DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters. "The Magnificent Seven" belong to MGM and Trilogy Entertainment. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’d be a happy woman if Vin belonged to me.....but no such luck. I have not made any profit out of writing this, so please don’t sue me. It would not be worth your while.

Author Comment: A short piece that just popped into my mind while working on another story. After I had written it, a friend stated that she felt it needed a sequel so I wrote that too. (g)I hope you enjoy this story. If you have any comments please let me know. I would love the feedback. By the way, I want to thank all of the wonderful people who took the time to comment on my previous stories. SPECIAL THANKS to Darla, Debbie and Rhicy. Your time, feedback, madness and support have helped me to improve my writing. Huge thanks to Mady for betaing and for your honest comments.

Chris Larabee’s chest rose and fell evenly. His breathing appeared normal. Hell, everything appeared normal! So why hadn’t he regained consciousness? Nathan shook his head, his mouth set in a concerned frown. The healer had done everything he could... so why wasn’t Chris waking up?

The flickering lamp cast unholy shadows around the room. Night had descended on Four Corners some hours before.

Buck glanced up at the healer from the seat beside the bed. Wilmington had not moved for the past five hours. He sat hunched in the chair, fiddling with his revolver unconsciously. He had given up asking Nathan questions. The healer just kept giving the same answer.

“I don’t know, Buck. Head wounds can be difficult. I’ve done everything I can. We just have to wait.” But they had been waiting ten hours!

Buck Wilmington shook his head. It was inconceivable that Larabee could be struck down in this fashion. Wilmington had seen his friend ride carrying two bullets in his arm and the man had not gone down. He had seen him survive half-starved in a blizzard... Buck had been right beside him and they had got through together. So how the hell could something as ridiculous as this leave the gunfighter unconscious for so long?

The events that lead to Larabee’s condition replayed for the hundredth time in Buck’s tortured mind. It had been a simple bar brawl. A group of miners had become drunk and began to argue amongst themselves. The argument had quickly escalated into a fully blown punch-up. The Seven had converged on the building having heard the commotion and within seconds the fight was over... but seconds had been all it had taken. Buck had been grinning broadly as the skirmish concluded. He loved nothing better than a good rumble. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Vin Tanner rush across the room. Buck turned and found himself running too. Chris was on the ground.

“What happened?!” Buck demanded, crouching beside Vin.

“He fell,” Vin snapped, gently rolling Chris onto his back. A pool of blood appeared under the gunfighter’s blond head. “Nathan!” Vin shouted. The reserved control the tracker was known for was gone. Vin had seen it happen. Chris had fallen, or been pushed, or slipped or stumbled and as he had catapulted backwards, his head had struck the bar with a sickening crunch. Instinctively, Vin knew it had been hard. He’d seen his best friend’s head jerk viciously.

Nathan Jackson rushed across and dropped beside Larabee.

“He hit his head on the bar,” Vin informed the healer as he clamped his hand over the wound to stem the blood flow.

“J.D., I need my bag. Vin keep your hand there,” Nathan ordered as he began to examine Larabee’s head and neck.

“I can feel a hell of a lump,” Vin muttered.

“Everything appears okay. Alright, let me see.” With practised skill, Nathan examined the wound. “He’s going to need it stitched, but he’ll be okay. Have one hell of a headache when he wakes up.”

But Chris hadn’t woken up. His face had become deathly pale and he had failed to move or twitch or show any signs of life outside of the rise and fall of his chest.

Buck reached out and touched his friend’s arm. Larabee’s skin felt cool. The scoundrel drew the blankets more tightly around his injured companion.

“Gotta keep you warm, until you wake up, pard.”

Nathan eyed the scoundrel and sighed. He was starting to think in terms of ‘if’ rather than when. Things had become serious. The longer Chris was unconscious, the greater danger that he may not wake up at all.

