Ezra was in a really bad mood. They had made him get up one hour after the sun has risen. If there was one thing in life that he despised it was early mornings particularly this early. He had only gone to bed after midnight. They had not warned him of their early departure because if they had he would have not gotten involved with the poker game that had started in the saloon that night. He wouldn't have drank as much either. And now after being woken up at six in the morning he was riding in the hot sun with a hangover and a stomach that would not sit still. He looked over at Buck and JD who were laughing at one of JD's jokes. Ezra scowled at them. Buck noticed him looking at them with a look that he had worn all morning.

"How ya doing there Ezra?" asked Buck finding it hard to keep the smile off his face. "Still got that hangover?"

Ezra didn't reply, he just gave him one of the most filthy looks that he could put on his face which just made Buck smile even more. He also despised people who could be that cheerful at this time of the day.

"Come on Ezra, it's the best time of the day." smiled JD.

"Mr Dunne, if you would so kindly stop yelling, as you seem to be aggrevating my headache." growled Ezra. He really hated cheerfulness at this time of the morning. He thought about the last six days that they had and hoped that the next six would be better. They had escorted a prisoner to Hampton Creek and were now returning to Four Corners. They had a run in with the man's gang which resulted in an injury to Buck's left arm. He knew that it was not going to be a quiet ride back with these two. For some reason all they did was talk. He at least hoped that it would be an uneventful one - he didn't know how wrong he was. He took out his trustful flask and took a long drink.

Ezra's mood lasted all morning. Buck and JD seemed to be taking enjoyment from talking louder than they should be which had made him even more angry. They had stopped in the afternoon to rest the horses and have something to eat but he wouldn't eat any of the lunch that was made as he knew that his stomach would not take it. But as the afternoon wore on his headache eased and his stomach settled and as his mood improved he started to think that the six day trip might not be so bad after all. That was until they woke him at six again the following morning.

"Mr Wilmington?" Ezra muttered in a voice that was slurred with sleep. "Are you going to get me up at this ungodly hour every morning because if you are I will just shoot you here and now."

Buck smiled at this until he heard the familiar noise of Ezra's derringer being activated and he knew that it was pointed in his direction.

"Whoa there now Ezra you could shoot someone with that thing. And that someone could be me as you have it pointed in my direction."

"You have not answered my question Mr Wilmington."

"Okay we won't make it so early the rest of the trip."

Buck walked back towards JD who was laughing at the situation that Buck found himself in but he stopped when he was told that he was going to wake Ezra tomorrow. Which JD did at seven in the morning and he also faced the other side of a derringer. Ezra was not impressed and he made sure that Buck and JD knew it the rest of that morning. He threatened to shoot them both if they woke him up before nine the next morning. He was really beginning to dislike this trip and his two companions who seemed to be enjoying making fun of him. And to make things worse he had run of whisky, he had emptied his last bottle the night before and drunk the last drop from his flask an hour ago. And he still had two and a half days of this journey to go. And those days included the company of Buck and JD who for some reason couldn't stop enjoying themselves even with the threat of being shot.

They had travelled for another hour, Buck and JD teasing Ezra while he was throwing threats of physical harm back at them when they heard gunshots. All three urged their horses into a gallop. They came to a bend and slowed the horses down. They jumped off and with their guns in their hands rounded the bend in a crouch to make themselves smaller targets. What they saw was a frightened woman who was hiding behind a group of rocks and was also being fired upon by at least eight men. They ran to the woman and crouched down beside her. Ezra grimaced as Buck made his usual introduction.

"Afternoon young lady, may we offer you our assistance in this matter." he smiled at her.

She sat there with a look on her face that seemed to say, 'Well what do you think?' but instead she simply said yes. During this time Ezra and JD had moved in opposite directions and began returning fire. They did not know why these men were trying to kill the young woman. She had no weapons of her own and she seemed harmless enough. They would have to ask her later when they got out of this. They heard a yelp of pain as one of the eight men fell due to one of Ezra's bullets entering his chest.

"Now Ezra isn't this a lot more fun than threatening to shoot JD or myself." Buck called. He still had that grin on his face. But the smile dropped as he saw Ezra take a bullet in his right shoulder.

Ezra had been returning fire and noticed that he had taken one of the men down. Then he heard Buck say something to him which distracted him so he did not see the man come from around the side of one of the rocks to get a better shot at the men who were for some reason protecting the woman. He heard the gun fire and felt the searing pain in his shoulder. He was flung backwards to the ground. He rolled over and in return shot the man dead. He then fell back feeling like his shoulder had been torn from his body.

"Ezra's down." Buck called to JD.

JD turned around to see Ezra lying on the ground. He saw him return fire and then collapse again. He knew that there was not much they could do for him at the moment not with these men still shooting at them. He saw another one of the men fall to the ground. That left six of them. He noticed one of them trying to sneak around this side of the rocks which the man who shot Ezra must of done. JD waited for him to show himself and when he did he shot him. The remaining five seemed to give up then and ran back to their horses and rode off in the opposite direction. Buck and JD waited a couple of minutes to make sure it wasn't a trick and they then ran to Ezra hoping that he was still alive.

Being shot certainly did not help Ezra's mood at all. The pain he felt was agony. And he could only feel the pain in the front of his shoulder which told him that the bullet did not pass through. He could hear Buck yelling to JD that he was down. After a few more gunshots he heard horses galloping off. Then he felt Buck and JD's hands on him and this made him cry out in pain as one of Buck's hands went to close to his wound. He nearly passed out.

"Sorry Ezra. But I have to put pressure on the wound to try and stop the bleeding." whispered Buck. When they had reached Ezra they could see that he was still conscious. He was not moving though and there was a lot of blood. Buck put his hand to the wound to try and stop the flow and this is what had caused Ezra to cry out.

"It didn't go through." groaned Ezra.

Buck and JD heard the pain in his voice and they knew that he was talking about the bullet. Buck removed his hand but the flow of blood from Ezra's wound had not lessened any. He pulled open Ezra's waist coat and shirt causing him to grunt in pain.

"Take it easy Buck, your hurting him." said JD.

"I'm sorry but it's got to be done JD. Now go and get one of your clean shirts out of your saddle bag and any that are in mine or Ezra's so I can use them as bandages." when JD left he took a closer look at the wound. Ezra groaned aloud as he touched his wounded shoulder. Buck couldn't see the bullet and he was worried that it was in deep. If it was it was going to be hard to get out.

"I'm sorry Ezra. I'm going to have to just bandage the wound for now and try and get the bullet out later. We have to get some distance between us and those men in case they come back." he saw Ezra nod his head in agreement. He also noticed how he kept apologising to him and that was because he felt that it was his fault that Ezra had been shot. He had distracted him during a gun battle and as a result Ezra was now lying here with a bullet in his shoulder.

JD returned with the shirts that Buck wanted. He saw how pale Ezra had become just in the few minutes that he was gone. Buck hadn't been able to slow the flow of blood from his wound.

"JD I want you to help me sit him up so I can take his jacket and shirt off. I am going to bandaged his shoulder as tight as I can and then we are going to get the hell out of here before those guys come back."

"Do you actually think that they will return?"

They both turned around at the sound of the woman's voice. She was still sitting where they had left her.

"Yes I do" answered Buck but before she could say anything else he returned his attention back to Ezra.

Ezra grimaced through clenched teeth as he felt JD and Buck lift him up off the ground, he held back the scream that was forming in his throat. As JD supported his weight Buck proceded to remove Ezra's jacket. He felt the pain from his shoulder tear through his body and this time he couldn't stop the scream. JD was relieved when Ezra slumped against his shoulder as he lost consciousness because this would now make it easier for Buck to do what was needed.

Buck rolled up one of the shirts and pressed it against Ezra's shoulder and as he did this Ezra tried to move away from the pain even though he was not awake. He held it there for a few minutes, the pressure causing Ezra to struggle against it. Buck then indicated to JD to hold the shirt against the wound as he tore one of the other shirts apart. He then started to wrap the straps of shirt up and around Ezra's shoulder pulling them as tight as he dared. Once he had done this he put Ezra's shirt and jacket back on him. JD could feel the heat that Ezra's body was already beginning to generate.

"Okay JD, help me ease him back down." They were careful not hurt Ezra as they laid him back down on the ground. Buck could see the blood beginning to soak the bandage that he had only just put on Ezra's shoulder. He put more pressure on the wound and Ezra let out another involuntary groan. Buck was beginning to really worry, if he couldn't stop the flow of blood then Ezra was going to be in real trouble. "JD go and get the horses."

"I don't have a horse." the lady who they had rescued still sat against the rock that they had found her hiding behind.

"Then how did you get out here?" asked Buck who did not look at her, he kept his eyes on Ezra's very pale face.

"They shot it out from under me about a mile west of here." she started to crawl towards Buck. "I only managed to get this far on foot."

JD returned with the horses. He knew that one of them was going to have to double with Ezra as there was no way he was going to be able to sit on a horse on his own even if he was conscious. He saw that the woman had joined Buck and Ezra.

"Okay, you can ride Ezra's horse. He ain't going to be able to for a while." he nodded towards the chestnut bay.

