To Tame the Wild: a Red Dead Redemption fan fiction

Chapter 32 - Broken

Chapter Track: "Arwen's Vigil" – The Piano Guys

He didn't know how long they sat there clutching each other, but by the time Maddie had cried herself silent, she was completely unresponsive. When her breakdown faded into nothingness, the shell she was now was all that was left. Jack grew concerned over her sudden silence; he leaned back to observe her as she lay heavily in his arms. He was shocked to see a glassy look in her eyes. He took her by the shoulders and looked deep into her eyes.

"Maddie? You all right?"

Her stare was not her; she looked nothing more than an inanimate doll.

He shook her shoulders. "Maddie. Maddie! Can you hear me? What's wrong? Maddie?!"

Panic set in quickly, and when she refused to respond to any further pleadings, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her inside. Not knowing what else to do, he took her into his parents' bedroom and laid her on the bed. He sat beside her and looked her over, his mind a clueless whirl of panic and indecision. Whenever he asked what was wrong, she didn't speak. Whenever he touched her arm or cupped her face with a hand, she didn't seem to care.

He spent the rest of the night with her in that room. His concern was exacerbated when she didn't fall asleep, much less moved the entire time since he laid her down. At last, he stood up, pulled the covers over her, and left the room. As he quietly closed the door behind him, he stared down at the floor, his mind and body numbed with worry and exhaustion. He ran a hand over his face and sighed.

What the hell do I do? he thought as he shuffled down the hallway. He barely noticed Django following him until the dog licked his hand and leaned against his leg. Half-mindedly, he leaned down and petted the dog on his head before walking over to the living room and sitting down on the couch in front of the fireplace. Though there were no flames in the hearth, he stared into the fireplace where they should've been started long ago. Django hopped up on the couch beside him and rested his head on his master's lap. He whined as he pawed at Jack's thigh.

Jack stroked the dog's head, neck, and shoulders as he sat staring into the empty, ashen hearth and contemplated on what to do. "What do I do now, boy?" he asked his companion. He glanced down at Django when he licked his hand and nuzzled it with his cold, wet nose. "Maybe she'll be better in the mornin', huh?"

The Border Collie perked his ears up at him and wagged his tail.

"Let's go take care of her horse, though," Jack muttered. He petted the dog's head one more time before he rose from the couch and walked back down the hallway. Django trailed along behind him. He found Gypsy by the corral, where Sundance and Féileacán were standing on the other side of the fence. The three horses pricked their ears and nickered to him as he came up to them. He unsaddled and brushed Gypsy before retiring her to the corral along with the other horses and the herd of cattle. The trio of equines brushed muzzles and nickered warmly. Jack grinned, glad to see their mirth, before he turned and walked back to the house. Before retiring to his bedroom, he checked on Maddie. His happiness was swept away and replaced by despair and worry when he found her in the exact same disposition as he'd left her.

* * *

The next day when he awoke, he hoped his words proved true as he walked into the bedroom. Instinct told him something changed the second he opened the door: Maddie sat up in bed as he stepped inside. They locked eyes, and a moment of silence wedged between them as they looked each other over. Clearing his throat, Jack stepped closer and gave her a warm smile.

"Good mornin'."

She stared at him with an apprehensive countenance. Her eyes darted up and down his muscular frame as he took another step.