by J. Rosemary Moss
Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13
LINK TO PART ONE
~
David might have survived the gunshot, the surgery and the fever, but Adam began to doubt that he would survive his recovery. No sooner had his fever broke then David turned into an angry, frustrated, quarrelsome patient—and just about everyone he came into contact with wanted to strangle him.
That was a shame, because David had earned plenty of good will while his life hung in the balance, Adam reflected. Even Hop Sing had softened to him.
But he seemed determined to squander that good will now. As Adam climbed the stairs, heading toward his room, he saw Abby coming out the door with a hurt, disgusted look. She sighed as she noticed Adam and attempted a half-smile.
“He ate a few spoonfuls of the broth Hop Sing prepared,” she began, “but he won’t have any more. He wants real food—even though he knows he’ll never be able to hold it down.”
“Is he still trying to get out of bed?” Adam asked.
“Of course,” she answered. “He refuses to stay put but he’s far too weak to get up and about on his own. Now he’s angry with me for trying to ‘pet and cosset’ him, as he calls it. But I just want to get some broth into him and make him comfortable!”
Adam raised his eyebrows at that. “I don’t suppose Josephine’s had any better luck?”
“No,” Abby answered, shaking her head. “When she tried to coax him into taking some broth this morning, he hurled the bowl across the room—and, to be honest, I’m amazed he had the strength to do that. She cleaned up after him, but she hasn’t spoken to him since. She says he can just starve himself, for all she cares.”
Adam sighed. “I’ll go talk to him.”
“Be careful,” Abby warned. “I’m sure he’ll bite your head off too.”
“It’ll be the worse for him if he does,” Adam promised.
Abby laughed at that and continued down the stairs. Adam, meanwhile, squared his shoulders and entered his room.
David was sitting up in bed with his arms folded across his chest. He looked annoyed and aggravated with the world at large.
He also looked pale and drawn—it was hard to imagine such a change coming over him in only a few, short days. But he had lost so much blood between the gunshot and the surgery, Adam reminded himself. And then he’d suffered that raging fever.
Adam stood in the doorframe for a moment, taking in the changes. God, he was still a good-looking devil, even sick as he was. His face looked more androgynous now than usual, but it was coupled with a hard, bitter expression that somehow made him all the more striking.
“Are you done staring?” David inquired, turning to Adam with a tense, wary look.
Adam grinned. Despite his weakened state, David was preparing to do battle.
“I think you hurt Abby’s feelings,” Adam commented as he walked in and took a seat on the edge of the bed.
David shrugged. “She insisted on petting and cosseting me. And don’t you dare try the same,” he warned.
“Oh no?” Adam asked as his grin broadened. “I don’t think there’s much you could do to stop me—not until you regain your strength.”
“I know,” David owned with a frustrated sigh. “Now where the devil have you been all day? With Sheriff Coffee?”
Adam nodded. “He knows a good deal of the story now, David—I had to tell him about Stephen. We have to assume that Niles sent someone to assassinate you.”
“I know,” David said. “Damned lucky, aren’t I? First a mere graze from the duel, and then a non-fatal wound to the shoulder.”
“Which you nearly managed to die of regardless,” Adam pointed out. “We’re keeping the fact that you’re better quiet, by the by. Not even the hands know—only the people in the house.”
“That ought to buy me some time before Niles tries again,” David agreed. “I’m going to have to find a way to settle with him, Adam.”
“We’ll take care of that,” Adam assured him. “The Ponderosa is as powerful as he is—I think he’ll relent once he understands that he’s tangling with all of us.”
David looked far from convinced, but he contented himself with a shrug. “What story did you put out for the rest of the wedding guests?” he asked. “When a groom gets shot it must lead to quite a bit of speculation.”
“I imagine it did,” Adam agreed. “There are at least a dozen stories going around town—we’re not confirming or denying any of them.”
David nodded and lapsed into silence. Adam took hold of his hand and sat quietly for a few minutes. When it became plain that David didn’t mean to get any sleep, Adam leaned over him and kissed him lightly on the mouth.
“You don’t have to stay awake for my sake,” Adam said softly. “You need your rest.”
David glared at him. “Don’t, Adam,” he warned again. “I won’t be able to stand you giving me orders just now.”
“That wasn’t an order,” Adam assured him. “It was just a suggestion.”
“Well, I’m tired of being given ‘suggestions,” David spat. “And I’m tired of people propping up these stupid pillows or bringing fresh blankets or—or washing me or trying to spoon-feed me—”
“I know,” Adam cut in. “You’ve made that quite clear. But you’re not strong enough to take care of yourself, so you’ll have to put up with being ‘petted and cosseted’ a bit longer. And stop behaving like a child about it—otherwise I’ll be tempted to treat you like one.”
David’s eyes kindled at that. “Go to hell,” he said.
Adam narrowed his eyes at him, but he also smiled a little. “Don’t try me, David,” he warned. “It’s going to be some time before you're strong enough to stop me from putting you over my knee—and believe me, there’s nothing I’d like to do more right about now.”
David stared at him for a long moment before he managed a smile of his own. “Bastard,” he said fondly as he sank into the hated pillows. “Have I been that abominable?”
Adam shrugged. “You tell me. But I did hear that you managed to hurl a bowl of broth across the room.”
David cringed. “That’s true,” he owned. “I paid for it though—you can’t imagine the pain I’ve been in because of it.”
He paused and grinned at Adam. “No need to lecture me or threaten me again,” he said with a comical air of repentance. “Send Abby and my mother up here and I’ll apologize profusely. And I promise to be an angelic patient from this point on.”
“Good,” Adam said, returning his grin. “It’s almost a shame though—I still think you could use a good talking-to, as my Pa would say.”
“Oh, I won’t deny that,” David agreed with a wink. “And since you’ve brought him up—”
He paused and swallowed hard. “Some time after my fever broke, I remember you saying that your Pa knows about us. Or did I only dream that?”
Adam began stroking his hair as he answered. “You didn’t dream it—he knows. He’s been fairly understanding, thanks to that gunshot wound of yours.”
David smiled. “Nice to know it’s good for something. I think even your cook has decided that I’m not, in fact, the devil incarnate.”
“He has,” Adam admitted. “But David, however understanding my Pa might be at the moment, I don’t think we should flaunt this in front of him.”
“Agreed,” David said at once. “But thank God," he added with conviction. "I was so worried that I would ruin you even after I no longer wanted to. I kept thinking that you should have sent me away when you had the chance.”
He paused again to sigh and to let himself sink even further back into the pillows. “I’m sorry, Adam—I wish I could talk longer, but I’m too tired. Wait for a few hours before you send my mother and Abby up, will you? I’ll be sure to humbly beg their pardon once I wake up.”
“I know you will,” Adam said, smiling down at him. “David, before you nod off, there’s something I have to tell you.”
David cocked his head at him. “If you’re about to tell me how deeply you love me and how you now realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with me, kindly wait until I’m awake enough to appreciate it.”
Adam laughed. “Abby tried to tell me that you already knew, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe her.”
“Oh, I knew, Abby knew, Little Joe knew—everyone except you, in fact,” David assured him. “Now get out and let me sleep. I’ll wake up again by and by—then you can be as romantic as you please.”
“All right,” Adam agreed as he leaned down to kiss David’s forehead.
But he stayed long enough to watch David fall asleep. Then he kissed him once more, snuffed out the lamp and quietly left the room.
LINK TO PART EIGHTY-NINE
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