Two weeks after Lee's death.
Alex got out of the truck after finishing her shift. It was early afternoon on the ranch and she glanced over to the barn where there seemed to be a lot of activity. There were large trailers along the edge and a few too many horses in the corrals for it just be the wranglers.
"You wanna come buy a horse?" John asked her from behind.
"What?" Alex looked over her shoulder.
"Come with me," John kept walking passed her.
Alex sighed. What she wanted was a shower and her bed, but she begrudgingly followed John down. She stayed behind him as he leaned up against the fence, next to Rip. Alex placed her hands in her jacket pockets as her eyes danced from horse to horse.
When Alex was born, her mother's father gave her the name Dark Horse, due to her hair and the fact she was brought into this world surrounded by conflict and chaos. Even though the would deny it, Alex also knew the name was given because she liked to run away from things.
Until she was about six, Alex was always around horses on the reservation. But when she left the reservation with her mother, her father was coming out of his first stint in prison, and the horses disappeared.
When she became friends with the Duttons, she rode again. But once she left for school, the horses disappeared. When she got together with Lee, the horses came back. It was a cycle with her since she was born, but she'd always loved them.
John must have had a good day at the bank because he was buying them left and right. Alex watched the trainers show off their skills as John and Rip mumbled things back and forth. The head guy, Travis, was telling John about one horse costing around five million when Alex noticed movement off to her right.
Monica and Tate stood off to the side, both of them looking a little shocked in their eyes. Alex locked eyes with Monica who looked even more surprised to see her standing there. Alex then looked at Tate, the little boy enamored with the horses in front of them.
But where was Kayce?
"John?" Alex said gently, making John look over his shoulder to her.
Alex nodded for him to turn around and when he did, he saw Monica and Tate.
**
Kayce had been arrested by the Tribal police. There was a ballistics record on file that put his gun at a crime scene. That was all Alex really heard Monica tell John before she walked back to the main lodge. She wasn't surprised, trouble always followed Kayce.
Once up at the main lodge, Alex took a shower and put on some jeans and a long-sleeved shirt before making her way downstairs. John was in the living room when Alex walked in and saw him hanging up his phone. John's eyes looked over at Alex.
"They're holding him for questioning," John said as if Alex asked him. "Jamie's on his way there to get him out."
"Did he do it?" Alex asked, crossing his arms.
"It's Kayce," John sighed.
"That doesn't really answer my question," Alex stared back at him.
"What do you think?" John asked.
Alex thought for a moment.
"I'm a bad person to ask that of. I always think the best of him," Alex then turned around but before she could leave John started talking again.
"Will you tell Monica that Jamie is there?" John asked as he was typing on his phone. "I need to make a few more calls...we don't know how long it'll take."
Alex nodded her head and went out to the back porch. She glanced around and saw Monica out by the fire pit, sitting in one of the chairs. Alex made her way out there and cleared her throat to let Monica know she was coming.
"Jamie's gone to get him," Alex said. "Not sure how long it'll take, but knowing Jamie...it won't be too long."
"They tell you anything more about what happened or why?" Monica asked her. "They wouldn't tell me anything when I went there and asked."
"That's all I know," Alex shrugged.
"Thanks," Monica sighed and looked forward at where Tate was walking around. "Kayce told me you stitched Tate up...guess I can thank you for that too?"
"That was just me doing my job," Alex said, though she was surprised Kayce would mention her to Monica.
Monica looked back up at her.
"Alex...I'm sorry about Lee," Monica said. "Saw you at the funeral but didn't think...I just didn't want you to be more uncomfortable than you looked."
"Yeah..." Alex didn't know what to say.
Alex knew Monica, growing up on the reservation. But they weren't friends. Not enemies, but there was always a divide because of Alex's mother leaving the reservation and having a child out of marriage.
"I don't know what I'd do," Monica frowned.
That was enough for Alex. She nodded at Monica and then started to walk back up to the house. She got to the step before she heard Tate call out her name, surprised he remembered her. Alex looked back as Tate ran up to her.
"Hey, you're the nurse," Tate smiled. "That my Dad knows."
"I am," Alex nodded.
"You live here?" Tate asked.
"Uh...I do," Alex sighed.
"How?" Tate was confused but Alex didn't have the energy to help him this evening. "Are we related?"
"How's the cheek?" Alex asked.
"Better," Tate turned his head and Alex could see the pink line still, but it did look better.
"Looks good," Alex smiled, knowing Monica was watching them.
