A/N: I'm sorry for the confusion with the last chapter and the mistakes. I just thought it was a cool way to write it but I hope this clears some things up. This chapter was already mostly written and I liked it, so this one will be similar to the last update in the aspect of time jumps, except this one goes between that night and the next week. This is a short piece but I didn't want you to have to wait too long! As always I hope you enjoy and if you do please review! Thank you!
He watches from the large window of his room. His eyes scan the land as far as he can see - taking in the herds of cattle and horses as they graze on separate parts of the ranch. He's only been standing there for a few minutes but it seems like hours - his still healing body feeling heavier by the second and reminding him that he should return to his bed to continue resting. But then the sunlight reflects off of something outside - he's still searching for the source when another beam comes off the urn that's handed to her. Even from afar he can see her nod her head in thanks. She's dressed in all black - appearing as if she's headed to a funeral and he reasons in a way she is. It's a thought that has him pushing his tiredness aside to run and go after her - to be there for her but he doesn't make it more than a few feet from the window before pain radiates from his abdomen causing him to plop down onto the chest at the foot of the bed. The quick movement tore open one set of stitches in his side and the blood seeping through the fabric of his shirt has his mind rewinding in time.
It's eerily quiet as he steps outside. The leaves on the trees rustle with the wind, crickets are chirping and the gravel crunches beneath his boots. He's not sure if it's the near silence of the moment or if he's breathing louder than usual but he can hear every breath he takes along with the blood pumping through his veins. The chaotic storm of gunshots has stopped and he ponders for a second - wondering if the rustlers retreated, if they're lying in wait or if they've all been taken down. It makes him move with caution as he continues out into the darkness, the only light coming from the sliver of the moon and the fixture above the barn door.
He stops when he hears movement to his right. It's an animal hidden within the bushes and trees at the edge of the driveway, that much he can tell just by the heavy breaths, either a cow or horse if he had to guess so he continues on - knowing in either case the large creature is the least of his concerns. Just as he takes the first step forward, silhouettes appear from behind the bunkhouse. He readies his gun and aims in front of him - preparing to shoot if needed. Only the first gunshots don't come from the people in the shadows but from his cabin and that's when the men by the bunkhouse come into view. Out of his peripheral he sees Kevin, Adam and Mouse come to stand beside him as they quickly pivot, ducking behind one of the ranch pick-up trucks and returning fire. A bullet ricochets off a trough and pierces Jay's side just before he hits one of the rustlers in the leg and they can all hear the other man's groan even over the last few shots, each of them running out of ammo with the exception of Jay. The uninjured bandit tosses his sawed off shotgun to the ground in favor of a pistol - the one his partner was just using. He gets three shots off as the wranglers move in.
He huffs as he applies pressure to his side. The towel that he's decided to use because he's running low on gauze is pressed against his skin, in favor of using the what little material is left in the kit. It takes a while but thankfully the bleeding slows, just not enough to allow him to stitch himself back up. He's not even sure he would have been able to patch up the wound on his side from this position but he was going to try. And now with his energy continuing to deplete, he settles for covering it with two pieces of unused gauze left and hoping it'll do until Erin returns. With the last piece of tape in place, he moves back to lay down and closes his eyes. The events of that night returning to him as soon as his head hits the pillow and he begins to drift off.
More bullets hiss and zing through the air, most of them becoming lodged in different wooden pieces of the structures around them or the metal of the truck. One somehow meets it's mark and hits Jay but the adrenaline coursing through his veins blocks out any and all pain coming from the wounds in his torso as he shoots back and hits his target - the rustler's shooting hand - causing the gun to fall from his grasp.
Adam and Mouse apprehend the two men on the front porch of Jay's house and begin to practically drag them down the stairs and onto the driveway when one more rustler comes from the main house and makes his way down the front porch steps. He stomps towards Jay, aiming his gun at him, when suddenly something dark comes rushing out of the woods. It takes them all a moment to realize it's the mustang. And Jay finds himself thinking that's who was waiting in the bushes. The last rustler staggers backwards in shock and that's when the horse rears, striking the man twice before backing up momentarily. But when the guy on the ground moves to get his gun he dropped, the mustang steps forward again; hitting with precision and breaking bones with several loud cracks echoing through the air around them. Then it's still, the rustler lying motionless on the ground. The mustang's breathing is labored as he looks over and steps towards Jay. His large, brown eyes locking on his handler before he stops and moves his head up and then down slowly - something normally conveyed as he sign of submission but in this instance the seasoned wrangler doesn't see it as that. He sees that the mustang was protecting himself and Jay. And for that Jay nods his head back in appreciation - even if he knows the animal most likely won't understand the gesture. The mustang just stares at him, allowing Jay to see the wild fire burning within the animal's gaze before he's disappearing back into the woods. Jay picks up the rustler's gun when he reaches him and goes to check the man's pulse; finding a faint, rather thready throb of the vein before it stops altogether. Jay turns to watch the rest of the men and moves to grab the hat that had fallen off the rustler's head. Jay sighs and shakes his head as he places the hat over the man's face.