"Is he going to be alright?" she had reached Ezra's side and placed a hand on his forehead feeling the warmth and cold clammy sweat that was beginning to form on his body. He was already developing a fever. He was in a bad way. Your going get a lot worse she thought to herself.

"I hope so, I really hope so." he took his hand away from Ezra's shoulder and watched for a moment seeing that the blood was not spreading as quickly into the banaged, the flow had started to slow. He gave a small sigh of relief but he knew that as soon as they moved him it would only start again. He would have to put pressure on it again once they got him on a horse.

"JD I'm going to get on my horse and then I want you and . . ." he looked towards the woman on was intently watching Ezra.

"Jane" she lied.

"You and Jane" he continued, "to then help me get Ezra up on the horse with me. Then we'll put a couple of hours distance between ourselves and those guys. And then we will take care of the bullet in his shoulder." Buck got up on his horse and with JD and Jane's help they were able to get Ezra up onto the horse in front of him. He kept one arm around Ezra's chest to stop him from falling, making sure that his arm was pressing against his shoulder to try and keep the blood flow to a minimum.

They kept the pace steady knowing that if they went to fast Buck would have trouble keeping Ezra on the horse and if they went to slow they wouldn't get enough distance between themselves and the men that had been chasing the woman that was now riding with them.

"How is he doing Buck?" JD had brought his horse up level with Buck's. He had been riding with Jane trying to find out why those men had been trying to kill her but she must have been in shock as she didn't seem to hear his questions.

"Not good JD, we'll ride for another half hour and then stop when we find some sort of cover."

They had been riding for an hour and Buck was really worried. The flow of blood had eased but it still had not stopped. Ezra's shirt front was now soaked with blood and Buck could feel the heat generating from his body. Ezra had lost a lot of blood and was still loosing it, he had a fever and the bullet was still in his shoulder and even worse was the fact that they were more than two days from Four Corners. Buck had no idea how to get Ezra through this. He wasn't a doctor and neither was JD and yet they were the only hope that Ezra had to survive this ordeal that he was going to go through.

Jason Jackson, JJ to his friends and Mr Jackson to his employees watched as five of his men returned to the ranch with three men down and also without the woman or his horse. He waited till they reached the house before he voiced his anger.

"Where is she?" he knew these men would tell him the truth as they were afraid of him. Everybody in this area was afraid of him and that's the way he wanted it and he also intended to keep it that way. And that is why the woman had to be killed. He couldn't let it be known that a woman had outsmarted him. It would ruin his reputation. And if she had to die to save his reputation then so be it.

"Some men showed up and helped her." said Davies, they had decided to select him spokeperson as they knew if they just stood there when they got back not knowing who was going to speak then Mr Jackson would only get mad and if he got mad enough he might shoot one of them. "They took out three of us but we got one of them. We thought it would be best if we came back and got some more men."

"And how many were there?"

"Um three but they knew what they were doing, it was as though they were professionals. If we all got killed then you may not have gotten that woman."

Jackson wanted to shoot Davies there and then but he knew the man was right, they were only stupid ranch hands anyway, and were certainly not use to doing this sort of work. He had sent his best men off to Hampton Creek to deal with the three lawmen that were escorting his brother to the jail there but they were not succesful. A thought crossed his mind. Three. Could it be a coincidence. The three men would be on there way back to their own town at the moment.

"Did you get a look at any of them?" he asked Davies with a look that said if he didn't then he was going to be in trouble.

"We saw the one that Peters shot. He was dressed fancy with a red coat."

Dawson who had just returned that morning had said that one of the lawmen was wearing a red coat and that he dressed fancy. Said he was a gambler by trade. Dawson was the only to come back after the failure of trying to save his brother. He decided that he and Dawson were going to join the chase and they would also take a few of other men with them so they would end up being a total of ten men. If they can't deal with two lawmen then there was something wrong with them.

Buck was really beginning to struggle with Ezra. He had nearly lost him off the horse three times now. The flow of blood from his shoulder had lessened considerably but they needed to stop and get the bullet out before the wound became infected. To his left Buck saw a small hill with a group of rocks and trees on it and thought that this was going to have to do as they had not seen any other area where they could stop which would supply them with both cover and a view of the surrounding area so they could see anyone approaching.

"JD where going to head up to that hill. We'll stop there for a while."

JD nodded in agreement. He thought that it was a good place but he was also glad they were finally stopping so they could take care of Ezra. They would also be able to find out what happened with the lady that they had rescued and why those men were chasing her. They headed towards the hill not knowing that a group of ten men had just left Jackson's Ranch to come after them with the intention of killing all of them.

Once they reached the top of the hill Buck realised that they actually had a very good vantage point. They could see all around them and they had a clear view of the direction they had just come so if anyone was to follow them they would be able to see them with plenty of time to get away or prepare to defend themselves if it came to the point that they could not move Ezra.

JD came over to help him get Ezra down off the horse. Jane stood to the side watching with wide eyes that looked as though they were filled with shock. She was a very good actress when she wanted to be, she could put almost any type of expression on her face and fool just about anybody. JD almost collapsed under Ezra's weight. Buck quickly jumped down to help JD before he fell. It would have been funny if not for the situation they were in. Together they carried Ezra over to a shaded area next to one of the rocks.

"JD go and get one of Ezra's blankets out of his bag so we can try and make him comfortable. And grab some of his whiskey as well, were going to need it to clean his wound after I take the bullet out." he watched JD move to Ezra's horse and then turned his eyes back to Ezra. "How the hell am I going to get you through this Ezra?" he muttered.

But Ezra did not answer, he had not woken since they left the area where those men had attacked that woman called Jane. He looked through Ezra's coat for his flask knowing that there would be whiskey in it if Ezra needed a drink. He found it in the right pocket of his coat, he also found it empty. He put it aside. JD returned with the blanket and no whiskey.

"No whiskey?" asked Buck amazed that Ezra had drunk it all already, he must have really been in a bad mood. Now they had nothing to disenfect the wound, they were going to have to use water and hoped that an infection did not set in.

"Jane?" Buck called to the young lady that was still watching them.

She took her eyes off Ezra's still form and looked up at Buck.

"Do you think that you could try and collect some firewood for a fire. Were going to need one."

"Yes of course, it's the least I could do." she moved away and began collecting pieces of wood humming a tune to herself.

"Do you think a fire would be safe Buck, I mean what if those men come back, they'll see it and then know exactly where we are." asked JD.

"We don't have a choice JD. I'm going to have to get the knife hot and clean before I try and get the bullet out and then I will have to fuse the wound to stop the bleeding completely and also to stop any more dirt getting in. Now come over here and help me with his coat and shirt again."

By the time they had done that Jane had returned with a bundle of firewood and began to make a fire close to Ezra who had still not responded to anything that JD and Buck had just done when removing his upper clothing. Buck removed his knife from it's scabbard and placed it in the water that he had put on to boil like he had seen Nathan do once. While Buck and JD had kept their attention on Ezra Jane slipped something out from her sleeve and placed some sort of powder into the water that Buck had put on to boil. This was the thing that she loved to do most and that was to watch people suffer. She had wanted to make Jackson suffer but he had found out what she was doing so she was not able to get her fun and she needed to have her fun. And it was this man that was going to take the punishment. She had nothing against him, he had tried to help her with his friends. He just happened to be in the wrong situation at the wrong time.

Buck was also going to use the water to clean the wound and some of it to clean his hands before he began not knowing about the powder that Jane had put in the water and what it will do to Ezra. He motioned JD towards Ezra. JD moved to his left side, he knew that Buck wanted him to hold Ezra down while he tried to get the bullet out. He hoped that Ezra did not come around anytime in the next five minutes. He had already seen him go through this sort of pain before and he didn't really want to see it again. And he didn't want Ezra to go through it but he knew that they had no choice in the matter, it had to be done or Ezra would die.

"Hold him down JD, I will try and get this done quickly but it is going to depend on how deep the bullet is." he looked down at Ezra's pale and clammy face and then at the wound. He took a deep breath and began what needed to be done. He used his fingers to open the wound. Ezra still didn't respond to this. Buck was beginning to think that there was something seriously wrong as he should be showing some sort of response to this. He pushed the wound open more. Ezra moaned slightly at the touch to his wounded shoulder.

He could not see the bullet, it had gone deep. He was going to have to put the knife in to feel around until he touched something hard and hope that it was the bullet but he had to be careful that he did not cause any more damaged with the knife. He took another breath as he had been holding the last one. He placed his fingers deeper into the wound to widen it and then he used the knife to feel in the wound. He then got some response from Ezra but it was not a lot. He simply groaned and tried to move away from the pain. JD held him still while Buck continued to probe the wound for the bullet. This went on for a few minutes, Buck trying to find the bullet, Ezra moving away from the pain and JD holding him still.

"Found it" cried out Buck. "Now if only I can get it . . ." Ezra was beginning to respond more strongly now as Buck used his fingers to get the bullet, he had to go in deep. His teeth were now clenched against the scream that wanted to escape from his throat. He was beginning to come round.

"Hurry Buck he's starting to wake up." JD was worried.

