tom blyth / billy the kid - imagines

consumption

For the past few days, your chest had been feeling heavier than usual, and a noticeable, yet not horrendous cough had became quite a nuisance to you. But you had no choice to just carry on.

You, Billy and the rest of the Seven Rivers gang had been on the move for 3 days now, but today was the day you were arriving in a new town, you were excited to finally be sleeping somewhere sheltered, although Billy made his best efforts to keep you warm at night by wrapping his toasty body around yours, the wind still blew bitterly as you tried to sleep.

- Now in the new town -

You and Billy arrived in the town of Chihuahua, in New Mexico, just as night began to fall, the two of you and the rest of the gang were settling down for the night in an old abandoned ranch just to the East of town. Your body ached terribly after days of riding your horse, so it was grateful to finally be rested in bed, besides your love, Billy.

As you lied in the silence of the night, your attention was drawn more and more to the feeling in your chest, it felt as thought someone was pushing down on you, and forcing the coughs out. You decided it was unfair to wake Billy up with all the noise of your coughing, and made your way into the kitchen to try and ease the dryness in your throat with a drink of water. Before making your way back to bed, hoping by the morning you would be feeling somewhat better.

Billy's POV

I woke up at the crack of dawn, just as the sun was starting to peak up from behind the mountains, looking to my left i saw Y/N lying beside me, all colours had drained from her face, she didn't look well at all. But the intense pounding of my heart slowed down when I saw the slow movement of her chest, up and down as she slept. I always worried about Y/N, after everything that happened with my mother and brother, i couldn't loose her too.

After planting a soft kiss on sleeping Y/N's forehead, I headed out into the town with a few of the boys, to try and find any way to make some money.

A few hours had now passed, Jesse and I were speaking to a man in the saloon, about some possible job opportunities in the area, when the conversation was interrupted by one of the boys bursting through the Saloon doors, "BILLY", he cried out, "it's Y/N".

My heart sank, i knew this feeling all too well, this was the same way i lost my mother, my mind went completely blank, the sound coming from around me fell silent in my head, and all i cared about in that moment was Y/N. Within seconds i was on the back of my horse, galloping as fast as i could back to the ranch.

Back to your POV

You were drifting in and out of consciousness, with no idea what was happening right now, the whole world was blurred to you, until Billy burst through your bedroom door, "Y/N", he yelled, before turning to one of the many men who now gathered around your bed, "what happened to her?", he asked, alarm in his voice, the man replied, "i dunno kid, found her in here having some kinda coughing fit, she couldn't even breathe properly. I'd say it's consumption.". "Ok everyone get the fuck outta here.", Billy bellowed, and the men quickly scurried out of the room.

Then his full attention turned back to you, you were able to remain conscious now, his presence calmed you, "Darlin', what happened?", he asked softly, his big blue eyes full of concern as he crouched down beside you, holding one of your hands in both of his, you simply looked back at him and shrugged. "You know, i really do love you Billy..", you spoke weakly before he interrupted you, "No Y/N, don't do this, don't start saying your goodbyes to me, because you aren't going anywhere, i can't loose you too, i won't let this happen .", he said, tears now rolled down his cheeks as he looked at you.

You knew it absolutely broke him to see you in this state, but you felt weak and almost felt like you knew it was time to give up, but you couldn't, you had to carry on, for him, "i wont stop fighting Billy, i promise.", you spoke as a single teardrop fell from your eye, as you drifted back to sleep.

The next few days were a haze, Billy didn't once leave your side, nothing else in the world mattered more to him than you. He spent the very last of his money on a Doctor for you, who confirmed that it was consumption that you were suffering from, Billy's heart skipped a beat when he heard the word, the thing that had whisked away his mother and Joe, was now going to take the one person left that he loved. He was inconsolable.

Billy spent every day beside you as you rested, you barely spoke to him as your body was too exhausted to even form a full sentence, but by the way you looked at him, he knew you were still in there fighting, he hadn't lost you yet. The rest of the boys felt deeply sorry for Billy, they'd never seen their friend in such a state, so they decided to scrape together all of their savings, to afford the medicine for you that the Doctor had recommended.

For the next two weeks you mainly slept, of corse in the comfort of Billy's arms as he refused to leave your side still, only waking up for a few minutes each day, to take your medicine. As the days passed you felt yourself regaining strength, the life had made its way back to your body, by some kind of miracle, you'd survived. You still continued to sleep for most of the day, and avoid speaking with Billy too much, because you didn't want to get his hopes up, incase it came back, but it just didn't. Sometimes when you slept, you had dreams of Billy's mother Cathleen, it felt as though she was looking over you, guiding you back to be with her son.

When you finally felt back to your full strength, and normal self, you knew it was time to let Billy know you were okay, seeing him the way he was, was simply torture to you, you could see this had almost broken him. You'd been asleep for the best part of 3 weeks, so you knew now was the time.

You made a conscious effort that morning, to wake up before Billy, the air in the room was crisp, and filled your, now healed, lungs perfectly. You rolled over in bed to see Billy laid beside you, he'd been sleeping in his clothes for weeks incase he had to rush you to the Doctor, he was facing the opposite way to you, so you tapped him gently on the shoulder and whispered his name, "Billy, sweetheart?". His whole body jolted from a state of sleep to now wide awake, and he turned quickly to face you, a look of shock all over his face, after not hearing your voice properly for weeks. "Didn't think you could get rid of me that easily did ya?", you asked him with a light laugh, his eyes were locked with yours, as tears began to form in his eyes, he grabbed you and pulled you so close to him, there was no space between the two of you and he held you so tightly to his chest, one of his large hands on the back of your head, the other wrapped tightly round your back.

"I thought i lost you Y/N", he sobbed, "i didn't leave your side for weeks, i sang you to sleep every night, and i prayed, oh i prayed so much, i just couldn't let you leave me.". You both laid, tangled with one another, crying your hearts out, as the thought of loosing each other was simply unimaginable, it wasn't an option. "i'd never leave you Billy.", you whispered, as you laid in his arms, you'd never felt happier, to live to see another day with the love of your life.

- thankyou sm sadiesinksimp005 for the suggestion 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 hope you like it! -