It feels wrong, being at the ranch – feeding the horses and cattle while his boss lays in an operating room, fighting for his life. They should have never went there last night – to the place where the fence is broken and their livestock wandered onto another's land. If they had stayed at the ranch and came up with a different plan this wouldn't have happened. His boss wouldn't have been rushed to the emergency room while they were several miles into the valley. He doesn't think he'll ever forget when Voight's voice broke and was replaced with a gasp in the middle of his monologue. He had pulled him onto one of the four wheelers they had taken and took off for the hospital which was closer than the ranch but in the opposite direction. He was coughing up blood during the drive there and lost consciousness by the time they got to the hospital entrance. Jay owes him his life and he barely managed to save his in return.

He's broken from his thoughts when the black stallion in front of him neighs – impatiently waiting for some hay to be thrown into his corral.

He goes about the day like any other – at least he attempts to. But the events of the night prior plague his mind – distracting him from his job. His phone gets checked as often as the service allows – waiting for any word on his boss' condition. When his work is done he goes to his cabin and takes a shower.

XXXXXX

The soles of her shoes pound against the polished linoleum flooring of the newly remodeled hospital as she awaits an update on her dad. She arrived a few hours after he was taken into surgery to remove the bullet he took in the chest. And that was hours ago – how many she's not sure – since he was taken to the operating room.

She hears her boyfriend call her name a couple times but she can't seem to stop pacing or focus on him.

"Babe." He says next, hoping to actually get her attention. She finally looks at him with the simple word, the worry evident in her hazel eyes. He takes a few cautious steps towards her and places his hands on her shoulders. "Take some deep breaths." His voice is flat and cold. He's not good at this – comforting her or anyone really. And he's quickly regretting his decision to come with her. He's really not sure why he insisted on coming with when she said that her dad was in the hospital and that she was going home.

"Your dad's tough. He's going to get through this."

"How could you possibly know that?" She takes a step back and continues to pace. His hands falling to his sides. "I barely talk about him with you and you've never met him."

"Well he has to be tough to have raised you." He gives her a smirk with his remark.

She rolls her eyes at that, not really in the mood for his humor.

He lets out a defeated sigh and walks over to her again, placing a kiss to her temple before letting her know that he's going to get them some coffee.

"Family of Hank Voight." A middle-aged man dressed in teal scrubs steps towards her and Al.

She releases the breath she was holding as the surgeon lets them know that the surgery went well. One of the nurses leads them to his room and Erin takes a seat on the right side of the bed. While her dad's oldest friend Al chooses to stand near the window.

"I don't know whether he'll be happy or mad that Jay called you." Al says after a few moments of silence.

"Why would he be mad?" She questions as she takes in the gauze sticking out from the neckline of the hospital gown her dad is wearing.

"Because we all know how much you hate coming home." He answers as he continues to look out the window.

She was going to deny it – her words on the tip of her tongue but he continues before she get the chance to say anything.

"No one can blame you Erin." He shakes his head as he drags his hands down his face and turns to look at her once again. "Especially not us. It's why he's always agreed to fly out to see you because he doesn't want you to be sad or upset about being here. And now he's probably going to tear us a new one for bringing you back."

She looks down at her lap with his words. There's no argument but the lawyer in her is dying to show herself in that moment. She knows she can't – that he knows the truth and she wouldn't be able to lie to the man who's like an uncle to her so she stays quiet.

There's a light knock on the open door and Erin half expects it to be Andrew with their coffee but then she hears his voice. "I don't know Al, I think he'll be pretty damn happy that he doesn't have to go to Chicago for once."

She turns towards the front of the room, a small smile taking over her face when her eyes lock with his. He takes a couple more steps in and she stands from her seat to meet him halfway. "I'm pretty sure you both secretly love the city."

Once close enough she moves in for a hug, her arms wrap around him and her hands land on his sinewy back to fist his shirt. One of his hands lands on her upper back while the other weaves through her hair as he leans down to press a kiss to her forehead. She closes her eyes as his lips linger. Her breathing slows and her heartrate calms. No one – not even her boyfriend can ease her worries the way her best friend can. The way her Jay can. And she doesn't dare to move as she cherishes his warm embrace after months apart.

