THE ROCK CREEK ADVENTUROUS TALES PART THREE CHAPTER ONE He hadn't deserved to die the torturous way that he did. How cruel the mind of an outlaw can be. Does an outlaw have no conscious mind at all? When an outlaw draws on and kills an innocent human being does this coward who hides behind the gun not comprehend that his victim has a family who loves him and will grief for him for the rest of their life? An outlaw simply takes what HE wants and he has no compassion for the family and friends left behind. An outlaw will do whatever it takes to benefit his own agenda, his own passions, and his own needs. An outlaw will acquire the assistance of innocent law-abiding citizens for a simple task that he may need accomplished, but once he has exploited that innocent individual that person is expendable! An outlaw feels no remorse over the action that he must take to secure his own well-being or the well-being of HIS family! She feels her body thrashing wildly on the bed, but she can't persuade her eyes to open. The screams in the night had they really come from her vocal cords? She feels the dryness of her throat pleading for her to wake up to suppress the gasps that are hindering her breathing. Her screams in the night had been piercing. Surely someone would hear her cries for help and come running to assist her. Had the screams in her sleep been in vain? She feels panic begin to sweep over her body as she becomes a spectator to the tragic way he had been killed. No one had heard her cries to help her save the man she loved. The smoke had been so thick she could barely see the elderly man that was slumped over at his desk. The fire and smoke were surrounding his still body. Upon the floor beneath the chair that he sits on lay a horrific puddle of blood, his blood! She hears a frightening laughter of manipulation and deceit flourishing around her. She can't see the man behind the hideous laughter. She reluctantly pulls back the curtain to her papa's jewelry and engraving workshop. The utter fear that she is feeling catches in her throat. Her voice is silent. Her eyes become wide open with horror as she views the demented being of Emery Pike! ***** His warm and gentle touch envelopes her body like no other man has ever been able to do. His gentle, but hard-worked hands cup her face tenderly as he pulls her softly to him for a passionate kiss. She loves this man more than life. The gunfire rang out amongst the trees that the outlaws used to conceal their whereabouts from the lawmen hunting them down. Her body loses control and cold shivers invade her restless sleep. Clad only in her white nightdress she follows a trail of blood through the moon lit town as she frantically searches every building for him. Her mind is making her mad with anguish with every door that she opens and he is not behind it. Yet, she knows that he is near. She wonders through every dark alley with his voice softly calling out for her to find him. She stumbles her way around Rock Creek for what seems like hours before the trail of his blood takes her to Doc Barnes clinic. She starts to raise her hand to turn the knob that will open the door, but it opens before she even touches the doorknob. The smoke from long ago appears again, but this time there is no fire! There are only the echoing sounds of gunfire surrounding her body! She begins to walk apprehensively through the doors with her arms wrapped tightly around her chest as if she is trying to protect herself from the gunfire that surrounds her and chills that run down her spine. She walks into a cold and dark room and immediately witnesses Teaspoon and Kid pacing in rabid fashion back and forth and then back and forth again. Neither man senses her presence. Their heads are lowered while they both stare blindly at the wooden floor beneath their boots. The first perception of his demise that she observes is that both Teaspoon and Kid's clothes are covered with blood! His blood! She walks past them, but they don't even acknowledge her presence in the room. She enters a dark corridor. She stumbles through it finding her way by clinging to the walls. She approaches yet another door that is tightly closed shut. She lightly pushes on this door to open it. It creaks open to allow her visual entrance to the room. She stands in the doorframe screaming at the sight of his unresponsive body sprawled out on a bed covered with blood, his blood! ***** An astounding scream comes from within her quivering body. Having been startled out of her nightmare Jane abruptly sits up in her bed! Her breathing is laborious as she clasps her hands to her chest hoping to bring her gasps for air under control! She wipes the sweat off her face with the back of her hand. She feels the light moisture that reminds her of the reason behind her feverish trembling. Rachel doesn't bother to knock on Jane's bedroom door. She heard Jane scream out in horror and feels the need to make sure the young woman is all right. She thrusts open the door to Jane's bedroom and quickly makes strides to get to the woman who has her knees drawn up to her chest with her hands clasped around them as she rocks her body back and forth on her bed. The color has completely drained from Jane's face. Rachel slowly walks to the edge of Jane's bed and sits down, not allowing her eyes to move off the frightened young woman. "Did you have the same dream again?" Rachel asked barely above a whisper not wanting to upset Jane any further. "Rachel, I know he's hurt somewhere. Why haven't they returned home yet?" Jane spoke her voice cracking with emotion. Rachel brings the young woman to her chest and holds her tenderly as Jane becomes overwhelmed with emotion. "It is only a dream Jane. I'm sure that all of them will be returning home unharmed," Rachel spoke almost trying to convince herself as much as Jane that the men are all coming home unscathed. CHAPTER TWO The dawn of the morning had yet to appear when the lawmen and Jack Morgan busted into Doc Barnes's clinic carrying a severely wounded Buck. The doc had quickly taken authority of the grave situation. He ordered Kid and Teaspoon to lay Buck gently down on the bed in the back room. Then as if neither of them matters Doc Barnes requested that both men leave him alone with Buck. With much apprehension both Kid and Teaspoon eventually made their way to the waiting room. Teaspoon and Kid both took up to pacing back and forth in the small waiting room of the clinic. With their heads lowered as if they are both in a state of shock they blindly stared at the creaky, wooden floor beneath their boots. Even as they pass each other in the middle of the room neither glances up to acknowledge the other. They silently pass each other, pace a few more steps, turn and start over again. They are completely in sync with each other. If one didn't know any better you would observe the two men and swear that Kid was actually Teaspoon's son. Jack Morgan is resting on a nearby chair. He is holding onto his wounded right arm with his left hand. Blood is trickling down in-between the fingers of his left hand. His face is covered with beads of sweat from a fever and the nervousness that Kid and Teaspoon are causing with their continuous pacing! He wonders if an infection could be setting in already. The sweat drips down into his eyes giving Jack a terrible burning sensation. He blinks his eyes a few times trying desperately to relieve the burning pain. He swipes his face with the dirty sleeve of his left forearm to prevent his eyes from suffering through the blinding pain again. Jack's eyes wildly follow both Teaspoon and Kid as the two are pacing in front of him. He is having quite a time keeping up with the both of them. His eyes begin to water from the constant back and forth motions of the two distraught men. He sighs heavily in contempt of the two lawmen pacing an unmarred rhythm directly in front of him. "It would be really appreciated if the two of you could change your pattern just a bit," Jack spoke glaring annoyingly at the two men who pay him no mind. Jack watches a few minutes longer. He tries desperately to shadow his eyes with his left hand, but he can still sense their pacing back and forth and his action of shadowing his eyes only causes his eyes to water all the more. He clears his throat in a repulsive manner hoping that will get Kid and Teaspoon's attention. It takes a few moments for Teaspoon to realize that Jack is watching them pace with a sickly look on his face. Teaspoon finally halts his progression. With his hands perched on his hips he completely ignores Jack and he gazes at Kid who hasn't let up on his pacing or the painful expression on his face. "It didn't bother him at all," Teaspoon spoke his voice cracking with emotion. Kid stops in front of Teaspoon with a quizzical expression. "I mean what Jesse did. It was like…like he had it all…. planned out. I've been a complete fool. All along Jesse…Jesse had planned to take Buck…to take Buck from us," Teaspoon spoke his words stammering from his mouth. Kid stays silent. If he voices his opinion on the subject of Jesse and all that he has done to their lives he knows inevitably he will break down emotionally. He fights back on his emotional state by reminiscing about the past. He and Buck had become surprisingly close after Ike had been killed. Kid hadn't planned it that way. Kid had actually thought that the Kiowa would become close to Jimmy. Even though all of them were as tight as any close-knit family could possibly be, Jimmy was probably closest to Ike after Buck. But Jimmy doesn't handle well the emotional pain that others may be feeling and at the time Buck needed someone to just be there if he needed to talk. Jimmy is a man of action and especially with his gun that doesn't require much listening. Buck needed someone in his life at that time that was more then willing to sit and listen for hours or someone who was just willing to sit close by without talking or listening. Buck started to lean on Kid for support because he was there to listen when Buck needed someone to listen and he was their just to sit close by just in case Buck was having a bad day. Because of Kid's ability to listen for hours on end if need be, he and Buck have become the best of friends, as well as partners in business and brothers. Kid knows he could never take Ike's place in Buck's heart and he wouldn't want to, but he also knows that he and Buck are just as close as Buck once was with Ike. It's enough for Kid to know that he and Buck have a lasting friendship that will never die, just like the friendship that Ike and Buck have even though Ike is gone from this world. "If Buck should die I'll hunt that bast… I'll hunt Jesse down until he feels the same pain that Buck is feeling, the pain that all of us are feeling," Kid spoke with anguish. Kid turns to look back at the closed door that Buck is behind. A single tear escapes from his eyes and runs unashamed down his cheek. "You have to fight Buck," Kid quietly spoke to his friend hoping Buck can hear his encouragement. ***** Since Buck was brought into Doc Barnes's clinic there has been no movement from his body. His shallow breathing has the doc stopping the procedure he is performing to make certain that the young man is still alive. The doc had removed his clothing and left Buck with only his long john bottoms on. He would do anything necessary and within his capabilities to make sure his patients are comfortable even his patients that are unconscious. It is his belief that an unconscious patient feels the care being given to them the same way a patient who is awake does. The doc sighs heavily. He is feeling a little overwhelmed from all the blood that Buck is losing, with sorrow that Buck's loved ones may not get the chance to say good-bye. The doc gently places a white towel over the profuse wound on Buck's upper right chest. He presses down on the wound hoping to halt the progressive bleeding before Buck loses too much blood and in the aftermath of losing too much blood he loses his life! Doc Barnes could easily think of a hundred different ways that he would rather be spending a Sunday morning. The ironic notion that he could lose a good man like Buck Cross on a peaceful Sunday morning doesn't sit well with him. He silently wonders how he would break the awful news to Buck's family. Could any of them survive yet another loss of a loved one? The doc tosses another towel soaked with Buck's blood onto the young man's legs. He glances down at the many towels covering Buck's legs that are causing his long johns to be soaked red in color. He'll have to make sure he changes Buck's long johns before he allows his family in to visit with him. He would surely get a harsh reprimanding from Teaspoon if Buck's family were made aware, by visual awareness, of the astounding amount of blood that he has lost. Doc Barnes grabs another towel from the nearby end table that is next to the bed that Buck is occupying. He places the clean towel over Buck's wound. "Come on Buck. You have to help me out here a bit," Doc Barnes spoke quietly to his unconscious patient. ***** As Jimmy rides onto the ranch his eyes make a quick assessment of any sign of human life. He doesn't see any. For a brief moment his entire body feels encircled with fear. What if Jesse and his gang had came back to the ranch, like Buck had thought Jesse was planning and murdered his family? The ranch seemed too quiet as he gallops his horse to a halt in front of the white picket fence encasing the front yard of the Hunter Homestead. Jimmy dismounts the horse before the horse actually comes to a complete stop. He tosses the reins aside. He doesn't bother to open the gate of the fence. Instead Jimmy jumps the fence and almost lands face down on the ground when his left trouser leg secures itself to a sharp edge of the fence! Jimmy must hop around on one foot while he releases the fabric with his hand from the fence. If anything can go wrong to impede his swift strides to the front door, it will happen. After a short time of trying to yank his pant leg free from the gate he manages to get his freedom and he proceeds swiftly to the front porch. Jimmy would have preferred not to be the bearer of bad news. He had understood that Kid needed to stay close by just in case Buck would need him. Teaspoon was too distraught with both sorrow and guilt. The old man didn't even seem in his right mind to Jimmy. He knew that he couldn't possibly allow Teaspoon to ride to the ranch to let the women know about the tragic events that ended their tracking down of Jesse James! Jimmy had, for a brief moment, thought about sending Jack Morgan out to retrieve the women. But Jack was experiencing intense pain with his arm and shoulder wounds and with the amount of blood he had already lost from his bullet wound he would have probably passed out on his way to the ranch. That left Jimmy chosen as the one to inform four women that Buck had been shot. Four women who will get hysterical and teary-eyed on him and how he wonders is he suppose to handle the emotions of four women when he can barely handle the emotions of one woman? The very moment that Jimmy places his booted foot onto the front porch Rachel, Jane, Louise and Charlene are making their way out of the house. They are dressed, but not in clothing to do chores in, but in dresses meant for shopping in. Perhaps they had wanted to surprise