In the first hour Larabee had been comatose, only Vin had stayed, the other men heading to the saloon and joking about how when Larabee awoke he’d be like a bear with a sore head. No one except the tracker appeared concerned. In the second hour, the different members of the Seven had visited at various times to check on their companion’s progress, Buck stating confidently, ‘Chris has a hard head, won’t be no problem‘... and Vin had remained, his face serious. In the third hour, members of the town had climbed the stairs to inquire about Larabee’s progress... and still Vin stood silently, his blue eyes narrowed with concern despite Nathan‘s assurances that it was only a matter of time. At the end of the fifth hour, Buck had arrived and demanded to know when the hell Chris was going to wake up. Nathan’s inability to provide the answer the scoundrel was seeking left Buck swearing at the top of his lungs. Once the anger left him, he settled himself in the chair beside his friend to wait... and Vin had not moved. The tracker remained just inside the door, leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed on the floorboards. With the passing of the eighth hour, Nathan began to worry overtly. Buck sensed the healer’s concern and the scoundrel’s running commentary stopped. Worry left the usually jocular man silent and contemplating his own thoughts... and Vin Tanner was there - not looking at anyone. Just staring at the floor.

“Vin, why don’t you sit down?” Tanner remained frozen. “Vin?” Nathan pressed, moving across to the young man. “Vin?” The healer placed his hand on the silent man’s shoulder. Tanner dragged his eyes from the floor. He looked almost dazed. Clearly, he had been in a place far removed from the four walls of the clinic. Jackson studied his friend’s face carefully, waiting for Vin to orient himself to this time and place. “You need to sit down. You can’t stand there all night.”

Tanner glanced across at the bed. “He hasn’t moved.” Vin’s voice sounded so empty.

“I know.”

“You said he was okay.” It was deadpan. No emotion at all.

“Vin, he hit his head. I don’t know why he hasn’t woken up. Maybe... maybe, he doesn’t want to.”

Buck shot a look at the healer and shouted, “That’s bullshit!”

“Is it Buck? I’m not so sure. When I was a stretcher bearer, I saw men who were badly hurt fight their way back because they had a reason to live. I saw other men who weren’t badly hurt, just lay there and give up because they couldn’t find a reason to go on.” Nathan whispered.

Wilmington turned back to his friend and reached for Larabee’s hand. “Come on, Chris. Don’t just lie there waiting to die.” Larabee didn’t move. There was no cutting glare. His eyes remained closed. Buck sighed deeply.

“Chris’ reason to live left this world before he came to Four Corners,” Vin muttered. Again there was absolutely no emotion in his soft voice.

“I’ve heard it said, when a man’s unconscious, he’s aware of those around him,” Nathan explained. “Sometimes he can hear what’s being said to him. Words can be powerful. Maybe it’s time we made sure Chris knows he has a reason to come back.”

Buck stared at the gunfighter. If Larabee was indeed deciding between life and going to be with his family, then death was a certainty. Chris had loved his wife with his whole heart and he had adored his son. Their callus murder had almost destroyed him, but Larabee was a strong man and somehow he had gone on. After the tragedy though, Chris became a different person. Alcohol and his guns had become his only associates as Larabee spiraled down into hell. He had dwelled in the chasm of abhorrence for three long years. Three years in which he had pushed everyone he knew away - even Buck. Nine years of friendship wiped out in the fire that had stolen not only Larabee’s family, but also his soul... until he had met Vin Tanner.

Buck climbed to his feet. If Chris needed a reason to live, then Buck knew he probably couldn‘t provide it no matter how close he and Chris had been and were again. However, Larabee‘s oldest friend was certain that the quietly spoken man who had become so much more than just Chris‘ friend could do exactly what was needed. Vin had led Larabee‘s soul back to the world of the living once... he needed to do it again. “Vin, sit down here and talk to him.”

Vin Tanner continued to stare at a spot on the bed, completely lost in thought.

Buck walked over to the young man. “Vin?” Still there was no sign that the tracker was aware that Buck was there. “Vin?”

“Huh?” Tanner glanced at the other man, his blue eyes which were usually guarded providing a rare view of his soul. Vin was lost. He didn’t know what he was supposed to be feeling or doing. He was caught between his heart and his head. Consumed by his own helplessness... and by memories.

“Vin, go and sit in the chair and talk to him.”

