Devotion (John Seed)

4. The Ranch

John had left the deputy in the bunker as he returned to his ranch, leaving the deputy to consider her confession. The only problem was that he couldn't focus on anything but her. He sat in his office, piles of papers in front of him but couldn't bring himself to work through them. And later that night he retired to his bed but couldn't find the peace to sleep.

It was about one in the morning when John climbed out of his bed, pulled on his regular outfit, and returned to the bunker. His men found it strange but didn't dare question him. He walked into the confession room and shut the door behind him.

The baptist took a breath as guilt passed through his body again. The sight of the deputy was disturbing and he wondered whether it really was his family's fault, if they were they ones that destroyed her. She was in the same place in the chair, her head hanging and barely conscious. As he walked around to the front of her, he saw the pool of blood that had poured from her thigh. He cursed himself for being so stupid, leaving her to bleed out.

Rook heard the door open and close, then footsteps, but she didn't have the strength to look up. She just kept looking down at her lap, watching her own blood pool around her. Two dress shoes appeared in front of her and she knew that it was John Seed, the man then crouched down in front of her. He reached up and lifted her chin up slightly, earning a groan from the woman. "You still with me?" John asked, raising an eyebrow at the woman.

She weakly nodded, thinking that it would be smarter to respond to him. He sighed before letting go of her chin and removing the ice pick, earning a grunt from Rook. He bandaged the wound over her jeans before standing up and stepping away. As he watched her head hanging almost lifelessly he wondered if she would even make it till morning.

He ran a hand through his hair before grabbing a knife from his tool box and cutting the ropes around her ankles and then the ropes around her wrists. Her legs and arms just fell, too weak to hold them up. John huffed as he picked the woman up bridal style, looping his arms around her back and under her knees. Rook's arms were folded over her stomach as he held her against his chest, her head lying limp on his shoulder.

She could barely move and she definitely couldn't stop him from doing what he was doing, but her eyes were open. She glanced up at John's face, taking in his tired features. She let out a soft sigh and let her head loll to the side, hiding her face in the crook of John's neck.

He carried her through the bunker, his men once again not daring to question him, and out to his car. John sat her in the passenger seat and buckled her in, before climbing into the driver's seat. As he drove them back to the bunker he kept glancing over at the deputy, whose eyes kept fluttering shut only to open again a few seconds later. 

When John finally parked outside if the ranch he climbed out of the car and walked around to the passenger door. After opening the door and unbuckling the deputy's seat belt, he picked her up the same way that he did earlier and walked towards the ranch.

After walking into the ranch, he carried her up the stairs and took her to the guest room. John pulled the sheet back and lay her down, throwing the sheet over her. "Get some rest, you will need it for your atonement" John mumbled before leaving the room, locking the door behind him.

It didn't take long at all for Rook to fall asleep but John was still restless. He tossed and turned for another half an hour before climbing out of bed for the second time that night. He walked back to the guestroom, wearing nothing other than a pair of loose sweatpants.

He unlocked the door and stepped into the room, closing the door and grabbing the chair from the dressing table. He moved the chair to stand beside the deputy on the bed, John then sat on the chair. He lounged carelessly as he watched the woman sleep.

Even though he tried to reason that he was just making sure that she was alright and that he wasn't being creepy in anyway, he knew that he was also there for personal interest.

John stayed in the uncomfortable wooden chair all night, even falling asleep there. It felt too soon when the sun came through the windows and woke the baptist up. His eyes fluttered open and he glanced around the room, remembering where he was, before landing his gaze on the sleeping deputy. She stirred and John pretty much jumped to his feet before leaving the room and locking the door behind him.

Rook woke up and groaned at the sun in her eyes and at the pain in her thigh. Her blurry vision slowly began to return to normal and she took in her surroundings. Instead of the dark confession room she was in a comfortable looking bedroom that was being lit by sunlight, and instead of a blood soaked chair she was laying in a bed with silky sheets.

Rook sat up and threw her legs over the edge of the bed, ignoring the pain in her bandaged thigh. She rubbed her head as a few blurry memories from last night returned.

John came back to the bunker...bandaged her leg...picked her up...took her to the ranch...

She groaned again and tried to stand. That was a mistake. Her knees buckled due to the wound in her thigh, the blood loss, the lack of recovery time, her tired muscles, and the fact that she hasn't eaten or drank anything in who knows how long.

The deputy collapsed to the floor, she landed on her hands and knees. Groaning in pain and frustration. Just staring at the wooden floor as she heard the bedroom door unlock and open.

"Ah, you're awake-deputy?..."