He stays just within a state of sleep but he can still feel her lips on the skin on the back of his hand. Her touch is gentle, almost cautious as she keeps his hand held between hers even after the kiss ends. His head feels foggy and he finds himself unable to wake fully so instead he takes comfort in her being back by his side and lets the sleep consume him once more.
The last two men struggle as they're thrown to the ground with their hands behind their backs. Their hats are thrown off their head before Adam removes one man's hood and Mouse removes the other's. Both of them have sickening smiles pulling at their lips as they look at the wranglers. The one with longer black hair spits out what they can only assume is blood - the crimson wad landing with a barely audible thud near the wrangler's feet.
Jay looks down and shakes his head again as he approaches them, recognizing both of men as he tells Adam to call the Sheriff's office.
"Tell Antonio that we have Charlie Puligese and Stevie McGregor as well as the bodies of Jimmy Sanguinetti and Landon McGregor." He adds once he knows the call goes through.
"You just made a huge fucking mistake." Stevie snickers while looking straight up - the blood smeared across his teeth shining in the dim light.
Jay just shakes his head again - otherwise ignoring his ex-colleague's words as Kevin drives one of the trucks in reverse so that it'll be quicker to get in. The white lights at the back of the truck turn off as Kevin parks and rushes into the stables.
"What was in it for you and Jimmy?" Jay asks Charlie, the smirk still present on the latter's face.
"We're all cousins and my little cousin here-" He moves his head to the side slightly to gesture to the man behind him. "...needed help and the four of us wanted to come back to get our revenge on you all - avenge our family. It seemed like a win-win to me." Charlie explains just as Kevin and Erin walk out with Voight between them.
He doesn't question anything else as he walks to the other side of the truck and gets in the back seat to assist them in getting into the vehicle. But the movement of him climbing in makes the burning sensation coming from his abdomen worse. The pain spreads - especially as he attempts to help. So he quickly falls back into the seat just as they open the door.
His eyes meet Erin's as she climbs over him. And he tells himself that she's his reason to hold on - to block out the fact that he's bleeding out. He tries to just focus on her and keep his eyes open. But it doesn't work and eventually everything fades to black.
The nagging pain coming from his side wakes him up and the cool rag with what he assumes is rubbing alcohol brings forth a hiss from his lips. He sits up a little, his eyes remaining closed for another moment before he turns to look at her.
"You're stubborn, you know that?" She whispers - keeping her eyes casted down towards his reopened wound.
"Mmm...says the most stubborn person I know." He attempts to joke but it falls flat - their usual banter having disappeared since that night.
"You know that you're supposed to be resting Jay." She scolds as she finishes cleaning the skin around the wound.
"I didn't mean to tear them open Erin." Is his stern reply.
"I didn't say that you did but it's not like were doing what you were told to, to ensure that it didn't happen either." She argues and he sighs as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
"It's just a couple stitches, you're acting like I almost died." He grumbles back, instantly regretting the words that cause them both to tense. It wasn't intentional for that to come off so cold but he's tired of her treating him like he's fragile - like he's still knocking on death's door. She doesn't need to remind him of that night, he remembers the majority of it just fine on his own. But a part of him does feel bad for the tears he can see welling in her eyes even as she adverts her gaze and refocuses on his stitches.They both stay quiet for a while, neither of them wanting to touch on that subject.
She finishes the last stitch and cleans up the mess before disposing of the trash and replacing the kit in the ensuite. And when she re-emerges from the bathroom - still teary-eyed he feels an urge to stand up and pull her into his arms but something inside him holds him back as she takes her place in the chair that has become her makeshift bed.
It's a sensation that he's grown accustomed to in the last week - something he's learned to stop fighting because compared to everything else it's the least of their worries. Though they can't deny that there's been a shift between them since that night - some outside force that's taken them from being boyfriend and girlfriend and deduced them to be something like a nurse and a patient. Neither of them are ready to address it, so they've kept their heads in the sand - letting the occasional kisses to the hand and the tending of wounds be close enough to get them by until they're ready, not realizing that the other is feeling the same way.
"Erin, I -" He cuts himself off because just like the yearning he felt to hold her, something intangible keeps him from finishing the apology on the tip of his tongue. And he thinks about that for a few minutes as she moves a little in her seat and gets his attention back on her.
"You did almost die Jay." She sniffles as she combs her fingers back through her hair. "Maybe not tonight but that wound - all of those wounds could have killed you."
"You don't think I know that?" He questions and she just inhales deeply in attempt to calm herself.
"But I wanted to go with you - to be with you if you found a place for him. That's how I tore my stitches." He admits, his voice much quieter than it was with his previous statement and it causes her features to soften. She apologizes as she stands up and moves towards the door.
Whispered words of how she's going to make them dinner is tossed out before she's quickly exiting the room. He falls back into the headboard and pillows as the sound of her descending the stairs to the main floor echoes through the otherwise quiet house. His earlier thoughts of the shift in them come back and he realizes in that moment that they have a long way to go.
