Part Five

Collisions

"Alex, don't do this." Nathan pleaded as he followed Alex after she had picked up her suitcase from the front hallway of her house and started towards the door.

Alex did not want to listen because she did not want to hear another person telling her why she should remain in Four Corners, when every instinct inside her told her to run while she still had some dignity left. After what had transpired between herself and Vin Tanner two days ago, Alex found it exceedingly difficult to stay in the same town as the tracker, with the history that existed between them. As it was, she felt badly for leaving now, with Billy Travis missing and the seven's best efforts to locate the child meeting no conclusive result that could offer Mary any comfort. Still, she did not doubt that Mary would have the comfort of Inez and Julia to help her through this time and honestly, Alex was in no state of mind to be of any use to the widow any way.

"Look, I'm not changing my mind so give it up." Alex turned to him, wishing he could understand how hard this was for her. She did not want to leave because she loved Four Corners and the friends she had made here but she could not face Vin everyday, seeing him with Charlotte. That kind of pain was more than even someone of her strength and resolve could endure. Besides, it was not just Charlotte that had driven this wedge between them, it was Vin's belief that he was not good enough for her. She could not imagine how he could come to that conclusion when she had never given him any reason to doubt that she loved him for anything but he was.

"Miss Alex he loves you." Nathan said quietly. "You have to know that."

It was his last ditch effort to try and keep her from doing something rash because he did not want her go any more than Vin did, Nathan was sure. Alexandra Styles was apart of the fellowship, the way Mary and Inez had been since the seven men had first bonded together in their tight knit circle. To Nathan, she was more than just a friend, she was family. He understood perfectly, the pain she was feeling but much of this had to do with pride more than anything else.

He had hoped it would be easier to reason with Alex but now understood how wrong he had been.

"I do know Nathan," Alex softened, feeling the emotion well up inside her whenever she looked into her heart and was faced with everything Vin Tanner was to her. She loved him unconditionally and suspected she always would but he had destroyed all faith she had in him when he was so ready to believe that Charlotte could be right about anything that she had said regarding their relationship. Vin should have known better and yet he had let Charlotte worm her vile words into his mind and poison everything he thought about Alex. "I know he loves me and I will probably love him until the day I die but sometimes, love is not enough. There has got to be faith and trust and he didn't trust me enough to believe that Charlotte was wrong."

Nathan could not deny her words but he still refused to let her walk away from her life like this. "Alex don't go like this." He asked, feeling helpless because he knew that she did not really want to leave but the one person who could make her stay was doing nothing to stop her.

Alex continued down the stairs, emerging into the afternoon sun. The stage was due to depart for Sweet Water in less than twenty minutes and she had everything she would need for her stay in that town while she decided what she would do next. Alex had not thought beyond leaving Four Corners and she had already made arrangements with Doctor Atkins in Bitter Creek to take Nathan on as an apprentice. Atkins was an old country doctor who knew Nathan by reputation and was more than happy to help the healer attain proper credentials.

"Nathan, I don't have time to discuss this with you." Alex replied, wishing he would just drop the subject since there was nothing to talk about. Didn't he know how hard this was for her? It was tearing her heart out walking away from her home and her friends but it had to be done! There was no room for negotiation. She could not bear staying here and watching Vin with Charlotte as she knew would inevitably happen once she was gone. "I've got a stage to catch."

"I know," Nathan retorted, angry at the deadline that was approaching, realizing how close he was to defeat each time she took one step closer to the stage depot. "But it ain't just Vin who needs you, it's this whole town. You can't leave Miss Mary in the state she is in. She's all torn up inside about Billy and we're no closer to finding him then we was two days ago!"

"That's not fair Nathan," she glared at him. "You can't lay this all on me!" She was trying not to cry as she descended the steps and started towards the board walk that would take her deeper into town, but his words were reaching into her and reminding her why she loved For Corners so much. "I can't stay here! Don't you understand? It's ripping me apart being this close to him and knowing that its over."

"You stayed when it was Ezra," Nathan said foolishly and regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.

"Ezra is not VIN!" Alex shouted, feeling the last vestiges of control break in a thousand pieces as the tears started coming down her cheeks. "Nathan please understand, I cannot stay here the way things are. Now Inez and Julia are here for Mary and I'm sure Chris will find Billy like he always does and things will go on just fine without me. You were healing people in Four Corners, long before I arrived and you will do the same long after I leave."

Nathan knew nothing else to say to her and stopped following her after that point, allowing her to widen the distance between as she continued on her way. He watched her disappearing up the boardwalk knowing that it was up to him to do something about this situation before the damage done was permanent. He knew that both Alex and Vin still loved each other very much even though they were too stubborn to work out their differences. Although the tracker had said nothing about his quarrel with Alex, every member of the seven knew that it preyed heavily on his mind, just as they knew how badly Chris was feeling over his own troubles with Mary Travis.

The healer was not about to let two people who made such complete sense together for no other reason that the fact that they just did, walk away because someone had manipulated them both. Out of sheer desperation than anything else, he started making his way to the saloon, hoping against hope that if he could not reach Alex, he might have better luck with Vin.

Ezra sat in the saloon watching Vin and knew he had to do something.

Since Billy's abduction, the group had been taking turns searching the country side for any trace of the boy. So far their efforts had been less then exemplary and only worsened the situation between Mary and Chris who were no longer on speaking terms. While the seven knew Mary's anger would last as long as Billy was gone, the same could not be said for Vin and Alex. Ezra had known from the moment Charlotte Richmond had arrived in town that eventually she would cause enough difficulty to drive Alex and Vin apart. However, even Ezra had underestimated how well she could manipulate Vin into doing most of the work for her.

With Chris, Buck, Josiah and J.D. out searching today, Ezra, Nathan and Vin were left in town to keep an eye on Mary as well as getting some rest since they had been riding most of the night. However, no one could sleep knowing the boy was still out there. Vin on the other hand, had more than just Billy Travis' life to concern himself with, especially with Alex due to leave Four Corners permanently a short time from now. Ezra could not understand how things could disintegrate between the two so terribly in just one afternoon. While he did not know the specifics of their argument, he had heard enough from Nathan to know that the tracker had wounded more than Alex's pride. Instead, he had brought into question their entire relationship and Ezra knew Alex well enough to know that she cared for Vin unconditionally and would take any doubt over her feelings quite badly.

