Once Dr. Holstein arrived with his two new patients, the clinic grew very crowded. A third bed was squashed into the room and the two injured men placed on the empty cots. Hastily, the doctor sent the rest of the Seven out into the waiting room. Chris lingered a few seconds, scanning the room and frowning. Ezra was as white as a sheet and it looked as though Nathan had passed out again. In the corner, the nurse continued to sponge Vin down, trying to lower his fever.

“Please, Mr. Larabee. We need some room to work. I promise we will take good care of them.” Chris nodded, turned and strode straight across the waiting room.

“Buck, J.D., stay here. If anyone comes in here, shoot them. Josiah, come with me.” By the time he had finished the sentence, he was out of the building. Buck and Josiah exchanged a glance.

“Oh, shit,” Wilmington muttered. “Josiah...”

“I’ll do my best, brother.”

Before Josiah could follow, Father Tom entered the room with Chris at his side and Sheriff Brewer on their heels. “I assure you, my friend, I believe I may have found out the information you are seeking from the man with the scar.”

“Well,” Chris prompted quietly. Buck recognised the sound. It was a restrained growl. Larabee was ready to tear someone apart.

“A local, Doug Barwick hired him.”

Chris flicked his eyes to the rest of his men. They all shrugged. None of them had heard of him. “Why?”

“Barwick was just the messenger. It seems he hired this fella O’Brien and his two friends - the gunfighter and the one your friend killed at the card table - for someone else. Offered them two thousand dollars apiece.”

“Holy, hell!” J.D. exclaimed.

“Hired them to do what exactly?”

“To kill you.”

“Just me?” Chris snarled.

“No, all seven of you. It was O’Brien who paid those men to attack Josiah and Ezra. Paid the men who started the fire too. Said he realized he was going to need help and the few dollars he offered them still left him with plenty of money.”

“Does O’Brien know who’s responsible for the contract?”

“No... and I believe him,” Father Tom stated. “He was just about ready to wet himself. I don’t think he was lying.”

“We need to find this fella Barwick,” Josiah murmured.

“I’ve found him,” Sheriff Brewer stated with a frown. “He was one of the two bodies we pulled out of the fire.”

“Dead?!” J.D. cried.

Brewer nodded. He had come to find out what the Seven knew about all of this mess. Now he realized they really were the victims.

“Damn,” Chris cursed, walking toward the door and stopping on the porch. Buck eyed Josiah and J.D. and then followed his friend.

“Chris?”

“We’ve been marked from the beginning. We should have listened to Vin.”

“Yeah, we should have,” Buck agreed quietly. “Not that it would have changed much, Chris. Whoever’s taken out the contract is paying others - lots of others.”

“I disagree,” Josiah stated, joining his companions. “Chris, I’ve been thinking, this Barwick hired O’Brien, the gunfighter and that fella Ezra killed; and O’Brien was the one hiring all of the extra help. Three of them are dead and we have O’Brien.”

“So?” Buck asked.

“We don’t know if the man paying for the contract is in town. There’s a good chance he’s not. If it were me, I’d pay someone like Barwick to be close to the danger so I didn’t have to be. We‘re talking about six thousand dollars, plus whatever Barwick‘s cut was. Whoever it is has money and a lot of it. Enough to keep himself out of the line of fire and miles away from us.”

“So how was Barwick getting his orders? Telegraph?” Buck suggested.

“More than likely. Barwick’s employer probably doesn’t know what’s happened yet. We’ve taken out all of the players. All of which means that for now, the danger has passed. ”

“Until he pays someone else,” Wilmington muttered.

“True, but that won’t be until this rain stops. We’re virtually cut off, now. I was talking to one of the locals. The only path that may still be open is the one to Four Corners and even that will be just about impassable by now. We’re flooded in and we’ve taken out all of the current players.“

“Until the rains stop and he hires someone else,” Buck repeated.

“She,” Chris muttered. Buck and Josiah glanced at Chris. Larabee was focused on the street out in front of him. “It’s Badden.”

“She’s dead, Chris” Buck growled firmly.