the men, when they arrived home, with a feast meant to feed the entire town of Rock Creek! The four women stand amazingly speechless as Jimmy glances at each one of them. His face must tell them of the dolefulness that he is about to burden them with, for each one of the women has suddenly developed a brave stance while collectively holding their breath. Jimmy's eyes meet with Rachel's. She has been their mother for a number of years now. She knows how each of them responds to any given emotion. The sorrowful look on Jimmy's face tells Rachel the story behind his visit without a word being uttered! He quickly looks away from Rachel to avoid the anger she must be feeling after warning them all that Jesse would only bring trouble to their lives. She has certainly developed the same personality as that of her husband, she is always right. He searches and then holds his sad eyes on Jane. Jimmy really isn't quite sure how to break the distressing news to her. He has never been real good at handling emotional situations. As a matter of fact Jimmy pretty much tries to avoid these exact situations and up until this very moment he had done a real fine job of doing a lot of avoiding. He beholds the trembling that begins to consume her body. It is astounding to Jimmy that his speechless body language tells Jane that it is Buck who is hurt. Jane passively ambles in front of the other women and stands within a few inches from Jimmy. Her eyes moisten over with the obvious heartache that she is already feeling. "Is he alive?" Jane asked as tears escape from her moistened eyes. Jimmy takes her trembling hands in his and holds onto them tightly. He dreads the news that he must tell her. "He is, but he's in real bad shape. I thought perhaps you'd…" Jane aggressively removes her hands from Jimmy's comforting hold! She rudely turns away from Jimmy and holds out her hand for Rachel and Louise. "I have to go to him." "Jane, I'll get the buckboard hitched up. We can all go," Jimmy spoke with authority. Without any warning Charlene shoves her way past Louise. "You people are entirely too slow! Buck could die before we get into town over the prolonged length of time it took you to tell us what trouble he's in. I'm riding into town by myself!" Charlene spoke gruffly. She starts her stride past Rachel, but Rachel grabs securely onto Charlene's forearm halting her progression into Rock Creek and to a wounded Buck. "You will stay here at the ranch with me. Buck sure doesn't need all of us hysterical women crowding into the doc's clinic while he is trying to rest," Rachel spoke in an authoritative tone. Charlene pulls her arm sharply away from Rachel's strong grasp. "I am not a prisoner on this ranch. I can come and go as I please and I want to go into town at this very moment!" Charlene spoke boldly. "If that is the case Charlene then you can easily return to your own home," Jimmy spoke adamantly. Jimmy had sensed that Jane doesn't want or need Charlene to be tagging along to the Doc's clinic. The last event that any of Buck's family needs at this moment would be more of Charlene's contriving to profess what she wants. Buck needs rest not an emotional outburst from a woman that he despises! Charlene begins to achieve a sulking expression on her obstinate face. Jane is well aware of the type of woman Charlene is. She has been dealing with Charlene's disposition for quite some time now. She is a woman that always has been doted upon since birth. Her every obsession, her every desire, her every impulse, and her every wish has been made to come true by a certain person in the woman's life who spoiled her rotten! There is no doubt in Jane's mind that that person has been Charlene's industrious father. Charlene is a woman that has never been held accountable for any wrong doing that she has participated in. That is why the woman is always on the loose searching out someone else's life to destroy. She has made it adamantly clear to Jane that she wants Buck for her very own and that she will basically stop at nothing to get him. Buck's injuries are just one more event that Charlene will try to use toward her advantage in winning Buck away from her. "Jimmy, can we just make our way over to town?" Jane asked as she walked past all of them and steps down the stairs of the porch. If she has to she'll proceed into town one way or another without anyone's assistance. It really doesn't matter to Jane how she arrives at Buck's bedside. She can get there by buckboard or by foot; it really doesn't matter to her. At this moment in time all Jane really wants is for Buck to be awake and already healing by the time she arrives at his bedside. Louise and Jimmy sadly gaze at one another for a brief moment. Jimmy's sorrowful eyes are pleading with Louise for her to join him at his side. No words need be spoken. Louise walks up to Jimmy and the two of them together walk away from Charlene and Rachel to follow Jane. ***** Jack glares madly at the two men before him still in their exacerbating pacing mode. He is dealing with a bit of intense pain from his arm and shoulder where there is still a small amount of blood trickling down his arm sleeve. Once again he must be put through the excruciating pain of watching the dizzy back and forth motions of the two nervous lawmen. Jack's eyelids begin to feel extremely heavy. He feels his surroundings beginning to have a far away blurry appearance. His eyes are becoming increasingly sleepy as he tries to stay awake. He tries unsuccessfully to escape the drowning of the echoing footsteps that are pacing back and forth in his mind. He had been trying to think of ways to outsmart Jesse James, to drown out those unrelenting footsteps, but his mind just can't concentrate at the moment. He is having a difficult time keeping his mind tuned out from the harrowing pain that he feels in his shoulder and arm! "If only that doctor would hurry up," Jack spoke gruffly into the air. Teaspoon stops pacing and looks over at Jack. "Did you say something Jack?" Jack gazes at the marshal and Kid behind squinting eyes and a bad disposition. "I said, do you two possibly think that for just five minutes you could sit down?" Jack spoke gruffly at Teaspoon and Kid. He stands up from his chair. "I'd even be willing to give up my chair if the two of you would let up on that nettlesome pacing you got to be doing!" Jack spoke as he becomes a bit wobbly on his legs. Jack grasps at his left leg with his good arm trying to steady his balance before he collapses to the floor! Kid finally halts his pacing and stands next to Teaspoon when he witnesses the problems Jack is having standing on his feet. Jack tumbles backward and sinks down into his chair with a loud thud! Kid swiftly steps forward thinking that Jack is going to plunge to the floor missing his chair completely! Kid keeps his eyes on Jack until he is settled back down in his chair, he then straightens his stance and loses his temper once he views that Jack is safely sitting in his chair. "It's high time you minded your own business!" Kid spoke angrily. Teaspoon is still in such a state of shock over the tragic turn of events that took place over the last couple of days that he ignores the reprimanding that he should be giving Kid for being so disrespectful to an elder. Teaspoon remains as silent as he is still. "If it weren't for your insisting that we keep moving forward this catastrophe wouldn't have happened!" Kid spoke angrily as he freely lashes out at Jack without Teaspoon coming to Jack's rescue. "I can't live my life swearing on the bad feelings an Indian happens to have concerning danger! If I had lived my life that way, I'd been dead twenty some years ago." Jack leaned back on his chair once again, begging for sleep to overcome his weary body. He closes his eyes hoping that his honesty shuts Kid up. He waits cautiously to hear if either man retaliates about the way he speaks his mind. "Jack, I can understand you're being angry with Jesse and his gang because of your…uh…your predicament," Teaspoon spoke calmly. He motions with his hand at Jack's wounded right shoulder and arm. Jack opens his eyes in hopes that Kid and Teaspoon are still both standing quietly. "But please don't bad mouth my deputy who at this very moment is in the other room fighting for his life," Teaspoon spoke his voice raising a bit to vent the frustration he is feeling that he can't do a damn thing to help Buck. "Damn it Teaspoon! The bounty hunter is trained to not get shot!" Jack spoke exasperatingly. "You got shot because you weren't paying attention to the possibility of there being danger ahead of us. None of us were paying attention to the job we were doing. Because of our bickering, you got shot and we could lose Buck, and Jesse is still roaming around free to do whatever harm he wants to do to my family!" Teaspoon spoke somberly. ***** Doc Barnes is applying the last of the bandages to Buck's wounded chest. Once the doc has the bandages securely in place he swipes his wet brow with the front of his sleeve. He gazes down painfully at his patient who is still unconscious. "I guess I best get you and I cleaned up before I allow those short-tempered yet clever and devoted family members of yours in to see you," Doc Barnes spoke quietly to his motionless patient. The doc swishes around a cloth in a basin of warm water sitting on a table next to Buck's bed. He wrings out the excessive water and begins to dampen and wipe at Buck's blood tangled hair. ***** Jane comes storming into Doc Barnes's clinic just about separating the door from its hinges! Her eyes immediately search out the back room with its doors closed. Without hesitating or stopping her forward motion she guesses that Buck is being kept in that room and she proceeds toward it! Jane must bypass Kid and Teaspoon in order to get across the waiting room and to the room where Buck is being taken care of by Doc Barnes. She doesn't get too far when she feels the gripping of someone's hands on her wrist! She whirls around swiftly almost pulling herself and her captor down onto the floor! Teaspoon reacts quickly and pulls the distraught woman close to him to keep her from taking a bad fall onto the hard wooden floor! He can't allow Jane to disrupt the doctor's work on Buck. Jane doesn't realize how grave Buck's wound is, but Teaspoon is well aware that Buck could easily die from the wound he suffered! Jane tries to extract her arm away from Teaspoon's powerful hold. "Let go of me!" Teaspoon yanks Jane to her senses. "Get yourself under control. Buck doesn't need all this hollering right now!" Jimmy and Louise stand silently at the front door looking in on the disturbing scene between Jane and Teaspoon. Louise feels sorry for Jane who is suddenly realizing how much she loves a man that she may never get the chance to let him know just how much she loves him. Jane settles down in Teaspoon's gentle hold on her. Her tears accepting defeat course uncontrollably down her cheeks. Teaspoon tenderly soothes the distraught woman. "What will I ever do if he doesn't make it?" Jane cries out softly. Teaspoon brings Jane in close to him for a gentle fatherly hug. "Buck is going to make it because the two of you are going to have a long and happy life together." CHAPTER THREE Jesse looks over the camp that he and the gang have set up as their new home for the time being. The new camp seems safe enough hidden in a cluster of trees and mountains. They are far enough from Rock Creek to keep themselves out of jail, but not too far to keep Jesse from continuing his revenge on his family from the past! Jesse crouches down at the camp fire spooning rabbit stew onto his plate for supper and pouring a smoldering cup of black coffee to help him to stay awake through the night. He stands back up, and with his supper in his hand he walks toward the back of the camp. He passes a few men on the way each nodding their head that they acknowledge Jesse's presence. Jesse demands respect from his gang and they all know it without being told. Jesse reaches the very back of the camp and sits down on a large boulder. He takes a sip of the scalding coffee and wonders if Teaspoon has been able to round up a posse to search for The James Gang! Jesse is so deep in thought that he doesn't realize for a brief moment that Simon has come up next to him and is standing right beside him. "If you're thinking about Teaspoon Hunter and what his next move will be don't bother thinking too hard about it. I can pretty much tell you what the old marshal's next move will be just by the contempt he held on his face for you," Simon spoke his attention aimed at the steaming hot rabbit stew on his own plate. "Do you think he's fighting for his life at this very moment while we are enjoying this delicious rabbit stew? Or do you think his fight for his life is over?" Jesse asked with a reckless tone coming from his almost unsound mind. Simon isn't sure how he should answer Jesse's question. He wonders silently if the young gang leader has lost his edge. Jesse has fought against his so-called family from his past, but perhaps he doesn't hate them as much as he lets on to his men. Simon wonders if maybe the people that make up Jesse's family are actually the only people in Jesse's life that he truly cares about. If that is the case then Jesse will be shouldering a heap of guilt for a very long time if Buck Cross should die. "I really don't know if Buck's fight is just beginning or if it is over. What really matters is the unforgiving gaze in the marshal's eyes when you shot his deputy. He may not have a posse out looking for us just yet, but if his deputy should die, I'm sure it won't take Marshal Teaspoon Hunter any great length of time to hunt you down." Jesse's mouth portrays a wide grin of accomplishment. "Let Teaspoon come searching for me. I'll make damn sure he ends up just like Buck!" Jesse stands up from the boulder and walks away from Simon, leaving Simon plenty to think about. He had really thought that Jesse cared about his misfit family. The shooting of Buck and Jesse's uncaring feelings as to whether or not Buck lives or dies has Simon realizing that Jesse is either terribly ill mentally or he indeed hates his family! ***** Doc Barnes had worked meticulously through the morning on the wound that had nearly taken Rock Creek's deputy from them. It had taken quite a while to accomplish, but he finally stopped the profuse bleeding and had bandaged the wound. Buck lays completely motionless as Doc Barnes brings a white sheet and a coverlet up to the young man's chest to ward off the chills that are invading his body. He has just finished cleaning up the offensiveness of Buck's wound that if left unattended to surely would have caused his family a great deal of emotional pain. The room that Buck is resting comfortably in resembles a bedroom taken from Rachel's home, orderly and unsoiled. The only ingredient missing is the love that the riders all became accustomed to when they became Teaspoon and Rachel's family. The doc gently takes a damp cloth from a basin of warm water and dampens Buck's feverish face with it. He hopes the young man isn't developing an infection from his wounds. He wipes gently at the many bruises on Buck's face that he must have received when he fell from his horse. Underneath Buck's left eye a deep black and blue mark has surfaced. The right side of Buck's face looks like an overly