Part Four:

Michael

Inez Recillos Wilmington had known this was going to happen.

Ever since Vin Tanner had brought back news that Chris Larabee had disappeared, the Mexican bartender had expected something of the like was looming on the horizon, circling Mary Larabee like carrion feeders waiting for the dying to come in order to feed. Although Mary had bore her husband's absence stoically because she knew how to be no other way, Inez could see the cracks forming in the normally resolute and indomitable persona of the newspaper editor. In the days following Chris' disappearance, Mary had attempted to maintain the facade of supreme confidence that Chris would come home despite the tell tale signs that the toll was starting to take its effect upon her.

As the days tumbled by, stretching the period of Chris' disappearance into something that was not so easily dismissed as a mere kidnapping, Inez had watched in dismay as she saw Mary become more and more withdrawn. While Mary did not voice it out loud, it took no feat of genius or special insight to know what it was that concerned Mary so deeply. No matter how much she might deny it, Mary simply had to be concerned about the possibility of raising a child alone if Chris Larabee was not returned to her.

In that respect, Mary had much to fear and it was not inconceivable to assume that her present condition might have been triggered by the tremendous stress that must come with such a realisation. As strong and determined as Mary Travis Larabee could be, Inez suspected that did not have the strength to endure that trial again. She had been forced to raise Billy on her own when Stephen Travis had passed out of this world but this would be entirely different. When she had sent Billy to his grandparents, she was a businesswoman who could afford to dedicate all her time to building a life in the town of Four Corners. There was no way she could do the same if she had an infant to care for. Mary would never be able to bring herself to send a baby to its grandparents as she had done with Billy nor could she hoped to care for the child on her own and run a business at the same time, if the worst came to pass.

And then there was losing Chris.

Although Mary had never come out and said it and Inez expected she would never hear this admission from Mary, the love she had for Chris was far different and infinitely more powerful than that which she had felt for her first husband. When Mary and Chris Larabee were around each other, one could almost feel the smouldering passing they felt for each other exuding in all directions like a force of nature. They needed each other like they needed the air to breath and one could feel the love between them, like the sizzling heat of a furnace.

It was the kind of relationship that Inez could appreciate mostly fully. She could barely imagine how she herself would cope if anything ever happened to Buck.

The ride to Four Corners was silent with Nathan saying very little during the journey and Inez clinging to Elena Rose for comfort even though the child had been fast asleep in her arms for most of the trip. It was hard to make conversation when their thoughts were occupied by how Mary was faring and like the rest of the seven; Nathan was no doubt racked with guilt over being unable to be there for Chris when the gunslinger had needed it most. Perhaps Nathan's affliction was slightly less in degree then what Vin Tanner was presently enduring but it was there nonetheless and would continue to remain until they found their leader.

Above them, the full moon did not appear at all comforting with its iridescent glow across the landscape. If anything, tonight it seemed rather sinister and indifferent, lacking completely the mystique that had made poets and artists throughout the ages wish to immortalize its beauty in the expressions of their genius. Then again, Inez thought to herself, the moon was viewed through a matter of perspective and at the moment, it was not surprising that its sombre mood was a reflection of their feelings. Pulling her shawl closer around herself, Inez felt a chill that was not just the cold of the night air against her skin but rather an inward shudder of fear over what Mary was suffering at this moment.

"Any word on Chris?" Inez asked, wishing to break the silence as the wagon rumbled closer towards the town. They were on the outskirts now and the collection of buildings that made up Four Corners could be seen in the distance against the sky. From this point, the place had an unreal quality about it that seemed beautiful. Inez knew that her perspective was rather clouded because in truth, Four Corners was hardly a glamorous place but she supposed any place one called home was beautiful as the Madonna itself.

"We got a telegram from Vesta City," Nathan explained, a frown crossing his features as he was reminded that one of their number was missing and his wife, his pregnant wife was battling for her life because he was gone. The optimist in Nathan Jackson refused to believe that anything tragic was going to happen tonight however, when he remembered what Rain told him about how Mary was found, he could not help feeling that unshakeable belief waver somewhat.

The healer in him wanted to know how the lady was faring especially after Rain's report that she had started hemorrhaging. While he was confident that Alexandra Tanner could handle any medical emergency involving Mary's present condition, Nathan still needed to be doing something. Mary was his friend. Of the seven, he had known her the longest and hated to think what should have been the happiest day in Chris and Mary's life being tainted with the threat that she may lose her life. In retrospect, he supposed bringing Inez to town did constituting as doing something but he felt the need to help in his capacity as a healer.

"Vesta City?" Inez looked at him and then remembered Buck saying that Vin had wanted to question a stage driver who might have given the persons responsible for Chris' disappearance passage to the town in the first place. No doubt Vin had gone to Vesta City after having exhausted every other avenue that might have information on the whereabouts of Chris Larabee. Returning to Vesta City seemed to have the stink of desperation about it and Inez began to understand just how disheartened Mary must have felt at the continued silence regarding her husband's welfare.

"Yeah," Nathan nodded in response. "It seems the lady that might have taken Chris may have come from a place called Calumet."

"Calumet." Inez tried to recall the name in he memory but could not. However, this was hardly surprising since she did not know the Territory as well as she liked beyond the immediate towns like Sweet Water, Eagle Bend and Bitter Creek. While she had become familiar with all the towns leading to Four Corners south of the border after fleeing Don Paulo and her home of Val Verde, Inez had little reason to explore the rest of the countryside.

"I have never heard of it." She confessed.

"Neither have I." Nathan commented. "Still Vin ain't usually wrong about these things." He added. "Man's got a nose for tracking I ain't seen no one match. Not even them scouts who used to work with the Army." Nathan, who had done his time in the military, knew the compliment he was giving Vin was no idle one. Ezra often remarked that Vin had a bloodhound somewhere in his family tree and none of the seven was about to disagree with that assertion after seeing how downright determined the tracker could be when he was on the trail. It was more than just tracking, Nathan thought after a moment. It was like the man was hunting. That was most likely the reason why he and Chris got along so well, they both had the same instincts as a hunter and if anyone could find Chris, Nathan believed it was Vin Tanner.

Inez tended to agree because Vin Tanner determined was something that was very formidable indeed. She had no doubt that the tracker would look under every rock in the Territory if it meant finding Chris. "So they're going to this Calumet?" She asked, wondering how long it would be until she saw Buck again. Glancing instinctively at Elena Rose because she was the best part of both of them, Inez found herself missing the rogue terribly.

