𝙵𝙻𝙴𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 𐂃

Chapter 52

"We need a medic!" Both Alicia and Cristine turned at the sound of the agitated announcement. A second later an unsteady Jake stumbled in the infirmary, both arms propped over Troy and Blake, who carried him inside. His head lolled miserably to one side, revealing the stream of blood dripping from the base of his forehead from a deeply inflicted cut. Alicia gasped and Cristine cleared one of the bed and quickly checked on the wincing Jake's head wound when they laid him down on the cot.

"What happened!?" Blood was drained from Alicia's face before a hint of anger blossomed in her sharp eyes.

Troy answered in a heavy tune, watching his brother with narrowed eyes, "Jake wanted to placate Walker with the water and bring back the hostage to make up for the broken parley. Seems Walker wasn't very receptive to his offer and gave him a reminder what he'll do to us next." Troy his eyes then shifted to Cristine, back facing them, who was distracted examining Jake. Troy licked his bottom lip and asked, "how bad is it?"

Cristine checked the wound closely and gave her diagnosis in a few sentences, unhurried, but mindful of the trauma of her friend. "He must've applied direct pressure to the wound since it's not bleeding as much, so that's good. The cut is deep, but we need to close it after it's cleaned. He'll be fine."

"I'll do it," Alicia offered and grabbed the medical supplies necessary to tend to Jake. Cristine nodded and gave Jake a brief glance, concern laced in her eyes when she snapped out of her nursing mode. Feeling four eyes on her, she looked over her shoulder and glowered at the two men, her glare that much sharper the moment it landed on Troy. His facial expression was controlled and for a second the lightest twitch near the corner of his lip was noticeable. Troy naturally shifted on his feet and addressed Blake in a cool voice, "make sure we double the men at the gates and cover all exit points. We're on defense until Otto and James decide what we'll do now that we have an official declaration of war. The Nation might press for an attack now." Troy saw the hesitance in Blake's pose when he looked between him and Cristine, having picked up the dour tension between them that was silent, but filled with an unexplainable hostility from the woman's side. "No time to waste Blakey." Picking up Troy's hidden tune to keep his comments to himself, Blake decided against saying anything and left with a nod. The second Troy looked back at Cristine, he noticed how her shoulders hunched up stiffly and it annoyed him greatly she felt the need to be on guard around him. Troy believed that maybe, after giving it a night, Cristine would let it all sink in, think this sacrifice through and understand. She'd forgiven Blake, after all. Troy hoped maybe Cristine would be less defensive and accept this reality and not look back. What use was it looking back? The past was the past and what happened had happened. A price that would be worth it in the end.

"Can we talk?" His blue irises flicked between Cristine and Alicia tending Jake. Alternating the brush of his fingers and palms over his knuckles, Troy scratched his throat and gestured at the entrance. "It's important." The baritone voice hinted that Troy wanted this conversation to happen away from prying ears and the hope that she follow him without making things difficult. Those dark inconspicuous irises were dimmed like a stranger looking at another stranger. Troy ignored it together with the tingling sensation in the back of his head. It roiled in his skull since last night and hooked itself there, growing heavier with the hour. It was annoying.

When they stood outside, secluded, Cristine asked straight to the point, "what?" she clearly didn't want to be in his vicinity, let alone talk if she didn't need to.

"Your dad and mine made it late at our house last night." The insinuation of the two men getting drunk irresponsibly without care of the peril the Ranch made Cristine look away with unsurprised disdain and she crossed her arms. "Jake and I don't think they'll be able to make the right calls, given the state they're in." The slight drawl in Troy's voice was tense and in his comment belied an impatience to him wanting to do more than sit on his ass after Jake's fiasco and the threat of Walker growing every single day.