispered softly and was pleased when the younger man nodded his thanks.

“Anne,” the blond mumbled tiredly.

“I’m right here,” she answered, sitting on the edge of the bed and touching her fingers against his cheek.

“You need to g...go h...home and sleep. Ma...make Tanner g...go with you,” Larabee muttered as his eyes closed. They shot open as he realized what he’d said and looked at the two people as he laughed in spite of the pain.

“What’s funny, Cowboy?” Tanner asked.

“Didn’t mean for y...you to go h...home and sl...sleep with A...Anne...j...just t...take her h...home,” Larabee answered before giving into the call of sleep.

“Buck and JD are waiting to take you home, Anne,” the tracker told her.

“You’re gonna stay here with him all night?” Sheridan asked, knowing they had suspicions that the attack on Chris Larabee was not a random act of violence.

“I’ll be here till midnight. Nathan’ll be here to relieve me. Don’t worry, Anne, nobody will get to him here.”

“Thanks, Vin,” she said. Turning back to the injured man she brushed her lips across Larabee’s mouth and whispered.

“I love you, Chris Larabee.”

Vin smiled as he heard the declaration and watched the woman reluctantly leave the blond in his care. He sat down and switched on the TV, making sure the volume was turned down low.

Chris opened his eyes to sun streaming through the lone window in his room and turned onto his back, cursing as the movement awakened the pain once more. He knew it would take time for him to be able to move as easily as he normally did, but he hated not being able to do what he wanted.

“Need some help?”

“No, thanks, Vin, but I need to do this on my own before everything seizes up,” Larabee told him.  

“Gettin’ old, Cowboy?”

“Right now...yeah, least it feels that way. So what’s happening with the investigation? Did you boys find out anything?”

“The police have an APB out on Kyle Brennan...”

“Who?” Larabee asked, there was a vague sense that he’d already been told this part.

The doctors had warned all of them that Chris might not recall everything he was told because of the effects of the concussion. The confusion would clear up along with the headaches, but for now they just needed to make sure they explained things to the injured man.

“The gun was registered to William Brennan, but the prints belonged to his son Kyle. The police questioned the father, but he’s been out of town for the past month. Seems his son has a habit of getting into trouble and the old man finally kicked him out.”

“How’d the son get his hands on the gun?”

“House safe. Brennan kept the gun locked up in it, but didn’t bother changing the combination after he kicked his son out. Kyle Brennan took the gun and whatever money his old man had in the safe while he was away. William Brennan has given his statement to the police and is willing to cooperate in any way he can. We’ve got pictures...”

“I want to see one.”

“I thought you’d say that,” the tracker said, picking up the manila envelope from the table.

Larabee slid his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, wincing as the movement jarred his shoulder. He finally made it to a sitting position and smiled at the look on Tanner’s face.

“Damn, it’s bad enough with one arm out of commission,” he said.

“What did the doc say about your arm?” Tanner asked sympathetically.

“Said I had to keep it in the damn sling for at least a week.”

“You gonna listen to him?”

“Maybe,” Larabee grinned. “Now show me Kyle Brennan.”

Tanner handed the first picture to the older man and watched as Larabee studied the face. He knew from the blond’s statement to the police that he didn’t see the faces of the three men clearly, yet he did give them a pretty good description of their size and shape.

“Do you recognize him?”

Chris held the picture in his right hand, grateful that the cast did not interfere with his using his fingers. He studied the dark hair and the narrow eyes and read the height and weight on the side of the picture.

“I’m not sure, Vin. He’s the right height and I think the hair color is the same, but he had dirt ground into his face and at the time I wasn’t paying much attention to anything else, but the gun in his hand. I would recognize his voice though...it had a distinct nasal quality to it...like his nose was broken more than once,” Larabee said as he dropped the picture back on the table. His stomach had calmed down and he’d been able to keep down a small amount of clear fluids, but not enough to satisfy Midland.