"We love it because you love it. But if you ask me the only good thing that's come from this whole situation is you being here." His voice breaks her from her thoughts. He looks down, staring into her eyes. He can see all that she's feeling in that moment. The vulnerability, the worry, the relief and a little anger all held within her hazel orbs. His eyebrows furrow telling her with a single look and without words that he's here if she needs or wants to talk. She nods to acknowledge his silent promise and leans back into his chest.

Someone clears their throat and it causes them to pull away from each other. Andrew walks into the room with a cup of coffee in each hand. She rolls her eyes as her boyfriend purposely comes to stand between her and Jay.

"Thanks." It's an insincere whisper from her as he hands her one of the cups before she takes a sip.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Her dad's already gruff voice comes out a little more raspy than usual as he wakes up.

"I could ask you the same thing Dad." There's a little heat in her words, immediately wanting to let her father know how worried she's been.

"I'm fine." He huffs at his daughter as she comes to stand next to the bed again.

"No you're not, and I'd really like to hear why the fuck you were driving cattle at ten at night." She knows she should be relieved – happy that he's ok but she can't help feeling angry at her dad.

"Someone's got to do it." He raises his voice as much as he can as he feels himself quickly becoming agitated.

She points at Jay, looking at him briefly before glaring at her dad again. "See that man? You literally pay him and a half dozen other wranglers to do exactly that. You're too old to be doing this shit."

He tries to defend himself but he can see his daughter isn't having it. "My dad, his father and grandfather all did this-"

"No Dad, don't give me that tired speech again." She stops him from finishing the same line that he's given to her time and again, whenever he does something she doesn't agree with.

"I'm not just going to give up my land-"

"Land?" If she was angry before than she was livid now. "This wasn't over the cattle – your livelihood it was over someone trying to take your land. The same patch of land that I've been telling you to sell for this very reason." She sighs after her little rant, reprimanding herself for yelling and discussing such a sore subject while he's laid up in a hospital bed after just being shot and having surgery.

"Jay take Erin and Alex home for the night." Her dad is stern with his demand.

"Andrew." Her boyfriend stupidly corrects but no one bothers to even look in his direction.

Her dad's brown eyes look at her oldest friend and Jay simply nods before exiting the room.

She feels the need to apologize but she's too proud to admit her wrong doings when he put himself in danger over his land again.

"Try to get some rest. I'll be back in the morning." She murmurs as she places a kiss to his forehead.

"I'm sorry kid."

She nods giving her dad a tight lipped smile before she turns to leave with Andrew in tow.

They head to Al's truck first to grab their luggage before walking to Jay's pick up parked a few spots down.

Jay enjoys the comfortable silence that falls over them as they drive to the ranch. Eventually she turns the radio on and then quickly falls asleep. When they arrive, he leaves the truck on and carries the luggage into the house before going back out to find Alan or whatever his name is attempt to wake Erin up. Jay chuckles, knowing how sound of a sleeper she tends to be. He tells the smaller guy to move before taking his place next to Erin and unbuckling her seat belt so he can pick her up. She stays asleep as he moves away from the truck but she immediately wraps her arms around his neck much to her boyfriend's dismay.

"I could have carried her." Andrew quips as he follows behind Jay.

"Then why didn't you?" Jay rebuttals but the other guy doesn't have a response.

She wakes up when she feels his hard chest rumble with his words. He gently sets her down on her feet and she mumbles her thanks to which he just nods before bidding them goodnight and heading to his own cabin.

Once they get to her room Andrew moves to the bathroom to take a shower. Erin just sits on the edge of the bed as she takes in her childhood bedroom. The air seems to be sucked out of the space as she looks at every piece and detail that surrounds her. She hasn't been here in twelve years but nothing has changed – everything is exactly the way she left it and it makes her heart ache in a familiar way.

He lets the towel drop from around his waist as he begins to pull on a pair of boxers.

"So that's Jay." He says as he moves over to the bed.

She nods, choosing not to look at him in acknowledgement still lost in thought – in her memories.

"How long have you been friends?" He asks as he sits next to her.

"He came to live on the ranch and work for my dad when I was twelve and he was fourteen." She shrugs as she finally looks at him.

"Have you ever been more than friends?"

"What does that matter?" She instantly becomes defensive and narrows her eyes at him.

"I'll take that as a yes."

She lets out a frustrated sigh as she gets off the bed.

