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Flashback
"Hey, Lee?" Ryan said as he found the oldest Dutton sitting outside on the small porch of his cabin, drinking a beer after a long day.
"Hm?" Lee asked as he was mid-drink.
"Can I talk to you for a second?" Ryan asked.
"Sure man," Lee said, nodding for him to take the other chair. "What's up?"
"You know how I've been heading to Bozeman the last few weekends?" Ryan asked and Lee nodded. "I've, ah…"
He wasn't sure what to say and had told Lexi he would talk to her brother alone. Now he wondered if she shouldn't have done it, making it easier as she looked at her big brother with doe eyes.
"I've been waiting for you to tell me about this girl," Lee joked, figuring Ryan had been heading out to see someone. What he didn't know was he was headed to the campus in town to pick up his sister.
"It's Lexi," Ryan said quickly. Lee didn't look mad, but he did look surprised. "We've gone on a couple dates, nothing's happened," he speedily added.
Lee still just looked surprised. Lexi was just 19 after all, Ryan was 24.
"I just wanted to make sure it was ok with you," Ryan continued. "Before it got to be more serious."
"Is it serious?" Lee asked curiously.
"We haven't really talked…it is for me," Ryan finally settled.
"All right man," Lee said, resting a hand on Ryan's shoulder.
"….yeah?" Ryan questioned.
"Yeah," Lee nodded to affirm. "I don't know," he shrugged. "It's just, I never know other guys well enough to know if they're good enough for her. And you're my best friend." He grinned now. "Who else would I trust her with?"
"Thanks Lee," Ryan said appreciatively. "Is this where you tell me you'll kill me if I hurt her?" he asked lightly.
"You're my best friend, I wouldn't kill you," Lee shook his head, finishing his beer. "But, I also wouldn't stop Kaycee," he added with a laugh; Ryan laughed as well, never wanting to hurt Lexi.
He was pretty quickly falling in love with her.
…
Ryan woke up that morning, having dreamed that memory of Lee as he continued to contemplate how to propose to Lexi. She had been so miserably sick the last few days that no time really seemed special enough. He had convinced her to come back to the lodge rather than staying at camp, reasoning if she felt so miserable she shouldn't be sleeping out in a tent. He came back as well, working more with Rip around the ranch instead of being out at camp.
When he woke that morning, he found himself alone, spotting her sitting on their bathroom floor as the door was slightly cracked. He went in to sit next to her; her eyes were closed like she was trying to focus on not getting sick.
"You all right?" He asked gently as he sat next to her, both leaning back against the tub near the toilet.
"Every time I leave to go lay down I feel sick again," she murmured, eyes still closed. "But then I come in here and nothing. So, I'm just…." She trailed off, motioning around her. He caught her hand, kissing the back of it.
"What can I do?"
"Tell your child to stop hating me," she joked, turning her head to look at him. He smiled as he kissed her forehead. "What do you have going on today?"
"Headed to an auction with Rip," Ryan said, most of them enlisted to bring cattle back that day. "You?"
He hoped rest was on her to do list.
"I have to go to the hospital," she said as she prepared to get up from the floor.
"Aren't you off until next week?" He asked curiously. Even if they weren't at camp she kept the time off as she adjusted to her new normal.
"Keith wants to talk about my plans," she said with a bit of an eye roll. "Probably wants to take me off the floor and send me to his office for nine months."
"It might not be the worst thing," Ryan suggested, though cautiously. She loved her job, he knew that. But she needed to take care of herself and the baby; her job caused a lot of strain.
"Mmmm, we'll see," she sighed. "Good luck today," she said, kissing him.
"You too," he said, kissing her again before heading out.
…
"But-" Lexi was reasoning with her boss a few hours later. They met at the hospital, though he pulled her into his small office there to talk just off of the ER, sitting on the opposite side of the desk from her.
"But nothing Dutton," he shook his head. "We're talking risk of needle sticks, random infections. Not to mention that drunk that knocked Rob out last week." He shook his head at her. "The ER is fast paced and if you get knocked into and fall, I don't know who will have my ass first: the child's father or yours."
