Buck divided the meat onto three plates, placing them and the lantern on the table. Chris was taking this hard... real hard. He paused and swore. Since they'd been in Four Corners, Buck had seen a distinct change in Chris. They'd shared a laugh again. They played cards. Not quite like before, but it had been getting closer with each day.

The agony Buck had read on Chris' face earlier today, he'd seen before... when Chris had lost Sarah and Adam. That surprised him a little. He'd known that Chris and Vin had struck an instant friendship and he recognised that they enjoyed each other's company, but he hadn't realized that Tanner being injured would bring such an acute reaction. Or maybe this had just dredged up feelings from the past. If Vin died... Buck didn't want to go there.

Buck collected mugs of water and placed them with the plates. Just as he was about to call his companions, he heard Nathan cry out.

Wilmington rushed into the bedroom.

"Roll him on to his side!" Between them Chris and Nathan tipped Vin. Nathan's fingers darted down Tanner’s throat. As he withdrew them, congealed blood and vomit spilled from Vin's mouth.

Buck paled. "Shit."

"Buck, get some towels," Nathan ordered.

"From where?"

"JUST GET THEM!" Buck rushed into the other room and opened the cupboard. There were no towels, but a table cloth rested on the shelf. Grabbing it, he returned to the bedroom to find Nathan, his ear to Vin's chest.

Jackson's face tightened. "He isn't breathing."

Buck' shot a strangled look at Chris.

"No," Chris cried, crouching beside the bed and grabbing Vin's fist in his own. "Vin?"

Nathan opened the unconscious man’s mouth and covering it with his own, breathed into him. Then he lifted his head, drew in a breath and blew it into Vin's mouth again.

Buck eyed the scene in astonishment.

Nathan repeated the process a dozen times. The suffocating silence was only broken by Nathan's gulps of air. Finally, he paused, looking down at Vin's chest. "Come on. Come on, Vin." All men focused on Vin's bandaged chest.... hoping... praying.

It rose.

Gasps of relief echoed from all. Nathan patted the top of Vin's head. "Good. That's it, Vin. Just keep breathin'. The towels?"

Buck handed the table cloth over and then backed out of the room. Dazed, he wandered outside and stood in the middle of the yard staring up at the stars.

"God, I don't know what just happened, but I reckon you must have had something to do with it. Thank you. I know Vin isn‘t a church-goer, but... but a better man ain‘t been created.... and... and Chris needs him... needs him real bad."

Twenty minutes later, Nathan emerged, carrying a plate of food. His movements were slow, the weariness he felt reflected in the moonlight.

Buck stared at him. "Nathan... what you just did in there. He... he wasn't breathing and...."

Jackson leaned against the porch railing. "Relax, Buck. It ain't some sort of miracle or anything. Egyptian midwives have been doing it since before the time of Christ. When a baby was born, and not breathing, they'd blow air into them. I read about a doctor in Scotland in 1732. He blew into a coal miner who’d stopped breathing and he started again. I've done it with newborns before, but never with an adult. Just real pleased it worked."

Buck offered his hand. "I'm damn pleased we've got you and not a doctor, Nathan."

Jackson smiled his thanks, but the appreciation faded quickly. "He isn't out of the woods yet. It's goin' to be a long night. The next few days..."

"He's in good hands," Buck assured, walking inside, picking up one of the remaining plates of beef and taking it into Chris.

Larabee was seated next to the bed, his face down..

"Got some beef for you."

Chris raised his chin. "Not really hungry."

Buck had seen that look before. That look of helplessness and grief which cut him to the quick. "You should eat. Nathan is. You two need to keep up your strength -- for him," Buck finished, inclining his head to Vin and thrusting the plate at Chris.

"Nathan brought him back."

"Yeah, saw that. Apparently he's done it before with newborns that aren't breathing. I look forward to teasing the hell out of Vin about this." The two men stared at each other. "Why don't you take a break? I'll sit with him."

Chris shook his head.

Buck spotted Chris’ hand latched around Vin’s and his heart bled. Chris was trying to hold on... to stop Vin from slipping away. "I'm making some coffee. You want some?"

Chris nodded. Buck lingered, wanting to say more, but he had no idea where to start.

**********

When Buck left, Chris put the plate of beef down and stared at his friend‘s ashen, but bloated features. Half an hour earlier, Tanner had vomited while unconscious. He immediately started making gurgling sounds. If it hadn't been for Nathan... Chris ground his jaw. He placed his hand against Vin's brow and grimaced. He was warm again. Nathan had warned of a fever.

Retrieving the damp cloth, Larabee wiped Vin's bruised face, careful not to touch the torn flesh of his right cheek.