At the moment, Vin was sitting in a corner of the room, having made it clear to everyone that he did not want company. The tracker spent the better part of the morning, simply staring at the velvet box he had carried with him since Ezra had helped him select the band of gold within. It sat on the table next to a tall bottle of whisky that Vin had been working steadily through most of the day, unopened and unpresented to the woman to whom it was meant for.

Vin seemed very much his age then, confused and lost. Ezra could not appreciate his dilemma when his choice was so clear. Ezra had remembered Buck Wilmington telling him how much the young man reminded him of Chris Larabee. This was Chris Larabee before the fire, before the hardship that changed into what he was now.

Ezra knew that Chris' close relationship with Vin had to do with that familiarity, perhaps seeing something in Vin that had once insisted in himself and was now gone forever. Buck had admitted to Ezra once that part of the reason he got along so well with Vin was like Chris, the familiar visage of an old friend lost forever had come back in the quiet manner of the tracker.

"Ezra we can't just let him drink himself to oblivion." Nathan whispered in Ezra's direction as they both sat at the bar, trying not to notice that Vin had poured himself another drink and drained it as quickly as he was draining the bottle on the table. The healer had walked into the room hoping that he could convince Vin to stop Alex from leaving. However, one look at the somber manner of the tracker had driven that thought away because Vin was wearing an expression on his face that told everyone who knew him to go away.

Ezra who was completely of aware of Vin's present condition because he too had been keeping a close eye on the young man frowned unhappily. "What do you suggest we do Mr. Jackson?" His hazel eyes challenged the healer.

"I don't know," Nathan hissed back, feeling time pressing up against them because Alex would be boarding that stage in a matter of minutes. "But he's been sitting there ever since we got back. He ain't even gone and seen Alex to try and work things out."

Ezra was still uncertain whether or not he ought to intercede. Vin was hurting because Charlotte had properly inspired every minute trace of insecurity he had ever felt about his relationship with Alex, causing the rift that was driving Alex to Sweet Water. The expression Ezra saw mostly in his eyes was intense guilt. Ezra knew it was guilt because for a long time after he had abandoned Alex for Julia, he had worn the same regret. Ezra was also aware of how the prolonged presence of it could poison the soul and he did not wish that for his friend. He knew Nathan was itching to go over to Vin and shake some sense into him but all that would do was get Vin mad. Vin Tanner mad was something not even Chris Larabee was prepared to tangle with.

"I'll talk to him," Ezra said finally, deciding he better do it because Nathan was just going to make things worse if he made the attempt.

Ezra rose to his feet and took his glass of whisky with him as he strode over to Vin's table. The tracker did not look up at him as he approached or react when he set his glass down on the table and pulled himself a chair. Vin merely continued to stare at the velvet box with the engagement ring he had bought Alex days ago. The ring he had been eager to present before Charlotte arrived and made him ruin everything. Now, it just angered him and he knew the only person that he should be angry at was himself. Vin knew how he felt about Alex and he knew how he felt about Charlotte. She was a memory but apparently a memory who believed she had been wronged and Vin had been stupid enough to believe her words to him were sincere when they were anything but that.

"Mind if I sit down Mr. Tanner?" Ezra asked.

"If you gotta." Vin responded, his speech somewhat slurred which was hardly surprising considering how much he had drank already.

Ezra sat down and let a few minutes pass by, merely staring into his drink as he tried to think of the best way to approach Vin who clearly needed some counsel but was too proud or too stupid to ask for it. Sometime it was so easy to forget just how young he was, being not much older than J.D. even if life had treated him a little differently.

"You're going to try and tell me I'm being stupid." Vin turned an accusatory glare at him. The tracker was fixing to fight and Ezra was so determined to help him that he was tempted enough to let it happen.

"You said it Mr. Tanner, not I." Ezra replied, meeting his gaze directly. "I am here because you do not have a lot of time. Mr. Jackson tells me the stage will be leaving soon and Alexandra will be on it."

Vin said nothing but his eyes spoke volumes.

"Mr. Tanner..." Ezra tried again and then paused before starting again with a gentler tone. "Vin, just go to her and say you're sorry."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Ezra." Vin growled, with more than enough warning in his voice to the gambler to leave things be.

Ezra who knew when he was treading on dangerous ground refused to back down this time. "You may not wish for an opinion but you damn well need it. When I warned you about Charlotte you did not believe me. Trust someone who has more than enough experience with deceptive females than you will ever know, you played into Charlotte's hands like you were a wind up toy."

"I said let it go." Vin retorted. "I know what I did. I don't need you to tell me."

"Well someone ought to." Ezra persisted. "It should be Mr. Larabee but he is not here and so it fall to me because I am your friend. We have ridden together for two years now and while I may not be the most appropriate person to say this to you, at the moment I am all you have. Now I am saying this to you because you to need to hear it and before the liquor drowns out all your senses completely."

Vin started to get up and Ezra grabbed his arm and forced the tracker to remain.

"Vin, do not let her do this. You and I both know you are letting the best thing that has ever happened to you walk out of your life because you are too damn proud to admit that you were wrong!"

"I ain't wrong," The tracker replied shot Ezra a menacing gaze as he regarded the arm on his person. "I ain't good not enough for her. She'd be better off without me."

"I tend to agree," Ezra declared raising his voice as well and determined to see this through even if it came to blows. "Unfortunately that is not how Alexandra views the situation. For Christ sake, Vin, all one has to do is see how she looks at you to know that she loves you more than anything. Do not let her leave because Mrs. Richmond pushed all the right buttons to get to you."

"Its too late Ezra," Vin said softly because something of what the gambler had said did actually reach him. The numb feeling inside, induced by too much liquor, was starting to wane and with its banishment came the overwhelming emotion of loss and profound sorrow. "I said things to her that I can't take back and I don't ever want to see her looking at me with that much pain in her eyes again. I hurt her Ezra, I hurt her bad and I can't even think of why I did it, except that maybe I always knew that she was a lady and I weren't good enough to have someone like that."

Ezra felt some measure of relief knowing his words had penetrated on some level, even if it had not succeeded in reaching the end result of convincing Vin that Alexandra was not lost to him. "Forgive me for saying this Vin but that is not your choice to make. It is Alexandra's. She may be angry at what you were misguided enough to say but I do not believe that she would lock you out of her heart for that. She is running because she cannot even imagine her life here without, can you not see that?"