The back door opened as John stepped out. He had a jacket in his hand and handed it to Alex as he walked past her. She was about to question when she heard the sound of the chopper in the distance. A few minutes later, it had landed out in the field, and Kayce and Jamie stepped out of it.
"Daddy!" Tate called out, running from his spot next to Alex who had slipped on her jacket.
Kayce's eyes looked at Alex, a mixture of surprise and maybe even relief before Tate wrapped his arms around Kayce's middle. Jamie said something to John before he started to walk over to Alex. Monica grabbed Tate and stood off to the side while John and Kayce spoke.
"Always in trouble," Jamie said to Alex as he stood next to her.
"Always," Alex nodded and looked at Jamie. "Did he do it?"
Jamie sighed.
"Chalk it up to a mercy kill," Jamie said. "Meth lab explosion and a trade-off of barrels...it's handled, that's what matters now."
"How is he?" Alex asked.
"He's Kayce," Jamie sighed. "Stubborn, hot head, loyal...lost."
"His eyes will always give him away," Alex muttered with a nod.
"Well...he perked up when I said you would be here when we landed, so whatever that means," Jamie then turned and went inside.
Alex's light eyes looked over to Kayce again, who was watching her. Monica and Tate started to walk to their car as Kayce walked over in Alex's direction.
She took a deep breath as he stopped in front of her, his hands in the pockets of his vest. John was headed down to the barn, toward the wranglers.
"Jamie said it was handled?" Alex asked.
"Yeah," Kayce nodded. "Misunderstanding."
"Shocking," Alex's tone was deadpanned though. "Who picked you up?"
"Waters," Kayce shrugged. "We switched-"
"Barrels," Alex nodded. "Jamie told me...might be better for you not to talk about it anymore. Waters needs to be careful, sometimes being a pack dog will hurt you in the end out there."
"I don't know what that means?" Kayce looked at her.
"You're not from there," Alex said. "You wouldn't."
"Are you still living here?" Kayce asked.
"Yes," Alex said, feeling her nerves kick in.
"In the foreman's cabin or...?" Kayce's eyes danced behind Alex's head.
"Main lodge," Alex shrugged. "I uh...couldn't do the cabin anymore."
Kayce's eyes were alert as he listened to her.
"For how long?" He asked.
Alex couldn't read Kayce very well. He was either pissed she was living at the ranch or upset she hadn't left yet. Both didn't really have anything to do with her though.
"Your dad said however long I wanted," Alex shrugged.
"So, you wanna be here?" Kayce shifted on his feet.
"I uh..." Alex took a shaky breath. "Don't really have another option at the moment. I guess not forever, since it's...not my home or my future home anymore."
Kayce nodded.
"Why do you care?" Alex asked, trying to not sound rude. "Is it a problem if I'm here?"
"Just...don't know a lot of folks who would choose to live here," Kayce shrugged.
"Thousands of people would choose to live here," Alex held up her hands. "Look at this place, it's...heaven to the eyes. At least it is on the surface."
"Guess it's just weird you being here with dad," Kayce said.
"Your sister and Jamie are here with me too. And about twenty wranglers at any given moment," Alex frowned. "He's actually been pretty kind to me."
"He's always liked you," Kayce nodded. "Probably more than us for the most part."
Alex assumed by "us" Kayce meant John's children.
"You didn't answer my question," Alex waited.
"Yeah, I think it's weird...but I guess I don't have the right to say it's a problem," Kayce shrugged.
"Yeah...you sort of gave that up when you left," Alex found her voice again.
"Didn't have much of a choice," There was an edge to Kayce's tone now.
"We all have choices," Alex frowned.
"Are you okay?" Kayce asked. "You look..."
"I look what?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Sad," Kayce said.
Alex's eyes softened as she looked up into Kayce's.
"I've been sad for years, Kayce," Alex dropped her hands and turned around. "Must just be how I look."
She walked back inside the lodge. When she glanced out the window she saw Kayce was still standing there, staring at the ground where Alex had just been standing. After a few seconds, he turned and walked back over to the car where Monica and Tate were waiting.
**
Alex looked up as Beth walked into the kitchen the next morning. She was dressed for work, but it was too early for normalcy for the older woman. Beth spotted Alex as she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"You're up early" Alex pointed out.
"As are you," Beth said. "I think they have a shift limit at hospitals for a specific reason."
"I need to work," Alex shrugged. "I don't have anything else to do."
"You could grieve," Beth eyed her from over the rim of her mug.
"I did grieve," Alex said.
"Okay," Beth snorted, downing her coffee and setting the cup in the sink. "You're a shit liar, by the way."
