Lenny was shot trying to stop Jack from being taken by the Braithwaites. We took him to the doctor in Saint Denis, but we don't know if he's going to survive. Bill is dead, too. Is this the price of saving Sean?

I'm going to Angelo Bronte to get Jack back before Dutch can get here. I can't let Dutch meet the man. We saw smoke rising from the manor from the road, so I have to move fast.

--------------------------

The doctor jumped into action as soon as they pulled up in the wagon. "Get him in here, quick!" Arthur gathered Lenny into his arms and took him into the room, Reverend Swanson explaining what happened and what he had done so far.

Then, the assistant was guiding the three of them out of the room, Hosea practically dragging Arthur away. Reverend Swanson went across the street, but for once, he wasn't seeking a drink. Instead, he went to the church to pray.

"I should go get Jack," Arthur said.

"Do you want me to join you?"

"Someone should stay here with Lenny."

He walked outside to Dakota, and spent a few moments petting her and feeding her peppermints. Mounting up, he didn't immediately head to the wealthy district. He first got himself, Hosea, and Swanson a hotel room, and he also treated himself to a bath. Not that he was trying to impress Angelo Bronte, he really wasn't, but he also didn't want Bronte to think of him as a dumb country hick that he could manipulate.

He also acquired some fancier clothes, chuckling a little as he bought the suit that he had ruined jumping off the river boat he, Javier, and Trelawny had robbed.

Dakota trotted down the busy roads, tossing her head as she found herself in the enclosed space rather than the wide open fields they were both used to. He hitched her in the park across from the Bronte house, and walked up to the guards.

"Hi," he awkwardly started. "I need to speak to Angelo Bronte."

"Mr. Bronte does not see people without an appointment. Who are you?"

"Well, I heard he's got my friends son, and I'm here to get him back." The gate guard moved his finger closer to the trigger, but Arthur had already drawn his revolver from the holster. "Don't test me, boy. Just because I want to do this civilized don't mean I have to."

The guard hesitated, but opened the gate. Arthur slid his revolver back in the holster and kept his hands visible in front of him. No need to cause a scene. They led him to the Italian man, who sat in his robe and narrowed his eyes at the intruder in his home. He spoke in Italian to men in a cold, sneering tone, and Arthur doubted that the words were pleasant.

Arthur did not possess Dutch's charm in his words, but damn it if he wasn't going to be direct. And he had one thing that Dutch was never willing to part with: money. No doubt, he expected to buy his way out of this, or spend his evening catching grave robbers.

"So, you walk up to my front door, in my city, and demand a meeting with me?" Bronte spoke first.

"I'm here for the boy."

"And you think you can just come here and take him?"

"Of course not," Arthur smiled. "I know how this works. You are in business with the Braithwaite family. You agreed to take my friend's son, and you want to be paid. Well, Catherine Braithwaite ain't paying you. Pretty sure my associates burned their fancy manor to the ground. So, let's make a deal."

Bronte laughed and gestured for Arthur to sit. "You hear this man? I love him. You are right, Mr.?"

"Morgan. Arthur Morgan."

"How about this, Mr. Morgan. You perform a simple job for me, and you get your friend's son back."

"What's the job."

Bronte explained the job, exactly as Arthur remembered. Robbing graverobbers. But one thing first. "Before I go out and do this, I want to see Jack. Make sure I'm going to get my end of the deal."

A laugh, a gesture to his men, and soon Jack was running over the Arthur. "Uncle Arthur!" he said, "You're here!"

"Hey, kiddo!" Arthur swept Jack up into a hug.

"Where's Mamma and Pa?"

"Well, your mom is back at camp, and your father, you see we weren't entirely which house to go to."

"Oh, that's OK. Are we going to go home now?"

"Yeah, in a bit, OK? I have to do a job for Mr. Bronte, and then we can go."

"OK!"

It was harder to stop the grave robbers with just himself, but he managed it. By the time he returned, Bronte had gone inside, and Jack was waiting outside with a guard. "Arthur, you're back!"

The guard turned to Arthur, and said, "Mr. Bronte would like to invite you to a garden party at the Mayor's house, you and your associates."

Arthur almost refused right then and there, but the party was an opportunity to check on Rains Fall and Eagle Flies. "Tell Mr. Bronte 'thank you,'and if I'm still in the city, I will attend. I'm sure he can understand that this place isn't for me."

"Let's go, Jack!" He lifted the boy up onto Dakota and mounted up behind him. "It's late, so we are going to spend the night at a hotel with Hosea, and we will go back to camp in the morning. You alright?"

"Oh yeah! Papa Bronte fed me good!" Jack launched into an explanation of Italian words and food.

"Maybe just call him Mr. Bronte, Jack."

"OK!"

They arrived at the hotel, and they saw Hosea sitting outside smoking. "Jack!" he called when he noticed them. "Good to see you, son! We missed you!"

"I had a good time! Have you ever had spaghetti?"

"I can't say I have."

Arthur cut in, "You tired, Jack? I bet you've never slept in a hotel before."

After they put Jack to bed, Arthur asked about Lenny.

"The doctor still isn't sure. He's keeping Lenny comfortable, but the risk of infection is too high."

"Has he been awake?"

"Not entirely. We got him to take water and medicine, but I don't think he was aware of what was happening."

"I'm going to take Jack back to camp in the morning. I want to leave, Hosea. I know you've been with Dutch for a long time, I have too. But you know where we are going, and I don't think I can stop it. Not while we stay with Dutch."

Hosea nodded. "We should try to get everyone west. Buy some land, settle down, hope they forget about us."

"I hate that this country is becoming more civilized, and I will never fit into a place like this." Arthur gestured around the street, the glowing orange street lamps and cobblestone walkways. "But having land of my own? Honest work? A home? I think I can do that."

Hosea smiled. "I can see it. You with a big ranch, roping cows and chasing coyotes off the land!"

"Who says I'll own cows?"

"You going to grow crops?"

Arthur laughed. "No, I'm definitely more of a livestock man."

"I hope you get that one day, Arthur."

"You too, Hosea. I'm taking you with me!"

They sat and smoked on the porch for a while before they retired upstairs. The next morning, before Jack woke up, Arthur went to see Lenny. The doctor looked up as he entered, Swanson was also sitting at Lenny's side. Lenny himself was completely still, only the slightest movement of his chest giving away the fact that he was still alive.

"Has he been awake?" Arthur asked.

"For a little. I'm afraid I may be reading him his last rites, soon."

"Can I sit with him, for a minute?"

Swanson took that as his cue to leave, slipping quietly out of the room, probably back to the church. Would this be what caused the change in Swanson? Arthur remembered him taking charge and taking care of the camp, even trying to get the others to run, too.

Arthur cradled Lenny's limp hand in his own. "Hey Lenny, can you hear me?"

Lenny's eyebrow twitched, his breathing picking up a little, but his eyes didn't open.

"I got Jack back, Lenny. He's alright, he's just fine. Everyone is fine. You just need to keep fighting for us. I'm sorry, Lenny, I'm so sorry. I wanted to protect you and I'm afraid I made everything worse."

Shouting could be heard outside, but he ignored it. But it kept growing louder, and Swanson returned.

"Mr. Morgan, Mr. Van der Linde and Mr. Marston are outside."

Sure enough, Dutch and John waited outside. John paced back and forth on the sidewalk, while Dutch appeared to be seething in rage. But whatever Dutch wanted to say, he contained it when he asked, "How is Lenny?"

"Still alive, but he's not doing too good."

"The Braithwaites don't have Jack. Apparently they gave him to some fellow named Angelo Bronte. We burned their manor to the ground, but I need you to find this man. Go to the saloons, see what you can turn up-"

"PA!"

Hosea was guiding Jack down the street, and the boy was running to John as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. John knelt down and caught Jack in his arms. "You alright, son?"

"I'm fine! I had a great time at Mr. Bronte's house! I had my own room and books and toys!"

"Arthur," Dutch began, "How? How did you find him?"

"Did some exploring when I got here, heard some rumors."

"Any problems?"

"Well, Mr. Bronte is a greasy little man who owns pretty much half the city, but in the end, all he wanted was to be paid. We settled things."

"Paid? How much?"

"No money, just a job. He wanted me to stop some grave robbers who weren't giving him a cut."

"Arthur, thank you," John said.

"We should get him back to camp," Arthur said. "I'll ride with you."

"I think I'll stay here, try to learn a little more about this Mr. Bronte."

"Dutch, let it go. We got Jack back. I don't want to stay in this town any longer than we have to."

"Well, Arthur, we need money if we are going to leave here. This town might have some!"

"Fine. Let's go, John. Hosea, you'll stay here with Lenny?"

"Of course, Arthur."

Arthur was upset to notice that they were heading to Shady Belle. Funny, he thought, he didn't remember clearing the place with Lenny. As it turned out, when he asked Marston about it, John himself had done the job with Lenny while Arthur was on a fishing trip with Hosea.

Abigail was relieved when they arrived with Jack, thanking Arthur profusely and hugging him. A lot of people asked after Lenny, and Arthur shared what he could. Eventually, the crowd moved towards the fire, ready for a party.

"Martson, listen to me." He pulled John off to the side. "Dutch's plans, they're not going to work. I want to leave, but I want to make sure your family, and the rest of those folks are alright first."

"Are you sure, Arthur?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Things have changed, John. Dutch has changed. I know you see it, too."

"I wouldn't have believed you before, but after that thing with those two families and O'Driscoll? When will you leave?"

"As soon as I figure out where to go. I want to get west, around the Pinkertons and Blackwater, but those mountain passes are dangerous. And we will have to move fast. I don't know what Dutch will do if we leave."

"Who else knows about this?"

"Just Hosea."

"I'll let him know that I'm thinking of going with you."

"Just be careful around some of these folk. Especially Micah," Arthur said.

Arthur and John separated and joined the party, and later Miss Grimshaw showed Arthur up to his room. He collapsed into the bed. Tomorrow, he had work to do.