She had run out of hay. She knew it was coming but that didn't make it any easier, really. When she had informed Gold the other day about the lack, he pointed her to the hayloft. She had noticed it before. Of course she had. But she didn't really think that she would have to take things down from there. She assumed he could call on David Nolan or someone who was significantly taller than her own measly five foot two. But no. It was part of her duties and he had given her a rather annoying smirk and asked if she was sure she was cut out for this job after all.
Of course I am, she had said with a huff and it was left there.
And now the day had come.
Bloody hell.
There was a ladder off to the side and she was sure she could climb up and toss a few bails down. It couldn't be that hard after all, right? She was small, but she was sturdy and all the work of the last weeks had made her the strongest she had ever been.
Not that that was really saying all that much.
So that day she got up a little earlier and headed out to the barn to get down some fresh hay. The ladder fit snugly against the lip of the loft and Belle managed to get about halfway up before she realized that she'd have to climb into the loft and toss the bails down.
Which meant somehow getting back down the ladder.
Which mean hanging a bit over the edge with her feet dangling in the air.
Belle wasn't scared of much, but heights, or more specifically the height she could fall from, certainly did frighten her a bit.
There had to be a better way.
Climbing back down, Belle shoved the ladder over another five feet, close to the hay. If she could get up toward the top, she could lean over a little bit and yank the nearest bale off the edge of the loft and onto the ground. It wouldn't be the most elegant solution, but who was there to watch, really?
It shouldn't have been difficult, but somehow it was far harder than she imagined. She tugged on the nearest bail once, twice. The damned thing slid forward only a few inches.
Well, damn. Her father always told her she was stubborn and this time was no different. She would get that bale down, come hell or high water. She tugged again and it slid forward about a foot. She almost squealed with delight as she felt it shift, but started to lose her balance and grabbed at the ladder to keep from falling. Taking a deep breath, she reached for the bale again, catching hold of the twine tying it together and tugging hard. It didn't budge.
"What are you doing?" came the voice from down below her and Belle grabbed onto the ladder again.
"Getting bales of hay," she said and her tone of voice clearly implied it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Like that?"
"Yes, like that." She yanked again. The bale didn't budge. She looked back down at Gold. "You didn't nail these things down, did you?"
He made a scoffing noise. "Of course not. Why would I do that?"
"Why indeed?" She could hear him shift around beneath her, could see him come to stand close to the ladder as she tugged again.
Once.
Twice.
On the third time the bale suddenly moved but she was so off balance as it came loose that she felt the world tilt strangely. She let go of the bale and tried to grab for the ladder, another bale of hay, anything.
Her hand met air, grasping uselessly.
She heard the bale hit the ground just moments before she completely lost her balance. She didn't even have time to let out a scream before she was flying through the air, her heart plunging to somewhere in the midst of her stomach. She could almost hear the crunch of her bones as she hit the ground.
But that didn't happen.
Instead, she hit something soft.
Something that let out an oof as the air left his lungs and strong arms came around her. For a moment she hung there, turned to look at Gold's face. For it was Gold who had caught her. Saw the stunned look there as he realized he was holding her.
And then he collapsed beneath the extra weight, his ankle caving beneath him as the two of them crashed to the ground in a tangle of arms and legs and pain.
"Mr. Gold!" Belle shouted and rolled off of him. He lay there, unmoving for the moment. "Mr. Gold, are you ok?" She knew he wasn't though. She could see the lines of pain around his mouth and eyes, could see the way he was laying somewhat awkwardly.
"Call 911."
"Oh God," Belle whispered. "I'm so sorry. I should never have done that. I don't know what I was thinking…"
"Call. 911" He forced the words out through clenched teeth.
"Your ankle," she murmured. "Where is your phone?"
"Pocket," he said and his voice was getting weaker with the pain.
"Oh God," she murmured again. Stick her hand in his pocket. What had this world come to? She leaned over and felt both pockets, trying not to be overly aware that her hand was so close to…well…there. She found it in his right pocket and quickly plunged her hand in to get the phone. "I will never ever do that again. I swear to God."
"Good," Gold murmured and she could almost hear a bit of humor beneath the pain.
The 911 operator picked up at the end of the first ring and Belle quickly relayed all that had happened. Well, not all. They didn't need to know that she had caused this, that she had been the one to set back all the progress he had made.
He would kill her for this.
"They'll be here soon," Belle murmured, watching as Gold's eyes fluttered shut. She reached out a hand, touched him lightly on the shoulder. "Stay with me, ok?"
He nodded. "I'll be fine."
"Is there anything I can do? I'm afraid to move you." The ankle seemed to have at least straightened itself out after the fall, but she could still remember the sound he made as he hit the ground with her on top of him.
"No…nothing."
She reached out and took his hand and was surprised when he didn't pull away, his long fingers wrapping around hers.
They were still there on the ground of the barn when the ambulance showed up. She could hear the sirens and so squeezed his hand once and left the barn to find them.
