Hey Everyone! Chapter 5! Woohoo! JD's propensity for speaking before thinking has landed the boys in a bit of trouble for this chapter. There's still no CP, but it will be discussed. There's also a lot about Danny that gets revealed here and Jess has a bit of a conundrum to work out near the end. It's a fairly short chapter, considering the lengths of most of mine, but I wanted to get it up anyway. I *think* there will only be one more chapter after this! :o I know, right?
I am working on the next chapter of Band of Brothers also, so hopefully soon, but I just started my first college class and both my kids are out/about to be out of school, so...no guarantees. As always, thank you to I'maMePanda for letting me build all sorts of sandcastles in her YP sandbox and for her awesome beta-ing and just being awesomesauce. :)
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JD swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that he'd made a big mistake. He backed up a few steps but Jess barked out, "Don't move!" And he froze.
Jess stepped forward and wrapped the horses' reins back around the hitching post. He took Danny by the arm with one hand and then took hold of the back of JD's neck and propelled them both towards the jailhouse. JD slid a glance at Danny, but his red headed friend was looking at the ground and JD got a distinct feeling that Danny was simply too scared to focus on anything else. He figured that Buck would be pretty upset too...not so much for going to the Wild West Show...but for the lying...and he could understand why Danny was nervous. Lying was always worse. He slid another look over at Danny. Danny was shaking. Badly. And he was fairly certain Mr. Kantrell didn't realize that Danny wasn't just nervous, not anymore, not like JD was nervous about going to see Buck...but scared...more scared than anyone should be.
"Mr. Kantrell?" JD spoke, determined to help his friend, but voice still trembling.
"What, JD?" Jess's voice was rock hard and angry enough that JD faltered a bit before plunging ahead again, "Danny, Mr. Kantrell...Danny's scared." Jess looked down at Wilmington's boy, about to tell him that of course Danny was scared and he should be...when the look on JD's face stopped him. He stopped walking abruptly, letting go his hold on JD, and turned to look at Danny. The boy's chin was tucked firmly into his chest and he was shaking. From head to toe. Shaking. Jess's anger fled, chased down by a fair amount of concern and a tiny bit of fear. He released his hold on Danny's arm, and put his arm around the teen's shoulders. He pulled the boy quickly, tightly into his side, holding him there, as the boy continued to shake. Jess looked back at JD.
"Go find Nathan for me. And then I expect you to find Buck." JD's eyes widened in fear when Jess asked for Nathan, and with a quick nod of his head, he bolted down the boardwalk towards the clinic.
Jess looked around, trying to decide if he should have Danny sit down, but there really wasn't any place for the boy to do so and he instead just headed slowly down the boardwalk with him, speaking quietly to the teen. Nathan met him moments later, JD hot on his heels.
"JD said he just started shaking?" Nathan asked, touching Danny's forehead, while the boy refused to even look up. "Bring him up to the clinic so I can get a better look." Nathan ordered, before Jess could respond, and he nodded, as Nathan turned back to the clinic. Looking at JD, who was near tears, Jess sighed.
"C'mon, JD." Jess said, nodding his head towards the clinic. Looking beyond relieved, JD followed them to the clinic.
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"Danny, can you hear me?" Nathan asked, carefully placing a mug of tea into the boy's hands, without releasing his own hold. Danny's whispered "Yessir." came as a welcome surprise. Nathan had been walking Danny through some deep breaths, and rotating between drinking tea and water, with the boy responding to the quiet orders, but not answering or acknowledging otherwise. Nathan patted Danny's knee.
"Good. Can you keep drinking a little of this at a time?" Nathan asked, indicating the mug of tea in Danny's hands. He waited for Danny's hold on the cup to tighten before releasing it.
"Yessir." Danny whispered again.
"That's good, Danny. You sit tight, I'm going to talk to Jess a moment, okay?" Nathan said as he stood up. At the mention of Jess's name, Danny began to shake again, though no where near as hard as before. Nathan sat back down and sent a glare over at Jess, who actually seemed to cringe a bit. "Danny, no one's going to hurt you. You're safe here." Nathan slid another look at Jess, as if daring him to argue, then looked back to Danny, rubbing his back a bit, waiting for the shakes to calm.
"I'm...I'm okay, Mr. Jackson." Danny's whispered words were barely audible.
"Keep drinking that tea, Danny. I'll be right back." Nathan said again, avoiding saying Jess's name this time. He got up and moved slowly towards Jess, looking back at Danny once.
"What did you do?" Nathan demanded fiercely, though his voice remained quiet. "That boy's nerves...people don't just start shaking like that for no reason, Jess! What happened?" He stood in front of Jess, blocking his line of view to Danny. Jess was tall...but Nathan was taller...and bigger. Jess would've laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. Though the fact that Nathan was willing to protect Danny from him spoke volumes, and Jess was grateful yet again, that Danny had ended up here, with him and folks of Four Corners.
