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Sweet Memories
by Ace
"Sam, to your right!" Chris yells.
Samantha swings to her right and shoots the man holding a gun at her.
"Ezra look up!" she yells to the southerner, who quickly slings out his derringer and takes out the man on the roof.
"JD, behind you!" Buck yells over gunfire.
JD turns around and takes out two of the men.
"Vin!" Josiah yells, as a man sneaks up behind Vin.
The man gets hit in the back by a knife and falls to the ground.
"Nice shot!" Vin yells to Nathan.
The gunfire continues for a few moments and then Ezra looks over to Samantha, a man has his gun pointed straight at her.
"Samantha," he yells.
She turns as quickly as she can and shoots the man, but not before he hits her in her lower abdomen. She falls from the shot and hits her head on the way down. A few more shots are fired, then it’s over. JD, Buck, and Josiah immediately start taking the men that are alive to the jail. Chris, Ezra, Vin, and Nathan head for Samantha.
"Sam," Chris says, as the four of them kneel around her.
She doesn’t respond, doesn’t move. Nathan checks for a pulse.
"She’s alive, but she must have hit her head. Help me get her upstairs," he says.
Vin and Ezra lift her off the ground and the four head upstairs with her. Once in his office, Nathan starts getting bandages and immediately tends to her wound. They watch as he pulls the bullet out and places more bandages on the wound.
"Hold that tight," he says.
Chris walks close and does as he says. Nathan examines her head for any cuts. There are none, so he moves back and bandages up her abdomen.
"She’s unconscious," he says.
"When will she wake up?" Vin asks.
"Don’t know, she lost a lot of blood though. We’ll have to keep an on her till she comes too," Nathan says.+ + + + + + +
Samantha stays unconscious for about two hours. Mary and Inez come in a couple of times to check on her condition, along with Casey. One of them always stays in the room the whole time, except when another one comes in to take their place.
"She ain’t gonna die," JD says in more or less a question.
Nathan shakes his head no. Josiah has left for air, and the rest of the six sit in different spots around the bed.
She starts to move a little, and they all stand up. Nathan walks over to check on her.
"Sam," he says.
"Huh," she replies, weakly.
"How do you feel?" he asks.
"Like crap," she replies, moving a bit.
"Well, you were shot and you lost a lot of blood, you have a right to feel that way," he says with a smile.
The others have now moved closer and are looking at her.
"I’m sorry, but who are you?" she asks, looking confused at Nathan.
"What?" Nathan asks, a little surprised.
"Who are you?" she asks, then looks to the other five, "Who are any of you?"
"Sam, tell me you’re joking," Buck says seriously.
"Whose Sam?" she asks.
The five look to Nathan, as for help.
"She has amnesia," he states.+ + + + + + +
"So, what are we gonna do?" JD asks.
The seven now sit in the saloon, Samantha deciding she needed to rest.
"Well, we shouldn’t really try to force her to remember," Nathan says.
"So, we should just act normal around her?" Buck questions.
Nathan nods his head yes.
"How long before she gets her memory back?" Chris asks, lifting up his glass of whiskey.
"A few days, weeks, months," Nathan responds, "Maybe never."
"How could..." Ezra begins to say.
He stops when he sees Samantha slowly making her way down the stairs. Holding tight to the banister.
"Sam, you should be resting. You lost a lot of blood," Nathan says standing.
"I couldn’t sleep. Besides I feel fine, just a little dizzy, but that’s going away," she says, reaching the bottom of the stairs.
She walks over to the table and Buck gets up giving her his seat.
"Thank you," she says. "Which one are you?"
"I’m Buck," Buck replies, sadness in his eyes.
"Oh, I’m so sorry," she says looking around her as she sits down, "I feel like I’m letting all of you down, because I can’t remember who any of you are."
"It’s not your fault," Vin replies.
"I know, but still," she says.
"How about we try to urge your memory back, by telling you things you might remember, like our names," Josiah states.
Samantha nods her head, "Alright."
"I’m Josiah," he states.
"Chris."
"JD."
"Ezra."
"Nathan."
"Vin."
"Well, now that I know all of your names, it might make it a little easier," she says.
Inez walks in and looks over, she calmly walks back out deciding it best not to interrupt now.
They sit and talk for a few hours, and then Ezra manages to re-teach her poker. They slowly wander in and out of the saloon, seeing as there isn’t many customers there. Chris walks out and Vin follows.
"This is killin’ me," Vin says, once he and Chris are out of hearing range.
"You’re not the only one," Chris says.
"She’s like my sister Chris," Vin states.
"I know" Chris replies, sitting down.
"If she don’t get her memory back, then..." Vin cuts off.
"She’s tough Vin, we wouldn’t admit that to her face, but she’s tough. She’ll get her memory back," Chris states.+ + + + + + +
Later that night, Ezra and Samantha sit playing cards. They, for a change, are the only ones in the saloon.
"So, I’ve known the seven of you for a while," she states.
"Yes indeed my dear," he responds, dealing a hand.
"I hope you don’t mind my asking, but with seven men around, do I..." she trails off, not knowing what to say.
"Have a romantic interest in one of us," Ezra fills in.
"Exactly," she replies.
"Well, you’ve yet to announce one, if you have one," he replies.
"I must not have, if I haven’t admitted to one yet," she states.
"Oh no, you being the vixen that you are, would probably not admit to one even if you had say interest," he responds.
"So, what’s my relationship like with the rest of boys?" she questions.
"Well, you have announced that you love all of us, though I believe it’s the love shared among friends. Chris to you, from my point of view, is your protector. Nathan and Josiah, you usually seek counsel or confide in. JD, the way I see it, is your brother, or at least you sometimes fight like that. Buck is your protector, yet an older brother to you. Vin is also a brother, yet like Buck, a protector, and well, I believe you truly see me as a friend. Despite my past, you seem to put your trust in me, and I honor you for that," he says.
"Wow," she says, looking at her cards.
"Yes, a truly magnificent family you have," he states, looking to his cards.
"Oh that too, I was amazed at my hand," she states looking up.
"Really? What do you have?" he questions with a smile.
"Full house," she responds laying the cards down.
Ezra laughs a little and begins to gather the cards.
"Well, you’ve beaten me once again," he states.
"I’m only what sixteen, seventeen?" she questions.
Ezra nods a yes.
"Well then, I could always ask you about my real family, do I have a real family?" she asks, a sad gleam in my eye.
"Well," he swallows hard, and she sees this.
"Why don’t we save that discussion for another night?" she interrupts.
"If you wish," he responds.
She nods her head yes, and stands up.
"Thank you," she says, walking over and giving him a hug.
"Anytime my dear," he replies.+ + + + + + +
The next morning Samantha awakes in her room, and she gets dressed and walks out, where she runs into Ezra.
"Mornin’ Ez," she says, not as shy as she had been since loosing her memory.
"Good morning my dear," he says, then it hits him, "Wait, what did you call me?"
"Ez, what I normally call you when I don’t feeling like adding the Ra," she says, looking at him confused.
"Hold on," Ezra says, thinking of some questions. "How do you like to play poker?"
"Five card stud, deuces wild," she replies, still confused.
"What’s Vin’s pet name for you?" he asks, getting excited.
"Half-Pint, Ezra you’re starting to scare me," she responds.
"You’re back," he yells, grabbing her around the waist and swinging her around.
"Ezra, could you put me down," she says.
He places her back on the floor and she looks at him strange.
"You don’t remember yesterday?" he questions.
"No, why?" she asks.
"When we were in that fight yesterday, you were shot," he points to where she was hit, "and you hit your head. For the past day and a half you’ve had amnesia my dear."
"Really?" she asks.
He nods his head yes.
"Wow, I guess that explains it," she states looking to the floor.
"What?" he questions.
"Oh, the fact that the last thing I remember is you yelling my name, me turning around and shooting the guy, then falling," she replies looking back up.
"Come on, let’s go and tell the wonderful news," he says dragging her down the steps.+ + + + + + +
Everyone, including Casey, Mary, and Inez are in the saloon.
"Everyone, I have wonderful news," Ezra announces.
They all look to see what he is talking about.
"Our Samantha is back, she remembers," he says excitedly.
Automatically Samantha is bombarded by hugs and ‘it’s about time’ she thought she heard Buck say. She was picked up several times, but by whom she couldn’t tell you, because it all happened so fast. Once all of them settled she looked around.
"It was that bad?" she questions to all of them.
"You had us worried," Buck states with a grin.
Samantha laughs a little, then pats him on the shoulder, as Inez brings over a round of drinks.
"Let’s have a toast," Ezra states, lifting his glass.
Everyone does the same.
"To memories worth remembering in the future," he continues.
"I’ll drink to that," Chris responds.
"Same here," JD replies, touching everyone’s glass.
They down their drinks, then Vin looks to Samantha.
"Next time, try to keep your balance. I don’t think any of us could handle you loosing your memory again," he states playfully.
"Yeah, well I don’t plan on hitting my head anytime soon," she says with a grin.
END
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