"It's the only lead they've got." He replied, remembering the agreement between himself, Josiah and JD that this was the best course of action, following their receipt of the telegram from Vin today. Vin had told them to sit tight for the moment but to also be expected to ride at a moment's notice if the need warranted it following his, Buck and Ezra's arrival at the mysterious Calumet.

Inez hoped for Mary's sake that it was the lead that would help them find Chris.

*********

"How is she?" Inez asked as she burst through the door of the Larabee household and found Julia Pemberton in the parlour with Billy Travis lying prone on her lap as she stroked his brow.

She had almost leapt out of the wagon the minute they reached the front door of the Clarion News and miraculously, Elena Rose had not awoken from the jostling in her mother's determination to reach Mary Larabee. Inez was barely aware of Nathan behind her, aware only that he was and would catch up with her even if he was not. The mood inside the room was sombre but there was no quiet. The sounds of footsteps moving quickly back and forth over the floor boards of the upper floor creaked through the room almost as soon as she entered it.

Julia did not move to greet her, remaining seated as she continued to give comfort to the young boy who would accept it from no one else save his parents. She raised her emerald coloured eyes and Inez immediately saw the apprehension in her eyes that she was trying so hard not to show Billy. With that one look, Inez was able to gauge just how critical Mary's condition was and understood the silent request that Julia conveyed for her to calm down slightly because the young boy was frightened enough. Inez could understand that request as well. According to Nathan, Billy had found his mother covered in blood after she had collapsed and while he had behaved admirably in getting her help, he was still a child who had been faced with a situation no one as young as he should.

Julia did not need to answer her question because as Inez's words hung in the air, charged with anticipation, Mary's scream echoed through the floorboards and hollowed the innards of everyone who heard it. Eyes immediately raised upwards as if it were at all possible through see through the ceiling but everyone was mindful of the youth in the company and tried to keep their fears restrained. His mother's scream caused Billy to sit up immediately, his eyes wide with fear as he looked around the faces before him, hoping that one of them would have something to say that would assure him that things were not as bad as it seemed.

"Alex and Rain have been up there with her since we found her." Julia explained the situation as best she could with what scant information that had been imparted to her before doctor and nurse had withdrawn into Mary's room and ordered everyone else to remain here. "I don't know what happened but she's haemorrhaging and I don't think she can deliver the baby without help."

A shudder ran through Inez as she remembered the agony of child birth when nothing went wrong. Mary should not have to endure this torture when things were bad enough with Chris being gone. She took a deep breath and steadied herself as she prepared to go upstairs and be with Mary who had asked for her presence. Casting her gaze at the people in the room who were just as distressed as she was, she could tell that Josiah and JD were gripped with feelings of helplessness as they listened reluctantly to what was taking place in the room above them. Men were never good in these situations, she thought with a little smile but in this case, their anxieties were not misplaced.

JD in particular had taken to pacing across the floor, looking up fearfully each time another cry of pain was torn from Mary. He appeared almost as frightened as Billy and Inez recalled that he had spent most of the time during her labour, passed out unconscious. At least he was getting better at coping with such things. Inez could appreciate how helpless both men must be feeling because this was not a situation that could be solved with a gun and they were at the mercy of the healers and fate to decide how Mary would come through this.

"I need to go up there." Inez said finally upon hearing another agonised wail from Mary. Her best friend needed her and while it should be Chris at her side during this ordeal, that was not possible with the circumstances as they were.

Billy had sat up and stared at the ceiling, his face etched in fear as he heard the last cry from his mother. In reaction, Julia wrapped her arms around his small body and held him close as if trying to will some of her strength into the little boy. Lowering her lips to his ear, she whispered words of comfort, wishing they did not sound hollow because she had trouble believing in them herself.

"It's going to be okay Billy." She cooed softly. "She'll be alright."

Inez wished that Julia was not lying and decided it was time she went upstairs. "Can someone take Elena?" Inez asked, looking around her friends for volunteers. Josiah rose immediately to his feet from the chair he was nestled in, holding the old bible with the worn leather cover that he carried in his saddle bag in his hand as if the book alone was capable of him comfort. The big man needed something to do and if it meant playing nursemaid to an infant for a time while her mother went upstairs and tried to assist with bringing another life into this world without it ending in tragedy, then so be it.

Inez left the others behind and hurried up the stairs, hearing those moans of pain grow louder as she ascended the upper floor of the building. She tried to harden her heart to those pitiful sounds of pain, remembering that she had to be focussed if she was to be of any help to Mary. She could hear the voices of Rain, Alex and Nathan emanating down the hall way and hastened her pace to in order to scale the top of the stairs with greater speed.

Inez reached the hallway and saw that the door to Mary and Chris' bedroom to be closed shut and felt a sliver of fear over what would be behind it when she finally breached the walls of the room. Despite herself, she felt angered that Chris Larabee was not here. Albeit that was not entirely his fault but it was just like a man to be in trouble when a woman needed him most.

Stop it, Inez told herself sharply. Nothing could keep Chris away from his wife at a time like this unless something was physically preventing him from doing so.

Inez did not knock when she reached the door, merely entering because those cries of pain were giving her permission enough.

"Inez!" Alex exclaimed immediately upon her arrival into the room. The doctor was half on the bed, working under the sheet that was smeared with blood, her clothes stained with perspiration and her patient's bleeding. The doctor detracted in what she was doing long enough to give Inez a look before turning back to Mary once again. "Thank God you're here!" Alex declared, genuinely relieved to see Inez.

Rain was at Mary's side, dabbing the woman's brow with a wet rag as Mary gripped the sheets, her fists knotted around the linen as she tried not to scream in pain. The blond woman was almost soaked to the skin in sweat with stringy locks of gold hair plastered to her skin. Her skin was pale and her eyes red from her tears. She leaned back against a pillow on the headboard, almost incoherent from the pain and oblivious to those in the room. Breathing hard, she was muttering softly under her breath, eyes closed as she was faced with images only she could see.

Inez felt her heart constrict in her chest at the sight of fiercely independent Mary Travis Larabee being reduced to such a state. This woman was a fighter and it was more shocking for Inez to witness her will in such a state of decay then she was by everything else in the room.

"Chris," Mary mumbled, trapped in that place between speech and tears. "Where's Chris?"

