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Trigger warning for abuse/assault

Lexi got up for work the next morning, still exhausted from the late night before. She was next to last at breakfast as Ryan and Kaycee had been up already. Monica and Tate were there as well as her father. Soon after she sat down, Beth came slowly into the room.

Their father asked how she felt, to which she gave a sarcastic answer. John sipped his coffee as he took her in, tired of seeing his daughters beaten. He knew Beth would never take to being watched over the way he was having Ryan stick close to Lexi. Lexi might not like it either, but she obliged them both. After what happened to Beth it was unspoken that they thought John's other daughter would be the next target.

Beth excused herself after asking for a smoothie instead of solid food, cracking a smart comment at Monica on the way out. John excused himself to go after her. Everyone left at the table shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm gonna go check on Rip," Lexi said, pushing back from the table. She kissed Ryan quickly. "See you at the truck."

She went upstairs to wake Rip, making him take his next dose of antibiotics. She set two alarms for him: one for his next dose of those and the other for his next dose of pain medication.

"Call me at the hospital if you need anything," she emphasized and he nodded weakly. She went back downstairs and grabbed her bag, spotting Ryan waiting for her at the truck.

"Lexi," Beth stopped her from where she sat on the porch.

"Hm?" Lexi asked.

"…thank you," Beth told her and Lexi nodded at her sister, the iciness between them finally thawing. She hopped into the truck with Ryan, heading towards the hospital. They noticed both Dan Jenkins and Thomas Rainwater pulling up to the house as they left; Lexi didn't want to know what her dad was up to.

"You ok?" Ryan asked her and she nodded, though she yawned.

"We might have to stop for another coffee," she said, having forgotten her travel mug at the house. He nodded, turning on the appropriate street when it was time, just a few blocks from the hospital. They went in together, holding hands, though he seemed distracted; she knew he was keeping an eye out for the Becks or anyone they might send.

"You sure you should be operating on anyone today?" Ryan said lightly as he opened the door for her as they went to leave.

"I'll take a nap in an empty bed or something," she said, knowing Keith would probably kill her if she called out.

"I'm sure your boss will really love that," Ryan joked, making her laugh as they approached the truck.

"Alex?" she heard a familiar voice say and she froze. One person called her Alex.

"Roarke?" she asked back, turning. Ryan noticed the subtle shift, how she was trying not to act uncomfortable but she was.

"I was wondering if I was going to run into you," he was smiling, looking like he was expecting some kind of hug but she kept herself closed off. It didn't exactly make her feel good that he was coming out of a realtor's office.

"Your new someone?" he asked, turning to Ryan now.

"Ryan Parker," he greeted him, shaking his hand out of habit but it was stiff.

"Roarke Morris," he said back; at Morris, Ryan's eyes flicked over to Lexi.

"I used to date Roarke's brother," she said, her voice casual but her eyes screaming.

"He's not with me," Roarke told her, answering something she hadn't asked.

"Too bad," Ryan was saying now. He might just have to settle for hitting the brother for now. It was his smugness that really got to him. He knew what his brother was, the whole family knew; none of them cared.

"I'm here for work," Roarke explained, again answering unasked questions. He and Matt both worked for their mother at Market Equities.

"Well, speaking of, I'm going to be late," Lexi stopped him now.

"Yeah, that's quite the change you made," Roarke was saying as he followed them a little closer to the truck. "San Francisco Medical to…Bozeman General?" At the mention of Bozeman he glanced at Ryan with a smirk and she knew what all he was implying, that she had traded down a lot.

"It's a lot less trauma," she said coolly.

"Hm," Roarke laughed a little. "I'll be sure to give Matt your regards."

"Get in the truck Lexi," Ryan said, opening the door for her and she hopped in. Ryan slammed the door, harder than she knew he meant to before getting in himself, slamming that door as well. They drove off, Roarke still watching from the sidewalk.

"Alex?" was all Ryan could get out as a question and she rolled her eyes at Roarke.

"He called me that once by mistake and I told him I hate it. He keeps doing it because he thinks he's funny," she explained.

Ryan nodded silently, eyes fixed on the street.

"Some day so far," she muttered as she dropped her coffee in the cup holder. First everything with Rip and Beth in the middle of the night, now this?

Ryan didn't say anything, he just continued to look agitated.

"Are you ok?" she asked.

"Did he ever hurt you?" he asked her now, not having really heard her. She was scared when she saw him, he could tell. He had told her she didn't have anything to be scared of anymore and now all of this?

A flash of memories came through her all at once.

The family ski trip she went on with them to Vail, where Matt hit her for the first time. Did she think she was smarter than him because she was a doctor? he had demanded. All she did was correct him when he told his mom she was from Billings instead of Bozeman.

