Ambivalence

Waking up the following morning, Arthur felt more pain than ever. Perhaps he felt worse when the O'Driscolls had tortured him some time ago. He woke up to find Sadie throwing on her boots. Amazing, that woman is he thought. Perhaps maybe… ah it's a longshot.

"Morning, Arthur," said Sadie. Arthur could get used to her soft. cheerful voice. He got up, wiping the sweat from his head. He remembered he refused to undress while sleeping next to Sadie.

"You're up bright an' early , ain't yeh?"

"Figured John and I could head out and hunt for the day. We do gotta eat after all." said Sadie, eyeing him as she grabbed her hat.

"S'pose you're right, Mrs. Adler" responded Arthur. I can't imagine a more fierce woman, he thought.

"What's got you all smilin'?" asked Sadie, still eyeing him.

"Heh, nothin' really, jus—"

"Arthur!" he heard from outside, no doubt it was John calling for him.

John appeared at the edge of the tent, saying, "I don't mean to be disturbing… anything… I was just gonna head into town and was wondering if you wanted to come along… I know it's soon, but seeing as we plan to head out west soon, you'll be needing a ride."

"Fine by me," said Arthur, taking his eyes off John and toward Sadie. "I'm not sure about Mrs. Adler though, she was up bright and early to accompany you on a hunt."

"It's okay, handle y'alls business and we can head out later. Or maybe I'll just go at it alone." Sadie said gracefully.

"Thank you Sadie. Them animals ain't going nowhere. Arthur, we'll head out whenever you're ready." said John, who walked back out of the tent.

Sadie and Arthur looked at each other for a moment, then Sadie left the tent to let Arthur change…

An hour had passed, and both John and Arthur were coming back from Saint Denis, where Arthur had purchased a black and tan Turkaman, a lot like his old one Beau. He was still grieving his loss, but he did need a horse for their journey.

"C'mon, girl." said Arthur, as he trotted along slowly next to John.

"Helluva thing, don't ya think? I know it's been a while, but it must still make you nervous after all this time.." said John unexpectedly.

"Whatchu mean?" asked Arthur, a little more defensively than he intended to.

"C'mon, y'know what I mean... you and Sadie.." responded John.

"Wha-huh?" asked Arthur, blind sided by John's accusation.

"C'mon Arthur, y'know what I mean," said John with a slight chuckle. He continued, "Do I really gotta spell it out for you?" A moment of silence fell between the two. Arthur shot a quick glance at him, then John continued. "Well, when I got back to them, she was crying her eyes out, thinking you were gone. We was all sad friend, but it seemed to hit her differently. She kept to herself, she didn't speak to anyone... I figured she felt something the rest of us didn't. Something… intimate."

These words made Arthur's face flush with red. John continued, "And, not to mention that she let you sleep on her bed alongside her. Personally, I think it's a good fit," said John, who was looking at Arthur as they trotted along.

"Eh, we both been through hell and worse, don't know if we'd be good for something like that." Arthur replied, hoping John wouldn't say much else.

"Maybe that's why it seems so right to me. You've both lost what you've loved, maybe you can find it in each other."

Not much else was said for the rest of the ride back to camp. Arthur pondered on John's words. Maybe the damn fool is right, he thought. There had been an undeniable bond between the two. He had been so focused on getting John and his family out safely that he didn't really have any time to think of her that way. He did think of Mary, though. She never seemed to escape his mind.

After they returned to camp, John and Sadie went out to hunt. Arthur offered to go, but Sadie insisted he rest for at least a few more days. He conceded and stayed back.

Later that evening, as the sun went down, John and Sadie had put their pigs to roast as Arthur went to speak with Abigail. He went into her tent and said, "Abigail Roberts," with a deep tone.

"Arthur," said Abigail cheerfully, as she got up, "What can I do for you?"

"Well… It's more of a question I have.." said Arthur. He looked around the tent and closed the flap. "I was wonderin', do you think it's crazy if—"

"Does this have to do with Sadie, Mr. Morgan?" asked Abigail, with a teasing but honest look.

"I'm-I'm afraid it does," said Arthur hesitantly, "See, thing is, ever since Mary... settling down with a woman that ain't her hasn't been something I usually think about. And with Sadie—"

"I think, Arthur, that despite what you've been through, and what she's been through, you're both allowed to be happy. And who better than with each other?"

Arthur thought for a moment, then responded, "I guess, it just seems too good to be true. I mean after all that's happened, it seems silly to end up happy forever."

"It ain't always happy moments, Arthur Morgan, I can tell you that first hand." said Abigail, not giving Arthur a chance to say something else, "You talked with John about moving out West, starting over, leaving behind our old lives… What better way than to do that with a good woman?"

Arthur couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, he held her hand and said, "All in good time I s'pose," and he left the tent.

Thanks for reading part three! Arthur and John have some big plans soon. Hope you're enjoying it so far! I'm falling in love with Sadie all over again.