"I've got it now, there it is." said a relieved Buck as he showed JD the bullet. He turned back to the wound that was now bleeding heavy again. "JD pass me that hot water there and a piece of that shirt that I tore up before."

Buck soaked the cloth and began to wipe away the blood from Ezra's shoulder, who had clenched his teeth against the pain. He was now conscious and could feel everything. It was agony to him. But not as bad as before. JD fought hard to keep Ezra still. Buck cleaned the wound as quickly as he could. It was hard work with Ezra struggling underneath the pressure of the cloth on his shoulder. His continued to keep in the cry of pain that was threatening to escape from his mouth. He did not loose consciousness this time. He had to suffer the pain until Buck finished cleaning the wound. When Buck had finally finished he put the cloth aside and looked at JD, he picked up the knife that he had put back into the fire and before Ezra could realise what was going to happen he placed the knife against the open wound to burn it closed. That was it for Ezra, he let Buck and JD know this by screaming out against the pain. Buck only placed the knife on there for a few seconds but it felt like a life time to Ezra. The pain did not last long enough for him to pass out so he lay there gasping in breath as the last of the fire in his shoulder eased to a painful ache. But the pain did not end there. Buck and JD still had to bandage the wound and put his jacket back on to keep him warm as they were going to have to put the fire out soon.

And while this happened Jane sat to the side watching as they tended to Ezra's wound and all the time she had a smile on her face. She now knew what was in store for this man and it was not going to be pleasant. She was beginning to finally enjoy this.

She was really enjoying herself now. First she got to damage JJ Jackson by getting his brother arrested and stealing all the cash that they had at the ranch which totaled six hundred dollars and she also stole his best horse. He was going to be really mad when he finds out that his men shot him out from under her. He loved that horse. And now she was going to sit by and watch this man suffer instead. What made it more enjoyable was that he had tried to save her and she was going to repay him by making him sick and if he was not strong enough to fight the poison then he would also die. The bullet wound itself may cause him to weaken and therefore not have the strength that he would need to survive it. This is going to be a lot of fun she thought.

After they had bandaged Ezra's wound and put his clothing back on JD had soaked one of the other pieces of shirt in cold water and begun to wipe the sweat off Ezra's face. Even through the damp cloth he could feel the heat that was still radiating from Ezra.

"Do you want some water Ezra?" asked JD. When Ezra weakly nodded yes JD got up to get a canteen. When he returned he helped him drink some of the water. Ezra found it hard to swallow and he ended up having a coughing fit which sent a searing pain through his shoulder. It caused him to cry out again. Buck and JD supported his weight until the coughing stopped and then helped him back down onto the blanket.

Buck was worried about what they were going to do. He had done his best for Ezra and he hoped that it would be enough. It was his fault that this had happened and if Ezra died he would never forgive himself. He looked over at Jane and decided that he should finally find out what those men wanted and if they would be back. He left JD with Ezra and went and sat next to her.

"Do you want to tell me why those men were chasing you."

"I'm a woman, what other reason do they need." she thought that this wasn't really a lie as that sort of thing happened a lot out here. A woman on her own had to be careful, she had to learn to protect herself and this is something that she did and did well. She had a way of dealing with people, she liked to watch them suffer and she found the best way to that was to give them the posion herbs that she always carried. She had also learned to get what she wanted from people either by force or by conning them and she made a career of both and she was good at it. But sometimes she made a mistake as she did with Jackson. He had come home early and caught her stealing his money. But she was ready for that situation. She had pulled a gun on him and made her escape on his precious horse and that was why he was after her. But she didn't tell this man that. "I was riding my horse because it's something I enjoy doing, when I ran into them. They wanted something that I didn't want to give them. I took off and they came after me. They shot my horse and I made it to the rocks and that's when you and your friends showed up to help me. And I am grateful for your help, I just hope that your friend doesn't die because of me. Do you really think that they will come after us?"

"I do yes, we killed three of them and they will probably want their revenge and no it's not your fault. You can't blame yourself for something someone else has done." Buck assured her.

"Buck." JD called to him. Buck turned around and saw the worried look on his face. He knew that JD would take it really hard if Ezra didn't make it. He wondered how everyone else would, especially Chris. He still had mixed feelings about Ezra even after everything that had happened to the gambler lately. And he had been through alot and now this. But he had survived, he didn't know if Ezra had the luck of the devil or not. It wasn't luck that caused him to suffer as he had and is now but it was luck that got him through it. Luck and his ability to take care of himself. It was something that he was used to doing as he never had anyone to rely on to help him out of a dangerous situation. Even now with six friends to help he still needed convincing to take their help sometimes.

"He's getting worse. We have to get him back to town, he needs Nathan."

"We will start moving shortly, just give him an hour or so to get over what he just went through and then we'll head back to town and if it comes to it you can ride on ahead and get Nathan. Okay"

"Sure." JD forced a smile on his face. He was slightly relieved at Bucks suggestion that he could ride ahead to town. The sooner they could get Nathan to help Ezra the better.

Once they had waited an hour Buck checked to make sure that Ezra was able to travel. He was conscious and in a lot of pain but he stated that he would be able to ride but Buck knew better though, Ezra was being his usual stubborn self. He looked weak, and his pale clammy skin held the redness of a fever. He was worried that if they started towards Four Corners and they only got a short distance and Ezra could no longer travel then they would end up being in a dangerous situation if the other men showed up. But they could not stay here either because Ezra needed a doctor and Nathan was two days away. They had to leave, he really didn't have a choice. He would have to double with Ezra again, this time keeping his arm away from the wound. If they find somewhere along the way to hide with plenty of cover then he would send JD on to town to get help.

JJ and his men arrived at the area where they had caught up with the woman who had called herself Samantha. Dawson got off his horse to look for any tracks that would show the direction the people they were after had headed. JJ paid Dawson a lot of money for his services as he was a very good tracker and killer. And he also loved his work.

"They are riding three horses, one of them is carrying two men. And they have gone West. They must be headed back to Four Corners."

"That means that there are four people and three horses." he turned toward Davies. "Did you shoot one of their horses by mistake?" he was courious as to why this was.

"No." Davies was looking at the ground. He was unable to look his boss in the eye.

"Then she let my horse go then, did you find him?" he was beginning to think that something was wrong with his horse as Davies would not look at him. "What happened to my horse?"

"Pauley, um, accidently shot him out from under her about a mile back. Killed him." Davies knew that one of them was going to die for this. He just hoped that it wouldn't be him. He was wrong.

JJ took out his gun and killed Davies instantly. He had loved that horse. Now they were down to nine men but that didn't matter because they should still be able to take care of three lawmen. They headed West after the lawmen and the woman.

Ezra did his best to help when JD and Buck got him onto the horse. It had caused him a lot of pain but he tried not to show it, Buck then got on behind him and put his arm around his waist. Ezra began to protest against this, that he could sit on the horse on his own but he was ignored. Buck had seen the pain on his face when he got on the horse and knew that he must have just managed it without passing out. He was going to hold on to him because the last thing he wanted was for Ezra to fall off the horse and cause himself further injury. They had been riding for ten minutes before Buck realised that Ezra had passed out. He could feel the sweat off Ezra's body soaking his own shirt. An hour later he also noticed that he had begun to shake uncontrollably. JD was right he was getting worse. It must be the fever he thought. Buck was finding it hard to keep him on the horse again. They were going to have to stop. It was getting close to nightfall also. He would keep an eye out for a place to hide hoping that the men who were following them would also stop for the night.

JJ Jackson had called his men to a halt at the base of the hill where Buck and JD had stayed to take care of Ezra's wound before moving on. He sent some men to the top of the hill to make sure that they were not hiding there. He then decided that they could stop for the night as the men that they were chasing would also do this as they would not travel at night time with a wounded man. He also prefered to catch up with them at day time.

JD stopped his horse and went to help Buck with Ezra, they had to stop as he could not travel any longer because his condition was getting worse. There was not a lot of cover to protect them but at the moment they had no choice. Jane put some blankets down on the ground and they made Ezra as comfortable as they could get him. He was still shivering in spite of the fever that was raging through his body. They could not make a fire as it would only alert anyone to their position. Buck could do nothing for his fever except wipe his face and chest down with a cool cloth because it was Ezra who had to fight it off. Buck opened his shirt and pulled the bandaged away to check the wound, Ezra groaned aloud at the touch to his shoulder. It was still closed and it hadn't started bleeding again which was a good sign and he could also see no sign of an infection - there was no redness or swelling so he could not understand what was causing such a bad fever - Jane knew though but she had not intention of telling him. If only Nathan was here, he thought to himself. He would know what to do.

"Is the wound infected Buck?" JD had moved next to Ezra's side. He could feel the heat without even touching his skin.

"No"

"Then why is his fever so bad?"

"I don't know JD." Buck really had no idea what was wrong with him. All he could hope for was that the fever would go down on it's own because he had no idea how to get rid of it. Ezra had this type of fever after the wound that he received from Hanley had become infected but this wound was clean. He continued to use the damp cloth to wipe his face. He was becoming very worried.

Ezra woke up a short time later. He was not feeling well at all and he knew that it was not the bullet wound that was in his shoulder. He had a terrible headache and he was feeling pain throughout his body. Even if the wound had become infected it would not make him feel like this. He knew this because of the last time he had a wound that had become infected. And he did not feel anything like this. The pain that he was feeling was a sharp pain and it was beginning to cause him to grimace.