She seemed to contemplate this thought.
"It was rhetorical," he interrupted her train of thought. "Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at the office. Tuesdays and Thursdays strictly planned surgeries," he emphasized; he then nodded at the door. "We'll have you back in the ER once your maternity leave is over."
"Ok," she agreed, knowing he was right. About that time, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Keith called and Rob let himself in.
"You're needed at bed 3," he was saying to Lexi.
"She's off the floor," Keith answered for her. "And off the clock."
"I think they're some of hers," he said lightly as he left. Keith got up to follow her out to the floor to bed three, seeing two ranch hands as she pulled back the curtain.
"Tell your father to get these guys some insurance," Keith told her as he left her alone. Colby was there on the bed, holding one hand in the other while Teeter stood next to him, her lip busted.
"The hell happened?" she asked as she grabbed some gloves, preparing to look at Colby's hand.
"Biker fight out in one of the fields," Colby informed her and she rolled her eyes.
"You don't have to make shit up," she informed him then read his face. "Oh my God," she muttered, turning his hand over again. "You ok T?" she asked her.
"Ain't nothin'," Teeter brushed her off.
"I think we can get away with just a split versus a full cast," she was saying to Colby as she turned to the appropriate drawer.
"I'm supposed to tell you Ryan loves you," Colby told her as she was wrapping his hand, wincing a little. "And he'll see you tonight."
"Where's he at?" She asked curiously.
"With the boss," Teeter answered and Lexi knew her dad would be enlisting him, Kaycee and Rip to deal with this biker gang.
"I'm guessing y'all need a ride then?" she was asking, to which Colby nodded. Once she was done with his hand they left the ER, heading towards her car. She had to keep from laughing as Teeter tried to convince Colby to sit in the back with her.
"Hey, Alex!" she heard Roarke calling as he approached her car, having seen her from where he was walking down the sidewalk.
"What?" she asked in exasperation. She was sick, she just got told by her boss she had to take it easy, and being pregnant, even this early, was physically exhausting as her body focused all its energy on the baby. She was in no mood for this.
"What the hell is your sister's problem?" he snapped at her.
"That would be a question for her therapist," Lexi said dryly.
"Who's the Ken doll?" Teeter was asking, though she was ignored.
"Do you know what she did to my stock today?" he continued.
"You know that finance shit is way over my head," she reminded him, opening her car door; he slammed it shut. She felt Colby stepping closer to her, but she held a hand up to stop him.
She wasn't taking this from the Morris family anymore and certainly not in her home state.
"She's really got you rattled," Lexi commented.
"We're not going anywhere," he informed her.
"I'd hunker down then, because Beth is like a tornado in a trailer park," she informed him, opening her car door again.
"You'd know about those now," Roark said with a smart attitude. Lexi knew what he was implying, about her trading down again.
Rather than hit him with a witty comeback, she whipped around and punched him in the mouth.
"DAMN!" Teeter was grinning, though Colby looked shocked.
"I'll remember that," he told her as he wiped the blood from his lip.
"I owe your brother a few of those," she said back. "Get in the car," she ordered the other two and they got in quickly, all slamming their doors. Lexi tore out of the parking lot, heading for home.
…
She waited upstairs in her and Ryan's room that night for him, unable to sleep. It was super late when he got back, nearly morning as they had been forcing the bikers that came back that night to dig what they thought was going to be their own graves. Ryan rode home that night with the others, not one hundred percent sure how to tell her what they found out that night.
…
Earlier
"Where are you from?" John was asking them, preparing to let them go back there after making his point.
"California," one of the bikers answered, the one that was in charge.
"Where?" Ryan asked now. Something wasn't sitting right with him.
"Oakland," he clarified.
"That's in the Bay Area?" He asked and the man nodded. Kaycee realized what Ryan had been thinking now.
"Who sent you?" Kaycee asked now.
"If you gotta ask, you already know," the biker told him.
"Excuse me?" John asked as he was realizing now.
"The DA was going to drop some charges against my brother," he explained.
"This about the airport?" John asked, wondering if it was an intimidation thing.
