Vin turned the card over and over in his left hand, his eyes sparkling with wonder at where this card had been and how it wound up in his hands. He knew Nathan and Chris were staring at him, but his thoughts were of another time, another place, and another group of seven men.
“Penny for your thoughts, Vin.”
Tanner turned to the medic and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, was just thinking of where this came from and how Chris knew where it ended up.”
Larabee looked at the younger man and shook his head. “Sorry, Pard, some things are better left to the unknown. I have no idea how I knew it was back where it belonged, and I probably never will. I’d say you’d better stop trying to come up with an explanation before you end up with another headache, because you’ll have more questions than answers.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right, Chris,” the quiet man said as he placed the card back with the deck and put them in his sling.
Chris looked towards the door and frowned distastefully as an orderly came in with his lunch tray. He turned away as the tray was placed on the small table and pushed towards the bed. He heard the orderly leave and someone lifted the covers from the food.
“Chris, you have to eat.”
“Not hungry right now, Nathan.”
“Oh, hell, Chris, I left my choo choo...”
Larabee turned a green glare on the younger man and warned. “Don’t start Tanner!”
“Chris, you need to start eating properly,” Jackson explained. “Is your stomach bothering you?”
“No! I just don’t feel like eating right now!”
“Nathan, can you stay with him while I go get the choo choo.” Tanner’s face was deadly serious as he stared at his injured friend.
Chris tried to maintain an air of anger, but the reminder of the sharpshooter’s first attempt to get him to eat was too much and he started to laugh. “I owe you for this, Tanner!” he snapped as he grabbed the spoon from the tray.
“If I were Ezra, I would ask for monitory payment!”
“Ah, Hell, Vin, you gotta stop hanging around with Ezra It’s bad enough listening to him drone on about monitory payment and his mother being appalled. Damn fool should cut the fuckin’ apron strings and be a man!” Larabee hissed as he sipped at the light broth. The food was of little interest to him, and he could feel the anger and resentment building as he dipped the spoon in the liquid over and over.
Tanner and Jackson looked at each other as they heard the new tone in the words Larabee used. Both men knew the blond had a great deal of respect for the conman and that the latest outburst had more to do with PTSD than resentment of Ezra Standish. They were growing used to the quick change in his moods and knew the injured man was not in control of his emotions.
“Easy, Chris, Ezra’s not even here. If you’re gonna get angry at anyone then it should be me!”
“Don’t fuckin’ tell me who I can get angry with, Tanner!” Larabee said as he threw the spoon across the room.
“Chris!” Jackson called as the blond struck out at the tray on the table. The tray and everything on it lifted high in the air, spilling warm broth over the bed before it landed on the floor in a clutter of liquid and plastic dishes. Vin barely had time to move out of the way as the tray struck the back of the chair on its way down.
Green eyes swung round and glared daggers at the medic. “What, Nathan? You want me to let on like there’s nothing wrong? You want me, no you tell me to eat or Vin threatens me with some Goddamned childish kid’s game of choo choo! Well, hell, I just don’t give a damn anymore. You want to eat that shit then you eat it be...because I’m n...not. Fuck!” he wheezed as he realized his outburst was causing his chest to tighten up on him again.
The door swung open and a nurse hurried in. “Is there a problem?” she asked, her eyes quickly surveying the mess on the floor and the defiant anger in the patient’s eyes.
“No p...problem at all!” Larabee snapped and threw the blankets back. “Dammit! Nathan where the h...hell are my cl...clothes?”
“Are you planning on going somewhere, Chris?” Tanner asked calmly.
“Hell, yeah! I’m going home, Vin, and I don’t mean to the hotel you boys are in! I’m going back to the ranch! I’m g...getting out of h...here be...fore Ma...Maguire...” he stopped as he realized he was about to reveal part of his nightmares he didn’t want the others to know about.
“Maguire’s dead, Chris!”
“I know h....he’s de...dead, Nathan, but,” again he grew quiet as he looked from one man to the other. “L...look, ju...just le...leave me a...alone. Okay?”
“No, Chris, it’s not okay. No matter how many times you tell us to leave you alone it ain’t gonna happen. You’re stuck with us!” the tracker told him as he reached out and clasped his friends left arm in the familiar forearm handclasp. “No matter, what, no matter where, no matter when...remember?”
Chris Larabee’s eyes widened in disbelief as he remember thinking those words, or something similar and he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. “Th....thanks, V...Vin.” His eyes moved to include the medic. “Thanks, N...Nathan.”
“You’re welcome, Chris.”
“Mr. Larabee,” Chris turned his eyes towards the nurse. “I’m going to get your medication ready.”
“O...okay,” Larabee wheezed as he turned his eyes back to his friends. He heard the soft sound she made as she left the room and tried to hide the emotional pain he felt. “S...shit, can’t seem to t...think about a...anything but M...Maguire.”
“Chris, it might be easier if you talked it out with Dr. Carlyle?”
“Nathan’s right, Chris. You need to talk to someone.”
“Talk to you guys,” the blond insisted.
“You can talk to us anytime, Chris, but you really need to talk about what you went through. Someone who can make you understand why you’re feeling like you are,” Jackson told him.
“I don’t need to talk to a shrink.”
“Yes you do, Chris,” Tanner said. “If it’ll help I’ll be there as well.”
“Y...you’d do t...that for m...me, Vin?” Larabee asked knowing how much Tanner hated talking to psychiatrists. The only one he trusted and opened up to at all was Susan James, but she wasn’t available right now.
“Do you even have to ask?”
“N...no, guess not.” He turned to the medic and saw the worry in the soulful brown eyes. “Guess y...you can c...call Car...lyle, N...Nathan,” he said as the door opened and the nurse returned with the medication. It didn’t take long for her to hook it up and place the mask over his mouth and nose. “Th...anks,” he said gratefully.
