Chris met Vin at the Emergency Room entrance at Phoenix General Hospital. "They're bringing him in, Vin. They tell me it's not too bad."

"Where was he, Chris. Buck's supposed to be on vacation. Thought he had a date."

"Did...I think...with that new one he's been drooling over. Course, there ain't many that man DON'T drool over. What's this one's name?"

"It's that one named Meredith Avery."

"Avery? Why's that name so familiar."

"The blonde Buck was dating the last couple months? The one on his arm at his birthday party? The one he's thinking serious about taking home? The one you sort of told him was a good-for-nothing, low class whore that's gonna give him a nasty disease? The one he caught ya talking to? The one who's the cause of those still blue ribs and that black eye you been sporting?"

"Oh...that one."

"That's the one. At least you didn't open your mouth about her this time."

"Thank the Almighty for that. Here comes Roger...hey, Rog...what happened to Buck?"

Roger Jordon, former deputy, now with the Phoenix Police Department, walked up to the two Mag7 Agency partners, "He's just drunk...that's all...glad it didn't kill him this time."

"Well, you gonna tell us or not?"

"I don't know...Buck's got a temper."

"So?" Chris grinned. "Not like I don't know that full well."

"And I don't want your ribs, or your eye, for gossiping about the man."

"Tell it, Roger! I got a temper too."

"Shoot, Larabee. Which one of you boys ain't?"

Vin just laughed and punched Roger on the arm. "Give!"

"Well, I got it from the manager of the Phoenix Royale...seems his usher found a certain cowboy draped across about three seats... the entire middle row of seats... during the premier showing of Tombstone. When the usher came by and noticed this, he nudged the cowboy, said 'Sorry, sir, but you're only allowed one seat.' This cowboy groaned but didn't budge. The usher got sort of impatient, punched him one and told him: 'Sir, if you don't get up from there I'm going to have to call the manager.' When the cowboy just cursed him, the usher skedaddled back up the aisle, and come back with the bossman. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move the cowboy, but with no success. They finally called a street cop in. The cop nudged him, asked his name. Well, that ole cowboy just muttered Buck and went right on back to sleep. By then, the cop had his billfold and found the Mag7 card, so he called the station, had them call you two, and then they sent me. That's the tale; there he is. The rest of it...I don't have not one clue, and I don't think I want to know. He's here, they've got him in a cubicle room...Go ask him. He's all yours!"

"Thanks, Rog! Come on Vin."

Exam Room 10 held Buck Wilmington, who looked up with dull, mostly embarrassed eyes, at the two men standing over him. "Well, hell! AWH!! Where'd you two come from?"

"You remember anything about tonight?" Larabee asked it quiet, but more than a little sarcastic.

"Well...kinda." Buck was trying hard to remember any of it.

"Name Meredith Avery ring a bell?"

"Shoot. I's supposed to meet her at that bar, Crash. She never showed."

"Well, they didn't find you there, Pard." Vin just scratched her head.

"Neither was she!!!" Buck suddenly exploded in anger.

"You got stood up!! By the woman you were so fiercely hot blooded over, you knocked me flat, broke my ribs!"

"Now, Chris. I'm sorry 'bout that."

"You're still a certified lunatic, Buck. Tell him, Vin."

"Now, Chris. Shut it 'fore he does it again."

"Right. Sorry, Buck. What happened."

"Well, when I's left by my lonesome, I just decided I'd go see a movie...new western at the Royale. Figured it'd be pretty good. Ooooohhh."

"Well, for one thing, you made real sure you got a snoot full on the way there."

"I was at Crash, Stud, and I was sure lonely. Only had me a beer or two. Ooooh. What did I do?"

"You got drunk, you fool! Over her!! Told ya she weren't worth nothing!"

"Larabee, you're the fool. Shut!! Or at least back up...don't need two of ya in here, and he's getting plum snarly!"

"Right! Okay, Buck ...you just might as well hold to the fact that you got so polluted tonight you went to sleep on half a row at the Royale." Chris had no compassion, thinking about the situation...not Buck's first such problem because of a woman.

"I did? Don't remember that. Hmmm."

"Then what DO you remember, Buck."

"She's there....I seen her! She's with this big furry guy from the wrestlin' team... She's all over him! The little hussy.....AWH! I think I done broke something."

"You didn't give in and hit him, did ya? You's bound to be mad, Pard, and when you're mad..."

"No... He's big as a big ole grizzly."

"And that made you mad...again. Glad I wasn't there." Chris remembered his last fight with Buck...because of a woman.

"I's mad...I wasn't stupid, Stud."

"For once," Vin smirked.

"and they never saw me."

"How'd you see them, Buck? Where were you when you saw them?"

"Shoot...," With terrible pain in his voice, and without moving a muscle, Buck just replied, "I always watch a western from the balcony,"

"BALCONY! How the heck did you end up in the middle row of seats on the first floor then?"

"Darned if I know, Larabee! How should I know? They's on the first floor, snugglin' up. You just gotta know, I seen 'em down there. Last thing I remember, Chris."

Vin pushed his partner back, a little further away from Buck and his growing temper, "Now both of you, shut it, here comes Nathan."

Buck dreaded the incoming trouble-bringer, "...Oohhhh!"

Larabee became all sympathy, mostly because he seriously hated hospitals and Nathan's bedside manner himself, "Ok, Buck. We'll let'cha be for now. Want t' hear what Nathan has to say anyway."

Nathan, their doctor, was his own cantankerous self, "Buck, I think you must be the most STUPID cuss there is. How'd you get this banged up in a movie house?"

