Enjoy the fluff! While you can...

Also I think Hamish is becoming my favorite side mission character.

Chapter 37: Isaac

Isaac was confused when he woke up in a soft bed in a cabin instead of his tent at Horseshoe Overlook. He could hear Hosea talking and laughing, but not to anyone he knew. Though it was vaguely familiar.

He tried to sit up, but made it only an inch off the mattress before his side burned and he gasped, flopping back into the pillows. Hosea was next to him in a second.

"Isaac, are you okay?"

"Uncle Hosea? What?"

"You're going to be just fine, you hear me?" Hosea said, squeezing his shoulder and laying a hand over his forehead to check for fever. Isaac dragged his eyes open. "Good, you aren't nearly as warm anymore. You remember what happened?"

Did he? Isaac closed his eyes, trying to find his last memory. Hosea wanted to take him hunting, he got a new horse, a bear mauled him- oh. "Bear got me," he muttered to Hosea as an answer.

"Only a little," Hosea reassured him. "It's a pretty long scratch, but just on your side. Not like John and the wolves, I promise."

Isaac's lips twitched towards a smile.

"Hey, you want breakfast, kid?" the other man said, hauling himself up onto a crutch and- oh. Right. They were out hunting because his pa was missing and probably dead. Hosea just wanted to distract him and get him out of camp in case the bad news finally came.

"What do you say, Isaac? Coffee? Eggs?" Hosea said. "I bet you're hungry after yesterday."

Isaac hadn't thought much about it, but as soon as Hosea asked, his stomach gave a growl. "I think so," he said, bracing himself to sit up again. Hosea slid a hand under his back and guided him up.

"I'll make you a plate," the other man said. "I'm Hamish, by the way, if you don't remember."

"Hi," Isaac said awkwardly.

"Now, I heard you took down that monster with only a knife! You've got guts, kid. You could live up in the mountains here no problem!"

"Really?" Isaac said.

"Of course! You've got two mountain folk here who know our way around bears, and we both agree!" Hamish said. "Come on, let's get some eggs in you! Get you strong for the next one!"

Isaac grinned, accepting the plate.

"Are you feeling okay right now?" Hosea asked while he ate, still hovering over his shoulder.

Isaac hesitated. "It hurts, but not too bad."

"Your father is going to kill me for this," Hosea said.

Isaac paused mid-bite and hesitantly asked, "You really think he's out there?"

"Yes, I do," Hosea said firmly. "Out there probably wondering where us idiots have gotten to."

"Are you sure?"

Hosea hesitated slightly, then said, "No. Not sure. But I know he won't give up easy. He wants to find us more than anything."

"I know," Isaac said. Maybe Hosea was right. Just because they hadn't heard anything didn't mean his pa was dead. It was a little hard to believe at times, but he tried. "You think he'll be jealous about that bear?"

"Oh, so jealous! We got the pelt, too! Hamish and I went out there and skinned it, so you should get your pa to make you a nice coat or something."

"Yeah, and you should bring him over here. I want to meet him!" Hamish said.

"Really?" Isaac said.

"Of course! We can go fishing together."

"My pa can't fish," Isaac said.

"Well, I'm a great fisherman, so between us, we'll have something to eat," Hamish said.

"Okay." When his pa got back, and hopefully he would, they'd come back to this lake. God, he hoped his pa came back!

"Isaac, do you think you can ride back?" Hosea asked. "I don't want to put you in more pain, but Dutch is going to start worrying if we don't come back on time."

"Yeah, he won't be happy if we're late," Isaac joked. "It hurts but I think I can ride."

"Alright, let's clean this up and change the bandages, and then we'll head out," Hosea said.

Isaac got his first look at his injury then, his skin stitched together with parallel lines of thick, black string. It would probably scar, but he didn't mind as much as he thought he would. It was proof that he'd gone up against a grizzly and lived.

"You done with that plate?" Hamish asked.

"Yeah. Thank you," Isaac said. "You're a good cook."

"I try. Living out here, all alone, you get a lot of time to experiment!"

"Isn't it lonely?" Isaac couldn't remember a time when he wasn't surrounded by the gang.

"No, I got the whole of nature up here!" Hamish said. "Elk, wolves, sometimes a moose. And the Tyrant!"

"The Tyrant?"

"Mean as Hell Northern Pike. Been eating anything that spawns in that lake. One of these days, I'll catch him!" Hamish said, shaking his fist at the lake.

"Alright, Isaac, you think you can stand up for me?" Hosea asked. Isaac wobbled a little, but remained upright with a grimace on his face.

"Well, it was good to meet both of you," Hamish said. "You come back and visit, you hear?"

"Of course!" Hosea said. "Aside from a bear attack, this was fun!"

Hamish walked them out, pausing next to the cremello Dutch Warmblood who napping next to Isaac's Warmblood. "Well, looks like Buell and your guy are friends! What's his name?"

"I haven't decided yet. I just bought him," Isaac said. Poor horse. He just left his comfortable stable, got dragged across the state, and then left outside.

