Page 28 of Bales and Brawn

ZANE

The first thing I see when I open my eyes is Devin’s expression. I’ve never seen him looking so serious, and yet with a tenderness I’ve not noticed before. No one’s ever looked at me like that.

The second thing that strikes me is a wave of nausea. I don’t think the two are related. It passes and I try to sit up, but dizziness overwhelms me, and I fall back onto the bed and feel a stabbing pain.

“Ow.”

“Hey, take it easy,” Devin says, as I put my hand to my head and feel a dressing and a large lump.

“What happened?”

“You slipped and fell last night. You’ve cut your head but I don’t think it’s too bad. I think you have a concussion, though. How do you feel?”

“Like shit,” I reply and close my eyes, hoping the pain will go away. It doesn’t. Awareness cuts through and I force my eyes open again.

“The horses!” Again I attempt to rise, trying to ignore the sickness washing over me.

“They’re fine. I took care of them,” Devín says.

“You did?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks.” I rest back against the pillows and manage a weak smile. He places a hand on my forehead, then grunts and wipes a cloth across my brow. It’s soothing.

“Have you been doing that all night?”

“Mostly. It seemed like the right thing to do.”

“I like it.” I close my eyes and the song my mom used to sing as a lullaby comes into my head, I don’t know why, maybe it was a dream.

“I was going to ride back for help,” Devin says.

“You did right not to, especially in the dark.”

“I should go and put the horses in the paddock,” he says, standing.

“No need, we’ll be leaving soon.”

“Not today we won’t. You need to rest. You can’t even sit upright, let alone get on a horse.”

He’s right of course, and I close my eyes.

“Will they come looking for us?” he asks. “If we don’t go back today?”

I crack open an eye and peer at him. “No, not for a few days at least.”

“Why?” He sounds confused.

“Sometimes the well needs more maintenance, so it takes a couple of days longer. We won’t be missed yet.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

“Because I knew that with your help it’d be quicker, and you wouldn’t have come if I had.”

“Too right,” he says but the words have no bite and he gently wipes the cloth across my head. Then he goes out to the horses and I drift off to sleep.

I wake to see Devin stirring something in a pot on the range. It smells good.