azombiewrites (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
azombiewrites) wrote2009-04-28 07:09 pm
azombiewrites) wrote2009-04-28 07:09 pm
The Magnificent Seven Fic - 'A Dark Past' - 3/6
Title: A Dark Past
Second story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The seven hired lawmen are asked to escort a stagecoach and witness to Rock Falls. Amongst the passengers is Ezra's Uncle who has a dark past.
Main Characters: Ezra Standish and the rest of the seven
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Beta: Not betaed – written in the early days when I didn’t know what the words grammar and edit meant. *shamed*
Notes: Second story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 19,173
Part Three
On top of the hill to the West, the same two men that were watching the seven lawmen in Four Corners were watching them again. They waited as the group packed up camp and headed out to Rock Falls. The two men returned to the gang that counted in all, fourteen.
"We'll wait till they get to the pass and then we’ll take care of that witness and the others," growled John DeAblo. He motioned for his gang to mount up and they then headed in another direction towards the past.
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Langton, Forster and Jack Standish were riding in the stagecoach discussing the seven men that were escorting them to Rock Falls. Only two of them knew the real reason for the escort. One was the witness and the other worked for the DeAblo gang. He had hoped that one of the other two would slip up in their conversation and say something that might let him know which one it was. They had all kept to themselves and stayed away from the gunmen not wanting to let them get a chance to work out who was who. Now they were sitting there - one hoping to get to Rock Falls alive and the other waiting for the DeAblo gang to attack.
While they were discussing their situation fourteen men were getting closer to the pass that the stagecoach was going to go through. They were hoping to ambush them, thinking it would be easier as they knew the reputation of the seven gunmen and didn’t want to take any chances.
While Vin and Josiah drove the stagecoach, and the others kept their eyes open, Chris tried to speak to Ezra who had been riding behind the coach ever since he had his turn driving it with JD. Chris had nodded at Nathan as if asking for good luck and then hurried his horse on to catch up with Ezra.
"Ezra," greeted Chris. He wanted to start off on a good foot, if he got on the wrong side of Ezra he would never get anywhere with him and that meant not finding out what was wrong.
"Mr. Larabee, what can I do for you?" Ezra asked knowing what the conversation was going to be about.
"Just wanted to know if you’re feeling any better since this morning. Has the hangover gone?"
Ezra winced at this, more in memory than in pain. "I’m fine thank you. I seem to keep telling you this but for some reason you don’t want to believe me," he looked at Chris "Now what do you really want?"
Chris looked straight back at him making sure that none of the frustration that he was feeling showed on his face. He was determined not to get angry. He understood Ezra more now after the Hanley incident and knew that showing any anger just made Ezra's defences stronger and harder to penetrate.
"I would like to know what’s going on," Ezra continued to look at him. "You just got back to your normal self but ever since your Uncle showed up you have been very distant. You have hardly eaten anything and all you seem to want to do is drink from that flask of yours. Now usually I would just let you get over it but were on a job here and your mood and drinking could get one of us killed." Chris returned the stare.
Ezra looked away. He still didn’t want to tell anyone about his Uncle. He still felt ashamed and was beginning to think that they would think that he was a coward for not standing up to him. Therefore, he decided to give Chris a different story.
"I told you that it has nothing to do with my Uncle. You may have noticed that we don’t get on but that is not the problem. I also told you before we left Four Corners that I didn’t feel up to this job. Maybe I’m suffering some sort of relapse, I don’t know. But there’s not really a lot that I can do about it as you made me come along anyway."
"Now why don't I believe you, Ezra?"
"Probably because you still believe me to be liar," retorted Ezra.
Before Chris could give him an answer he heard Vin call out that, they were nearing the pass.
"We'll continue with this later, Ezra." Chris rode on to the front of the coach that had stopped about a mile from the opening of the pass.
"What do you want to do, Chris, go on through or go around it," asked Vin. "Seems to be the perfect spot for an ambush."
"We'll go around it. It’ll put an extra half a day to the trip but better safe than sorry."
The men on the stagecoach heard this and one of them had hoped to himself that DeAblo would consider this situation. They needed to get the witness before they got back to town.