"I don't know nothing about an airport," the man replied. "We were just supposed to scare the shit out of her. She wasn't with them, but figured knocking around the boyfriend was enough. Weren't planning on coming back till the bikes got wrecked."
Rip held up a hand to stop Ryan from acting on impulse as John walked closer to the hole the man who had been speaking was standing in.
"I want you to go back," John told him, tone level but angry. "And I want you to tell your friends who exactly got scared shitless out here. They try to send you back, tell them Montana doesn't want you," he finished. He nodded for them to go before he changed his mind and they all took off.
…
Ryan got to their room, leaning back against the door as he shut it, looking at her sitting on the bed, propped up on pillows.
"How was your day?" he asked, turning his head slightly so she could see the bruise along his cheek and eye bone.
"Fan-tastic," she over enunciated, holding up her hand to show the light bruising on her knuckles.
"What the hell happened?" Ryan asked as he rushed to his side of the bed, sitting and taking her hand.
"Roarke came to the hospital, pissed at Beth over some money shit," she explained as he looked her hand over; it really wasn't that bad.
"Did he touch-" Ryan started off.
"No," she stopped him. "No, he just has a smart mouth." She contemplated for a moment. "And a hard face," she said with a small smile as she took her hand back.
"Mmm," he nodded in agreement, though not amused.
"This from the biker fight I heard about?" She questioned, turning his head to get a better look at the bruise; he nodded. "As the mother of your child, I'm gonna need you to not do that," she laughed a little.
He leaned forward to kiss her.
"Say that again," he told her.
"I'm gonna need you to not do that," she repeated with a grin, knowing what he actually meant.
"The other part," he told her, matching her smile.
"As the mother of your child," she said as he kissed her again. Then one, two, three more kisses.
This was the time, he knew it.
"There's something else I want to call you," he told her.
"Yeah, what's that?" Lexi asked as she relaxed back against the pillows while he got into his bedside table. She bolted upright though when she saw the box. "Oh my God."
"My wife," He answered her question, showing her the ring.
"Oh my God," she repeated. "Is that my mom's?" she asked as she recognized it; he nodded.
"Alexa Dutton, will you marry me?" he asked. She couldn't answer as she started crying happy tears, though she pulled him back to kiss him and he took that as his yes.
…
After a late night the night before, everyone was later than usual to the breakfast table. Kaycee, Jamie and Ryan were in their usual spots, with Rip going to get the others from camp, where Monica and Tate had spent last night. John was coming to the table now, seeing neither daughter.
"Where's your sister?" John asked.
"Which one?" Kaycee asked as he continued to eat.
"Take your pick," John said dryly, though they assumed Beth was at Rip's place. Lexi was coming back to the table now, having run out sick before.
"For anyone keeping track," she said as she took her seat, pushing her plate away from her. "I no longer eat eggs."
"Noted," Kaycee told her, grabbing the plate and taking half before offering the rest to Jamie.
"We all need to talk about last night," John said, figuring his daughter had been asleep so Ryan didn't get to tell her what they knew about the bikers.
"Can I say something before it gets too serious in here?" Lexi asked. She had been carefully leaving her left hand in her lap.
"It's twins?" Jamie quipped and she grabbed a muffin from the table and whipped it at him.
"Why would you wish that on me?" She asked, scared of the thought of one newborn let alone two. She had no idea how her parents did it with three other small children in the house. "It's not twins, it's this," she said, revealing her hand.
"This is great news," John smiled as he held out his hand to take hers to see the ring.
"Congrats you guys," Jamie was telling them now.
"It looks beautiful on you sweetpea," John said as he let her hand go, acknowledging Evelyn's ring. "I just wish she got to see you wear-"
"Is that mom's?" Beth asked from the entry to the dining room. Everyone was quiet. Both Ryan and Lexi noticed her behavior since finding out about the baby; something told them the ring wasn't going to help her mood.
"Beth," John warned her and he didn't have to say the rest which was to think before she opened her mouth.
"Well, I guess that answers my favorite question," Beth said anyway. "I'm already late," she said as she turned to go.
Lexi opened her mouth to say something.
