#Susan is basically the Regulators’ mother figure- especially to Billy- and you can’t change my mind lol!

[fictional-at-heart]

I’ll Bleed Out For You

Fandom: Billy the Kid (2022)

Characters: Billy/William H. Bonney, Charlie Bowdre, George Coe, Susan McSween, Dulcinea Del Toboso

Tags: Whump, mentions of blood, infection, fever, hurt/comfort

Summary: Billy gets shot in an ambush by the Seven Rivers Gang (I’m not good at summaries, sorryyyy)

(Well. I did it. I fell down the rabbit hole further. It’s too late for me! But if I’m being honest, this wasn’t intended to be this long🤣 It just kept COMING! And as always, you can thank my bestie for the medical accuracy😘)

——————————————————————————

The last thing Billy and the Regulators had expected on their hunt was an ambush. Yet here they were, in the middle of a field on a bright autumn afternoon, fighting Jesse Evans and the Seven Rivers gang. It was supposed to be an easy hunt for fresh meat; things had been quiet between the Regulators and Murphy’s men for the past few weeks. So it was just Billy’s luck that Jesse and his gang had stumbled across Billy and his men as they were riding across the field.

Billy shouted orders to his men from behind the rock he had taken cover behind, trying to think of a way to get them to the nearby trees, where they could escape safely. He was the farthest away from the woods, so he figured he could lay cover fire for his men as they ran for the trees; assuming Charlie and George would agree to his plan.

(More on AO3)

Billy glanced at the trees and smiled slightly. All of the other horses had run home, but it appeared Steel had stayed. He looked to Charlie, who was closest to him, firing his gun before ducking back behind a log.

“Charlie!” Billy called, grabbing Charlie’s attention. “I want you and George to tell the others to run for those trees as soon as I tell them to. I’m gonna cover you guys as you go.”

“What about you?” Charlie asked, getting ready to fire his gun again. Billy shot up to fire two shots, one hitting one of the men in the leg. He began reloading his guns.

“Don’t worry about me. Just run for the woods and don’t look back. Got it?”

Charlie looked to George. He looked uncertain about the plan, but nodded hesitantly.

“Alright,” Charlie conceded as George relayed the plan to the other men nearby. Billy looked to Charlie and George and nodded once.

“Run!” he yelled, firing from behind the boulder to protect his men. As the others ran for the woods, Billy quickly moved to behind the log Charlie had been hiding behind, peeking around as he reloaded his gun. Several of the men were down, and Jesse appeared to be having a heated conversation with one of his men. As Billy looked to the trees, he saw that his men had made it to the woods. With Jesse arguing, now was his best chance. He grabbed his guns and sprinted for the trees. Apparently someone had noticed him running, because soon he heard gunshots as he ran. He turned around to fire quickly, then turned back and continued his sprint to the woods, feeling a pain in his side. He ran up to Steel and scrambled onto his back, grabbing the reins and spurring him into a gallop. He glanced behind him as he rode on, but Jesse didn’t seem to be following him. He slowed Steel down once he was certain he was far enough away and pulled his jacket to the side, glancing down at his torso. He grimaced at the small blood stain starting there, but it was probably just a graze; nothing he hadn’t dealt with before. As he continued on, he saw that his men had reached the end of the woods and had found their horses. They looked visibly relieved as Billy exited the trees.

“You had us a little worried for a minute,” George said, walking up to Billy as he came to a stop. Billy leaned an arm on the horn of his saddle.

“Come on, you guys musta known I wouldn’t have trouble gettin’ out of there,” he said with a smirk. George chuckled and patted Billy’s knee.

“Any gray hairs I got are from you, kid,” he said, shaking his head and heading over to his horse. Billy glanced at the others.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Worst we got is some grazes, no direct hits,” Charlie replied. “What about you?”

Billy shrugged. “Pretty much the same. I’m good.”

“You better be,” Charlie said, getting up on his horse. “I don’t know if that was brave or stupid.”

