Kid Curry lay on his right side in his bedroll, his knees drawn up, his shoulders and head drawn down. His right hand pressed hard against the left side of his belly as he drew in ragged breaths and shivered in the cold night air. In the dim light of the fire, Kid raised both his head and his shirt to examine the now two day old red, seeping wound that had started out as a mere graze, sustained during a now successful attempt to outrun and out maneuver a posse.

Six hours had passed from the time one of the posse had grazed Kid with a bullet to the time he and Heyes were confident the posse had given up and they were able to stop and clean and dress the injury. Neither had been particularly concerned as the wound appeared to be less than a quarter inch deep and had not caused an actual puncture. Together they had washed it with soap and water, rinsed it with whiskey, and bandaged it with a clean bandanna.

But in the past forty-eight hours, the wound had taken on an ugly appearance with deep bruising and both milky and bloody drainage, and during this night, a fever was fast developing.

"Heyes," Kid whispered and sucked in shallow, audible breaths.

"Heyes," he gasped again.

"Hmmm?" Heyes responded in his still half-asleep state.

"Wake up."

The urgency in Kid's voice brought Heyes wide awake and he sat up and put his hand on Kid's shoulder.

"What it is?"

Kid continued to suck in short rasps of air. "Bad," he managed to blurt out.

Heyes was instantly on his knees. His hand went directly to Kid's forehead and he felt the mounting fever.

"I gotta roll you over, Kid," Heyes said and did so as gently as he could as Kid moaned in agony while his hand still clutched the side of his torso.

Heyes pried Kid's hand away from the wound and he raised Kid's shirt and removed the bandanna, exposing the seeping, angry wound. Without bending down, Heyes could smell the pungent odor of infection and he sighed heavily.

"I gotta clean this, Kid... and we got to get you to a doctor."

Heyes knew the infection was serious when Kid offered no protest about seeing a doctor. He grabbed a canteen and pulled the bandanna off his neck. Saturating the bandanna in water, Heyes began the process of washing the wound while Kid moaned and hissed in air through clenched teeth. Next Heyes retrieved the whiskey from his saddle bags, along with a clean bandanna. Heyes poured whiskey over the wound and Kid cried out, but made no attempt to stop his partner. Heyes then poured more whiskey on the clean bandanna and pressed it against the wound. Kid continued to suck in jagged breaths, but his hand moved to the bandanna and again his pressed it tightly to the wound.

Heyes gathered his own blankets and draped them over his partner. He looked at the sky, judging another two hours before dawn.

"You gonna be able to ride, Kid?" Heyes asked.

"Gotta," Kid whispered.

"We'll leave at first light, Kid."

Except for noisy, shallow breathing, the two were awake but silent until the first light of dawn began creeping over the horizon. Heyes got up and saddled both horses and packed supplies into saddlebags, and doused the fire. The Sierra Mountains were far to the east, so Heyes knew they were in California. What he didn't know was where the nearest town was located.

The morning promised a warm day, but Kid was still shivering so Heyes worked at getting Kid's arms into the sleeves of his Sherpa. Next, the two men struggled to get Kid to his feet and, with stumbling steps, over to his chestnut.

"Can you grab the horn and get your foot in the stirrup?" Heyes asked.

With considerable struggle, Kid managed the two tasks and Heyes placed the palms of both his hands on Kid's butt and pushed him high enough to awkwardly get his leg over the saddle. Kid immediately slumped low, but kept both hands wrapped so tightly around the saddle horn that his fingers blanched white.

Heyes gathered the blankets and rolled them tightly and secured them to his sorrel. He climbed into his saddle and reached for the reins of Kid's horse.

"We'll take it slow, Kid," Heyes promised

By early afternoon, Heyes still has seen no sign of a town, no road leading to any possible refuge. He stopped and dismounted and, grabbing his canteen, walked back to the chestnut to check on his partner.

"Can you drink some water?" Heyes asked, offering the canteen up to Kid who just shook his head.

"May have to stop at the first house we find, Kid. … You warm enough?"

"Ain't shivering," Kid responded weakly.

"Gonna move on then, Kid."

Heyes remounted, took hold of Kid's reins, and kicked the sorrel into a slow walk.

