Thanks to: dreamcatcher33, Pip3, Valandil Eluch, Marina Bayae, kipperoo453, YouthAwareness, and onefreetoroam for all of the fabulous reviews.
Sorry about how long it took to get this up, I've been super busy lately. I'll try and make it extra long fer yeh!
Title: Good Money for Her Services
Rating: NC17
Disclaimer: Any recognizable characters and/or places belong to Annie Proulx. No profit is being made.
Jack paid for a lawyer to make sure all of the papers were filled out correctly. It took hours to get them done, what with Jack having to call Ennis, who was still at the hospital, then call K.E. to find things out about him. About the only person related to Ennis they didn't have to call was Alma. Lucky they didn't, she was still in jail.
The girls stayed with Monroe for the time that Jack was with the lawyer. The hadn't wanted to go, Francine on the verge of tears that she had to, but Jack finally told them he'd be as quick as he could, and the young girl's tears subsided. Her sister had held her hand all the way to the house, Jack wondered why, as he knew this wasn't a common occurrence.
The lawyer was a young lady in a stiff, black business suit, shoes probably done too tight. Her light red hair was pulled back into a loose bun, which helped to soften how she looked a little. She looked shocked when Jack, who had paid good money for her services (A/N: Now, none a' ya'll go 'n' think naughty thoughts, right there), walked in dressed in worn jeans, a dusty, black cowboy hat, and a shirt that looked a little to big for him. He seemed happy, none the less. A smile constantly tugged at the edge of his mouth, his eyes shining with what looked like new hope.
She sat him down in a squishy armchair, made of fake leather. He un-consciously plucked at the brass buttons adorning the seat, as she sifted through their papers, looking for the correct one to start with.
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Ennis had gotten annoyed with Jack the third time the man called him, so Jack said it was time to stop for the day, he would come back later. The young lady shook his hand, surprised by the thick calluses that rubbed her smooth skin. This man was quite small, did not look like someone who would be an all day worker. He smiled genuinely at her as he took his hat off a peg, popped it on his head, and walked out the door.
His truck chugged as he turned down a road. He should have been going to pick up the girls, but he couldn't resist going to see Ennis. The man had been given a clean-ish bill of health, and was once again (hopefully permanently) removed from the ICU. He turned left, instead of right at the fork, and felt a stab of guilt in his gut. The girls would have liked to see their father, but he hadn't had alone time with Ennis...since he first met the girls. He didn't blame Junior or Francine, and wasn't trying to spite them, he just thought he deserved a little time with Ennis.
The nurse who had helped him sneak into the ICU when he had first been there had kept in touch with him since Ennis' first attack. She had already told Jack where his man was at the moment, so he didn't need to stop at any desks. He just went straight to where he wanted to be.
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Ennis still had the oxygen going into his nose, still had some IVs in him, but he wasn't on so many machines, and he didn't look quite as tired. He greeted Jack with a quick nod, then went back to fiddling with his hospital gown.
"What's up, cowboy?" Jack walked over to him, sure to close the door behind himself, and put a hand on the man's shoulder.
"This thin's damn itchy, cain't make it any better!" He complained as he rushed to untie a knot in the middle of his back.
"Ok, ok...shh.." Jack turned Ennis' shoulders towards him, untied the knot and watched the think fabric fall open, revealing a rounded, tan back.
"Whatcha waitin' fer?"
He must've been staring. He shook his head before running short nails over the man's back. His fingers tickled the top of Ennis' ass and the man jumped, as though electrocuted. "Yer ok, ain't no one gonna come in."
"Quit it Jack!" His voice was slurred with arousal. His head lolled back despite his protests, and attempts to ignore what he wanted.
Jack let his hand roll down, then scooped one half of Ennis' bare ass in his hand, skimmed his thumb over the cleft of the man's ass. Ennis whimpered. "Jack..." He arched his back, allowing Jack's hand more space.
But Jack's hand roamed back up to his lax shoulder blades. "Why'ja stop?"
"Ennis, you're still in the hospital. I wan' it jus' as bad a yeh do, cowboy, but we cain't risk yeh gettin' sick again."
Ennis nodded sadly, leaned back and let Jack cradle him in his arms. His hands slipped under the man's gown, and in only a comforting fashion, he rubbed down the man's torso. His hands roved over a pucker where the bullet had gone through and he grimaced. He kissed the top of Ennis' head before slipping his hands back out, and tying the back of the gown back up.
"I missed yeh, so much. This was nice. Cain't wait 'till we cain do this at home." He slipped Ennis a smooth kiss, and walked to the door. "I have to go get Francine and Junior, but we'll be back in a week to get you, then yer comin' home, where you oughta be."
As he walked out of the room, his gut, which had been feeling sickly guilty since he turned left, turned to a sickly frightened feeling.