“You’re welcome, Mr. Larabee. Your call button is right here by your left hand. Just press it if you need anything. A cleaner is on the way to take care of that mess. Would you like me to put in a call for another tray?”
“N...not right n...now,” Larabee answered, unaware of the worried frown on the medic’s face. “Just go...gonna sl...sleep for a...while.”
The nurse straightened the blankets up over him and checked the IV lines to make sure everything was as it should be. She smiled at the two men beside the bed and turned to leave.
Chris heard the cleaner come into the room, but nothing more as he finally succumbed to sleep.
“Jesus, Nathan, that bastard put him through hell!” Tanner snapped.
“Yeah, he did,” Jackson said as he watched the blond woman clean the floor. Her nametag was barely visible, but Nathan was able to pick it out. “Hang on, Pat, let me move the chair out of the way,” Jackson said.
“Thank you,” the cleaner said as she glanced at the man on the bed. ‘You’ll pay,’ she thought as she finished the job and hurried out of the private room. She returned the cart to the utility closet and hurried towards the elevator before anyone who knew her saw her. She stepped into the elevator and smiled as she reached up and pulled the clips from her hair, letting it cascade over her shoulders, laughing at the ease with which she’d entered his room. She left the elevator and shivered as she turned towards the corner of the basement. She blinked until her eyes focused and dismissed the vision she’d caught sight of, knowing there was no way she’d seen a young man in a dark bowler style hat and dark clothing. She hurried to her car, knowing she’d have to hurry in order to keep her dinner date with Ezra Standish.
The form shimmered and winked out, but not before green eyes sent daggers into the woman’s back, and smiled as she shivered again. There was nothing they could do to stop what was going to happen. Yet the seven men from Four Corners would do everything in their power to ensure their descendants lived through the trying times ahead of them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ezra sat in the tiny French restaurant and smiled at the woman seated across from him. Elegant white lace tablecloths adorned the tables, a burgundy runner ran down the center, placed in the middle was a bouquet of lilies and roses. A single pale pink candle cast a warm glow over the sparkling silver and crystal goblets. His date was dressed in a simple brown skirt and white sweater, yet, the gambler thought she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her blond hair was pulled back in a tight bun and a small spray of baby’s breath was tucked into the right side.
Dinner had been quiet, but not uncomfortable as the two people enjoyed the fine wine, filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes, and baby carrots in a creamy butter sauce. Strawberries and cream topped off the meal and the couple simply smiled at each other across the table.
Ezra took a deep breath, realizing he still didn’t know this woman’s full name, yet it didn’t bother him as it leant an air of mystery to her. He smiled across the table at her and loved the way the candlelight danced off her eyes.
“Pat, I...”
“Ezra, I...”
They laughed as the words came out at exactly the same time.
“You first,” Pat told him.
“No, ladies first.”
Her eyebrows rose and she laughed as she placed her spoon on the table beside the half eaten strawberries. She folded her hands in front of her and smiled sweetly at him as he raised the glass of wine. “What makes you think I’m a lady?”
Ezra coughed and choked on the smooth liquid, grabbing his napkin in an effort to catch the spray before it left his mouth.
“Are you all right?” Pat asked sweetly.
“Yes...yes...I assure you I am perfectly fine.”
“Was it something I said?”
“No...”
“I apologize if I offended you, Ezra, that was not my intent at all. I assure you that I am a lady, but ladies do need to let their hair down once in a while.”
Ezra nodded, still not sure if he could speak or not. “Yes, they do.”
Pat looked at her watch and then at the man across from her. “I’m afraid I have to call it a night, Ezra. I promised a sick friend...”
“The one in the hospital?”
Pat hid her eyes and nodded slowly. “Yes,” she said softly.
“I do hope everything will work out for her...him...”
“Him,” she said as she lifted her eyes to meet his. “He’s been hurt rather badly and in spite of being moved out of ICU things do not look good for him.”
“Then why did they take him out of ICU?”
“Because there is nothing else they can do for him. He is going to die and there’s nothing anyone can do about it!” She lifted tear filled eyes and looked at the man who was unwittingly giving her access to the information she so wanted.
Ezra reached across the table and touched her fingers. “I’m sorry about your friend, and I do hope that things turn out differently than expected.”
“They won’t,” she said softly. “What about you, Ezra? Who are you visiting in the hospital?”
“A very dear friend. A man I have come to admire for his trust and loyalty and treatment of others!” He pulled his hand back and clenched his fists as anger forced him to control his emotions.
“What happened to him?”
“I can’t go into details, but suffice it to say he was tortured by a sadistic Bas...man and...”
“Oh, Dear,” Pat had to force back her own emotions as she looked at her date. “Was the man caught?” ‘If not maybe I can find him and we can team up on Chris Larabee,’ she thought.
“The animal is dead and will not hurt anyone else like this.”
“Will your friend be okay?”
“Chris is strong and he’ll get through this. It may take some time...”
She smiled inwardly as she listened to his voice, but didn’t hear the words. ‘He may be strong, but strong men can be brought to their knees. Your friend will pay for crossing me!’ She knew Larabee was not the only reason for her loss of the job at the hospital, but for now he was the nearest and easiest target for her wrath. She knew he’d stopped talking and met his gaze once more.
“I’m sorry, Ezra, I was thinking about someone.”
“Your friend in the hospital?”
“Yes, I’m sorry, I just don’t feel like talking anymore. Perhaps we can meet again when our friends are feeling better,” she said as she took the check and placed a credit card on the tray.
“Allow me...”
“No, we agreed that this would be my treat.” She passed the tray to the waiter and smiled at the handsome man seated opposite her.
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