Nuzzle
Disclaimer: The characters of Ennis and Jack belong to Annie P. I am only borrowing for a while. I hope you enjoy this piece. I just loved how the nuzzled during the reunion scene. And I think they said plenty of things without words. And this was just one of many ways that they did.
NOTE: This has nothing to do with Milestones. This is a separate one shot that takes place after the final confrontation. Lureen and Jack divorce (we have no idea if they would have in the story/movie cause Jack dies. Of course in this one-shot Jack does NOT die.)
Ennis is living in WY but not in Riverton anymore. And Jack comes back to Wyoming to get away from Texas, to put things behind him. He and Ennis are still meeting up on Ennis' terms. He still visits his parents in LF to help out, but he can't live there. so he stays at a boarding house not far from where his parents live. He has an accident.
Now on with the story....
It was a Friday evening and Ennis was looking forward to the weekend. He didn't have to work this Saturday so he was going to spend the day with his horses and calling his girls. They were both grown and off to college. Junior was studying to be a teacher and Jenny was going to be an accountant. They both made him promise to call them on a regular basis 'cause they didn't like the idea of their father living alone in his trailer.
He'd just sat down with a beer and a hot dog. He liked listening to the news. Best thing about living alone was he could burp, fart, sit in his underwear and scratch himself, and no one was going to complain. He laughed as he took another sip from his beer.
The phone rang; thinking it was one of his daughters, he muttered, "damn phone," and got up to pick up the receiver. "Hello darlin'."
"Is this Mr. Ennis Del Mar?" a woman's voice asked him.
"Yes," he cleared his throat. "Who is this?"
"My name is Susan Miller I'm a nurse at Worland General Hospital. I'm calling about a patient named Jack Twist. He has you listed on his contact information as a person to call in case of an emergency.
"What happened to him?" he gripped the phone tightly.
"His truck hit an ice patch and slid off the road and hit a tree."
"Oh God!" Ennis cried out.
"Sir?"
"Is he okay?"
"He's in stable condition but he's in a coma."
"I'll be right over." He sat down for several minutes after he hung up the phone. He would call Lureen, but after Jack's divorce she sold the house and business and remarried. He had no idea where she was now or where Bobby was either. He was in college somewhere in Texas.
He put his coat and hat on and walked to the truck and headed for Worland.
After redlining it all the way and parking his truck at the hospital, he rushed over to the reception desk. He took his hat off and asked the nurse, "Can ya tell me where Jack Twist is?"
"And you are?"
"I'm Ennis Del Mar, ma'am."
The nurse looked at the papers in front of her. "He's in ICU, right down the hall to the right."
Ennis never thought he moved so fast as he did getting to the ICU.
His heart sank when he saw Jack lying in a hospital bed.
He was hooked up to monitors; he could hear the heart monitor keeping track of the beating of Jack's heart.
He walked over to the bed and took Jack's hand. "Jack it's me, Ennis." he whispered. Jack didn't move; he didn't acknowledge that he was even in the room with him.
"Come on bud, I need to talk to you. Ya gotta wake up now." He was met with silence. He slowly sat on the bed. "Jack, you know I ain't good with words. You're the one who's a talker."
Ennis heard one of the nurses enter the room, but refused to let it dissuade him in anyway from sticking to Jack like glue.
"How is he?" He watched the nurse take Jack's vitals.
"He's stable but he has a concussion and he's comatose."
"Is," he cleared his throat. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"We won't know for certain until he wakes up." She walked out.
'You mean if he wakes up.' Ennis thought the worst.
"Jack, yer burnin daylight. Wake up. I need ta talk to ya." He moved from the chair to sit on the bed. He ran his fingers through Jack's hair.
He bent down to whisper into Jack's ear.
"I need ya, bud. I miss ya so much."
He kissed his forehead and caressed his cheek, hoping he could reach inside and pull him back out, like Jack pulled him when he lassoed him on Brokeback.
"Sir."
Ennis rubbed his thumb over the knuckles on Jack's hand. He felt someone tap his shoulder.
"Sir," Ennis turned to look at the nurse standing next to him.
"I'm sorry but visiting hours are over."
Ennis' facial express dropped, he was disappointed Jack hadn't woken up. The nurse left him alone
"I gotta go, bud." He leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I'll be back tomorrow."
Ennis returned for the next three days, arriving after working a full day at the ranch.
The nursing staff were used to him and didn't press him to leave. He was so exhausted; he sat on Jack's bed and lay down next to him.
"You better wake up Jack Fucking Twist; I'm getting real tired of talkin to myself." He yawned and nuzzled his nose against Jack's and rubbed cheeks.
"Love ya, Jack."
