[February 14] [Brokeback Mountain] Once Upon a Time - 14

[rhye.livejournal.com]

Title: Once Upon a Time - 14
Day/Theme: February 14th/Three Aspects of One Whole
Series: Brokeback Mountain
Character/Pairing: Jack Twist/Ennis del Mar
Rating: R

Chapter 14

Ruth was shaking when she closed the door to the cellar, locking it firmly. The cellar wasn't wired for electricity, but she'd passed more than one bad thunderstorm down here and her fingers knew the way to the emergency candles and matches. When the small room glowed in the yellow light, she wished she'd left it dark. The fire reminded her of the chaos ensuing outside. It was eerily quiet here in the cellar. She set the candle in a candlestick, and sat to wait.

To wait for the worst, because how could Jack and Ennis possibly stand up against those men that'd come here? Ruth tried to count them in her head: the leader, the tall one, the fiddler, a boy she'd recognized as a part-time hand, and four others? Maybe seven?

Restlessness overwhelmed her before a minute had passed. She found herself exploring the nearly bare shelves. This place was John's; it had been stocked by him and still smelled of him. She wished he was here now to save his son, to save her new family. Although given the circumstances, he might not have chosen to.

Her hand rested on a fishing pole, long abandoned. She moved it, and the weight banged against the cinder block wall. A lure was still hanging on the line. It was ready to go. John'd left it here in case he decided to fish again like he did when he was younger, and it was still waiting vigilantly for its owner.

That was all it took-- that and the raging storm bringing them all to who-knew-what end outside. Ruth's breath turned shaky and she collapsed back onto the crate that served as a chair. She missed John more than she could voice, and right now, she felt so vulnerable, so afraid... Nothing like this had happened while John was here. She knew it wasn't like Jack had meant for this to happen. He was a good child. But he was a little softer than his daddy, more friendly with others. Jack had probably told that young hand too much. Ruth felt her heart buckle. She crumpled over to sob into her hands, missing John more than she had words to say.

Just then a loud clang resounded on the door of the storm cellar. She jumped about a foot into the air, reaching out to steady herself on the shelves. Someone shouted but she didn't make out the words. The crate had fallen over, and a more urgent and terrifying sound was issuing from the darkness underneath it. Even in the dim light Ruth could see the rattler clear as day.

The snake struck out and a sharp pain screamed up from her bare ankle. She felt herself tumbling backwards, limbs flailing for purchase on something. She gripped the shelves but felt them give. The candle fell to the floor and went out, drowned in its own wax. Something else fell, and Ruth went down with it, the darkness of the cellar becoming darkness behind her eyes as she lost consciousness.

Ruth awoke in a quiet room. There was talking outside. The sheets were cold. Everything was cold. She was under a small mountain of blankets, but the room, at least, was familiar. It was Jack's room-- her room now. She struggled to sit up and found it easier than she'd expected. She called out in a hoarse voice to the hallway. A voice she recognized as the town physician, Dr. Thompson, said something to someone and came into the room to explain what had happened to her and her family.

********
Ennis woke, but the first images that flashed into in his mind were the last things he had seen, and he wished he could drop back to unconsciousness. Dale must have noticed that he'd awakened, though, because he tapped Ennis on the shoulder and passed him a glass of water. The most senior of the two full-time hands sat on the arm of the couch nearest Ennis's feet.

"You doin' alright, Mr. del Mar?"

"Sure," Ennis croaked. "Wha happened?"

"Well, I guess you must have passed out from the smoke. Doc says so anyway. Think you got a broken nose as well."

Ennis thought he felt alright for the most part. "Susie?" Ennis remembered... he didn't want to remember.

"No way, sorry, sir." Dale frowned and shook his head.

"Shit... Christ! Jack!" Ennis was ashamed that he'd asked about his horse first. "Mrs. Twist?" Ennis was even more ashamed that he'd asked about Jack second.

Dale was shaking his head again, but laughing this time. "Mrs. Twist got a concussion. Took a spill in the cellar. Seems she was bitten by a rattler, too, but it was a dry bite."

Ennis nodded. That was good. Most rattler bites were dry, but there was always the possibility of ones that weren't. "Jack?"

Deeper lines etched themselves into Dale's face. "Don't know I guess. Doc's upstairs lookin' at him with Gerry." Gerry was the other full-time hand.

"What? Where'd you guys come from?" Ennis remembered clear as day seeing the ten or so men booking across the field from the western bunkhouse. Some had helped him contain the fire in the stables, but not before... Well, he'd need a new horse, anyway. The others had joined the fight by the main house, with water. The house must have survived because he was in it right now, though he did notice an unusual chill. He remembered grabbing one of the men, telling him that Mrs. Twist was in the storm cellar.

"We were... well," Dale was stalling and blushing in embarrassment.

"Whut?" Ennis didn't have any patience to lose at this point.

"We were gambling back there." Dale ducked his head. "Sometimes we have crap shoots, or a little hand of poker. Hands from all over the area come. Mr. Twist didn't know. He would have fired our asses, probably got the other men fired, too."

"Well I ain't gonna fire nobody."

"You can't, it ain't your ranch."

The reminder hit Ennis hard, and he struggled off the couch. He'd twisted his back or something in the fray and it hurt like the dickens today.

