Rip and Beth woke up to hearing scratches and wines at their door.
"What the fuck is that?," Beth grumbled as sat up.
"I think I have an idea," Rip mumbled as he moved Beth over and sat up from the couch, groaning as he stretched his back muscles. He walked over to the door and opened it Archie, Willow and Gus raced through the door and into the bedroom. They could hear the dogs getting comfortable on their bed.
"Of- fucking- course, she can barely piss without those dogs being right by the damn door," Beth grumbled as she wiped at her eyes.
"Go back to sleep, I've got to get ready and you don't have to be up for another couple of hours," Rip kissed her head.
"Well then I'm not sleeping on the couch alone," Beth said as she kissed his cheek before getting up and walking to the bedroom. Rip could hear her whisper fighting with Archie and Willow for a place on the bed and couldn't stop himself from chuckling as he made himself some coffee.
Beth got in next to her sister after getting Archie and Willow to sleep on the ground, Gus was already sleeping soundly in Mae's neck. She sighed as she reached over and tucked her sister's hair behind her ear.
"Why you? Why the epitome of sunshine?," Beth muttered as she felt tears well in her eyes. She rarely cried but her little sister always held a big part in her clod little black heart. She was more like Mae's mother growing up and knowing what had happened was not even half as bad as seeing he after effects.
As if, even unconscious, Mae still wanted to comfort people she shifted closer to Beth. Beth wrapped her arms around her sister and closed her eyes, she was just going to sleep, knowing her sister's safe in her arms.
xxx
A couple hours later the sisters woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking. Mae, who hasn't eaten in a while, could feel her stomach rumbling. She opened her eyes and smiled as she saw her big sister.
"Sorry for taking your bed last night," Mae smiled sheepishly as she sat up.
"It's not like you were the only one," Beth grumbled as she gestured to Willow, Archie and Gus all on the bed somehow. Mae giggled and the dogs immediately moved over to her, each one trying to get her attention.
"Morning babies," Mae greeted all of them as she scratched behind their ears.
"Lets go get some breakfast, you have all day to play with them," Beth didn't want to comment on the fact that she hasn't seen her sister smile since that day, she didn't want to comment on the fact that these dogs haven't been as energetic since then either and how they all seem somehow alright at the moment.
The two women and three dogs walked into the kitchen to see Rip making breakfast. He came back after finishing most of the early morning work to make sure that the girls eat, he'd go back out afterwards to join the other wranglers up at one of the pastures and to make sure that Ryan didn't pass out on them. As much as he knew Mae hasn't been sleeping, he knew Ryan hasn't been either. Since what happened to Mae, he had been the first one to wake up and the last one to go to sleep and according to Lloyd he's barely been eating, just surviving.
"C'mon the food's getting cold," he called as she saw the girls stumbling out of the bedroom.
"You can cook?," Mae teased and he threw a wash cloth at her face as a silent way of telling her to shut the fuck up. She laughed at the gesture before walking to the sink to wash her hands, she almost awed at the sight of the three dog bowls with food that Rip must have brought with him.
She smiled at the two as she joined them at the table for breakfast.
"Thank you, both of you, for last night, for this morning. You didn't have to help and I-," Rip interrupted her.
"Stop right there. You come here whenever you need it, neither of us will ever turn you away. I don't care how late or early, night or day, summer or winter. We love you, Cub, and if coming to us helps in anyway then you do that. Hell I'll even start building you your own bedroom."
"He's right. Stay out of that fucking head of yours and focus on us, on the people that love you, on your damn dogs, on anything or anyone you need to get through this, because honey we'll rip the world apart for you," Beth added.
"I love you both so much, and I'm going to try, I promise to try," Mae replied as she felt a small smile on her lips.
"That's all we can ask for," Rip replied as he squeezed her hand.
xxx
Mae showered in her room and got dressed in some riding clothes and her swimsuit. It might have been cold and in the winter but she wasn't spending her day in her room anymore, and there was someone she definitely needed to see.