"The way he looks at you – he still has feelings for you." He boasts and she can practically hear the jealousy in his words.

"We're just friends Andrew." She stresses, grabbing the pair of pajama pants she packed before walking towards the door.

"Maybe to you."

"What are you getting at?" She rolls her eyes with her question.

"I'm saying I may have to kick his ass."

She laughs at that, so much so that she covers her mouth in attempt to hide the unladylike cackle that comes out. "You're funny."

"What? You don't think I can take him."

"No, I don't." She concludes honestly as she walks into bathroom to get ready for bed. And she's thankful that she doesn't have to continue the conversation when she walks back into the room a half hour later and finds him asleep.

XXXXXX

The ride back to the hospital in the morning starts out quiet, the three of them each lost in their own thoughts. But then her boyfriend speaks up about halfway through their drive.

"So Jay how long have you been a wrangler?" Andrew inquires.

Jay looks over at Erin hoping to gauge whether her boyfriend is really trying to initiate small talk. But as he glances over to the passenger seat he finds her staring out the window, taking in the early morning sky as she mindlessly twirls a section of her hair.

"My whole life." Jay answers and he expects there to be a follow up question but one doesn't come – at least not right away.

"Have you ever thought about doing something more fulfilling?" Andrew's voice is menacing and Jay has half a mind to slam on the brakes and throw the prick out of the truck.

That question gets Erin's attention and she turns so quickly, Jay thinks she may have whiplash as she yells at her boyfriend.

"I'm just saying, where's the success in being a cowboy?" He tries to defend himself once she's done yelling at him.

"I'm sorry Jay. He's not usually this much of an ass. You don't have to dignify that with an answer." Erin apologizes as she stops glaring at her boyfriend to look at Jay.

He reaches over the center console and squeezes her clinched fist. Their eyes meet briefly, his blue-green orbs letting her know without words that she doesn't have to apologize before he refocuses on the road. She's already been through a lot in the last two days and her jackass of a boyfriend is making things worse. How could he not see the tension in her shoulders, hear the extra rasp to her voice – a sign that she's on the verge of tears. How could he miss all of the things showing how beyond stressed she is. He takes a deep breath and reminds himself that not everyone – no one that he knows can read her like he can.

"I'd like to answer actually." He looks in the rearview mirror to see the smaller man squirm a little in his seat. "Alan was it?" Jay knows his name but he heard him at the hospital last night, knowing calling him the wrong name will probably serve to piss him off.

He says his name but Jay just continues. "I have a few questions for you. What do you find fulfilling about your job pushing papers?"

He remembers Erin telling him what he does for a living during one of their weekly phone calls a few months ago when she first started seeing him but it wasn't anything big or important, hence why Jay can't recall what he does exactly.

"There's more to it and it doesn't take long for success to come where I'm at." Andrew argues with a exasperated sigh.

"Yeah and how long have you been working the same job?" Jay asks and Erin smirks at the bite and sass held within his tone. Jay doesn't wait for another response before he goes on. "There's more to my job too, but please enlighten me. How do you measure success? Is it having a degree? If so I have two. Is it the type of car you drive? Because I own this truck you're currently in. What about owning a house? Well I own two of those too."

"Look I meant no offense." Andrew protests as he once again adjusts himself in his seat.

"And I'll pretend to believe that. But next time you should try thinking before talking out of your ass and passing judgment on someone you know nothing about." Jay demands just as they pull up to the hospital.

"Have a nice day Arlo." He gives him a smug grin in the mirror. Andrew rolls his eyes and hops out of the truck. Erin can't help but chuckle and shakes her head as she leans over and kisses Jay's cheek.

"Text me when you're ready to be picked up." He tells her and she nods before she too steps out onto the sidewalk.

His eyes stay on her as she shoves her boyfriend's shoulder and he can tell she's giving him an earful as they make their way to the entrance of the hospital. Jay almost feels bad for the guy but it doesn't last as he sees Andrew argue back with her and point towards the truck. She moves away from him after that and Jay watches Andrew storm off in the opposite direction like a petulant child. Jay shakes his head - hoping that's the last he sees of Andrew as he puts the truck in drive and makes his way back to the ranch.

XXXXXX

A/N: I apologize for all the mistakes but I hope you still liked this chapter. Please let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading!