"She won't leave his side." Peter said to Annie the next day as he sat in the porch swing outside the doctors office with his arm wrapped tight around Peggy Sue. "His fever finally broke last night but still he just lays there and she sits there next to him with her head on his chest."

"She even talks to him even though he can't hear her." Peggy Sue added. Annie sighed and leaned against the porch banister.

"Maybe he can hear her." she said. "Has the sheriff figured out who shot him?"

"No." Lauren spoke up from where she was standing wrapped in James arms next to the door. "The sheriff said he probably won't ever know for sure unless whoever shot Grayson walks up and admits to it."

"Yeah it could have been anybody. I mean hell Grayson hadn't been in town a full day before Garth tried to kill him." Peter said.

"I'm worried about Callie. She hasn't left his bedside since yesterday morning." Lauren said. Annie sighed.

"I'll go get her and make her come out. She needs to go get some food in her." she said. Everyone on the porch wished her luck and she walked into the doctors office. She made her way to the back room and felt her heart break a little at the sight that met her eyes.

Here was Callie. Strong-willed, high tempered, brave, independent Callie looking like a lost and scared little girl as she laid with her head on Grayson's chest and stared up at his face while whispering softly. Annie hated to disturb the intimate moment but she knew that Callie had not eaten in over twenty-four hours and she was worried about her.

"Callie." Annie whispered gently and Callie sat up quickly and her face turned red with embarrassment.

"Hi Annie." she said. She was not happy that she had been caught talking to an unconscious Grayson. She knew that everyone thought she had gone crazy but she prayed that one of these times she would speak and he would give some indication that he could hear her. She was frightened by his stillness more than anything. No matter how long she stared at him he did not move at all. Not even the twitch of an eyelid.

"How is he?" Annie asked. Callie sighed and wiped her face hoping to remove some of the fatigue she was sure was showing on it.

"Still asleep." she replied. Annie nodded.

"Come on out and come to the diner and get something to eat." Callie shook her head.

"No, I can't leave him." she said. Annie sighed.

"He's not going anywhere. Callie." she said. Callie looked at the woman who had been a second mother to her growing up and frowned.

"Of course he's not. Why would you say that?" she asked.

"It is okay for you to come on out and get something to eat. He will be right here when you get back. I know you enough to know that you're worried he'll disappear if you take your eyes off of him for longer than two seconds." Callie bit her lip and looked down at Grayson's handsome face. She knew Annie was right about her worrying Grayson would disappear. She knew it was a ridiculous fear given his current condition but she was afraid that if she left he would wake up and leave her again.

"Just bring me some dinner here." she said.

"Callie this is ridiculous!" Annie snapped harshly and Callie's gaze flew back to her. "Poor Lauren is worried sick about her brother and it is unfair of you to cause her to have to worry about her friend too because you refuse to take care or yourself." Annie knew the best way to get Callie to do what she wanted was to play on her guilt. Callie was the type of person who would do anything for those she cared about and hated having her friends worry about her.

"I did not ask anybody to worry about me." Callie snapped as she stood up and smoothed out her wrinkled skirt. "I can take care of myself." Annie's gaze softened.

"Of course you can." she said gently. "But you have people that love you and worry about you whether you like it or not. Me, Lauren, James, Peter.. Even Peggy Sue." Callie couldn't help but laugh.

"Peggy Sue?" she asked raising her eyebrow. Annie shrugged and grinned.

"Okay, so she is probably just here to make sure you keep your hands off of her man but still…. The rest of us are here because we love you. Now please come with us to the diner and get something to eat so we at least know you're not going to starve to death." Callie nodded. She bent down and laid a gentle kiss to Grayson's cheek before following Annie out the door.

Callie walked outside and realized that the breeze was much colder today. She rubbed her arms to fight off the chill.

"I need to go to the boardinghouse and get my shawl." she said. Peter stood up and put his arm around her shoulders.

"I'll go get it. You go on to the diner." he said. She gave him an appreciative smile and followed Annie, Lauren and James off the porch and down the dusty road toward the diner.

"Go on with them, Peggy Sue. I'll be along in a minute." Peter said. Peggy Sue nodded and he kissed her gently and watched her walk away toward the others. Peter walked into the doctors office and back to Grayson's room. The office was empty while Doctor Mason was out making house visits so Peter wasn't worried about anybody overhearing him.

"Hey there, Grayson." he said to the motionless man lying in the bed. "You're scaring my best friend to death." Peter sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"You and I never did like each other, Grayson, and that's no secret. I had a crush on Callie a long time ago but she had eyes only for you and I couldn't compete with you because I was her age and you were the handsome mature older boy. But now Callie is like a sister to me and I'll do anything to keep her safe and happy even beg you not to die. I don't know whether or not you're a cold blooded murderer.  I don't really think you are. What I do know though is that up until you lost your damn mind five years ago, you were always there for Callie and even though you tried to deny it back then, you loved her just as much as she loved you.

"You broke her heart when you left. You're not good enough for Callie, you know. You never were but that doesn't matter to her. You are who she wants to be with and you and I both know how damn stubborn she can be so I'm left with no choice but to accept it even though I think you're a hot headed jackass." Pete stopped talking and just stared at Grayson's still form. He kept expecting the man to sit up at any moment and break his jaw for saying these things about him but it wasn't happening and that just made Peter even angrier.

"Listen here, you damn son of a bitch." Peter exclaimed standing up and pointing down at Grayson. "That damn girl loves you and you broke her damn heart when you took off and left her five years ago! Then you came back and she gave her heart to you all over again and I'm warning you right now, Grayson Fields, if you break her heart again, if you leave her again, if you die on her, so help me God I will piss on your damn grave every chance I get!" Peter turned quickly and stormed out of the room.

Grayson moaned and opened his eyes slowly, blinking and wincing at the pain in his head. He raised his hand and rubbed his face and could feel the two days worth of stubble covering his jaw. He flicked his dry tongue over his chapped lips and looked around the room for something to drink. There was glass of water on the bedside table and after several long, painful moments he managed to sit up and reach it.

As he took several long sips and let the cool water soothe his parched throat he thought about what Peter had said. Grayson had been unconscious during the first few moments but had started to hear Peters words when he reached the part in his speech about not thinking Grayson was a cold blooded murderer.

Grayson was surprised by the relief he felt at hearing there was at least a few people who didn't believe the stories about what had happened that night between him and Phillip. Grayson shook his head to clear the images of his brother's enraged drunken face just before he'd pulled his gun on Grayson from his mind. Everybody had loved Phillip. Phillip had always been the level headed of the two brothers. Everyone's favorite. Grayson had looked up to him and admired him right up until that night. Phillip had lost his mind that night and because of that Grayson had been forced to kill him….

Grayson heard footsteps approaching and Doctor Mason walked into the small, dusty room.

"You're awake." he said with surprise. Grayson nodded.

"Yep." he replied. "But I feel like my head is going to blow." he added. Doctor Mason nodded.

"You lost quite a bit of blood and you're dehydrated, that combined with the laudanum I gave you yesterday will make your head hurt." Grayson nodded and stood up slowly feeling the weakness in his legs.

"Is there a reason you're getting up so quick. You just got shot and you were asleep for over twenty-four hours… Maybe you should give your body some time." Doctor Mason said. Grayson shook his head.

"If I've been asleep for that long then my body has had plenty of time." he replied. "Where's Callie?" Doctor Mason chuckled at the look on Grayson's face. Grayson was the biggest man that most folks had ever seen and he was damn intimidating when he wanted to be, but right now he looked like a lost little puppy as he asked about Callie.

"She sat by this bed every single second you were in here until about thirty minutes ago when her friends drug her out of here to make her go get something to eat. I came back just as Peter was leaving and I was out in the main office when I heard you moving around in here." Grayson nodded. He felt a warm feeling in his heart at knowing that Callie had been at his bedside. He had dreamed of her head against his chest and her soft fingers on his face. Her gentle voice had somehow broken through the blackness of his mind and though he could not respond he had heard her words of love. Maybe it hadn't only been a dream.

"So how bad is it?" Grayson asked trying to look over his shoulder at the bandaged wound.

"Not that bad really. The bullet didn't go very deep and was stopped completely once it hit your shoulder blade. Whoever shot you forgot about the fact that you're built like a buffalo and they weren't using one of those big buffalo hunting rifles." Grayson chuckled. "Loss of blood was your biggest danger but now that you're awake I know you're gonna be fine."

"I need to get dressed." Grayson said looking down at his bare torso and dirty pants. Doctor Mason looked over at the remains of Grayson's tattered, bloodstained shirt they'd had to cut off of him. Grayson followed his eyes.

"Guess I'll have to go over to the hotel and get me some clean clothes." he said. Doctor Mason shook his head.

"You need to be resting." he said. Grayson raised his eyebrow.

"You and I both know this isn't the first time I have been shot." he said. "I didn't stay down the last time either." Doctor Mason thought back to that day five years ago when Grayson had stumbled into his office with a bullet in his hip. Grayson had not told him how it had happened but then the news of Phillip's death at Grayson's hands had reached him and he knew that Phillip had shot Grayson. Mason often wondered why Grayson had never told anyone about Phillip shooting him first but he figured it was none of his business. Grayson must have his reasons and though Mason didn't understand them he respected them.

"Well if you insist on being up and about then at least promise me you'll put that arm up in a sling once you get your shirt on. You need to try to keep from moving that shoulder around too much or else you'll start bleeding again," Grayson nodded.

"Do you want some laudanum?" Doctor Mason asked. Grayson was about to say yes because the pain in his head and his shoulder was so great it was making him nauseous but then he remembered Callie's tears over her mothers addiction to the stuff and he remembered how she had always hated it and he shook his head.

"No, I'll be okay." he said. Doctor Mason nodded. "Yesterday, Thomas Whitaker said that Susannah was gone." Grayson said as he went about trying to get his boots on. Doctor Mason leaned against the wall and played with his gray handlebar mustache.