Tanner stared at the other man. It was clear to both Nathan and Buck that Vin wasn’t comprehending anything that was being said to him. Buck took a handful of Vin’s coat and coaxed him forward.

“Sit,” Buck ordered. When Vin failed to do so, Buck gently forced his friend into the seat. For several moments, Vin continued to stare at the bed. Then, he gradually moved his eyes up the mattress until they arrived on Larabee’s pale face. Tentatively, he lifted his hand and placed it on top of Chris’. Larabee’s eyes moved behind his eyelids. Buck started to step forward, but Nathan grabbed his arm and inclined his head. Together the pair stepped out onto the veranda.

“He moved!” Buck stated with renewed hope.

“Yeah, I saw,” and yet Nathan didn‘t sound very optimistic.

“You do think Vin will get through to him?”

Nathan sighed long and deep. “If anyone can, it’s Vin.”

The scoundrel nodded his agreement. Larabee and Tanner’s friendship was a constant source of amazement to him. It wasn’t the fact that there was more than a ten-year age difference. It wasn’t the fact that the two men had different personalities. It wasn’t even the fact that basically they had very little in common, it was the depth of understanding the pair shared that left Buck in awe. Vin and Chris shared a trust and faith in one another that the scoundrel had never seen before. The gunfighter and tracker didn’t spend every waking moment together, quite the contrary, in fact. They usually went their separate ways during the day, unless doing a job that required their combined talents. Of course, there were days when the two would go fishing or hunting together but that only happened once or twice a week. In the evening, when the men came together for a drink and a game of cards, Vin and Chris would sit with the others for a few hours and then move off to the corner of the room and ‘not talk’. They simply sat together. Every now and again one or other would mutter something and a smile would be exchanged, but other than that, the pair sat in silence. They didn’t seem to need words to enjoy one another’s company. Much of their relationship was based on silence. Just being there. Just knowing and understanding the other‘s thoughts and emotions. The friendship they shared was so pure that it was closer than the bond between most brothers, but then, that was what Vin and Chris had become. At some stage in the past months, Vin and Chris had become family. All of the Seven had grown close, but the team’s gunfighter and tracker had moved a step further. Theirs was no longer a friendship - it was a brotherhood. It was the most important thing in both of their lives. Buck prayed it was more important than the tranquillity death promised.

Nathan and the scoundrel moved to the open door and peered in. Vin hadn’t moved. He was staring at his own hand that lay on top of Larabee’s.

“Talk to him, Vin,” Nathan coaxed.

“He can’t hear me,” Vin whispered. Buck stepped forward and crouched beside Vin. The scoundrel focused on Chris’ deathly pale face. “He may not hear the rest of us and another man may not hear you, but I know ‘he’ will hear ‘you’.” Buck glanced at Vin’s blank face. “He will, Vin. You’ve got to help him. I would if I could, but I honestly don‘t think there‘s anything I can do.” Buck had tried to help his friend when he was alive and he hadn’t been able to reach Chris. What chance would he have now?

Vin swallowed, his brow furrowing with deep thought. The young man flicked his eyes to Larabee’s face and let them rest there. His fingers, which were lying on top of his best friend’s fist, curled around the hand. Larabee’s eyes again moved under his closed eyelids. Buck and Nathan held their breath. They waited, but no words were forthcoming and Larabee became still. Tanner once again appeared frozen, locked away with his own thoughts... and memories.

He stayed by the door watching. He wasn’t game to move. The doctor, the minister and the other two adults continued to fuss around his mother. They were talking to her in low voices. He could only catch glimpses of her as the towering forms moved about. He heard his mother’s voice. Soft. Weak. She was saying his name. Calling to him. He took a step forward. The doctor held up his hand and signaled him to wait... but his mother was calling his name! She wanted him! He took another step. One of the women turned and walked back to stand next to him. She took his arm and led him back to the door.

“You shouldn’t be in here.“

“Mama wants me. I heard her call.“

“You need to wait outside.“ The woman pushed him out and then returned to the bed. Vin stood in the doorway listening. The minutes grew to hours. He stayed there, hovering in the doorway waiting to go in. He desperately wanted to see her. The adults were whispering softly and moving about with purpose. Abruptly, the talking stopped. All of the figures became still. The minister began muttering some words. The doctor turned to him and beckoned him over. He found he couldn’t move. One of the women walked across and picked him up and carried him to the bedside.