"Ezra, what's wrong?" asked JD who could see the pain showing on his face.

Ezra looked up at JD, he tried to focus but his vision was blurry. He tried to speak but found it difficult. The pain was becoming worse. He could feel it everywhere. He suddenly groaned aloud as the pain became even worse. He tried to roll over so he could curl himself up against it thinking that it might help him but he felt another pain tear through his right shoulder and he voiced his agony once again.

"Ezra?" what the hell is wrong he thought. "Buck! Something is wrong with Ezra."

Buck had been keeping watch making sure that no one was coming after them. He asked Jane to take over as he went to JD to find out what was wrong. Jane though preferred to watch what was going on with Ezra. He was in the first stage of the poison and that was the pain that he was now feeling. It would last most of the night and she did not want to miss any of it.

Buck could see what was wrong before he even reached Ezra. He seemed to be in a lot of pain. He was also fully awake.

"He was okay a minute ago but then he woke up like this." JD was scared. He saw the confused look on Buck's face and that scared him even more. If Buck didn't know what was wrong then how could they help Ezra.

Ezra had begun to try and roll on his side again, he was gasping for breath as the pain was making it hard for him to breath.

"Ezra, you have to keep still or you will open up the wound." said Buck as he tried to ease Ezra back down.

"It hurts." grimaced Ezra through clenched teeth. "It hurts all over."

"Let me check your shoulder again just to make sure it isn't infected?" it was all Buck could think of. But the wound was fine. There was no infection, no redness and no swelling just like before.

Jane was watching. If only they knew she smiled to herself. She had done this plenty of times before, most of the men surviving, some dying. She wondered if this one will die.

Buck looked up at JD with a hopeless expression on his face. He was no doctor, he didn't know what was wrong with Ezra and he didn't know how to help him. There was nothing he could do. JD understood the look.

"In the morning we are going to head for home. His shoulder seems to be fine, it doesn't look like any infection is going to start but what ever this is. . ." Buck shook his head. "We can't leave him out here like this, we have to get him to Nathan. He'll know what to do." he didn't sound very sure though.

They took turns watching over Ezra and keeping lookout for the gang that may have been chasing them. They watched him suffer the pain that they could do nothing to ease. His fever did not get any worse but it did not improve either. He was unable to lie still and Buck had to keep checking his shoulder to make sure that he did not open the wound. They couldn't get him to drink any water so they also began to worry about dehydration.

"This is all my fault Ezra." muttered Buck thinking that he would not hear him. "It was me who got you shot and now for some reason you are going through something we can't do anything about."

But Ezra did hear him. He would have said something if he could manage it but he was in to much pain. He didn't know if he could go on like this, he just wanted the pain to go away. The pain was constant, it didn't seem to ease at all. He felt the cold damp cloth being placed on his forehead, it seemed to help the headache he had but that was all it did. He could feel the fever going through his body, he felt hot and yet cold at the same time. The shivering that wracked his body at times made the pain that he was feeling even worse. After a while he started to shake again but this time the shaking did not stop. He couldn't stop it. He began to moan out loud at the pain as it was becoming so sever, he felt like he was dying.

Buck had tried to help Ezra by wiping his forehead with the damp cloth but he did not know if it was doing any good. Ezra had started to shake again like he had done on the horse. He was also moaning in pain. He had pratically crawled up into a ball. Buck had tried to ease him back onto his back but Ezra wouldn't move. Buck was scared, he thought that Ezra was dying.

Four hours later the pain had finally stopped but it had left Ezra extremely weak. Although the pain had stopped his fever had not gone down at all. When Buck had finally gotten him to drink some water Ezra fell into a deep sleep. He did not move which was a complete contrast to how he had been for the last six hours. Buck also noticed that his breathing had become shallow. He did not tell any of this to JD as the boy was worried enough as it was.

It was still dark and daylight was two hours away but Buck made a decision. They were going to head towards town. If they stayed here with Ezra in the condition that he was in he might die. They had to get him home and he would just have to try and keep Ezra on the horse with him as there was no other way to get him there.

"JD were leaving." there was no need to wake JD or Jane as they were not able to sleep either. JD because he was worried, Jane because she was to excited at the thought of what was happening. It was better than she expected it to be. And to watch these other two worry so much about him. She was really enjoying herself. She usually watched the people she gave the poison to suffer on their own. She made sure that there was no one else around to help them because if they were to get them to a doctor they would figure out what was wrong with them. But she didn't have to worry about that here. They were nearly two days away from town and by the time they got there he would probably be dead.

JD did not argue, he went to get the horses. It took and them a while to get Ezra on to the horse with Buck as he was still unconscious, they weren't able to wake him. After two hours the sun had begun to rise in the distance. They were not making a lot of distance becuase they had to move slowly. Ezra had still not woken up and Buck noticed that his fever was beginning to rise. He was sweating even more and because they had not been able to get any fluids back into his system he would also be suffering from dehydration as well by now.

They had now been travelling for five hours and the pace was steady. Buck had actually found it easier to keep Ezra upright without him moving about. But it was this lack of movement that had him scared. It was only the rise and fall of Ezra's chest that gave him any comfort. It was only this that told him that he was not dead.

"Anything?" asked JD looking at Ezra, he didn't want to look at Buck because he would see how worried he was and that scared JD. He knew there was nothing they could do for him but Buck being this worried made JD think that maybe Ezra was going to die. He didn't want that. He thought of Ezra as a very good friend, something that he had not told Ezra. Even amongst the seven of them Ezra still did not have a lot of friends. They had come to trust him with their lives, they worried about him when he was hurt but would they actually call him a friend. JD didn't think so. But when this was over he was going to tell Ezra how he felt.

"No nothing, not a movement and not a sound."

"Do you think that he's in one of those coma things that Nathan talks about?"

Buck hadn't thought of this."Could be JD and if he is then the question would be why is he in one. Nothing else has happened to him." he was totally confused and scared all because there was nothing that he could do for Ezra except to get him back to Four Corners where Nathan could hopefully help him.

Jane was riding behind them. She had been up level with Buck but nothing was happening at the moment she would have to wait till later when he woke up. She smiled at the thought but that smile dropped off her face when she saw the wagon heading towards them.

Buck and JD saw it too. "There is that luck of the devil that Ezra has." said Buck as he remembered the thought that he had about that earlier. He looked sideways at JD and saw the relief on his face.

As the wagon drew closer he could see that there was a woman driving the horses. He couldn't see that there was anyone with her. Why would a woman be out here on her own and then he thought about Jane. She had been on her own. Didn't they realise that it could be dangerous out here for a woman on her own. The woman on the wagon could see the four people on three horses coming towards her. One of them carrying a man on the horse with him and who looked as though he was unconscious. They did not look dangerous, they actually looked scared. The woman wondered if this had something to do with the man that was not moving. He actually looked like he was dead. There seemed to be no sign of life. She pulled the horses to a stop and waited for them to reach her. She was going to let them make the first move.

Buck moved his horse on and struggled more to keep Ezra from falling. This was exactly what they needed to get him back to town a lot quicker than they would be able to if they kept going like they were. He just needed to convince the woman to go back the way she had come. When they closed the distance between themselves and the wagon Buck showed the relief that he was feeling.

"We sure are glad that you came along. We need to get Ezra back to Four Corners and we could do this with your wagon if you would allow us to use it that is." Buck smiled hoping that the woman will realise that he wasn't dangerous.

"You seem to be doing alright on your own with him." she could see that they weren't but she had to be sure about them before she made any decision to help them.

"Only just. We really need to get there in a hurry and I am finding it hard to keep him on this horse with me."

She looked at JD and saw the pleading in his eyes, then she looked at the woman that was riding with them. She took an instant dislike to her. "There is something wrong with that one." she thought.

"What's wrong with him anyway?"

"He was shot and . . ." said JD but before he could go any further Jane butted in.

"And the men that shot him are still after us." she said this hoping that it would scare the woman who would then say no and continue on her way. She somehow knew that she was not going to be able to enjoy herself as much with this woman around.

"We have a bit of distance between us and them though and they won't be able to catch us if we could use your wagon. We will be able to go alot faster. He needs a doctor, we patched him up but there is something else wrong with him and we don't know what it is." said Buck quietly hoping that the woman would still help them.

The lady did not say anything for a few minutes. It was as though she was thinking if it was worth the effort to help them. She took one look at the man that was resting against the man's chest not moving. She could see the sweat that was on his face and knew that he had a fever. The wound must be infected she thought.

"You know that it would mean that I have to turn around and go back again. I just spent two days on the road and I was hoping to get to Hampton Creek by day after tomorrow."

"Please! He might die." pleaded JD.

Buck thought that she was going to say no. He was willing to force her by the use of his gun. But she didn't.

"Alright." she finally agreed. Put him in the back of the wagon.

Both Buck and JD gave a huge sigh of relief hoping that Ezra now had a chance. Jane though had a look of disgust on her face as she watched the back of the woman as she made her into the back of the wagon. Buck and JD went around to the back. JD got off his horse and again helped Buck get Ezra off the horse. They both carried him to the wagon feeling the heat burning from his skin. The lady that agreed to help them opened the cloth that covered the wagon.

