"Best Not To Question" part 1sablecainDecember 29 2010, 04:44:26 UTC
a short fic for you- Merry Christmas and happy New Year too!
Best Not to Question by sablecain
Trudging forward slowly, Ezra struggled through the deepening snow. He kept his head down, thankful for what little protection his hat provided against the blowing snow. Still, the fluffy cold flakes battered his face and neck, sneaking past his upturned collar.
A low moan from behind him brought Ezra’s head up. Squinting, he signaled for Chaucer to stop so that he could step closer and check on the horse’s passenger.
“JD?” The Southerner reached up, pushing his overcoat aside as he checked on the slumped young man.
Dunne barely stirred as Ezra checked his bandaged thigh, thankful to find there were no signs of fresh bleeding. Reassured that Dunne was doing as well as could be expected, Ezra carefully tucked the saddle blanket around his friend’s legs and then adjusted his own coat over the semi-conscious man.
“Ezra?” JD shivered at Standish’s touch.
“Yes, Mr. Dunne?”
“You okay?”
Ezra could hear his friend’s teeth chattering together in the cold night air.
“I’m fine, JD. Are you ready to resume our journey?”
“y-yeah.”
With a weary smile, Ezra patted JD’s back lightly then wrapped Chaucer’s reins securely in his gloved hand. “Let us proceed then,” he whispered and once again began to trudge through the snow.
The snow whirled about them as the wind picked up. The storm was worsening.
It was hard for Ezra to remember the bright sunny morning and JD’s excited rambling about making it back to Four Corners by nightfall. Glancing up at the darkening sky, Ezra frowned. “Sorry Mr. Dunne,” he apologized.
They had started out of Stoney Creek early, JD’s anxiousness to get home had been contagious. They had delivered their prisoner to Stoney Creek’s sheriff without any problems the night before and were caught completely unaware by the four men that ambushed them after only an hour on the trail.
JD had immediately caught a bullet in the thigh and his horse had been shot out from under him even as he took out one of the ambushers. He’d landed hard, scaring the hell out of Standish in the process.
Distracted with the other attackers, it’d taken Ezra longer than he liked to chase them off and then reach JD, but he was reassured when he saw that the kid was banged up, but alright. The leg wound was more of a graze, but had bled enough to worry Standish. JD clutched at his side, despite assuring Ezra he was fine, telling Ezra immediately that he’d messed up his ribs in the fall.
With JD’s horse gone, Ezra had carefully seated Dunne on Chaucer and reassured JD that he’d be fine walking. It would be too taxing for the horse to ride double for the entire journey. They could still get to Four Corners by nightfall.
That had been before the snow began. It had started as flurries. JD had been excited, even through his pain. A white Christmas, he’d laughed. It was perfect.
“Perfect.” Ezra muttered, ducking his mouth into his upturned coat collar, seeking the warmth of his own breath on his face. The snow was up past his ankles and falling harder than before. He knew it would be better to find shelter and hunker down until the storm had passed over them, but there was no telling how long the storm would last and besides the need to get JD to Nathan’s care…he’d promised JD they’d make it home for Christmas Eve.
He doubted now that he could even keep that promise, but the least that he could do was try.
Best Not to Question
by sablecain
Trudging forward slowly, Ezra struggled through the deepening snow. He kept his head down, thankful for what little protection his hat provided against the blowing snow. Still, the fluffy cold flakes battered his face and neck, sneaking past his upturned collar.
A low moan from behind him brought Ezra’s head up. Squinting, he signaled for Chaucer to stop so that he could step closer and check on the horse’s passenger.
“JD?” The Southerner reached up, pushing his overcoat aside as he checked on the slumped young man.
Dunne barely stirred as Ezra checked his bandaged thigh, thankful to find there were no signs of fresh bleeding. Reassured that Dunne was doing as well as could be expected, Ezra carefully tucked the saddle blanket around his friend’s legs and then adjusted his own coat over the semi-conscious man.
“Ezra?” JD shivered at Standish’s touch.
“Yes, Mr. Dunne?”
“You okay?”
Ezra could hear his friend’s teeth chattering together in the cold night air.
“I’m fine, JD. Are you ready to resume our journey?”
“y-yeah.”
With a weary smile, Ezra patted JD’s back lightly then wrapped Chaucer’s reins securely in his gloved hand. “Let us proceed then,” he whispered and once again began to trudge through the snow.
The snow whirled about them as the wind picked up. The storm was worsening.
It was hard for Ezra to remember the bright sunny morning and JD’s excited rambling about making it back to Four Corners by nightfall. Glancing up at the darkening sky, Ezra frowned.
“Sorry Mr. Dunne,” he apologized.
They had started out of Stoney Creek early, JD’s anxiousness to get home had been contagious. They had delivered their prisoner to Stoney Creek’s sheriff without any problems the night before and were caught completely unaware by the four men that ambushed them after only an hour on the trail.
JD had immediately caught a bullet in the thigh and his horse had been shot out from under him even as he took out one of the ambushers. He’d landed hard, scaring the hell out of Standish in the process.
Distracted with the other attackers, it’d taken Ezra longer than he liked to chase them off and then reach JD, but he was reassured when he saw that the kid was banged up, but alright. The leg wound was more of a graze, but had bled enough to worry Standish. JD clutched at his side, despite assuring Ezra he was fine, telling Ezra immediately that he’d messed up his ribs in the fall.
With JD’s horse gone, Ezra had carefully seated Dunne on Chaucer and reassured JD that he’d be fine walking. It would be too taxing for the horse to ride double for the entire journey. They could still get to Four Corners by nightfall.
That had been before the snow began. It had started as flurries. JD had been excited, even through his pain. A white Christmas, he’d laughed. It was perfect.
“Perfect.” Ezra muttered, ducking his mouth into his upturned coat collar, seeking the warmth of his own breath on his face. The snow was up past his ankles and falling harder than before. He knew it would be better to find shelter and hunker down until the storm had passed over them, but there was no telling how long the storm would last and besides the need to get JD to Nathan’s care…he’d promised JD they’d make it home for Christmas Eve.
He doubted now that he could even keep that promise, but the least that he could do was try.
TBC...
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