Roarke convinced her to stay, gave her some sob story about how their dad always hit them, how he knew Matt felt bad and it would never happen again.

There was the time Matt pushed her on the stairs at Roarke's place. Roarke told her to walk it off.

Then there was the time in Napa when he took her keys and forced her to stay after Matt…

"Lexi," Ryan caught her eye, concerned.

"Not directly," she shook her head. "They all knew and covered for him though." She observed him as they pulled into the hospital. "What?"

"You sure I can't get you to stay home today?" he asked.

"Well, the Morris brothers and the Beck brothers have one thing in common," she said, nodding at the hospital. "A distaste for witnesses." She shrugged now. "Hospital has plenty of them."

"I know you meant that to make me feel better, but," he said lightly, though she could still see the worry in his eyes.

"I really don't think Matt is with him," she told him as she gathered her stuff. Keith had walked a patient he discharged out and spotted her, waiting at the door. "Just…please don't say anything to my dad right now, ok? One set of brothers at a time," she tried to be light but it really was sick.

"One at a time," he agreed, kissing her before she hopped out. "Love you."

"Love you too," she said as she shut the door. Ryan and her boss exchanged a nod as he pulled away from the hospital.

"Does last night have anything to do with you having an, I assume, armed escort to work?" Keith asked as they walked into the hospital together.

"Don't ask questions you don't want the answer to," she informed him, taking a spot at the desk she had been sitting at the night before. Keith leaned against it where Ryan and Rob had been just a few hours ago.

"I think this is what they call burning the candle at both ends," he pointed out, seeing how exhausted she was, both physically and mentally.

"Duly noted, bossman," she assured him.

"I know I give you a hard time," he said, lowering his voice. "But, I am worried about you."

"Thanks," she gave a weak half smile, though she was about at her quota for men being worried about her.

"Call me in for anything major," he told her before heading off.

"Will do," she agreed, looking at a file she was being handed now.

…

Ryan got back to the ranch, still agitated. They were all doing some work around the corral for now, with him jumping in where he was needed. He was glad to have a second to talk to Jamie.

"Hey, Jamie, can I ask you something?" Ryan asked.

"Sure," Jamie shrugged, not sure what it could be about.

"You met Lexi's ex out in California right?" He asked to which Jamie nodded. "Did you meet any of his family?"

"Ah, a few," Jamie nodded. "A couple of his brothers, he's got like 5 of them. I met the lawyer one….Warren," he recalled. "And then Roarke I think." He looked over Ryan's expression. "What's going on?"

"We just ran into Roarke downtown," Ryan explained. "Said he was here for work, he was coming out of a realty place."

"…weird," Jamie finally agreed, not sure what to make of all of it. He seemed to contemplate it further. "And, unfortunately, they work together."

"I didn't think he would be stupid enough to show up here," Ryan said.

"And maybe he's not," Jamie tried to be reassuring. "Maybe that's why it's just Roarke." He shrugged. "Guy's a prick but he's not going to do anything to her."

"….ok," Ryan agreed with him, though something deep down told him something was off.

…

Running quietly was damn near impossible, but that's what Lexi was doing now.

It had been a few weeks since the incident in Vail. Matt's family rented a villa a few hours north of the city in wine country, going to various vineyards during the days for tastings.

That afternoon, her "big mistake" had been suggesting Matt go back to the rental to lay down, that maybe he had had one too many at the tastings. He practically dragged her back to the place with him, hitting and assaulting her in their room before passing out.

She had enough, sober now as she grabbed her keys as she had driven them there. He could get a ride home with someone from his family, she didn't care. She left her stuff and honestly thought to just drive straight to Montana.

That was when she ran into Roarke blocking the front door.

"Roarke, don't," she said quietly as she didn't want to wake Matt. There was still panic in her voice.

"Give me your keys," he told her.

"Roarke, he-" she said, wincing as he grabbed her arm, twisting the keys out of her hand. He kept a grip on her wrist.

"You think no one knows?" He asked. He took her by the wrist, all but dragging her back to the room she shared with Matt.

"Please, Roarke," she was begging.

"You think it won't be worse if you leave?" He asked, stopping in front of the door but keeping the grip on her wrist. "You've seen him mad, what do you think he looks like pissed and hurt?"

"Ah," she winced at his tightening grip.

"And what do you think this family will do to you and yours if he's hurt?" Roarke asked of his youngest brother.

"ALEXA!" They heard Matt shouting in the room as he woke up and realized she wasn't there. Roarke let go of her arm.