“Is there something you want to say to your Ma?”

Vin stared down at his mother’s ashen face. She was so still. He’d been watching her. She hadn’t moved in a long time. Gently, he was lowered to the ground.

Vin stepped up to the bed. “Mama?” Silence. His mother’s eyes were closed. He knew she wasn’t just sleeping. Tears began to well in his brilliant blue eyes. “Mama?”

“She’s gone son,” the minister stated, placing his hand on the child’s slim shoulder.

Vin wriggled free. “But I don’t want her to!” I don’t want her to go!

“She’s gone to be with God!” But I don’t want her to go!

“MAMA!” The child flung himself up onto the bed, his small arms encircling her neck. The adults in the room watched the little boy with sympathy as he sobbed clinging to his entire world.

Before Vin knew what was happening, someone was trying to draw him away. “No! I want to stay with her!”

“You can’t son.”

Vin could feel his grip on his mother slip as he was dragged from her. “NOOO! MAMA! I don’t want you to go!!! MAMA!!!!”

“Take him out of here,” the doctor ordered.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

**********

Nathan and Buck had once again moved to the landing. Buck was pacing. His helplessness was getting the better of him.

“Why won’t he say something?! He’s just sitting there staring.”

Nathan drew in a thoughtful breath. “I think he’s mourning.”

Buck stopped. His face coloured with rage. “Chris ain’t dead yet!”

Nathan glanced in though the open door and shook his head. “I’m not so sure he’s mourning Chris.”

Buck looked confused. “What do you mean?”

Nathan continued to stare at Vin. Finally he turned to the scoundrel. “Go and get the rest of the boys. Maybe if we’re all in there talking to Chris... it may help.”

**********

The hours continued to pass. The clinic was alive with noise as the boys did their best to pretend nothing was wrong. Their voices were loud and the smiles on their faces forced and false. Nathan had explained what they needed to do. They needed to reach Chris, wherever he was. For the first five hours they had successfully kept the conversation light and moving along, but now it was waning. There were uncomfortable silences. The smiles were becoming more difficult to hold in place. The cautious looks at Chris were becoming longer in length. It had been sixteen hours since their friend had lost consciousness and still there was no sign of improvement. All were beginning to realize that Larabee’s life truly was in the balance.

Not helping matters was the fact that Vin Tanner hadn’t moved in all the time the boys had been there. He just sat by the bed, his hand firmly around his best friend’s, his eyes on a spot on the floor. Vin always presented as a reserved man, but none of his companions had ever seen him quite so detached or apparently unaffected by what was happening around him.

Finally, unable to stand it any longer, Buck approached Vin and crouched beside him. “Vin? What’s going on? We need your help, here. Chris needs your help. You’ve been a million miles away.”

“About twenty years,” Tanner murmured. It was the fist thing he had said in hours.

“Look, I know you’re hurting, we all are. But you’ve got to talk to him!” Buck pleaded. Vin raised his face and stared at Buck with empty eyes. The scoundrel’s frustration at Vin and worry for Chris amalgamated and erupted out of him. “For Christ’s sake say something! Don’t just keep sitting there, you &*%@ing selfish bastard! Don’t you understand that he’s dying and you’re just letting...” Josiah grabbed the ranting man and bodily ‘ushered’ him outside.

The others watched, numbed by the horror they felt. It was difficult enough standing around watching one of their friends die while another of their own refused to do anything to help him. Seeing Buck finally break, unable to cope any longer, only compounded each individual’s own struggle to deal with the tragedy playing out in front of them.

Outside, Buck shoved Josiah away and continued to belch his hurt. “That selfish bastard is just sitting there! He isn’t even tryin’ to help! I thought he cared about Chris! I thought they were friends!! He doesn‘t know the meaning of the word! How can he just sit there?! No good selfish bastard!!” Josiah Sanchez stepped up to Buck and wrapped his huge arms around the struggling man. Gradually Buck‘s anger left him to be replaced by grief. He was losing Chris again and there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it... again.