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DeAblo hadn't thought about it. He and his gang had reached the pass about half an hour before they expected the coach to arrive. He had though, brought a pair of binoculars so he could watch it as it got closer. It was through these binoculars that he saw the stagecoach change direction. They were going to go around it.
"Shit!" he muttered to himself. "They're going around."
The rest of his men just looked at him. They knew that he was not as smart as his brother and they were only following him so they could help their real leader out.
"We’re just going to have to go after them. Probably won't work but we have to try something. I want six of you to go on through the pass and wait for them in case we don't get them," he growled. The other eight rode after the stagecoach.
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"Chris, there's dust coming up behind us," yelled out JD.
They all looked behind them and saw the dust. They all knew instantly that riders were coming on fast. Because the DeAblo gang had come from within the pass, they hadn’t seen the dust until they were nearly on top of them.
"There’s no cover here so we’re going to have to try and outrun them. Let's go."
Vin whipped the horses on and the others urged their horses into a gallop as they took their guns out of their holsters.
JD felt the first bullet that was fired whiz past his ear. He turned on his horse and returned fire. Josiah was also returning fire from the roof of the stagecoach using the rifle that was kept there for such a reason as this. He saw one of the riders that were chasing them fall from his horse. This left seven that continued to chase them and fire upon them. Chris watched as another fell after being shot by his gun. Buck felt a tug at his coat sleeve, glad that the bullet didn’t actually draw any blood. Another gang member fell, this time due to Ezra's gun. The bad guys were beginning to be out numbered but they continued the chase. They were determined to get what they wanted. Vin continued to urge the horses on. He looked behind him to see the men that were chasing them. The others kept themselves between the stagecoach and the gunmen that were chasing them. Josiah fired upon the ones that wondered to the side of the coach making sure that they were not able to get a shot into the coach.
The man in the stagecoach gripped the handle of his gun. He would shoot the other two here and now but it would only mean his own death at the hands of the remaining lawmen and he didn’t want to die yet. He waited for an opportunity where he could take control of the situation.
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After another one had fallen from his horse, the gang leader pulled the others to a halt. There were only four of them left. They were now completely outnumbered. The leader decided to allow the stagecoach to go on and that they would follow at a distance until the coach ran into the rest of the gang because with them in front and the remaining four behind, the coach and lawmen would not have anywhere to go.
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Chris saw the gang stop, turn around and head back the way that they had come. He motioned to Vin to stop the coach. He wanted to make sure that the passengers were okay. The man inside had decided that this would now be his chance to get the upper hand thinking that the coach had stopped because of his boss's brother. Ezra was the first to reach the coach. He jumped off his horse without bringing it a halt first. He opened the stage door only to find Langton's gun pointed directly at his skull. Before Langton could blink, Ezra had ejected his own derringer and pointed it back at him. The others came to a halt to find Langton and Ezra standing face to face with their guns pointed in each other's direction.
Vin and Josiah watched what happened and knew that there was nothing that they could do to help Ezra. If they tried anything, the man would simply shoot him. Maybe Ezra would also get off a shot but they were not going to risk it. The others had also come to a stop next to the coach and watched as the dangerous situation unfolded. They knew that Ezra was quick with the derringer that he kept up his right sleeve but they were amazed by his reflexes and how quickly the derringer had appeared in his hand. They watched as Langton stepped down from the coach, his gun still pointed in Ezra's direction. Ezra stepped back not letting his gun waver. The others had no idea what to do, they actually felt very hopeless. They knew that only Ezra could get himself out of this one.
"Well Sir, I guess that we’re going to have to decide amongst ourselves which one of us is going to die," drawled Ezra.
"Huh," The other man said. He was lost for words. He thought that he was going to get the upper hand but instead found himself in a life or death situation. By looking at the expression on the other man's face, he thought that it was going to be his own death. He was very shocked by his actions, he thought that he would simply step back from him and then he was going to use him as a hostage. Instead, he had pulled a gun on him with lightening speed. Now he had no idea what he was going to do. Then the other man spoke as though this was something that he did every day.