Dale didn't budge as Ennis left the room. Ennis paused when he saw Chuck, the older of the two part-time, high-school hands, sitting at the kitchen table staring down at the wood like he'd seen a ghost. Ennis didn't spare him a second glance, though, his attention suddenly arrested by the source of the cold. Half of the kitchen was missing in a slumping mess of black cinders. Ennis wanted to worry about the soundness of the house, but there wasn't room for more worry in his head right now. He dragged his sore ass up the stairs.

Dr. Thompson was actually in Jack's room, where Mrs. Twist was awake and they were speaking in low tones. Gerry was standing in the hallway downcast, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Ennis was feeling dizzy already from his climb up the stairs. The doc turned, and must have seen that. He said something to Mrs. Twist and then rushed over.

"Mr. del Mar! You should really be lying down. Smoke inhalation can be serious business, and you--"

"Jack," Ennis wheezed from a tightening chest.

Doc Thompson sighed and brushed past Ennis, pushing the door open on the master bedroom. Ennis followed him in, eyes trained on Jack.

Jack was resting under a pile of blankets like Mrs. Twist had been. He was unconscious.

"He... he goin' be alright?" Ennis heard more emotion in his voice than he wished he heard.

"Jack?" The doc turned to him. "Oh yeah, he'll be fine. He does have a couple more serious injuries than you and Mrs. Twist, though. Mainly, he was bit on the leg by a dog it looks like. Fractured his leg, but we can't cast it 'til the wounds heal. I set it though, and we have to be careful that dog didn't give him anything-- no infections. He also has a cracked rib, but it should heal without too much fuss. Speaking of which, you have a broken nose, so you'll want to ice that."

"Well... if he ain't that bad off, why's he asleep?"

Doc Thompson turned as if seeing him for the first time. "Maybe he's tired?"

Ennis stared at the doctor, wondering if it was a joke, but the doc didn't look anything but sincere.

"Alright," the doc said in answer to Ennis's taut silence. "I'm going to go finish my chat with Mrs. Twist." The doc clapped Ennis on the shoulder and Ennis subconsciously moved away from the touch. Doc Thompson left through the door, and, to Ennis's chagrin, closed it behind himself.

Even mad at the doc's insinuations, no matter how dead-on, Ennis felt a sagging relief at being alone in a room with a Jack who was alright. Ennis was tired and dizzy, and he sank onto the edge of the bed, resting his chilly cheek in a chillier hand. Everything had gone so wrong so quickly. He hadn't quite recovered from the shock of it. A lot of bad had happened. Ennis had already lost one family. He couldn't stand the thought of losing the other.

********
The first thing Jack saw when he opened his eyes was Ennis gazing down at him, chocolate eyes full of barely-restrained fears and reliefs. Jack groaned. His head was throbbing. His chest was throbbing. His leg was throbbing worst of all. It hurt when he breathed. It hurt when he didn't breathe.

"How's ma?," he managed to ask past the pain.

"Yeah, she'll be alright. Concussion or somethin'."

Jack started to sit up but gasped and settled back down. "And you?"

Ennis nodded. "Got too much smoke in my lungs, guess. I'll be alright."

"I guess the house is still standing." Jack looked around the room.

"Most of it."

"The hell's that mean?"

"Just hope you weren't too attached to the kitchen."

"That why it's so fucking cold in here?" Jack could see his breath if he looked hard enough.

"Yup."

"Ain't you cold?"

"Reckon so." Ennis shrugged.

"What happened?" It was almost a hypothetical question, as if meant for God himself, but Ennis answered.

"Some boys from down in town heard from Loki I guess, came down here. Our hands were doin' some illegal gambling with other boys from 'round this way. Guess they saw the commotion."

"Oh." At least that explained why they were still alive, and probably why the black smoky night had seemed so very full of people who were not trying to kill him.

"You get to the horses alright?" The last time Jack remembered seeing Ennis had been down by the horse barn.

Ennis hung his head. "Some of 'em."

Jack didn't ask which. He knew which one hadn't made it by the slump of Ennis's shoulders. Jack and Ennis both lived this life. They knew that you lose a good animal sometimes. Susie had been more than a good animal, though, because she'd represented to them all the promise and future of their venture. They had to make good with a horse like Susie. Well, now they'd have to make good without her.

Jack was still aching for sleep and for release from his pain. "So what's wrong with me?" Jack was afraid to ask, knowing with a small part of his mind that he might have to lose his leg.

"Broken leg, broken rib, dog bite. Doc says you'll be fine."

Jack released a breath at that. Fine. That sounded promising. "I feel like shit."

"Yeah, well."

"It was a wolf."

"What's that?"

"Loki. He came with a wolf."

"Whut?"

"Got me." Jack squeezed his eyes closed, feeling sleep jostling for its place in his brain. Maybe the doctor had given him some painkillers. Something was making consciousness difficult to hold onto.

"Well, guess we better use some of that money to patch up the house." Ennis sounded melancholy, and who could blame him?

"Yup."

"I'll let you sleep." It was a defeated murmur.

"Huh." Jack felt the pillow, cool against his face, and held onto consciousness just long enough to thank a God he didn't believe in for the deliverance of his family.