She also found a rather worried looking David right behind them. "I saw the ambulance. What's going on, Belle?"
"Gold fell."
"Is he ok?"
Belle almost rolled her eyes at that, but stopped herself in time. David was a good man, he meant well, but some things were rather obvious. "No."
"Right. Dammit." The paramedics were in the barn and soon were bringing Gold out on a stretcher.
"Are you coming Ma'am?" one of the paramedics said and Belle turned to David, eyes wide.
"Go with him." David said, reaching out to pat her rather awkwardly on the back. "I'll meet you at the hospital."
Belle nodded and climbed into the ambulance. She was surprised to see Gold reaching for her and took his hand in hers again. He was in pain. It was the only explanation for why he seemed to be seeking comfort from her.
As the ambulance took off, she watched the man who had caught her as she fell. He had probably saved her life. And she had no idea what to do about that.
It was a repeat of his time in the hospital some few months ago. He first became aware of the pain, then a beeping noise, and finally managed to crack his eyes open. The room was dim, likely night time outside and though he had been left to sleep, he knew they'd come soon to poke and prod at him, take his blood pressure, ask him questions.
As if he had some sort of heart attack and not a bloody disastrous fall with another human being on top of him. A human being who had opted to do something stupid and dangerous and had nearly gotten herself killed.
He had stepped under her without even thinking about it. He had just moved and reached up, as if he were stronger, as if he weren't already injured, as if he could simply pluck her out of the air and save the damsel from the distress of her own making. And for one brief shining moment he thought he had succeeded. And then his ankle had collapsed underneath them and they had gone tumbling to the ground.
Belle was ok.
He supposed that was what counted, really.
And he didn't know why that was quite so important to him. In his pain and drug-induced haze he couldn't stop thinking about the moment she was in his arms. Safe. Unhurt. Before all hell broke loose.
He wanted to stop thinking about it, but his addled brain kept replaying the moment when he felt her, soft and warm, cradled close to him.
Replayed it, as if he was holding a lover and not the clumsy woman who had somehow taken over his house and damned near his life as well.
A shuffling noise from somewhere in the room made him turn his head. "Mr. Nolan."
David rose from where he'd been sitting and came to stand over his bed. It was a familiar position for him, remembered from the first time he'd been in the hospital, prone in a bed just as he was now. David shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Just what were you thinking old man?"
Gold snorted. "Apparently I tried to play Prince Charming. Where is Belle, anyway?" He hoped she was back at the house, but he had vague memories of her being in the ambulance before he had blacked out from the pain and whatever medication they had pumped into his system.
"She's at the cafeteria. I told her I'd stay with you while she got something to eat."
"She's ok?" The words slipped out before he could stop them.
"You're concerned about her." He hated the way David sounded so bloody sure of himself.
"Of course not."
David just smirked. The bastard. "She's fine. You broke her fall."
Gold glanced down and grimaced at his foot. "I'm back on crutches again, aren't I?"
"It appears so."
He groaned. "What was I thinking, indeed?" He suspected it would take a long time to figure that one out. Such a thing was not his normal reaction. He worried about himself. And his dogs. He didn't worry about anyone else. If David had fallen, he was pretty sure he'd have stepped back and hoped the man didn't break too many bones. But no, for the first time in his life he had to play the gallant. And he would pay rather dearly for it.
"Mr. Gold." The nurse who stepped into the room was tall, thin, her face severe. "It seems our knight in shining armor has awakened." There was a sort of sarcasm there that he found rather unpleasant.
He glanced over at David. "This is going to ruin my reputation," he groused.
David just smiled as the nurse took his blood pressure, checked his temperature. "How are you feeling Mr. Gold?" she asked as she reached around his wrist and felt for his pulse.
"Like a hundred pounds fell off a hayloft and flattened me," he answered drily.
"More like a 115 pounds." He turned his head to see Belle enter the room. She looked sunny, bright, not a hair out of place and clearly no injuries. She wasn't limping, no limbs in a cast.
"I see you're healthy and hale," Gold said with a slight grimace. In some ways, he was pleased. He couldn't deny that. After all, what use was injuring himself if she too was injured?
"Thanks to you," Belle responded with and he was surprised when she came to his side again and reached out to touch his hand. He couldn't move away. But he wasn't even sure he wanted to. And frankly, that left an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Yes…well…" He reached over with his other hand and patted hers a couple times. "It was no matter."
Belle leaned over him and for a moment all he could see were her far too blue eyes. "But it was." Her voice was adamant.
David cleared his throat and she moved back and away from him and he didn't quite like the way he suddenly felt that loss keenly. He had no idea what they had him looped up on this time, but it must have been pretty heavy duty stuff. He felt like he was floating and while he could feel the pain in his ankle, especially if he tried to move it at all, he also felt…good?
Relaxed.
Peaceful.
Damned pain meds.
He waved Belle off. "You should go home."