"I said that you and I are going to have to decide which one of us is going to die," repeated Ezra.
Langton still didn’t say anything. Ezra started to move in a direction that took Langton's gun away from the direction of any of the other men so when he made his move no one else would be accidently shot. Langton followed him not allowing Ezra to move out of the sight of his gun.
"Who is it going to be then? I myself am not ready to die, are you?" Ezra asked him.
Langton was completely dumfounded. How can the man be so calm? "Um, no." was all he could say.
"We’re certainly in a predicament then are we not," smiled Ezra. "Well may I’ll your decision or would you prefer that I make it for you as I can see that you’re not capable of doing so at the moment. Although I would prefer that you made your own choice, I mean it’s your life; we’re talking about are we not. "
Langton didn’t answer. The other six lawmen watched as they held their breaths hoping that the worse would not happen. Forster and Jack had stepped down from the coach and were watching the scene. Ezra had noticed this out of the corner of his eye but he was not going to let his Uncle effect the outcome of what he was planning. He knew that everyone's eyes were on him. He was calm on the outside but inside he could feel the tension mount. He didn’t really feel any fear as he had been in worse situations as this. He could see by the other man's face that he was scared and this gave Ezra the upper hand. He used it to his advantage. He saw the sweat starting to form on Langton's forehead. Ezra decided to make his move.
He quickly lashed out with his left hand, grabbing Langton's right wrist and forcing the gun down and away from his face. Before Ezra could get it clear of his body, the gun fired tearing a hole in his left upper arm but he didn’t have the time to feel the pain as he lifted his right arm and slammed the butt of his derringer against Langton's forehead who collapsed to the ground. Ezra left him there in a heap and stepped back finally feeling the pain in his arm. He flicked the derringer back into its hiding place and grabbed his arm to try to ease the pain that he was feeling. He could feel the blood oozing from the wound between his fingers.
"My God did you see that?" JD asked Buck as they got off their horses and headed towards the gambler. He was amazed at how quick Ezra was. One minute they were standing there in a standoff and the next Langton was on the ground.
They all stood around Ezra with their mouths hanging open. They couldn’t believe that he got out of that situation with only a flesh wound.
"Buck, JD will you take care of Langton. Tie him up and throw him back into the coach," said a concerned Chris. "We'll have words with him when he wakes up."
"Sure, Chris," said Buck looking at Ezra's face before he turned around and headed back to the coach with JD.
"I’m going to help you take off your jacket, Ezra, so I can have a look at your arm," Nathan said this as he looked into Ezra's green eyes seeing the pain there. Ezra nodded and gave Nathan the help that he needed. He winced in pain as Nathan pulled the sleeve off his left arm. He tore open Ezra's shirt to get a better look at the wound.
"It's not too deep. I'll just have to clean it up and bandage it. It'll be pretty sore for a while though, Ezra." Nathan walked away to get his medical things out of his saddlebags.
"Are you okay, Ezra?" Chris was looking at him.
"Mr. Larabee, I wish that you’d stop asking me that question."
"I'm sorry, Ezra, but you seem to be giving me a lot of reasons to ask it lately," Chris smiled.
Ezra changed the subject. "Do you think that Langton had anything to do with the men that just attacked us?"
"Yes, and we’ll find out more later.
Nathan came back then and Josiah, Vin and Chris stepped back and watched as he cleaned Ezra's wound. They watched him grimace in pain as Nathan put some herbs on the wound to stop any infection. He then bandaged it. Chris bent down to get Ezra's jacket, took out the flask that he knew was there, and handed it to Ezra who gratefully took a long drink from it. "Ezra you can ride in the stagecoach so you don't bounce your arm around too much," said Nathan.
They all saw the change of expression that came over Ezra's face.
"No thank you, Mr. Jackson, I’ll not ride in the stagecoach."
"Now Ezra. . ." Nathan began but Ezra gave him a look that said the matter was closed and not to be discussed anymore.
Ezra then stood up to go to his horse but he had gotten up to quickly and began to lose his balance. Chris and Vin grabbed him and lowered him back down again.