Late afternoon, Heyes spied a homestead a couple of miles ahead. As they approached, Heyes saw the house was a large, two story structure with an equally large barn across the yard and a small shanty style building some distance from the house. Having little in the way of choice, Heyes made their way to the house. As he approached, Heyes saw an older woman of stocky build sitting on the porch shelling beans.

"You're friend hurt?" the woman asked as Heyes drew the horses to the hitching post.

"Yes, Ma'am," Heyes replied but made no effort to dismount. "I'm seeking some help for him, Ma'am."

"What's wrong with him?"

"A bullet grazed him a couple of days ago. Bad infection is setting in I think."

"Fever?"

"Yes, Ma'am, and chills, quite a bit of discomfort as well."

"Where you from?" she asked, still not offering any service.

"Other side of the Sierras, Ma'am"

The woman studied Heyes and his incapacitated partner whose head and chest rested on his chestnut's mane.

"Gideon!" the woman called.

Almost immediately a young man, maybe twenty, appeared behind the screen door leading into the house. "Yes Ma?" he asked.

"Go help this fella get his friend off his horse and into the house."

Gideon opened the door and walked down the path to hitching post. He and Heyes then worked to get Kid out of the saddle without falling. Each took a shoulder and helped Kid stagger up the walk and into the house.

"We can't get him up the stairs Ma," Gideon said.

"Then put him in Will's bed. Get whatever clothes off that need to be off for me to take a look at the wound."

Heyes helped Gideon get Kid into the bedroom and helped get Kid's Sherpa, shirt, and Henley off."

"Don't that beat all," Gideon said, looking at the barely conscious man lying on the bed.

"What?" Heyes asked.

Gideon looked at Heyes, the expression of surprise still on his face. "I'll tell you when Will gets home," he said.

The woman came into the room carrying a bowl of hot water and several clean rags. "Gideon, bring a chair up next to the bed so I can set this bowl down."

Gideon did as instructed. "You take a good look at him, Ma?"

The woman looked at Kid and Heyes heard the slight gasp. He instantly was concerned that they had recognized Kid.

"Why are you two so taken with my partner?" Heyes asked.

The woman gave Heyes a reassuring smile. "Because, give or take a few years, this man is the spitting image of my oldest son, Will."

"Ah," Heyes said with some relief. "Well, I've always heard everyone's got an exact double somewhere in the world."

"Well, that's what these two are, Mister. Exact doubles," Gideon said.

"Enough about that," the woman said. "I've got to get this wound cleaned up. You're right Mister...?"

"Smith, Ma'am. Joshua Smith. The man in the bed is Thaddeus Jones."

"Well, you're right Mr. Smith. This wound has a bad infection."

"Are you able to help him Ma'am?" Heyes asked.

"I think so. I'll make a poultice for it after I get it cleaned. Gideon, tell Bo to fetch me a bucket of water from the well. We have to get his fever down."

"Yes, Ma," Gideon said and headed out of the room.

"You say this happened a couple of days ago?" the woman asked as she began washing the wound and Kid began moaning loudly.

"Yes Ma'am."

"You clean it with anything?"

"Lye soap and whiskey,Ma'am."

She nodded, knowing this was an appropriate treatment.

"I'll have the boys bring in a cot you you, Mr. Smith. This wound looks like you'll likely be here for a day or two."

"Thank you Ma'am. Sorry to be putting you out like this."

Bo came in with a bucket of water. As he started to set the bucket down, he glanced up at Kid. His fingers slipped from the handle and and the bucked dropped several inches to the floor, sloshing water on the floor.

"Bo, you should be more careful," the woman scolded. "Now clean up that spill."

"Yes, Ma. It's just that, well Gideon was right about him. I can't wait till Will gets a look at him."

A person's got no control over what he looks like, so quit stewing about it and get that spill cleaned up."

"You folks lived here long?" Heyes asked. "Think I can detect a bit of an accent."

"Moved here a year ago from Virginia," the woman said.

"Wagon train?" Heyes asked.

"Parts of the way," the woman replied as she finished cleaning the wound. "Mr. Smith, if you would put some cool wet cloths on his head and chest to start getting the fever down, I'll go get to work on the poultice."

"Yes, Ma'am," Heyes replied.

"Bo, when you're done there, you and Gideon bring a cot and blankets down here for Mr. Smith."

"Yes Ma."

Kid waited to speak till he was alone in the room with Heyes.