"She's fine," John stopped her from whatever smart comment she was going to make. "Unfortunately, we have bigger problems than your sister."
"Like her pissing off the Morris's so Roarke comes to corner me at the hospital?" Lexi asked dryly, revealing her right hand now which had darker bruises now that it had been a few more hours.
"What the hell?" Kaycee snapped now.
"It's them sending the bikers here," John said, intending to get to the Roarke situation in a minute. "Some gang they hired out of Oakland to scare you."
"Probably the sons," she said, shortening the gang's nickname. "Classic Morris move."
"What kind of life were you living out there?" Kaycee asked his sister sarcastically; she gave him the finger with her bad hand. "He put his hands on you?" he asked now.
"No, he was just running off at the mouth," Lexi told him. "I got tired of listening," she shrugged.
"The bikers went running, but between that and the airport," John said. "And now this," he nodded at his daughter's bruises. "This family is a bigger problem than we may have realized."
"Then what are we going to do?" Jamie asked now.
"Let me go contemplate that," John said as he pushed back from the table, leaving the other four there. Kaycee nodded that he was going too, heading out of the room. Lexi motioned to Ryan she was going to follow him, intending to ask him to be her man of honor while Ryan stayed at the table to talk to Jamie.
"Have you two talked about when you're having the wedding?" Jamie asked curiously.
"Sooner than later," Ryan said as they hadn't gone too far into it. "She wants to be married before the baby gets here. And in her dress before she's showing is how she put it," he said lightly.
"You two could wait for the actual wedding," Jamie offered. "I can just push the paperwork through…"
"I think we would rather you officiate for us," Ryan told him with a smile.
"Yeah?" Jamie asked in surprise.
"Yeah," Ryan nodded.
"I'd be happy to," Jamie agreed.
Outside on the porch, Lexi had caught up with Kaycee.
"Hey, I should have told you congrats in there," Kaycee realized as he stopped to talk to her. "So, congrats," he laughed.
"Thanks," she laughed back.
"Didn't think shotgun weddings were a twin thing," he tacked on and she playfully pushed his shoulder.
"Is being my man of honor?" she asked him now.
"You sure?" Kaycee asked.
"Well, I could ask Beth," she said sarcastically.
"Anything for you," Kaycee assured her as he put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her head. Jamie and Ryan were coming out now as they all got ready to start their day.
"Got my man of honor," she told Ryan.
"Great," he nodded, clapping Kaycee on the shoulder. "I should go get a best man then."
"I've got my first day as commissioner," Kaycee said as he had to get going. He was taking over as commissioner as Jamie moved to the attorney general's office.
"I've got to meet with the governor," Jamie was saying now. "I'll work on getting your marriage license and everything later in the week," he assured her.
"And I'm gonna see if I can get a wedding planner," Lexi said as she prepared to ask Beth for help.
"Sounds like you'll need the most luck," Kaycee said as the three Dutton siblings split up into their cars to go their separate ways.
…
Lexi got to Beth's office later that morning where she was busy on her laptop. She barely acknowledged her as she came in, taking a seat on the opposite side of Beth's desk. It was quiet for a moment.
"You want me to come back?" Lexi finally asked.
"I'm almost done," Beth said, putting out her cigarette as a courtesy for her sister.
"Doing…."
"Shorting Market Equities stock," she answered.
"I have no idea what that means," Lexi admitted.
"It means your ex-in-laws are about to be super pissed," she said, though she knew Lexi and Matt were never married. "Big day," she nodded at Lexi's hand.
"Did I do something to you Bethy?" Lexi asked her now. "You've barely talked to me for weeks and now this morning…." She was twisting the ring on her finger with her other hand. "If it's about the ring I'll give it back to dad, I don't-"
"It's not the ring," Beth stopped her. "I think we both know that, out of her two daughters, she'd want you to have it."
"Then what is it?" Lexi asked, knowing it was something.
"I'm…" Beth started, but couldn't bring herself to say.
"You're…what?" Lexi asked. "Jealous?" she asked in confusion. "Rip would marry you tomorrow if you wanted-"
"It's not the wedding," Beth stopped her again; Lexi realized it was the baby, but waited for Beth to say something.