Larabee continued to stare at nothing - stare at it intently. It was time to stop listening to logic and to go with his gut and his gut had trusted Vin’s instincts from the beginning. Larabee regretted not having acted on that belief sooner. “It’s Badden. She has money - a lot of it. Somehow she’s behind this.” Josiah and Buck exchanged a glance but both decided against arguing with Chris at the moment. They could see the gunfighter’s rage was ready to blow. “Buck, wire Tentafield again and this time tell the sheriff that if I don’t get an answer, I’ll be visiting him personally.”

“Okay, Chris.”

Josiah watched Buck cross the street. “If it is Badden, she won’t come after us herself, Chris.”

Larabee‘s eyes narrowed. His voice became a deathly whisper. “She was in Vin’s room.”

“We don’t know that.”

“I do.” With that, Chris turned and marched back into the waiting room.

Josiah lingered on the porch, considering what Larabee had said. If it was Badden, there was no way any of them would control Chris this time. If they came face to face, the woman would die at Larabee’s hands. Josiah didn’t doubt that for a moment.

**********

It was almost an hour before Dr. Holstein emerged from the examination room. During the waiting, Chris had sat in silence, his face severe. Buck, Josiah and J.D. had whispered quietly, all keeping half an eye on their leader. Only Buck had seen Chris like this before. Larabee appeared calm... excessively calm. Too calm.

When the doctor entered the room, all four men rose to their feet.

“Doc?”

“They are all resting comfortably.”

“Thank, God,” J.D. murmured.

“Anything for us to be concerned about?” Josiah pressed.

“The two who were caught in the fire both have concussions. Nathan’s neck is sore as well. Their lungs are still recovering from the smoke. At the moment, they are fine, but I’ll need to watch them overnight to make sure their lungs don’t react badly. Sometimes they do.”

J.D. flicked his eyes to Buck. Wilmington slipped his arm across the boy’s shoulders.

“And Vin?” Josiah asked.

“Vin has the worst case of influenza I have ever seen. I’d heard there was a bad one going around. Nathan told me he’s had it a few days, so he should begin to improve shortly. At the moment, he still has a fever and his lungs are badly congested. A headache, too, I would say, but he is an interesting character to get information out of.”

Buck, J.D. and Josiah grinned. “Let me guess, ’I’m fine, doc,’” Buck laughed.

Dr. Holstein smiled. “How astonishing. You quoted him exactly.”

“Vin’s not one to...” Josiah searched for the right words.

“I’ve noticed. I dare say he’s feeling pretty ill. I don’t suppose he’s been getting the rest he’s needed.”

“He has been resting,” Josiah defended. “As a matter of fact, the last few days he’s had a lot of sleep. Of course, he got drenched in the rain a couple of times too... and I guess his side getting infected didn‘t help.”

Dr. Holstein pursed his lips thoughtfully. “The wound is healing well. Nasty rope burn, but his neck and throat will recover. His body has suffered some trauma in the last few days. You‘re right. It hasn‘t helped.“

The doctor studied the four hard men in his clinic. All of their faces were clouded with concern. For the first time, Holstein realized the ‘Larabee Gang’ were real people. Men who had feelings and thoughts, not just some entity that lacked human emotions. “I am sure they will be fine. All three of them simply need rest. They are welcome to stay here for as long as they need to.”

Chris stepped forward and offered his hand. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Holstein smiled. Chris Larabee was not the man he had thought he was. There was genuine gratitude on the gunfighter’s face - gratitude diluted only by his obvious concern for his men and understandably, there was anger as well. Unfathomable anger. “I take it you won’t be leaving tomorrow morning now?”

“We never intended to. We just wanted to flush out who was behind the attacks,” Larabee stated, turning to the sheriff.

Brewer nodded. He believed that. “I’ll see if I can find you some accommodation for the night.”

“That won’t be necessary, Sheriff. They can stay in the church,” Father Tom offered. “As long as you don’t mind sleeping with three very religious rats, a couple of holy spiders and some very hallowed cockroaches.”

“Thanks, Brute.”