"You can be a stubborn mule when you want to be, Ezra," smiled Vin trying to break the tension that had started to build within the group.
Ezra just looked at him. He was not going to ride in that stagecoach with his Uncle; there was nothing they could do to convince him. He looked over at his Uncle, saw him return the stare. There was no expression on his face. He hadn’t come over to express any concern for his Nephew and this was something that hadn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the men.
"Are you sure you can manage riding your horse, Ezra," asked Nathan also thinking of the head wound that he received the night before. Something tugged at his mind about that but he couldn’t yet put a finger on it. Something to do with the wound and the bruise on his jaw. He left it alone for now, as he knew it would eventually come to him.
"Yes, I am." He lifted his jacket up and began to put it back on with Nathan's help. He then got up and headed back to his horse not looking at his Uncle as he passed him.
"Nathan, you ride with him. Make sure he doesn't fall off his horse. Everyone else keep an eye out as these guys are bound to try again," he had never known anyone so stubborn except maybe himself but even he was not as bad as Ezra could be.
Buck and JD took their turn at driving the coach. Nathan rode with Ezra making sure that he was okay. Ezra resented the fact that they would not leave him alone. He couldn’t think of a time when they had actually allowed him to be alone for a long period during the day since JD, Buck and Nathan had gotten him out of the jail six weeks ago. Even over the last couple of weeks, they had stayed close while he played poker in the saloon. They thought that he hadn't noticed and he didn't let on that he had. He didn’t realise that having friends could be so suffocating.
The others rode in silence. They were still in shock about what had just taken place - their friend could have been killed - and that for some reason Ezra was not concerned about the fact they he may have lost his life. But then he could have been hiding it all behind his poker face, they couldn't tell at the moment with Ezra but they were learning, there were some things they could now understand about him but sometimes his defences were very strong and now was one of those times. They knew that the harder it was to read him the worst the problem was.
They continued on heading in the direction of the waiting six outlaws with the other four following them.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
Master Fan Fiction List
Second story in 'The Continuing Ezra Standish Saga'
Rating: PG
Warnings: Bad writing ahead!
Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Genre: Hurt/Comfort
Summary: The seven hired lawmen are asked to escort a stagecoach and witness to Rock Falls. Amongst the passengers is Ezra's Uncle who has a dark past.
Main Characters: Ezra Standish and the rest of the seven
Disclaimers: The guys are owned by CBS, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment Group, and The Mirisch Corp.
Beta: Not betaed – written in the early days when I didn’t know what the words grammar and edit meant. *shamed*
Notes: Second story in the ‘Continuing Ezra Standish Saga’.
Spoilers: None.
Word Count: 19,173
Part Three
On top of the hill to the West, the same two men that were watching the seven lawmen in Four Corners were watching them again. They waited as the group packed up camp and headed out to Rock Falls. The two men returned to the gang that counted in all, fourteen.
"We'll wait till they get to the pass and then we’ll take care of that witness and the others," growled John DeAblo. He motioned for his gang to mount up and they then headed in another direction towards the past.
Langton, Forster and Jack Standish were riding in the stagecoach discussing the seven men that were escorting them to Rock Falls. Only two of them knew the real reason for the escort. One was the witness and the other worked for the DeAblo gang. He had hoped that one of the other two would slip up in their conversation and say something that might let him know which one it was. They had all kept to themselves and stayed away from the gunmen not wanting to let them get a chance to work out who was who. Now they were sitting there - one hoping to get to Rock Falls alive and the other waiting for the DeAblo gang to attack.
While they were discussing their situation fourteen men were getting closer to the pass that the stagecoach was going to go through. They were hoping to ambush them, thinking it would be easier as they knew the reputation of the seven gunmen and didn’t want to take any chances.
While Vin and Josiah drove the stagecoach, and the others kept their eyes open, Chris tried to speak to Ezra who had been riding behind the coach ever since he had his turn driving it with JD. Chris had nodded at Nathan as if asking for good luck and then hurried his horse on to catch up with Ezra.