"Mary," Alex called out, trying to slice through the haze of pain being endured by the woman in order to give her some focus. Her condition was extremely critical and further exacerbated by her frantic state of mind. "Mary please, you have to stop pushing. You're not ready."

"I want Chris!" She continued to sob, delirious from the pain. "Where is he?"

"We're doing everything we can to find him Miss Mary," Nathan said taking position on the other side of the bed and reaching for her hand. Mary's palm in his felt damp with sweat and Nathan knew that she was not going to be able to deliver this baby. The loss of blood had weakened her and the stress of childbirth was pushing her body to its limits. Nathan tried not to be affected by the sight of blood on the sheet and knew that the reason for it was because the foetal lining was detaching from the womb. If something was not done quickly, the chances of either mother or child surviving the birth would not be favourable.

"Nathan," she opened her tear filled eyes and stared at him, recognising his voice. "It was you Nathan," she started to weep making no sense by the litany of words that escaped her lips as Rain continue to dab her brow with a wet towel. "You made it all happen. You started it all when he stopped to help you, you gotta find him for me Nathan!" She pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks and tearing out his heart with every anguished word. "You have to find him. Something very bad has happened. I can feel it inside me. I felt him scream Nathan. I heard him scream!"

She was not making much sense but Nathan could not help but be moved by the desperation in her voice. No doubt her fears for Chris were surfacing in her delirium and yet she sounded so earnest in her claim. "We'll find him Miss Mary," Nathan said finding that he could offer no better answer than that. "I promise you, we'll find him."

Alexandra Styles Tanner tried not to be affected by the exchange between her patient and the healer. She kept reminding herself that she was not Mary Larabee's friend at this very moment but her doctor. Mary had enough friends around her with Rain, Nathan and Inez providing all the moral support she needed during this difficult time. What Mary needed at this moment was not another friend but a doctor. Her life and that of the child inside of her depended on the doctor guiding her through this difficult process of labour to an acceptable conclusion. As much as Alex wanted to be with Mary, offering the same comforts that the others were dispensing, she knew that it was far more important that she remained focussed more than anyone else in the room.

For the moment, Nathan's words went some way to calming the woman down which was helpful to the cause since her body was appeared nowhere ready to endure the laborious delivery this was going to be. The blood loss had weakened her considerably and although she was given to the natural instinct to push, Alex knew that if Mary continued to do so, she would endanger her child's life, not to mention hers as well. She was rapidly reaching a point in her attempts to treat Mary where she would have no choice but concede that a natural delivery was not possible.

Nathan's gentle voice in Mary's ear paused long enough for the healer to meet Alex's eyes and she nodded sombrely as she admitted silently that she had reached the same conclusion as he, no matter how much she disliked embarking on this course of action. Alex took a deep breath, glad that he was with her on this decision especially when she hated being forced into this position. Surgery on a woman in Mary's condition was dangerous, especially so with all the blood she was losing and yet there seemed to be no alternative.

"Inez," Alex said quietly, taking the moment to tell Mrs Wilmington what she intended to do since Nathan had distracted Mary long enough with his soothing presence to keep the woman from succumbing to her natural instinct to push. Mary was not yet fully dilated for her to be forcing the baby out down the birth canal and her state of health was so precarious at the moment that Alex could ill afford her the time to do so. With the internal haemorrhaging weakening her with every passing second, Alex knew that she was out of time.

"Inez," Alex was forced to repeat herself as Inez continued to stare at Mary, almost transfixed by the vision of pain and blood occurring before her eyes.

Inez had never seen Mary so vulnerable and it shook her to the core much more than she liked. Inez had become so used to the strong willed editor of the Clarion News who stood toe to toe with Chris Larabee whenever she was convinced she was right, that seeing her whimpering in pain, muttering incoherently for him was more than Inez could stand. Alex's voice snapped her back to attention and she averted her gaze back to the doctor again.

"Why is there so much blood?" Inez demanded now that she found her voice. Her own labour had been nothing like this and frankly it unnerved her seeing how badly things could have gone for her had she been in the same condition as Mary.

"She's haemorrhaging." Alex said quickly, not having time to explain too much in length. "I have to operate and I have to do it now. I know you want to be with her at this time but I'm afraid if you can't stay."

"Operate?" Inez looked at her horrified. "Why?"

"It has to be done Miss Inez," Nathan quickly interjected seeing how difficult it was for Alex to come to this decision. "She ain't strong enough to deliver this baby on her own."

"But she's lost so much blood!" Inez looked at the sheets that were crimson with evidence to that very fact. "Didn't you tell me once that it was dangerous to operate when someone's lost a lot of blood?"

"Yes it is," Alex said coolly, telling herself over and over again that Inez was not faulting her skills as a doctor but was more afraid of risking her friend's life under any circumstances. "Unfortunately we don't have a choice, she's not strong enough to have this child on her own but I have to hope she can survive a Caesarean."

Inez stole a glance at Mary who was still muttering incoherently to Rain, perspiration running down her face, oblivious to everything but the loss of her husband and the pain that her body was suffering. Her skin was pale and she looked almost listless as her head lolled to one side of her pillow and her lips quivered, whimpering the need for Chris even though there was no way he could answer her call. Inez felt her heart bleeding with pity and knew just as surely as everyone else in the room that Alex was right, she could not deliver this child on her own and to delay any further was to endanger them both.

"Can I help?" Inez turned to Alex and offered her support in the doctor's decision by offering the woman a gentle squeeze on the arm which Alex appreciated greatly. The lady doctor wished she could allow Mary the joy of bringing her baby into the world but Mary was not just her friend, she was her patient and the doctor in her would not risk her life for anything.

"No," Alex shook her head slowly, feeling the emotion well up inside her by the unanimous support she was receiving from all those around her. "You have to go now. We have work to do." She said gently.

Inez nodded in understanding and hurried to Mary to say her goodbye before she retreated out of the room and began the waiting game being played by the rest of her friends in the parlour. Mary did not appear very aware as she suffered her ordeal and Inez kissed her lightly on the brow, taking a moment to stroke her damp hair when suddenly a set of blue grey eyes flew open.

"Inez?" She called out, her voice filled with hope and relief at the same time.

"Yes, it's me." Inez said quickly, taking Rain's place next to the bed when the nurse saw Mary responding to her. Rain had tasks of her own to fulfil anyway if Alex and Nathan intended to perform surgery on Mary.