"Well, be sure to pick a good one!" Hamish said. "I named Buell after my general in the war. Of course, General Buell cost me a leg, and this feller is an ornery bastard, so be careful what you pick."

"What about Apollo? Name him after one of the Greek gods?" Isaac said, rubbing his horse's forehead while he shoved his head towards Isaac's pockets. "You like that? Or do you just want some treats?"

"You two are going to get along great," Hosea said. "Can you get up there by yourself?"

"Maybe?" Isaac said. Hosea ended up giving him a boost.

"Well, see you around Hamish!" Hosea said to him as they rode away.

"Thank you!" Isaac said.

"You're welcome. Like I said, come by anytime with that father of yours," Hamish said, waving from the porch.

They rode back slowly, given Isaac's injury. Hosea kept looking back over his shoulder to make sure Isaac was still behind him. He swayed every once in a while, since breathing too deep or twisting too far in the saddle sent sharp pains up his body, but soon they were approaching Horseshoe Overlook again. He was glad to see it, completely exhausted.

"Who's there?" Javier called.

"Hosea!"

"Good! You're back! You'll never guess what happened!"

"What?" Hosea said, but Isaac didn't care, so he kept riding.

Isaac hitched Apollo, leaving the pelt on his back because he was just too tired to carry it over to the tent. He stumbled over to his cot, well, it was his pa's cot technically, and flopped down onto it. It still smelled like his pa, more than he remembered, actually.

"Well, looks like you two had a successful hunt," Dutch said, standing in the entrance. "You seem tired."

He groaned and shoved his face deeper into the pillows.

"Yes, very tired, I'd say. You didn't even notice your father sitting by the fire."

Isaac sat up fast, too fast. He clutched at his side as he said, "What?"

"Right over there," Dutch said, pointing at the main campfire.

Isaac scrambled up, running even though the movement pulled at his stitches, hesitating only a second when he saw his father asleep on Charles' shoulder before deciding he didn't care. "Pa!" he shouted, and Arthur only got a second to be awake before Isaac launched himself into his arms.

"Isaac!" Arthur said, wrapping his arms around Isaac and hugging him close. "Oh, son, I'm so glad to see you!"

"Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Arthur said, starting to cry. "Just fine, Isaac. Are you okay?"

Isaac nodded into his father's shoulder, trying to keep tears out of his own eyes, but he couldn't.

"Everything is going to be just fine now, Isaac. I'm sorry I took so long. You have a good trip with Hosea? Where is that old man?"

Isaac couldn't answer, burying his head deeper into Arthur's shoulder. His father simply held him, rubbing his back slow and gentle.

"Arthur?" Hosea said, trying not to immediately interrupt Isaac's hug with his own.

"Get in here, old man," Arthur said. Charles slid out to let Hosea in, and the three of them just held each other for a while.

Eventually, Isaac's side started to throb again, and he had to sit up. "Are you okay?" Arthur asked him.

"Yeah, just…"

"Just?"

"Minor injury while hunting," Hosea jumped in. "A few stitches, nothing major, I promise."

"Nothing major, but it needed stitches?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes at Hosea. "What were you hunting?"

"Uh… just a grizzly bear."

"What?"

"It kind of swiped Isaac with its paw. No big deal, we took care of it."

"It what?" Arthur immediately pushed Isaac onto the log, trying to check on the injury.

"It's not too bad, Pa, I promise," Isaac said.

"And we met a real nice man named Hamish. You'll like him, Arthur, he invited us back to his cabin for some hunting or fishing sometime."

"Why did you take him bear hunting?" Arthur asked as Hosea tried to slip away. "Hold on, get back here!"

"I'm afraid I've got things to do, Arthur," Hosea said.

"Miss Grimshaw! I'm gonna need that leg!"

"Alright, alright," Hosea said, holding up his hands in surrender. "Look, I realize now I might be a little old for hunting the biggest game. In fact, I got this map of big animals off a feller in a bar. Well, I stole it off him. It's yours, okay? You can decide the next big hunt with Isaac."

After checking Isaac's injury to make sure his son wasn't about to die on him, Arthur said, "Fine. I'll take that map. I have to rebuild some of my supplies since I abandoned my cart in Tall Trees."

"We got the bear pelt!" Isaac said. "Could you- I mean, I was wondering if we could make a coat? I think it would be neat, wearing the bear that almost… you know."

"You want to wear the bear that almost ate you?" Arthur asked. "Sure, I bet we can make something nice out of it."

"And I got a new horse."

"Really?" Arthur said, turning around to spot Apollo with the rest of the herd. "Will you look at that! You happy?"

"Yeah, he's a good horse."

"I knew you'd find one eventually. Where did you get him?"

"Valentine. Hosea took me before we went hunting."

Arthur chuckled. "First horse, first bear. Any other firsts I missed?"

"I had- never mind."

"What?"

"I had some rum," Isaac said sheepishly.

"What!" Arthur said. "Who gave you rum?"

"Uh… Pearson…"

"That's it," Arthur said, shaking his head at the supply wagon. "As soon as I'm allowed to walk, he and I are having a conversation."

