Upon learning that his new love was in some serious danger, Ike immediately set off after her with gun in hand, with all the other riders close behind. When he got to the door of the saloon, he saw Emily pointing a gun at the man who had killed her father…he immediately moved in front of her to protect her…and the man she had been pointing the gun at quickly drew one of his own. "Get out of the way, Boy," he ordered. "This don’t concern you."

At Ike’s lack of a response, the man scowled at him. "Oh, I forgot. You don’t talk. You probably don’t even know what I am saying." He shook his head. "Here’s a few words you might understand: GET OUT OF THE WAY BEFORE YOU GET YOURSELF KILLED."

Ike felt Emily place a hand on his shoulder. "Ike, please go," she implored softly. "I have to handle this on my own. My father’s dead because of him…and I can’t let him get away with it."

Ike wanted to tell her that this wasn’t the way, that she could never live with herself if she took the life of another person, but of course, he couldn’t. He never wished more than at that moment that he could speak, tell her how he really felt. As he looked at her, he didn’t see Buck run in. But he heard him shout, "IKE, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" then he heard a shot ring out and saw his brother fall to the floor. Nausea almost felled him as he thought, What have I done? He should never have been here.

With pure instinct, Emily raised her gun and shot the man, immediately ending his life. But no one seemed to notice or care. As Ike pulled Buck into his arms and tried to staunch the heavy blood flow, Emily said, "It looks bad. I’m going to get the doctor."

Moments later, everyone was gathered outside the doctor’s office, where Buck was being treated. Cody asked quietly, "How did this happen?"

"It was my fault," Emily whispered. "Ike was trying to protect me, and Buck was trying to protect him. No one else should have gotten hurt."

"But someone did!" Lou said angrily. "I hope you can live with yourself."

"Louise, this isn’t the time," Teaspoon warned in a soft but firm tone. She nodded and wiped her eyes without saying another word.

A short time later, the doc emerged, his face grim. "I’ve done all I can," he said. "The rest is going to be up to him."

"Can we see him?" Kid asked.

"Yes, but only for a minute. He’s pretty weak."

Teaspoon looked at Ike, who had his head down. "You go in first. I think you should."

Ike walked cautiously into the room where his brother lay. Placing a hand over Buck’s, he thought, I wish I could tell you what I’m thinking right now. But he couldn’t. All he could do as his friend was be there.

He felt partial relief when Buck opened his eyes and whispered to him, "Hey, Man."

Ike pulled up a chair and grasped his hand, as if he could somehow keep him alive with that simple gesture. "Don’t look so sad," Buck went on. "I’ll be out of here soon."

But would he? Fighting back tears, Ike wished not for the first time that he could say what was really in his heart. Instead, all he could do was mouth the words, ‘I love you.’

He thought his friend smiled slightly. "Me, too," Buck whispered.