Chris took a long deep breath and tried to organize the things spinning around in his mind. Too much had happened. It was time for them to take charge of the situation, but to do that, they needed to stop and catch their breath. “I want to leave two men on guard here at all times.” The others nodded. “Buck, J.D., go and see if you can salvage any of our things from the building. Josiah and I will stay here.” Larabee glanced at Brewer.

“If there’s anything I can do, just let me know.”

Chris nodded, watched the lawman leave and then turned and headed for the examination room. He paused in the doorway, watching as the nurse leaned over Ezra. What had taken place earlier filled his mind. For one dreadful moment, he had thought Lilly Holstein was Badden... that Badden was trying to kill Vin.

Standish glanced across at Chris and supplied a half grin. “A comfortable bed at last.”

Larabee entered the room and stopped beside the young man. Ezra was still pale and his voice soft, but he looked better than he had an hour earlier. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay, apparently,” Ezra replied, sipping from a glass of water. “The doctor says that, with rest, we will all fully recover.”

Chris nodded.

“Any idea who started the fire?” Standish asked, handing the empty glass back to the nurse.

“Yeah.”

“There were at least five that I saw, but they were hired help. Clearly not the person who is behind all of the attacks.”

“No,” Chris agreed, helping his friend to lay back.

Standish studied Larabee’s harsh face. Despite feeling a little woozy, Ezra was able to ascertain the gunfighter‘s mood and predict what was on his friend‘s mind. “Any word from Tentafield?”

“Buck’s just sent another message.”

“And you believe...?”

“It’s her,” Chris snarled softly.

Ezra released his breath slowly. He glanced across at Tanner, whose bed was in the corner against the wall. Vin’s breathing was wheezed and echoing in the quiet room. “She’s come after all of us this time,” the gambler muttered. He flicked his eyes back to Chris. The words were said for a purpose. He wanted Larabee to know that he supported whatever the gunfighter was thinking and intended doing.

Chris laid his hand on Standish’s arm. He truly appreciated Ezra’s understanding and support, but then, he had never doubted that the gambler would give it. “Get some rest.”

“We’ll get her, Chris. If it’s her, this time we won’t leave someone else to deal with it. We‘ll handle it ourselves... if it’s her.”

Larabee patted his companion’s arm and glanced up at the nurse who was tucking the blanket around Nathan. “How is he?”

“Sleeping,” she replied, simply. Once satisfied, the woman moved across to Vin.

Larabee followed her. He stared at Vin for several seconds, contemplating all that had happened in the past few days.

“He’ll be fine,” Lilly Holstein stated without prompting.

Chris glanced at her and nodded. “I know.”

“You surprise me, Mr. Larabee.” The gunfighter’s right eyebrow arched. Lilly smiled. “I expected a cold, callus man who didn’t give a damn about people. Someone who would shoot first and ask questions later.”

Larabee smirked at the irony. His rage was simmering below the surface and he was well aware of the fact that it would take little for him to lose his self-control. At the moment, he was consciously willing himself to contain his anger. His initial thoughts, after dragging Ezra and Nathan from the fire, had been to tear Peter’s Gap apart to find who was responsible and damn anyone who got in his way... but it was Badden who was behind the attacks. She had avoided their notice the last time they had searched. It made more sense to remain calm, plan and stay together. As soon as Vin, Ezra and Nathan had recovered sufficiently, the Seven would carefully plot their next move.

“I was wrong. You do care,” Lilly finished.

“Keep it to yourself. He doesn’t want everyone to know the truth,” Ezra chuckled. “Ruin his reputation forever.”

Lilly laughed and then returned to tending to her patient. “This one is impossible.”

“Yeah,” Chris whispered. It had been poison in the tracker’s meal just as Tanner had claimed. Badden had actually tried to poison Vin again! If Vin hadn’t recognised the taste... Chris’ chest tightened. Larabee’s mind flew back to Tentafield... to a time when Vin Tanner had gone through agony because of that poison. To a time when Chris had watched his best friend fight for his life and gradually start to lose the battle. Had it not been for Vin’s own strength and determination, the young man would have died... because of me. Larabee’s rage began to boil.

“He’ll be out of this bed the moment he thinks he can get to his feet,” Lilly claimed.