She smiled at him. "I will soon. I just wanted to make sure you were ok."
"The dogs will need their dinner."
She shook her head. "Of course."
"And Taz," he murmured. He could feel the darkness creeping in around the edges of his vision. Morphine. They had probably given him some version of morphine to dull the pain.
"I'll make sure he's taken care of."
The world went black a moment later.
"He cares about you, you know." He didn't take his eyes off the road as he spoke the words.
Belle turned to look at David, eyes wide. "No. I don't quite think he does."
"He saved you…"
She shook her head. "Anyone would have done that."
David glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and then back to the road. "You really think that?"
"I do." People were good…somewhere deep down inside. She believed that. Truly. If she didn't then what was left to her? Cynicism and anger? Pessimism? She just couldn't live her life like that. She saw the good in people, whether they wanted her to or not.
She had even seen the good in Gold. His love for his dogs was worn on his sleeves. Even his love for his sheep was. Oh, he didn't have the complete adoration for the sheep as he did the dogs, but he definitely cared for them. There was a good core somewhere deep down inside the man.
"You know Belle, when I first brought you to Gold I did it more out of pity for the two of you. You seemed so desperate for a job. He needed help more than he would admit. I was sure that he would take one look at you and send you on your way…"
"And he did," she interrupted him with.
"But you won him over." She could hear the slight upward turn of his voice at the end of the sentence. He didn't know. Gold had never told him.
"Taz," she answered the unspoken question with.
"His dog?"
Belle nodded, knowing that David couldn't see her. "He came right up to me and put his head in my lap. Taz, not Gold," she added with a smirk.
"That ornery old dog?" David sounded surprised. "He doesn't like anyone." A pause. "Truth be told, I don't think Gold likes anyone either."
"I dare say you're right about that." But she had been around him long enough, lived at the house long enough now that she was sure he was coming to be at least a little bit fond of her.
David pulled up in front of Gold's house and stopped. Belle hopped out lightly, grabbing the key that she had stuffed in her pocket before leaving the hospital.
"Belle," David suddenly said, leaning out the window. His face was serious and that was unusual for a man who she usually considered to be pretty jovial. He always had a smile, even when Gold was tossing some insult or another his way. "Just…I've never seen Gold take to someone like he has you. And…" He paused there and that left her feeling a little on edge, a little uncomfortable. "Don't break his heart."
"I…" She stopped. What could she say to that? "Of course not," she finally managed and disappeared inside the house. A moment later she heard David pull out of the driveway and she was blessedly alone.
Well, alone except for the presence of the dogs, who had crept out of the shadows when she arrived home. "Come on. Let's see about getting you some dinner."
It took little to feed the dogs. Some high quality kibble, mixed with a bit of meat that she had cooked up the night before. They ate well, each one to their exact specifications depending on how much they were working. Gold had it down to a science and she was learning it well.
Except for Taz and Bandit, the other dogs ate in their kennel. She fed them quickly, coming close to taking pity on the dogs and bringing them all into the house. But she refrained. Gold had finally relented on allowing Bandit in, but she was sure the others would be a most unwelcome presence. And so she left the others to their meals in the kennel and the two dogs allowed in the house gobbled down their meals and then retreated to the living room. Taz took his place closest to Gold's recliner and Bandit hopped up on the couch.
She knew she shouldn't be there, but she didn't quite have the heart to tell her to get off. So instead she washed up the dishes and set the kitchen to rights.
It was easier for her to keep moving, but once the chores were done and Belle could think of nothing else to do, she slumped down on the couch with Bandit. Taz crept closer and the three of them stayed there in silence for a time.
Gold had saved her. He had acted like it was no big deal, but she knew. She had passed the place it had happened on her way out to feed the dogs and could see just how far the fall had been, a good fifteen feet or so. If Gold hadn't stepped underneath her, she would have broken something and perhaps something even more serious than an arm or a leg.
She could have come down on her head.
She could have been killed.
But the man had stepped up and caught her and it was an impressive feat for any man, much less one who was still wearing a walking boot and sporting a rather severe injury. He had done it without thinking.
David thought he cared about her.
A day ago she would have said she was nothing more than an annoyance. Or maybe someone Gold thought had a bit of potential and so decided to take under his wing. Certainly nothing more than an unwanted protégé.
But now? Now she wasn't so sure.
Perhaps even worse, she didn't know how she felt about it all. He was sarcastic, cranky, sometimes a downright bastard. But somewhere, somewhere deep down inside, she had caught a glimpse of something more. Those moments when he had held her in his arms, she had felt safe and protected. Her eyes had met his and they had been wide, unfocused, the pupils large.
She had felt a pull toward him, had wanted to wrap her arms around him. Her eyes had only just been straying to his lips, when they had taken their tumble to the hard ground of the barn.
And that, perhaps, worried her more than anything else at the moment. With a groan, Belle got ready for bed. She'd have plenty of time to think about this in the morning.