Billy smirked, turning his head to the side before looking at Charlie again.

“Got you guys out, didn’t it?”

“Can’t argue with that, Charlie!” one of the other men shouted. Charlie smiled and shrugged.

“Well, thanks Billy.”

Billy smiled and nodded. The others started heading for their camp, with Billy following behind. He straightened in his saddle and grimaced at the twinge it caused in his left side. His graze was starting to hurt as the adrenaline from the gunfight wore off, and the horse’s gait was only aggravating it more. He glanced down at it again, realizing that perhaps it wasn’t actually a graze. There wasn’t anything he could do for it now though, so he continued at a canter behind the others.

They reached the camp and dismounted their horses, heading into the stables. Billy stopped Steel at the barn door and slid off, grunting as the contact from his feet hitting the ground sent a jolt to his wound. He exhaled slowly, grabbing Steel’s reins and walking him into the barn. He led him to his stall, where he began unbuckling his saddle. The others were talking as they did the same, not noticing the change in Billy’s behavior. He lifted the saddle off of Steel with a grunt, hauling it over to its place. He set it down rather loudly, almost dropping it onto the stand. The others looked over at the sound, seeing Billy leaning against the barn wall.

“You okay, Billy?” Charlie asked, walking a little bit closer. Billy nodded, but didn’t say anything. Charlie came up to him and put a hand on Billy’s shoulder. He looked a little pale, and he was breathing heavily.

“Don’t tell me your saddle weighs that much,” George joked. Charlie looked concerned as Billy leaned his head against the wall. He pulled the side of his jacket back to reveal the bottom left of his shirt, which was darkening with blood.

“Thought it was just a graze, but…” he trailed off, closing his eyes tightly and grimacing.

“Crap, Billy!” Charlie exclaimed, looking at the wound.

“It’s probably not that bad,” Billy replied, wrapping his hand around his stomach.

“I’m gettin’ the doctor,” George said, putting his saddle back onto his horse. Billy tried to take a step forward.

“No you won’t,” he said, putting as much authority into his tone as he could muster. “It’s too dangerous; what if Jesse and the gang see you?”

“They won’t,” George replied, mounting his horse. “And anyway, Billy the Kid ain’t dyin’ on our watch. I hear the doc and his wife are partial to the Regulators.”

Billy leaned a hand against the wall, pressing his other hand against his wound.

“You don’t know that for sure,” he replied breathlessly, raising an eyebrow.

“No, but we’re pretty sure,” Charlie replied. He looked up to George. “Get going. I’m gonna get him into the house; he’s not looking good.”

Billy glared at them both, but said nothing. George left the barn, while the others went inside to get things ready. Charlie leaned under Billy’s arm to help him, but Billy pushed him away.

“I can manage,” he protested, going to take a step forward. He managed a few wobbly steps before Charlie came under his arm anyway, holding onto Billy’s non injured side to support him.

“I’m sure you can,” Charlie said as they walked out of the barn. “I’m also sure you’d’ve managed a stumble onto the barn floor as well.”

Billy huffed at his response, his head dropping forward as they came to the porch and went inside.

“We weren’t sure where you wanted ‘im,” Fred said, gesturing to the table. “We cleared that off, and the bed is all set too.”

“I ain’t… layin’ on a table,” Billy grumbled. “It’s… it’s not… that bad.”

Fred frowned at his sudden struggle to talk, glancing at the blood that was now seeping through his jacket.

“We’ll get him to the bed for now,” Charlie said, helping Billy to his bedroom. “If the doc needs him on the table, we can always knock him out.”

Billy chuckled quietly.

“You’d try, anyway,” he replied weakly, his head hanging down. Billy dropped onto the bed, closing his eyes and holding his wound with his hand.

“Let me take a look so I can see what you’re dealing with,” Charlie said, gesturing to Billy.

“Fine,” he replied, pulling his shirt up so Charlie could look at the wound.

“It’s bleeding pretty bad,” Charlie said, grabbing a cloth from the nearby desk and pressing it to the wound. Billy gritted his teeth and groaned.

