Yellowstone - John Duttons daughter

Sins of the father

Tessa put her hands over her ears as a gunshot went off, the door off the room she was in flying open.

John glanced around the room, nothing but a chair with rope around the arms in the room, the Yellowstone branding iron Tessa had grabbed lent against it.

John looked over to Tessa, running over he was met with a scream as he attempted to grab his daughter.

"Get off." She yelled, trying to push his hands off.

"Tess, it's me, it's daddy." John tried to tell her, "it's daddy."

"Stop it. Please, please." Johns heart broke as the girls voice broke down into sobs, Tessa slightly relaxing as she realised it was John.

Her left eye held a large bruise, both tied and sunken. Her nose and cut lip surrounded by dried blood. Every breath she took was wheezy, John was smart enough to realise she had broken ribs.

John gently grabbed her wrist, trying to get her to calm down, the girl only pulling it away. John looked towards the rope burns around her wrist, she had obviously been tied up in the chair for a while.

It wasn't until he saw the red blood that stained the left side of her singlet. John could piece together what had happened, and he was correct.

When Tessa had picked up that branding iron, she had been quickly enough to smack one of the kidnappers around the head. She'd paid the price by being branded, almost as if they knew that some of the wranglers wore the brand, even getting it in the correct spot.

John carried Tessa out the house straight towards Kayce and Rip, Kayce's face falling when he saw his sister but not his son.

"Hold her." John ordered to Rip, before running off after Malcom, he had spotted him heading towards the trees. The livestock agents all stood on the other side of the fence watching and waiting.

"Hey! Stop!" He yelled shooting him, Malcom fell to the ground, he attempted to shoot John But wasn't quick enough. Tessa jumped as the shoots went off, burying her head into Rips chest. The man putting a tighter arm around her.

"You deserve a lot worse than this." John tells Malcom as he walks towards him. Malcom reached for her gun laying next to him, John shooting his hand before he got to it.

"God!" He exclaimed, "fucking cocksucker!"

"There you go. Get it all out, you son of a bitch." John nods bending down to pick up Malcom's hand gun, "Tell me where my grandson is, and I'll get you to the hospital. You have my word.

"Go on, scream." John taunts, "Scream 'till whatever makes you want to hurt a child to hurt me leaves you." Malcom only rolled around on the ground.

"If there's a heaven, and I sure hope so..." John begins sitting down beside him. "This is your last chance to do something that just might get you in it. You know, I think a lot about the ten-or-so years I've got left before there's not much left for me to do but sit around and reminisce."

"You, on the other hand, have to cram a lifetime of reminiscing into the next thirty minutes or so." John goes on, "Or you can lay there and... not telling me where he is will be your last thought. Not whoever you may have loved or your brother's ninth birthday. None of that shit. Your entire lifetime's gonna be reduced to my grandson's face. It's up to you, Malcolm."

"What's he doing?" Ryan turns to Kayce and Rip, both shrugging.

"That's Jupiter, up there.The bright one." John points to the night sky, "Did you know that?"

"Carter Meads." Malcom suddenly gave in, "That's his name. Whitefish, Montana... Whitefish, Montana."

"I'll call for a chopper. Get you to the hospital." John tells him standing up.

"I ain't gonna make it to a hospital." Malcom replies

"I gave you my word." John reassures

"I won't hold you to it." Malcom mutters

"You want company or do you want to be alone?" John asks

"Alone." Malcom muttered, John nodded before turning away; "I w... I wish we'd never met."

"Yeah, I bet you do." John nods before leaving.

***

John carried Tessa into the cabin, Beth was waiting up for them on the couch. Beth jumped up, rushing to meet them at the door. Beth gently put a hand on Tessa shoulder, the girl tensing up grabbing John tighter.

"It's just Beth, it's only Beth." John tells the girl, Beth looked towards John, worry written all over her face. She hadn't expected her to be this scared and trumatised.

John placed Tessa down, but she still clung to him like a baby animal. It wasn't until an overly excited Molly bounded towards her, Tessa let the tiniest smile cover her face.

Almost as if Molly knew what had happened she stoped a few feet in front patiently sitting down, waiting for a pat.

"I think she wants a pat." John gently tells her, Tessa carefully reached forward rubbing her hand over Mollys soft head.

"Hey buddy." She muttered quietly, Molly rolling over for a belly rub.

John and Beth looked towards each other, both thinking the exact same thing. As much as they didn't want to hear it, they needed to know why had happened while it was fresh in her mind. That way they knew what they were working with and could help her through it.

"Tess." John quietly begins, she turned around to face him. "I think it's best if you tell us what happened, that way we can help."

Tessa said nothing, she understood where they were coming from but she didn't want to relive it.

"No one else can know." She says her voice horse and wheezy.

Staying true to that, John lifted Tessa back up before leading her to her bedroom, Beth and Molly following. With the door shut, Tessa began to explain everything.

***

Tessa sighed as she walked into the bathroom, seeing her self in the mirror. She gently rubbed her finger across the bruise under her eye, a large cut underneath.

"Beth!" Tessa croaked out

Beth gently pushed the door open, "you alright honey."

"Can you help me get my singlet off?" She asks

Beth sighed a she helped Tessa to get her shirt off, the area around her ribs were badly bruised, the red raw skin that covered the left side of her chest where the brand mark was left.

"Call me if you need any more help." Beth tells the girl before leaving her to shower.

About ten minutes later Tessa emerged from the bathroom. With a bit of trouble she had managed to get her pyjamas on.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" John asks, Beth had gone back to the main house to comfort Monica.

"Fine." Tessa muttered walking to her dad, "have they got Tate yet?"

"They're on their way to the house he's at." John tells her, as she rests her head on his shoulder. "Why don't you try get some sleep?"

"Are you going to bed?" Tessa asks, John shakes his head, the sun was beginning to rise and he had things to do.

"Has Beth gone to bed?"

"She was in the living room with Monica." John tells her

"Can you take me to the house?" Tessa asks

"It's only a few metres away." John says, Tessa shook her head.

"Please daddy." She pleaded, John stood up concerned, she was a lot worse than he had expected. She'd always been the one in the family to bounce right back after anything.

***

Tessa leaning against Beth on the couch, Monica on the other side. John stood outside on the phone.

John hung up the phone and walked back indside, he looked to Monica giving a nod. Letting out a sigh of relief Monica jumped up hugging John.