The other men were relieved when Buck’s ranting stopped. Wilmington had not meant the words. He was looking for something to vent his anger and helplessness on and unfortunately that was Vin.

“He didn’t mean it, Vin,“ Nathan whispered. Tanner glanced up at the healer and then dropped his eyes again. His companions didn’t know what to say or do. Like the scoundrel, they realized that it was Vin who needed to be talking to Larabee. If Chris were going to hear any of them, it would be Vin.

Ezra approached the tracker and stopped directly in front of him. “Mr. Tanner... Vin,” the gambler appealed. “We are all doing the best we can, but I fear our breath is wasted. You alone may have the ability to bring Chris back from wherever he’s headed.” Vin lifted his eyes up to gaze at Ezra’s pain-filled face and for the first time emotion coloured his cheeks. Surprisingly, the emotion was annoyance mixed with impatience.

“He wants to go to be with them. We ain’t got no right to interfere.”

Tanner’s companions were stunned. Buck and Josiah had just re-entered the room and having heard Vin‘s words, found some comprehension of their friend’s actions. Vin’s failure to help Chris had perplexed the rest of the Seven. After all, the team’s leader and tracker shared a relationship that was closer than friendship. The answer to the mystery lay in two sentences. “He wants to go to be with them. We ain’t got no right to interfere.” Vin wasn’t in shock or mourning and he wasn’t being selfish or simply refusing to help Larabee. He had made a conscious decision to remain silent, for Chris. The young man had never made any demands on Larabee and clearly, he wasn’t prepared to start now. Not even to save his best friend’s life... not even to save his own soul, for if Chris died, all of his companions knew that Vin Tanner would die right along with him. The other regulators had been trying to save Larabee for their own sakes, but none of them had considered what Chris’ wishes would be. So strong was the bond between Vin and Chris that Vin was ready allow his best friend to die because he knew that was probably what Larabee would choose for himself. The men in the silent clinic dropped their heads in shame and grief.

“It wasn’t wrong for us to try and save him,“ Josiah preached. “Self-preservation is an acceptable fault. If we lose Chris, we all lose a part of ourselves.”

Vin listened to Josiah’s words and found himself forced to look at his best friend. He had spent the past sixteen hours tying to avoid Larabee’s face. Chris looked so damn pale. His breathing, while rhythmical, was becoming shallower. Tanner knew if he interfered he wouldn’t be doing it for Larabee’s sake, but for his own. If Chris wanted to go, then Vin understood - but that didn’t ease the pain. Unable to continue facing his friend, the tracker returned to staring at the patch of floor that had captured his attention for most of the time he had been in the room. Looking at Chris made things too difficult. If he was to be a ‘true’ friend, he had to do what he sensed Larabee would want and unfortunately, Vin felt that was to leave this world so he could join those he loved.

“Nathan what will happen?” J.D. asked, his voice breaking with emotion.

“He’ll get weaker.” The others stared at the healer, dismay and anguish filling their faces. “No food or water,” Nathan explained. “Finally, he’ll just slip away.”

Vin took a deeper breath. His chest was constricting. He was allowing his friend to die. He wasn’t lifting a finger to help, but would Chris want his help or would he just be...

“It won‘t be long now,” Nathan continued. “At least there won’t be any pain. He’ll go quietly. We couldn‘t ask for anything more for him.”

“But I don’t want him to go,” J.D. cried quietly.

Vin’s head came up. Those words! His own from twenty years earlier. Vin shot a look at J.D. and then swung his head back to Chris. He couldn’t do it any more. He’d tried, God how he’d tried, but he just couldn’t let Chris die!

“DAMMIT, LARABEE!” There was volume, anger, but more than anything else, the young man’s voice echoed desperation. He was a strong man, but this was tearing him apart. To do what he believed Chris wanted, would in essence be abandoning his friend when he needed him the most. “Don’t do this! It ain’t your time! YOU HEAR ME?! Chris?!”

Chris Larabee’s chest inflated to full capacity. His eyelids began to flicker. His head moved on the pillow. Nathan stepped forward wide-eyed with amazement.