"Oh Inez," Mary wailed as her mind cleared enough to focus on her best friend. "I felt him Inez," she stuttered through her tears. "I felt him scream inside my mind. I don't understand it," Mary continued to speak, her words stilted and confused but holding enough clarity to convey what she felt to Inez. "I don't know how but I felt him scream. He's in trouble Inez, I think he's dead!"

"Don't even think that," Inez instructed, keeping her voice firm but gentle. "You know that Chris Larabee loves you more than anything in this world and right now, you have to believe that he's trying to find his way back to you. I know it Mary."

Mary looked at her, her eyes brimming with tears as she tried to believe what Inez to be saying as the truth but she had remembered that terrible feeling or premonition inside the walls of her kitchen before the pain had started and all sense was driven from her world. She remembered how he had reached out to her in a vision of agony not much different then the one she was enduring now and knew that it was the man she loved reaching out to her in sheer desperation.

"I miss him so much Inez," she started to weep again, the pain overcoming her senses. "I don't want to live if he's gone. I can't go through losing the man I love again. I just can't!" Her words were cut off when she spasmed violently, clutching the sheets and grabbing Inez's arm as the agony renewed its attack upon her body. Mary wept in loud ragged sobs as the agony twisting her body into knots tore a guttural scream from the bottom of her throat.

"Do something!" Inez shouted but as she turned to Alex, Nathan and Rain, she realised she need not have bothered. They were already on the move. The trio was working in perfect tandem, with Nathan and Rain readying the instruments Alex would use for the surgery while the doctor herself was preparing a needle in order to sedate Mary for the operation. Alex looked up long enough from what she was doing to address Inez.

"You have to go Inez." She repeated once again, meaning it this time.

Inez was not to argue the point and move to disentangle Mary's fingers from around her arm when the blond woman cried out in protest. "Please don't leave me Inez!" Mary said frantically with fear in her eyes as Inez drew away.

Inez stared helplessly at Alex because in truth, she did not want to leave Mary either. The poor woman was so afraid not only for herself but for her child and her missing husband that Inez did not want her to feel the loss of another person in her life even if it was for a short time. "Alex...." she gave Alex a pleading look. "Can't I stay?"

Alex took a deep breath and decided that there was no reason why Inez could not remain behind, especially if her presence soothed Mary's agitated state. She could stay with Mary for as long as it took for the sedation to do its work and then let herself out later. Besides, if Mary wanted Inez to stay, Alex was not about to deny her that request. With Chris being absent and the miracle of childbirth having twisted into a nightmare of blood and agony, Alex was eager to see at least one thing transpire as Mary Larabee wished it.

"Alright," Alex nodded with a smile. "Nathan, give her a mask." She giving a sidelong glance in the healer's direction before turning her attention back to the needle in her hand.

"Thank you Alex," Inez said gratefully. "I promise I'll stay on this side of the room and not get in the way."

"You could never get in the way ma'am," Nathan remarked as he handed her a linen mask for her to tie around her face and keep the field partially sterile as Alex liked it whenever she had to cut into a patients.

Inez flashed him a radiant smile before turning back to Mary and whispering assurances in the woman's ear. "I'm staying Mary." Inez spoke, using the same voice she might use when trying to coo Elena Rose to sleep when the child was having a particularly bad night and could not sleep. "I won't leave you."

"Thank you Inez," Mary blinked tears down her cheeks. "Thank you."

Inez kept her grip firmly around Mary's hand, unprepared to let it go as Alex approached the bed under Mary's notice and immediately wiped clean the area on her arm where the needle needed penetrate in order for the sedative to do its work. Inez continued to whisper softly in Mary ears, speaking in soft tones of comfort and reassurance, determined that Mary never know a moment of loneliness while she endured what was required to bring her child into this world.

Mary did not react as the needle broke through the white of her skin, sinking into her flesh. She merely listened to Inez's voice, lulling her into a sense of security she would know if only Chris was here. For the first time, since she heard his terrified cry in her mind, Mary felt remotely safe because Inez would not lie to her and in the absence of Chris, Mary trusted no one else more. If Inez told her Chris would be back then she had to believe it because the alternative was unimaginable.

Inez continued to stroke Mary's brow as she watched the blue gray eyes cloud over with the effects of the drug in her system and for the first time in too many hours, a look of peace filtered into Mary's face as she began to fall asleep.

Alex and Inez said nothing for a moment as they both watched her drift into slumber. In the meantime, Rain had entered the room with a basin full of boiling hot water in order to begin sterilization all the instruments Alex would be using while Nathan began selecting just the ones she would need in order for Rain to begin. Alex took a deep breath and let it out again, as if she were rallying the troops for battle.

"Let's do it." She replied. "Its time baby Larabee made its appearance."

************

"What's taking so long?" JD demanded when all had gone silent and the pained cries of Mary Larabee had disappeared shortly after the arrival of Inez Wilmington. It was at times like these that JD's age showed despite all the maturity he had undergone since arriving in Four Corners. Though he was in every respect a man now, having endured his share of personal triumphs and defeats as required by the learning processes of life, he was still marked with the impatience of youth. While most of the time, his older companions did not mind nursing him through the trials of growth; there were moments when their own patience was stretched to the limit.

With nerves frayed all around by those who were waiting to learn the outcome of Mary's treatment in the room above the parlour in the Larabee home, JD's verbal exclamations felt like glass against glass. Julia in particular was ready to throw something at the young man because his remarks were frightening the child who was holding onto her tight, terrified for his mother's life which seemed like a double blow when one remembered that his father was missing too. Even though Orin Travis would most likely take charge of Blly in the event anything went wrong, God forbid, Julia could say with confidence that she would have little trouble assuming a parental role of Billy if it were required of her.

Josiah sensing that Julia's patience was almost at an end spoke up gently. The preacher had a voice that could talk a bear out of tearing one to pieces and when he used it to its full effect, there were not many people who was immune to its power. "JD, these things can't be rushed." He said calmly, still cradling Elena Rose in his big arms as the baby continued to sleep, fortunately blessed with being completely oblivious to what was taking place around her at the moment. Josiah envied her ignorance.

"Calm down and let things happen." He said carefully keeping his voice down so that he would not rouse the little girl from her sleep. "You aren't going to change much by making a fuss."