Vin could not and neither could he listen any further to what Ezra had to say because in reaching that place inside him that was a raw wound of pain at what he had done, he had stolen Vin's last refuge from himself. The tracker coiled his fingers around the bottle in his hand and stood up shakily, taking it with him as he walked out of the saloon, unable to meet either Ezra or Nathan because he could not stand them looking at him like he was a fool.

And he was a fool.

He stepped out in the sunshine outside the saloon and winced as the light poured into his eyes and amplified all the reasons why drinking during the day was a bad idea. No one paid him much notice, even with the bottle in his hand when he paused on the boardwalk for a moment. Life went on in Four Corners, oblivious to his inner demons or the sorrows of his heart. Vin wondered if mattered that much even to himself.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of horses and turned instinctively towards the direction where it had come from. Vin froze as he saw the stagecoach and the driver loading baggage to the top of the old Concord. He could not see her yet but he knew as he felt the clenching inside his heart that she was there. There were a few other travelers going to Sweet Water and only after they had piled into the carriage one by one, did he see her.

Alex was standing there, looking so sad as her gaze swept across Four Corners and the home she was leaving. Vin almost withdrew before she saw him but found he could not leave. Her eyes captured his and they both stood staring at each other, symbolically looking at one another across the distance, feeling the invisible thread of longing pulling at each other. Her expression melted as she saw him and the profound grief that crept into her face as her eyes locked onto his was more than he could stand. He knew she wanted to cry because her lower lip was quivering in that familiar way he knew only too well. Vin swallowed hard as his blue eyes stared at her intently, secretly begging her to stay but had not the courage to articulate that desire into something she could hear.

Instead, he saw what her eyes were seeing and in that instant shared the same memories. Memories of the first time he had seen her, how she had graced into his life and left him astonished by how easily she had captivated his heart with the beauty of her smile and her familiar sense of humour. Lost in those warm rememberings, he could feel her arms around him as they rode with the sun on their backs and how she called out his name the first time they had made love. A thousand things moved back and forth in secret messages that only the heart could translate and where words had no meaning.

She did not smile or frown as they stared at each other across the wide expanse, growing vaster as the seconds ticked by. She could only look at him, exuding sorrow with every breath she took, until she was forced to swallow it away. Vin could see her brown eyes were glistening and that her tears were not far behind but she held strong as she always did, giving him one last glimpse before turning away and breaking their gazes as she started walking towards the stagecoach.

It was only when he realized that the ring he had bought her was no longer in his coat that some semblance of what he was letting go, hit him with utter and devastating potency. Almost frantically, he turned around and hurried back into saloon, unable to bear parting with the trinket because he knew now in those last few seconds that he could not bear losing her. Not for anything, not for his stupid pride, not for Charlotte and her words of venom.

Vin ran burst through the bat wing doors of the saloon and saw Ezra at the table he had just vacated. The gambler was studying the ring inside its velvet case, with a bitter sweet expression in his face that reeked of failure at what he had been unable to convince Vin of earlier. Vin felt another wave of shame as he realized how cruelly he had behaved not only to Alex but to the friends who had tried to tell him he was making a mistake.

"I need it back Ezra," Vin declared as he reached the table, glancing at the box in the gambler's hand.

"About time Mr. Tanner," Ezra sighed, handing it back to him, clearly relieved as Vin snatched it out of his hand and hurried out of the saloon.

However, when he reached the boardwalk again, Alex was nowhere in sight and the stage was tumbling down the street, leaving Vin behind and taking Alex with it in its exodus from Four Corners.

Considering how she was feeling at the moment, Alex thought she had managed to hold on to her composure quite admirably when she had found herself staring at Vin during those final moments before boarding the stagecoach to Sweet Water. At that instant, she had realized how correct her choice to leave Four Corners had been for she could not endure seeing him again and feeling the same agony every day. She cringed in the shadows of the coach, trying not to weep openly as she faced the window that revealed her departure from town, leaving behind all she knew and a part of herself that had died when she was force to leave him.

Alex had stood there, hoping and praying that he would say something that would keep her off the carriage but nothing had been said, no magical reprieve had come in the form of his telling her not to go. His silence only confirmed that Charlotte had won because he would not even say goodbye even though it was likely they would never see each other again. The rumble of the stage was loud enough to drown out the sound of silent tears and Alex was grateful for that dignity at least. She watched Four Corners sweep past her and tried not to dissolve into complete despair as she left behind everything that come to mean so much to her this past year.

He could still catch her.

All he had to do was get to his horse and he could catch the stage. It should have never have gotten this far in the first place. As soon as she had thrown him out of the door, he should pounded on it until she let him in again and beg her forgiveness at his complete stupidity. He had let all kinds of foolishness get in the way of what should have been the most important thing to remember when Charlotte had been filling his head with all those notions; that she loved him.

The more he thought about it, the clearer it became as he hurried out of the saloon and strode towards the livery, the fresh air going a long way to lifting the alcohol induced fog over his brain. She never once made comment about the price on his head even when they had chosen to get engaged and she never spoke about his lack of prosperity. It was not lost upon him that whenever he was called to read or write some document, she would unobtrusively manoeuver herself into doing it for him without his ever needing to ask. How could he had doubted someone who was so determined to make him feel so good about himself?

How could he have let her leave?

After days of wrestling with his conscience over Alex and Charlotte, suddenly he knew what to do and that knowledge had lifted the terrible burden off indecision of his shoulders. Clutching the velvet box in his hand, he knew without doubt that Buck had been right that day in the saloon when he said that Charlotte was old news. She was in his past and what he felt for her once had dwindled into a warmth that would never really fade away but would not eclipse what he felt for Alexandra Styles. Now if he could just reach Peso, he could go after her and drag her back to town if need be.

After all, he was a subtle guy.

Vin rounded the corner and walked straight into Charlotte, making the tracker wonder if God was not trying to put as many obstacles in his way in retribution for his stupidity. In any case, it was a mixed blessing that he ran into his old love because he wanted to clear the air between them before he went and got Alex because after this day, he would be done with Charlotte Richmond. While he would help her as a friend to get settled in Four Corners or wherever it was she chose to live after this, that was as far as he was willing to involve himself in her welfare.

"Vin, I'm so sorry about Alex," Charlotte gushed as they stood before each other.

Vin looked into her eyes and for the first time, began to question everything he saw there. "I'm sure you are Charlotte but it ain't quite over between me and Alex yet."