"Bring him in here." she gestured inside the wagon. "I have moved some things so you can lie him down in here. Then one of you tie your horse to the back because your going to drive the wagon while I check on your friend."

"Thanks, we really are gratefull to you for doing this, Miss . . ? questioned Buck.

"Just call me Jean." she answered with a smile on her face.

They managed to get Ezra into the wagon and laid him down on the blanket that Jean had supplied. Buck decided that it was he who was going to drive the wagon leaving JD free to continue onto town if he needed to. Jane for some reason had decided to stay on Ezra's horse and not in the wagon. Buck noticed that her mood seemed to have changed. Once they got Ezra as comfortable as they could he turned the wagon around and headed for Four Corners.

Buck kept looking back into the wagon at Jean who was checking on Ezra's condition. She seemed to know what she was doing and what she should be looking for. Ezra still hadn't woken or moved since they put him into the wagon. Jean placed her hand on Ezra's forehead and felt the fever burning underneath her hand.

"How long has he had this fever?" she asked Buck.

"He got it more or less soon after he got shot, it got worse yesterday but it stayed steady and has gotten even worse in the last few hours."

Jean rumaged through the things in the wagon untill she found some material that she could tear up. She then soaked it in water and placed it on Ezra's forehead. She looked at his face and could see that beneath the sweat of the fever that he was a very handsome man. "Where was he wounded?" she asked again.

"In his right shoulder, I had to get the bullet out as it didn't go through. There's no infection if that's what your thinking." he turned around to watch again and saw her open Ezra's shirt and loosen the bandage so she could have a look.

"Your right, there is no infection." she was curious as to what was wrong with him. So she continued the questions while she kept her eyes on Ezra's face. "Are there any other symptoms that he has had?"

Buck was very relieved, Jean might be able to help Ezra. "Last night he suffered very bad pains through his body. He seemed to be in agony. It lasted about six hours and then he went to sleep and his fever got worse. He hasn't changed since then."

"Has he had any type of sickness recently?"

"Are you a doctor or something? You seem to know what your doing." Buck was feeling more relief with each question she asked.

"No." she didn't say any more.

"Do you think that Ezra's sick?"

"I'm not sure. I bullet wound would not usually do this to someone unless it was infected. Now answer my question please."

"Well I wouldn't really call it a sickness but he has had some injuries in the last couple of months." Buck began to tell Jean what had happened to Ezra from the infection that he had to the beating that he received from his Uncle.

"My God." she placed her hand against Ezra's cheek and wondered why a man would have to go through something like that. "I don't think that would do it. Has he been anywhere near a sickness, like someone else?"

"No he hasn't." Buck became very serious. "Jean, do you think he is going to die?"

"I don't know Buck." Jean looked up at him. She had asked who they were when they had headed back towards Four Corners. "But I can tell you that he seems to be in some sort of coma. His fever is high but not dangerous at the moment. We will have to keep a close eye on him untill you get him home."

JD rode with Jane but he was not able to get her into a conversation. He thought that she was worried about Ezra and the men that are probably still chasing them. But that was not the reason, she was angry, her plans were going wrong. He would be waking up soon and going into the next stage and she was going to miss it because this other woman had decided to help. If they got Ezra to the town they were headed for quickly enough then he was going to survive. JD gave up and headed up to the wagon to see how Ezra was doing. Buck told him there was no change but he did seem more confident as he said that Jean seemed to know what she was doing.

The Jackson gang had begun moving as soon as it was daylight. JJ wanted to catch up to the people that he was chasing. He knew that it would not be long now. It was a couple of hours before they found the area that they had spent the night. And then later in the day they found the place in the road where they had met Jean. Dawson told JJ that a wagon had turned around here and that it was possible that it was the way that they were now traveling. If they were traveling faster now then they would only be a little over a day from Four Corners and he decided that they should move quicker as he wanted to get them before they reached there.

It was only a few hours till nightfall and they were making better time now with the wagon as they were able to move a lot faster. Ezra seemed to be comfortable in the back and Jean was taking good care of him. His fever had not lessened any though. Jean was wiping the sweat from Ezra's face when he moved. He grimaced against some sort of pain that only he could feel.

"Ezra." she said gently not wanting to force him awake. She wanted him to wake on his own. Buck turned at the sound of her voice.

"Is he waking up?" he asked.

"Maybe." she continued to wipe his face watching for any other movement. It was a few anxious minutes before he did move again. "Yes he is coming out of it."

"Buck?" Ezra croaked, his throat sounding dry.

"I'm here Ezra. JD!" he called.

"Please don't yell." moaned Ezra as Buck's loud voice made him grimace against the pain that was in his head. He felt like he had a bad hangover. "Where are we anyway?"

Jean watched him closely for any sign that might tell her what was happening to him. He had still not opened his eyes and he was in some sort of pain. She could see this on his face.

"Your in my wagon." Jean said quietly.

Ezra open his eyes at the sound of a female voice. He winced at the small amount of sunlight that was shining through the wagon. It took him a few moments to adjust and then he opened his eyes more widely. He looked towards the sound of the voice that he had heard. He saw a young woman sitting next to him. He could not see her too clearly as his vision was blurry. He tried to focus but he couldn't.

"Do you think that you could drink some water?" she asked him looking into his green eyes. She noticed that he seemed to have trouble focusing on her.

He nodded his head and grimaced again at the pain that he could feel. He felt her hand under his head to help him lift himself up and he drank from the cup that she had placed against his lips. He drank slowly as it hurt to swallow. It caused him to cough and he felt pain in his chest. He lowered himself down hoping that the pain he had before was not going to come back.

During this time JD had arrived to find out what was happening glad to see that Ezra was awake. Buck had slowed the wagon down so that he could join him on the driver's seat. He looked at Buck and could see the relief that was on his face but then it turned to worry again as he heard Ezra coughing. They could tell by the look on Ezra's face that he was in pain and hoped that he was not going to go through what he did before.

"Ezra?" Jean said again. "Do you think that you would be able to tell me what you are feeling at the moment? What you say might help me work out what is wrong with you."

Ezra turned his head towards her and she could see many emotions flash through his eyes. He could still not focus though. He went to nod at her but changed his mind as he knew that it would only cause his head to hurt. He spoke slowly. He had to stop at times to catch his breath.

"I seem to have a very bad headache and my vision is blurry . . . I'm having trouble breathing and my chest also hurts . . . my body is aching but not as bad as before." he stopped here to get his breath. He also closed his eyes again as the light was causing them to hurt.

"You also have a fever." Jean added for him. "The pain that you had last night, it was bad."

Ezra nodded and regreted it. "It was all over my body, like someone took a razor to me." he grimaced at the thought.

Jean thought about this for a moment. "You were feeling fine before you got shot?"

"Yes."

Jean noticed his expression change as though he was trying to hide something. "Buck, I don't know if Ezra is sick. It seems to have come on to sudden. He should have felt some symptoms first. Headache, tiredness, loss of appetite. Did you notice any of these or did he mention anything to you?"

"It's hard to tell with Ezra. He's very stubborn and he wouldn't tell anyone if he was not feeling well. He did have a headache though but as far as I know it was due to a hangover." Buck had a confused look on his face as he was wondering what Jean was getting at. "What's wrong with him then?"

Jean thought she had an answer to that confused look but she did not want to voice it yet as she was not positive. "Let me think on it a bit longer. But I will tell you this, the sooner you get to Four Corners the better. We should stop for a couple of hours to rest the horses and then keep going."

Buck just felt all the confidence that he was starting to feel that Ezra would be alright drain out of his body. He looked at Jean. She was watching Ezra. She noticed that he had fallen asleep again. She placed her hand on his chest and felt it slowly rise and fall again. She also heard a slight rattle in his breathing. Thirty minutes later Ezra had begun to toss and turn on the makeshift bed that Jean had prepared for him. His fever had suddenly gotten a lot worse. Jean noticed a movement behind the wagon and saw Jane watching Ezra. She thought she saw a smile on the woman's face but it was gone before she could confirm it.

Jean looked back towards Ezra. She had to watch that woman Jane she thought to herself as there really is something wrong there. The heat coming off Ezra's body had increased. The fever was causing to him to thrash about. She tried to hold him down but in even his weakened state he was to strong for her.

"Buck I need some help here. He's going to hurt himself."

Buck made a movement to stop the wagon. "If your going to help then get JD to drive, we don't have time to stop."

He passed the reins over to JD who had not gotten back on his horse as he wanted to stay close to Ezra in case he woke again. He looked back to see Jean struggling to keep Ezra still. There was not a lot of room in the back of the wagon and he could easily hit his head against the side. He glanced at Buck as he passed him on his way into the wagon.

"I want you to hold his shoulders down. I'm not to worried about the rest of him but I don't want him hitting his head." As Buck held Ezra down Jean continued to wipe Ezra's face and chest with the damp cloth being careful of his shoulder wound. He was not getting any better and this confirmed her suspicions of what was wrong with him. Buck was worried sick about the whole situation. He seriously thought that Ezra was going to die. He watched as Ezra continued to move about and then he stopped. He just lay there not moving. Buck thought it was like last time, that his fever had broke but he was wrong.

