Oneshots - Kayce Dutton

Look at my cast!

You flew one of the Yellowstone trucks into the first parking spot of the emergency room you could find and quickly turned the truck off. Grabbing your back you reached for the handle but then stopped. You willed yourself to take a few deep breaths and regain some sort of control on your breathing because the last hour hadn't felt like you breathed at all.

Besides, his mother was inside with him.

You weren't entirely sure where Kayce was. The answer decided on by him and John was that they were tending to some fencing issues on the far side of the property with a few wranglers but there was something about the way Kayce didn't look you in the eyes fully that made you believe something else was going on. You also weren't in the best mood because Monia was coming to pick Tate up today after he got to spend his Spring Break on the ranch.

Everything had been going smoothly, Monica had been cordial to you, Tate had hugged you bye, and you had gone back inside to finish some laundry. About thirty minutes later you received a call from Monica that they were at the hospital, some truck had plowed into them, and Tate broken his arm. Since it was just you, Gator, and a few wranglers, you rushed out to meet them at the emergency room. You had tried Kayce a few times, leaving him a brief message once, but hadn't heard back from him.

"I need help, please." Were Monica's words to you. She didn't sound like herself at all. Usually, Monica was pretty tough and stubborn, the two of you rarely seeing eye to eye on things, but you also chalked that up to dating her ex-husband for a few years now. She had yet to find anyone, and while you never thought she'd want Kayce back...Monica did seem to try everything in her power to make it difficult for you to be with Tate.

Finally getting out of the truck, you walked into the building and glanced around. Not seeing Monica, you walked up to the front desk.

"May I help you?" The nurse asked, shuffling paper.

"Please," You gave a small smile. "Um my...a friend was brought in earlier after being in a car accident and I'm trying to find them."

"Name?"

"Monica Long?" You asked and watched the nurse look down a list on a clipboard she had. When she got closer to the bottom you also added, "Tate Dutton?"

"Both names?" The nurse eyed you.

"No, Tate is who broke his arm," You winced at how you sounded. "Monica is his mother."

"We do have a Tate Dutton," The nurse said. "But only family is allowed back at this time."

"I am family," You heard yourself say, a strong feeling in the pit of your stomach forming.

"What's your relation?"

"I'm his..." You trailed off. You were his what? His father's girlfriend suddenly sounded like you weren't thirty-one but a teenager yourself.

"You're a Dutton?"

You looked back at the nurse and saw she was looking at your jacket. The Yellowstone brand was embroidered over the left chest in gold. It must have been Beth's jacket or something because you just grabbed one as you raced out of the house. Your fingers touched the brand as you looked back up to the nurse who was already walking around the station and telling you to follow her.

Walking down the long hallway you glanced around; it was busy tonight. Stopping at a door the nurse turned and apologized to you before walking away. Knocking twice, you slowly opened the door and saw Monica sitting on a plastic chair next to the bed where Tate was laying. His eyes brightened as he noticed you.

"Y/N!" He called smiling. "Look at my cast!"

He held up his arm, wrapped in a blue cast, and you chuckled. Of course, the ten-year-old would be excited about a cast, not that he just put his mother and his...you, threw whatever that was.