"Morning Gator," she smiled as she walked into the kitchen.
"Morning Miss Mae, it's so good to see you. You look a little skinny, I baked some cookies, let me get you that with some hot cocoa and ice cream, I can whip up some doughnuts too? I have a better idea pizzas and chocolate brownies, okay just give me a couple of minutes and I will-" Mae's laugh interrupted him and he stopped to stare at her confused.
"Gator, I really appreciate you but I already had breakfast at Rip's. However, I might take you up on that pizza, brownies, cookies and hot cocoa. Can you do me a favour?"
"For you, Miss Mae? Anything," Gator replied and she smiled in excitement.
"Can you make me a picnic basket for three people, for the springs?"
"For you and," Gator pointed up at the stairs.
"Yeah, it's uh time for the healing to start," Mae nodded her head.
"Can you give me two hours?," he asked as he arched his brow.
"Thank you," Mae smiled as she kissed his cheek.
"Oh and when we leave here, can you please get out one of Archie or Willows old puppy bowls? I have a phone call to make."
xxx
After hanging up after her video call with Charlie, Liam and Avery, which was more of a half an hour of her assuring them that she was okay than anything else, she walked down the hall.
She softly knocked on the bedroom door and heard Monica's voice telling her she could come in. She opened the door and saw Tate and Monica sitting on the little boy's bed, they were watching some show.
"Hi," Mae smiled softly.
"I'll give you two a minute," Monica smiled back as she got up, "It's so good to see you."
Mae smiled at her as she walked towards Tate's bed and gestured to it: "Can I sit with you?"
The little boy nodded but he couldn't meet her eyes. Mae sat down next to him and took in a deep breath, she didn't really know how to start this conversation.
"Auntie Mae, are you going to forget about me now that baby Evie is here because you didn't know me when I was that small?"
That was not what Mae was expecting, not at all, she couldn't imagine how his mind got there.
"Oh no, Tate, not at all. Baby Evie has her own place in my heart, just like you have yours. Never be jealous of her. Jealously is what toxifies humanity. You should love her. Tater tot, you have both your mommy and daddy. This little girl doesn't have her daddy with her, and she never will. She will need all the love, she can get. Especially from her big cousin. Promise me you'll always love and protect her?"
"I promise, Auntie Mae."
"Now can you tell me what made you feel like that?," Mae asked softly but Tate wouldn't meet her eyes, "Tate, baby, I'm a doctor, right"
Tate nodded.
"I have made you better before, right?," Mae watched as his little hand shot up to his cheek, reminding him of the distant memory of stitches, and he nodded.
"Well I can't see where a heart hurts, so you're going to have to tell me so I can make it better," she told him. She didn't expect to see tears starting to fall down his face.
"I couldn't help you, I couldn't save you. I heard those people hurting you and I couldn't do anything. I wanted to but I was so scared and I know you only went with them to protect me and I couldn't help you. Then we got home after the hospital and I heard grandpa John tell Mommy and Daddy that the doctor gave you the all clear and that you were clean. I thought that meant that you were okay b-but you stayed in your room. I thought you hated me because I couldn't save you, I thought you staying in your room was your way to tell me that you hated me," he cried more furiously while telling her what happened.
"Tate, you need to listen to me right now," Mae's voice was strong but she could feel the tears creeping up again, "I could never ever hate you. I couldn't hate you if someone paid me all the money in the world to do it, I couldn't hate you if the president asked me too. I love you, Tate, I love you so much. Nothing that happened in that house was your fault and it never will be. Yes, I did let them take me to protect you and I would do it again, over and over again. Hell, Tate, I love you so much I'd endure that again for the rest of my life if I knew that you would be safe and happy. I don't think that you'll ever be able to fully understand how much I love you and I need you to know that."
The little boy looked up at her with tears in her eyes: "Then why did you not leave your room for so long? Why didn't you come see me?"