Beth wasn't sure what or how to tell her.
"I can't have kids Lexi," Beth finally admitted.
"….oh," Lexi said softly as she realized why her sister ran off the night of the rodeo now, why she was always so stiff around Tate, why she got uncomfortable that day John told her Ryan would eventually be the father of his grandchildren.
"Have you gotten other opinions?" Lexi asked her sister now. "Because I know a lot of fertility doctors that would see you tomorrow if you-"
"I just can't," Beth told her. She couldn't tell her why, not right now. "And," she said, wiping at her eyes quickly. "Since I won't have a daughter to throw a wedding for, I'm planning yours." She knew her sister wouldn't want to go through all of the planning.
"Are you sure, because-"
"Dad gets to give you away, you have mom's ring," Beth listed. "I'm sure Kaycee is standing next to you. Let me do this. And get your dress," she added on.
Lexi knew her sister would be into the dress part the most.
"Thanks Bethy," Lexi said, reaching over the desk to take her sister's hand.
"Of course," Beth assured her.
…
John and Kaycee were sitting out on the porch that night talking about Kaycee's first day, listening to the commotion at the bunkhouse. Jimmy had gotten back that day and brought his new girlfriend, Mia, with him. She had brought her friend Laramie with her as well and it seemed like a party was going on down there.
Lexi had told Ryan to go hang out with the others, she knew she wasn't any fun right now anyway. That and they had a long day out on the ranch dealing with some random guys running buffalo through a nearby field. The name Wade Morrow sounded slightly familiar to her but she couldn't place it.
She finally felt like she could fall asleep after fighting off the nausea, but the music was too loud; her window overlooked where the bunkhouse was so it was worse than any of the other bedrooms. Why did it have to be so loud she could hear it up the hill?
Aggravated, she threw back the blankets, slipped on some shoes and headed towards the door.
"Lex, what are you," Kaycee started when they saw her coming outside.
"I can't sleep!" She snapped over her shoulder, continuing her march towards the bunkhouse in her sweatshirt and plaid pajama pants. She could faintly hear their dad telling Kaycee that, while their mom could have a bit of a temper, it was nothing compared to when she was pregnant and her hormones were going. He said Jamie probably remembered what their mom was like when she was pregnant with the twins.
Knowing there was probably an extra reason for her irritation didn't slow Lexi down any as she got to the bunkhouse, shoving the door open. A few startled people looked over at her.
"Are you ok baby-"
"Some of us," she said, ignoring Ryan. "Are trying to sleep."
"….it's 9:30," Jimmy said. He wasn't with them at the rodeo that night when everyone found out she was pregnant.
"And I've been puking for three days straight Jimmy, what's your point?" She snapped at him; she spotted Rip and her sister coming around the corner. "Aren't you supposed to be keeping this place under control Wheeler?"
"Why's she so mad?" Jimmy asked Ryan as Beth was talking to her sister to get her to chill out.
"She's pregnant," Ryan explained before turning to Lexi in his seat. He reached for her hand and pulled her closer to him; she stood next to his chair with an arm resting on his shoulders while he put an arm around her waist.
"You at least seem like you're feeling better," Ryan said encouragingly.
"This is all your fault," she informed him, half joking but half not.
"I knew I had a few of those coming," he joked, hugging her around the waist and kissing her stomach.
"Aw!" a drunk Mia exclaimed from where she sat next to Jimmy. "You guys are so CUTE!"
"Can you guys just," Lexi was saying, making a motion to turn down the volume.
"Ohmygosh, yeah," Laramie said quickly, turning the music down.
"Thanks," Lexi told them, noticing her sister.
"C'mon, we got an early morning tomorrow," Beth told her and Lexi groaned at the thought of wedding dress shopping. It just wasn't her thing. Beth and shopping went together easily though.
Beth was giving her a hard time on the way out the door about wanting her wedding in a month, so she had to do what Beth said; Rip was on his way out as well.
"Ok, serious question," Colby said now, all of them pretty buzzed if not completely drunk. "I'm best man, do I get godfather?"