"Has his fever broken?" he asked Jean hoping that she would say yes as Nathan had done that time.

Jean felt Ezra's forehead and kept her hand there for a few more moments. She looked up at Buck. "No, it's still high."

Buck hung his head and then turned to look at JD. "JD get your horse and head to Four Corners as quick as you can and get Nathan and the others. We'll keep moving through the night." JD took one last glance at Ezra hoping that it was not the last time that he would see him alive. Buck moved back up and took the reins that JD had dropped and watched him ride off towards town silently praying that he would get help back to Ezra before it was to late.

"You really care about your friend don't you?"

Buck actually smiled at that idea. "Yes, but the only problem with Ezra is that you don't want to admit it until something like this happens. He doesn't really know how we feel about him. He is finally accepting the fact that we think of him as a friend and are concerned about him in situations like this but he doesn't know how we would feel if we lost him."

Jean looked at Ezra, watched him move his head side to side but not with as much vigor this time. Why would it be so hard for them to tell this man what they thought of him. "Have you ever tried telling him?"

"You don't know Ezra."

"Mother?" muttered Ezra.

Jean quickly turned back to Ezra thinking that he had woken up but he was still in a deep sleep. She could see the sadness on his face as he asked for his mother. "It's alright Ezra, your going to be alright." She brushed some of his sweat soaked hair away from his forehead.

"Mother, don't leave me again. Please." there was also sadness in his voice.

Buck also heard it. He and the others knew very little about his relationship with his mother. They had all liked Maude, she told them stories of Ezra when he was a child but they were funny stories that did not include details of their real relationship. Ezra himself had never told them anything in regards to his mother or his childhood. Buck was aware of him being left with his Uncle Jack but what he was saying made it sound like leaving him with relatives was something that she did often.

"Mother!" the sadness in his voice was changing to anger. "Why do you keep leaving me?" he was starting to thrash about more now but it was due to the anger that he seemed to be feeling.

"He's becoming delirious." said Jean. "How long do you think it will take JD and your other friends to get back to us?"

"Normally we wouldn't get to town until the early afternoon tomorrow but if we keep going through the night like you suggested then we will save about about nine hours and with JD on a horse and then them coming back I would say hopefully about three or four hours."

Jean hoped that would be soon enough. She hoped that the one called Nathan would have what they needed to get the poison out of his system. She had decided that Ezra had been poisoned in some way. It was the only way to explain what was happening to him. Poison seemed to work in stages, they suffer from severe pain which then can cause a bad fever and even a coma and Ezra had gone through all of these stages. And he said that he had been fine before he got shot and Buck said that he had seen no symptoms that he would have had if he was becoming sick. Jean had learnt a lot about this in the war when she used to help take care of the sick. Some of them had suffered from some sort of posioning due to things that they ate or drank. If only they knew what Ezra had eaten or drunk. She still did not want to tell Buck what was wrong with him as he was already worried enough. If he knew that Ezra was suffering from poisoning then he would give up hope as most victims die from it. But what she did not know was that the woman following them and who was constantly watching Ezra suffer was the person responsible for what he was going through.

She began to run her hands through his hair hoping that it would comfort him and noticed that it was working as Ezra had become quiet again. His tossing was begining to slow down until he stopped altogether. He just lay there then very quiet, very still and his breathing becoming even more shallow.

Jackson and his men were only a couple of hours away from catching up to Buck and the others. He was not a stupid man and he realised that they were now able to travel faster because they would have put the wounded man in the wagon and that they may also even continue on until late in the night so he decided that they would also keep moving until they got close enough to see them and as soon as it became daylight they would make their final move.

He knew what he wanted to do to the girl when he got his hands on her and the men who helped her. First he would make them watch as he finished what his other men had started with the gambler and then he would kill them because they had jailed his brother and helped this woman who had stolen what was important to him.

Jane who was riding behind the coach began to smile again as she listened to the conversation between Buck and Jean. It would only be a few hours before Ezra would get the help that he needed. She did not know if this help would save him though as he was now in the last stage where it was just a matter of time before he died. It was now a waiting game. One that she was willing to play. She watched and she waited.

Jean had moved up behind the wagon hoping that she would be able to watch Ezra when the delirium started. She was smiling when she saw the woman who had ruined her plans look at her. She quickly dropped the smile hoping that she did not see it. But she was glad that she was going to be able to watch. She smiled again when Jean looked back at Ezra.

JD was riding as fast as he could, he had to stop every now and then to rest his horse because he knew that if he pushed him to hard that he not make it to town and he would have to travel the rest of the way on foot. He was still an hour from town and he hoped that Nathan and the others were there. They would need Nathan to help Ezra and the rest of the guys in case the men that had shot Ezra in the first place caught up to them. Buck and JD knew that they would be following them but they had not found them when JD had left, he hoped that they had still not found them.

Jackson and his men were getting closer, it was now dark and they expected to see something ahead of them at anytime.

Jean had to keep her hand on Ezra's chest to make sure that he was still breathing, because it had become so light that she could not tell by just looking at him anymore. His fever had still not improved.

"Buck can we go any faster?" she saw the look of worry on his face as she asked this question.

"Is he dying?" Buck was feeling guilty over the whole situation. He still blamed himself for Ezra getting shot. He did not know what was causing his sickness but he thought that it would have to do with him being shot therefore if he died then he would be to blame.

Jean couldn't lie to him. "Yes he is." she saw the worry turn to determination as he sped the horses on. She turned back to Ezra and looked at the slack expression on his face. She knew he was near death, that he would probably only have a few hours left at the most and they had to do something fast if he was to survive.

JD could see the lights of Four Corners in the distance and hurried his horse on. When he finally reached town he headed straight for the saloon expecting to find most of the other lawmen there. He brought his horse to stop and jumped off. He didn't even bother to tie the reins to the rail post, he just dropped them where they were and rushed in side. He looked around and saw the four of them sitting at the same table. He let out the breath that he was holding as he had feared the worst which was that he would not find them here and he'd then have to waste precious time finding them.

He ran to the table. The others looked up to see JD standing there trying to catch his breath. They glanced behind him expecting to see Buck and Ezra but they weren't with him.

"Where's Buck and Ezra?" asked Chris.

"We got to Hampton's Creek after some trouble but on the way back we helped a woman who was being shot at by a bunch of men and Ezra got shot . . ."

The four men jumped up together. "Where is he?" demanded Chris.

"It's not that." continued JD. "Buck fixed up the wound fine there's no infection or anything but there's something wrong with him. I think he's dying."

Nathan stepped forward then. "What do you mean dying?"

"There's no time to explain. Buck sent me on ahead to try and save time, we have to get back to them and help him. Jean's doing the best she can but he's not getting any better. I don't know if he will still be alive when we get to them." JD headed towards the door knowing that they would be following him. "The men that attacked the woman may still be after them too." he added.

Chris didn't ask anymore questions. If it was as bad as JD said then they couldn't waste any more time, he would ask his questions later. When they got outside they saw the condition that JD's horse was in.

"Don't bother with your horse JD just grabbed one of the others standing there and we will explain to the owner when we get back." Vin nodded towards a bay gelding standing next to his own horse. JD let go of his own and got up on the fresh horse then he turned back towards the direction he came in and took off a gallop with the others following him, all of them instantly worried about what he had said about Ezra.

Jackson heard Dawson before he saw the wagon. "There they are." he called to him.

He smiled at the thoughts that were forming in his head of what he was going to do them. He was going to follow the plan that he had decided on earlier until Dawson told them that there were only two horses with the wagon with the woman Samantha was on one of them. That meant that either one or two of them were missing. One of them could have even gone onto Four Corners to get help. They had to act now before it was to late.

Jane was still riding behind the wagon. The best part was over now. She thought that she heard noises behind her and she turned around to see a group of horses heading towards them. She was unable to make out any faces as it was to dark but she knew who they were. She pulled her horse around the side of the wagon and took off yelling at Buck on the way that Jackson was behind them and coming on fast.

Buck looked over his shoulder and saw the men heading towards them. They were still an hour away from town and he did not think that any of them had a chance unless JD and the others showed up shortly. He urged the horses on and as he did so he told Jean to get down.

Jean didn't need to be told twice but what she did do was to place her body over Ezra's to protect him from any bullets that were going to be coming into the wagon. She could feel his light breath on her cheek and his weak heartbeat against her own. The heat coming off his body was starting to make her sweat. She looked behind her to see the men gaining on them.

"There getting closer Buck."

He turned around to see that what she said was true and he also saw that she was protecting Ezra with her own body. He couldn't get the horses to go any faster. He could see Jane in the distance in front of them. He thought that she was going to do what he had JD to do and that was to go ahead of them to get help, maybe she will run into the others and tell them what was about to happen. He didn't realise that she was just protecting herself.