“Keep talking to him, Vin!” Buck ordered. “For Christ’s sake, keep talking to him!”

Tanner squeezed his best friend’s hand. “I’m sorry, Chris. I couldn’t do it.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Don’t go, please.”

A groan echoed out of the gunfighter, but he remained still.

“Come on, Cowboy. It ain’t your time. You and me gotta go to Tascosa together and fix up the bounty, remember?“ Larabee’s breathing started to become more regular. “You and Buck said you was gonna help the Peterson’s with their herd. Buck can’t do that on his own. Billy said you was gonna take him fishin’. I could go with him, but it ain’t me he wants to go with.“ The other regulators crowded closer, but no one made a sound.

Vin paused.

“Keep talking to him, Vin,” Nathan coaxed, crouching down to monitor his patient’s breathing.

Tanner swallowed. “You’ve got plans for that damn shack of yours too. Said you was gonna start buyin’ some horses and breeding a few. Can’t think why. Horse breakin’ is hard work.” A moan echoed out of the man on the bed.

“Keep goin’ Vin,“ Ezra stated, stepping up to the tracker and placing his hand on Tanner’s shoulder. He could see this was really hard for Vin.

“The Judge is headin’ into town tomorrow. Needs you to tell him about them rustlers that are hittin’ the ranches. We really need to be dealin’ with that. All Seven of us. Can’t go until you wake up.”

Chris’ head rolled to the side and he began blinking. Nathan reached out and patted his patient‘s arm. “Easy there, Chris. It’s okay.” Larabee started to struggle in his effort to drag himself back to consciousness.

Vin laced his arm along Chris’s forearm and gripped it. Instantly, Larabee settled. “Come on, Cowboy. Wake up.”

With a great deal of effort, Chris Larabee battled the unconsciousness and forced his heavy eyelids open. He blinked twice as he tried to focus his vision.

Nathan leaned over him and smiled. “Welcome back.” Larabee frowned. He glanced to his right.

Vin Tanner’s serious face greeted him. “Bar brawl. You hit your head.”

Larabee swallowed and realized how parched his throat felt. “How long?” he croaked.

“Sixteen hours.”

Larabee looked surprised. He felt Vin’s arm, gripped it and gave it a squeeze as a sign he was okay. “The miners?”

“Cooling their heels in jail. Was gonna pay them a visit if you didn’t pull through,” Vin whispered.

Larabee grinned. “Had you worried?”

Tanner allowed a relieved smile to light up his worried face. “Just a tad.”

“I’m okay,” Chris assured his best friend. Their eyes met. The smiles left their faces.

“Shit, my head feels like it’s got a beehive in it.”

“You hit it pretty hard, pard,” Buck boomed, moving up to the bed. The others followed. They had remained back providing Larabee and Tanner with a few precious seconds to exchange whatever they needed to. Chris stared up at their smiling faces. Smiles that were splitting their faces from ear to ear.

“What the hell are you all grinning at? I could use some water and something for this headache.” Buck Wilmington bust out laughing. The laughter appeared to be contagious and spread throughout the room, only two men not joining in.

“See, what did I tell you? A bear with a sore head.”

Vin captured Chris‘ attention. Need to go. I’ll be back later. Tanner dropped his friend’s arm and rose to his feet. Chris watched him and then nodded. He understood. Vin needed some space. He knew had been there the entire time. Sixteen hours of doing battle with his emotions. Hours of listening to his head and ignoring his heart.

As Vin moved out of the way, the other regulators stepped forward, crowding their leader. Their voices raised in a cavalcade of sound as they all tried to speak at once. Vin paused in the doorway, watching the others and then he pulled his hat onto his head and left the room.

Buck noted his departure and followed. He found his companion standing on the landing, both hands on the railing, his head down. For several seconds the scoundrel stared at the young man and mentally kicked himself. How the hell had he ever doubted Vin’s friendship for Chris?

“I owe you an apology for thinking what I was,” Buck stated quietly.

Vin looked up. His blue eyes were flushed with more emotion than Buck had ever seen in them. “Nope. You was right. I am a selfish bastard.”

“How the hell do you figure that?” the scoundrel asked.