“You appear to have assessed Mr. Tanner’s character very accurately after such a short amount of time,” Ezra stated. He was watching Chris carefully “Hasn’t she, Mr. Larabee?”

Chris said nothing. His eyes were narrowed as images from Tentafield surfaced in his tortured mind. These memories he had sent to the furtherest corner of his being in the hope that he would never again have to revisit them... but Badden was alive and everything that had happened was resurfacing of its own accord.

Laura Badden had showed no compassion or mercy. Even when Vin had been struggling for life, she had continued to pour poison into him. The nerve in Larabee’s cheek began to twitch.

Vin had had nothing to do with it! She had simply used him like something that was expendable. Hell, the woman had even intended shooting the ill tracker when he was in no condition to fight back! She had wanted to see Chris’ expression as Vin’s life was snuffed out. The chords in Larabee’s neck were evident. He was trembling with unadulterated rage.

“Alright, that’s enough out of you, Mr. Standish. You close those eyes and get some sleep. And Mr. Larabee, I’ll ask you to go now. I’ve work to do and they need to rest. If they wake up, I’ll send for you,” Lilly ordered. Chris turned immediately and left the room without comment.

Ezra shut his eyes and shook his head. Laura Badden. He felt his own hatred ignite, which wasn’t a good sign. Reacting emotionally to a situation was dangerous, but he couldn’t help what he felt... nor could the others and no doubt they felt the same way... and then there was Chris. God only knows what he’s feeling!

**********

As night descended, those without lodgings became restless. Brewer sent a message to Larabee requesting some help. Chris dispatched Buck and Josiah. The gunfighter watched from the porch of the doctor’s clinic, J.D. beside him. They could hear raised voices from one of the saloons. The visitors to the town wanted to know where they could stay the night since their lodgings had been destroyed.

“Where will they sleep? I mean, they can’t sleep out in the rain,” J.D. pointed out. Maybe one of the saloons or the livery?” J.D. glanced at his older friend. Chris was so quiet. Larabee was usually quiet but not like this. This was almost eerie. “Are you okay, Chris?”

The gunfighter dragged his eyes from the saloon and flicked them to J.D. The youth was staring at him intently. There was fear, concern and bewilderment in the boy’s eyes. Larabee turned, patted J.D.’s shoulder and returned to the waiting room.

Dunne frowned, following Chris. “Josiah thinks that we’re safe until the rain stops.”

“Yeah.” It was the first word Chris had spoken in hours.

J.D. licked his lips. He knew he had to tread carefully. “So, what are we going to do until the rain stops?”

Chris moved to the door and scanned his sleeping men. “We give them the time they need to recover.”

“And then?”

“And then we go after Badden.”

“We haven’t received word back from...” J.D. swallowed. Chris had turned and was glaring at him.

Abruptly, the older man’s face flushed with concern as he realized what he was doing. Again he patted J.D.’s shoulder. “Sorry, Kid.”

“You really think it’s her?”

“Yes.” It was said without doubt.

“Because Vin thinks it is?”

“Yes.”

“He could be wrong.”

J.D. waited for an answer. For long seconds there was silence, the two men staring at each other. When Chris replied, his voice was hushed. “When was the last time he was wrong?”

Chris did have a point. As a matter of fact, J.D. couldn’t think of one time Tanner had been off the mark. Vin kept most things to himself, but when he did decide to share his thoughts, he was inevitably correct. However, J.D. found it difficult to believe. Never at any stage had he consciously considered Badden a contender. Basically, he had dismissed Vin’s claims. After all, Laura Badden was dead.

“But how could it be her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe there were more of them. I mean, maybe there was another brother or sister and they’re responsible.”

Chris didn’t reply. He entered the examination room and glanced at both windows. They were still locked. For now, his men were safe. Chris turned to go, but Nathan stirred.

The gunfighter moved across to his dark-skinned companion. Jackson stared up at his leader. “How are the others?”

“Sleeping. How are you feeling?”

“Sore. I’d like to get my hands on the fella who attacked me.”

“We’ll find him. ”

“Make him drink some water,” Vin croaked.

Jackson grinned, glancing across at the tracker. “Trying to get some of your own back.”

