Disclaimer: found in part one.

~*~

At the end of their extremely victorious gunfight with DeCapri?s extremely inept men, Nathan knew immediately, that he had to go to Ezra. Chris, had apparently felt the same way as Nathan because as opposed to half barking half grunting the customary commands at the end of their fights he didn?t say a word but simply holstered his gun and arrived at the gamblers side just as Nathan did. He arrived, in fact, just in time to grab Maude?s arms from the back and pull her away from her injured son so Nathan could check him (and hopefully find the gambler alive-Chris and all the others prayed, unable to imagine life without Ezra).

Sickening, nauseating injuries were nothing knew to Nathan Jackson. He?d thought he?d seen just about every sickening, grotesque type of injury there was. And, he supposed, he had. Except that this was probably one of the most sickening things he?d ever seen. Probably because the body at the receiving end of the bruises that lay beneath the blood caked, covered skin seemed to be, almost, you might say, accustomed to such wounds. If a body could ever, or would ever become accustomed to such things. As Nathan continued to peel back the layers of clothing that still covered many of the injuries that were of such monstrous proportions, the horror, not to mention the severity of Ezra?s injuries, became clear in Nathan?s vision. It was also then that he saw the gunshot wound. A massive, oozing hole in the right corner-just to the right of his sternum and across from his armpit.

Nathan worked quickly to access Ezra?s injuries, while still trying to apply pressure to the still bleeding wounds. The wound was very bad-for despite the gambler?s deeply unconscious state-he still choked on the blood as it traveled from his punctured, bullet-ridden lung to his trachea and finally dribbled out of the side of his mouth. Nathan had never performed surgery to remove a bullet from inside a person?s chest before (except with Annie-but he?d never actually cut her open he?d tried to dig it out-he knew now there was no way that would work-he certainly wouldn?t do that again). He would find some way to save Ezra-no matter what.

~*~

Despite feeling a strong need to follow Chris and Nathan, Vin, Josiah, and JD went upstairs in search of their last missing member and hoping that they would find Buck in much, much better shape then they?d found Ezra in.

The problem they faced now was that the house was HUGE! There were dozens upon dozens of rooms with multiple entranceways, hidden passageways, staircases, and storage rooms that could easily house a family of four. The place was a mouse maze and even Vin who could track seemingly non-exeistent trails found himself walking in circles unable to tell apart one drab hallway and one drab room from all the others. There were absolutely no defining characteristics to the room. That was why it was so hard, Vin found himself thinking, nature had defining things out there that could help you find your way and the sky and ground provided ways of learning your direction; this house had nothing but dozens and dozens of identical rooms, passageways, and hallways. Finding any human life (or animal, plant, ANY life) in the place was next to impossible. How were they supposed to find Buck??

~*~

"Chris, we gotta find a secure place here- I gotta operate now!" Nathan spoke with a firmness, authoritativeness, and eagerness (almost a nervousness or anxiety Chris thought). This mixture of emotions had Chris in action quickly, never considering questioning the healer in matters such as this. "Chris, take my instrument bag and set it in the room." As Chris left he nodded and grabbed the bag before he quickly grabbed Maude and fairly dragged her behind him, knowing that the moment that he let go nothing would stop her from rushing to Ezra?s side. It was strange seeing her act so?maternal. It felt strange even associating that word with Maude Standish but heaven help him, that?s how she was acting. He thought he might have fainted from the shock of seeing such a side to her if it weren?t for the dire air of the situation currently at hand.

"Did he say operate?" Maude croaked quietly, speaking for the first time in a long time as Chris searched for the best place for Nathan to operate on Ezra. Chris was somewhat taken aback by her question. He wasn?t sure why, it wasn?t really that he felt the question was stupid (even though it was) it was more the tone of her voice. The resignation, sadness, desolation, fear in her voice that shook even his foundations.

Chris? mind raced. What should he say? He?d always been terrible at this type of thing and normally he would have just grunted a frustrated and anger "yes" at her wasting Ezra?s short amount time over such a stupid question, but Chris remembered vividly what it was to be a parent, what it felt like to worry, to feel like it?s all your fault-he knew that feeling too well, to be so scared that you needed something to hang onto. After learning all of the suffering she had faced, after learning so much more about the person and to now see her facing this; Chris against his most fervent hopes felt something of kinship with Maude Standish. He could easily tell she blamed herself. That she had more pain and supressed anger and sadness in him then he did. And for the first time in his life he felt the need to help someone like this woman that shared nothing with him except deep pain. However at the moment what everyone needed was Ezra to live, so there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Nathan!" Chris shouted seeing Maude?s eyes go down to the floor looking more defeated, even then before-if such a thing were possible. Silent tears ran from her face and her breathing was deep, almost as if she were quietly, privately sighing. "I found a room! I?m coming to help you carry him!"