He must have fallen asleep. He thought he was dreaming 'cause he thought he felt someone nuzzling his nose softly. He slowly opened his eyes. Jack's face was pressed against his on the pillow. Jack's nose was nuzzling against his.
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"Jack, are ya awake?" he watched anxiously as he opened his eyes. Ennis had missed seeing those crystal blues. There was another soft nuzzle against his nose and cheek. Ennis answered back with a nuzzle of his own. "Jack." He ran his hand through Jack's hair.
Cough "Ennis."
"I gotta get the nurse." He made to get up when a hand on his wrist stopped him.
"Wait." Jack's voice was weak from lack of use and sounded like sandpaper.
Ennis spotted a pitcher of water near the bed. He poured a glass and helped Jack take a drink. "Thanks. Why are you here?"
"A nurse called me, said you were in an accident. They said ya had my name on a contact card."
"So ya came," Jack said as he weakly sat back on the pillow.
Ennis whispered in his ear. "Yeah, I redlined it all the way."
Jack laughed when he remembered telling Ennis he'd redlined it to get to him in Riverton after not seeing each other for four years.
Ennis slipped away to get the nurse. Jack's doctor came back and Ennis had to leave the room while they checked him over.
"Doc?" Ennis asked the doctor when he came out of the room.
"Mr. Twist is doing very well. His vital signs are good. Were going to keep him here a few days to monitor him, then he should be able to go home. He'll have to have someone with him during his convalescence."
"His Whut?"
"While he's on the mend. He can't be alone right now."
Ennis rushed back into Jack's room and sat at his bedside.
"Ennis." Jack smiled at him." Am I dreamin this? You really here?"
"Yeah, I'm really here."
A nurse came in with some painkillers. "Mr. Twist is going to need his rest."
"Okay." He waited for her to leave.
"I'll be back tomorrow, bud. He leaned in and gave Jack a gentle kiss on the lips.
The next day Ennis had to run up to a ranch in Worland to deliver some paperwork for his boss. Afterwards, he stopped by the hospital to see Jack. He looked into his room and saw him lying on his side, facing away from him.
"Jack?"
Jack looked over his shoulder and sighed. "Ennis." He sat up and leaned back against the pillows.
"Whattya doin here?" Ain't you supposed to be workin?"
"Had come up here to drop some papers for my boss. I figured I'd drop by and see ya."
"That's nice," He said sarcastically.
"What's wrong, bud?"
"Nothin," he groused.
Ennis sat down on the bed next to him, and waited for Jack to tell him what was wrong. It didn't take long for his bull rider to start talking.
"Doc said I can go home tomorrow."
Ennis gently patted him on the back. "That's good news, ain't it?"
"Yeah, but I need someone to take me home. Doc don't want me driving. I don't want to go back to Lightnin Flat. Don't wanna deal with my old man." Jack sighed. "But I guess I'm gonna have ta. I ain't got nowhere else ta go. Ever since me and Lureen got divorced, I been stayin at a boarding house not far from their ranch." He reached over for the phone and started dialing. Ennis hit the button on the cradle and ended the call.
"What the hell ya doin', Ennis?"
"Ya ain't goin' to Lightnin' Flat."
"What are ya talkin' about? Where am I supposed to go?"
"Home with me," Ennis mumbled while looking down at the floor.
Jack's eyes widened. "What'd ya just say?"
Ennis looked over at him and grabbed his hand. "I want ya to come home with me to Kirby. I got a trailer. Ain't much, but it's a roof over my head. You're welcome to stay with me while ya heal. If ya wanna that is." He looked down at his shoes.
"Ennis, you mean it?" Jack looked at him hopefully.
"Ya callin' me a liar?'
"No, cowboy." He pulled Ennis into a hug and nuzzled against his nose.
"So ya wanna' come home with me?"
"Yeah, I wanna', you bet I wanna'." He kissed him.
The next day the two men walked out of the hospital together.
Jack stayed with Ennis, and never left.
They fixed up the trailer that sat on some land not far from a lake. Jack visited his parents from time to time. He got work as a salesman selling ranching equipment, and between his salary and commissions and Ennis' pay they were able to buy their own ranch together.
They worked hard all day, and came home to their bedroom and made sweet, passionate love to each other.
"Love ya, Ennis." Jack whispered in Ennis' ear. He was enjoying the afterglow. He nuzzled Ennis' nose and cheek.
Ennis nuzzled back. "I love ya too," He whispered as they cuddled and fell asleep. Both were having sweet dreams.
End.
Note: Ennis had moved away from Riverton to a small town North of Riverton but South of Worland named Kirby. It was a quiet and peaceful town where folks didn't ask any questions. They liked Ennis and Jack and never bothered them.