"She's got brothers," Ryan reminded him, finishing his beer.
"You guys are gonna be such good parents," Mia was gushing.
"Let me tell you one thing," Laramie was saying before he could say thanks to Mia, coming over to sit next to her. She had been sitting on Lloyd's bed, flirting with him.
"What's that?" Ryan asked curiously, slightly amused. Parenting advice right now?
"You're not gonna leave her," Laramie told him seriously.
"I," Ryan started to defend himself
"I don't care if she has brothers," she recalled what he had just said about godparents to Colby. "I'll kill you."
"Laramie's dad is a piece of shit," Mia said in a super loud whisper.
"If he's such a piece of shit, why are you trying to get me to talk to him?" Laramie snapped at her.
"You have one parent left after your mom," Mia reasoned. "And they say jail changes people, I don't know," she shrugged, getting another beer.
"Shit, what did he do?" Jimmy asked.
"He got busted taking drugs to Canada when I was five," Laramie answered, taking a shot. She noticed the look Colby gave Ryan who shook his head. There was no way, was there?
"What?" She asked them.
"What's your last name?" Colby asked anyway, despite his friend's expression.
"Parker, why?" She asked, confused.
"It's a common enough last name," Ryan said, getting up to go. He wasn't sure if he could do this right now.
"Your dad's not Nick," Laramie laughed now, like this couldn't be real, but stopped as she saw Ryan's face.
"That's just some small world shit," Jake said now as they were all in disbelief. Surely Ryan and Laramie weren't siblings. They just both happened to have dads in prison for the same thing with the same name?
"Hold on," she said, going to grab her bag she had tossed on the couch earlier. She dug for her wallet, pulling out an old picture.
"Is this him?" she asked, handing it to Ryan.
In the picture was a young Nick Parker with a four or five year old Laramie sitting on his shoulders.
"Ah," Ryan finally said after staring at the picture. "I've gotta, um…" He could barely complete a thought, just nodding at the door.
"Ryan," Colby was saying, going to stop him but Ryan waved him off as he left. Mia's jaw was dropped and Laramie's eyes were wide.
Ryan went up to the house, feeling the tears coming as he got closer. He wasn't sure what they were for though because he wasn't upset; he was enraged.
He went to his and Lexi's bedroom where he could unfortunately hear her getting sick in the bathroom. He just stood at the door once he closed it, waiting for her to come out. His mind was racing, barely processing what just happened.
"Ok, I think I can sleep," she was joking as she had heard Ryan come in, but she stopped when she saw his face. "Baby, what's wrong?"
He started murmuring something but she couldn't make it out.
"Ryan, what's going on?" she asked worriedly.
"I hate him," Ryan was repeating now as that's what he had been saying before. "I hate him, I hate him so much, I-"
"Who, your dad?" she asked in confusion. Had Nick been stupid enough to show up at the ranch?
"He cheated on my mom," he was going on.
"Did he tell you or-"
"Laramie's dad just got out of jail for drug smuggling," Ryan stopped her. "He went away when she was five. She has his picture." He grabbed something off the dresser and threw it at the wall.
"Oh, baby, I-" She started as she quickly realized what they put together.
"I'm twelve years older than she is," he ranted, barely registering her speaking. "He left and…oh my God," he said as he sat at the end of the bed, taking his head in his hands as he rested his arms on his legs. He never had a panic attack before, but this surely felt like one.
"Ryan, baby," Lexi said, kneeling in front of him, resting her hands on his legs.
"All this time," Ryan continued. His chest felt tight like he couldn't breathe. He had ignored the trauma of his dad leaving and losing his mom young for too long.
"Shhh,shhh," Lexi soothed him.
"I thought he just didn't want a family," Ryan reasoned. "He just wanted a different one," he realized, tears brimming his eyes again.
"He didn't deserve you and your mom," Lexi told him now. "And from what it sounds like, he didn't deserve Laramie or her mom either." She took his hands from his face and kissed them before holding them. "You are so much better than him. He does not get to keep hurting you," she said, moving to sit next to him now. She pulled him close like she did that first night at camp and let him let it all out.
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