“He wanted to go. I shouldn’t have interfered.” Selfishly he had wanted... needed Larabee to stay. He had placed his own weakness and need for Larabee’s companionship above what he believed were his best friend’s wishes. In Vin’s eyes, that made him less than a decent friend.

Josiah appeared on Vin’s other side. “Vin, if Chris had fallen over the edge of a cliff and had the chance to grab onto a branch, do you think he’d cling to it to stay alive? Or do you think he’d just let go and fall to his death?” Tanner gazed at the preacher thoughtfully, considering the other’s words. “So he’s hanging there,” Josiah continued. “He can’t get to the top without help, it’s too hard and too far. A sheer cliff face. If you were above him and offered your hand to help him back to the top, would he choose to take it, or just let go and fall?” Vin swallowed. Josiah reached for the pained man’s shoulder. “That’s all you did, brother. You offered your hand. Chris chose whether or not to take it, but without that hand, he couldn’t make it to the top. You didn‘t betray him, Vin. You gave him the opportunity to make a choice. He made it, you didn‘t. He chose life. Thanks to you, he was able fulfil that wish.”

Vin took a deep shaking breath. For several seconds he just stood contemplating the wisdom of his older friend’s words. “Thanks, Josiah.”

“Josiah’s right. He didn’t want to die, Vin, but he couldn’t make it back on his own. You saved his life,“ Buck pointed out. “Thank you.” Buck offered his hand. Tanner took it and nodded thoughtfully, still trying to come to terms with his emotions. Finally, he turned and headed along the landing.

“Aren’t you coming back in to talk to him?”

Vin glanced back over his shoulder and paused. “Anythin’ I got to say, he already knows.” With that, Vin climbed down the stairs and headed for the livery. He needed to get out of town for a while. He needed to think. He needed to release the vent up emotions that were boiling below the surface.

Josiah and Buck watched him go both understanding the private young man’s need. Vin had just lived through hell.

“Should I go after him?“ Buck asked.

“No, he’s okay. He has to come to terms with everything in his own way.“ Together Josiah and Buck returned to celebration inside.

Larabee eyed the pair curiously. “Where’s Vin?” he asked.

“He asked us to give you a message,” Josiah informed his leader. “Said to tell you, anything he’s got to say, you already know.”

Chris closed his eyes and a smirk appeared on his pale face. “Yep, reckon he’s right.”

“Alright, boys. Go on. Chris needs to rest,” Nathan ordered. The men bid their leader goodbye. As they left, their voices filled the air. Their unrestrained relief was echoing out of them with vigor.

Buck watched them go and then dropped down into the chair beside his oldest friend. “You had us real worried, Chris. Nathan wasn’t sure if you’d make it.“

Chris closed his eyes. “Keep talking,“ the gunfighter requested. Buck glanced at the healer and Nathan nodded his approval.

“When the brawl was over, Vin saw you on the ground and so...“ Buck spent the next fifteen minutes filling Chris in on the happenings he had missed while unconscious. “Vin wouldn’t say anything. Said we didn’t have no right to interfere. Then all of the sudden he musta changed his mind. Soon as he opened his mouth, you woke up.“ Chris, who had been listening to the words with his eyes closed, now opened them. The two men stared at each other. “He couldn’t let you die,“ Buck whispered. Larabee nodded.

“I guess I better be going so you can get some rest,“ Buck announced abruptly, rising to his feet. “Nathan‘s giving me strange signals from over there so I‘m guessing he wants me to leave. He’s going to be fine now, isn‘t he Nathan?”

The healer nodded. “Just needs some rest.”

Buck grinned down at his friend. “Don’t worry, pard. I’ll have a couple of whiskies for you tonight.”

“Thanks, Buck,” Larabee chuckled.

“Anytime, pard. Anytime. Now you get yourself some rest.” Buck turned to go.

“Buck,” Chris called. Wilmington turned. “Thanks. Thank the others for me. And, when you see Vin, tell him...” Larabee’s eyes narrowed.

“Tell him what, pard?”

Chris sighed and closed his eyes, his face relaxing. “Doesn’t matter. He already knows.