"What are they all excited about, and who's Will?" Kid asked with a pained expression on his face.

Heyes smiled. "It sounds like Will is another brother and the two of you must look an awful lot alike."

"So?" Kid asked weakly.

"So... they're pretty astounded by it, that's all."

"So, not much else to think about out here?"

Heyes smiled. "Apparently, Kid."

"Ah."

"You feeling any better?"

Kid shook his head. "'Cept being in a bed feels good."

Heyes laid a cool wet cloth across Kid's chest. "Why don't you try to sleep a while, Kid?"

Kid nodded and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Half an hour later the woman returned with a thick and odorous poultice slathered heavily on a cloth and she pressed it against the wound. Kid moaned but didn't awaken.

"Supper will be in an hour, Mr. Smith."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

An hour later Bo knocked on the door and told Heyes that supper was ready. Heyes gave Kid a final check and, seeing that he was sleeping quietly, Heyes joined the others for supper.

Halfway through the meal Keewidinok and Will walked through the door.

"Who's horses are those outside?" Will asked as he took off his jacket without looking up.

"One's mine and the other belongs to my partner," Heyes explained.

Will looked up to see who the stranger was that was speaking. When Heyes saw Will's face, Heyes' chin dropped. "Well, I'll be damned...Oh, sorry Ma'am. I just thought everyone was exaggerating," Heyes explained.

"Exaggerating about what?" Will asked as he and Keewidinok slipped into their seats at the table.

"You'll know soon enough," his mother said and gave the other boys a stern look not to let the cat out of the bag. "Will, this is Mr. Smith. He brought his partner here this afternoon. His partner, Mr. Jones was injured and is sleeping in your bed. You and Keewidinok will sleep upstairs tonight."

Will nodded. "What kind of injury?"

"Got grazed by a bullet a couple of days go. We tried to keep it clean but I'm afraid it got infected."

"He gonna be alright, Ma?" Will asked.

"I think so. After supper why don't you and Mr. Smith take a plate in to Mr. Jones. See if he'll eat something."

"Alright," Will said nonchalantly, but looked up at his brothers when he heard them snicker.

"Boys, mind your manners," the mother scolded.

Heyes finished his meal first and excused himself to go check on his partner. He wanted Kid awake for this first encounter with Will.

A few minutes later Will knocked on the door. Heyes had Kid well propped with pillows.

"Come in," Heyes said.

Will and Keewidinok walked in to the room and both stopped short when they saw Kid. All three just stared at each other with mouths open. Bo and Gideon stood in the doorway to watch the initial meeting.

"Big magic," Keewidinok whispered and grabbed Will's arm tightly.

Will was the first to look away and his eyes darted from Kid to Heyes, to Kid to Heyes.

Heyes smiled, enjoying the odd situation. "You two could pass for brothers. If you were closer to an age, probably twins," Heyes laughed.

"Ah, I'm Will... Chisholm... this is my wife...ah..."

"Keewidinok," she said.

Will nodded.

"Thaddeus Jones," Kid replied and looked at Heyes with confusion expressed in his eyes.

Keewidinok nudged Will to remind him of the task at hand..

"Oh, brought you some supper," Will said.

"Thanks," Kid replied.

"Well, why don't we let you three chat," Heyes said and moved toward the door to force Bo and Gideon back into the other room. Heyes closed the door behind them.

"I've never seen anything like this," Will said.

Keewidinok took the bowl of stew from Will and sat down in the chair beside the bed. She spooned some stew and raised the spoon to Kid's mouth. Without thinking and without taking his eyes off Will, Kid opened his mouth and took the bite offered.

"You got Chisholms in your family tree?" Will asked.

"Nope," Kid replied.

"We ain't got no Jones either."

Over the course of the next few minutes both men began to feel a bit more comfortable with what they were looking at. Will sat down in a chair near the foot of the bed.

"You know, when you're feeling better, we could have some fun with this," Will said.

"How so?" Kid asked.

"May have to buy you a drink in Mendato. That's the closest town."

Kid smiled."Might be fun. To cause a bit of confusion."

"Where you from, Thaddeus?"

"Kansas. Where you from?"

"Virginia."

"I ain't never been further east than Kansas."

"What do you do for living?"

"Most anything. Joshua and I take jobs when we're in need of money. But mostly we just move around. Mostly we're in Wyoming or Colorado."