Chris’ eyes flicked to Vin's fist which he still held. In the last half an hour, there had been no reassuring squeezes. Vin had been responding to Chris' signals regularly. Chris tired again and waited, but Vin's fingers lay limply in his hand.

"Come on, Vin. It isn't your time."

**********

Will Gibbs wasn’t a happy man. The train he'd intended to rob had departed without his gang. He’d continued to wait, still expecting the rest of the group to turn up... probably drunk. They hadn’t. He glared at his remaining men. They had just told him of Dave’s secret agenda.

“Why the hell didn’t you say something earlier?”

Hackett shrugged. “Assumed you knew. Sorry.”

“So, Dave went after Larabee?”

The others nodded.

“Thought I told him to forget Larabee.”

“You know Dave.”

Gibbs glared at the other man and snarled, “Yeah. Where did he say Larabee was?”

“Four Corners. It’s just west of Eagle Bend.”

Gibbs downed the contents of his glass. “Let’s go find them.”

**********

Nathan's brow furrowed as he examined Vin's abdomen. If he had to hazard a guess, he'd say Tanner had endured at least a half dozen blows to that area alone. The swelling was soft which was a good sign. It meant the internal bleeding had stopped... or at least, Nathan hoped it had.

The healer checked his patient's pupils -- they were still dilated. There were two large bumps on the back of his head, so it wasn't surprising. The fever radiating from him was hovering just below the danger level. Behind the extensive bruising, Vin's colour was sallow and grey. He'd lost a considerable amount of blood, externally and, Nathan feared, internally. Yet he was still alive and that was something Nathan wouldn't have bet on yesterday afternoon.

The reason Vin was still breathing wasn't difficult to work out. Vin Tanner was a fighter and right now, he was fighting like hell. During the war, Nathan had learned that the will to live was more powerful than anything a doctor could do. Without it, there wasn't a chance. With it, a good doctor could help badly injured men survive. Sometimes, of course, the will to live was overcome by the severity of injuries. That was what Nathan had feared yesterday... and still feared this morning.

Jackson sat down and glanced at Chris who had fallen asleep in the chair. In the short time Vin and Chris had known each other, they'd developed a rare affinity. Almost as if they'd known each other for years. Yet, that wasn't the case.

Nathan rubbed his burning eyes. Chris was struggling to understand his feelings, which was understandable. He appeared torn between what he wanted to feel and what he found himself feeling. Chris was a private person. Thanks to Buck, Nathan knew Chris had lost his wife and son some years back, and as a direct result, had chosen the dark path that had led him to Four Corners. Outside of this, though, Nathan knew very little about the man.

Nathan studied the slumped gunfighter. Larabee had removed his holster, which lay on the floor beside him. His right hand was wrapped around Vin's. Nathan wouldn't have expected that. Larabee had told him of the apparent 'squeezes' Vin had been giving him. The healer hadn't had the heart to explain that they were probably a result of Vin's muscles unconsciously contracting. Then again, maybe Vin had been aware at different times. Just maybe the tangible connection with Larabee was anchoring Vin in this world - something was.

Nathan sighed. He owed Chris. He owed Vin, too. No one else, apart from Mary Travis, lifted a finger to help when the mob selected him as the subject of their lynching. People he spent a year helping, turned their back on him. These two men alone had risked their lives for him. At the time, it amazed him. Now that he knew them, it didn't, for that was what Tanner and Larabee did. As cliché as it might sound, these were men who defended the weak against the strong. They couldn't help it. Their sense of justice was so strong. Nathan had joined their crusade -- first in the Indian village and now protecting the town.

Jackson flicked his eyes to Vin. As much of mystery as Chris was, Vin was more so. Vin wasn’t an easy man to get to know. He never talked about himself. Nathan knew of the bounty, something Vin had shared for his friends' safety, but Jackson didn’t know any other details. Not that he needed them. He knew as much as he needed. Vin was a good man.

The dawn sun crept into the room and the warmth washed over the exhausted healer. He shut his eyes -- just to rest them for a few minutes. The night had been long and emotional. It had been a battle to keep Vin's fever under control. Tanner's breathing had become very shallow at one point and Nathan had honestly thought the end was near, but Vin had refused to give in.

Hydrating the injured man was becoming critical, for he’d been unconscious twelve hours... apart from the 'squeezes'.

"Rider!"

Buck's warning catapulted both Chris and Nathan to their feet. Larabee scooped his holster off the ground and started for the door.

"Relax. It's Ezra."

Chris stopped and turned back toward the bed. He glanced at Nathan and noted the pasty rings under his eyes. "You should get some sleep. I'll watch him."