He saw a flicker of something that could be considered dismay steal across her lovely features which more or less confirmed that her intent during their previous conversation was to create this rift between himself and Alex. Vin felt a gush of anger froth up inside him, realizing how correct Ezra had been when he declared Charlotte had manipulated him into this position. Still, Vin forced himself to remember that she did this out of love and ultimately, she would be the loser when everything was said and done.

"I thought she left. ." Charlotte started to say but Vin cut her off.

"I'm going after her." He said firmly, brushing aside her and continuing his journey towards the livery. "If I have to, I'm going to hold up the stage just so that she listens to me so get out of my way, I ain't got a lot of time."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Charlotte questioned, desperate to stop him now that she was so close to having him again.

Vin stopped abruptly in his tracks and swung around. "Yeah Charlotte," he glared at her, allowing his fury to surface a little. "That's what I want. I shouldn't have let you fill my head will all that crap about how she was too good for me and she was just using me. You played real dirty Charlotte and I ain't forgetting that. I know why you did it and it's the only thing that keeping me from knocking your teeth out."

Charlotte looked at him with tears filling her eyes, most of it genuine even though she knew that he was right and there was no reprieve in the harshness of his voice. "Vin, I never meant to hurt you."

"No Charlotte," Vin sighed, unable to feel any compassion for her in light of what had happened between himself and Alex. "You never meant to hurt you. I never came into the picture until you decided Will weren't good enough for you, not even when we were on the trail. I was always something to fall back on when you and your husband weren't getting along. I was that to you then and I'm still that to you now."

"Vin that's not true!" Charlotte exclaimed desperately trying to make him understand that he was not just some substitute. "I do love you. I tried it with Will, I really did but I couldn't stand being without you."

"Well I couldn't stand being with you either," he said unable to keep the emotion from his voice. "For a long time, it ached so bad I thought I was going to die but then Alex turned up and she made me feel better than I ever felt in my whole life without me needing to steal another man's wife." Vin swallowed and decided he could waste no more time with her. "I loved you and a part of me always will but the difference between you and Alex is I can't live without her and I can without you."

"CHARLOTTE!" A new voice entered the equation.

Both Vin and Charlotte swung to face it because the sharpness of it had startled them in its delivery. Will Richmond stood meters from them, appearing as if he had just emerged from the stage that had recently departed town and which Vin was intending to catch. He was still in his travelling clothes, looking no different from the last time that Vin had seen him, except where there was heartache and despair previously, there was now bald hatred in his eyes as he glared at them both.

"I knew it!" Will hissed angrily. "I knew I would find you here! With him."

"Will," Charlotte said astonished, unable to believe that he had followed her all this way. "This isn't what it looks like."

"The hell it doesn't," the man snapped and it was at this point that Vin became aware that he was armed.

Suddenly, the tracker had this terrible premonition that things were about to go to hell.

"Richmond, there ain't nothing going on between us." Vin replied, hoping to avert the outcome that the three of them were tumbling headlong into. His fingers dropped to his own gun and hoped that the alcohol in his system had not slowed him down too much. However, he was more worried that Richmond's first shot would not be aimed at him but instead at Charlotte. Somehow he had to get her out of the line of fire if this went down the way it appeared it would.

However, there was no time to formulate any kind of a plan because Will Richmond was too filled with anger for any words to reach the red haze of his betrayal.

The gun fired before Vin even finished his sentence and instinctively Vin knew that it was not he that was the target. Amidst Charlotte's scream, he pushed her aside, dropping her to the floor as he pulled out his gun and fired. His fingers had tensed to pull the trigger when suddenly he felt the projectile from Richmond's pistol tear into his chest with white hot pain. Reflex made him pull the trigger of his Winchester and through the agonizing pain that was flaring on his chest, Vin was aware that Charlotte had screamed again as the Winchester's bullet met its target.

Vin was not conscious of much else after the exploding sound of his shotgun dissipated. He felt his legs buckle beneath him as he fell, aware briefly that his gun was no longer on his hand when he hit the ground. Charlotte's cries were still in his ears as she scrambled away, not to him. Vin rolled his head in her direction as he lay on the ground, his eyes taking in the sight of blood pooling under him and rolling in heavy progression across the dirt. He saw Charlotte scrambling towards her husband and would have laughed at the irony of it if the blood in his mouth had allowed him the chance.

Charlotte was weeping over her husband's body and as Vin heard the gurgling sounds emanating from Will Richmond as he clutched his ruined neck where Vin's bullet had hit him, he had some measure of satisfaction knowing that he had been right about his assessment earlier. Vin Tanner was always second best for Charlotte.

As for himself, Vin wondered what was worse, the fact that he was going to die or that he was never going to tell Alex that he was sorry.

Ezra and Nathan heard the gunshots from the saloon and for a moment thought that Mary Travis was in danger. Although they were meant to be protecting the widow, Mary was adamant that her daily routine not be interfered with, mostly because she needed her work to keep her from worrying about her son. Besides, both lawmen could see the widow through the large window in the Clarion's office where she had been working steadily for most of the morning and she appeared safe.

With the eruption of gunfire, both men ran out of the Standish Tavern and noticed that Mary had emerged from her office to investigate the commotion. Nathan and Ezra looked at each other in confusion, trying to discern what new threat had suddenly made its appearance when they became aware of a woman's screaming coming from the direction of the livery. Both men immediately followed the small crowd that was going to investigate and as they approached, heard someone calling out for a doctor.

When Ezra and Nathan arrived, the group immediately stepped aside for the recognized law in Four Corners. Through the rumble of concerned voices as they broke through the ring of townsfolk that was surrounding the scene, Nathan heard a female voice demanding the services of a healer for her husband.

"Let me through!" Nathan demanded as he made his way through the bystanders and emerged to see Charlotte cradling whom Nathan recognized immediately as Will Richmond. Will was holding his throat, gurgling loudly as blood flowed from a shotgun blast to the throat. That he had not been decapitated was a miracle in itself. His blood covered his wife's dress as she held him in her arms, weeping incoherently as she tried to assure him that he was going to be alright. Nathan just had to look at the wound to know that it was not that simple.

"Jesus Vin!" Ezra exclaimed as the gambler reached the prone body of Vin Tanner lying in the dirt, his chest gushing blood so profusely that the dirt was almost covered in it. "Nathan!" Ezra called out frantically as Ezra dropped to his knees next to Vin and tried to stem the bleeding but had not the expertise.