“I reckon I’m entitled. Don’t just stand there, Larabee. I want that bastard filled up with so much water he feels like he‘s gonna explode.” Vin started coughing. It was a booming sound that echoed off the walls.

Nathan frowned, watching as Chris moved swiftly to the struggling man and lifted him upright. “Sounds like it’s gotten all the way down into your lungs. How’s your head?”

“Okay, as long as I’m not coughing.” Vin nodded to Chris and the gunfighter lowered him back. Larabee laid his hand on his friend’s brow. Vin was still hot, but the fever wasn’t as bad as it had been.

Tentafield? Tanner inquired in a single look.

“You should drink some water,“ Nathan chuckled.

“In your ass, Nathan.“

Jackson turned to look at Ezra. The gambler appeared to be sleeping peacefully. “How much did we lose?” Nathan asked, returning his attention to Chris.

“Nothing. Everything’s smoky, but nothing was damaged. We were lucky.” Larabee thrust a glass of water at Vin.

“Awww hell.”

Nathan frowned again. Vin’s voice was nasally as well as scratchy. The tracker blew his nose into his large handkerchief and then reached for his head. It was throbbing after the force of the action.

“You sound worse,” the healer commented. “Really congested. Chris, see if Dr. Holstein can organize an inhalation for him.”

“I’m okay,” Tanner claimed, closing his eyes. “Ain’t no worse than the rest of ya were.”

“Exactly, and we were all really ill,” J.D. pointed out, entering the room. “You sound dreadful, Vin. I’ll find Dr. Holstein.”

“You made Nathan drink any water yet, Larabee?” Vin demanded without opening his eyes.

“Doing it now.”

“Good. I don’t reckon one glass will be enough. Make it two.” Tanner could hear both Nathan and Chris chuckling. “You think it’s funny now. Just wait. In thirty minutes, you’ll change your mind.” Vin was panting. He was so congested that breathing through his nose was impossible and that meant when he was talking he had no way of breathing at all.

Dr Holstein entered the room and nodded to Nathan. “Good to see you drinking something.”

Vin snorted.

“Now, Mr. Tanner, your friend has pointed out that you need an inhalation.”

“Won’t do much good, doc. I can’t breathe the steam in. Can’t breathe nothin’ in.”

“It will help,” Holstein argued happily. Again Tanner grunted.

**********

Buck had had enough of the pussy footing around. Twenty minutes of listening to Sheriff Brewer trying to calm the crowd with words was more than frustrating. Besides, the mob was growing and becoming more hostile. It was time for action.

Wilmington lifted his rifle into the air and fired. People dived for cover. Others ducked. The room became quiet. “Enough,” Buck bellowed. “All of you whose name starts with A to J, you’re in the livery for the night. K to P, you’re here. Q to Z in the Whisky Cask.” The crowd exploded with complaints. Buck raised his rifle and shot two rounds in the air. “If anyone has any problems, you can come and see me.“ Again there was furor, though not quite as explosive. “THEN AGAIN...I’m sure Mr. Larabee will be only too happy to listen to your grievances.” The crowd became silent. Several seconds later, they began to disperse rapidly. It didn‘t look as though anyone cherished the idea of directing their complaints to Chris Larabee.

Wilmington and Sanchez watched the men disappear. “Well done, brother. Let us pray no one is foolish enough to air his or her grievances to Chris. I don‘t believe he‘s quite in the mood to be ‘understanding‘.“

Sheriff Brewer strode across to Buck. He felt belittled, but his relief allowed him to overlook that fact. The Peter’s Gap lawman simply nodded. “I hope this rain eases shortly. Then some of this rabble will ride out.”

“I hope it continues for a few more days,” Josiah muttered. “Being cut off from the rest of the world has its advantages.”

**********

Dr. Holstein listened to Ezra’s lungs and nodded with satisfaction. “They are sounding fine.”

“That is heart-warming news,” Standish grinned.

“You should be up and about tomorrow, as long as you take it easy.

“Good,” Nathan muttered.

“As long as you take it easy,” Holstein repeated, glancing back over his shoulder. Jackson smiled his thanks. They turned to study Vin. The tracker had completed the inhalation and while it had helped with the congestion, the heat had raised his temperature. Chris was hovering over the young man, sponging him down.

