The soft clacking of plates spurred Tamora awake. Opening her eyes and wiping the sleep away, she saw Felix busy at his cast-iron stove.
"Good morning!" he grinned when he spotted her stirring. "Do you drink coffee?"
"I do; black is fine," she replied. He grabbed his pot and poured her a mug, which she graciously accepted; it'd been a while since she'd had a decent cup.
Relishing the warmth it brought to her fingers, she puffed away some of the steam before taking a sip. For a moment she felt like she was in heaven.
"Good?" the handyman chuckled at her almost transcendent expression.
"Mm!" Tamora raised her mug before taking another sip. "God… I needed this, thank you."
"You're welcome," Felix said, tossing some more bits of kindling into the wood burner.
"Seems I slept through quite a lot," the blonde remarked, smelling some bacon cooking. "Is there anything I can do?"
"No, no," the handyman refused. "You're my guest. Besides, you need plenty of rest."
Ignoring him, Tamora swung her feet over the mattress's edge. Sure, she felt like she'd been hit by a train, but she was confident.
"Oh, T-Tam! Hang on a moment—"
The blonde pushed off the cushion, shock on her face when a sharp pain radiated through her left leg as she put her weight on it. She stumbled forward, and Felix caught her in an embrace. Gently, he guided her back to the bed, sitting her down.
"You need to take it easy," he said, frowning at her pained expression. "Are you alright?"
"My leg…" Tamora hissed, running her hand along it.
"We should probably get the doctor up here now that you're awake to check up on you properly."
"Doctor?" the blonde hesitated, concerned someone else had been aware of her presence.
"Tamora, I'm decent with some first aid, but you had a hole in your shoulder. I didn't rightly know what to do," Felix explained. "He hasn't seen you, but I did ask him some hypotheticals…Our doctor is a good man. He sees and does many things, no questions asked."
Tamora thought about it momentarily, the painful throbbing of her leg finally starting to subside. It was hard for her to trust people, but for some reason, she already felt secure in believing the handyman's intentions were good. But what if she was being foolish? Perhaps one last, hard look would reveal something new…
She studied his face, including the shiner she'd given him yesterday before peering into those kind blue eyes. For a moment, she was pulled in, in awe of the way they were the same shade of sapphire his were.
"Tamora?" Felix stammered, snapping her back to the present. He looked concerned, but the pink glowing of his cheeks was unmistakable as he shied away. Not wanting to acknowledge her intrusion, the blonde nodded.
"Fine…I'll see your doctor."
The handyman smiled, which disappeared at the first whiff of something burning.
"Oh goodness!" he leaped off the mattress toward his stove to remove a burning pancake from the cooktop. This allowed Tamora to stew in her embarrassment, her face growing hot when she replayed what just happened in her mind; how close she'd gotten.
She was off her rocker. Luckily, it seemed Felix brushed it off easily, serving her a bountiful plate of food in bed.
"Breakfast first, then I'll call for the doctor," he said with a grin. If the handyman kept this up, Tamora surmised she would soon eat him out of house and home…
She sat up in bed when she heard the rumble of hooves and chattering outside. A firm believer in never being too careful, the blonde rummaged through Felix's bedside table, almost surprised to find a Colt hidden among the junk.
Opening the chamber, she noted the number of bullets; zero. Of course. Still, she didn't let that stop her from aiming it at the front door when it opened.
Despite the sunlight assaulting her eyes, she glimpsed Felix's friendly face before another figure silhouetted the door.
"I am excited to meet this mystery guest of yours— ah!" an Italian man with a mustache and long, fine coat paused when he spotted her. He seemed surprised, but unafraid as he stood in her sights.
"Tam, it's alright," Felix insisted, peering over the stranger's shoulder. With his word, she lowered the firearm.
"Oho!" The doctor was delighted as he pointed to Tamora, then the handyman's bruised face. "I see! Hai una rosa con le spine!"