"Alright!" Nathan yelled back.

"Maude," Chris addressed quietly and in a voice he usually would only use with Billy Travis, "Why don?t you head in there and turn down the bed and git some water?"

She didn?t move. It seemed like she couldn?t catch her breath. She slowly sank to the floor in a heap and began sobing, deep, tired sobs. Sobs that almost begged for someone to put an end to her misery. It was seeing her, sink like that, sobbing he knew he had to help her, he just knew it. "Maude, this is not your fault," He spoke in his most firm authoritative voice. Though her expression didn?t change he had, at least, gotten her attention. "Do you understand me?"

"No!" She cried sounding angry that he didn?t get it. "I?ve ruined his life! I never did a thing right when it came to him. I cause my own child nothing but suffering his entire life. And now when things just are beginning to get better for him I screw everything up again. It?s my past mistakes, frailty and misjudgments that have put him in this situation now! I married that bastard. I was too afraid to stop him from hurting Ezra. I was too afraid to protect my child!" She put her head in her hands and let out an anguished cry. She continued sobbing and crying as she continued to speak, "I didn?t know what to do," She said, head still in hands, then she looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "When his father died I was lost. I loved that man so much. Ezra?s father took care of him too. He was the one who was good with children, who knew anything about them. Then he died. Our lives had been so happy! Then he died and it was all gone. Then I married that bastard!?I didn?t know he was bad then!" She cried pleading with Chris as if trying to convince him of some impossible thing. "I tried leaving him with people!" She was breathing heavily, almost as if she was hyperventilating. She couldn?t catch her breath. Her entire body now shook but she continued, finally letting her heavy burden go only to sail into more troubled waters. "Except, later, I found out they were as bad a Carlton! No one would take care of my baby!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around herself and rocked back and forth. "Finally after the years of beatings and tending his wounds and my own, I left." Maude sounded nothing but deflated and defeated, she continued to rock, her once brilliant eyes looking darker-filled only with pain yet in stark contrast to her mood, the water that filled them and the sunlight filtering into the house made those eyes sparkle beautifully. She continued, "Except," She tried unsuccessfully to take a deep breath, but it just brought on more sobbing and heavy breathing. "Except," she began again, "I couldn?t love him anymore. I was afraid to. I had loved Carlton and the Lord knows that I love my husband! There were others I loved, that left me in one way or another-friends, family, other children-it seemed everyone left me. So I tried to stop loving my little boy. I couldn?t love him. I was too afraid, if I did, if I showed it, if I didn?t make him hard, he?d leave me too! What a fool, and now all my foolishness is what will kill him!" Through sobs and dangerously uneven breathing he let out a crude, bitter laugh, "What I did to protect ended up causing the ultimate hurt-for both of us."

Chris didn?t know what to say to that. However, he could think of one thing, a thing so unlike him, it seemed odd for it to have even come to him. Though he would do it, it was something Sarah would have done, so he knew in some way it would help. He wordlessly reached out to Maude and enfolded her in his arms. He held her close and to his surprise she didn?t pull away but in turn wrapped her arms around him, needing something to clutch to and for that moment both lost and weary souls found solice.

When the moment had ended they parted and Chris now had some idea what to say. "You love him much, show him now. Don?t let him go on thinking you didn?t love him, that he wasn?t wanted. Tell him," Chris urged.

"He won?t believe me," Maude said frail and weakly, her breathing still uneven.

"Tell him the truth, tell him what you told me. He?ll believe you," Chris continued.

"Maybe he would," Maude spoke tears falling heavily once more, "He?s dead now though," She sobbed and really began to hyperventilate.

"Stop it!" Chris grabbed her by the shoulders. "This," he gestured around, "Is not and never was your fault. Yes, you made some shitty choices, but who hasn?t? Really. And if you would only tell him and show all that love you have for him, it would all be worth it. Now, he?s not dead?yet. I?ve got to help Nathan. Why don?t you get in there and start fixing up the room for us?" He spoke gently as her breathing finally began to slow.

With that she simply nodded and moved quickly, but not before surprising him greatly by grabbing Nathan?s medical bag from his hand and walking purposefully through the door and set to work as Chris headed speedily back down to Nathan and Ezra.