Holstein couldn’t disguise his surprise. Oblivious to the men observing him, Larabee continued to talk quietly to Vin while trying to ease his fever.

“J.D.’s in the waiting room.”

“The others?” Vin croaked. Immediately he swallowed. His throat was burning.

“Josiah and Buck have gone to back up Brewer. Looked like there was a small riot developing earlier. They‘re dealing with it,”

“Where are you... all sleepin’ tonight?”

“Father Tom offered us the church. Don’t you talk. Let me do the talking.”

Vin smirked. “Ain’t gonna be much... of a conversation, Larabee.”

Chris smiled.

Vin closed his eyes. He truly felt miserable. “Ain’t never been sick like this before... except... and that don’t count.”

The smile fell from Larabee’s face.

“Shouldn’t last much longer?” Tanner asked, opening his eyes.

“I had it for twelve days,” Chris reminded his friend.

Vin scowled. “That’s because you kept gettin’ out of bed and...”

“And you haven’t?”

“Hell, Chris! I’ve spent days sleepin’!”

“You have not.”

“I HAVE! I’ve had a lot more sleep than you did.”

“Bullshit.”

Dr Holstein glanced back at Nathan. He was completely floored. This was the Larabee Gang? These men having a petty argument over who had had the most sleep was the revered Larabee Gang?!

Jackson grinned, guessing what the other man was thinking.

“Surprising, isn’t it,” Ezra chuckled.

**********

The night passed without incident, though, both Nathan and Ezra only slept intermittently because Vin’s coughing woke them periodically. Buck, Josiah and J.D. took turns joining Chris on guard in the doctor’s clinic while the other two slept at the church. Larabee, despite the insistence of his companions, refused to leave the three injured men. He hovered in the examination room, watching the two windows... waiting. Waiting for someone to make some sort of an attempt on their lives.

Dawn found Chris handing Vin yet another glass of water. Tanner’s fever had continued to rise and fall throughout the night. It would not be long before it reached its climax and then the tracker would begin to improve.

“Let me have a look at him,” Nathan ordered, appearing behind Chris.

“What are you doing out of bed?” Larabee demanded.

“Just want to check how he’s doing.” Holstein may be the doctor, but Vin was still Nathan’s patient.

“Damn fever,” Vin murmured as Nathan reached for his brow.

The healer sighed. There was very little he could do for his friend. The influenza just had to take its course. “Rest and water, Vin.”

“Great,” the tracker mumbled before starting to cough again. Nathan felt Vin’s sheets. They were damp with perspiration. “Chris, we need to change his sheets. While we’re at it, we’ll turn over his mattress. The other side will be cooler for him.”

“Fresh sheets?” Chris asked, scanning the room.

“I’ll go and ask Lilly.”

“No, I’ll do that. You get back into bed,” Buck ordered, entering the room. The scoundrel disappeared only to reappear a few seconds later with Lilly Holstein. “She was on her way here.”

“We need some dry sheets.”

Lilly nodded and collected them. She watched as Chris and Nathan helped Vin to his feet. Buck dragged the blanket off the bed and put it around the ill man’s shoulders. As Lilly bent to begin remaking the bed, Nathan stopped her. The men turned the mattress over, explaining that it would be cooler for Vin. Moments later, Vin was back in bed.

“Better?”

“Yeah. Thanks. I’m hot. Can we open the window?”

Nathan shook his head. “The last thing you need is pneumonia.”

Vin sighed. Nathan, Buck and Chris stared down at their ill friend with sympathy. “You feel like crap, don’t ya?” Buck stated.

Vin grinned and then closed his eyes. “I think I’d prefer to be shot. Man gets a fever, but at least he can still breathe. Oh, damn.”

“What?”

“I need to go.” Vin opened his eyes. “I’ve gotta go. Help me up.”

What followed was farcical as Vin’s companions tried to keep him dry as he made his way out to the privy.

“Ya ain’t comin’ in with me!”

“I won’t look.”

“Ya ain’t comin’ in with me!!”