"I'll sleep later today."

Chris examined Vin's face. "He doesn't look as swollen."

Nathan smiled wearily. "I think that's wishful thinking."

Chris scowled, rounded the bed and threaded his holster on. "How's his fever?"

Nathan shrugged. "Could be worse. Why don't you go for a walk or something. Stretch your legs."

Chris retook his seat.

Nathan sighed. "You can't blame yourself for this."

"No?" Chris growled.

"No more than I should have blamed myself had you been killed trying to save me from the lynch mob.”

“No offence, Nathan, but I assessed the odds first.”

“He had plenty of time to assess the odds... and change his mind.”

Chris glared, but Nathan didn’t flinch.

“Vin made his decision. You aren‘t responsible for that, or for what those cowards did to him.” He could see he wasn’t reaching his friend. “When I was growing up, I always felt responsible for every dumb decision my brother Jack made. One of them got my sister killed. He never learned though. No matter how much we tried to get him to understand, he just...“ Nathan shook his head. He was wasting his breath. Chris was beyond listening to reason. “I need to stretch my legs. Call me if he moves. If he wakes, get some water into him.”

**********

Ezra dismounted, untied a bulging bag from the side of his saddle and handed it to Buck. “I thought you may need a few things.”

“Thanks.”

“How is he?”

Buck shook his head as Nathan stepped outside.

“You look like hell.”

“Thanks, Ezra,” Nathan muttered. They exchanged a warm handshake.

“Long night, my friend?”

“Yeah.”

“J.D. and Josiah have the town well in hand. Seeing as I have the benefit of a full night's sleep, may I propose that I take watch of Mr. Tanner. Thus allowing you an hour of well deserved rest?"

“Sounds good to me,” Buck agreed.

“You won’t move him,” Nathan murmured.

“Mr. Larabee?” Ezra clarified.

Jackson led Standish into the small bedroom. When Ezra’s gaze fell on Vin, his eyes widened. He snapped his head away, drawing in a jagged breath. Nathan patted his back. Ezra exhaled evenly and then forced his attention back to the beaten figure in the bed. He was appalled. Nausea burned his stomach. Despite what Chris had told him, nothing had prepared him for this.

Vin's hair was damp and tangled. His eyes were ringed in black and purple, his right cheek multicoloured and the rest of this skin insipid greyish blue. The swelling was almost grotesque. He stepped closer. “My God.”

Nathan peeled the blanket back and lifted the edge of the bandage around Vin’s chest.

Ezra swallowed, nodded that he’d seen enough and then cast his shocked gaze on Chris. Larabee’s head was down. Chris was not a man who showed emotions often. Seeing him like this was unnerving.

Ezra opened his mouth to speak. Chris raised his head. Ezra drowned in the agony he saw. “I brought some supplies,” he muttered.

“Thanks.”

“I... I’ll be outside.” Ezra turned and exited. He flew out onto the porch and drew in several deep breaths.

“I should have warned you,” Buck murmured.

Ezra turned to him. “I’ve never seen... My God. I barely recognized him.“ His face shadowed with rage. “They died too quickly.”

The venom in his cultured voice sounded strange. “Yeah.”

“Mr. Larabee is...”

“He’s taking it hard,” Buck agreed, dropping heavily into the chair on the porch.

Ezra leaned back against the wall, raised his hands and rubbed his face in a physical attempt to clear the image he’d just seen. “It is to be expected, considering the strength of their friendship and the fact that he was the intended target.”

“What? Who was the intended target?”

Ezra flicked his attention to Buck. “He didn’t tell you?”

Buck‘s eyebrows drew together.

“The animals who did this were seeking Chris. Vin’s refusal to divulge Mr. Larabee’s whereabouts, was the reason for his beating.”

“They weren’t bounty hunters?!” Buck exploded, rising.

Chris appeared in the doorway. “No. They were looking for me.”

Buck‘s face twisted with confusion. “Why? Who the hell were they?”

“I don’t know.” Larabee’s voice had the quality of cut glass.

Buck turned away. He couldn't process the information. He assumed that the group had been after the bounty.

“We could use some clean sheets, towels, bandages and laudanum. Nathan's also written a list of things he wants from the clinic.”

“I will ride back and collect them now,” Ezra offered.

Larabee glanced at Wilmington and waited until he had Buck’s attention. “Check on things in town. There isn‘t anything you can do here.”

Buck opened his mouth to argue but closed it. He understood. “Sure. I‘ve got it covered.“ He collected his horse.

Larabee lingered on the porch. Wilmington stared at him. Chris nodded his thanks. Buck returned the nod, mounted and rode off with Ezra.