roasted marshmallow, black and swollen. The doc dampens the cloth again and places it over the right side of Buck's face. He holds the cloth down on Buck's face hoping the warmness from the cloth will bring the grotesque swelling down. "I won't be able to keep Teaspoon out of here much longer. I've already made them wait long enough to hear how you're doing," Doc Barnes spoke hoping his voice will wake the Kiowa up from unconsciousness. ***** Jane lets out a heart-wrenching sob while Teaspoon guides her body near a chair. When Jane doesn't make any attempt to sit down in the chair, Teaspoon turns her body around and gently tries to ease her inflexible body into the chair. Teaspoon has no success with Jane's stubbornness! She is just as stubborn as any man Teaspoon has ever known. He's thinking in one way that is a good sign. Jane will need all the powerful stubbornness she can muster up being in love with Buck who is quite stubborn himself when he needs to be. Jane feels the gentleness of Teaspoon's hands on her forearms pleading with her to rest in the chair. Jane doesn't want to be seated and she really hates the thought of pacing the stuffy room that Doc Barnes calls a waiting room. She feels as if her lungs could collapse from the medical odor that fills the air space in the doc's clinic. Jane takes notice that no one else seems to be having the inability to breathe problem that she is consumed with. Her mind begins to race backwards to a different time, a different place. He had been the man who raised her since her mother passed away when she was just a little girl. The memories of her mother's death are so muddled together that she can hardly remember how her death happened, when her death happened, or why her death had happened. All Jane does remember of that time is the solid rock of a man her papa had been during the untimely death of her mother for her to embrace and lean on. After her mother's funeral and burial, father and daughter set out on a life together yet alone. Their life alone, with the foundation of their tiny family gone from their outstretched arms, began in a new town named Church Falls. Papa had immediately established a successful jewelry and engraving business. Papa's work was impeccable and Jane's creative designs gave her papa an advantage in the business. Nowhere else could you find the magnificent and lustrous pieces of jewelry that Jane's father offered to his well-off costumers or beautiful pieces that looked richly for his costumers that weren't so well-off. The townspeople of Church Falls just adored the father and daughter collaboration. She kept her papa from missing her mother too much with all the feminine idiosyncrasies that are appreciable with every woman. Of course, at times Jane was more than her papa could handle! She smiles warmly at all his attempts to hide the fact that she was growing up into a beautiful young woman. He tried, sometimes in vain, to keep Jane in trousers and over-sized shirts that looked more like masculine apparel. He kept her hair tied back and a boy's cap on her head that shadowed the soft girlish features of her face. Her papa's well thought out masterminding of her projected life at his side had been triumphant for many years of her childhood. That is until Jane's body took on the changes of a girl becoming a young woman. Jane remembers how boys held no appeal to her. There was only one man that held her interest. All the rest were just schoolmates and friends. She certainly wasn't afraid to bully any boy around that thought he would be able to get the upper hand with her! Even though Jane had the delicate features like all the other girls, solely a man had brought her up! It wasn't until she became aware of the changes in her body guiding her toward womanhood that Jane wanted to be more than just the town tomboy! She remembered how her papa protested and threw itsy-bitsy fits when her clothing abruptly changed from trousers to dresses! She had let her hair grow a few inches longer than the shoulder length cut her papa preferred. Jane's first attempt at allowing her hair to hang loose had been for the Christmas Dance when she was fourteen. She had chosen a dark navy blue velvet dress trimmed with a lace collar. She didn't really have a date per se, but she was hoping some of the older more mature boys who resided in Church Falls would ask her to dance. A loving smile sweeps across her face as Jane reminisces about when she had made her way into her papa's jewelry store, he took one glance her way and was ready to escort Jane to the dance himself. This is exactly what her papa did! At first Jane vowed she would get even with him if he were determined to humiliate her in front of all of Church Falls. After she calmed down, she simply made up her mind that she would lose him in the crowd of people attending the social. Losing papa in a crowd of people simply wasn't meant to be. He had clung to her like flies cling to…well…uh…like flies cling to normal animal bodily functions. When the evening was over, Jane had to admit to having a wonderful time with the most important man in her life. But from that evening on her papa had a more difficult time keeping the reins haltered on his daughter! A couple years later an outlaw took away the most important man in her life. Unbeknownst to Jane at the time of her papa's tragic demise, she would be given another wonderful man. Their lives had been brought together by circumstances beyond their control. Their time together wasn't meant to be at that moment in their lives. They met. They had become friends fighting for the same cause and when their mission had been accomplished he took her home to Church Falls and then left for his own home the next day. Then years later without any warning fate brought her back into his life. She can't help but wonder if fate will be so cruel as to take this second wonderful man in her life away from her. Her eyes meet with the closed texture of the door where Buck is being worked on. "I don't want to sit down and patiently wait for the doctor to bring us bad news. What I really want is for someone to tell me what is going on behind that door. God, I don't even know if he's alive!" Jane spoke her voice cracking with near hysteria. Jane fittingly wiggled her body free from Teaspoon's grasp on her. She doesn't make an attempt to storm through the door where she knows Buck is at. Instead Jane willingly stands by Teaspoon's side. Jane's emotional outburst has Jimmy frightened for her well-being. Buck would surely be beside himself with worry and feelings of unforgivable guilt if Jane should linger near the state of a nervous breakdown because she is worried about him. Jimmy takes two strides toward Jane to make up the distance that separates them. He gazes into the emotional whirlpools of her glistening eyes. Her complexion has turned to the purest white that Jimmy has ever seen! Jimmy takes hold of Jane's forearms to bring her close to him before he finds himself picking her up off the floor. He looks mournfully at her with concern when he feels the trembling of her body! "Jane you need to sit down for awhile. You won't be able to do Buck any good if you make yourself sick over worriment for him," Jimmy spoke softly to a disorientated Jane. "Jimmy, I don't understand what is taking the doctor so long," Jane spoke regaining a bit of her strength back. Jimmy looks back at Teaspoon. The two men share a painstaking gaze at one another. They both are aware of the shape they brought Buck back to the doc's clinic in. Jane hadn't witnessed all the blood that Buck had already lost from his journey back to Rock Creek. Jimmy knows from past experiences that a lot of blood loss from a bullet wound can be grave. The events of that day happened entirely too fast to even comprehend the details some six years later. Jimmy remembered how one minute Ike was running from the bunkhouse and through town while the rest of them were close on his heels chasing him. The next minute Jimmy still can hear Buck hollering Ike's name over and over and over again as the young Ike lie just outside the saloon on the ground with a bullet wound to the left chest area. The one thing Jimmy does remember clearly about that day is how quickly Ike's white shirt became covered with his crimson blood! The events that happened next are still a blur to Jimmy. They were all told by the doc that Ike had lost a lot of blood. What really is a lot of blood? He still doesn't know the answer to that question. But whatever a lot is, Ike had apparently lost too much. The doc had allowed them to go in and visit with Ike for a few moments. It was only right that Teaspoon allowed Buck to take the first visit. Perhaps Teaspoon somehow knew that Ike wasn't going to make it that day. The old man certainly had a knack for knowing the obvious when everyone else tried desperately to avoid knowing it. Teaspoon knew that Ike and Buck needed time alone to say their good-byes. When Buck came outside from his visit with Ike he tore out of town on his horse. To this day Jimmy really isn't sure where Buck disappeared to for a few hours. Emily had gone inside to see Ike. Jimmy remembers how she had been in visiting with Ike for quite sometime. Teaspoon went in to check on the young woman and Ike. It hadn't taken Teaspoon too long before he was back outside insisting that they all go in to see Ike. Jimmy hadn't expected to view what he saw before him. Ike had left this world for a much safer place, but in doing so Ike had left his family behind. Later that day, Jimmy guesses that a totally out of character grief-stricken Buck killed the man responsible for Ike's death in cold blood. How badly the outcome of a day can be from the simple words that a doctor must tell the victim's family. He has lost a lot of blood. Whatever that dreadful phrase means Jimmy prays silently to himself that Doc Barnes avoids telling Buck's family those same words that ultimately lead to Ike's death! "Jimmy," Jane spoke urging Jimmy to come back to her from wherever his mind had gone. Jimmy looks at Jane trying to muster up the courage himself to break the awful news to her about the condition Buck was in when they first arrived at the doc's clinic. "You know Buck helped me through a very despondent time in my life," Jane spoke softly. "I don't remember you being despondent. What I remember most about you is the determination in you that wouldn't rest until justice had been served to Emery Pike for murdering your father." "I was determined to see that outlaw hang! But underneath my tough exterior I was drowning with sorrow over my father's death. He was the only person I had left in my life. I probably would have drowned if it weren't for Buck making me realize that death doesn't end your life with that person. You always have that person with you even after death, through memories and the guidance that they offer to you that you might not even realize is coming from them," Jane spoke as she leans into Jimmy's shoulder. "I can't lose him Jimmy." Jimmy hugs the woman tightly. He rests his chin on Jane's head. The faraway look in his eyes is one of disturbance. With everything else that has been aggravating Buck lately Jane has been a blessing in his life. Jimmy can even see that Buck has been much happier since Jane has come back into his life again. Except for maybe the fact that Buck is frustrated over the lack of privacy that he and Jane have not been able to prevail over. Jane doesn't seem to want to leave the comfort of Jimmy's arms. He doesn't attempt to push her away. If the worse possible scenario should happen today Jimmy desperately wants to make sure Jane doesn't drown. Teaspoon looks dolefully at his Pony Express family that is embracing one another in hopes that they don't lose another family member. In there own ways each and every one of them is praying for good news concerning Buck's health. ***** He thanks the lord each and every day for the family that he has been given. Teaspoon had been a drifter for so many years. He had been involved with so many different women, each one becoming a wife, but none of the marriages lasting very long for one reason or another. But this family of lost orphans has been his blessing in disguise. This family had kept him from drifting again. They had been all boys and one girl when they first signed up to ride for the Pony Express. Little did Teaspoon know then that he would end up loving each and every one of them as if they are his own flesh and blood, his own children. He gives thanks for all of them. It has been a long time since Teaspoon has had to endure the death of a family member. He doesn't want to have to grieve for Buck. He sighs heavily. He has accepted the fact that if Buck should die he won't have anyone to blame but himself. The others, Kid, Louise, Jimmy and Jane, they will blame Jesse. Teaspoon isn't so sure about the thoughts that will enter into the mind of his beloved wife. Rachel had spoken her peace concerning Teaspoon allowing Jesse back into their lives. 'Nothing good can come of Jesse James being in our lives.' Rachel had repeatedly uttered her words of wisdom. He hadn't given much thought to the fact that Jesse had changed. That Jesse made his living from robbing banks and killing innocent bystanders that got in his way. He hadn't thought that Jesse would turn on the only family he'd ever had. Rachel was absolutely right. Nothing good has yet to come from his allowing Jesse to intrude on their lives. Jesse certainly has caused Teaspoon more then his life can handle of trouble. Now, Teaspoon may be faced with the death of a man that has been by his side for eight years. He doesn't even want to fathom life on the ranch without Buck. Why hadn't he listened to the words that Rachel had spoken to him? For that matter, why hadn't he heard the words that Buck spoke when he had first discovered Jesse's wanted poster hanging in his marshal's office? Buck had been right all along about Jesse. Jesse had been using Teaspoon. But why? Jesse could have gone in any direction after holding up that last bank in Plum Creek, why had the outlaw chosen Rock Creek? Had it been a plan of Jesse's all along to destroy his family from the past? If that is the case then Jesse had planned to kill Buck. He had planned to kill Buck! How could a young boy with so much promise turn out to be the kind of man that wants to kill his own family? Teaspoon's mind wonders backwards to a time before the war that was fought between the north and the south. The funeral had been meant for the gathering of friends and family for a dearly departed man who left them all wondering why his death had happened. The army had participated in the funeral against Teaspoon's wishes. His family of misfit orphans had once again been drawn into a battle that has left Teaspoon with many unhealed wounds of the emotional kind. Cody had become involved with the army partly Teaspoon believes because The Pony Express was coming to an end. Soon the telegram would carry the mail, and Cody needed some sense of security, as did all his boys. The army had been advertising the great feeling of pride one gets for serving their nation in the army. Teaspoon had blasted the uniformed man for wrongful information concerning the outcome of one's life once he has killed just for the sake of killing. Cody didn't listen to his or Rachel's pleas to not sign on