Thanks to: dreamcatcher33, Valandil Eluch, kipperoo453, and Pip3 for all the great reviews. These chapters are getting to be just for you guys since you're the only ones who read it!

Title: Sit and Talk
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Another ten chapters, another disclaimer. Annie Proulx is the mastermind, I am the thief. I'm not making any money off of this, nor will I ever, I just do it for fun. Any characters or fictional places you recognize belong not to me, but to Ms. Proulx.

Ennis nodded at Alma and stood stiffly in the doorway. "Sit down, Ennis." She was drying a plate with an old pink rag.

"I don' think-"

"Sit down." Her voice had a tone of finality in it, forced Ennis' body into a wooden chair. He stared at the placemat, rubbed his calloused fingers over a dent in the soft wood.

"Alma, I-"

"Don'...Jus' wait. I'm thinkin' on how ta say this."

"Ok..." He looked at her hopelessly, while watching Junior peer in the room out of the corner of his eye.

For a few moments, all that was heard was his ragged breathing and the swish of water in the sink, every now and then, Junior's fingers tapped the wood of the doorway. Finally, Alma took a deep breath; stopped washing dishes, and wiped her hands on her skirt. A baby cried. "Junior, can yeh go feed John?"

"Yes, ma'am." Then reluctantly, but obediently left.

"Ennis, it isn't so much what yer doin' that bothers me, yer life is yer life. But I don' wan' my girls exposed to that." She sat across from him, tapped the table with her small fingers.

"Exposed ta what, 'xactly?"

"The...Ennis, yer queer. I don' wan' my girls-"

"Alma, wha d'ya think I do? Fuck Jack right in fron' a the girls? We're not perverts!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," she mumbled under her breath. If words could kill, Ennis would be flat on the floor, hole through his heart.

"What did you say?"

"Ennis, look it whatcha do! Yer both sick!"

"We ain't sick! Ain't no different from what yeh 'n' me did."

She frowned, tears forming on her face, "It is, Ennis. If in only one way, it's different."

"How's that?"

"Yeh love 'im." She wiped her eyes and stood, pushing the chair back under the table. "I know Jack's in the hospital. Tomorrow, after yeh get 'im, come back. Maybe yeh can take the girls home with yeh."

"Thank yeh."

"Don' thank me, thank Monroe. He convinced me."

"How?"

She blushed and returned to the dishes. Conversation over.

---------------------

Jack was all alone again. He hated being alone. What was he always alone? The doctor wouldn't even let him get up to pee, had to piss like a racehorse, wasn't goin' in no bed pan, he told the nurse who offered him one. He'd rather wet the bed, thank you very much.

The nurse had crinkled her nose at this, told him it was more work to clean a wet bed. "D'yeh know how hard it is fer a guy ta take a leak in one a those?" She shook her head and left the room mumbling, "Go ahead, wet the bed, my shift's almost over anyways."

He wondered how much longer it would be until Ennis got there. His casts were being sawed off at 5:00, friend or no. Ennis had four hours to get there. Jack picked at the lunch in front of him. Hospital food was never any good. The corn looked o.k., but he was so nervous and excited he was sure he would ralf anything he ate.

-------------------

Ennis' truck was tired of all the trips he had been making. Ennis didn't mind driving, it gave him time to think, but the truck protested as it headed back to the hospital. Just over a month ago Ennis had made a similar trip, but now he felt hope instead of a gnawing fear.

-------------------

Jack had been lucky getting a window by the front. The glass was lifted, curtains pulled back because his room was "damn stuffy." The nurse who had gone on her break earlier was back, chatting happily with Jack about her boyfriend.

"Sorry," he interrupted her when hear the chug of an engine, only feeling slightly guilty. "Can yeh look outta the winda ta see if there's a green 'n' white truck?"

She frowned, hadn't wanted to be interrupted. "Sure I can." She walked over to the window, standing on tiptoe to see the black top parking lot. A man in a white cowboy hat climbed out, slammed the door and locked it, then walked inside.

"Yes," she sighed, "a man just got out, he's coming inside."

Jack grinned from eat to ear; the nurse didn't have to guess why he was so happy. She was a little sad about the loss of her companion, but was glad for him. "I'll go make sure he finds you."

"Thanks." The man was already fidgeting on his bed.

---------------

Ennis pulled his hat over his eyes, tried to avoid looking at people. He ran into a petite nurse with dark hair, moved to get out of her way. "Sorry, 'scuse me."

She smiled at him before lightly touching his arm. "Are you Ennis? Here for Jack?"

He was sure he looked more than shocked. "Yeah, I am. How'd yeh know?"

"He's been waiting for you. Says you'll take him to the bathroom."

Ennis smiled, held back a laugh and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be my Jack." His words caught in his mouth after he said them. "I mean, yeh know, the Jack I'm here ta see."

"Of course."

She took him down a long blue hallway. There was a little girl knocking on one door and a man collecting laundry, but otherwise the area was empty. She pushed on a door and walked away.

"Ennis," Jack's smile was not only on his face, but in his words, "How'd everythin' go with Alma?"

"Fine. It all wen' fine. After we're done here, we're gonna go 'n' get the girls."

"That's great, now can I ask you a favor?"

A/N: Alright you guys, we're coming to an end on the story,I'm going to give you a warning. I'd like to write a sequel, but I won't bother unless I get 10 reviews (good or bad) on the last chapter. Rally up your buds, get them to read the fic if you want more. Sorry to do that, but I'm not going to post it if only a few people will read it.