JD who was more susceptible than any of the seven to that voice immediately became a little more sedate and stopped his pacing to return to one of the chairs in order to sit down. "I just hate this waiting. It ain't right how this is happening." He grumbled. "Chris should be here."

"Yes he should," Josiah agreed with that fact wholeheartedly. The preacher also knew that when Chris did return to the them, the gunslinger was going to be racked with guilt at the realisation that he had missed the most important day of his married life to Mary even though it was through no fault of his own. Chris seemed to be most comfortable when his soul was being tested in some way and Josiah wondered if there was not a little Job complex embedded deep within his psyche that made him accept so guilty readily even though he was not responsible for it.

"Maybe I should postpone my buying trip to Sweet Water," Julia remarked in an effort to change the subject or at least distract everyone from the topic of Chris being absent and Mary possibly fighting for her life and that of her unborn child up stairs. "It does not feel right my going out of town when everything is going to hell like this."

"Things are not quite that bad and you should do what you have to," Josiah offered his opinion. "Its not going to improve or make the situation any worse if you went about your business like you had to."

JD listened to Josiah and Julia engaged in conversation and watched Billy lying with his head on Julia's lap as if she was the most important thing in the world to him other than his ma and Chris. JD felt his heart go out to the young boy, aware of what it was like to fear the loss of a parent and being left alone. The next few days were going to be hard for Billy. If Mary survived, she would be bed ridden almost certainly and who knew how long it would be until Chris came home? Suddenly, a note of inspiration struck JD and he looked up immediately.

"Miss Pemberton, maybe you ought to take Billy with you." He suggested.

Both of them turned to him sharply and even Billy sat up and paid attention, waiting for JD to continue which he did. "Well Mary ain't gonna be in any condition to be looking after Billy for the next few days and the women folk are going to have their hands full tending to her and the baby. We might have to go to if Vin's get a bead on what happened to Chris so why can't Billy go with Julia? That is if you don't mind ma'am." JD looked at her sheepishly upon conclusion.

Julia considered the idea for a brief moment and found herself being quite impressed with JD's suggestion. It was the perfect solution and it would take the boy's mind off his mother's condition and his father's disappearance for awhile at least. Besides, JD was right. If Mary did survive the ordeal she was presently suffering, she would be in no shape to care for a child much less an infant and would require the assistance of Inez, Rain and Alex to see the next few weeks through. Not only did JD's solution allow Billy some time away from town while things had a chance to right themselves with his parents but it would also give Mary one less thing to worry about.

"Would you like that Billy?" She turned to the young boy who was waiting in anticipation for her answer.

Billy nodded with a little smile. The present circumstances did not allow him to be any more excited than that. Julia was certain that Mary would have no objections and was glad that she would be able to contribute something to Mary's well being even if she was not in town to do it.

"In that case, I don't see why you can't come with me." Julia replied, brushing a strand of tow coloured hair out of his eyes. Mary's eyes, Julia thought sadly and cast her gaze upward, hoping that her friend was all right. "We'll stay in a hotel and you can come see what I do for a living other than running the Emporium."

Josiah turned to JD and offered the young man a smile of his own, impressed at the solution he had presented that allowed Billy a little comfort during these troubled times. "Not bad, JD." Josiah replied.

JD tried not to feel embarrassed by the older man's salutations even though he did feel a tinge of red creeping into his chest. Mostly however, he felt pride that once in a while he was able to offer something in the way of a helpful idea. "I just wanted to help."

"You did that," Josiah said firmly as he gazed in Billy's direction as he remained lying against Julia, unable to be truly excited about going away with the lady when his mother was upstairs. However, once they learnt Mary was going to be fine because Josiah refused to believe anything else, Billy would feel a little more excited about the trip he was taking with Julia.

JD was about to respond when suddenly, the silence of the air was ripped apart by the plaintive wail of a baby.

*********

Inez was glad that she was positioned on the other side of the room because she did not want to see what Alex and Nathan were doing to deliver Mary's child. While Rain moved back and forth periodically, taking account of instruments being used in the delivery, placing them in the hot water she was constantly boiling, Alex had the task of making the first cut. Since Nathan was on his way to becoming an accredited practitioner of medicine, not to mention a formidable healer in his own right, he was more than capable of keeping watch over Mary's condition during the surgery.

Mary herself was unconscious and while Inez could have left the room after the sedation had done its work, she had promised to remain at Mary's side and would not break that vow simply because Mary was unaware. For something to do, she continued to dab the rag over the lady's brow, keeping her temperature down while the healers in the room set about their business with very little being said. Inez found herself watching in fascination at the almost flawless coordination between the trio and had to confess they were a formidable triumvirate indeed.

When Alex had first come to town and before the seven had really gotten to know her, there were fears that she would find the idea of an unlicensed healer like Nathan to be offensive and would have been well within the rights to stop him from practising all together. Seeing them work together now, Inez realised how unfounded such fears had been. There was almost a symbiotic connection to their performance together, where one instinctively knew what the other was thinking.

"How is she doing?" Alex asked as she made the incision.

"Heart rate's a bit thready." Nathan remarked, having checked the patient's pulse through her wrist as well as using a statoscope for a more precise determination. "We better do this fast."

"She lost a lot of blood." Alex said as a matter of factly as she continued to cut.

Inez had no idea how they could remain so calm.

"Rain, I need more swabs." Alex called out as she tossed a bloodied piece of linen into a small tray next to her.

Nathan glanced at Inez's direction and asked gently. "You okay Miss Inez?"

"Yes," she nodded, grateful for the consideration. "I'm fine. Is Mary going to be okay?" She asked hopefully.

"Surgery in any shape of form has some risk," Alex replied automatically and then paused a moment as her hands slipped into the fissure she had created in Mary's flesh. Alex held her breath as her fingers searched through blood and tissue until she felt the hard ridge of flesh she knew could be only one thing.

"I feel it." She exclaimed, an expression of wonder in her eyes as she continued the procedure, feeling her dedication to the task renewed upon making contact with the life that had been growing inside Mary for the last eight months.

Suddenly, everyone in the room was trapped in the moment with her as Alex continued her ministrations to coax baby Larabee into this world. Nathan alternated his attention between what was going on the other side of the sheet and keeping watch on Mary's life signs, to ensure that mother as well as child would survive the surgery. Rain remained at Alex's side, providing the doctor with everything she needed, almost using a sixth sense that anticipated Alex's wishes. Inez felt her grip on Mary's hand tightening as she held her breath and waited for the inevitable.