"Christ!" Nathan said tearing open Vin's shirt and seeing the extent of the damage on his ruined flesh. It was difficult to see through all the blood but the bullet had entered frightfully close to Vin's heart and that the blood that was coming from him could only be the result of an arterial rupture. Vin was not quite conscious but his pulse was thready and Nathan knew that he had an hour maybe less before he had lost so much blood there would be no surviving it. Will Richmond's wounds were beyond anyone's ability to heal but there was still a chance for Vin unless the damage was where Nathan suspected it was.

"Ezra," Nathan said quickly, thinking fast what to do because if Vin was hit where Nathan believed he was, the healer did not have the skills to do the surgery. Only one person could keep Vin alive longer than the hour Nathan estimated and she was presently on her way to Sweet Water. "You got to get to that stage and bring Miss Alex back here. I think the bullet's penetrated the heart and if it has, I ain't got the know how to get it out. She does."

Ezra nodded in understanding, realizing that it took quite a great deal for Nathan to admit he was less than capable of helping anyone and Vin did not look as if he had a lot of time. "I am on my way." The gambler rose to his feet and ran towards the livery, making the journey that Vin had never had a chance to finish.

At least she had stopped crying.

Alex dried the last of her tears almost an hour after her departure from Four Corners, unable to believe that she was really leaving. The other passengers in the coach had left her to her sorrow, choosing not to offer any words of comfort or make any obligatory attempts to ask her what was wrong. Alex was grateful for that. She still felt most miserable and wanted to crawl into some dark place and die but for the moment at least, she was no longer a quivering wreck.

As Alex contemplated thoughts about what she would do now, she found fresh pain coming to the fore at the realization she would have to start a new life in a new place. She would miss Mary and Inez and all the friends she had made in Four Corners even though the thing she would miss most was one she was refusing to think about. It would only send her into another fit of tears and she appeared to be out of fresh linen handkerchiefs.

She knew she liked the west and would probably find some other town in the Territory that would be able to utilize the skills of a qualified doctor. Most of her belongings were still in Four Corners and Alex had been in such a haste to leave, she had not made any arrangements for her house or the practice. She thought she might let Nathan take over the premises because she had enough of a fortune to buy another home for herself and land prices in the West was not exactly exorbitant. Sadly, it would not take much for her to set up again and start a new life in a different place, even though she was still very much tethered to the ruins of the old.

The farther away from Four Corners she was, the more Alex wondered if Nathan was right. Perhaps she had behaved rashly by departing. Her life in Four Corners was more than just Vin Tanner even though seeing him on a daily basis would be agony, especially if he took up with Charlotte. Somehow, Alex knew he would not.

The more she tried not to think about the tracker, the more her mind ultimately returned to him and she felt the fresh stabs of pain as memories of him plagued her. Everything from the way Vin smiled at her to the quiet manner in which he humored her when she was in one of her more trying moods.

Before she even knew it, Alex wondered if she was not being a little hasty in her departure from Four Corners. Perhaps, it might have been wiser to spend some time apart as opposed to running out on him because they had argue. For sure it had been a big argument but what had it been about really? They had never discussed the future in any depth beyond knowing they wanted to share it with each other. She knew much of this soul searching had to do with how incredibly much she was missing him at this moment.

Although the old Concord was rocking back and forth, rumbling ahead with the team of horses leading the charge, the passengers suddenly became aware of another set of hoof beats fast approaching along side of them. A single rider, they were able to guess by the swift arrival of the creature, was soon keeping pace with the stagecoach. Alex could see nothing from her side of the carriage but she could hear voices being traded between the rider and the driver. After a few seconds of this verbal banter, the stagecoach began to slow and like all the others inside the carriage with her, Alex wondered the reason for this sudden break in their journey.

By the time the stagecoach had come to a halt, there was enough ire raised by the passengers at this sudden stop to make Alex climb out of the carriage to escape the noise and to stretch her legs a little. Besides, whatever the problem was, she was certain that it would be dealt with eventually. This whole trip was painful enough without becoming additionally agitated over the details as well. She swung open the door and was about to step out when suddenly she saw Ezra dismounting his horse a few feet ahead.

"Ezra?" Alex exclaimed, surprised to see the gambler.

"Alexandra," Ezra replied, lines of worry etched across his face as he strode towards her. "I apologize for this intrusion but you must come back to Four Corners now."

There was enough concern in his eyes for Alex to feel immediately alarmed because she knew he would not have ridden out here for no good cause. "What is it? Is someone hurt?" She demanded, knowing that was the only reason that could justify this sudden appearance.

"Alexandra, its Vin." Ezra said wasting no time identifying the problem and discarding the need for lengthy explanations. She needed to know what was at stake here. "Vin was on his way to the livery when he encountered Charlotte. I do not know the specifics but apparently, he was on his way to catch this stage. He was coming to find you."

Alex felt the air suddenly disappear around her as Ezra's words tumbled from his lips, telling her something about Charlotte's husband having found them at that particular moment and had assumed the worst. Shots were fired and Vin was hurt so badly that Nathan had sent Ezra riding after her. Alex could not breathe for a moment after hearing Nathan's estimation that Vin had no more than an hour. Alex had no illusions to her lover having that much time. Not if a bullet to the heart was a factor in the equation.

"I'll get my bag." She said quietly, brushing past Ezra as she walked towards the driver. "Have my things sent back to Four Corners when you get to Sweet Water, I'm going with him." She gestured to the gambler who was waiting anxiously behind her to begin their journey.

They rode hard and fast back to town with Alex saying little during the trip back to Four Corners. Ezra had no doubt in his mind that she was probably worried about Vin. Secretly Ezra prayed her unceremonious return to Four Corners would not be in vain and that Vin was still alive. What Ezra had seen of his injuries was cause enough to believe that it was a very real possibility. When the gambler had arrived on the scene, he had been just as disgusted to see Charlotte Richmond at the side of her husband, proving once again how correct they had all been in assuming that her estrangement was not as permanent as it seemed. Ezra hoped the woman was satisfied with the knowledge that she may not have just killed one man but two by her irresponsible actions.

"Where is Nathan treating him?" Alex asked they rode into town. As they passed by the livery, Ezra did not need to tell Alex that had been the scene of the shooting. Although the crowd had since dissipated, the crimsons stains of blood seeping into the dirt remained, leaving a grisly reminder of the violence that had taken place only a short time ago. Ezra felt Alex's grip around his shoulders tightened as she realized that some of that blood belonged to Vin.