"He didn't force me!" Isaac said, not wanting Pearson to get in trouble. "And it was disgusting. I don't know how he drinks that stuff."

Arthur softened, just a little. "Don't worry, I'm only kidding," he lied.

Isaac's smile morphed into a yawn, and Hosea chucked, "I think someone could use a nap."

For once, Isaac agreed, but he wasn't ready to leave just yet. "I'll just stay here," he said, using his father as a pillow.

"Well, as long as you're comfortable," Arthur said, running his fingers through Isaac's hair. Isaac relaxed more, his eyes heavy after the ride home.

"You sure you're alright, Arthur," Hosea asked, finally sitting down next to them.

"I'm fine. Just tired. And I got blisters all over my leg, but I'll be okay in a few days," Arthur said. "Are you alright?"

"Better now," Hosea said. "Those mountains didn't do my lungs any favors. And I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Arthur said.

"You're not allowed to disappear on me again."

"Don't worry, I ain't trying to," Arthur laughed. "So, what's the plan?"

Isaac had been about to fall asleep, but he forced his eyes open just a bit. "For now, make money and lie low," Hosea told Arthur. "Try to head west, find some land."

"Are we going to make it back west?" Arthur asked.

"I think so," Hosea said. "As long as we stick to the plan."

"And will we?"

Hosea looked around to make sure none of the other gang members were listening. "You're not thinking about leaving, are you?"

Isaac forced himself not to react, but it was difficult. Leave the gang? His father would never do that! The gang was pretty much their entire lives. Isaac could barely remember living a different way. Whenever he thought about his mother, the little cottage he knew they'd lived in morphed into tents and wagons. But instead of dismissing Hosea's question, Arthur said, "Maybe for a bit, until things calm down. I know it's bad timing, but after Mac? And Davey, and Jenny? I'm scared, Hosea. What if the Pinkertons find camp and something happens to Isaac?"

"I understand," Hosea said. "Things have been good for now, and we haven't run into trouble with the law since we got here. But if you get worried, you have my blessing to go."

"I don't want to," Arthur said.

"I know, son, I know," Hosea replied. "We can talk about it again once you have a good rest."

"Yeah," Arthur sighed. "I need it. Crawling around in the woods with Sean."

"Oh, I can't imagine."

"He's growing on me," Arthur reluctantly admitted. "Like an annoying little brother."

"Like when you first met John?"

"John had the excuse of being twelve," Arthur laughed. "But I guess John is sort of mature now."

With Hosea and his father relaxing and turning to jokes, Isaac finally let himself take a nap.

Over the next few days, Isaac recovered and fell back into a normal routine. He moved into a tent with Lenny and Sean again. Susan returned his father's wooden leg to him, and they started hunting with Charles almost every day.

Camp was quiet. The only major event involved their resident O'Driscoll named Kieran, who finally gave up Colm's location after being tied to a tree for a while. John, Bill, and Javier went to take care of Colm. Only Colm wasn't there, so Dutch's feud was forced to continue. Isaac wasn't sure what to think when Kieran was allowed back into the gang, and for the most part avoided him.

He was having fun, though, and loved taking rides across the Heartlands and challenging Lenny and Sean to five finger fillet games. In secret, of course, no way his pa and Miss Grimshaw would approve.

"Hey, Isaac, can we talk a minute?" Arthur asked him one day. Isaac froze, remembering his pa's conversation with Hosea. They weren't leaving, were they? Things were getting better around camp. More food, more supplies, they even started splurging on camp improvements.

"Sure," Isaac said, putting down the bear pelt. His pa was guiding him through making his own coat, and even took him bison hunting with Charles to get more material for the back.

"Let's go for a walk."

This was definitely going to be about leaving. Isaac wasn't ready. "Everything okay, Pa?" he asked, trying not to sound nervous.

"Just fine, Isaac. I just wanted to talk with you in private."

Well, that wasn't reassuring him at all. But the conversation did not go in the direction he thought it would.

"So, Isaac, you know I've been spending a lot of time with Charles, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, Charles and I like each other a lot. More than… friends. You know what I mean?"

"Uh, I think?"

"Like… dating. A relationship," Arthur said. "And I don't want to do anything that will make you uncomfortable, because you and Charles are friends, too, and I haven't ever been in a relationship since you were born."

"It's okay!" Isaac said. "That's- it's great, actually. Charles is nice, and he helped me a lot with hunting and in the mountains. It's fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Isaac insisted. "Though, I'm surprised. I didn't know, I mean, you and another man… I didn't know you liked men like that."

Arthur chuckled. "I guess I'm a little surprised myself. But I do like him, so I guess I have to give it a shot."

"And Charles likes you, too?"

"Yeah, he does. We talked about it a bit the other night, but I wanted to check with you first."

Isaac nodded. "I think it's great!"

"Thank you," Arthur said, squeezing his shoulder. "Hosea and Annabelle are going to be pleased. I think they had a bet going."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. They are very invested in it."

Isaac smiled wide as they walked back to camp. It was still early, sure, but he really did like the idea of Charles becoming part of the family.