“Anything else?” Larabee asked.

“No, the button is one used by Levi Strauss for years and there’s no way to trace it. No one in the building saw anything. You know you were damn lucky JD came along when he did.”

“I know,” Larabee said, leaning back on the bed once more.

“Headache?” Tanner asked.

“Yeah.”

“Want me to call your nurse?”

“No, think I’ll just grab some more shut eye.”

“You do that, Cowboy,” the sharpshooter said.

“Go home, Vin.”

“I will as soon as Josiah gets here.”

Larabee knew better than to argue. They’d gone through this the day before and his friends were not ready to leave him unprotected when he was injured. He sighed and lowered the head of the bed as he felt the pull of sleep once more.

Chris eased his legs over the edge of the bed and smiled sheepishly at the woman standing before him. He had vague memories of the day before, and knew he’d be leaving the hospital the next day. He was ready to leave now, but Henderson and Midland were not around to sign discharge papers. He knew if not for Anne Sheridan he’d have signed himself out already, and was shocked by how much he’d changed since she’d come into his life.

“Are you sure you’re up for his, Chris?” the woman asked as she eased him to his feet.

“I need to do this, Anne. I’m so stiff I feel like an old man,” Larabee told her, he frowned as she leaned close to his right ear, but laughed as she spoke.

“You’ll never be an old man, Chris, and I bet there’s one part of your body that would love to be stiff,” she breathed in his ear, nibbling at the lobe as her hand found it’s way under the pajamas she’d brought for him.

“Hell, woman, you keep doing that and I’m gonna limber up real quick...”

“Am I interruptin’ somethin’?”

“Damn, Buck, don’t you ever knock?” Larabee swore as he felt Anne pull away from him.

“We did, Stud, but I guess you two were too busy to hear anything but your own...”

“Shut up, Buck!” Larabee warned.

“Sure, Chris,” the ladies’ man said, smiling at the happiness Anne Sheridan brought into his long time friend’s life.

“Chris, I’ve got a couple of things to finish up. I’ll be back later, okay?” the auburn haired beauty asked.

“Sure, and we’ll pick up where...”

“Not likely, Sweetheart,” she said as she kissed his cheek and hurried from the room.

“Damn, Chris, that’s one beautiful lady you got there,” Wilmington said, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yeah, she is, Buck. Not just on the outside either,” the blond said.

“I can see you two are getting serious.”

“Yeah, we are and you know something, Buck?”

“What?”

“I’m thinking I must be the luckiest sonofabitch in the world,” Larabee said as he stood up and grabbed onto the IV pole.

“Why?” the ladies’ man asked, knowing the reason before Larabee told him.

“You know there’ll never be anyone who can take Sarah’s place.”

“Yeah, she was special.”

“Yeah, she was. I remember her smile, her laugh and it hurts, but somehow it’s easier when Anne is here. She doesn’t make me forget, but she’s showing me that it’s possible to find that perfect love more than once.”

“So, you think this is love?” the ladies’ man asked seriously.

“I think so, Buck, but I don’t want to push too hard,” Larabee said, looking at his friend and seeing the understanding in the blue eyes.

“You know Sarah would want you to be happy again...she’d be glad you found someone else to love.”

Larabee simply nodded as he walked towards the window, leaning his head heavily against the thick pane of glass.

“We never really talked about it, but she once told me to never look back. To always look to the future, no matter how bad I wanted to stay in the past. Sometimes I think she knew we wouldn’t have much time together, Buck.”

“Sarah was special, Chris, in more ways than we ever knew,” Wilmington agreed, remembering a similar chat he’d had with his best friend’s wife. Sarah was looking after him while he recuperated from a severe case of the flu, and they’d spent many hours talking. One night she looked at him, a faraway look in her eyes as she spoke. ‘Life is short, Buck, and we have to make sure we live it to the fullest. Chris, has so much love inside him and it would be a shame to see it wither and die.’ He remembered asking her what she meant, but she’d turned away and told him he’d know when the time came.