with the army. He had tried to make the young man see that it doesn't make sense to fight against your own people. Cody only saw what he wanted to see, the glory of being a hero for his nation. It was his obligation to sign up and fight in the war. As if Cody's joining the army wasn't pivotal enough he had gone and enlisted Noah in the whole damn mess! Noah had been turned away from joining the army because he was a black man. That turn of events should have been a blessing. Frank James secured Jesse's involvement in the plight when he rode back to Rock Creek to re-establish a family connection with his younger brother. Damn if one thing didn't lead to another until Teaspoon found himself at the tiny cemetery burying Noah. To this day Teaspoon wonders if his last words had made an impact on anyone standing at the gravesite of Noah Dixon that day. Teaspoon had tried to make the small gathering of people understand that they are allowing themselves to be torn apart by war. That young lives are being cut short long before their time due to all the killing that's going on in their nation. He had told them that if we don't start doing some healing instead of killing, we're gonna lose our homes, our friends, and our families. Teaspoon spoke these words as Jesse had looked on away from the gathering of people a top his horse. Why had Jesse come back that day? Teaspoon had thought that the young Jesse had to make sure that Teaspoon didn't blame him for Noah's death. The memories are imbedded on his brain as if they had just happened yesterday. Jesse had nodded at Jimmy as if to say good-bye. Jimmy repeated the action to Jesse as Teaspoon looked on. Jesse then rode off never once glancing back at the family he was leaving behind. Now all of Teaspoon's words keep haunting his mind. They repeatedly pound on his brain as if he is the one that never really paid attention to them. "If we don't start thinking about healin instead of killin… thinking about healin instead of killin…We're gonna lose everything…lose everything…our homes, our friends, our families…We're gonna lose our families…lose our families!" ***** Teaspoon is startled out of his reminiscing of the past with the quiet shutting of a door and footsteps approaching all of them with the news on Buck that they have been waiting for. As if on command to do so everyone but Jack Morgan advances toward Doc Barnes in unison. Jack Morgan who is still established uncomfortably on his chair watches and listens to Buck's family and the doctor converse about the Kiowa's medical condition. "How is Buck?" Teaspoon asked his voice catching in his throat. Doc Barnes glances over the family that has gathered into his inadequately small waiting room. He has often brought this same group good news as well as bad news concerning a loved ones condition. They are truly a family that cares deeply for each other. He looks into their eyes that hold so much hope yet equal the amount of fear that he will bring them utterly unbearable news. The worst part of being a doctor is looking into the eyes of the loved ones that have been nearly mortally wounded. "He's lost a lot of blood." Jimmy breathes a heavy sigh of disappointment. "Those aren't the words we were hoping to hear," Jimmy spoke as he remains cautiously stationed next to Jane's side with a strong hold around her waist. Doc Barnes gazes down at the floor. For him it is a gesture of apology that Buck's blood loss was the first words from his mouth. He looks back up at Buck's family knowing he will see nothing but concerned expressions from all of them. "I'm truly sorry. I know you've heard those same words before with very devastating end results. But the truth is I can't tell you what you all want to hear because what you want to hear wouldn't be the truth concerning Buck's condition," Doc Barnes stated sorrowfully. "We all appreciate the honesty Doc Barnes. Since it is obvious that there is no good news to report to us, then speaking for all of us, I feel that we need to know exactly what Buck is up against," Kid spoke somberly. Looking at Kid who the doctor knows is very close to Buck. "I didn't exactly say there is no good news," Doc Barnes spoke as he notices that their faces regain a vision of hope. "It appears that the bullet has indeed entered Buck's right chest area, but there is an exit wound on his back. No vital organs appear to be damaged from the moderate examination that I am able to perform here." "Are you telling us that Buck's condition isn't as grave as it appears to be?" Teaspoon asked his voice cracking with emotion. He can only hope that Buck will eventually be fine. He knows by the blood loss that the Kiowa would be in need of weeks of bed rest to gain his strength back. "I am telling you that Buck is not out of danger. He could still lose his life over this senseless shooting. However, if over the next few days Buck has no noticeable problems concerning the amount of blood he has lost, I am saying that he will survive. Basically the next few days will be crucial to Buck's pulling through this or not pulling through this," Doc Barnes spoke with appreciated faces looking back at him. "Can we see him?" Jimmy asked his voice filled with renewed hope. "You may go in for a few moments, but only a couple of you at a time. Remember, if Buck is to survive he will need plenty of undisturbed rest. Buck needs all of you to see that he gets just that." Doc Barnes ambles away from the joyous family. He makes his way over to Jack who has waited rather patiently to have his shoulder and arm patched up. "You've made them a happy family today," Jack spoke quietly. "He has a lot of healing to do. I hope their happiness can pull Buck through. Now let's get you patched up." Teaspoon latches onto Jane's arm. "Buck will need to hear your voice telling him that he needs to get well." "Thank-you Teaspoon," Jane spoke softly. Jane takes a step toward the room that a resting Buck is occupying. She pauses and turns back at the marshal whose emotions have been through a heap of turmoil today. She grabs Teaspoon's hand in hers. "You need to see Buck just as much as I do. I want you to come in with me to visit with him." Teaspoon can only smile appreciatively at Jane. With his hand resting comfortably in Jane's hand the two of them slowly walk to Buck's room at the doc's clinic. Both hesitate as they approach the door before opening it. Teaspoon glances at her and finally takes his free hand to turn the door knob and open the door. He allows Jane to have entrance to the room first. Teaspoon follows Jane inside shutting the door behind him. From the closed door Teaspoon can see that the color has completely drained from Buck's face. His coloring is extremely pale, but difficult to determine due to the exceptional amount of bruising. Teaspoon speculates that Buck's coloring and the amount of bruising on his face is why he heard a soft intake of breath from Jane. He is watchful of Jane as she meekly ambles to Buck's bedside. Her body seems to be moving in slow motion to Teaspoon. It takes Jane an overwhelming amount of time before she is at Buck's bedside lightly soothing his feverish face with a damp cloth. Teaspoon stands on the opposite side of Buck's bed facing Jane. When she looks up at Teaspoon her face is as pale as Buck's. Her eyes are misted over with tears and if Teaspoon hadn't grabbed her hand to steady her, she surely would have slumped to the floor. Teaspoon takes the dampened cloth from Jane's other hand and begins to cool down Buck's warm face. Jane takes a mildly deep breath and gently soothes away the sweat soaked strands of Buck's deep chocolate locks that are sticking stubbornly to his face. Jane's hand begins to tremble and silent tears finally stream down her face accompanied with quiet sobs. Teaspoon reaches out with his hand and touches her chin and tenderly turns Jane's face to fix her gaze at the strength in his eyes. "He looks so bad," Jane spoke quietly. "His body has been through a lot the past two days. Please Jane try to keep a positive outlook on his recovery. I'm sure Buck can feel how frightened you are when you touch him. He'll need you to be strong so he has a reason to fight for his life." "Do you believe he can overcome these injuries?" "Buck is young and strong. I believe he'll be all right as long as we're here to help pull him through this," Teaspoon spoke supportively. Jane takes the cloth back from Teaspoon and places it in the basin of warm water by Buck's bedside. She wrings it out with both her hands and goes back to work trying to reduce the heat coming from Buck's body. ***** In the waiting room Jimmy has taken up pacing with his hands securely attached to his hips. So much has happened to his family since he came back to Rock Creek. Buck is the last person that deserves to be lying on a bed with a bullet hole in his chest and back fighting for every breath that he takes. Kid has finally decided to take a break from his pacing. He is sitting next to Louise on a small sofa. Once he is seated next to Lou she gives Kid a warm smile and clasps her hand over his. Kid gently squeezes Lou's hand willing his self to be strong. The doc's front door opens. Jimmy stops his pacing to glance up at the person who has entered the clinic. His eyes rest on the blonde haired man that has been annoying Jimmy more than anything else in his life at the moment. Jimmy makes a quiet dash for the man. Cody backs up to the closed door when he sees the hostility aimed at him in Jimmy's evil eyes. "Get out!" Jimmy spoke with quiet animosity. Kid jumps up from the sofa with Louise trailing him when he witnesses what may turn out to be a fight between Jimmy and Cody. "Buck doesn't need this right now!" Kid spoke unexcitedly. Jimmy turns around to face Kid. "You're right Kid. Buck doesn't need Cody here wishing him well when he's really probably wishing Buck dead!" Jimmy spoke his voice filled with resentment as he gazes back at Cody. "What I meant Jimmy is that Buck doesn't need the two of you out here engaged in a brawl." "Gee thanks Kid for trying to keep Jimmy from killing me," Cody spoke with a forced smile. "Personally Cody I really don't care if the two of you beat the hell out of each other. I just don't want you doing it in here where Buck is trying to rest," Kid spoke adamantly. "If the two of you insist on killing each other take it outside so you don't disturb Buck," Louise spoke with anger for the two men who she normally has a great deal of compassion for. Cody gets a cocky grin on his face. "Well since we're all being so honest I actually didn't come over here to check on Buck. I came here to make sure that Jane is all right." Jimmy takes one long step forward to put no distance between him and Cody. He reaches out with his hand and takes a firm hold of Cody's over-cleaned army uniform and smashes his back against the closed front door of the clinic! ***** Teaspoon and Jane glance up from soothing Buck in unison to look at the closed door of Buck's room. They both hear the outlandish noise coming from the waiting room. Teaspoon immediately recognizes the raised voice as Jimmy and Cody's. Teaspoon makes his way to the door with Jane following right behind him. "You leave Jane alone. Buck and Jane are together and I am getting damn sick and tired of you always coming between them!" Jimmy spoke in a quiet shout. Teaspoon and Jane have entered the waiting room and are standing behind Kid and Louise. "The same way you are always coming between Kid and Louise?" Cody spoke with clinched teeth. Jimmy slams Cody's back into the door again. "That will be enough coming from the two of you," Teaspoon spoke with quiet disapproval of the two men causing commotion in the waiting room. Teaspoon places his body next to Jimmy and Cody. "Let go of him son," Teaspoon spoke with a demanding tone to Jimmy. Jimmy looks over at the face of the tiring marshal. He is hesitant at first to release Cody, but Teaspoon's look of quiet objection concerning their bad behavior renders Jimmy helpless. His fingers slowly release the hold he has on Cody's uniform. After Jimmy releases his hold on Cody, Jimmy attempts to smooth out the polished uniform. "Sorry that I ruffled your feathers sir." Cody feels the heat of embarrassment creep slowly over his face. He raises his left hand and pushes Jimmy's hands away from his uniform. "The two of you best stop thinking about yourself right now and start thinking about how very sick Buck is," Teaspoon spoke in a harsh tone. "Why?" Cody asked baffled as if truly not knowing the answer to his question. "Why?" Jimmy spoke softly. He shakes his head at Cody and walks away from him. Teaspoon takes his stance in the place that Jimmy abandoned. "Why? You really have to ask why?" Doc Barnes and Jack have walked back out into the waiting room. They stand back from the crowd of people gathered near the front door. Doc Barnes folds his arms over his chest and watches the family gathering in a harsh manner. "Buck is no concern of mine. I'm only here to escort Jane back to the ranch," Cody spoke unsympathetically. Cody brushes past Teaspoon to get to Jane. When he sees her he tries to reach for her, but Jane backs away and Jimmy side steps slightly in front of Jane to block Cody's approach to her. Cody won't give up his quest to make Jane his now that she is in an emotional state of anguish. He figures now is his chance to pounce on her and make Jane his once and for all! "Jane, I'll take you back to Buck's home if you'd like." "She wouldn't like Cody," Jimmy stated flatly. His temper starting to flare up again from Cody's presence as well as his foolishness! Jane finally raises her head to look Cody coldly in the eyes. "How dare you ask to escort me home after the awful way you seemingly don't care about whether Buck lives or dies." Cody realizes that sounding so callous about whether Buck lives or dies was the wrong way to be with Jane so close by listening to his declaration. "I didn't mean to sound so insensitive about the condition Buck is in. Please Jane just let me take you home so you can get some rest. I'm sure Buck's injuries are taking a toll on your emotions." "Cody, your presence in this clinic is putting a toll on all our emotions. Why don't you just go back to your murder investigations? We can all take care of Jane," Jimmy spoke adamantly. Doc Barnes has heard enough bickering from this loving family. He steps forward to make his presence known to all of them. "I really think that all of you should go back to the ranch. There is nothing more you can do here tonight for Buck. What Buck really needs right now is undisturbed rest and you are not giving that to him." Jane steps in front of the doctor. "I can't leave him. Can I please stay with Buck through the night? I want to be here if he should need me," Jane spoke with a strong plead to the doctor. "I'll fix you a bed next to his," Doc Barnes spoke softly to Jane. He looks around the waiting room at the rest of Buck's family. "I insist that the rest of you go home for the night." Doc Barnes leaves the room to go back into Buck's room to check on him and to make up a bed for Jane. "Jane, are you sure you want to stay here?" Cody asked defeated. Jimmy steps in front of Jane once again to face Cody. "If she weren't sure Cody then she wouldn't have asked the doc if she could stay with Buck." "Jane, I really think you need to go home and get a