For Alex, nothing else penetrated the bubble of her concentration once she set upon the last leg of this delicate surgery. She made sure that nothing was left to chance and performed a text book Caesarean, ever mindful of the fact that the mother was weak and could not tolerate a lengthy operation. Alex freed the child inside of Mary from its links to the womb before finally wrapping her hands around the slippery wet body and drawing the child forth.

"Nathan I need you." She called out and Nathan who was poised for the moment, hurried to her side and picked up the instrument ready for his use. With a little snip of the sterilised scissors, Nathan severed the umbilical chord and the delivery for most part was concluded.

Performing the customary slap on the newborn's rear, the child uttered a wail of unhappiness at the abrupt introduction to life outside the womb.

"It's a boy!" Alex said excitedly as she examined the child and found him to be perfectly healthy right down to the soft strands of flaxen hair plastered against his pink, wrinkled skin. "He's beautiful!" She whispered, unable to keep herself from being affected by the moment, however, she soon remembered her work was not done by a long shot. "Rain, take him." She said quickly, placing the newborn babe in the fold of the open blanket that was waiting for him in Rain's waiting arms.

She had brought the baby into the world, now Alex had to make sure that his mother stayed in it as well.

**********

The first thing that Mary saw when she woke up was Inez sitting in the chair next to her bed, cradling a small bundle in her arms. At first, Mary gave no indication that she was awake, merely accustoming herself to being conscious once more. She was weak and her limbs felt heavy against the soft sheets of her bed. Mary also felt unusually drowsy and while she was not incapable of keeping herself from drifting off again, it was a conscious effort to keep her eyes open. As she kept her silence while Inez continued to nurse Elena Rose, Mary became conscious of the pain that was in her lower abdomen. The memory of pain returned to her, the last few minutes before everything had gone black and she had woken up here. Like a splash of icy water against her skin, Mary was revisited by images of blood on her hands and the sharp pain in her belly when cold fear struck her heart and she remembered something else.

Her baby!

Mary sat up immdiately feeling terror as her hands flew to her stomach. She startled Inez by her sudden movement and immediately caused the lady to turn immediately to her.

"Mary, it's okay." Inez said quickly, reassuring the new mother because she could see the fear in Mary's eyes as the events of the last day returned to her. "You're alright." Inez spoke repeatedly in that voice, full of warm comfort for as many times as it took for her words to sink in and for Mary to believe it.

"The baby...." Mary started to stammer, descending into panic.

"Is just fine." Inez replied and presented Mary with an infant she had initially thought to be Elena Rose.

"He's beautiful Mary." Inez smiled, feeling the emotion well up in her as she handed Mary her son.

For a moment, Mary did not dare touch him but her hesitation lasted briefly. She looked at her best friend with eyes brimming with tears, unable to believe that her baby was safe when the last thing she could remember was the terrible pain and blood that promised the worst and had made her expect it. However, when she lowered her gaze to the pink face before her, dozing quietly in the folds of his woollen blanket, quite exhausted after the his arrival into the world, Mary knew that Inez was not lying.

Her son was safe and he was here.

Mary blinked upon seeing him, feeling warm tears spilling over her cheeks as she reached for him and then took him up into her arms. He was oblivious to her presence of course, only aware that of the warmth of her body against his fragile form. Mary held him against her breast, so he could hear the comforting sound of her heart beating as it had been when he was in her womb. Mary found herself staring into his tiny face and immediately saw Chris in so many places that she started to cry.

"Oh Inez...." Mary whispered softly as she held one of her fingertips to his pink, bow shaped mouth and felt herself shudder with so many emotions that it was almost hard to speak. The ache inside her soul that Chris was not here to share the moment with her seemed overpowering right now however, Mary also felt a sense of renewed courage upon looking at her son because even in sleep, he seemed to convey his need for her strength.

"Did you and Chris decide on a name?" Inez found herself asking, feeling just as emotional as she saw Mary with her new son and was bombarded with memories of how she had felt when she had seen Elena Rose for the first time.

"Yes," Mary swallowed, thinking of their discussion regarding the subject and wiped away the tears in her eyes because she missed Chris so much just thinking about him. "If it was a boy, we wanted to name him Michael."

"Michael." Inez nodded in approval. "Michael Larabee," She said out loud, trying it just for size. "It suits him."

"It does," Mary agreed with a little smile, her eyes never leaving her son as she looked into his cherubic face. "He'll come back to us Michael." She whispered to her little son because she refused to believe anything else now. "I know he'll come back to us."

**********

Laurel was right. It was easier the second time around.

Chris stood in the centre of the ring, watching the faces around him cheering his name in adulation. Unlike the last time he had found himself on centre stage, there was none of the doubt that had plagued him with thoughts of misguided morality. In fact, that inner voice had remained strangely silent and the only thing that Chris could hear with any clarity was chanting of his name on the lips of his bloodthirsty audience waiting for him to give them the performance of his life.

His eyes skimmed the faces of the dilettantes and found they interested him little. Instead, he focussed his attention at Lauren Chase, determined more than ever that this time he would win for her, he would fight like he had never fought before and when the day was done, she would be his. Chris wished that Vin was here so that the tracker could enjoy the moment with him because Vin would understand what it was like to surrender to the primeval inside one's soul. Vin was a man of the wild; he would understand the course that Chris was about to take.

Chris heard the crowd roar louder with the arrival of his opponent and the former lawman looked over his shoulder to see the huge Indian enter the arena, a look of supreme confidence on his face as he swaggered forward. Chris felt no apprehension as he faced the enemy and knew immediately that he could beat the man, no matter how impressive the Indian may appear upon making his dramatic entrance into the ring. He stared at Chris at length following his arrival and the expression of amusement in his eyes told the gunslinger that the Indian did not see him as much of a threat.

Which was rather ironic because that was Chris was thinking the same about the Indian.

He gazed at the man long and hard, pushing the chant of the crowd to the background as he prepared to fight. He remained where he was, not making a step towards the Indian and making his opponent nervous because the man could not gauge whether or not Chris was holding position because he was afraid or cautious enough to be formidable. In either case, Chris showed no expression as the Indian studied him for a few seconds and the crowd felt silent with anticipation as they waited for the blood sports to begin

The Indian made the first move when his concern over the lack of fear he was seeing in Chris' eyes faded and he chose to attack. His began the dance of combat by circling his latest prey, confident that he would put down this challenger to his throne as easily as he had put down all the others before this occasion. Chris kept his eyes fixed on the man and watched him move, always keeping his attention focussed on the Indian's muscle and body language, insinuating his own offensive into place while he waited for the Indian to strike.