"I think Nathan was taking them to your clinic because it was bigger and better facilitated." Ezra replied as his horse continued its strong gallop through the community, cutting through the centre of town with enough thunder in its hooves to warn pedestrians on the street to step aside as they approached. It was only a matter of minutes before they arrived at the clinic and Ezra practically leapt off the animal before it had come to a stop. Alex was in no mood to waste any time herself and she dismounted without his help, pausing long enough to retrieve her doctor's bag which was the only thing she had unloaded from the stagecoach before running through the front door of the clinic.

The first thing she saw when Alex burst through the room was Charlotte Richmond weeping.

Judging by the desolate look on her face and by the fact that Mary Travis was offering the woman comfort, Alex guessed that Richmond had not survived the shooting. Charlotte's eyes met Alex's but the doctor refused to offer any more acknowledgment that an icy glare before she turned her attention to Mary. It was just like Mary to offer support to someone in need even though her son was out there somewhere and in danger. But then Mary Travis was like that, Alex decided. She was at her best when things were at their worst.

"Thank God you're back." Mary said clearly relieved at her arrival because Nathan had been unable to save Charlotte's husband and was not certain he would be able to do the same for Vin without Alex in attendance. "They're in there." She gestured towards the partition where Alex could see Nathan's shadow through the white canvas.

Alex nodded, saying nothing as she brushed past them because the only thing that was on her mind at this moment was Vin and the fact that he was still alive. She hurried forward, pulling her gloves off her fingers as she slipped past the partition and saw Nathan standing over Vin. Nathan looked over his shoulder at the sound of her arrival and let out a sigh of relief even though the expression on his face was still grim.

"Miss Alex," Nathan replied as Alex stepped forward, removing her travelling coat before draping it on a near by chair. "I can't remove the bullet." The healer apprised her of the situation as she came to Vin and examined the extent of his injuries. The tracker was unconscious and it was just as well because her preliminary judgement of his state of health indicated that surgery need to be done and very soon. Nathan had managed to stop the bleeding with multiple clamps but not enough. The examination table he was lying on was slick with blood and Alex guessed immediately why Nathan had estimated that Vin had no more than an hour left to him.

"Where is it lodged?" Alex asked, swallowing hard because seeing Vin like this was shaking her resolve to main professional and detached as nothing had ever managed to do. This was not just some patient. He was the man she loved, the man without whom her life would mean nothing. Stop it! She told herself inwardly because this sentimental diatribe was useless to him. He needed a doctor and a surgeon to survive and if she loved him as she knew she did, Alex would have to be that for him.

"It in the aorta." Nathan explained. "I got him open to see what was happening but the fact is, the bullet isn't the only problem. There's a lot of damage that isn't stopping the bleeding even with the clamps."

What an understatement, Alex thought as she took note of the damage and realized any chance of keeping the blood flow to a minimum had flown out the window the moment Richmond had pulled the trigger.

"That's serious but not repairable." Alex responded, realizing that there was more to it than just that. There was something else that Nathan was not telling her and it had to do with all this blood that had left it mark over Vin's pale skin and her exam table. She noticed that Vin's exposed heart cavity had clamps sticking out of it in places as if Nathan had been attempting to re-route the flow of blood to the damaged heart. She marveled at the skill taken to do this from just observation. Nathan had surgical skills that put most doctors to shame and it was to his credit that he had kept Vin alive this long.

"The bullet destroyed a large piece of artery Alex." Nathan said softly and as he saw the colour drain from her face, knew she understood the terrible implications of what that meant.

"We can patch it." Alex said firmly.

"No," Nathan shook his head, hating to be the one to deliver this kind of news. Vin was his friend too and the death of one of the seven was something he had never wanted to see. "Too much was lost to rebuild. We can't fix it."

"We have to think of something!" Alex exclaimed, refusing to believe that there was no solution because the alternative was not something she could accept. "If we don't he's going to die!"

Nathan merely stared at her because there was no way to stop it. Alex felt an invisible fist clench around her heart as she understood what Nathan was trying to tell her. Alex turned to Vin, trying not let the despair over take her as he was lying there oblivious to the sands of his life draining before her eyes. She wanted to hold him in her arms, she wanted to tell him so many things like she loved him and needed him and she understood why he had said what he had because he had been afraid of becoming something she would tire of some day. As if that could ever happen.

"I'm not letting him go!" Alex hissed. "Not by a long shot. This can be fixed. It's just a length of artery!" She was trying not to break down but as it always was with Vin, emotions got in the way of her cool demeanour. "We've gotta think of something else."

"It's a length of artery we can't replace Alex." Nathan argued. "Lord, I don't want this to happen any more than you do." Of course, he could not even begin to imagine what she was feeling and understood that she could not just accept that Vin was beyond either of their ability to save.

Alex wiped the tears from her eyes as she looked at Vin again, feeling a thousand emotions run through her in that one second. How could she survive without him? Take it easy, Alex told herself before she descended completely into panic. Forcing away her fear at the inevitability of his death in the present circumstances, Alex forced herself to think like a surgeon not like the woman who loved Vin Tanner.

While his heart was still beating, there was a chance and she was not prepared to give up on him. The bullet was lodged in the aorta and Nathan had clamped all the other bleeders so oxygen was still getting to his brain but not enough to sustain him for very long without the main artery. The artery had to be repaired before the bullet could be removed and since it was more or less shredded as Alex confirmed when she studied what Nathan had done, its repair was impossible. The only way to save Vin was to magically produce a new length of artery and that was impossible.

Or was it?

"Nathan," Alex said very calmly, her mind attaching itself to an idea, a very bizarre and outrageous idea. "How long has Richmond been dead?"

"Not long," Nathan replied, wondering what this had to do with anything. "Ten, fifteen minutes."

Alex nodded. "So necrosis of the tissue has yet to take place." She mused and lapsed into silence for a few seconds as she considered his words. Nathan knew the look well and knotted his brow as he waited for her to deliver what it was she was deliberating with such intensity.

"What are you thinking?" He asked her cautiously. If there was one thing he had learned about her since they had met, it was that as a surgeon she had no peer. He was good with patients and was able to diagnose things with amazing accuracy but Alex was the better surgeon and Nathan who had seen battlefield cutters at work during the war, could accurately say that she was one of the best. Much of this had to do with her ability to make conceptual leaps and improvise when faced with impossibility.

"Ezra!" Alex called on top of her voice, hoping the gambler was still outside.