good night's sleep. You won't sleep here. You'll be worried about Buck and then you'll be up and down all night watching over him," Cody pleaded. Before Jane can answer Cody, Teaspoon interferes and comes between Jimmy and Cody. "Can't you hear son?" "I can hear just fine Teaspoon," Cody spoke disheartened. "Then listen to what Jane is saying. She wants to stay with Buck. It is her decision to stay here. Let it be," Teaspoon spoke strongly. "Teaspoon, you're just upset because it was you that allowed Jesse back into our lives after everyone warned you that Jesse would bring us nothing but trouble. Now look what the outlaw has done. Buck could very easily lose his life and it would be your fault!" Cody spoke adamantly. Kid grabs hold of Cody from behind and whirls him around to face him. The expression of anger and contempt for Cody has been raging for a long time. Kid had been happy when Cody first came back home to investigate the army murders, but shortly after Jane arrived in Rock Creek Kid has wished that the blond rider would disappear. He has done nothing but continuously interfere with the relationship that has been developing between Buck and Jane. "Get out before I have to escort you out of here myself!" Kid's anger over Buck's shooting is finally catching up with his emotions. His look of absolute bitterness toward Cody makes the army man shiver. Cody quietly leaves the waiting room with the rest of his family attentive to his dismissing of their feelings so easily. If he didn't know himself better he would have to believe he is starting to treat his family the same way that Jesse has chosen to treat them. CHAPTER FOUR Teaspoon slowly ambles out from the inside of the barn. He glances upward at the early evening sky wondering for just a brief moment if the good lord will take Buck away from this ranch, his family, Jane and even from him. Teaspoon quickly tries to erase the thought from his clouded mind not wishing to dwell on the worst possible outcome of this tragedy. The sky resembles a storm of destruction with Teaspoon hearing the haunting familiar sounds of a storm that passed through the ranch a few months ago. A few dark clouds are twirling around overhead. The sky speaks out to Teaspoon with a blustery howl as a breeze picks up and blows the orange, amber and scarlet dried leaves from the trees around the ground of the ranch. He listens to the hysterical clangs of the wind chimes on Lou's porch. He can make out the creaking of the porch swings on everyone's porches as they rock back and forth in a violent fashion. Teaspoon can only hope that the storm doesn't bring the ranch more damage or bad happenings. Over the past few months this ranch and the family who reside here have been put through many trials and tribulations. They have all held up pretty well in Teaspoon's eyes, but he wonders how many more catastrophes they could possibly endure. Teaspoon glances back down from the sky to set his sight on the homestead that is stationed just in front of him. This ranch has been his home for a few years now, first as the home for his Pony Express Riders and now a home with his wife and family. He really can't think of any other place he would rather be. Teaspoon leaves out a tried sigh. The day had been a very extensive and wearisome one. Every member of his family who had been at the clinic had suffered through an intensely emotional day. For once Jimmy and Kid weren't fighting against one another. Instead the two of them had joined forces and had ganged up on poor, defenseless Cody. Both Jimmy and Kid had tried to make this entire incident ending with Buck getting shot out to be Cody's fault. Cody has certainly been up to no good of late, but he had nothing to do with allowing Jesse to rule their lives. That has all been his doing. Teaspoon laboriously opens the fence gate and ambles heavily, as if in one day he has aged fifty years, inside the front yard of his home. The gate makes a boisterous creaking sound that brings Rachel and Charlene scampering out of the house and onto the front porch. Teaspoon stops dead in his tracks for a moment to gaze at his wife. He knows all to well who is to blame for all the catastrophic events that have been happening to his family. Teaspoon gazes exasperatingly at Rachel and Charlene who are waiting patiently for him to bring them some good news concerning Buck's condition. With her hands positioned sternly on her hips, Teaspoon is sure that Rachel has a few days planned for lecturing him pertaining to the matter of allowing Jesse James into their lives and all the dangers it has brought to their family. Teaspoon figures he deserves the lecture, he just isn't too sure that his emotions can handle it right now. Rachel watches Teaspoon as his body moves toward her sternly stationed body on the porch. What she observes restores her stance to a much softer portrayal of her. She beholds a pale in color, defeated man approaching her. Teaspoon is slightly slouched over as he shuffles toward the steps of the front porch. He resembles a man that has just been whipped for a crime that he has committed. It is possible that Teaspoon's exhausted appearance is due to the fact that he has bad news to report to her concerning the condition that Buck is in. But Rachel honestly figured that Teaspoon's sluggish movement toward her is due to the serious reprimanding he believes that he will be receiving from her. Teaspoon takes the last step and apprehensively walks up to his usual place next to his wife. Their eyes meet with sorrow. Teaspoon doesn't utter a word, but only continues to look at Rachel hoping that she can take away the pain he is feeling from not only Buck being shot, but from his past love for a boy that proved his good intentions were far from what he really had in mind for his family. Rachel isn't about to allow her thoughts about Jesse and all that he has done to her family occupy her mind at this time. She is a thoughtful wife first and she knows her husband needs compassion and understanding at this moment. Rachel takes Teaspoon into an embrace for a warm, tenderhearted hug. She can't bear to see Teaspoon this upset knowing that he is blaming himself for the situation that one of his boys is in. Charlene is looking on at the loving couple. She hopes that soon Buck will feel this way about her. But at this moment the couple before her is simply irritating her. Charlene can only put up with such intimacy with other couples for so long and this allotted time is up for Rachel and Teaspoon in her eyes. "It would be good of you Teaspoon if you could inform me and Rachel about Buck's condition," Charlene spoke impolitely. Rachel feels her husband's body become tense from Charlene's hateful tone. He pulls his body away from the protectiveness of Rachel's loving embrace. Rachel hesitates at first to release her hold on Teaspoon. When she finally allows Teaspoon to stand away from her, she immediately recognizes the utter pain that is easily detectable in Teaspoon's eyes. Rachel is all too aware of the pain she witnesses. The heartache that Rachel sees won't easily go away. It means that one of his boys is hurt emotionally or suffering from physical pain. Teaspoon has never been good at hiding how much pain he feels when someone he loves is in pain. Teaspoon tries to gather his wits to present himself as being under control emotionally to a loathsome Charlene. "Don't make yourself out to be the victim Charlene. I am well aware of all the manipulating that you've been up to since the very day you arrived on this ranch," Teaspoon spoke with rejuvenated energy. Charlene tries her best to portray the innocent woman. "I have been minding my own business. I will admit at first I may have been trying to get Buck to fall in love with me, but he has made it perfectly clear that he is only interested in that bore some school teacher." "Charlene, I think it would be best if you didn't bad mouth Jane. Buck will only think badly of you," Rachel spoke calmly. Charlene crosses her arms at her chest. She breathes out a tiresome sigh. "How can all of you be so blind to Jane's fictitious feelings toward Buck? She doesn't love him. Jane is simply using Buck to get what she wants from all of you." Teaspoon is showing extreme anger in his actions. His face, once pale from the long day spent at the doc's clinic, has now turned a deep shade of red. "And what might that be Charlene?" "To allow Jesse James to destroy this ranch and the people who live here," Charlene spoke adamantly so sure that Teaspoon and Rachel will believe what she is saying about Jane. "And….uh how is it that you are so well informed on what Jane has in mind for all of us? And how do you know that all Jane's wrong doings involve Jesse James?" Teaspoon asked perplexed by Charlene's admittance of guilt on her own part. "Could it possibly be that this is actually your plan and Jesse's?" Charlene is stunned that Teaspoon has easily figured out that her admission of Jane being involved with Jesse is actually her own admission of guilt. The guilty look of shock on Charlene's face tells Teaspoon all he needs to know about the woman before him. He never quite trusted Charlene and now he is sure she is up to more than she is actually admitting to. Instead, Charlene places the blame on Jane. In Teaspoon's eyes Charlene's outright blaming of Jane is her own admission of guilt. Could Charlene actually be plotting against his family with Jesse as her accomplice? Charlene feels the harsh gaze in Teaspoon's eyes as if he is wondering to himself if she is guilty for the very crimes that she is insinuating that Jane is involved in. She clears her throat nervously. She desperately needs to think of something to erase the awkwardness that has come between her and the Hunter's. "I could be wrong about Jane. I only think badly of her because she claims to care about Buck, but she is always with Cody," Charlene spoke honestly. She can play on Teaspoon's emotions concerning Jane's attractiveness toward Cody. After all, Teaspoon has witnessed with his own sight the closeness that has taken place between Cody and Jane. "Jane is simply friends with Cody Charlene," Rachel spoke softly. She turns to face her husband who is still cautiously wondering about Charlene and what the vixen is up to. "I think we should go in for the night." "I agree. I'm going to head on over to Kid and Lou's," Charlene spoke, as she makes her way down the steps of the porch in a hurried fashion. She needs desperately to put space between herself the Hunter's. Rachel and Teaspoon both turn and watch Charlene walk away from their home and toward Kid and Lou's home. "I don't know exactly why, but I don't completely trust that woman," Teaspoon spoke quietly to Rachel. Rachel puts her hand on Teaspoon's arm. "We should go inside and you can tell me how Buck is doing." Teaspoon suddenly remembers Buck and his almost fatal injuries. "Yeah, lets go on inside." Teaspoon opens the door to their home allowing Rachel to step inside. Teaspoon notices that the chilling wind from earlier in the evening as died down. The dark clouds in the sky seem to be shifting further west. "Looks like Mother Nature has decided to take pity on us this time. I only hope that Jesse can see what he's doing to this family before it is too late," Teaspoon spoke softly not really intending for anyone to hear him. ***** Jane had been up and down and out of the bed that Doc Barnes had set up next to Buck's bed at least a half a dozen times since lying down about an hour ago. Buck's soft moans of pain in his unconscious state are what keep Jane from resting peacefully. The absolute fear that she might lose him while she sleeps keeps her body from being consumed into a dormant state. Jane handles the cloth from the basin of warm water by Buck's bed and wrings out the excessive amount of water. She dampens Buck's face with the moist cloth. She is so extremely gentle with him almost afraid that he will break by her simple touch of his battered face. She wipes the cloth tenderly across his forehead and down over his brows. Jane softly caresses his rosy cheeks with her hand. She can feel the fever raging inside of him. Jane, with a feather like touch, traces Buck's lips with her warm fingers. A ravenous thought of her and Buck making love engulfs her mind. She shouldn't think such thoughts while he lay so near death. Jane shakes the thoughts from her head until it hurts. She can't stand to think of Buck being gone from her life when they both have so much more living to do together. She must try to think of happier thoughts before she falls apart. Buck needs her. She has to be strong so she can will him to live. As she touches his face softly, Jane utters endearing words to Buck. "You must come back to me. We have a lifetime ahead of us to share and grow old together. We have waiting for us a lifetime of joys. Like moonlit summer evening on the porch swing holding each other while we watch the stars dance across the sky. There are those autumn walks through the forest as we gaze up at the colorful changes of the leaves as we lay on the dewy grass of a nearby meadow." Jane sooths Buck's deep chocolate locks away from his face with her trembling hands. "What about the ranch? I want to help you with the ranch even though I don't know much about breeding horses. I'm sure you'd have a good laugh teaching me. And then there are our eight or more children that are waiting to be born. I know you want a houseful of little bare feet running around. We certainly can't let our unborn children down. You can't just leave me now without allowing us to have that life." Buck begins to cough. Jane takes the glass of water from the table and brings it to Buck's mouth. A tiny amount of the water manages to absorb itself between his lips. Jane can hear the slight grasping noise Buck makes as he fights to shallow the quenching liquid. It nearly breaks Jane's heart that most of the liquid escapes down Buck's chin and onto his long john shirt. She tries desperately to absorb the wetness from his shirt into the already dampen cloth she holds in her hand. She wants greatly to make Buck comfortable. In Jane's attempt to soak up the moisture on his shirt, she recklessly applies too much pressure to the wounded area of his chest. Buck screams out in pain! Within a few seconds tears stream down from her eyes and settle down her cheeks. She backs away from Buck as if she in someway is harmful to him. Jane turns her head to face the door when she hears it open. Doc Barnes walks in and greets her at a distance from Buck's bedside. "Let me help you with that," Doc Barnes spoke quietly. Jane hands the glass of water over to the doctor. "I heard him cry out in pain. I thought perhaps you could use some help." "I'm just so beside myself with worry that I might do something that will cause him unnecessary pain," Jane spoke her voice cracking with emotion. After Doc Barnes allows Buck to take one last swallow of water he places the glass on the nightstand and turns to face Jane. "Anything that you do for him will have a positive outlook on the healing that his body must do before he awakens. If he was in any pain it seems to have subsided now." "And when do you think he will wake up?" Jane asked hesitatingly. Doc Barnes looks down at a restless sleeping Buck. "It could take a few days or perhaps a week. I wouldn't think he would stay asleep