“Anne’s special too.”

“I know,” Larabee said, smiling as he turned back to his long time friend and sat in the soft chair.

Wilmington nodded and turned towards the door as it opened and the rest of the team entered. He smiled as he saw the coffee carafe in Standish’ hands, and the tray of hospital cups carried by Dunne. They’d finally discovered that Ezra’s favorite coffee shop was the one in his own kitchen in his posh upscale apartment. The man used fresh ground coffee beans, but wouldn’t tell them what the secret ingredient was.

“Thanks, Ez,” Larabee said as the gambler filled the cups and brought one over to him.

“You’re welcome, Mr. Larabee,” the gambler said as the others helped themselves to the remaining cups.

“How are you feeling, Chris?”

“Better, Nathan, the nurse is supposed to come in and take this damn thing out,” Larabee answered.

“So you’re able to keep things down now?” the medic asked.

“Most things. Stomach still gets a little queasy when...”

“You see Jell-O,” the tracker finished, knowing Larabee’s distaste for the staple of most hospital clear fluid diets.

“Yeah,” the blond laughed.

“So, Chris, did Dr. Midland say whether you’re getting out of here tomorrow or not?” Sanchez asked.

“She doesn’t see any problems. Just told me to take it easy.”

“Are you going to listen this time?” Dunne asked, smiling as his mentor glared at him.

“Now, Son, I’ve told you many times that miracles never cease, but in this instance you’re asking for more than a miracle,” Sanchez said with a grin.

“Yeah, but this time there’s someone who’s gonna see to it that he doesn’t over do things,” Wilmington teased.

“Buck...”

“Well, Chris, we both know all Anne has to do is bat those eyes of hers and pucker up her lips like this...”

“BUCK!” Larabee shook his head, laughing as the ladies man proceeded to blow kisses in his direction.

“Is there a problem in here?”

“No problem at all, Darlin’,” Wilmington smiled at the older woman standing in the doorway.

“Well, if you gentlemen will give me some room to see my patient I’ll take out his IV.” Jennifer smiled at the chagrined look on the faces of the men in Larabee’s room as they moved back to let her take care of her patient.

Chris watched as the woman expertly eased the tape from his hand and pulled the tiny catheter out. He felt her put pressure on it in order to stop the blood flow and finally place a cotton ball over it and secured it with tape.

“There you go, Chris.”

“Thanks, Jennifer.”

“You’re welcome. Do you need anything for pain?” she asked.

“Not right now,” Larabee told her.

“Well, you just buzz if you need anything,” Jennifer advised and turned to the six visitors. “You boys need to let him rest.”

“We’ll see that he does,” Sanchez assured her, smiling as Larabee glared in his direction.

“Shouldn’t you boys be working?” Larabee asked.

“Ah, Chris, it’s Sunday,” Dunne offered.

“Hell, JD I know its Sunday...”

“I think Mr. Larabee is trying to inform us in his roundabout way that he’s irritated by our company,” Standish said, smiling at his boss.

“Nah, that can’t be it. We only just got here,” Dunne said.

“You boys have spent pretty much the whole weekend here and it’s not that I’m not grateful, but...”

“You want some time alone,” Sanchez said, seeing the truth in the younger man’s tired eyes.

“Shit, boys,” a chagrined Larabee told them. “Look it’s not that I’m not grateful for the company, but I’m beginning to feel like I’m...”

“ A criminal under constant surveillance,” the conman suggested.

“Exactly,” Larabee answered.

“Chris, you were attacked Thursday night and for all intents and purposes it looks like it was intentional...”

“I know, Nathan, but until we know for sure I’d rather not have you boys giving up your free time...”

“Our choice, Cowboy,” Tanner told him.

“Vin’s right, Chris. This is our choice, and until we find out who the bastards are we’d rather not give them a chance to get to you again,” Wilmington hissed.

