A Gambling Man // Ryan x OC

40

It was extremely late when Mae walked into the house. She was dead tired after getting an emergency call about a dog accidentally being run over. She couldn't save it. It was already malnourished and dehydrated, that drunk fucking asshole probably only put it out of its misery. She cried every time she couldn't save an animal but it seemed like something about this particular one, she couldn't shake. She barely could contain her tears long enough to get home and the longer she was alone, the deeper this sinking feeling went. She showered at the clinic and cried her eyes out but it doesn't feel like it's going to end any time soon. Usually, she would go to Ryan or Rip but it was already so fucking late and all she really wanted at the moment was her dad. 

Mae walked up the steps and saw that her dad's door was open and the light was still on. 

"Daddy!" She called out from the hallway, she didn't want to walk in on anything she wasn't supposed to see. 

"Come in, Sweetheart," John replied and Mae walked into the room to see John sitting in bed and Beth standing next to him with a book in her hand. It hurt when she saw her big sister refusing to turn around and look at her. Beth's been avoiding her for weeks and it has been absolute hell for the youngest Dutton. 

"Am I interrupting anything? I can come back later," Mae asked as she fiddled with her thumbs. John immediately noted the deflated and anxious look in her eye and shook his head, "You're never interrupting. Are you okay?" 

That question made Beth turn around to look at her little sister. It was the first time that she noted how skinny and worn out she was. These weeks after she had been found, Beth didn't even want to imagine how Mae must have looked right when they found her. 

"You look like shit," Beth stated. 

Mae snorted as her eyes set on the scar on Beth's cheek, "So do you." 

John shook his head at the two. Everyone on the ranch could see something going on between the two sisters, but nobody could quite figure out exactly what it was. 

"Alright cut this bullshit right now. What the hell is going on between the two of you?" 

Mae shrugged," I would also really like to know because she's the one who's been avoiding me." 

"Beth?" John asked as he turned to look at his oldest daughter. 

The girl shook her head, her eyes glazing over with unshed tears, "I can't fucking do this right now. Goodnight Daddy." Beth walked past Mae and practically ran to her own room, down the hall. 

Mae sighed as she ran her hands through her hair. 

"Come here," John patted the other side of the bed and Mae walked over before literally plopping herself down on it. 

"I don't know what I did wrong," Mae exclaimed as she threw her hands up in frustration. 

"You did absolutely nothing wrong. It's just your sister being in one of her fucking moods. You two will get over it, you always do," John assured. 

"I hope so," Mae muttered, clearly irritated by the whole situation. 

"You will. Now what brought you in here all upset?" John asked. 

"Bad surgery. Some drunk ran over a dog and I couldn't save it, it died on the table," Mae explained. 

"I'm guessing it's not just that?" John asked, he knew it wasn't her first bad surgery and it wouldn't be her last, so it couldn't just be that. 

"I'm just questioning if I'm good enough. I mean I couldn't save myself any of the times I've been hurt and now I couldn't save this poor defenseless animal and I'm just- what if I'm losing myself? Losing the only thing I've ever been great at. Hell, I'm even losing my sister and I don't even know why," Mae groaned as she stared at the ceiling.