much past one week. I think you should crawl back into that other bed and get some rest yourself. You won't be doing Buck any good if you come down ill yourself." As Jane kisses Buck goodnight, Doc Barnes walks over to the door all the while watching Jane as she lightly caresses Buck's face. He then leaves the room feeling secure that Jane can take care of Buck. ***** The early evening sky has turned into a pitch-black night. The days have been visibly getting much shorter since the end of September. The creaking of a wooden porch swing let's everyone else at the ranch know that at least a few people are watching over the quiet ranch. Kid and Louise are sitting on the porch swing with a blanket being shared between the two of them. Kid is leaning back against the side of the swing that allows him to look out over the ranch. Louise is sitting between Kid's legs. Kid has his chin positioned on Louise's head. His somber face tells the tale of the days events. He looks extremely grim and sad. He wonders what Jesse will do next. He wonders if they will be able to apprehend Jesse before he hurts anyone else. He hasn't voiced his intentions to Louise yet, but once Buck is well he plans on tracking Jesse on his own. Kid is already aware of how badly Louise will react to his decision. So for now he'll just keep it to him self. Louise has noticed that her husband hasn't said two words since they came out on the porch about an hour ago. She knows that is mind is back in town at the doc's clinic. "I know how worried you are about Buck. He's strong. He'll pull through this because Buck hasn't been this happy for as long as I've known him." Kid has to smile at the newfound happiness that Buck seems to have found with Jane. "Jane and Buck they are remarkable. In the very short time that she has come back into all of our lives there hasn't been too much to smile about around here, yet the two of them have managed to fall in love." "You really think it's that serious?" "I'm sure of it. I just hope Cody can accept the fact that Jane wants to be with Buck," Kid spoke loud enough for an approaching Cody and Jimmy to hear him declare the love that is between Buck and Jane. Cody and Jimmy stop just in front of the porch steps. "The two of you mind if we join you?" Jimmy asked quietly. Kid had hoped on having a quiet evening alone with Louise. The events with Buck earlier today have worn his nerves almost to the breaking point. Kid isn't too sure he can tolerate Cody's determination to win Jane away from Buck, or Jimmy's highly opinionated views on everyone's life but his own. Just this morning Jimmy, who had fought with Cody, is now obviously befriending him. Cody picks up on Kid's reluctance to allow him and Jimmy to sit and chat with him and Louise. "I've apologized to Jimmy for my ignorance today. I'd like to apologize to the both of you also if you'll allow me to." "Your harsh words were aimed at Buck Cody. It's like you don't care about Buck's feelings or the way he and Jane feel for one another, not to mention the fact that it seems like you don't care whether Buck lives or dies," Louise spoke harshly. "Lou, does anyone ask you to stop having feelings for Kid?" Cody asked harshly. Jimmy who had been concentrating on the conversation between his friends finds his eyes staring blindly down at the ground. In Kid's presence he actually feels somewhat ashamed that he has openly admitted that he is in love with Louise. "No," Louise spoke bluntly. "I have feelings for Jane. I can't just stop being in love with her just because Buck has feelings for her too. I'll I can do is apologize for the cruel things I said about Buck. I really don't want harm to come his way," Cody spoke sincerely. "Now may we sit down?" Jimmy asked impatiently. "Come on up and join us," Kid spoke harshly. He really can't accept Cody's apology because his best friend and business partner is fighting for his life. Kid isn't so sure that Cody's actions of late didn't have anything to do with what has brought them all to the consequences of today. He has suspected Cody of being manipulative with their lives ever since he falsely accused and arrested Buck for murders they all knew Buck didn't commit. Even Cody knew Buck didn't commit those murders, yet Cody was determined to keep Buck locked up. Cody was determined to risk Buck's life for his own obsessive feelings for Jane. Jimmy holds out his hand as if telling Cody to step onto the porch ahead of him. Both grown men look at each other with hesitance about stepping onto the porch. Cody feels Kid's eyes boring into his soul. He quickly steps onto the porch to get rid of the awkwardness Kid's stare is making him feel. Jimmy strolls onto the porch right behind him. Cody sits down on the top porch step. Jimmy sits down on the opposite side of the porch from Cody. "What we need to do is stick together and be there for one another the way a family is suppose to do in good times as well as bad times. Buck made it known to every one of us including Jesse that he didn't trust Jesse. This is Jesse's revenge because he couldn't get what he wanted from this family," Kid spoke assuredly. "What are you saying Kid? You don't think Jesse is through with his revenge?" Jimmy asked quietly. "I think Jesse begrudges all of us because we ruined the protection from the law agreement that he had with Teaspoon," Kid stated calmly. "We all need to stick together and fight against Jesse to keep our family safe. Buck needs us. He needs all of us to pull together and keep each other safe. Buck certainly doesn't need to be fighting over Jane with you Cody," Lou spoke angrily. Cody is about to voice his feelings again concerning Jane when Lou interrupts him. "We all are aware of how you feel about Jane Cody, and we even understand that love, but you'll have to learn to let her go. Jane loves Buck. You shouldn't be fighting with Buck over a woman that doesn't love you in the first place." Cody can't let any of them know the many secrets he is hiding. If he allows himself to become hotheaded over what Lou is saying he will surely give his secrets away. They are all too smart to not catch on sooner or later to the fact that he is plotting with Charlene. "I can't make promises concerning Jane that I can't keep, but I can promise that I will try to keep peace with Buck," Cody replied with sadness. "Right now our main concern has to be Buck and getting him well again," Jimmy stated flatly. "We can't forget about Jesse. The minute we let down our guard he'll be knocking on our front door. We need to rid him from our lives before he tries something like this again," Kid spoke boldly. Kid, Louise and Jimmy are in agreement with what they must do to keep their family safe. Cody simply leans heavily against the porch wondering how he will keep the promises he has made and still pursue Jane. ***** After talking to Teaspoon at great length concerning Buck's almost fatal injuries, Rachel had needed a breath of fresh air. With a shawl wrapped loosely around her shoulders she makes her way outside onto her front porch. "It has been a rather tiring day," Charlene spoke softly. Charlene's voice causes Rachel to almost take a tumble off the side of the porch. Rachel hadn't expected Charlene to still be sitting on her porch. She had thought that Charlene had retired to Kid and Lou's earlier in the evening. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Charlene spoke sincerely. If Charlene hasn't learned anything else about this family the one thing that she has learned is that if she wants to bury her claws into Buck Cross she will need Rachel Hunter on her side. Rachel is the solid foundation of this family of orphans. She is the mother that none of them had. She cooked meals for them so they didn't go hungry. She washed their clothes for them so they would have clean clothes to wear. She watched over them when they were ill. She made holidays special with very little resources. Rachel did all of this not because she wanted praise for being a good person, she did all of this out of love for those orphans that were and still are her children. Rachel walks over to Charlene who is sitting in a rocking chair hidden on the other side of the porch. Rachel takes a seat in the rocking chair next to Charlene. "I thought you had gone back over to Kid and Lou's earlier." Charlene looks out in the direction of Kid and Lou's home. Both women can hear the laughter coming from the front porch of Kid and Lou's home. "They're all over there, Kid and Louise along with Jimmy and Cody. I didn't want to intrude in on their visit." Rachel touches the young woman's hand. "I know sometimes you don't feel welcome here." "It's because I love Buck and he loves Jane," Charlene spoke sadly. "Well, at least you've learned that nothing can overcome true love. Now if only Cody could understand how much Jane loves Buck." "I'm not totally sure I accept Buck's decision to be with Jane over me. I know how much you like Jane, but I still say she's playing both Buck and Cody for fools," Charlene spoke harshly. "I know in my heart that you are terribly wrong about Jane. She's a compassionate woman who wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone. I see the way Jane looks at Buck every time he is close to her. She doesn't look at Cody the same way," Rachel spoke as she stands up. "I'm going to retire for the evening. I would suggest you do the same." Rachel walks back into the home she shares with Teaspoon Hunter. She leaves Charlene to ponder over her last words. Honestly, Charlene is beginning to believe that the only way she will get what she wants is for Jane to have a terrible accident! "There probably isn't much chance of that happening." Charlene spoke silently to herself. She stands up from her chair and starts over toward Kid and Lou's home. "Tonight I need some much needed sleep, but tomorrow I will come up with a grand scheme to get the two of them apart once and for all. ***** The midnight moonlight shines in through the window of Buck's room at the doc's clinic. Jane is standing by Buck's bedside wiping down his face with a damp cloth. Once again she hadn't been able to sleep. Every time she closes her eyes the image of her father slumped over his desk with smoke all around him enters her mind. She can't shake the unbearable thought that she is going to also lose Buck to an outlaw's revenge. ***** He had an astounding soft dance step as he guided her across the social hall to every dance that evening. She had thought he would simply tire out and then she might get a chance to dance with one of her male friends from school. That wasn't meant to be. Her papa certainly was a vibrant elderly man. With every dance that they danced to it was she that was tiring and her papa just continued to dance on and on through the night. She had hoped that one of her male friends from school might do her a favor and cut in on her papa. That certainly didn't happen. They were all afraid of her papa. He was a strong man with a bit of a loud deep voice that frightened away just about anyone smaller than him! Perhaps the boys from school thought her papa might turn on them and whoop their butts! They were probably right in thinking just that. There was absolutely no way her papa was going to let any of those boys hold his daughter in a close embrace to share a dance. "You think you've really outdone yourself this time don't you?" Jane asked her papa with a warm smile. "I am your papa. It is my job to outdo myself with every challenge you throw my way." "I see. So now I am a challenge," Jane spoke with a gleam in her eyes. "Every woman is a challenge to a man." "How so?" "Women are mysterious creatures to men. We very rarely understand them and I suppose we really wouldn't want it any other way." "I don't think I understand." Jane spoke confusingly. All her papa could do was laugh at her naïve young heart. "Someday you will understand exactly what I mean. Someday there will be a young man that will sweep you off your feet. When that day arrives his life will never be the same." "That day will never come if you don't allow me to dance with the boys from my school. Do you know that they are all afraid of you?" "As they should be. I wouldn't want it any other way." All Jane can do is to smile warmly at her papa as he guides the two of them closer to their home. ***** Jane is shocked out of her memories from the past when a soft moan escapes from Buck's lips. His face is sweating profusely as the moans continue, at first softly and as his pain increases the more loudly his moans become. "Buck, please don't do this! You're scaring me." Doc Barnes rushes into the room and takes the cloth from Jane. He is frantically wiping down Buck's face and chest with the dampened cloth. "His fever has escalated. Why don't you wait out in the waiting room while I try to bring his fever back to normal?" Jane doesn't argue with the doctor. She backs her way out of Buck's room and quietly shuts the door. ***** Teaspoon is glancing out over the corral at the quietness of the few horses that are happily grazing on some hay. Teaspoon, like the rest of his family is having a difficult time getting any kind of restful sleep tonight. The rest of his family is simply worried about Buck and how he is fairing over at the doc's clinic. He is not only worried about Buck, but also feeling terribly guilty about Buck being in the line of fire in the first place. He put Buck in that line of fire by allowing Jesse to rule his thoughts and heart. "You shouldn't feel so guilty about what has happened to Buck," Jesse spoke quietly from behind Teaspoon. Teaspoon is startled and appalled to hear Jesse's voice. He turns around slowly to face Jesse. "Why would you come back here?" "I feel as if I owe you at least a warning of what is yet to come." "Don't you think you've done enough damage to this family? Why would you want us to suffer?" Teaspoon asked confused by Jesse's actions towards his Pony Express family. "I wanted your forgiveness, but because of Buck you couldn't completely forgive me for my past mistakes," Jesse spoke flatly. "You came here under false pretensions! You lied to my face when you told me you wanted to change your life around! You came here to hide out from the law and you knew I would cover for you knowing how I felt about the boy you once were," Teaspoon spoke harshly to the young outlaw before him. "It would have worked too if Buck would have minded his own business." "The law is Buck's business Jesse!" Teaspoon shouted defending Buck and the law that he has sworn to uphold. "You are the marshal of this town. You ordered Buck to stay away from me, but he didn't obey your orders. Instead of turning on Buck and reprimanding him for his behavior, you turned on me instead. If you and I are ever to have what we once had as a family, Buck has to be out of our lives," Jesse spoke stubbornly refusing to believe that Teaspoon's loyalty lay with Buck and not with him. "Maybe I'M not making myself clear to you Jesse! There is no longer a life here for you. If Buck should die I'll hunt you down myself even if it takes me the rest of my life. Now get off this ranch before I forget how much I once loved you!" Jesse is stunned by Teaspoon's vicious words. He had thought that Teaspoon cared and loved him more then he cared for Buck. Apparently from Teaspoons harsh words he was very wrong. Jesse abruptly draws