"What are you doing way out here, then?"

"On our way to visit a friend in Monteray... So what made you move all the way from Virginia?"

"My pa wanted to come to California, so the family took a vote, and here we are."

"That's a hard journey. From what I've heard, most people don't make it for one reason or another."

"Yea. Lost some family on the way... Makes you wonder sometimes if it's worth it."

Kid thought of his youth and the loss of his family. "Yea," he said quietly.

Keewidinok scooped up the last of the stew in the spoon and fed it to Kid.

Kid signed a thank you to Keewidinok and she smiled and signed back that she was pleased that he had a hearty appetite. Kid nodded to her and signed the word for always.

"Like Will," Keewidinok said. "You two are of the same spirit."

"And what spirit is that, darlin?" Will asked.

"I think the Spirit of the Wind. It moves both gently and fiercely. It can be both soft, and brutal, sometimes weak, sometimes strong, both welcomed, and feared."

"Uh-uh," Will said and looked at Kid. "I get the feeling she's politely telling us we're both full of hot air."

Kid smiled. "I think you're right," Kid agreed.

"Well, I think Ma wants to change out that poultice, and then you probably better get some rest," Will said and he and Keewidinok stood to leave the room.

"Nice meeting you, Will," Kid called after them.

Will stopped in the doorway and turned around. "You, too Thaddeus."

Mrs. Chisholm came in to change the poultice dressing and Heyes followed.

"This has improved considerable just today. If it keeps up, I suspect you'll be able to move on in a day or two," she said.

"Thank you Ma'am, for all you've done," Kid replied.

She smiled and gathered up her supplies. "You sleep well," she said as she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"So what did you think when you saw Will, Kid?" Heyes asked.

"Kind of makes me think about..."

"About what?"

"How things might have been different. You know, if things hadn't happened the way they did when we were kids."

"I hadn't thought of that," Heyes replied. "Maybe if your folks had lived, you'd of had a life like Will. Kind of interesting to look at it like that."

"Kind of pointless, too."

Heyes stripped down to his long johns and Henley and climbed into the cot. "What ifs are kind of interesting to think about sometimes. Instead of being the fastest gun in the west, you might of ended up being... the fastest fence mender, or the fastest... apple picker."

Kid laughed. "Just can't picture me a farmer, Heyes. Even if things had been different, I don't think I would have growed up to be a farmer."

"So what do you think you would have been?"

"I don't know, Heyes. Maybe it wouldn't have turned out any different. Maybe this is just meant to be... You think things would have been different for you?"

Heyes clasped his hands behind his head. He thought of some of the dreams he had harbored as a child, the adventures he had hoped to experience, none of which came any where near to who and what he was today.

"I don't know," he finally said. "I know I never pictured myself as an outlaw... I remember wanting to be a Riverboat Captain..."

"Like that book writer?"

Heyes smiled. "Mark Twain... Yea, something like that."

"There's still time, Heyes. I've seen some pretty old sea captains."

Heyes laughed. "You could be my First Mate and be the fastest gun on the ocean."

"Or maybe you could be the captain of a pirate ship. Then my fast gun would come in handy."

Heyes humored that notion for a moment and laughed. "Good night, Kid."

0-0-0-0-0-

The next morning, after the poultice dressing had been changed, Kid ventured out to the porch and sat on a bench. Will and Gideon were replacing the rope and pulley on the well. Keewidinok was hanging laundry on the line to dry. Bo was giving bit and harness practice to a horse in the corral. Kid sat and watched and thought about his conversation with Heyes the night before.

Kid saw Keewidinok pick up the empty laundry basket and begin walking toward the house. He saw her stop suddenly, frozen in her tracks, staring at a spot on the ground a few feet in front of her.. Kid got up and stepped off the porch and began walking toward her. Then he heard the snake's rattle and he stopped and carefully followed the sound with his eyes, locating the snake inches from Keewidnok's moccasined feet.

Kid's cautious movement caught Will's eye and he began walking in Keewidinok's direction.

Kid put his hand out to stop Will. Then, in an instant Kid drew his gun and shot the snake squarely in it's head. Will ran to his wife, saw the dead rattle snake, and watched Kid holster his gun.

"Never seen anyone draw that fast and aim that quick," Will said.

"Just luck," Kid replied.

