Partner (Micah Bell)

12. Stubborn

The Job didn't go exactly as planned, which Ashley would say that she expected since she was riding with Micah Bell. The abandoned wagon was a trap, just like suspected, and a group of O'Driscolls ambushed them when they started rummaging through the crates and filling their pockets.

Luckily, they got out alive and made their escape on horseback, losing the O'Driscolls that were following behind them. They made it out alive but not completely unharmed, a bullet caught Ashley's arm as it flew past, but it was still a rather lucky escape.

They both decided that it would be safer to camp out for the night rather than risking any O'Driscolls following them back to Clemens Point. The two outlaws rode until they found a good area to set up camp.

Micah had realised that he would glance at Ashley every time she winced, when she had to pull on the reins and her bicep flexed it would make the fresh wound hurt. They both knew that the wound was nothing serious or anything to worry about but it still hurt.

When they found a place to set up their camp, Micah dismounted his horse before walking over to Ashley and Robin. "Come 'ere" he mumbled as he reached up as pulled her unwounded arm around his neck.

"What are you doing? I'm fine, it's just a scrape. I can get down on my own" Ashley huffed in annoyance but couldn't do anything to stop him as he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her down from the horse. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a small panic until her feet touched the floor. When she touched the floor she quickly let go of him and stepped away. She mumbled a reluctant 'thanks' before walking away from him.

Micah chuckled to himself before beginning to start a fire in the middle of the camp. Once the camp was set up, they both sat down in silence. Ashley took the opportunity to slip her jacket off and look down at her torn and bloody sleeve. She winced as she pressed a cloth to it, struggling to even get a good enough angle to see the wound.

"Will ya just let me look at it for you?" Micah asked, it was a little amusing to watch her struggle like that but the sorry sight was just making him frustrated now. He had offered her some help earlier but she turned it down.

"No, I'm fine, I can do it myself" Ashley assured him, peering down at the wound again.

"Why are you so fucking stubborn?" he huffed, turning to look at her with an annoyed expression.

"It's just a scrape, nothing serious" she shook her head, not wanting to make a fuss over something so small. 

"Still hurts, doesn't it? And it's still bleeding, it needs bandaging" he told her, throwing a stick into the fire.

"And I will bandage it" she rolled her eyes but didn't look up at him.

"Seriously, woman, you're so fucking stubborn" the man taunted.

"Whatever" she mumbled, pressing the cloth to the wound again.

"It's painful to watch, just give it here" he groaned and before Ashley knew it he was sitting in front of her and had grabbed the cloth from her had. "Get rid of the shirt" he ordered sternly.

"At least buy me a drink first" Ashley crossed her arms over her chest, trying to ignore the sting in the wound as she did so.

"I can't see the wound when it's covered by a damn sleeve" Micah pointed out. Ashley just huffed as she unbuttoned a few buttons on her shirt, just enough to be able to slip her arm out and maintain her dignity.

Micah took her arm on his hand and wiped away the blood. Ashley internally groaned as he picked up a bottle of whiskey, and hissed when he poured some of the alcohol onto the wound. "Quit whining" he muttered before placing the bottle down.

"Charming" Ashley rolled her eyes and saw him looking around for something to wrap the wound in. "There are bandages in the satchel" she told him.

"Prepared" Micah hummed as he pulled out the bandages.

"I thought I might need them if I was going to be running jobs with you" she teased, but he didn't respond as he bandaged up her arm.

"You should let Miss Grimshaw look at it for you when we get back" he mumbled and Ashley had enough of his random sour mood.

"Why do you even care?" the woman asked as Micah finished bandaging her arm and she shrugged her shirt on properly.

"Why are you in such a pissy mood?" he snapped, sitting down at the fire again. 

"I've just been shot, I have a right to be in a bad mood. You're the one who can't crack a smile" Ashley defended herself and rolled her eyes at him.

"You weren't shot" he scoffed as he grabbed the whiskey bottle he used earlier and had a swig of the liquid.

"Same thing" she mumbled, looking back into the fire as the silence surrounding them became tense.

It wasn't too long before the small camp turned silent and a strange sense of calm settled over the outlaws, just the sound of the fire crackling and the quiet movement of the wilderness around them.

"Thanks...sorry I snapped at you" Ashley sighed, feeling bad for snapped at Micah when all he was really trying to do was help her even if he wasn't the biggest gentleman about it.

"Eh, don't apologise. I don't mind it. But you are welcome" Micah shrugged, his voice much more relax now and even a little friendlier than earlier. Ashley smiled at him, to be fair she never expected the man to even care enough to help her bandage her arm so she was pleasantly surprised by his behaviour.      

"Do you think that we are ever going to get through a job without arguing?" she asked, laughing softly to herself. She found herself wanting Micah as a partner but at the same time she couldn't spend too much time with him without it resulting in an argument.

"I hope not. That would make it boring" he shook his head before turning to look at her.

"I knew that you just liked arguing. You just like being an asshole, you like pissing people off" she concluded, something that she and the rest of the gang knew all along.

"And you don't enjoy it?" he asked. Micah knew that he enjoyed fighting with people, especially Ashley, and he was pretty certain that she enjoyed it as well.

"Not normally..." she hummed. When she actually thought about his words she realised that she actually did enjoy arguing with Micah, even though she never particularly enjoyed fighting with anyone there was just something about fighting with Micah Bell that she found desirable. Maybe she just liked watching his face turn red with frustration or watching his face scrunch up when he disagrees with something.