"I haven't done anything, Nathan. The boys got themselves in a bit of trouble, and I was angry, but other than taking Danny by the arm, I didn't do anything."
Nathan's glare wavered and he looked over at JD, who was hovering between the door and Danny.
"Trouble?" He asked, giving his little brother a look, then looking back at Jess. "What kind of trouble?" Jess crossed his arms and looked over at JD.
"You want to tell him or should I?" JD shrugged, then sighed. He moved to sit carefully next to Danny on the bed, looking at Nathan in surprise when Danny leaned into him. Nathan nodded that it was ok and taking a deep breath, he looked up at Nathan from under his dark hair.
"Danny and I...we kind of...we went...we went to the trick show by ourselves." Nathan took a minute to process that. And then he frowned.
"You lied to Buck?" He asked, looking over at Jess before looking back at JD. JD nodded.
"And Danny lied to Jess." He whispered, "That's why Jess was mad... He didn't hurt Danny, Nate." Nathan looked back at Jess.
"I apologize Jess, but he's scared of something….or someone. People don't shake uncontrollably for no reason."
Jess nodded in acknowledgment. "I know, it scared me too. Do you think I can...?" He motioned towards Danny. The boy was barely shaking, but Nathan still frowned. He walked back over to Danny and knelt in front of him.
"Danny, look at me." Danny trembled a bit, but obeyed Nathan's firm voice. Nathan was startled by the fear in the boys eyes. "There is no one in this room that's going to hurt you. Do you hear me?" It was impossible to not see the look the boy threw Jess's way. Jess stepped forward, so Danny could see him better, and when he did, the boy paled even more.
"Danny, I apologize for scaring you. I was...still am, very upset that you lied to me, but I would never harm you. Never."
Danny looked at Nathan, then back to Jess. "But….I was...just rotten...and, and you're gonna tan me..." Danny's words were full of self loathing, mixed with fear, and Jess couldn't have looked more surprised. Nathan glared at him again.
"Just what does he think a tanning is, Jess Kantrell!?" Nathan demanded. Jess threw a confused look at Nathan before looking back to Danny. Thinking quickly, and not liking what he came up with, Jess took a step closer to the red headed teen on the cot. He was almost positive he had this puzzle figured out. He took another step forward.
"Have I ever hurt you, Danny?" He asked quietly. Danny shook his head, watching the man who cared for him.
"No sir." Danny's color was starting to come back. Jess stepped forward again.
"But someone did?"
"Yessir." Danny replied, trembling once more. Jess was almost in front of Danny now, and Nathan scooted to the side.
"Who?" Jess asked the question quietly enough, but couldn't quite hide the disgust in his voice.
"Some folks...some folks are...mean, Jess. Awful mean." Danny answered, gracefully skirting Jess's actual question. Jess nodded. That would be for another time. He crouched down in front of Danny, and put a hand on one of his knees, while he fought the desire to find whoever hurt his boy; maybe throw them off a cliff.
"I would never hurt you like that Danny. Never." Jess repeated his earlier words, strong, sure...true. It took a moment, but Danny nodded, looking back up at Jess with troubled eyes.
"But, I'm still in trouble?"
Jess chuckled. He couldn't help it. He wrapped his boy in a hug, speaking softly in his ear. JD, who'd been quietly watching everything, spoke quietly from his seat next to Danny.
"I'm in trouble too, Danny. Soon as Buck finds out..."
Danny looked at JD over Jess's shoulder and grimaced. "Sorry, JD." He whispered. JD gave a quick nod of his head, he knew how sorry Danny was. And not just cuz they were in trouble. Jess released Danny from the hug and turned to look at JD.
"Time for me to go find Buck now, huh, Mr. Kantrell?" JD asked quietly at the cowboy's look. Jess grinned and reached out to ruffle the boy's dark hair.
"I think so, JD. Danny and I should get home. We have things to discuss still." Danny swallowed audibly, despite being much more relaxed. Jess figured Nathan's tea had helped the boy. Nathan reappeared at Jess's side, and stretched out his hand to JD.
"C'mon, kid. I'll go with you. You know he ain't gonna kill ya." JD took the offered hand, so Nathan could pull him to his feet. He nodded, but still looked forlorn.
"It'd probably be less painful if he did." He muttered, following Nathan out of the clinic, with a half hearted goodbye to Danny and Jess.
Danny looked at Jess, his eyes beginning to brim with tears. Jess moved from his crouched position to sit next to Danny on the bed, wrapping his arm around the boy's shoulders.
"Danny, what happened just a few months ago? What'd I tell you when you helped Ezra and JD do something dangerous?" Jess asked the question gently, but with that underlying firmness that Danny was so familiar with.
Danny stiffened at the remembered incident, but he whispered, "Said if'n something like that happened 'gain, I'd get a tanning." Those weren't Jess's exact words, but since Jess could feel him trembling again, he simply squeezed him tighter.