The man threw an enormous fist in Chris' direction, which he dodged easily, carefully keeping a narrow gap of space between them to ensure that the Indian would always have to lunge to reach him. The blow whooshed past him and as the man was caught in the vulnerable position during the space of time after a punch was thrown and before another could be delivered, Chris slammed a focussed blow into the Indian's side. The punch had its greatest effect above the man's kidneys as Chris intended, since that was a most vulnerable part of the body. The Indian grunted in pain and swung around, angered that the first punch was not his and further infuriated when the crowd roared Chris' name in adoration for that initial strike.

That's right, Chris said to himself as the Indian swung wide in anger and he dodged the punch easily. Get angry.

Chris dropped to one knee and struck the Indian square in the stomach before the man had time to clench his muscles to take the blow. He felt his palm sink into flesh and felt the wind forced out of his opponent's lung as the man staggered back. Not wasting any time, Chris was standing upright again and this time, he took the offensive as the Indian clutched his stomach and attempted to recover. Chris knew he could not let the Indian hit him. The man was bigger and most likely stronger but he was not as skilled a fighter as he might like to think. Strength had made the man rely too much upon it and that advantage was all that someone like Chris who had the skill but not the brute strength, to win. Lashing out in a succession of swift blows, his first punch struck the man's ribs cracking it under his fist, the second higher into his throat and the final was a road house swing across the man's jaw.

Those watching met the triads of hits with great excitement. The Indian staggered back again, coughing loudly as his windpipe sustained the same injury that had killed a lesser opponent only two days before. However, he was able to recover more swiftly and knew that he had to get his hands on the blond man if he was to have any chance of it. The Indian ran forward once again, intending to tackle Chris in a body slam. Chris held his ground, watching the man cross the short space between them as he stood with his back to the walls of the ring. The audience was shouting at him to move but Chris refused. He waited as the margin between them narrowed until there was only a second left to act.

Just before the Indian could make contact, Chris leapt out of the way while the Indian kept going. Straight into the wall. The loud crack as his skull met stone would have knocked a normal man unconscious. However, the competitors in Laurel's Arena were anything but ordinary. With their veins thick with the Venom that would not allow them to walk away from a fight, they would fight until their very last breath and so it was with the Indian and Chris at this moment. The big man remained on his feet even though he was somewhat disorientated.

Chris decided it was time to finish and moved in for the kill. Taking advantage of the situation, Chris came up from behind the man and slammed his foot in to the bend of the man's knee, dropping him immediately. As the Indian attempted to turn around, he was met with another balled fist and then two palms that slammed into the side of his head. Another palm strike connected with the underside of his jaw, snapping his head back savagely and in the daze of these deadly strikes, felt a muscled arm lock around his throat.

Holding onto the Indian's neck in a deadly arm lock from behind, his opponent made a valiant effort to dislodge him but Chris was too clever and skilled for that. He remained in control until he felt the struggling wane and the screaming of his name so loudly that it only added to his fevered excitement of drawing this battle to a conclusion. Chris looked at Laurel, for hers was the only face that held any meaning for him and saw her lips curl into a smile. She blew him a kiss and he knew that if he performed well for her, she would reward him personally.

Without even thinking twice about what he was doing, Chris snapped the Indian's neck in one easy moment and this time, there was no regret to follow the act.

The audience rose to their feet, clapping, cheering, going wild with excitement as the Indian went slack in his arms and Chris let him go, watching dispassionately as the man tumbled into the dirt. For a few seconds, Chris was struck with the notion that he had done something terribly wrong. He thought that it might be wrong to just kill indiscriminately but then remembered that this was the way of things in the Arena and to be apart of it, he had to kill. As Chris raised his hands to revel in the adoration of the crowd, he felt that momentary doubt fade into nothingness.

They were calling his name. He could hear it rolling off their tongues like a song to be sung and he had to admit he liked indulging the raw and primitive inside of him. Something inside him that had spent its entire life shackled was now finally free to do as it wished and by that same extension, allow him the same freedom as well.

Chris Larabee knew with utter confidence that he was finally the man he should have always been.

**********

Following his impressive victory in the Arena and establishing without question that he was now the best fighter that Laurel Chase had in her stable of combatants, Chris was returned to his room where he was allowed time to freshen up and as well as some time to rest. However, despite being granted this allowance, Chris felt as if he did not need it. His heart was pounding inside his chest and the walls of his room seemed limiting and to a certain extent almost claustrophobic. Even though he tried very hard to unwind, he could not seem to relax and the adrenaline that course through his veins demanded that he expend the energy building up inside him somewhat. To his surprise because he knew inwardly he was not a violent man, Chris wanted to keep fighting now that he had the taste for it and the lure of it was so strong that it was hard to think of anything else.

He was pacing the floor of his cell like a caged animal when he saw Zhang appear at the door to his cell. Chris wondered what the man wanted and a delicious smile crossed his face at the thought that Zhang might wish to cross swords again. However, the Oriental did not appear to have such thoughts in mind as he looked at Chris through the bars, his face impassive as ever.

"My Lady wishes to see you." He said calmly.

Chris felt his pulse quicken with anticipation at what Laurel would want with him at this late hour. He remembered the scent of her skin in his lungs and felt the desire for battle superseded by something even more primitive and just as powerful.

Zhang opened the door for him but made sure that he remained in a position of advantage behind the latest acquisition for the Arena. He did not change his mind when he claimed that Chris Larabee was a dragon in the dark. While he knew that his lady had a fascination for things dangerous, Zhang sensed that this time she might have caught a tiger by the tail.

And this one had particularly fierce teeth.

**********

Laurel was waiting for Chris when Zhang finally brought him to her private chambers. Following the agonies suffered by withdrawal, Laurel had boosted the dosage of Venom she had been administering to the gunslinger. By now, she had no doubt that the memories of his past were so vague, he had trouble remembering his friends let alone what they might have meant to him. Thanks to the powerful hallucinogens in the drug, he was extremely susceptible to suggestion and it was no effort to convince him that the Arena was in his blood and that she was what he desired.