~*~

When Chris and Nathan entered into the would-be-operating-room they saw that Maude had stripped the bed down in such a way that it now resembled a large hospital bed or operating table then the finely furnished bed that Chris had seen the first time he had entered the room. Further, all of the necessary instruments that Nathan would need for removing the bullet and sewing up the gambler?s vast injuries were laid out in what seemed to them like a very technical and precise order. Nathan wanted to ask her how she knew all the tools he would need but while he had no time for such questions-Ezra really didn?t have that kind of time. Once Ezra was laid on the bed Nathan poured a small amount of ether onto a clean, white cloth and put it gently over Ezra?s mouth.

"Chris," said Nathan, "I?ll need you to hold this and?"

"I?ll do that, Mr. Jackson," Maude calmly but authoritatively interjected, having reagained her composure, there was almost no signs of her recent breakdown.

"Ma?am, I don?t think that?d be a good idea, this could get messy and I don?t rightly think you bein? in here would be a good idea," Nathan didn?t say that he didn?t think she could control herself, he didn?t say that he saw no reason for a woman as delicate and probably prissy and sqeamish as her to be getting in his way as tried to save her son, and he most certainly didn?t say she didn?t want her to watch Ezra die because he was becoming more and more afraid he wouldn?t be able to save the man.

"Mr. Jackson, my son does not have much time, now years ago I attended Johns Hopkins under the guise of a man, simply to prove a point to my husband. However I am a medical doctor so if you wouldn?t mind, I?d like to stay and help where I can. Now, let?s get started. Mr. Larabee," She turneed to the gunslinger, smiled slightly, and focused on him whose mouth had literally dropped when she had divulged her amount of learning to them, then she was his own mouth turn upward just slightly before turning before his normal grimace type look, "goodbye."

Chris simply shook his head able to see Maude doing something like that-even though it was odd thinking of as a cross dressing, then again, he thought as his mind wandered back to when the seven had first come together, maybe it ran in the family. Chris smiled at the memory of Ezra in that purple dress singing Red River Valley. With that he once again prayed for Ezra?s survival and left the room.

"You serious, ?bout that graduatin? from Johns Hopkins, ma?am?" Nathan asked astonished, he never imagined the woman as a doctor, and to think, she only went to prove a point.

"Yes, Mr. Jackson, now this little chat will have to wait a little longer because Ezra doesn?t have the time."

"Alright?but maybe you should do the operatin?, I mean I ain?t no kinda real doctor. You are though, maybe you should do it," Nathan spoke as he and Maude continued to prepare Ezra for the surgery he was about to undergo.

"Mr. Jackson I?ve performed only a very few real operations, most of my experience was in medical school using cadavers. Further I haven?t picked up a scalpel in over 25 years. I?ll assist you, I?d guess I may have a better idea of anatomy then you, still. Now, quickly we?re beginning to run out of time. Make the first incision, Nathan. That?s it, take it slow," She encouraged quietly feeling nervousness the likes of which she?d never before known as she watched him slice her son?s chest open and the rough, razor sharp scalpel.

Nathan didn?t speak, already lost in the trance that always seemed to take control of his body every time he treated someone.

~*~

"Got any ideas where we?re at, Vin?" JD questioned happy that at least he had stuck with Vin because if he hadn?t he probably get himself lost forever in the massive house that they seemed to be aimlessly wondering.

"Nope, kid," Vin answered patiently, in his normal quiet way even though beneath his clam façade he was a mess of nervous jumbled up emotion. Between worrying for Ezra and the worry of still not being able to find Buck who they knew was also wounded, Vin was a mess.

"We gona find Buck soon, right?" JD asked hopefully, just as worried for both the ladies man and the gambler.

"I hope so JD, I mean we already know he got shot. I?m thinkin? we gotta find soon else it?ll be too late," Vin spoke in that same voice though JD could hear the tension laced within it.

"Come on, Kid," Vin called as he ran up ahead briefly. "I think this passageway leads to a section of the house we ain?t seen yet!" Vin cried exuberently, hoping they?d finally gotten closer to finding Buck.

"You sure we haven?t already been here?" JD questioned doubtfully as he looked around their current location.

"Yes, now come on, I got a gut feelin? Buck?s in one of the rooms down here!" Vin shouted to JD and JD obediently followed because he?d learned well enough to know never to doubt Vin?s gut feelings.

~*~

Buck Wilmington thought he could hear the faint drones of someone calling his name. Was it Ezra? No don?t sound like Ezra, sounds like JD but JD ain?t here, or is he? Fool kid prob?ly got himself caught in this mess too.