Jean heard the first bullet and expected it to enter her body at any second. She was relieved when it didn't. She saw that Buck was still urging the horses on which meant that he had not been shot either. But they were getting closer and it was only a matter of minutes before they caught up to them. She heard another gunshot followed by more. She felt the bullets hitting other parts of the wagon and then she heard Buck grunt in pain. She looked up to see him bent over. She saw the blood flowing from his upper arm. The horses began to slow as Buck was unable to hold the reins in his right arm. The Jackson gang drew closer. As they caught up with them they gathered round the wagon and told Buck to pull the horses to a stop which he had to do with one arm. It took a few minutes but the horses eventually stopped. Dawson got off his horse and went over to the wagon and dragged Buck off the wagon seat. She then saw some of the other men enter the back of the wagon. They looked at her then at Ezra.

When Buck felt the bullet enter his arm he knew that it was over. He wasn't going to be able to keep the horses going now. He saw the men out of the corner of his eyes and heard them yell at him to stop the horses. Their only hope now was JD and the others. He felt the arms grab him and pull him from the wagon. He stood there holding his arm hoping to stop the blood that was flowing from the wound and as he did this he watched as others went into the back of the wagon. He saw Jean being dragged out by the arms and then pushed into the direction of where Buck was standing. He then saw two men carry an unconscious Ezra out and throw him onto the ground in front of their leader. He remaind there without a sound or a movement coming from his body.

The leader turned to him. "Where's Samantha?" he saw the confused look on Buck's face. "The other woman that was riding with you, the one that you protected from my men."

"Jane?" questioned Buck wondering why the man had called her by a different name.

"Whatever she called herself it doesn't matter, I just want to know where she is."

"She rode on ahead when you guys showed up." stated Jean. She was watching Ezra, she couldn't see his chest rising and that scared her. She could not tell by looking at him if he was still alive.

Jackson saw her watching the man lying on the ground. He looked at the other man and smiled. He moved his gun towards Ezra. "Tell me or he dies."

"She rode off when she saw you coming." Buck growled at him. He was worried sick. He had stopped looking at Ezra because when he did so he thought that he was dead. But he did see the man point his gun in Ezra's direction. Buck closed his eyes as he heard the gunshot.

Chris and the others had heard the gunshots and hurried the horses even more. When they saw a figure on a horse heading towards them they drew their guns but JD stopped them. "It looks like Jane, the woman we saved."

Jane saw them and stopped. She had no other choice but to carry the game on. "Jackson and his men found us, I came to see if I could find you. There only just around the corner up there you have to hurry. " she turned and pointed in the direction that she just came from.

They rode up to the corner and then got off their horses. They went on foot from there so as not to alert anyone that they were coming. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what was ahead on them. They could see a group of men surrounding a wagon, Buck was standing amongst them holding his right arm and then two men had taken a women from out of the back of the wagon. Then they saw Ezra being carried from the wagon and dropped on the ground and they had to take control of the emotions that they suddenly felt at the sight of him not moving, wondering if what JD had said happened - that he might be dead when they reached them. They could hear voices but couldn't make out the words. The one that looked like the leader pointed his gun towards Ezra. Vin's natural reactions took control of the emotions that he was feeling, he lifted his rifle, quickly took aim and fired his gun. The man who was about to shoot Ezra dropped to the ground.

Buck opened his eyes expecting Ezra to be dead, if he wasn't already that was. But what he saw was the leader of the gang dropping to the ground himself. He quickly grabbed Jean and pulled her to the ground as the bullets started flying again, he knew that the others had found them. Jean shrugged off his hand and moved to Ezra intending to protect him again. But she also needed to know if he was still alive. She reached his side and rolled him on to his back. She let out a sigh of relief when she could feel his weak heartbeat against the side of her face. Buck joined her and she saw the look on his face and she smiled at him and nodded that Ezra was still alive. But she knew that he was only just alive.

It did not take long for the other five men to deal with the Jackson gang. Because most of them were ranchhands they just dropped their guns not wanting to die. Dawson though had other intentions but Chris stopped him with a bullet to his chest. As they rounded the rest of the gang up Nathan and JD ran to Buck and Ezra.

"Is he . . .?" JD couldn't finish the question.

"Not yet." answered Jean

JD felt relief and then dread as what she said made him realise that Ezra could still die.

"Are you Nathan?" she asked.

Nathan nodded.

Jean put it simply. "He's been poisoned."

JD and Buck looked shocked, she didn't tell them this.

Nathan though reacted as he usually did. "Do you know what it is?"

"I'm not sure, it could have been something he ate or drank."

"But we all ate the same thing, and we even had some of his whiskey so we would be sick as well if it was that wouldn't we?" said Buck. How could he have been poisoned he thought to himself.

Nathan started to examine Ezra. "I can save you the trouble and tell you what he has been through." said Jean as she looked down at Ezra. She placed her hand on his forehead feeling the fever that was still burning within his body. It only took her a few minutes to tell Nathan.

The others had finished tying the rest of the gang together against one of the trees. Nobody wanted to stand guard as they all needed to know how Ezra was. They gathered around the small group that was with Ezra. Jane stood to the side. She wanted to leave but that morbid enjoyment that she had at watching someone die kept her there.

"From what you have just told me I don't think that it is a natural poison, I think that he has been given something."

"But who would do that?" JD was shocked.

Buck remembered that the leader of the gang had called Jane by a different name. He looked around for her and saw her standing near by watching them. He got up to get her but he suddenly felt dizzy due to the wound to his arm. In all that had happened and his worry for Ezra he had actually forgotten.

"Take it easy there Buck." Josiah helped him back down. "Nathan I will take care of Buck's arm while you help Ezra."

"JD go and get Jane and don't let her get away, I think that she has something to do with this." grimaced Buck as Josiah started to help him get his jacket off.

JD went to question him about it but the look on Buck's face told him that he knew something that he didn't. He went over to Jane and asked her to join them. He took her by the arm and led her back to Buck and the others who were all watching her wondering who she was and why would she have something to do with Ezra being poisoned.

Buck spoke in a tone that told her that he was only going to ask her once and once only. "Did you do this to Ezra?"

She knew that the actual game was over but she could at least enjoy their reactions to what she had to say. "Yes" she smiled.

JD's mouth dropped. "Why? We helped you when those men were trying to kill you. Ezra got shot trying to help you. Why would you do this to him?"

She continued to smile seeing the reactions on their faces. "Because it's what I like to do to people. I get enjoyment out of watching people suffer and die which is what he is going to do shortly."

Every single man there wanted to hit her but they wouldn't because she was a woman, but Jean would. She had felt the anger build up in her when she heard this. Why would anyone do this to a person. She looked down at Ezra and knew that he did not deserve this, no one would. She got up and closed her right fist making sure that her thumb was on the outside just as her brother had taught her and walked up to Jane and hit her as hard as she could. Jane screamed out in pain as Jean had actually broken her nose.

"How do we help him?" she looked down at her but Jane just smiled through the pain.

Jean turned to the nearest man and put her hand out. Vin knew exactly what she wanted and did not hesitate to give her his gun. Jean pointed it at her and put a smile on her own face.

"If you don't tell me I will kill you!

"If you kill me then you won't be able to help him." she was still smiling. Jean wanted to wipe that smile off her face. The others were watching and waiting to see if this woman can convince her to tell them how to help Ezra.

"If he dies then I will kill you. Just because I am a woman does not mean that I won't." and to prove her point she pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed into the ground less than an inch from Jane's face. She flinched but she still did not say anything.

"Tell me!"

"Jean."

They all turned at the sound of Nathan's voice.

"It's too late. Ezra's dead."

Nathan had said this hoping that the woman will tell Jean how to help him. If she thought that he was dead she may say something. He saw everyone look at him, their faces full of shock. Jean looked back down at Jane and aimed for the middle of her forehead. Jane saw that this woman was now going to kill her because the man had finally died.

"Don't you want to know how you could have saved him?" smiled Jane.

"There is no use now as you killed him and now I'm going to kill you." but Jean hesitated waiting to see if she was going to say anything.

Jane removed a small pouch from her left sleeve. "This is what I gave him. And this is what could have saved him." she took out another pouch this time from her right sleeve and she began to laugh as she saw the look on Jean's face. "All you had to do was mix a small amount of it with water and made him drink it. Simple as that and it was here all the time." she couldn't stop laughing now.

"Thankyou. That's all I needed to know." Jean reached down and grabbed the pouch out of her hand. She knew that Nathan had lied she could tell by the look on his face when he told her, he did not look as shocked as the rest.

Jane stopped laughing and started to get up but Vin pushed her down again. "Don't!" was all he said.

"JD get me a canteen and a cup please." Nathan thought that he was going to have to repeat himself but JD finally moved.

"Nathan." he looked up at Chris who a cold look on his face. "Don't ever do that again."

Nathan expected Chris to smile then but he didn't. What he had said must have really scared him. JD returned then with the water and a cup.

"How are you going to do this Nathan?" asked Jean. "He probably won't be able to swallow it, he might choke."

"We have to do it this way we don't have any other choice." he answered. He watched as Jean mixed some of the powder in the water. She then handed him the cup. "Will some of you please sit him up."

Josiah and Vin lifted Ezra up by the shoulders so he was in a sitting position. Josiah supported him against his own chest feeling the heat from Ezra's body through his own clothing. Nathan squeezed Ezra's nose between his fingers until he opened his mouth to breath, he then poured a small amount of the liquid into his mouth to see if he would swallow it or not. Ezra coughed and Nathan was worried that he was going to choke but he had also swallowed so Nathan did it again until the mixture was gone.

"Is that it?" asked JD. "Is he going to be alright now?"

"I don't know JD. We have to wait now."

Josiah picked Ezra up and carried him back to the wagon. He looked down onto Ezra's pale face. He now knew how he would feel if they lost him. He thought that they all would know now and he wondered if any of them felt as bad as he did at the thought. Jean followed him. After they had made Ezra comfortable Nathan, Buck and Jean headed towards town while the others untied the remaining Jackson gang and put them on their horses along with Jane. They then followed the wagon. Jane had played the waiting game to see Ezra die and now the others were going to play it to see if he lived.

Nathan kept glancing back making sure that Ezra was still with them. Both Buck and Jean were in the back of the wagon with Ezra, it was crowded but neither of them would leave him. Through the entire journey back to town Jean her hand on Ezra's chest again to make sure that his heart continued to beat. His heart beat was still very weak and his fever still high. When they finally reached Four Corners it was early in the morning. Nathan had to carry Ezra this time as Buck was not able to. They placed him on the bed in Nathan's room. Jean helped him remove Ezra's upper clothing, she had left his jacket on due to the cool night air. She turned her back though when Nathan had removed his pants. He then covered Ezra with a blanket. When she turned again he was checking his shoulder. He then made sure that he was comfortable. After he was done he turned to Buck.

"Buck come over here and let me take care of that arm."

While Nathan did that Jean got a bowl and put some water in it. She found another cloth and went over to the bed. She pulled up a chair and began to wipe the dirt that was on his face away. Once she had gotten it all she placed the cloth on his forehead and sat back and began to wait.

"Why don't you go and get some rest. You deserve it." Buck and Nathan had come over and joined her. She looked up as she heard Buck's voice.

"If you don't mind I would like to stay here for a while."

"Sure. Just don't make yourself sick." said Nathan. He saw Buck nod towards the door. Nathan quietly left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Jean, I want to thank you for what you have done for Ezra."

"You're welcome Buck. But so far I have not done enough for him." she smiled as she looked at Ezra.

"You don't have to stay. If you are still in a hurry to get to Hampton Creek we can send you a telegraph and let you know how Ezra is."

"I couldn't leave now Buck. I don't know Ezra but I do need to know that he's going to be okay. And I don't want to stay in another town waiting for a telegraph to tell me if he lived or not. Does that sound weird to you?"

"No it doesn't." He pulled up another chair and sat down next to Jean. "Your a remarkable woman Jean. Doing all of this for a complete stranger."

"From what you told me about when you first found that woman you, JD and Ezra would have done exactly the same thing for anybody else."

Buck nodded in agreement. They then sat quietly and watched Ezra both with their own thoughts and worries.

Outside Nathan watched as the other lawmen rode into town with their prisoners. They looked at him on the way by, with questions on their faces.

"He's still alive." answered Nathan.

They continued on and after they had put the prisoners in jail they joined Nathan outside his room. They also began to wait.

One by one they had taken turns to go into Nathan's room to sit with Ezra. They were able to talk Jean into taking a break every now and then so she could have something to eat and to also sleep. But she never slept very long. She had to be with Ezra, she didn't know why. She didn't even know the man. The only reason that she could think of was that she was curious as to what he was like. It had been fourteen hours now and Ezra's condition had still not changed. He still had a fever and he had not moved. She was at least grateful that he was still alive. It meant that the powder that Jane had given them must be some sort of cure but she thought that there should have been some change by now. She had continued to wipe his face of the sweat that had kept gathering there.

During the time that she was there at least two of his friends would sit with him and the others waited outside. She could not understand the sort of relationship these men had with Ezra. From what Buck had told her Ezra knew that they considered him a friend and yet watching their reaction to his near death showed that they really cared for him but for some reason they seemed to have a very difficult time telling him this. She considered that this may be one of the reasons that she stayed. She also wanted to know if there was something about Ezra that made it hard for these men to talk to him.

She was wiping his forehead again when she realised that his fever had gone down. Chris and Josiah were in the room with her at the time so she asked Josiah to get Nathan.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Chris

She could see that he was still worried. JD had told her that it was this man who had the most difficult time dealing with Ezra, that he had never really accepted Ezra as part of the group even though he was the one who had asked him to join them and that he did not fully trust Ezra.

"His fever has come down." she reassured him.

She could see his shoulders relax as Nathan came into the room followed by the others.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Everyone's eyes were on her.

"His fever has come down." she repeated.

Nathan came over and placed his hand on Ezra's forehead. He did feel cooler to the touch. "Jean's right. It should only be a matter of him waking up now."

Everybody in the room let out a sigh of relief but before they could ask any more questions Nathan hurried them out of the room.

Three hours later when Ezra woke up Buck and JD were with him. They had convinced Jean to get some sleep before she made herself sick. They did not know why she was still here taking care of Ezra. He had asked her and she had given him a reason but now that she knew he was going to be okay she had still not left. They had been sitting quietly playing a game of cards when they heard a moan coming from the bed. They both looked and waited just in case it was their imagination but the moan came again. They went to the bed and saw Ezra laying there with his eyes open looking up at the ceiling.

"Ezra?" Buck called expecting a sarcastic comment from Ezra in return. But he did not say anything, he didn't even acknowledge that Buck was there. Buck became worried. "JD go find Nathan."

JD left the room to look for Nathan as he and the others were no longer able to sit and wait, they had begun to do things to occupy themselves. On the way he saw Jean and told her what had happened. She ran to the room to find out what was wrong with Ezra. What she saw was Buck leaning over him calling his name.

"What's wrong? Is he awake?" she moved to the bed to find Ezra awake. But he did not seem to know that they were there. "Ezra?" hoping that he would turn towards the sound of her voice again but he didn't.

Nathan came into his room then followed by JD and Chris who had seen JD hurry towards Nathan in the saloon.

"Nathan I don't know if he is awake or not. His eyes are open but he won't acknowledge us."

Nathan gently moved Jean and Buck away from the bed he then sat down on it next to Ezra. He looked into his eyes and then in front of everyone he slapped Ezra across the face. They heard him grunt and take in a quick breath and they him saw jerk out of the state that he was in. Ezra blinked a few times and then his eyes moved towards Nathan who saw his eyes focus with recognition.

"Nathan" he groaned."If it's before ten in the morning I am going to shoot you."

When Ezra woke again Jean was alone with him. She saw him open his eyes and look around the room until his eyes rested on her.

"Good morning Mr Standish." she smiled. Jean did not want to use his first name as he probably did not remember her from the time that he had spent in the back of her wagon travelling to Four Corners.

Ezra smiled back at her. He recognised her as the woman who had help him. "Thankyou." he whispered.

Jean continued to smile. "Your welcome." was all she could say.

In the next few days as she had watched Ezra recover slowly from the poison that Jane had given him she had gotten to know him better. She told him what had happened to him. They talked a lot over those few days but the time had come when she had to move on to Hampton Creek as she had family waiting there. She was dreading saying goodbye to him.

When she went to say her farewells Chris and Josiah were sitting with Ezra. She asked them to leave so she could speak to Ezra alone.

"Ezra, I have to go on to Hampton Creek now. I just wanted to say goodbye before I left." she could not look into those green eyes as she felt guilty. Ezra had become a good friend in the last few days. She was able to speak to him about everything. He had even told her things about himself that he had not told the others or anyone else for that matter, not even his mother. She knew that they would continue to be friends as they had agreed to keep in contact.

"Do you have to go so soon." he asked.

"Yes. I should have been there nearly a week ago, but . . ." she smiled knowing that it was not his fault that she was delayed. "JD and Buck have my wagon out the front, their going to ride with me to Hampton Creek to make sure that I get there okay."

"Jean. I really am grateful for what you did. You risked your own life to help me and you did not even know me."

"I couldn't let you die Ezra, besides JD and Buck were very convincing."

Ezra frowned at this. Jean knew that the others still had not talked to Ezra about what had happened and how they felt when Nathan had lied telling them that he had died. She would have to have a quick word with them before she left. Before she could stop herself she quickly bent down and gave Ezra a gentle kiss on his moist lips and walked out of the room without looking back.

Ezra just sat there stunned at what she had done. She really is an amazing woman he thought to himself. He closed his eyes and fell asleep with the feeling of her soft lips still on his.

"Gentlemen." Jean said as she left Ezra behind in Nathan's room. "I want you to tell Ezra how you feel about him. I know it will be hard but you need to tell him and he needs to know." she watched them as they all looked down at their feet. "I won't make you promise but if you could do it in your own time."

They nodded back at her. She smiled and left them standing there while JD and Buck got onto their horses and she got up onto the wagon. They watched her drive off grateful for what she had done for Ezra. Grateful that he had not died. They all silenty agreed to talk to Ezra but they did not know when that would be or how they would even do it but they knew that they had to. He was a friend and they cared for him and they will tell him that but they had to do it in their own time and when they felt that he was ready to hear it.

The End