Unsettling News and Did You Hear That

Heath, who had wandered throughout the house, now stood in the study watching Nick staring out the window, deep in thought. 'Probably wishing I had never showed up' Heath said to no one but himself. When he heard a door begin to open, Heath turned his eyes away from Nick.

"So," Nick, who stood next to the study's window, turned and looked at Jarrod, as he entered the room, "how's he's doing?"

"Heath is holding his own, but," Jarrod sighed as he pulled his chair away from his desk and sat down behind it, "doc says things aren't looking good." He went on to say the good doctor had increased the amount of medicine they had to get down Heath, to fight the infection raging through the lower part of Heath's wounded leg. "Doctor Merar says that, while Heath's arm is healing fine, that leg wound is causing the majority of Heath's problems." Jarrod sent major shock waves through Nick when he said quietly, "He also says; if this medicine doesn't work, he might have to amputate that portion of his leg in order to save Heath's life."

"WHAT!" Heath found himself stepping forward and shouting without thinking.

"WHAT!" Nick also exclaimed. "He's better…" Nick stopped himself when Jarrod, who had been looking at the top of his desk, lifted his head and glared at him. Nick didn't have to be told Jarrod knew what Nick was thinking and didn't want to hear it.

The look in Nick's eyes softened and he let out a long drawn out sigh as he made his way to a chair that sat near Jarrod's desk. "Look," he said in a more subdued tone, "While I am, obviously, struggling with the idea that Heath Thomson and we share the same father, I'm not wishing death on him either. It's just that," he shrugged his shoulders before allowing them to slump forward, "you don't amputate any part of a cowboy's leg; well, any man's leg, and expect them to not to have some major problems with it." He then added in an even more subdued tone, "The amputation alone could kill him." He knew it could; he'd seen it happen more than once during the Civil War.

Jarrod didn't have to be told that; he knew Nick spoke the truth. He'd also been doing a lot of thinking since they'd found Heath lying among the rocks. "Heath has shown what kind of man he is. If he lives, I know he could be a great asset to the family if you give him half a chance. And, if by chance, he does lose a portion of his leg, surely there's still a way to help him see that he's not only welcome here, but that he can still work on the ranch. A man can find the will to live if he knows his life won't be meaningless. And, if Heath does pull through, he'll need that. I mean, no man as stubborn as that is going to want to live off charity."

"You bet your bottom dollar I won't do that!" Heath snapped, even as he was startled to see and feel the genuine caring and concern both brothers were showing while they talked about Heath. He couldn't help but wonder why.

Nick sighed and started looking around the room. Jarrod didn't have to ask what this particular brother wanted. He stood up and, opening a nearby cabinet, pulled out a bottle of whiskey he'd been saving for Nick, knowing his brother would want some sooner or later. He handed the bottle and a glass to Nick.

"Thanks," Nick said as he poured himself a drink. "You know what rankles me more than anything?" He asked just before he took a swallow of his whiskey.

Jarrod, who had sat back down, leaned back in his chair and answered quietly, "The fact that he fought beside us and then rode away?"

"How could he do that!" Nick barked and took another swallow of his drink. "It's not fair to pull the rug out from under us and then just leave."

"Well, in all fairness to Heath," Jarrod gave Nick a small, smile, "He wasn't the one to pull the rug first."

A crooked smile appeared on Heath's face as he saw Nick fidget in his chair and finish off the whiskey in his hand. Jarrod had a good point, and it looked like making it had Nick squirming in the hot seat. Served the man right, pulling Heath out of bed like he had. However, he was totally unprepared to hear the next words out of Nick's mouth, or to see the immense amount of pain in his eyes as he spoke. "They say you can't miss what you don't have." Nick stared off towards the window with a wistful look in his eyes, "But, can one miss what they believe they might have had? If Heath Thomson dies, will we miss what might have been?"

An uneasy silence filled the room as Jarrod knew exactly what Nick was saying, and why. As, Jarrod had just said, Heath could be a great benefit to the family and the ranch. The top benefit being giving Nick back a partner to work the ranch, something he'd been robbed of when Tom Barkley was killed by the railroad.

Heath turned his back to Nick and sucked in his breath. His half brother's words had hit him harder than anything had in a long time. He remembered all the nights he'd spent as a boy dreaming of what might have been. Those had been long and torturous nights. After awhile, out of a need to survive, he'd pushed the thoughts and dealt with the cold hard facts life had handed him the best he could.

The silence in the room was broken when Eugene stepped into the room; he too looked more than upset. "What is it, Gene?" Jarrod straightened up in his chair, half afraid of what his baby brother had to say.

"Nothing and everything," Gene said in more than a frustrated voice. He walked the width of the room and then turned around. "Why did he come into our lives, if he's only going to turn around and die! We haven't even had a chance to get to know him!"

"You'd have to ask him that. We can't exactly read his mind!" Nick unintentionally snapped; his snapping earned him one of Jarrod's 'Pappy glares'. "Sorry, we're all on edge right now." Nick apologized to Eugene.

"How is he doing?" Jarrod asked, knowing Gene had been sitting with Heath while their mother got some much needed sleep.

"Still breathing," Gene rubbed the back of his neck, "but he hasn't so much as moved. I'll tell you what though, if he dies before I have a chance to sit down and talk with him…I'll kill him."

Heath couldn't help it; he started laughing and laughing hard. How did this particular half-brother intend to kill someone if they were already dead? However, his laughter was cut short when all three brothers turned sharply, looked in his direction and then tore out of the room and up the stairs.

Heath swore and quickly returned to the guest room.