"Tate what happened with us, it was horrible. You had to see the dark side of the world so quickly. You're so young, you should still be thinking that the monsters are under your bed not walking on the street and I'm so sorry that, that was taken from you. There's a word for what we went through, it's called a traumatic experience or trauma. Now every person that goes through having a traumatic experience, they get a thing called Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Now since the accident, have you had nightmares, trouble sleeping, difficulty eating and maybe even throwing up?," she asked.
"Yes," he whispered.
"That's Post-traumatic stress, it changes sometimes depending on the person, I have it too. I wanted to come out and see you, everyday I wished I was strong enough to see you but I couldn't. You know how being with your mom helps you through those things?," she asked and he nodded in response.
"Every person handles their PTSD differently and yours is to be with your mom, mine is maybe not as healthy as yours. I don't deal with my PTSD by hugging my family members, I deal with it by locking myself in my room and then going to cry about it with Rip, to make him uncomfortable because he has to take care of a crying girl," she joked and Tate giggled softly.
"So you weren't hiding from me? You were just trying to make yourself feel better?," he asked as he looked up at her.
"Yes, exactly," Mae nodded. Tate smiled before wrapping her arms around his aunt.
"I love you Aunty Mae," he told her.
"I love you too, don't ever forget that."
"Now I need you to go put on your riding clothes and your swimming trunks underneath," she told him as she stood up.
"Why?," he asked.
"Because I have a big, special day planned to make up for not coming to see you."
"Really?!"
"Yes, so get going!"
Mae left the boy as she walked out of his room and saw Monica leaning against the wall.
"Good, you're here, I want you to come with me and Tate. I know your mother heart won't rest unless you can keep your eyes on him and I could definitely spend more time with my sister," Mae smiled.
"Sure, where are we going?," Monica asked.
"You'll find out but I need you in riding clothes and your swimsuit underneath."
"Mae, it's winter," Monica tried to deny it.
"I'll see you and Tate down at the stables in twenty minutes," Mae replied as she walked down the stairs to see Gator putting the last couple of things in the picnic basket.
xxx
Mae sat with Tate on Hades and Monica sat on Autumn as they arrived at the hot springs.
"Why did I never know this was here?," Monica asked in shock.
"I don't know, your grandfather does. Daddy allows him and any other of your elders to use it when their arthritis sparks up," Mae replied.
"Really?," Monica asked shocked and Mae nodded.
"He even uses it himself sometimes," Mae smiled.
The three spent the entire day splashing and relaxing in the pools while eating the amazing picnic Gator put together. Monica smiled as she watched the two smile and actually have fun for the first time in a really long time. She couldn't help but be grateful for Mae and everything she has been doing today. Mae was one of the few reasons that she was willing to work with the Dutton family.
"I have one more surprise for you, Tate," she smiled as they walked out of the stables.
"What is it?!," he asked as he looked up in excitement.
"I made you a promise a long time ago but I couldn't come through with it then because there was a lot of work that needed to be done but it's done now. I just need you to know that this surprise is going to take a lot of work but you once promised me that you would be up to it, are you still up to it?"
"Yes!," Tate called out.
"Well then here it is," Mae smiled as she opened the trunk to Charlie's car, smiling at her best friend and baby Evie.
"Oh my gosh!," Tate gasped as he watched Mae grab the puppy, he saved so long ago on the side of the road.
"I believe I told you that after he got all better and after I made sure that he didn't belong to anyone, that he could be yours," Mae smiled as she handed the puppy over to Tate.
"I love him," he called out as the puppy barked excitedly and licked the side of Tate's neck.
"What's his name?," Charlie asked.
"I like Colby! Thank you so much, Auntie Mae," Tate smiled as he looked up at the people. The puppy barked and everyone laughed.
"Like the wrangler?," Mae asked.
"Yeah! They both have funny faces and this black hair around their mouths," Tate smiled as he ran into the house with the puppy to play with him.
"Thank you but I think I need to go help him with picking another name," Monica smiled at her before running after Tate.