Leaving Felix looking embarrassed by the door, the stranger walked up and offered his hand.
"Ciao, my dear. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Is it?" Tamora tilted her head with a crooked smile, which made the jovial man laugh.
"It is!" he assured her, putting on a pair of round bifocals. "Dr. Mario, at your service."
Beginning his examination, the man checked her bullet wound, impressed when he found it was looking fairly well after just a handful of days. Next, he set out to find the root of Tamora's other problem.
Having her lie down, Mario gently lifted her leg, moving and stretching different joints and muscles. Tamora reacted negatively when he focused on the back of her calf.
"Mamma mia—" he tried again, eliciting a similar response as the blonde hissed. "Ok."
Stepping back, the man removed his glasses and sat in a nearby chair.
"Could be strain; could be tear," he ruminated. "How bad did that hurt?"
"Bad," Tamora didn't shy from the truth.
"Then we treat it like a tear. Give it three to four weeks rest."
"You're kidding…" she blanched. "M-my occupation won't allow for that."
"Most rarely do," Mario said solemnly, understanding her plight. "But if you try to push it before fully healed, you risk it getting much worse."
Standing up, the doctor turned. "I might just have to hire you as my nurse—" he complimented Felix's work.
The blonde sat on the bed, tuning out the gentlemen's conversation. So much for getting out of here as fast as possible…What was she going to do now? What could she do? Her savings were already starting to dwindle before she ended up here. And what if she was still being pursued?
"Tamora?" the handyman's drawl caught her attention. He stood at the doorway, having dismissed Mario moments ago. She looked back at him with wide eyes, and he frowned.
"I understand that was some pretty bad news, but— you don't have to worry. I'm not going to turn you away."
"...Why?"
"Life out here can be harsh, and people can be cruel but…what's the point of anything if we don't try caring for each other? Growing up, I was taught an act of kindness can spark another and that helping people is the right thing to do. So that's what I try to live by."
"There's goodwill, and then there's being foolish," the blonde shook her head. "That way of thinking can get you killed."
"Well, things have worked out so far… even if it does get the better of me one of these days, I'll be at peace knowing I did what I could."
There may have been a time when Tamora believed in the general goodness of people, but that was forcibly stripped along with her humanity years ago. Surely, the man before her hadn't experienced loss like she had, or they'd be having a very different conversation.
"May I have that back, please?" Felix held his palm out towards the Colt at her side.
"Do you mean to leave a lady defenseless?" Tamora played to his gentlemanly sensibilities. She showed him the empty chambers, eliciting a frown.
"That was my daddy's. It's not used for that purpose anymore."
The blonde chewed on her tongue before relenting; handing the sentimental piece over.
"Then what do you use?"
Tucking the handgun away, Felix reached around the corner to pull his low-caliber hunting rifle into view. Placing the butt of it on the floor, he presented it to her with a sarcastic wave of his hand. When it seemed Tamora wasn't moved, he sighed, stepping outside.
Returning, he handed her one of the Smith and Wessons she kept on her horse. Accepting it, Tamora noted the sour look the handyman wore.
"Is there something you'd like to say?" she asked, placing the revolver on the side table.
"I just— I want you to feel safe here…I just don't believe guns are the answer."
"They're a start," Tamora folded her arms. "Sorry, but I don't feel safe anywhere. Call it an 'occupational hazard.'"
"Then why bounty hunting? Surely there's something else for you—"
"There is nothing else for me," Tamora's voice shook from anger as she stared the handyman down. "I appreciate all you've done, but don't you dare go and try to be my shrink. You have your way of thinking, I have mine, and that is the end of it. I have my reasons, and I sure as hell don't owe any explanation of my choices to you."
After a tense moment, Felix hung his head.
"Yes ma'am. I apologize," he gulped. "I— I think we both need some time to ourselves… I'll be in my workshop next door."
With a soft clicking of boots and a creak, the handyman left.