"Nah...I ain't stupid, Nate. That's always been Larabee. He's always more stupid than me!"

"Not anymore, Pard." Vin just grinned.

Chris couldn't resist a good dig. "Not if you add in any kind of skirt. I know how to handle women...my woman anyway...you just don't know NOTHING."

Vin grinned until he heard the next groan. "What'd he do to hisself this time, Nate?"

"Don't know for sure. He's got a big gash on his pate, bruises all over his back and most of his right ribs, and to top that off, I think he's got a broke femur. We're taking him to x-ray now."

A long time later, the doctor came back, coffee in hand, and sat in Buck's new room to explain the situation to Buck and his partners."

"Well, he's lucky...all I got to say."

"Lucky? How's he lucky, Nate?" Chris tried not to pace.

"It's just a simple closed shaft fracture of the femur."

"Femur? He's broke his hip?" Chris cringed at the thought.

"No, distal end of the femur, missed his knee and his hip. Not too bad, but he's gonna sure enough hurt a while."

"Sure enough gonna. Well, Bucklin...ya done it now!"

"What's this mean, Nate. How long I gonna be laid up in here?"

"Few days here. I expect you're looking at 4 months before it's all done. You'll be on crutches probably 8-12 weeks. We'll start with surgery to put in a rod to stabilize that bone."

"Well, damn!"

"Okay, Buck. How'd you get yourself in this fix. I know you remember."

"Well...you mean I got to tell?! Don't know as I owe you two nothing. It is MY business."

"Give it, Pard! Me and Chris' been waiting way too long!'

"I ought to just knock the both of ya clean to ... "

"Buck, you got the strength to even get up, we'll just give ya a go!"

"Now, Chris....you're not thinking he ain't gonna try it, are you? All that's busted is his leg. Buck, give...you owe us!"

"Well, ya see ... she's down there...with him."

"This is Meredith, right?"

"Yeah...Miss Meredith Avery...that hussy. Well, I say hussy...she's all cozied up to him at first...least I thought she was."

"Buck...she'd cozy up to any piece of meat there is." Chris made the mistake of laughing an unkind little laugh.

"You want I should punch you again, Chris?"

"You know it's the truth...admit it. Just cause you was wrong about that woman the first time, don't think you can go hitting on me again."

"You know I'm sorry about that, don't ya."

"Buck, if you're sorry, you best not be coming back for more. Anyway, I take it you're mad at her now...right?"

"Guess so."

"You just ain't said how you got so dang beat up, Pard."

"Vin...I just didn't get beat up."

"SUUUUURRRRE!!"

"Shut up, Chris. I didn't get beat up!!!"

"Then exactly what happened? Give. It's taking way too long to get to this...it's got to be something good."

"Or mangy, one of the two." Vin snickered.

"You two keep it up."

Nathan arrived to call quits on the three, "Vin, Chris, you two get through in here...we've got about an hour before surgery and we got to get him ready."

"BUCK! GIVE!!!"

"Well...you see...I was watching Miss Meredith, when she all of a sudden looked right up and seen me. You'd think she'd a had the decency to at least blush...but no. She just blew me a big ole brazen kiss and then, when that grizzly pulled her around kind of sharp, she slapped him right upside the beak...and it was damn hard. Take it this way, friends, you don't go punching on no grizzly. He just hauled back and knocked that huzzy clear to November."

"Good for him! Hold on! How'd him hitting on her get so bad for you? YOU DIDN'T!"

"Chris...you know you don't go treating a woman like that. Not my woman."

"You're woman? She's kissing on him! I'd think that'd sorta take her out of your sphere of interest, you dumb ox."

"Well, I's still kinda thinking she's my woman, Stud. That's some kiss she threw me. I's thinking I's her man."

"You's drunk!"

"That too."

"Shoot, Pard. Remind me to never call Larabee stupid again. He just don't hold a candle to you. What did you do?"

"Well, I just sorta started yellin at the grizzly to leave her be. I's leaning out...shaking my fist at him...listening to him take a turn at calling me a real bad name. I forgot all about that darn balcony. I sorta put my leg over the back of what I thought was a seat. Don't remember a solid thing after that."

An auburn-haired woman walked into the room, smiling sweetly at her newest patient, "Mr. Wilmington, I'm you're nurse Cheryl Loverly. Dr. Jackson is ready for you. Gentlemen, you'll have to move to the waiting room on the 2nd floor for now. We will keep you posted on how this nice, handsome man is doing. This shouldn't last that long, and he'll be back in a room in no time." She gave Buck a swift but gentle injection, then gave his arm a nice, comforting pat and smiled down at him while the orderly moved him and began to push the gurney.

"Hey, Cheryl? You maybe say 'handsome man'? About Buck?" Chris looked a little more than worried. In spite of the pain, Buck was now smiling at the woman like his true, woman-chasing self.

"Ah, hell, Chris. Here he goes again! Busted to bits, and he still ain't ever gonna learn?"

"Learn? Ain't no need for worry, now, boys. Ms. Loverly here, my little darlin', obviously knows how to take real good care of a man, and with her beside me, I don't have to fall for no hussified nothing no more."

"You best learn to not mess with no more grizzlies neither, Stud." Chris gave him a stern glance as he watched the gurney carrying his friend move out the door.

Still smiling as he went, Buck just laughed, "Now, Chris...you know I just ain't never that stupid."

Vin watched, shaking his head, "You believe that, Chris."

"No...I give him maybe a day 'fore he's after Ms. Loverly. He'll be just plain stupid and more than pitiful, but, all in all, it'll sure be fun to watch him try for smart ... at least once."

END