"She's here," he called and the door whipped open. "I just came to check on you, she came out to tell me you were fine." Matt looked to her and she nodded, blinking back tears. "Mom wants you back at the vineyard," Roarke told him now.

Matt rolled his eyes, slamming the door as he went to freshen up.

"Be smart Dr. Dutton," Roarke told her.

Dutton.

Dutton.

"Hey, Dutton," Rob was trying to wake her. She had fallen asleep in the break room, sitting in a chair with her head on the table.

She nearly fell out of the chair, jumping at his touch.

"Whoa, you ok?" He asked worriedly.

"Fantastic," she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. "Someone dying?"

"Your shift's over," he said, nodding at the clock on the wall. "Ryan's in the waiting room." She nodded, getting up and grabbing her bag from her locker.

"What's up Rob?" she yawned as he looked like he had something he wanted to ask her.

"Do you know anything about Veronica's store?" he asked.

"Been here all day," she said lightly, not sure why he was asking her about his ex-wife. "Why?"

"She called me asking for money to fix the displays at her shop," he started.

"Tell her you pay her enough money every month," Lexi quipped. His ex-wife was nothing short of a bitch and took him for more than enough after she was the one that wrecked their marriage.

"Did that," he nodded. "And told her to get it from her insurance. She said that required a police report, which she couldn't get because, 'it was the Duttons.'"

"Probably Beth," Lexi shrugged. "My sister can be a little unhinged, but there's usually a method to the madness."

"Can you ask?" Rob asked her. "Whatever Veronica did to your sister….maybe it's something I can use in our upcoming court date."

"Absolutely," Lexi assured him, knowing Rob was fighting to see his two small children more than every other weekend.

With that, she left the hospital with Ryan, promptly falling asleep on the way home.

…

A few days passed and it was more of the same tension, waiting for something to happen. Lexi was at work that afternoon when they rushed in an older gentleman who had had a stroke.

They rushed him in to surgery as they were worried about pressure around his brain. They got the bleed to stop, but his heart wasn't strong enough for the surgery. He died before they could even start to relieve the pressure.

"Dammit," Lexi said as she stormed out of the OR, her boss close behind. Everyone hated this inevitable part; they couldn't save everyone.

"Any idea who he is?" Keith was asking a nurse who told him the paramedics had left his things at the front desk. After washing up, they went to look for some kind of identification so they could contact his family.

"Dirk Hurdstram," the nurse read off the ID.

"Hurdstram?" Lexi asked with raised eye brows.

"Know him?" Keith asked.

"His grandson works for my dad," she sighed.

"Looks like you draw the short straw," the nurse said, handing her the wallet. No one wanted to do this part. She sighed heavily, shoving the wallet in her front shirt pocket.

"Go get a jump on your long weekend," Keith told her. His tone told her it wasn't up for debate. She had had a long week, there was no denying that. She grabbed her bag from the back, heading outside as she tried to dial Ryan.

It went to voicemail.

She figured as much, knowing they would be working deeper in the ranch today, some areas having no reception. Kaycee was likely with him, so she prepared to call Jamie as she walked towards the coffee shop to wait.

She jumped back when Christina came flying out, followed by a rushing Jamie. They had a hushed conversation by her car before Christina slammed the door on him, tearing out. Jamie audibly groaned, turning and then looking just as surprised to see Lexi as she was to see him.

"You good?" she asked.

"You?" he asked back, noting she was out of work early.

"Take me home?" she sighed and he nodded at the truck. They rode along in silence for a moment.

"I lost someone today," she started, knowing he would be hesitant to speak as it involved Christina.

"I'm sorry," he told her.

"Jimmy's grandpa too, of all people," she added on and Jamie looked at her sadly; she just nodded. "So, now I get to do the shittiest part of my job," she continued, slouching back against her seat.

"You wanna laugh?" Jamie asked dryly.

"Desperately," she assured him, looking over to him as he kept his eyes fixed on the road.

"You were right about Christina," he told her.

"That she would only date a cowboy if it got more electoral votes?" she asked sarcastically.

"That she's pregnant," he reminded her and Lexi's jaw dropped.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked seriously. This was huge. Were they going to get back together? Co-parent?

"….nothing," he answered simply.

"James. Michael. Dutton!" she exclaimed, punctuating each with a punch to his arm.

"That's what she wants!" he said defensively, holding his arm up to defend from another potential strike.

"…..sorry," Lexi told him, settling back in her seat. "She's actually going to keep the baby from you?" she asked seriously.

"As long as I'm at the ranch," he replied, eyes still glued to the road. She knew he didn't look at her to keep from crying.

"Damn," she murmured as they approached the ranch.