"BUCK! BUCK!"

The calls had grown louder, Buck?s tired mind managed to discover, only this time the owner of the voice calling to him sounded like Vin.

Am I bein? rescued? Yeehaw! Wooohooo! Bein? rescued, thought seems mighty fine to me-wait what am I bein? rescued from? Oh, don?t matter. "Vin, JD," Buck finally managed to croak out, in a voice so hoarse it was barely above a whisper, and to make matters worse, just doing that tiny action had made Buck extremely tired.

"Vin, Vin," Buck cried, a little bit louder this time. Unfortunately his voice was still not loud enough for Vin and JD to find him.

"Buck! Buck!" JD?s and Vin?s voices were getting quieter now and Buck felt terror at the thought that they might pass him and leave him in this place. Although, he thought it rather odd that while he knew he wanted, no needed, to get out of this place, he couldn?t for the life of him remember why. Also he wondered, Maybe the voices arent? getting softer, maybe I?m just loosin? my mind. Maybe they aren?t there at are, maybe they never were.

~*~

Though the operation was still very early in it?s span, much blood and guts had already be exposed and splattered.

She watched nervously, unable to pull her eyes from the grizzely scene before her. Then what her eyes saw finally registered in her brain the professional in her, that was in control her body put her mouth into action. "Mr. Jackson," She spoke as she reached down and took hold of a different size scalpel. "Use this size scalpel when you cut through tissue so deep and thick, also try not to saw like that, when you do that that?s when you knew you need to change scalpel. That?s just causing unnessessary bleeding," She finished still sounding calm and collected as if she were simply a close friend or teacher, speaking gently and non-judgmentally.

Nathan was actually quite happy with her instruction he was so used to dealing rough battle type wounds he was never taught how be gentle its importance surgery, though now as he cut more easily he saw that Ezra did indeed lose much less blood.

Inside her mind raced as more of Ezra?s blood spilled out all over the table. What will I do if he dies? What will I say, how can I change if he doesn?t?

~*~

"Brothers!"

Both Vin and JD turned as they heard Josiah?s booming baritone summon them from down the vast hallway they were looking in for Buck. Vin was very relieved to see the preacher, not only he was afraid they would fail in finding Buck in time, he also feared they?d have to send out a search party for the preacher, or Chris would have to send one out for all of them. "You find anythin?, Josiah!" Vin called to him as Josiah made his way to them.

"I thought I heard someone calling you and JD a second ago," He addressed the two men before him.

"Really," JD piped in, "I didn?t hear nothin?."

"Neither did I," Vin commented, "Guess, though, I wasn?t listenin? too good."

"Well," Josiah consoled Vin who suddenly looked almost?you might say?ashamed that he hadn?t been paying good enough attention to hear as well. "At any rate hopefully this is a sign that Buck is both near and alright," Josiah finished.

However JD didn?t agree with Josiah?s assessment and for the first time since they?d come together as a group he decided to speak an opposition to one of the others, "Well, it may mean he?s close but I wouldn?t say he okay," JD paused as if searching for the right way to put this.

"Whattaya mean, JD?" questioned Vin.

"Well, if he were okay he?d still be callin? to us," JD finished quietly.

~*~

JD was about to leave the room feeling like a terrible failure that he couldn?t even find his best friend in the world. However a trace of red on the light hardwood floor caught his eyes as he was about to turn around and leave quite disillusioned. However he walked to the blood, placing his hand to the floor he felt that is was almost dry, but not quite. He perused the room quickly searching for any sign of Buck, he thought that pehaps the blood on the floor was mere coincidence and had nothing to do with Buck, that is until he saw the black hair just shoved behind the door.

He walked quickly over to the door pulling it closed so he could see more clearly the body hidden behind it. "BUCK!!" JD cried when he saw the bloodied Ladies Man.

~*~

Vin heard JD?s voice cry out. It was loud and scared, which, in turn, scared the tracker. He immediately left the room he was looking in and moved towards where he knew JD to be.

"Josiah," he called. "You hear that!"

"Yes, Brother, I think we?d best find our missing sheep!"

Both men met in the hallway and headed further down the corridor to where JD was located. The door was closed and as Vin made a move to open it, he felt Josiah hands reach out and stop him.

"What??" Vin questioned.

"Look," Josiah gestured to the bottom of the door, where the light was patially blocked by an object that very closely resembled a person, skin was showing. However interrupting Vin?s thoughts on the subject was the voice that called.

