"Thanks, Deb," David replied, his smile genuine despite the pain.
"Anybody else need patching up?" Deborah asked, looking around at the faces of her friends.
"Andrew caught a bullet graze, but he's too stubborn to admit it hurts," Tim chimed in, clapping Andrew on the back with a chuckle.
"Could've been worse," Andrew grunted, his eyes meeting Deborah's with quiet thanks.
"Good thing we're all too tough for our own good," Joel added, and a round of laughter softened the harsh memory of the day.
"Where's Aaron?" Deborah suddenly realized she hadn’t seen him since the last shot was fired.
"Right here," came a reply from behind her. Deborah spun around to find Aaron stepping towards them, his face smeared with dirt, but his eyes bright with relief.
"Thank goodness," she breathed out, rushing to his side. Her hands hovered over him, searching for injuries, but finding none, she simply allowed herself to be pulled into a reassuring embrace.
"Couldn't let anything happen to me," Aaron mused, his voice low. "Who'd help you herd these cats?"
"Suppose you're right," Deborah said, pulling back just enough to look up at him with a playful glint in her eyes. "But don't think this means you can start slacking."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Aaron promised, his smile broadening.
After all the others had left, Deborah turned to Aaron. "Quite a day, huh?" she said, her voice steady despite the turmoil that had churned within her only hours before.
"Yep, quite a day," Aaron agreed, his deep voice rumbling softly. His gaze held hers, warm and unwavering, as if nothing could break the connection between them now. “And it’s not even noon yet.”
Deborah leaned into him, resting her head against his broad chest. The steady beat of his heart was a comfort, a reminder of life's simple continuance after such chaos. "I was scared," she confessed, though it wasn't like her to admit such things.
"Me too," Aaron admitted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "But knowing you were out there, fighting alongside us... It made all the difference."
"Tomorrow's gonna be another scorcher," Deborah said, finally breaking the calm. She smiled, thinking of the heat, the work awaiting them, and the relentless Texas sun. "More fences to mend, I think."
"Seems there's always something," Aaron replied with a chuckle. His thumb brushed gently over her knuckles, a silent vow of solidarity. "But we'll handle it."
"Always together," Deborah affirmed, feeling the truth of those words deep in her bones.