Of course, she could prove none of this until she saw him fight in the Arena and tonight, he had come through for her most spectacularly. As Laurel had imagined the first time she had seen him in Vesta City, Chris' effect over the audience was hypnotic. They were mesmerized by him in the ring and further enthralled by the sheer strength of his persona with each new victory. No doubt, the financial advantage of having him under her control would pay off nicely.

Now it was time to indulge in the physical benefits.

He had done his job well and Laurel could see it in his eyes, the burning lust he felt for her. She had brought him to the place where instinct was all he knew and the maleness of him sensed the conquest of a different kind of prey as he cast that intense gaze upon her. It was not lost to her that the glimmer in those piercing green eyes was less than it had been when she had firs met him. She had known that sacrifices had to be made in order to possess him. It would simply be possible to conquer one as he otherwise and she had had accepted the loss with little or no qualms. She wanted a consort to her kingdom but she also wanted his obedience. Magnificent as he was, Laurel would allow no man to have power over her.

Least of all, a man like Chris Larabee.

For the moment however she allowed him enough slack with his chains because he had performed well in the right tonight and it was time that he was rewarded. Laurel had always intended him to be her lover but she was patient, breaking him within the Arena first and then driving away that moral center that made him everything he was with the aid of her drugs. If he remembered his wife still, she was a memory in his mind that could have been his or perhaps even from in his reckoning from a life that was no more. In either case, when he came to her, it mattered not who he made love to because it would be Laurel who would be enjoying him.

"Come to me Chris." She beckoned him over to where she was sprawled on her bed, waiting.

He approached her, admiring the beauty of her, savoring every curve of her luminescent skin and feeling the lust rise up his throat and grip him with a powerful desire that would not let go until he tasted her flesh. For so long, he had craved and waited for this moment, imagining the feel of her skin under his palms and how it would be when he finally took her. Now that the moment was finally upon him, Chris had no difficulty rising to the occasion. He joined her on the bed but did not settle on the mattress. Instead, he paused at edge of the bed where she was sprawled wearing nothing but a simple silk nightdress made exclusively for the purpose of seduction rather than as sleepwear.

Chris paused, allowing his gaze to travel up her bare legs, moving over the sensual shape of her firm body, lingering on the ample breasts whose points were hard and erect behind the silken fabric of her dress before reaching her lips and then touching her eyes with his own. He held her stare for a moment as their gazes locked and they dueled some ancient game of seduction played by all men and women before the primeval gripped them in a dance of pleasure. Chris stared into her eyes and realized that something was wrong.

It was not the same.

He wanted her and he was going to take her, there was no doubt in his mind of that. However, Chris was suddenly faced the realization that he was going to indulge his lust for her not because he wanted to but rather because he was compelled to do so. There was another time and he struggled to remember when that had been, when it had been more than just a drive to him. Where sharing the flesh was more than just a physical exchange but rather something beyond the ability of the written word to describe. He searched his memory, obscured by the perennial fog that was there all the time.

"Mary." He whispered.

Laurel's eyes widened. "Not Mary." She said cooly and immediately crawled towards him. Hooking her finger through the narrow space where the edge of his pants met skin around his waist, she pulled him down. He did not protest as her hand snaked around his neck and she raised her mouth to meet his in a kiss of passion. Laurel slid her tongue past his teeth and began to kiss him hard, delivering to him one of the most searing kisses she could manage in the short expanse of time that their lips remained locked. It took a second or two but eventually he succumbed to the desire for her she had been stoking into existence ever since she had laid claim to him in Vesta City.

Chris felt himself pulled into the power of her kisses but somehow he did not feel as pleasured as he thought he would. He enjoyed the sensation of her lips against his as she devoured his mouth, teasing his lips as her tongue tasted him as he if he were something to be eaten. He returned her kisses, enjoyed them to a certain extent but could not get past the feeling that something was not quite right. He could feel it with each forced attempt to engender more passion in his attempts to love her and knew that somehow she would never be able to satisfy the yearning he felt for another.

For Mary.

He felt her arms around his shoulder, kneading the flesh, savouring the curve of every muscle as her palms made their journey down his back. He heard her moan softly at the feel of tight skin beneath hers and indulged himself by testing out the texture of hers. It was as luxurious as he imagined it would be and then came to the same wall that screamed that there was something still missing, something that not even the most seductive and delightful flesh could replace. He went through the motions, driven by some inner force he could not explain to pleasure her as she was pleasuring him and yet invariably, Chris knew that his heart was not in it.

Laurel could sense that a part of him was not entirely hers, that he was holding back his enjoyment out of loyalty to something buried so deeply within that not even the drugs she had fed him could penetrate. To tell the honest truth, she did not mind at all. She kissed his neck, watched his stomach muscles clench in anticipation as she worked her way down his body, watching in satisfaction that though his mind was not completely with her, his body was another story entirely. She undid the buttons of his pants, watched his eyes cloud over with desire as she lowered her mouth on to his erect and extremely impressive member and continue to savage him with pleasure.

There was only one thing better than getting a man who wanted you; getting the one who did not.

 She heard him groaning as only a man could when he was indulged with this kind of torture, his fingers entwining in her dark hair as he pulled her face forward when he began to thrust his hips forward in her direction. Laurel swirled her tongue over his glans as she nursed on his rigid cock, feeling waves of pleasure and triumph, with each moan forced out of him from the sensation of her mouth on his erect skin. There was power in forcing a man to enjoy pleasures he did not want, in making a man succumb to the weaknesses of his body even though his heart and mind lay elsewhere. He would never be hers, Laurel had known that from the very beginning. Men like this did not give their love easily and once it was given it was not something that could be taken back or traded like flour in the marketplace.

 Laurel Chase would enjoyed him more knowing Chris Larabee was her consort against his will.

 Eventually, she pulled away just before he could release his seed into her mouth, wanting him inside her before that happened. She removed her clothes and saw his eyes cloud with induced passion as his hands ran over her skin, exploring her body and yet seeing it in his eyes that he was not really wanting her but someone else. Another woman would have been angered by that but not Laurel. As Olympian in size as her ego was, it was also laced with an equally cruel and sadistic nature.

 If Chris Larabee did not want her, that was fine by Laurel Chase. However, she was never going to let him go and he could yearn and pine all he liked because he was never having his Mary again.

TO BE CONTINUED