"Miss Alex, what are you thinking?" Nathan eyed her as Ezra emerged from the waiting area Alex had provided beyond the partition. He stepped through just far enough so that he was inside the room with them but not close enough to see Vin's exposed innards. Not even Ezra's strong constitution could take the sight of that much blood.

"How is he?" Ezra could not resist asking as he made his appearance.

Ignoring his question, Alex launched into the reason for his summons. "Ezra I need you to go to the Emporium. Julia has a jeweller on staff there."

"Patterson," Ezra nodded, familiar with the name. "I have indulged him in a game of cards on occasion."

"He has a magnifying glass for fine work." Alex said quickly, knowing she had not much time if what she intended to was going to work. "I need it here immediately. Tell him that I need it for surgery or something but get it here fast."

Ezra could not understand why she would need the object but recognized the urgency in her voice to not give her a debate on the issue. Nodding shortly, the gambler left the room immediately as Alex turned back to Nathan. "Get the respirator and keep him oxygenated." Alex glanced at Vin praying this tactic would work.

"What do you plan to do?" Nathan demanded, not liking at all where this was headed.

"Where's the body?" Alex said without answering his question, unwilling to tolerate an argument at this point.

"The body?" Nathan looked at her confused.

"Richmond's body, where is it?" Alex insisted, her voice raising an octave.

"Next door," he gestured to partitioned area. "You can be seriously suggesting what I think you are." Nathan declared as she started out as soon as he had responded.

"It’s his only chance," Alex paused long enough to say.

"It’s experimental and as far as I know, only written about. No one has ever done this kind of thing before Alex. You could kill him."

"As opposed to what Nathan?" Alex met his gaze directly. "You know as well as I do that if we can't repair the artery, he is dead anyway. His blood will slowly suffocate him. This is Vin's only chance!"

"Alex, you ain't thinking straight." Nathan called out as she continued out of the room.

"I may not be," she agreed, refusing to take that much from him. "But I'm still going to do it."

Alex stepped out of the partition and found herself facing Charlotte and Mary Travis. What Alex proposed required Charlotte's permission since she was Richmond's next of kin. Although she had no desire to converse in any shape or form with the woman who had almost destroyed her relationship and might do it yet, Alex had no choice in the matter. To save Vin, she would walk through hell and speaking to this woman was marginally worse than that as far as she was concerned.

"How is Vin?" Mary asked automatically, having seen Ezra run out of here only a short time ago. With Billy gone, Mary could not handle another tragedy so close to her son's abduction.

"He's dying." Alex said coldly, glaring at Charlotte as she made that statement, indicating in no uncertain terms that she felt the new widow was completely responsible for this.

"Oh Lord," Charlotte whimpered. Losing Will was bad enough but now with Vin following close behind, it was more than she could stand. Her grief was made worse with Alexandra Styles staring at her with accusing eyes.

"Charlotte," Alex took a deep breath and launched into the explanation she had not even given Nathan. "Vin's dying. His main artery had been damaged. We cannot remove the bullet in his heart until it is repaired and he will die if it isn't. Now I've got an idea to save his life but I need your permission to perform some minor surgery on your husband."

"But Will's dead." Charlotte muttered in confusion, not understanding what Alex was talking about. "What kind of surgery are you talking about?"

"I need to take a section of undamaged artery from Will to use on Vin." Alex replied, sucking in her breath as she announced her intention, surprised by how calmly she was describing a technique that had only been described in books and medical journals.

"You want cut Will up?" Charlotte exclaimed horrified. "He's dead. Can't you leave him be?" The woman burst into tears, ignoring the issue at hand completely and infuriating Alex to no end because as far as the doctor was concerned this entire mess was Charlotte Richmond's fault. "He's my husband and I'm not going to let you tear him to pieces any more than he already is!" She wailed and started sobbing even louder than before.

Alex glanced at Mary who was edging between sympathy for Charlotte's loss and concern for Vin's life. Mary should not be here, Alex thought. She had enough to deal with already, without paying nursemaid to this foolish woman who had behaved like a teenager and was now weeping because everything had gone wrong and she would lose two men instead of just one. Taking a deep breath, Alex fought to restrain her anger as she turned to Mary and said quietly. "Mary, can I have a moment with Mrs. Richmond, please?"

Mary looked at Alex with uncertainty, unsure whether or not it was such a good idea to leave both women alone with the bad blood that existed between them but could see no reason to deny the request. With Vin's survival vital to Charlotte's agreement to Alex's request, Mary hoped the argument the doctor intended to use was a convincing one.

"Of course." Mary said as she started towards the steps. "Alex, I hope you don't mind if I go make some tea." The blond responded as she made a discreet exit.

Alex waited for Mary to ascend the steps into her house before she turned her attention to Charlotte Richmond. Taking another deep breath, she braced herself for what she intended to do and knew that time was a commodity she did not have. Charlotte was still weeping pathetically as she mourned her husband but Alex felt no sympathy whatsoever, not while Vin was in there dying.

"Now you listen to me," Alex grabbed Charlotte by her chin with such force that she lifted her off her chair. Charlotte squealed as Alex shoved her against the wall and leaned close to the woman, making certain Charlotte could see how determined she was on this point. "I have had just about enough of you and your crap to last me a lifetime Mrs. Richmond. I am not even going to get into what your meddling has done to me and Vin. All I am interested in now is saving his life. Do you understand me?"

"Let me go!" Charlotte struggled to force Alex's hand away but Alex was not going to remove her grip for anything, not until she had what she needed.

"As far as I am concerned, you're just as responsible for Vin as you are for your dead husband. If you want compassion, go to a damned church because you're not getting it from me! I need that artery and I will take it with or without your permission. Now you can withhold it and watch me to take what I need anyway or you can attempt to help clean up this mess you've created before another man dies because you decided that your husband was not good enough for you!" With that Alex released her and Charlotte slumped back into her chair, staring at the doctor in amazement and shock.

"I'm a doctor Charlotte," Alex continued, eyes blazing with fury at what this woman and her selfish desires had wrought to the men who cared for her. "I promise to do no harm but I'm telling you if Vin dies because you're too weak to make a decision to save his life I swear I will kill you myself! Do you hear me?"

Charlotte nodded slowly, wiping her tears as she weighted the words delivered so harshly by Doctor Styles. After a moment, she let out a held breath and met Alex's gaze. She hated Alexandra Styles for what she had said but the truth of words could not be denied. Whether or not Charlotte may wish to admit it, Alex was right. She had brought this upon Vin Tanner and Will Richmond. Will was gone and she could do nothing to change that but Vin was still alive and he deserved to live.

