Part 11: Where Our Hands Hurt From Healing

"ECHO NIGHT AVEN, SIT DOWN RIGHT THIS SECOND!" Henry yelled from the front porch of the cabin.

It had been 3 weeks since the accident, Echo had been healing really well. However, there hadn't been one minute of her day where someone wasn't watching over her, and she was about to go crazy. While Henry had stepped into the bathroom, she took it as her chance to run out the door and try to get to her stables before he caught her. Clearly, it didn't happen. She was doing well, but she still couldn't get around as fast as she used to.

"I just wanted to go see the horses, Henry. I wasn't going to do anything stupid."

"Oh please," he said as he came down the stairs to get her. "We all know you don't know how to not get into trouble, you just fell last week trying to sneak off and hurt your knee all over again. You shall sit still unless I am with you, and then we can discuss what you want to do from there."

"I have been stuck in this house for 3 weeks with someone breathing over my shoulder, I just want some air."

"It is 56 degrees out here, you do not need to be out here."

"Then build me a fire in the pit! I just want to sit outside in breathe in the air, and just be alone."

Henry crossed his arms and stared at her, "Fine, I will build you a fire, but you will sit in the house until it is done."

Echo threw her hands up and walked past him back into the house. Once he had the fire going, he came and got her. Of course he made her hold onto him to walk out to the pit cause he didn't trust her to walk by herself.

They sat down on the bench beside the fire and Henry wrapped a thick blanket around her shoulders. "Henry, you're the best big brother I never had."

Henry laughed, "And you are the reason I'm glad I never had a sister."

They both started laughing as Henry wrapped one arm around her shoulders, "But really, Echo, you are my family, and you always will be."

Echo just smiled up at him and then went to staring at the fire burning in the pit, and it brought her back to that night when Mathias found her.

"Henry, can I ask you something, but don't question me about it, just answer it?"

"I will do my best, ask away."

"Why hasn't Mathias checked on me at all?"

Henry took a deep breath and exhaled before answering, "I do not know, actually. I have not seen him since the day in the hospital."

"Oh."

Before Henry could say anything else, his phone started ringing. It was Melissa from the bar, they were packed and she needed the help.

"Go Henry, I'll be fine for a couple hours by myself, I promise I won't do anything stupid. Pinky promise." and she stuck her pinky up at him.

Henry eyed her suspiciously at first, but then finally took her pinky in his. "If you do anything while I am gone, I will never let you out of the house again until you are fully healed. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir." with that Henry jumped up and left to go to the Red Pony, leaving her sitting there by the fire.

Henry had been gone for maybe an hour when headlights started coming up her drive, Echo sighed heavily. Henry must have called and told someone to come babysit her while he was gone, even though he promised her.

She turned and stared back at the fire, pouting that he had sent someone to watch her. All she wanted was some time alone, and he couldn't even give her that. So she decided she was going to throw the biggest tantrum on whoever was the poor soul that got conned into this.

The car parked and then she heard the door shut, but refused to turn around. The footsteps got closer, and then just stopped right behind her. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes before the person spoke. "Figured you would have had enough of the cold and fires, Red."

Echo stood up suddenly and whipped around, hurting her ribs in the process, so she mainly just doubled over and grabbed her side. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, sit back down, are you ok?" he grabbed ahold of her arms and steered her to sit back down on the bench while she tried to catch her breath.

Once she could finally get her breathing under control she looked up into his dark brown eyes and almost forgot how to breathe all over again. He had worry lines drawn all over his face while he was trying to figure how bad she hurt herself. "What are you doing here, Mathias?"

He made eye contact with her, but then didn't say anything. "Why don't you let me help you into the house where it's warm?"

"I'm fine right here, but answer my question. Why are you here?" His jaw was tight, like he wanted to say something, but was holding it in. "Did Henry call you and tell you to be here? Because I don't need a babysitter."

Once again, Mathias didn't answer her, just stared at her. "You know what, you're fine. I'll go inside that way you can leave." She raised up from the bench and turned to limp back to the house.

"Wait." Mathias said as he reached out and grabbed her arm. So she turned to look at him. "I just needed to see you, and make sure you were ok for myself."

"Glad I could help you with that, have a good night." she pulled her arm from his grasp and started walking again.

He didn't stop her again, nor did she turn around to look and see if he was still standing there. She got through the door and just shut it behind her and waited. Once she heard his car start up and drive off, she let the tears she was holding in fall. What the hell was this mans deal, and why was she letting it get to her? She knew better, she convinced herself it was just cause she was hurt that she was letting herself get emotional. She needed a hot bath, and a beer if Henry wouldn't have hid them all to keep her from getting into them and falling and getting herself hurt even more.

Two more weeks passed and Echo was getting to go back to work next week, and she was so excited. There had been no other contact with Mathias since that night, but he still seemed to just stay on Echo's mind all day. It was a Friday night and all the girls were at the house getting her dressed up to go to the Red Pony for the first time in almost 6 weeks.

"Guys, I'm fine wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, why do I have to wear makeup and a dress?"

Kady laughed, "Oh c'mon, you haven't left this house in forever. Plus, you've been living here for a while now, we need to find you a man."

All of them laughed, "I don't want a man, I've had enough of having Henry in my house this whole time."

Meg was in the middle of curling Echo's hair when she spoke up, "She's only saying this, because there's only one man on her mind."

"Excuse me?"

Vic answered her while she was going through her closet, "Oh please, Echo. No man is going to walk up a mountain in the middle of a snow storm to save your ass if he doesn't have feelings for you."

Echo could feel her face get red, "No, it's nothing like that at all. It was just him returning the favor since I saved his life, nothing more."

All 3 girls went "pffffft, yeah ok." and then changed the subject when they could see the conversation was really getting to her.

Over on the Rez, Mathias was turning the lights and stuff off in his office when Harry appeared in the door. "Any plans tonight, Chief?"

"Going home, going to bed, be back here in the morning. You?"

"They are throwing a surprise party at the Red Pony for Deputy Aven, she gets to go back to work next week. You should come, it's going to be fun."

Mathias just turned to look at him, "Yeah, I don't think so, but have fun."

"Sir, can I be frank with you?"

Mathias stopped packing his things up and put his hands on his hips, "Harry, you've got 5 minutes before I kick you out of here."

"You don't have to hide your feelings for someone just because you're worried about what the tribe will think of you. The tribe thinks highly of you, and we would want you to be happy."

With that, he turned and walked out, leaving Mathias standing there stunned and confused.

A few hours later, after a lot of fighting there Echo stood outside of the Red Pony for the first time in 2 months.

She did not win any of the battles, so they had curled her hair, put makeup on her, and then basically wrestled her into a slim fitting black dress with spaghetti straps and heels. The black dress had a high slit up the front that Echo kept tugging on, she was so out of her element wearing a dress. The black heels weren't too bad, black platform heels that had a small strap around her ankle. She would have preferred to just wear jeans, but they were not going to relent.

Kady came up beside of her in a purple dress, Vic was wearing a red one, and Meg had on a blue dress. "Alright ladies, let's go mingle!"

With that they all walked into the bar, but as they got through the door, everyone started cheering and clapping. There was a big sign above the bar that said "Welcome Back, Deputy!" Echo looked around and literally everyone she knew was there, and they were there for her. It took everything in her not to get emotional, so instead she walked up and hugged Henry, and he handed her a glass of tequila.

Ferg walked up to her first, "Excuse me, Miss, but I would like the first dance." Echo just laughed and took his hand and he led her to the dance floor. She didn't realize how good Ferg could dance, but it was a blast.

Once their dance was done, Meg took over with Ferg and Echo just walked up to the bar. Vic walked up with a guy behind her, "Echo, this is Zach. He worked with us for a little while, I think you guys have a lot in common." and with that Vic turned and walked off.

"She was also very to the point about everything." Zach said trying to lighten the mood, Echo just returned a smile back to him. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Uh, that would be fine." Zach turned and signaled to Henry and then turned back to her.

"Aside from almost dying, how is Wyoming treating you?"

Echo chuckled as Henry handed over the drinks, "Well I love Wyoming, but I'm starting to think Wyoming doesn't love me."

"I don't think Wyoming loves anybody, honestly." Zach took a sip from his drink and turned to look at the dance floor. "Care to dance?"

"I'd love to." she sat her glass down on the bar and let Zach take her out. Neither of them knew how to dance, but they were making the best of it.

When the song ended she was winded and needed a drink, so she held onto Zach's arm and let him walk her back to the bar.

"I'm going to run to the restroom real quick." she just nodded her head and sat on the stool and started sipping on the new glass of tequila that Henry had sat down in front of her.

"How is your night going?" Longmire asked as he leaned against the bar beside of her.

"It's a lot, who's idea was this?"

"Kady, Vic, and Meg."

"I should've known." she laughed and they both took a drink.

Zach came back from the bathroom at that point and Walt and him started talking about something that Echo wasn't interested in. So instead she was watching everyone on the dance floor having a good time.

"Come on, it's my turn, Echo." Henry said as he came around the bar and took her hand and pulled her from the stool onto the dance floor.

Echo was having so much fun spinning around with Henry that she didn't hear the song change into something slower, but what she did hear was the voice come from behind her. "Can I have this dance?"

She just froze and stared up at Henry, and Henry just gave her a questioning look. A look that whatever she wanted him to do, he'd do it. She slowly turned around and there he stood. Mathias wearing a button up black shirt with the top few buttons undone, his long black hair hanging freely over his shoulders, and a pair of jeans. He was holding one of his hands out to her, patiently waiting on her to take it.

"I uh, I'm sorry, I've got to go to the restroom. Excuse me." she let go of Henry and pushed past all the other bodies on the floor until she got to the bathroom.

She got to the restroom and rushed to the sink to splash some cold water on the back of her neck. Why was he here?