"Yeah she passed away about a year ago. The laudanum and alcohol finally got to be too much for her body." Grayson felt guilt tear at his heart. He should have been here to help Callie through that. Oh well he couldn't go back in time and change anything and feeling guilty about it wouldn't make it better. All he could do was make sure he was there for her from now on.

"Do you have any idea who shot you, Grayson?" Doctor Mason asked. Grayson gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath as he used his right arm to tug his boot on. He took a deep breath through his nose to fight back the pain and then stood up and looked at Doctor Mason.

"No." he said simply.

"Probably one of Phillip's friends." the doc said. Grayson shook his head.

"I don't think so." he said laying his hand on the scarred up wooden wall and leaning against it fighting the waves of nausea and pain that were coursing through him. "They would have wanted to make sure I knew they were shooting me. They would have wanted me to know they were getting vengeance and they certainly would have made sure they finished the job."

"Then who could it have been?" Doctor Mason asked. Grayson shrugged his left shoulder, (his right one hurt too bad) and sighed.

"Don't know. Don't care. But if I ever find out who it was I'll kill them for shooting me while Callie was with me. They could have missed me and gotten her instead."

"They'd have to be one hell of a bad shot to miss someone as big as you, Grayson." the doc said with a laugh. Grayson chuckled too and then walked toward the door.

"Thanks for taking care of me doc. I'll get some money to you." Doctor Mason shook his head.

"Already paid for." he said.

"Who?" Grayson asked. If Callie had paid for his treatment he would make sure he paid her back.

"Your father." Doctor Mason replied. "He came in yesterday around noon and checked on you and paid for your care." Grayson tried to keep his shock at hearing this from showing on his face but Doctor Mason saw it.

"Well I'm gonna go then." Grayson said and made his way out onto the dusty street. Doctor Mason followed him out and climbed up into his buggy. He had a few more visits to make before nightfall.

888

Thomas Whitaker walked into Doctor Mason's office. He was thoroughly pissed that Grayson was not yet dead. He had shot him in the back himself.. The man should have died. Thomas knew that Callie and her friends were at the diner and he knew that Doctor Mason was gone. He would end Grayson's life for good this time. There was no way he was going to let that giant of a man ruin all his plans and take his money by marrying Callie.

He walked into the dark dusty back room ready to smother the unconscious man with a pillow only to find the bed was empty. Where the hell had Grayson gone? Thomas heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Callie standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and then her eyes fell on the empty bed. "Where is Grayson?" Thomas walked closer to her and he could see her whole body tense up. He couldn't wait until Raymond's cousin got to town so he could just marry this bitch, take her money and then kill her off.

"I came in to check on Grayson. I know what good friends the two of you used to be." he replied. "I'm not sure where he is. The room was empty when I got here."

"He left…?" she said aloud. She was speaking to herself not Thomas but he seized the opportunity.

"It looks that way." he said walking around Callie and shutting the bedroom door silently. "He never was good for you, my dear." Thomas ran his hand down her arm gently and Callie felt herself shiver.

"What are you doing, Thomas?" she demanded.

"I want to talk to you about us." he replied. He ran his fingers along her cheek and she jerked away.

"There is no us." she spat.

"You really should just marry me, Callie. I will take care of you. I will never leave you the way he has." Thomas replied. Just as he was pressing his lips against her ear and she was preparing to drive her knee into his groin the door to the room burst open.

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" Grayson yelled in a booming voice so loud that Callie was sure the windows shook. Thomas looked like he was ready to either vomit or pass out as his face paled and he starting stuttering and backing away from Callie with his hands raised.

"You are one sick son of a bitch." Grayson said using his left hand to grab Callie's arm and pull her behind him. "She is your step daughter and the fact that you can even think about laying a hand on her or marrying her is just…." Grayson couldn't think of a word fitting the depth of his repulsion so he just shivered.

"Callie is a beautiful woman and I have very deep feelings for her and want her to marry me." Thomas said. He wished he could just pull his derringer pistol from his jacket and kill Grayson now but he couldn't do that with Callie standing here as a witness. Thomas looked up at Grayson's face, which was full of rage, and realized he'd probably just said the wrong thing.

"There is only one damn man in this room that Callie Logan is going to marry and I can tell you right now he ain't you." Grayson growled and then without another word he grabbed Callie's hand and led her back out onto the street and down to the diner. He led her to the table full of her friends and pulled out a chair signaling for her to sit down. She was still in too much shock from what had just happened to argue and she sat down quickly. He used his left arm to push her in and then sat down in the chair next to her.

The table was silent as everyone stared at the anger on Grayson's face. No one wanted to be the first to speak and risk the big guys wrath.

"Can anybody here fill me in on exactly what has happened since I've been gone and exactly what the hell is wrong with Thomas Whitaker?" Grayson growled. Callie snapped out of her daze then and laid her hand on his arm.

"Aren't you supposed to be laying down?" she asked. Grayson shook his head.

"No. Now answer me." he said. Callie sighed and the table full of people did their best to fill Grayson in on the last five years