Will shook his head. "That was more than luck... That was professional... You're a gunslinger, ain't you?"

Kid look at Will as though he'd been dealt the ultimate insult. He slowly shook his head. "No, I ain't," he said quietly.

"You came here suffering from a gun wound. I know I'll never see another man ever draw that fast again. You wear your gun tied down. Only a man that lives by the gun does that."

"You're wrong, Will," Kid replied, but, having been hurt to the quick, Kid made no attempt to explain further.

"He saved my life," Keewidinok said. "Will," she said sternly.

Will looked at his wife and realized that regardless of how or why Kid could draw that fast, he had in fact saved his wife's life. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm grateful to you. Thank you."

Kid nodded but couldn't bring himself to look at Will. He turned and headed back to the house.

Mrs Chisholm and Heyes had heard the shot and were standing on the porch when Kid walked slowly up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, Kid stopped and raised his eyes to his partner. "Maybe we'd best be going," Kid said.

Heyes looked at Kid, then he looked across the yard at Will who seemed to be in a heated discussion with his wife. Heyes nodded.

"I'll get the horses ready. Can you get the saddlebags packed?"

Kid nodded and, moving past Mrs. Chisholm, walked into the house to pack the saddle bags.

A few minutes later, Will appeared in the doorway to the room. Kid didn't bother to acknowledge him as he finished packing the saddle bags.

"I am sorry," Will said.

Kid nodded. "S'okay. Ain't like I haven't heard it before."

"You saved her life, though. That's not something a gunslinger does."

Kid looked up at Will with cold eyes. "You met a lot of em, have you?"

"I've just never seen anybody draw that fast... "

"Being fast don't make a man a gunslinger... Just makes him fast."

"I'd like you to stay at least till you're healed."

Kid knew that staying was not an option for him. He knew that, despite the fact that Will had recanted his accusation, that statement had been said, and anyone who had heard it would only become more curious about him, and perhaps even his partner. That curiosity was always a threat to Kid, as well as to Heyes. And that threat was even greater because of the resemblance he and Will shared. If any of the Chisholms were to discover Kid's identity, Will's very presence would give law enforcement a description of Kid unlike any they had ever had.

Kid shook his head. "You're family's been very kind. I appreciate that, but it's time I moved on."

Kid picked up the saddle bags and walked to the door that Will was blocking. Kid stopped and waited until finally Will stepped aside and Kid brushed past him and out of the house.

Heyes walked up to the house leading both their horses. Kid stopped on the porch and thanked Mrs. Chisholm for her kindness. She handed him a jar of the poultice she had made.

"Clean the wound and put fresh poultice on it twice a day," she told him.

Kid nodded and slipped the jar into his saddle bags. Then he walked down the steps and tossed Heyes his saddlebags, and tossed his own over the back of his chestnut. He mounted with ease as Mrs. Chisholm had done a good job with the wound. Kid looked up and saw Will standing just inside the screen door.

Kid gave Heyes a nod and together they pulled their horses around and rode away from the house.

"What happened?" Heyes asked when the house was no longer in view.

Kid shook his head. "Nothing I wouldn't do again... Just got a little different kind of graze in the process, Heyes."

"You alright?"

Kid nodded.

"You and Will have words?"

"Just see things different, that's all."

Heyes understood this to mean that whatever had transpired between Will and his partner, Kid felt it put their identity at risk.

"So, I'll ask you again. You alright, Kid?"

Kid looked at Heyes and ever so slowly a warm smile formed.

"Yep," Kid said and kicked the chestnut into an easy gallop.

Heyes watched Kid ride across the valley. With a smile on his face, Heyes shook his head and kicked his sorrel to catch up with his partner.

Heyes knew about the physical graze, and surmised the probable cause of the verbal graze. Whatever Will had said, it had hurt Kid to the quick.

But Heyes knew his partner well. He knew Kid's resilience. He knew that given a little time, both wounds would heal.

0-0-0-0-0-

Author's note: It took five tries to come up with a way to put Will and Kid in the same room, but after watching The Chisholms series, and reading someone's comment that Will was what Kid would have been had his parents not been killed, I just had to try. Unfortunately, Kid's quest for amnesty and still being wanted placed too many restrictions on where this story to go. So, once again, it may not be what I wanted to write, but it is what the boys wanted told.