his gun on Teaspoon to keep the marshal from following him as he quietly mounts his horse and rides off The Kid & Buck Horse Ranch. ***** CHAPTER FIVE The next morning when Kid and Louise enter Doc Barnes clinic the first person they see is the tear stained face of Jane. Kid takes notice to the sulking woman sitting in a chair looking as if she has just lost a dear loved one. Kid instantly becomes frantic thinking that he has also lost a loved one. Kid Hurriedly walks for Buck's room, but is abruptly halted with his forward progress when Doc Barnes calmly steps out of Buck's room. He gently shuts the door, but before Kid can utter a word Doc Barnes holds his hands up to warn Kid not to talk too loudly. "Please just tell me that Buck's alive," Kid spoke his voice cracking with emotion. "Buck has had a difficult night, but he seems to be as well as can be expected right now," Doc Barnes spoke softly. Upon hearing this news Jane stands up from her chair and walks over to stand by Kid. Louise stands back from Kid and Jane and observes the weak and frail condition that Jane has put herself in after only one day of caring for Buck. "I'm sorry that I can't make him well," Jane spoke with tears streaming down her cheeks to Kid. "Jane, I don't blame you for Buck not getting better. I know with a wound like Buck's it takes rest and a lot of time to heal," Kid spoke reassuringly to Jane. "What I really believe that needs to be done now is for Jane to get a breath of fresh air and a good meal and a good night's sleep. You aren't doing Buck any good by making yourself so ill that you can't even stand on your own two feet," Doc Barnes stated with authority. Louise walks up behind Jane. She places a gentle hold on Jane's forearm. "Jane, how about if you and I take a little walk and get some breakfast over at the hotel while Kid keeps Buck company." Louise spoke with a reassuring smile. Jane glances over at Kid. "You swear you won't leave Buck until I get back here?" "I swear. I need to have a talk with Buck. It could take awhile so take your time," Kid spoke as he walks past Doc Barnes and enters Buck's room. He quietly shuts the door once he has entered the room. His eyes become fixed on the feverish, unconscious man lying in the bed directly in front of him. He has never seen Buck looking so badly from a wound. He is extremely pale except for his cheeks that are warm and blushed from his fever. The many bruises on his face from the fall he had sustained are starting to turn a deep purplish hue. The crooked smile that is now replaced with a frown has Kid thinking that his friend isn't coming back to him. Kid walks slowly to the side of the bed much in the same fashion that Jane had done the day before, holding onto hope that by the time he is standing near Buck's bed that Buck would have awakened from his deep sleep. He brushes his fingers across Buck's forehead to check for himself the extreme warmth that is coming from Buck's body. Kid reaches down to Buck's side and places Buck's hand in his. "I can't fight Jesse alone. I need your help," Kid spoke quietly his voice cracking with emotion. "You can't die. I could never run the ranch by myself. I mean you could probably run the ranch without me. For one thing you wouldn't have to stand between Jimmy and me anymore. But I can't fight Jesse alone, I can't calm myself down after a fight with Jimmy, and I especially wouldn't be able to keep Teaspoon from going after Jesse by himself if you should leave us. I know how much that would upset you, you being so over-protective of Teaspoon and all. You need to wake up Buck. I need you to wake up." Kid leans his head down gently on Buck's shoulder. "Damn it Buck you need to wake up." ***** After the intrusive visit from Jesse, Teaspoon couldn't find a moments peace to guide his body into a deep sleep. Instead he found himself pacing the living room of his home with Rachel. When that didn't tire the old marshal out he decided to make the trip into Rock Creek to go over the wanted posters and other monotonous duties that comes with being a marshal. What he found when he arrived at his office was a sleeping Jimmy who immediately woke up simply to ask Teaspoon if he could have the day off. Teaspoon happily gave Jimmy the day off, figuring that if he went back home, he would only ruin the floor boards with his pacing, and then Rachel would be even more upset with him. Teaspoon had been sitting at his desk for hours staring blindly at one particular wanted poster. That poster belonged to Jesse James! Sometime early in the morning, Teaspoon isn't even sure at the specific time Jack Morgan gallantly strolled into the marshal's office not trying to be quiet at all. Even the heavy steps of Jack's boots walking toward Teaspoon doesn't nudge the marshal out of his deep thinking of what he will do next to prevent Jesse James from hurting anyone else that he cares about. "How's your deputy doing this morning?" Jack asked boldly. Teaspoon looks away from the poster of Jesse to glance up at Jack. "What?" "How is Buck this morning?" "Don't know. I haven't been over to see him yet," Teaspoon spoke softly. Jack takes the wanted poster out of Teaspoon's hands. He glances at the poster. "How long have you been staring at this thing?" "What difference does it make?" Jack places the wanted poster on the desk with Jesse's face turned away from the marshal's eyes. "Turning the face of Jesse James away from me isn't going to keep me from thinking about what an evil person he has become," Teaspoon spoke as he reaches for his cup of coffee. "You need to give yourself and the blame that you're carrying a break. It isn't good for a person to carry as much guilt as you're carrying right now." "It's my fault that Buck is fighting for his life. It's a fight that Buck may not be able to win." "Then if Buck doesn't win this fight that is when you go after Jesse and not one moment sooner. Your thoughts at this moment shouldn't be about how you're going to get revenge. Your thoughts should be on how you're going to help Buck recover." "What makes you such an authority on what I should and shouldn't do?" "I need for you to wait until this old shoulder and arm of mine is healed. We'll go after the James Gang together, just you and I." "Like the old days Jack?" "I came to Rock Creek because I had heard rumors that the James Gang was hiding out close to town. Coming here also gave me the opportunity to make amends with you. But it seems to me that you really don't want our friendship to mend. It seems to me that you're doing everything within your power to make sure our friendship withers and dies. You care to explain that to me?" While Teaspoon is debating over Jack's question, Jack takes a seat in the chair that sits in front of Teaspoon's desk. "I'm not leaving until you can provide me with a logical answer to my question." "Jack, I honestly get the feeling that you came to Rock Creek more to visit with me then you came here to hunt down Jesse and his gang. I believe you're hiding something that you are not too sure I'm going to approve of so you keep hanging around playing guessing games with me. Games are something I really don't have time for. Why don't you just make yourself clear on the real reason why you're in Rock Creek?" Teaspoon spoke with a begging tone. For a moment, Jack is quiet thinking about what the repercussions will be concerning his news about Teaspoon. For a long time now he has wanted Teaspoon to know the truth about his own past, perhaps now is just as good as anytime to tell Teaspoon the truth once and for all. If for no other reason it will at least ease his conscious. "You are absolutely right. I have been keeping something from you that I've been a little worried about sharing with you especially now that you have so much on your mind. You don't need anything else that will cloud your mind of what you must do to prevent Jesse from doing anymore harm to your family." "Out with it Jack. Like I said before I don't have time to play games. I've got a deputy who is still unconscious and I have an entire town that is in a panic because of the James Gang being so close by. So if you have something to say then just say it." "There's a child." Teaspoon's face goes from an angry scowl to the paleness of a shocked old man. For a slight instance Teaspoon is a little unsure of what Jack is actually trying to tell him. But like a load of roof shingles falling from the barn roof it hits Teaspoon that Jack means that he has a child somewhere out there in the world. At that very moment Kid walks into the marshal's office. Kid realizes, by the shocked look on Teaspoon's face that he has intruded in on a rather important conversation going on between Teaspoon and Jack Morgan. Jack gets up from his chair rather slowly and walks up to Kid. "I was just leaving," Jack spoke as he turns around to view a very speechless Teaspoon Hunter. "Will further this conversation later." With those words Jack is gone from Teaspoon's office. Kid walks up to Teaspoon. "Are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm just fine," Teaspoon spoke flatly as he once again picks up Jesse's wanted poster and stares blindly at it. "Have you seen Buck this morning?" "Yeah, his fever has come down. The doc seems sure that Buck will wake-up soon." "That's the best news of heard today. We need to concentrate on how we're going to keep Jesse from doing anything like this again." "I agree." CHAPTER SIX It is early afternoon and a howling early October wind has caused many different deep-colored leaves from the trees to fall down upon the ranch blanketing around Jimmy's feet as he dismounts his horse in front of the Anderson homestead. As he walks onto the porch to knock on the majestic door Hannah opens the door with a startled expression. "What are you doing here?" Hannah asked almost angry that Jimmy has showed up at her home. That privilege will only be given to the man that Hannah falls in love with. For Hannah, she's pretty sure that falling in love hasn't happened yet even though Mister Hickok wouldn't be the worst possible choice in a husband she could make. Jimmy is a little taken back by Hannah's reaction to his being at her home. "I thought perhaps we could go horseback riding so we could spend some time alone and talk about you and I." "I thought I had made it perfectly clear that I'm not interested in embracing a romantic relationship with you or any other man at this time in my life," Hannah stated rudely "Hannah, it's me Jimmy. You don't have to be so arrogant with me. I only came here hoping that you would consent in allowing me to court you," Jimmy stated his blood starting to boil from anger. "Isn't that something you should be asking my father?" Hannah asked calmly. Her instincts tell her that Jimmy is serious. She had actually thought that he was teasing her when he first arrived. Especially since right from the start of their bedroom rendezvous she had made it perfectly clear that she is only interested in what Jimmy can do for her in the bedroom and nothing else. "Would you rather I ask your father? From my understanding around town Oliver Anderson would like nothing better than to be able to wed his two strong willed daughters off." Hannah smiles wickedly at Jimmy. She places her hands boldly on her hips. She isn't about to lose any of the control she has over Jimmy. It has been that way since birth. Hannah Anderson always has the control in her relationships with men. "If I would commit to courting you would you suddenly act as if you own me?" "You mean I wouldn't own you?" Jimmy asked with sarcasm. Hannah reaches her mouth boldly up to Jimmy's and kisses him with all the passion she can muster up without actually tearing his clothes off of him in broad daylight. ***** Rachel quietly opens the door to Buck's room at the doc's clinic and finds the young man still unconscious with Jane sitting at his bedside looking as weary as ever. She walks over to stand at the bottom of Buck's bed. At first Rachel doesn't think that Jane had heard her walk into the room. "He still hasn't woken," Jane stated sadly. "Buck is strong Jane. You have to believe that he will be fine." "I'm sorry you made the trip into town for nothing. I'm sure you would have liked to talk to him." "Jane I actually came into town to see you. I want you to come back to the ranch with me for a good meal and a decent nights rest. You can't go on much longer just sitting here waiting for Buck to wake up." "Rachel, I can't leave him. Besides, I don't want to spend time at a dinner table that will include Charlene's rather annoying personality." "I moved Charlene over to Kid and Lou's home. I'm fixing that downstairs bedroom up for Buck for when he is allowed to come home. He won't be able to take care of himself for awhile so Teaspoon and I have decided that he will stay with us." "Well at least Charlene won't be able to dig her claws into Buck if he's staying with you and Teaspoon," Jane spoke somberly. " What about dinner?" Rachel asked a second time hoping that Jane will change her mind. "I'll pass. I'm really not very hungry." Rachel shows her disappointment, but Jane's eyes are glued to the man she so desperately loves. ***** Jimmy and Hannah are at the hotel restaurant having a celebration dinner over their newfound love. Charlene and Cody are also having dinner at the same restaurant celebrating more scheming and plotting. "I'm tiring of all the scheming and wrong doings that I've done to my family. When they find out what all I've done they will never forgive me. I'll consider myself damn lucky if Buck just doesn't kill me! And, if Buck doesn't kill me, I'm positive either Jimmy or Kid will," Cody spoke sadly. "I told you before that I am not ready to hand Buck over to Jane," Charlene whispers loudly to Cody. "Charlene, just who is sitting over at the doc's clinic at this very moment waiting for Buck to wake up? It certainly isn't you. It's Jane. You aren't going to hand Buck over to Jane because she already has him." "Do you always have to make everything sound so bleak?" "I'm just willing to except the truth when it's staring me right in the face. You don't see things for what they really are or perhaps you just don't want to see things for the way they are." "Maybe I just love Buck more than you love or want Jane," Charlene spoke boldly. "You want Jane to be your wife, but yet you're not willing to fight for her." "I would fight for Jane if I knew it was going to do me any good, but when I see the two of them together all I see is love between them and no place for me." ***** Hannah takes Jimmy's hand in her hand. "Don't you think it's about time we leave this restaurant and engage in dessert upstairs in our room?" Hannah spoke in a rather seductive tone. Jimmy gets a playful smile on his face. "I think we can manage that." ***** Teaspoon pulls up a chair to sit next to Buck's bed. When Jane decided against coming out to the ranch for dinner, he and Rachel decided to bring dinner to Jane. She had just finished and Rachel wanted Jane to get a little fresh air before her and Teaspoon went back to the ranch. Teaspoon was more then happy to stay behind and watch over Buck. "You know everyone is more than a little worried about you. We all need for you to wake up." Teaspoon watches Buck carefully to see if there is even just a slight sign from the Kiowa that he is going to wake up soon. After