"Damn, I really wanted to see Colby's face when he found out," Mae mumbled out.
"You really are the best aunt to these kids," Charlie stated as she stood next to Mae with baby Evie in her arms.
"I try to be," Mae replied.
"I think there's someone wanting to see you," Charlie nudged her best friend in the direction of Ryan leaning against the side of the house, watching her.
"I'll see you later," Mae smiled as she walked up to him.
"Hi," she whispered as she walked up to him.
"Hi, Darlin'," he greeted back.
"I'm so sorry for ignoring you, ignoring everyone for so long," Mae told him as she fiddled with her fingers.
"Darlin', no one will ever hold that against you, I don't hold that against you. I'm just glad to see you again, I missed you so much and I loved you," Ryan told her and she smiled before reaching over and pulling him into a hug. She heard him suck in a breath of pain.
"What's wrong with you?," she asked.
"So somethings happened," he replied nervously and she just raised an eyebrow wanting him to explain further, "I went with Kayce, Rip, Lloyd and Jimmy that night when Tate went missing and I went with them to save you and Tate. While taking part in these things, I may have done some not so legal things."
"What things?," she asked.
"I uh, I might have helped them explode the place Jimmy's grandfather's killers were in and I might have shot some of the people that took you," Ryan replied and Mae knew that all of that would lead to only thing.
"Show me."
"Mae-," she cut him off: "Show me."
Ryan sighed as he unbuttoned his shirt and showed her the fresh Y branded on his chest.
"Ryan, you were there when I told Jimmy to take care of it and now you're doing the same as him," Mae grumbled as glared at him.
"So you're not mad at me?," Ryan looked up, a hopeful smile on her face.
"For standing with Jimmy and revenging his grandfather? No. For saving me and Tate, not caring about what could happen to you? No. For not taking care of the brand? I'm fucking pissed," Ryan grinned before reaching over and kissing her.
"I love you," he stated as he pulled away.
"I love you too," she smiled up at him, "And you're coming with me."
"Where to?," he asked.
"To treat your wound," Mae told him as she started to lead him to the main house.
"Oooh, you as my nurse, must be my lucky day," Ryan grinned.
"Yeah you're not going to agree with that for long," Ryan stared at her in confusion but didn't question her.
xxx
"Ow! Ow! Hey, do you have to be so violent about it?!"
John could hear Ryan's voice from the living room as he walked into the house. He walked into the door and saw him sitting on the couch with Mae standing in front of him, tending to the brand on his chest.
"If you treated it like you should have from the beginning and you didn't just ignore it, then I wouldn't have to!," she fired back as she dropped more rubbing alcohol on the wound.
"Darlin'-," Mae cut him off: "Don't Darlin' me! I told you I was pissed that you didn't take care of it and don't think I didn't see the bags under your eyes and the discoloration on your skin. You haven't been sleeping and you haven't be eating. I'm pretty sure it was because of me but that ends today. So now I'm cleaning your wound, then we're going to get dinner and finally we're going to crash on the bed and get the rest that we both need and deserve."
"I love you," he couldn't seem to be saying that enough today.
"I love you too," she smiled as she reached over and kissed his lips.
John smirked as he walked over and cleared his throat. The two turned around to see him smirking down at them.
"I'm so happy to see you, Sweetheart," John smiled and she stood up, reached over and pulled him into a hug.
"I'm happy to see you too and to hear that both of you will be joining us for dinner," John stated as he kissed her head, "I'm going to freshen up for dinner."
As he walked away and heard her giggling at something Ryan said, he couldn't help but let a huge smile spread across his face, his daughter is going to be okay, he knows that.
xxx
A man sat in a car a few miles away from the Dutton ranch. He evilly smirked as he flipped through the pictures he took. He smirked as he traced his favourite one.
Mae Dutton sitting on the edge of the hot spring with her head thrown back laughing at something that Tate said.
"We'll be together soon, my little Dove, I'll make sure of it."
xxx
Tate's new puppy