"Ezra," greeted Chris. He wanted to start off on a good foot, if he got on the wrong side of Ezra he would never get anywhere with him and that meant not finding out what was wrong.
"Mr. Larabee, what can I do for you?" Ezra asked knowing what the conversation was going to be about.
"Just wanted to know if you’re feeling any better since this morning. Has the hangover gone?"
Ezra winced at this, more in memory than in pain. "I’m fine thank you. I seem to keep telling you this but for some reason you don’t want to believe me," he looked at Chris "Now what do you really want?"
Chris looked straight back at him making sure that none of the frustration that he was feeling showed on his face. He was determined not to get angry. He understood Ezra more now after the Hanley incident and knew that showing any anger just made Ezra's defences stronger and harder to penetrate.
"I would like to know what’s going on," Ezra continued to look at him. "You just got back to your normal self but ever since your Uncle showed up you have been very distant. You have hardly eaten anything and all you seem to want to do is drink from that flask of yours. Now usually I would just let you get over it but were on a job here and your mood and drinking could get one of us killed." Chris returned the stare.
Ezra looked away. He still didn’t want to tell anyone about his Uncle. He still felt ashamed and was beginning to think that they would think that he was a coward for not standing up to him. Therefore, he decided to give Chris a different story.
"I told you that it has nothing to do with my Uncle. You may have noticed that we don’t get on but that is not the problem. I also told you before we left Four Corners that I didn’t feel up to this job. Maybe I’m suffering some sort of relapse, I don’t know. But there’s not really a lot that I can do about it as you made me come along anyway."
"Now why don't I believe you, Ezra?"
"Probably because you still believe me to be liar," retorted Ezra.
Before Chris could give him an answer he heard Vin call out that, they were nearing the pass.
"We'll continue with this later, Ezra." Chris rode on to the front of the coach that had stopped about a mile from the opening of the pass.
"What do you want to do, Chris, go on through or go around it," asked Vin. "Seems to be the perfect spot for an ambush."
"We'll go around it. It’ll put an extra half a day to the trip but better safe than sorry."
The men on the stagecoach heard this and one of them had hoped to himself that DeAblo would consider this situation. They needed to get the witness before they got back to town.
DeAblo hadn't thought about it. He and his gang had reached the pass about half an hour before they expected the coach to arrive. He had though, brought a pair of binoculars so he could watch it as it got closer. It was through these binoculars that he saw the stagecoach change direction. They were going to go around it.
"Shit!" he muttered to himself. "They're going around."
The rest of his men just looked at him. They knew that he was not as smart as his brother and they were only following him so they could help their real leader out.
"We’re just going to have to go after them. Probably won't work but we have to try something. I want six of you to go on through the pass and wait for them in case we don't get them," he growled. The other eight rode after the stagecoach.
"Chris, there's dust coming up behind us," yelled out JD.
They all looked behind them and saw the dust. They all knew instantly that riders were coming on fast. Because the DeAblo gang had come from within the pass, they hadn’t seen the dust until they were nearly on top of them.
"There’s no cover here so we’re going to have to try and outrun them. Let's go."
Vin whipped the horses on and the others urged their horses into a gallop as they took their guns out of their holsters.
JD felt the first bullet that was fired whiz past his ear. He turned on his horse and returned fire. Josiah was also returning fire from the roof of the stagecoach using the rifle that was kept there for such a reason as this. He saw one of the riders that were chasing them fall from his horse. This left seven that continued to chase them and fire upon them. Chris watched as another fell after being shot by his gun. Buck felt a tug at his coat sleeve, glad that the bullet didn’t actually draw any blood. Another gang member fell, this time due to Ezra's gun. The bad guys were beginning to be out numbered but they continued the chase. They were determined to get what they wanted. Vin continued to urge the horses on. He looked behind him to see the men that were chasing them. The others kept themselves between the stagecoach and the gunmen that were chasing them. Josiah fired upon the ones that wondered to the side of the coach making sure that they were not able to get a shot into the coach.
The man in the stagecoach gripped the handle of his gun. He would shoot the other two here and now but it would only mean his own death at the hands of the remaining lawmen and he didn’t want to die yet. He waited for an opportunity where he could take control of the situation.