a few seconds when there is no visible sign that Buck is responding to Teaspoon's voice, Teaspoon gets an uneasy feeling that he is going to lose Buck. "I guess you didn't hear me. You know Jane…she's been here with you since we brought you home. She's getting awfully weary Buck. She's making herself ill watching over you. You need to get well so you can keep Jane from getting sick. Of course….I need for you to get well. I couldn't stand living on the ranch if you aren't going to be there. Rachel, I don't think she'd be too pleased with me if I made her move away from the ranch. Oh after awhile she'd understand that I just couldn't stay there anymore. But Buck it would be a whole lot easier if you could just open those eyes of yours." Still Teaspoon gets no respond. He breathes a heavy sigh hoping that he hasn't inadvertently helped Jesse bring the demise to one of his boys. ***** Charlene and Cody are just getting ready to leave the restaurant when their waitress brings Charlene a note. Charlene opens the note with Cody desperately trying to read through the paper, but with no luck. "Dear Charlene, meet me in the barn tonight at The Kid & Buck Horse Ranch, Jesse," Charlene silently reads the note to only her. "Who's the note from Charlene?" Cody asked curiously. Charlene glances up at Cody. She couldn't possibly tell Cody that her orders of destruction for his family are coming from Jesse. Cody wouldn't understand. He would call her a desperate woman. "It's just a note from Hannah. She had wanted me to wait for her after she finished with her little romp with Jimmy upstairs, but she's decided to stay in town and spend the night with him." ***** Jimmy crawled out of the bed that he is sharing with Hannah. He stares down at her and places a gentle kiss on her lips as she sleeps. He slips into his trousers and walks over to the window. He gazes over toward the clinic. He wonders how Buck is doing today. He hadn't had time to check on him because he had been in too much of a hurry to wine and dine Hannah. He'll make sure that tomorrow he spends some time with his brother and friend. Jimmy turns away from the window to walk back to the bed where Hannah is still sleeping peacefully. From out of the corner of his eye he sees her purse lying on the floor with a piece of fabric sticking out from it. Jimmy bends down and picks up the purse and from it a pair of black leather gloves fall onto the floor! He picks them up from the floor his hands starting to tremble with the knowledge of what these gloves could mean. Jimmy almost hates to inspect the gloves closely. He remembers back to the day at the jailhouse when they all realized that the blood stained black leather glove that Cody had found belonged to a woman. Now, he finds an exact pair of black leather gloves in Hannah's purse! "What are you doing out of bed?" Hannah spoke drowsily. Jimmy quickly places the gloves in her purse and sets the purse on a chair close to the window. "Your purse was on the floor. I was just picking it up and placing it on the chair." "I must have thrown it when you were attempting to unbind me from my clothing during our frenzied attack on one another." Jimmy slips out of his trousers and crawls back into bed next to Hannah gathering her into his arms. "Would you like some more dessert?" Jimmy asked as he slowly begins to kiss her. "That sounds delicious." ***** Charlene and Cody pull up in front of Kid and Lou's home. Cody walks to Charlene's side of the buckboard and helps her down. Just as Charlene plants her feet on the ground Kid is walking out of his house. "Charlene, I need to speak with Cody in private. Could you excuse us please?" Kid asked his tone demanding. Charlene walks onto the porch. "Of course," she stated as she turns and takes one last look at Cody trying to reassure him that she has everything under control. "I'll see you tomorrow," Charlene spoke as she walks into the house wondering what it is that Kid couldn't say to Cody in front of her. "I don't need a lecture at this late hour Kid," Cody spoke tiredly. "What makes you think you're going to get a lecture? Are you feeling guilty about something you're doing that your not suppose to be doing Cody?" "No! I just mean that lately I've been pretty much getting berated by everyone. I'm not in the mood for it tonight." "Charlene is a deceitful woman Cody. She can't be trusted and you're spending a lot of time with her lately. I can't help surmising that you are manipulating our lives right along with Miss Anderson." "You're accusing me of being no better than Jesse. I wouldn't hurt any member of my family intentionally." Kid gazes at Cody with suspicion. He is sure Cody isn't being truthful. Cody, I will never forgive you for all the pain you are causing Buck and Jane," Kid spoke boldly as he turns and walks into the house not giving Cody a chance to defend himself, or to lie further to him. ***** "He seems to be getting some color coming back to his cheeks," Jane spoke auspiciously to Teaspoon and Rachel. The three of them are gathered around Buck's bed trying to will the young man to wake up from his deep sleep. "Are you sure you won't come back to the ranch with us tonight? You could use a good night of rest without having to worry about Buck," Rachel spoke softly to Jane. "Rachel, even if I go out to the ranch I'll only pace all night wondering if Buck is all right," Jane spoke quietly. "We understand," Teaspoon spoke his arm around Jane for comfort for her as much as for him. "Teaspoon, we should get going so Jane can at least try to get some rest," Rachel spoke as she makes her way over to hug Jane. "Are you sure you'll be all right? I could stay with you if you'd like." "I'll be fine." Teaspoon gives Jane a hug, and gently touches Buck's hand. "Please son, wake up," Teaspoon spoke pleadingly as he gently squeezes Buck's hand. Rachel takes her husband's hand and the two of them turn to leave the room. Jane watches them as they leave. It would have been actually nice to have some company through the entire night, but she can't allow Teaspoon and Rachel to be engulfed with grief too. It is difficult enough for Teaspoon to see Buck lying unconscious for this long. Jane knows Teaspoon is fearful that Buck may slip away from them while he sleeps. "I'll see both of you tomorrow," Jane spoke as she hears a soft moan come from the sleeping man next to her! Rachel and Teaspoon rush back to Buck's bedside as he fights to open his eyes! CHAPTER SEVEN Buck tries to figure out where he is as he adjusts his eyes to the light. He tries without success to sit up in the bed, but the pain in his chest and Jane's gentle hand pushing him lightly back down keep Buck from moving around too much. Teaspoon races back to Buck's bedside. "Rachel, get Doc Barnes!" Rachel has already left Buck's room to retrieve the doctor. Teaspoon tries to help Jane hold Buck down as he continues to want to get out of bed. "You have to lay still Buck." "What happened?" Buck mumbled quietly. "You were shot. You remember Kid, Jimmy, Jack, you and I were all tracking Jesse and his gang. We got caught in a cross fire," Teaspoon stated hoping the Kiowa remembers. Buck shakes his head that he remembers. "Yes, I remember." The news that Buck can remember the events that put him in this bed brings a smile to Teaspoon's face. At least Buck's memory was not altered from the bad fall that he took when he was shot. "It was Jesse who shot me wasn't it?" Buck asked softly as he tries to stop a cough. Doc Barnes bursts into Buck's room with Rachel tagging along behind him. He makes his way over to Buck's bed. "I need to examine my patient. You can wait out in the waiting room," Doc Barnes stated with authority. "Can't I please stay with Buck," Jane asked pleadingly. Doc Barnes turns to face Jane, Teaspoon and Rachel. "The three of you will wait outside," he spoke demandingly. Doc Barnes is so insistent with his words that Jane, Teaspoon and Rachel all make their way, walking backwards not wanting to take their eyes off Buck, slowly to the door that leads out of Buck's room. Doc Barnes gently presses on Buck's ribcage to check for possible bruising or breaking of any ribs. A loud groan from excruciating pain escapes Buck's lips and has Rachel, Jane and Teaspoon stopping just as they reach the door. With their eyes wide open with fear and their feet unable to move their bodies they never make it out to the waiting room. "I'm sorry. I'm trying not to hurt you, but I really need to see if anything is broken," Doc Barnes spoke quietly. "I'm alright," Buck spoke in a whisper. The doctor continues his examination of his patient while Teaspoon, Jane and Rachel look on nervously. Every time Buck makes the slightest moan from the pain he is feeling all three of them are nearly jumping out of their shoes. Doc Barnes covers Buck back up with the coverlet. "Nothing seems to be broken," Doc Barnes stated as he quietly turns around to leave the room. He is stunned to see that Jane, Rachel and Teaspoon have not left the room as they were explicitly ordered to do. "I thought I made myself perfectly clear. You were to wait in the outer office," Doc Barnes spoke in a scolding manner at the three concerned family members of Buck Cross. Doc Barnes practically pushes the three of them out of Buck's room with him following close behind them. He shuts the door to Buck's room quietly and turns to face Buck's family. "Does Buck's waking up mean that he will survive his wounds?" Jane asked almost pleading for the doctor to tell her yes with absolutely no complications attached to his answer. "It is a good sign that Buck has woken from unconsciousness, but Buck still has quite a bit of healing to do." "Meaning that we can't take him home yet?" Teaspoon asked somberly. "I can't force him to stay here, but it would be best for him to stay for a few more days. Buck needs to regain the strength he has lost from the profuse amount of blood that he lost. The trip back to the ranch alone will put added stress onto his wounds." Rachel turns to look at both Jane and Teaspoon. She sees in both their expressions that they are terribly disappointed that Buck isn't quite out of the woods just yet and that it would be best if he didn't go home just yet. "Doc Barnes is right. The both of you know that if we took Buck home he wouldn't get the rest that he needs to make a full recovery." "Buck would be up out of bed in no time figuring that he was letting Kid down with the work that needs to be done on the ranch," Teaspoon spoke assuredly. He has known Buck for a good many years and he knows that Buck doesn't like being bedridden anymore than he does. "In a few days, if Buck makes progress on healing I will allow him to go home. Now, I think we've had enough excitement for one evening. I think it's time you all go home. Of course, Jane you may stay with Buck if you'd like," Doc Barnes spoke with gentle authority. Rachel and Teaspoon both bid Jane a goodnight and silently leave the doc's clinic both praying unspoken words that help Buck make it through another night. Teaspoon puts one arm around Rachel's waist and with the other hand he opens the door. "We have to have faith that Buck's waking up is a good sign. A sign that he's going to be just fine," Teaspoon spoke softly as they both vanish out the door. Jane glances back at the door to Buck's room. She smiles warmly. She knows that his waking is a good sign. There is no doubt in her mind about Buck's recovery now. They will have that long and happy life together and those eight or more children that she sort of promised him while he slept. ***** Charlene hadn't wasted anytime shedding herself from Cody's presence. It isn't that she dislikes him, but Cody has far too many guilt feeling about what they are doing. She needs a man that is strong and has the backbone to see this job through. Cody may be an army man and he's seen plenty of death, but he doesn't have the stomach to capture the heart of the woman he loves even if at first it would mean hurting her. In Charlene's mind eventually Jane would forgive him. Charlene stands impatiently in the midst of the barn at the ranch waiting for the man that has the backbone she needs in order to make Buck Cross hers once and for all. The night sounds keep her twirling about in every direction wondering just what waits for her just beyond the barn doors. As she made her way over to the barn she had to be careful not to awaken anyone from the three households that reside at the ranch and that included Cody who resides inside the smallish bunkhouse. She had actually tip toed out of Kid and Lou's home and walked the distance from their home to the barn without a lantern to guide her. She hadn't wanted the light to arouse anyone's suspicions as to where she was going and whom she is meeting. The howling wind of early October had almost swept her off her feet more than once. She had kept her nightgown on and simply thrown a robe over her revealing gown. In case there are any eyes watching her, she wants to make this whole scene look as if she couldn't sleep and just needed a little fresh air to make her drowsy. She quickly turned to face the barn doors when she hears them slowly creak open. A pleasing smile spreads across her face. "You should smile more often. It brightens up your entire face. You are a beautiful creature when you smile," Jesse spoke as he makes his way toward Charlene and lightly caresses her cheek with the back of his hand. "Thank-you, but at this moment I am quite angry with you. You hadn't informed me that your plans included shooting Buck!" Charlene spoke louder than she had intended. "It wasn't part of the plan to shoot Buck," Jesse spoke as sincere as he possibly could, not wanting to arouse the suspicious nature in the woman that he has shrewdly managed to convince to plotting against this family with him. And, poor dumb Cody, he doesn't even realize that he is actually taking his orders from Jesse. "I won't go along with anymore of your schemes if the man that I want ends up dead." "Is he recovering?" "Earlier this evening Rachel and Teaspoon came back to the ranch after being with Buck. He woke up while they were with him. The doctor says that he believes that Buck will be fine." Jesse must not let his disappointment over Charlene's news appear on his face. He'll just have to make sure that the next time he aims a little more to the right. "Then why are you berating me about shooting him?" "I just don't want it to happen again. I want to make myself perfectly clear. I am helping you out because you promised me a plan that would make Buck mine. But I only want him alive. Buck is no good to me dead!" "I have come up with another plan that will make Buck yours forever." Charlene's eyes become as wide as saucers. She is as excited as a child about to open a Christmas gift. She is actually hoping that Jesse's plan is something quite like a Christmas gift. ***** Kid couldn't sleep as the bright moonlight radiates brilliantly into his and Louise's bedroom window. The rustling of dried autumn leaves shivering on the branches of the many trees around the ranch should rock him gently into a peaceful sleep. Instead tonight there are at least a dozen thoughts running rampant in his mind. Most of these thoughts that are keeping him from closing his eyes and drifting off into a sound sleep are thoughts of Buck's recovery and Jesse's plans for his f