Jamie parked behind the barn where Jimmy was working, with Cowboy sitting nearby. Lexi's stomach sank as she watched him as she and Jamie got closer.

"Hey Lexi," Jimmy greeted her, wondering what she was doing home early as she wasn't usually there until about supper, but he didn't think a ton about it. "Ryan's still out."

"Thanks, um, can I talk to you Jimmy?" she asked, nodding for him to follow her to the side. This was way worse than usual as she knew and cared about the person she was delivering the news to.

"Sure," he shrugged, not sure what this could be about.

"The police got called to do a wellness check on your grandpa," she explained. "They had to rush him in because…he had a stroke," she got out quickly.

"What, oh my G….is he ok?" Jimmy asked, his mind racing.

"We tried to do surgery-"

"What do you mean tried?" Jimmy interrupted, not comprehending.

"Jimmy, I'm sorry, I couldn't…." She could barely bring herself to say it as he continued to just stare at her. She instinctively pulled his grandpa's wallet from her pocket, offering it to him.

…

Ryan and the others got back shortly after, seeing Jimmy swinging something at a nearby tree and screaming. Jamie, Cowboy and Lexi were all standing by watching as he grieved. Rip rushed to stop Jimmy who had gone for a shotgun while Kaycee and Ryan went to Lexi and Jamie.

"What the hell happened?" Kaycee asked.

"Are you ok?" Ryan was asking Lexi now and she nodded though she blinked back tears.

"They brought Jimmy's grandpa into the hospital," she explained. "He…didn't make it."

"Shit," Kaycee sighed, looking over to where Rip and Jimmy were talking.

"Can we get out of here?" Lexi was asking Ryan now. "Because between this and Roarke and…" She noticed Rip coming over now. "And please tell me you weren't on a horse Wheeler when you're supposed to be in bed for 2 more weeks!" she snapped.

"Easy," Rip told her and she glared. "I need to talk to you two," he said to Kaycee and Ryan and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Go change, we'll head out," Ryan nudged her gently and she sighed as she gave in, leaving. Kaycee and Rip were glad she wouldn't be around for this part.

They made a plan to help Jimmy with revenge for what happened to his grandfather, telling Ryan the best thing he could do was take Lexi out and keep her away from all this mess. Content that Tate was with John and Monica, Kaycee left with Rip, Jimmy and a few other branded cowboys to take care of things.

…

After Lexi changed from her scrubs, she met Ryan outside the lodge where he already had the truck ready and waiting. In the bed of the truck, he had piled blankets and pillows, bottle of whiskey in the front seat.

They drove to one of her favorite spots on the ranch, far from the house and everyone, to watch the sun go down before laying in the back and staring at the stars. Ryan laid propped up on his side as Lexi sat up, leaning back against the cab as she took a swig from the bottle. She looked at him curiously as he kept watching her.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he encouraged.

"I'm having one of those weeks where I don't know why we stay here," she murmured, setting the bottle to the side.

"Mmm," Ryan nodded in agreement, resting a hand on her leg.

"I hated my job today," she admitted. "And the family business…" She trailed off as she remembered Beth and Rip.

"I know," he agreed, gently pulling so she was laying next to him on her back, with him still propped up on an elbow next to her. "We can just start driving," he offered lightly.

"I think we'd just end up in Canada," she joked back. "With just this truck, I think it'd get a little cold."

"You don't trust me to keep you warm?" He grinned, leaning down to kiss her.

"Mmmm," she contemplated as they kissed, laughing a little as he moved over her, kissing more.

They just needed each other.

…

Lexi expected to come back to a quiet ranch, but instead everyone was out running with flashlights. They parked by the barn, rushing over to where her dad and Kaycee were arguing. She quickly figured out something must have happened to Tate because Kaycee was shouting at their dad for letting Tate come down to the corral alone.

"No one is alone on this ranch," John snapped. "Where was the house full of wranglers?" He asked of Kaycee. "And what about you two?" He snapped at Ryan and Lexi; their clothes and her messy hair gave them away.

"Oh for God's sake," John said.

"They weren't in charge of him!" Kaycee yelled defensively.

"We can yell at each other later!" Monica cut in now. "Right now, we need to find him."

They continued to search through the night and into the next morning. They were searching one of the fields for any sign of Tate when they came across a fresh set of tire tracks.

"Did any of you make these?" John called and no one chimed in. "What about you love birds?" he snapped at Ryan and Lexi.

If it was one of her brothers she would have told him to shove it or gave him the finger. Because he was John though, Lexi just gritted her teeth and shook her head.

Kaycee took off after the tire tracks to where they ended. He turned, holding up one of Tate's boots.

Lexi didn't think she would ever get the sound of Monica screaming out of her head.