"It's hard to grieve when you don't know the full story," Alex sighed. "It's like there's a part of the past hanging out...just out of reach but I know that it would answer all my questions."
"You think it would?" Beth asked. "All of them?"
"The ones that matter," Alex shrugged. "I know Kayce knows...but he won't tell me anything."
"Well," Beth grabbed her purse. "He won't tell our father either, if that makes you feel any better."
Alex looked at Beth surprised.
"John doesn't know?" Alex asked.
Beth shrugged and walked out of the kitchen. Alex waited a few seconds before she walked upstairs and down to John's office. He was looking over some papers when Alex knocked gently on his door.
"I don't want to interrupt," Alex said.
"Come in," John waved his hand and Alex walked inside, sitting down.
"What're you working on?" Alex asked.
"Paychecks," John chuckled. "Wranglers ain't free...what can I do for you, Alex?"
"Kayce won't tell me what happened," Alex said.
"What happened?" John looked at her.
"To Lee," Alex said and felt her nails dig into her palms. "I know he knows."
"I know he knows too," John nodded.
"He won't tell you either?" Alex leaned back in her seat. "Why?"
"It must not be good," John sat his pen down. "My youngest son is also a fucking martyr if I have ever known one and will hold a pain meant to be shared because he cares about others."
"Bad things happen all the time here," Alex said. "Why would this be any different?"
"I don't know why my son won't tell me what happened," John sighed. "I don't feel like I even know him much anymore."
"Kayce?" Alex asked.
"I see him and it's like he's some stranger I can't figure out," John nodded.
Alex sat there and thought for a moment.
"He said something strange to me," Alex mumbled and looked up at John. "When he brought Tate in to get stitched up last week."
"What did he say?" John asked.
"I asked he what there was to lose if he told me, because Lee's not here. But then he said that he's already loosing everything," Alex remembered the words.
She also remembered Kayce's face. How sad and defeated he had looked to her in that moment. Her need to comfort him came bubbling back up as she watched John think about what she'd just told him.
"I...guess I don't know Kayce anymore either," Alex admitted. "I know him, but not like I did. So I don't know what that could mean to him now."
John eyed her.
"You're worried about him though," He said.
"I always worry about him," Alex sighed, feeling her defensive walls drop slightly. "That's a habit I've never been able to break."
Alex realized how her words made it obvious to John that even when she was with Lee...she was worried about Kayce. But the older man didn't seem too hung up on that part. It was even as though he wasn't surprised by Alex's admission.
"Are you going to the hospital today?" John asked.
"I picked up a small shift today," Alex nodded. "I need to get going too if I'm gonna make it."
Alex stood up and almost got the door when John started talking again.
"Don't kill yourself with work," John sighed.
"I've gotta-"
"Don't, trust me," John looked at her. "You'll hate yourself in the end and you'll end up being all alone."
**
Alex was refilling the medical supplies on the clinic's floor later that morning. Her pager went off on her hip as she glanced down and saw it was EMS who needed her. Alex walked down the hallway toward the emergency room side of the building.
Their ambulance bay was alive, people racing around. Alex walked up to Lance who was pulling a jacket on.
"What happened?" Alex asked as he handed her a jacket.
"A shoot out went south this side of Darby," Lance said. "Three civilians and two officers have been hit."
The two of them stood there in the cooler air and waited, sirens being heard in the distance. Alex took a deep breath and rocked back and forth on her toes.
Two Hours Later
Alex was throwing away some of the trash when the charge nurse walked over to her. She was tired, but they had managed to save all of the folks brought in, even the bad guys. Alex looked up at the older woman.
"Broken Rock needs two nurses to cover for them in an interim time period while they hire for the clinic out there," The woman was reading off a clip board. "Think you and Peters could handle it? They'll probably want you to help with the training."
"Broken Rock?" Alex frowned.
"Yeah, they've got a clinic out there," The charge nurse said.
"No, I know that," Alex sighed. "Sure...for two weeks?"
"Until they get their next nurse," The woman nodded.
"What happened to their old nurse?" Alex asked.
"Killed herself apparently," The charge nurse frowned. "So sad."
Alex nodded as the woman walked on. Her eyes followed the woman until she turned the corner and Alex felt tears prick behind her eyes. She knew the nurse at the clinic on the Broken Rock Reservation. And she wasn't surprised in the slightest that she took her own life.
"So," Lance walked up to her. "Heard we're headed to your old stomping grounds?"
"Yeah," Alex nodded.
A sinking feeling building up in her lower stomach.