Chapter 2: I Can't Have Heard That

Ennis slowly became aware of the fact that his head must have exploded. He could think of no other explanation for the blinding pain. He slowly brought his hand up and touched his head. Just touching his fingers to his left temple made he feel as though he might pass out again and he quickly lowered his hand back to his side.

Slowly, wincing at the stab of pain in his left eye, he tried to open his eyes. At first he wasn't sure where he was, the last thing he remembered was arriving at the camp site to find that Jack was not there yet.

"What happn'd an where in the hell am I?"

He tried to look around, but the pain that sliced through his head at the movement was so intense that he had to stop. Nausea swept over his body, and he was afraid for a moment that he would vomit. However, the sensation didn't last.

"I'm in the tent," he thought, his head clearing a bit, "Jack must be here…'bout damn time."

Slowly, he became aware of other things around him, the sound of the creek off to his right somewhere, the wicker of the horses on his left, and the sound of a man talking close by.

"Damn stupid fool!" the voice stormed, "couldn't wait for me to get here an help him… oh no… not Ennis Del Mar… stub'en jackass… if you die on me Ennis I will nev'r fuckin' forgive you!"

Ennis licked his lips and smiled a bit although it hurt to do so, "That's my Jack," he thought, "always thinkin' 'bout others".

Licking his lips again, Ennis wondered if his voice would work. "Only one way to find out." He thought. Opening his mouth he said, "Will you shutthe fuck up, Jack… I got a bitch of a headache here."

The words came out in a low croak that didn't sound like his voice at all, and the effort of speaking them caused another shot of pain to pulse through his head coupled with a slightly less intense wave of nausea.

He heard the tent zipper being yanked open, and Jack clamoring in through the opening before it was fully unzipped.

"Ennis!" Jack cried relief audible in his voice.

The sound sent another wave of pain through Ennis' skull, and he found he couldn't contain the groan that rose in his throat and escaped his lips.

"Dammit, Jack," he croaked, "shutthe hell up."

"Sorry, bud," Jack replied his voice considerably lower, "Ya been out a long time... how're you feelin'?"

Jack had brought in a dish of cold water from the stream and a rag. Dipping the rag in the water, he gently placed it on Ennis' head while he spoke. Ennis let out a little sigh, the cool water felt good against his throbbing temple.

"Like hell… that's how I feel," Ennis said, "feels like my head exploded."

Jack chuckled and said, "Nope didn't explode, but that damn horse 'bout caved in yer face."

"Yer caterwaulin' wer'nt helpn' none neither." Ennis said, bringing his hand to his face and covering his eyes, blocking the light that was making his eyes throb.

"Huh?" Jack said, confused, "I din't say anythin' til' I heard you yellin' at me to shut up."

"I heard ya plain as day, somethin' bout nev'r forgivin' me if I died."

Jack sat back, with a puzzled look on his face. "Did I say that out loud?" He thought, trying to remember if he had spoken the words.

"You sureas hell did," Ennis said, his voice taking on an edge that Jack recognized as frustration.

"Did what?"

"Said that aloud!" Ennis said his voice sharp. Raising his voice sent a shot of pain through his head and he groaned again.

"Ok, bud," Jack said his voice concerned, "you jus' get some sleep. I'll be outside if ya need anythin'"

Leaning forward, Jack very gently lifted the right edge of the cloth, and pressed his lips to Ennis' forehead, taking care not to get to close to the swollen purplish lump on his left temple.

"Musta kick'd him good… addled his brain from the sound of it." Jack thought as he started out of the tent.

"My brains'er just fine thank ya," Ennis said from behind him, "doncha go thinkin' otherwise."

"A'right, bud." Jack said, "glad to hearit."

"Maybe it's my brain that's addled." Jack thought as he closed the tent. Inside he heard Ennis snort and say, "I coulda told you that years ago."

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Ennis woke again to the sound of the creek gurgling. From the looks of the light filtering through the tent, he guessed that it was early morning. Although, what morning he had no idea. Outside, he could hear Jack talking.

"His brain is addled," Ennis thought, "He's talkin' to himself… either that're the horses."

For a minute he laid there and listened to what Jack was saying.

"You're a damn fool, Twist! Ennis Del Mar ain't never gonna change, and there ain't nothing you can say ta change that.! I don' know what you were thinkin'… this plan a yers ain't never gonna work!"

"Yup," Ennis thought, "out there talkin' to himself… stupid idiot…and he's damn right…ain't changin' for nobody!"

Ennis moved his arms and legs a bit and turned his head. It still hurt to move, but not as bad as before. The nausea that he had felt before seemed to have gone as well.

He started to attempt to sit up, but the next words that Jack uttered brought him up short and he fell back on the sleeping bag underneath him.

"What in tha hell made you think that tellin' him you love him would make a differ'nce anyway? Prob'ly scare him away permanent if ya so much as utter the word in the same room with 'em."

Ennis felt the blood drain from his face, as he heard Jack stomping away from the camp, and a peculiar ache began in his chest. "I can'ta heard that right. Ain't no way Jack would do a fool thing like sayin' that!"

However, the more the thought about it, the more he thought that Jack, who was always better with words then Ennis, and much more likely to say what he was thinking, would probably do just that.

Strangely, the longer he laid there thinking about Jack's words, the stronger that ache in his chest became. For some reason, he suddenly felt like crying, but he couldn't for the life of him think why. His head still hurt but not that bad. It was this damnable ache in his chest that made the corners of his eyes prickle and his throat ache.

"Jack loves me? No… he can't love me… we're both men fer Christ sake… but that is what he said… I heard him plain as day… said that telling me he loved me wouldn't make a difference!"

Ennis laid there for several minutes the same thought running over and over in his mind, "Jack loves me?" Oddly, though he didn't notice it at first, the more he thought it the less the words were a question and the more they became a statement, until at last something in his brain clicked into place and he whispered aloud, "Jack Twist loves me!"

As soon as the words left his lips, the pain in his chest lessened, the ache in his throat subsided, and the tears that pricked at his eyes ran silently down his cheeks.

"Jack Twist loves me!" He repeated, and a big goofy grin unlike any that Ennis Del Mar had ever issued spread across his face, and though it hurt his head to do so, he sat up and said in a loud clear voice that made the horses outside the tent snort,

"Jack Twist Loves Me!"

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