After another one had fallen from his horse, the gang leader pulled the others to a halt. There were only four of them left. They were now completely outnumbered. The leader decided to allow the stagecoach to go on and that they would follow at a distance until the coach ran into the rest of the gang because with them in front and the remaining four behind, the coach and lawmen would not have anywhere to go.
Chris saw the gang stop, turn around and head back the way that they had come. He motioned to Vin to stop the coach. He wanted to make sure that the passengers were okay. The man inside had decided that this would now be his chance to get the upper hand thinking that the coach had stopped because of his boss's brother. Ezra was the first to reach the coach. He jumped off his horse without bringing it a halt first. He opened the stage door only to find Langton's gun pointed directly at his skull. Before Langton could blink, Ezra had ejected his own derringer and pointed it back at him. The others came to a halt to find Langton and Ezra standing face to face with their guns pointed in each other's direction.
Vin and Josiah watched what happened and knew that there was nothing that they could do to help Ezra. If they tried anything, the man would simply shoot him. Maybe Ezra would also get off a shot but they were not going to risk it. The others had also come to a stop next to the coach and watched as the dangerous situation unfolded. They knew that Ezra was quick with the derringer that he kept up his right sleeve but they were amazed by his reflexes and how quickly the derringer had appeared in his hand. They watched as Langton stepped down from the coach, his gun still pointed in Ezra's direction. Ezra stepped back not letting his gun waver. The others had no idea what to do, they actually felt very hopeless. They knew that only Ezra could get himself out of this one.
"Well Sir, I guess that we’re going to have to decide amongst ourselves which one of us is going to die," drawled Ezra.
"Huh," The other man said. He was lost for words. He thought that he was going to get the upper hand but instead found himself in a life or death situation. By looking at the expression on the other man's face, he thought that it was going to be his own death. He was very shocked by his actions, he thought that he would simply step back from him and then he was going to use him as a hostage. Instead, he had pulled a gun on him with lightening speed. Now he had no idea what he was going to do. Then the other man spoke as though this was something that he did every day.
"I said that you and I are going to have to decide which one of us is going to die," repeated Ezra.
Langton still didn’t say anything. Ezra started to move in a direction that took Langton's gun away from the direction of any of the other men so when he made his move no one else would be accidently shot. Langton followed him not allowing Ezra to move out of the sight of his gun.
"Who is it going to be then? I myself am not ready to die, are you?" Ezra asked him.
Langton was completely dumfounded. How can the man be so calm? "Um, no." was all he could say.
"We’re certainly in a predicament then are we not," smiled Ezra. "Well may I’ll your decision or would you prefer that I make it for you as I can see that you’re not capable of doing so at the moment. Although I would prefer that you made your own choice, I mean it’s your life; we’re talking about are we not. "
Langton didn’t answer. The other six lawmen watched as they held their breaths hoping that the worse would not happen. Forster and Jack had stepped down from the coach and were watching the scene. Ezra had noticed this out of the corner of his eye but he was not going to let his Uncle effect the outcome of what he was planning. He knew that everyone's eyes were on him. He was calm on the outside but inside he could feel the tension mount. He didn’t really feel any fear as he had been in worse situations as this. He could see by the other man's face that he was scared and this gave Ezra the upper hand. He used it to his advantage. He saw the sweat starting to form on Langton's forehead. Ezra decided to make his move.
He quickly lashed out with his left hand, grabbing Langton's right wrist and forcing the gun down and away from his face. Before Ezra could get it clear of his body, the gun fired tearing a hole in his left upper arm but he didn’t have the time to feel the pain as he lifted his right arm and slammed the butt of his derringer against Langton's forehead who collapsed to the ground. Ezra left him there in a heap and stepped back finally feeling the pain in his arm. He flicked the derringer back into its hiding place and grabbed his arm to try to ease the pain that he was feeling. He could feel the blood oozing from the wound between his fingers.
"My God did you see that?" JD asked Buck as they got off their horses and headed towards the gambler. He was amazed at how quick Ezra was. One minute they were standing there in a standoff and the next Langton was on the ground.
They all stood around Ezra with their mouths hanging open. They couldn’t believe that he got out of that situation with only a flesh wound.
"Buck, JD will you take care of Langton. Tie him up and throw him back into the coach," said a concerned Chris. "We'll have words with him when he wakes up."
"Sure, Chris," said Buck looking at Ezra's face before he turned around and headed back to the coach with JD.
"I’m going to help you take off your jacket, Ezra, so I can have a look at your arm," Nathan said this as he looked into Ezra's green eyes seeing the pain there. Ezra nodded and gave Nathan the help that he needed. He winced in pain as Nathan pulled the sleeve off his left arm. He tore open Ezra's shirt to get a better look at the wound.
"It's not too deep. I'll just have to clean it up and bandage it. It'll be pretty sore for a while though, Ezra." Nathan walked away to get his medical things out of his saddlebags.
"Are you okay, Ezra?" Chris was looking at him.
"Mr. Larabee, I wish that you’d stop asking me that question."
"I'm sorry, Ezra, but you seem to be giving me a lot of reasons to ask it lately," Chris smiled.
Ezra changed the subject. "Do you think that Langton had anything to do with the men that just attacked us?"
"Yes, and we’ll find out more later.
Nathan came back then and Josiah, Vin and Chris stepped back and watched as he cleaned Ezra's wound. They watched him grimace in pain as Nathan put some herbs on the wound to stop any infection. He then bandaged it. Chris bent down to get Ezra's jacket, took out the flask that he knew was there, and handed it to Ezra who gratefully took a long drink from it. "Ezra you can ride in the stagecoach so you don't bounce your arm around too much," said Nathan.
They all saw the change of expression that came over Ezra's face.
"No thank you, Mr. Jackson, I’ll not ride in the stagecoach."
"Now Ezra. . ." Nathan began but Ezra gave him a look that said the matter was closed and not to be discussed anymore.
Ezra then stood up to go to his horse but he had gotten up to quickly and began to lose his balance. Chris and Vin grabbed him and lowered him back down again.
"You can be a stubborn mule when you want to be, Ezra," smiled Vin trying to break the tension that had started to build within the group.
Ezra just looked at him. He was not going to ride in that stagecoach with his Uncle; there was nothing they could do to convince him. He looked over at his Uncle, saw him return the stare. There was no expression on his face. He hadn’t come over to express any concern for his Nephew and this was something that hadn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the men.
"Are you sure you can manage riding your horse, Ezra," asked Nathan also thinking of the head wound that he received the night before. Something tugged at his mind about that but he couldn’t yet put a finger on it. Something to do with the wound and the bruise on his jaw. He left it alone for now, as he knew it would eventually come to him.
"Yes, I am." He lifted his jacket up and began to put it back on with Nathan's help. He then got up and headed back to his horse not looking at his Uncle as he passed him.
"Nathan, you ride with him. Make sure he doesn't fall off his horse. Everyone else keep an eye out as these guys are bound to try again," he had never known anyone so stubborn except maybe himself but even he was not as bad as Ezra could be.
Buck and JD took their turn at driving the coach. Nathan rode with Ezra making sure that he was okay. Ezra resented the fact that they would not leave him alone. He couldn’t think of a time when they had actually allowed him to be alone for a long period during the day since JD, Buck and Nathan had gotten him out of the jail six weeks ago. Even over the last couple of weeks, they had stayed close while he played poker in the saloon. They thought that he hadn't noticed and he didn't let on that he had. He didn’t realise that having friends could be so suffocating.
The others rode in silence. They were still in shock about what had just taken place - their friend could have been killed - and that for some reason Ezra was not concerned about the fact they he may have lost his life. But then he could have been hiding it all behind his poker face, they couldn't tell at the moment with Ezra but they were learning, there were some things they could now understand about him but sometimes his defences were very strong and now was one of those times. They knew that the harder it was to read him the worst the problem was.
They continued on heading in the direction of the waiting six outlaws with the other four following them.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
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