"Vin, Josiah," they heard JD, "Don?t open the door, Buck?s in the way. He?s hurt, bad!"

~*~

From a medical perspective the operation was going well, and Maude knew that, and for that she was greatful. However the mother in her, the person who couldn?t even stand the thought of losing him, cringed with Nathan?s every cut and stitch. They were fast approaching the one hour mark of surgery, which, tended to be the most difficult. Up until then, it?s hard to be sure of what exactly you have to fix and if it can even be fixed. However, if you have some idea of what to do and the patient is still alive at that magical one hour mark, well then you?ve got something. Then you?ve gotten your patient a chance to live. And right now the two physicians in the room were indeed very glad of these facts.

"How much longer do you believe this surgery will take, Mr. Jackson?" Maude questioned quietly as she watched the man, who had had no formal training, use his hands perfectly to make nothing less then magic in healing her son?s wounded body. At that moment she didn?t believe she could ever be more grateful to anyone, if Ezra did indeed live. And as much as she hated to admit it-she hated to think of it more, the odds were still not in their favor, and while the Standish?s were known far and wide for their poker skills they certainly weren?t known for their good luck. She only prayed her horrid bad luck streak would end, before her son died.

~*~

Rather suddenly, the door swung open and JD appeared.

"Hurry," he rushed, "we gotta get ?im downstairs. And he needs Nathan! Well, come on! Hurry! What are you waiting?"

"Hold on son, now Nathan?s real busy with Ezra. Besides we can?t just go pickin? Buck up and flingin? him all over. Now let me take a look at him-see if he?s up to bein? moved," Josiah said sothingly, however the young man before him was seething in indignation and about to make a rather ugly retort. However Josiah was in no mood for it. "Calm Down," He said with enough of a hellfire and brimstone tone to quiet JD.

"Vin, ya wanna come help me with Buck. We?ll look ?im over and see what?s best," At Vin?s nod of agreement Josiah continued, "JD, can you go downstairs and still remember how to find your way back up here?"

"Um?yeah," He spoke a little unsurely before adding, "I think."

"Can you or Can?t you, cause if you can?t then you?d best not go down at all, unless you?re with. The last thing we need now is havin? to find you."

"I can do it," JD said cinfidently.

"Alright then, head down and tell Chris and the others we?ve found ?im. Then bring ?um up here to help get him back down safely," Josiah finished as Vin was already working on looking closely at Bucks wounds.

JD needed no more instruction. He was out the door before either man could say another word. He raced quickly through the halls of the mansion hoping not to get lost.

~*~

"Chris!" JD called out hoping to receive some kind of answer. He knew that he was now on the bottom floor of the house, so somewhere on this same floor were Chris and the others. It was just that he didn?t have the slightest most remote clue as to where on this floor they were. "Chris!" he called again. Stopping his aimless search trying to find some way to identify his location.

"JD!?"

"Yeah!" JD called to the unseen but definitely heard voice of none other then Chris Larabee.

"Where are you?" Chris snapped, still out of sight but the voice was getting louder.

"I?m not sure," JD supplied weakly then added, "but I am looking for you."

It was then that Chris appeared from behind him and said, "Did you find Buck?"

JD jumped slightly at Chris? sudden appearance behind him. "Yeah, Josiah and Vin are up with him. It looks like he?s hurt real bad Chris, he needs help. Josiah sent me down to get you to come up and help us carry him down and?" JD was talking a mile a minute.

"Slow down, JD," Chris commanded over the young man?s voice, getting quick compliance. "Now," he continued, "Before we go up I gotta check some stuff with Nathan," he finished beginning to walk away when JD stopped him.

"Chris?"

"What?"

"Is Ezra okay?"

"Don?t know JD they?ve been operatin? on him about an hour now, ain?t heard nothin? though. Reckon that ain?t such a bad sign, means he?s still alive," Chris said with something between a sigh and a grunt.

"Who?s they?" JD asked before adding, "Where?s Maude?"

"Oh, she?s in there, helpin? Nathan," Chris spoke in his usual nonchalant tone.

JD was aghast, "You let her in there!"

"Apparently she?s a doctor JD," Chris countered.

"A lady doctor, and Maude," JD thought on it but from the look on Chris? face held his tongue and watched Chris walk toward the closed door he assumed to be the operating room.

To be continued?

Authors Note: Now you need to let me know what you thought of this part. It turned out longer then I had expected and I had some serious writers block, I started it three times before this finally came out. The next (probably the last part) hopefully won?t take as long to write. Sorry for the wait on this one!J

Part Seven