"Danny, a tanning isn't me beating on you, do you understand that?" Danny shrugged in response to Jess's question, and began to study his hands.
"Yessir...I think so..? But you were so...so...mad...and sometimes..." Danny closed his eyes and shook his head as if warding off a memory. Jess understood. He'd figured as much from the boy's earlier response. Removing his arm from the boy's shoulders, he rested a hand on the boy's knee.
"Look at me Danny." Jess ordered quietly. Danny tore his gaze from his hands to Jess's face. "I may, if necessary, tan your backside, but I will never, ever hurt you. I will never beat you, or cause you injury. No matter how angry I may be. Do you understand me?" Jess's tone was that stern, no nonsense tone it always was, that Danny could always rely on as the truth. Danny searched Jess's face intently, looking for a physical reassurance as well as the verbal one. He found nothing for him to be afraid of, or anything that looked as if Jess wasn't being truthful. Truth be told, Jess looked at Danny with an emotion Danny couldn't name...but whatever it was, it felt...nice. Even if he did get a tanning. Realizing Jess was still waiting an answer, Danny nodded and said, "Yes sir. I understand."
"Good. Danny, do you know why I'm so upset about this situation?" The change in topic threw Danny a bit and it took a second for him to answer. He nodded after another few seconds.
"I went to the Wild West Show." He whispered, head back down, fighting the uncharacteristic need to argue with Jess that he had done it and was safe, because like he'd told JD, he was eighteen, not five. Jess shook his head, even knowing the boy couldn't see him.
"No Danny, that's not why I'm upset." Startled green eyes looked up at the older man, as Danny tried to form a sentence.
"But...I don't...you were...why...I don't understand." He faltered, so confused, Jess almost chuckled, even though this was no where near funny.
"Danny, when you asked me if you could go, what'd I say?" Danny scrunched his face up a bit.
"Only if Buck went." He answered quietly. Jess nodded and patted Danny's knee reassuringly.
"That's right. And, what did you and JD do after you realized neither Buck nor I was able to go with you?" Danny was silent a few moments, thinking, then his eyes widened and he looked at Jess, both in understanding and nervousness.
"I lied." He whispered the words and immediately looked back down at his hands.
"Yes. And that's what I'm upset about, Danny. If you and JD had talked to us...if you had explained the situation, we may have been able to come to another solution. I'm not saying I would've been alright with you going alone...And I'm sure Mr. Wilmington would still have made it a requirement for JD, to have someone go with. But we could've at least talked. You made a decision...the wrong one, to lie, simply to get what you wanted. Which is not only not like you, but it's something I'd expect from a much younger person than yourself."
Danny's head shot up. "I'm not a child, Jess!" He exclaimed in frustration. Jess nodded, but tapped the boy's knee gently in warning.
"You are not." He agreed, holding Danny's gaze with his own, "But you're not grown yet either. Don't be rushing things that don't need to be rushed. I didn't tell you that because I think you're a child. I told you that because I care about you and your safety. And JD is younger than you. And none of you - Ezra included - have even hit the age of majority yet and won't for a few years. Let someone take the reins sometimes Danny. You don't need to be a "grown" man just yet." Jess bumped Danny's shoulder with his own, seconds after he finished his speech, waiting to see what kind of reaction he got from the young man. Danny sat in silence for the span of a few heartbeats, and then sucked in a deep breath.
"Never had someone want to help me, less'n they wanted som'thing else."
He felt Jess nod, and then the man's voice came softly. "I figured, Danny Boy."
"Just...mean folks….or folks who didn't care…." Danny plunged ahead before he lost his nerve. Jess nodded again.
"Life ain't easy." the man softly agreed.
"Sure isn't….Jess?"
"Yeah, Danny?" Danny sighed almost involuntarily when Jess's arm went back around his shoulders and he took a moment before continuing with the question he wasn't sure he really wanted the answer to.
"Are you...are you gonna tan me for lyin' to ya?"
Jess let his arm slide back off the boy's shoulders and he turned slightly so he could face his young charge. Danny tried not to squirm as Jess studied him.
"I haven't decided yet, Danny. I'm honestly not sure what to do with you at the moment." Jess grinned slightly to lighten his stern tone. Danny gulped and looked at Jess in a bit of trepidation, but whispered, "Okay." Then, before Jess could say anything else, Danny jumped to his feet, eyes wide, a sudden stricken look flashing across his face.
"Jess, can we go see Buck and JD? Please? Before we...before we go...before you...just before?"
Jess opened his mouth to reply, but Danny cut him off before he could.
"Please, Jess? I don't want JD in trouble fer something that was my idea!"
Jess stood up, one of those unable to decipher looks on his face. Danny waited impatiently, shifting from foot to foot.
"C'mon Danny Boy, let's see what we can do."
Barely refraining from shouting his thanks, he darted in front of Jess, out of the clinic and down the stairs.