"Go on," she gestured to the room where Will's body was kept, trying not to cry as she conceded defeat. "Do what you have to but save him, please."

"I don't have a choice." Alex retorted. "I have to." With that, she swept out of Charlotte's presence and disappeared into the room where Will Richmond's corpse lay waiting for her to save Vin Tanner's life.

"Are you sure about this?" Nathan asked as Alex once Ezra had returned with the mirror she had asked for, courtesy of Mr. Patterson of the Pemberton Emporium and the vital piece of artery that could possibly save Vin Tanner's life.

Alex met the gaze of the healer and could not say for certain whether what they intended to do could give Vin the chance of life that he almost certainly did not have now. All she knew was that she had to try because the alternative was something she could not endure. "I have to do this Nathan," Alex said softly as she stood poised over Vin's open chest ready to begin the surgery to replace his damaged artery. "If I don't and I let him die, I'll spend my entire life regretting that I never took the chance."

While he was dubious at their chances of success, he had to agree that a slim chance of recovery was better than no chance at all. Alex was one of the most brilliant medical minds he knew and if she believed so earnestly that this could be done, it was impossible for him not to believe it too. Besides, she was right. They did not have a choice and at this point Nathan was willing to try anything to save his friend's life, even this experimental procedure.

Alexandra Styles took a deep breath as she picked up her first instrument and prayed to the powers that be to guide the hands her father had once claimed to be surgeon's hands. Letting out her held breath slowly, she calmed herself down and offered a reminder of what was at stake here as she glimpsed at Vin whose breathing was becoming dangerously shallow despite their best efforts to keep his vitals stable.

The procedure was not complex in theory. With the jeweller's magnifying glass to give her a enlarged view of the delicate organs and veins within the patient's body and every lamp in the room lit so brightly that it was almost painful to look at, Alex was ready to begin. She would have to snip away the damaged section of artery and replace it with Will Richmond's transplant. If successful, the replacement should work as effectively as the one lost, allowing them to finally remove the bullet lodged so precariously in his heart. It was the fine stitching that would ensure the success of the operation and the jeweller's glass would allow the magnification necessary for such delicate work.

"You ready?" She asked Nathan.

The healer nodded. "No I ain't." He admitted honestly and Alex could not fault him for his trepidation. After all, not even a qualified surgeon, let alone a healer attempting accreditation had ever tried what they were attempting to do. Still, while Nathan was anxious about the operation, Alex was not. A strange serenity had come over her. In any other place, she could not be so certain of her actions but being a doctor was the one thing Alex had learnt to have complete confidence about. One could not be any other way when one was a doctor holding someone's life in one's hands.

Alex had never felt that tenet more profoundly than at this moment when she stared lovingly into Vin's face and knew he had always had faith in her to do well by him. That alone, gave Alex the strength to be the doctor that he needed. At this moment of course, he had no idea that she was about to embark on something untried and dangerous to save his life. She hoped he could understand why she was driven to this. Alex wondered if he had any clue that his life was disappearing and somehow God had the audacity to make her the only one who might be able to save it. Enough ruminating, she decided silently. Time was short and they needed to begin. Turning to the instrument tray, she let out another breath.

"Let's do it." Alex said finally and picked up a scalpel.

When Chris Larabee and company rode into town later that evening, his first destination had been the saloon. After searching every possible watering hole between here and Texas, they had come up empty and Billy was still out there somewhere in the clutches of Ella Gaines. Not even bothering to appraise Mary of the situation because until he brought home her son, there would be nothing he could say to her that could make up for this unforgivable situation. He could not blame Mary for her anger because she was right. He should have told her about Ella or at least made her aware of the danger before she had chosen to bring Billy home.

"Why don't you go see Mary," Buck suggested as they made their way towards the saloon. Buck had been told how strongly Mary had reacted to learning Ella's part in Billy's abduction and it pained him to see Chris so tormented. He knew Chris was twisting inside with guilt and wished there were some way to help his friend. Buck knew that if Chris would just speak to Mary, perhaps the enmity between them would end. After all, Chris was the closest thing Billy had to a father and Mary needed him more than ever at a time like this.

"Stay out this Buck." Chris said sharply, his tone so cool and grating that it harked back to the days when they had first set up in Four Corners. Buck hated seeing the return of that somber gunslinger, brooding in dark despair over the guilt of not being there for his wife and child when it mattered most.

"All right," Buck declared, deciding that if Chris did not want to be helped there was little he could do about it. Experience with the gunslinger had taught him that much over the years. Besides, it was not like he did not have problems of his own at the moment, with Inez avoiding him like the plague and maintaining their encounter was just another night, when clearly it had not been to either of them.

"We'd better find Billy soon," Josiah commented as Buck let Chris walk on ahead. "He's getting worse."

"I know it." Buck sighed, giving Chris a pained look as he watched the gunslinger lean across the counter where Inez soon met him to take his order for a drink. "Unfortunately, Ella has got money to hire herself some good talent. Vin tracked her for almost a week after she got away from us and there weren't no sign of her anywhere."

"I wonder where Ezra is." J.D. commented noticing the customary table where the gambler normally occupied to be empty.

"I don't know." Buck replied, noticing that Vin and Nathan were absent as well.

Suddenly, Chris left the bar abruptly and turned back towards them. His expression seemed even grimmer than ever and Buck swore inwardly, wondering what had befallen them now? Did they never get a respite from trouble?

"Vin's been hurt." Chris announced as he brushed past them.

"Hurt?" Buck exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Charlotte Richmond's husband." The gunslinger replied as he continued towards the door and did not have to look behind his shoulder to know that they were soon falling into step behind him.

"Oh shit!" Buck swore knowing how ugly things became the last time Vin Tanner and Will Richmond fought over a woman. "How bad is it?"

"Bad enough from what Inez told me." Chris answered. "Richmond is dead but he got Vin first, in the chest."

Inez had told Chris that Vin had been taken to Alexandra Styles' clinic and Chris hoped his best friend's injuries were not as bad as Inez had described. No one spoke as the party made its way to Alex's clinic as if they had not enough troubles lately. A chest wound could mean anything but if Chris was this worried then they had reason to be as well. Judging by the way their luck had been lately, there was every reason to assume the worst.

After the past few days, Buck had learnt it was not wise to be optimistic about anything any more.

TO BE CONTINUED