“Buck, you can’t be with me twenty four hours a day...”

“Can’t we? There’s six of us, Chris, and we’ve done it before,” the ladies man said.

“I know,” Larabee said and knew whether he wanted them to or not they were going to watch out for him. He closed his eyes as the headache returned, bringing with it the usual nausea and dizziness.

“You okay, Chris?” Jackson asked sympathetically.

“Ju...just need to lie down,” The blond said. He eased forward on the chair and slowly stood, ignoring the pain from abused muscles. He smiled as Wilmington and Tanner fell in beside him for the short walk to his bed where the medic was pulling back the blankets. He sat on the edge and eased back against the pillows, hoping his concussed head would not explode. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to recede, but the nausea continued and the pain once more intensified. He felt the blankets pulled up over his battered body. He opened his eyes and reached for the basin as his stomach churned and bile rose in his throat.

“JD, get the nurse,” Wilmington said softly.

“T...thanks, B...boys,” the blond said as his team showed their concern.

“You’re welcome,” Tanner said as he ran a warm washcloth over the blond’s pale face.

“JD’s getting the nurse, Chris,” Jackson assured his friend.

“...okay...”

“Feel any better?” Sanchez asked.

“N...not really...headache’s back...”

“I sympathize with your plight, Mr. Larabee,” Standish assured him, rubbing at the back of his head. He felt the scar from a recent injury and remembered all to well his own concussion. The bump on the head had been his only injury and he knew there was no comparison with the injuries Larabee was suffering from.

“Jennifer will be right in,” Dunne said as he rejoined his team. “How is he?”

“Same...sick...hurting...” Wilmington answered, smiling as he realized they were all talking in low tones. He smiled as the nurse came into the room and the others moved away from the bed to give her room to check her patient.

“Chris, would you like something for pain?” she asked softly.

“...y...yeah...” came the muted reply.

“He’s been sick again too,” Tanner told her.

“I’ll get him some Zofran as well,” Jennifer said, hurrying from the room. She returned less than two minutes later, ordered the others out. Once they were outside the room she injected the two medications into her patient.

“Chris, that should help...”

“...thanks...”

“You’re welcome. Now I’m going to check your vitals and then I want you to sleep. I’ll tell your friends to come back later,” she told him.

“...might not listen...need to watch my b...back,” Larabee mumbled as the pain eased slightly and his rebelling stomach calmed.

“Well, I could have them banned or do you want them here?” she asked.

“...w...want them h...here,” the blond whispered softly as the nurse took his blood pressure.

“I thought so,” she said as she finished his vitals and eased the blankets up over him. “Get some sleep and I’ll let one of them stay with you.”

“...o...okay...”

She closed he blinds on the window and turned out the light before leaving the room. She looked at the six worried faces and smiled sympathetically.

“He’s sleeping and I’d like him to stay that way,” she said a little too sharply. “Look, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but Chris is my patient and therefore my concern. I know you’re all worried about him, but please keep the visit quiet and let him rest.”

“We will, Jennifer. Thank you,” Sanchez assured her.

“You boys might as well go on home. I’ll stay with Chris,” Tanner said.

“I shall remain as well,” Standish said, opening the door and stepping inside the darkened room. Again he remembered the last concussion he’d suffered from and how much the lights would add to the pain. He sank into the chair and watched over the sleeping man. A man who’d shown over and over how easily he trusted Ezra Standish, a man who once considered himself the best man to pull a con. He’d tried that with Chris Larabee and smiled as he remembered the blond’s words and wicked wink. ‘Ya can’t con a conman, Ezra. Didn’t your sainted mothah ever teach you that?’

“You okay, Ezra?” Tanner asked as he entered the room.

“I assure you I’m perfectly fine, Mr. Tanner,” Standish answered. He watched the sharpshooter move to check the injured man, and knew Larabee was fine as Tanner moved to the window and sat in the chair there. The two friends would remain there until the second shift began.