@comefightme Lee for John
Lee escaped death more than once. He’d been able to manage by his own wits before, but the night of the ambush, it’d been his little brother Kayce that stepped up. What transpired after was a blur to him. Being in critical condition. Shipping off to the city for the best doctors. Receiving a heart transplant. Learning his limitations due to the bullet having nicked his spine. Being told he couldn’t come back to the ranch until he did several bouts of physical therapy. While he understood the need to go through all of this, he’d hated every bit of it. He needed to move around. He needed to be near nature. He could feel his soul slowly dying just being inside a building at all times. It’d been tough. Even tougher to be away from the few people he had in his life.
But Lee never faulted his family for keeping away. There was a war brewing. He’d been the first casualty of that. For all he knew, everyone else in the town probably assumed he died on that field. & It was probably best. No one could be trusted anymore. The eldest son was quite aware the moment Kayce chose his own blood rather than his wife’s that there’d be hell to pay. But life was always messy. People were messy. It was why he preferred a quieter life. If you left him the ranch in a far away place. He’d live out his life happily with no regrets. But life wasn’t that way. He was quickly realizing wanting the simple things wasn’t so simple.
They were coming for them, and they were coming at them hard. Six Months passed, and he was just about fed up with being in the city that he’d convinced Beth to fly him back home. While he still wasn’t in tip top shape, he preferred to be going through all this crap at the ranch. At least he’d feel like himself again. City was too damn loud. The pilot advised they’d reached their destination, he grabbed his crutches and garnered his upper body strength to lift himself up from the seat. One of the stewardess helped balance him, and he started to make his way out. He was more than surprised to see his father, and not Beth waiting for him in the field. Accepting the hat the stewardess gave him, he placed it on top of his head proudly. He was home.
Not wanting to be helped any longer, he continued to walk along with his crutches to his father with the biggest grin he could muster. “Woowe. Atlanta’s air has nothing on Montana’s. I feel like this is the first time I’m actually breathin’ right.” he stood before his father, before leaning in to give him a big hug. He could feel the choked up emotions simmering in his chest. He didn’t quite sob out loud for how happy he was, but some tears did start to well up in his eyes. It was overwhelming. For a while there, he never thought he’d ever be back. Ever see his family again. He had a long road to go, but at least it felt closer to him than ever before.