“Couldn’t tell,” Billy responded sarcastically, shifting uncomfortably.

“I hope George comes back with the doctor soon,” Charlie muttered, looking uncomfortably at the cloth that was getting soaked far too quickly.

A little while later, George came through the door, followed by Dr. Johnson and Susan McSween. Charlie stood up, tossing a cloth in a bucket.

“It doesn’t look good,” he said as the doctor set his bag down. Susan walked up to Billy and knelt down, putting a hand gently on his head. His skin felt clammy and he was breathing heavily. She turned to Dr. Johnson.

“It looks like he’s lost a lot of blood,” she said as Billy shivered. “I’d like to help you, if that’s alright.”

“I don’t think… it’s that bad,” Billy muttered, opening his eyes. Charlie rolled his eyes and the doctor frowned as he glanced at the blood soaked cloths inside the bucket.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he said, opening his bag. “Susan, I’ll need a bucket of clean water. The rest of you will have to get out of the room for now.”

Billy tried to sit up as the others left, but collapsed back onto the pillows with a groan.

“Don’t sit up,” Dr. Johnson warned, pulling a chair over and sitting down. “Just stay down while I take a look.” He unbuttoned Billy’s shirt to take a better look at the wound.

“Is the bullet still inside?”

Billy nodded, shivering. “No exit.”

Dr. Johnson frowned as Susan came in, setting the bucket down and closing the door.

“We’re going to have to do surgery,” the doctor told Susan as she came closer to the bed. Billy bit his lip to keep from whimpering as Dr. Johnson felt around the wound. Susan stroked his head, trying to soothe him. She hated to see this happen to such a young man, and hated Murphy and his men even more so for doing this to him.

“The bullet is still inside, and I’d rather not leave it there.”

Billy groaned, turning his head to the side. Susan’s hand moved to his shoulder.

“It’s alright, Billy,” she said gently, as Dr. Johnson got out his necessary equipment. “You won’t feel a thing, and I’m sure Dr. Johnson has done this many times.”

Billy nodded weakly, his eyes closed and breathing heavily. The doctor took out a jar and cloth, doused the cloth, and then handed it to Susan. He felt her smooth his hair back as she gently pressed the cloth over his mouth and nose. The slightly sweet scent of chloroform was the last thing he remembered before the voices of Susan and the doctor drifted away.

Billy woke up to hushed voices around him as he slowly opened his eyes. The room was dark, except for the light from the lamps near him. Susan was sitting in the chair next to him, talking with her husband Alexander and Charlie.

“You awake, Billy?” Charlie asked quietly.

“Guess so,” he mumbled weakly.

“How are you doing?” Susan asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Are you thirsty?”

Billy nodded, and she held a cup up to his lips. He drank a few sips before she pulled it away, setting it on the nightstand next to him.

“You have to take it easy for a while,” Susan told him. “You lost a lot of blood, both from the wound and the surgery. The doctor had a difficult time getting the bullet out.”

“We almost weren’t sure you were going to make it,” Alexander added, standing beside his wife with his hand on her shoulder. “But if anyone can nurse you back to health, it’s my Sue.”

She blushed as he kissed the top of her head.

“Now, dear, it’s nothing Manuela couldn’t do either.”

Charlie smiled at the mention of his wife, then turned his attention to Billy.

“We’re gonna lay low for a while with you here,” he said. “As far as we know, Murphy’s men don’t know where we are, so it should be safe.”

Billy nodded, not feeling like arguing otherwise. Besides, he felt about as bad as they said it was, so his argument wouldn’t be compelling anyway. He pulled up an arm and rubbed at his eyes, eliciting a small groan at the pain from his wound. He felt tired and cold, and all he wanted to do was sleep. Susan placed another blanket on top of him, smoothing it out before rubbing his shoulder.

“Why don’t you get some rest now,” she said softly. “I know you’re tired, and it’ll only help you heal faster.”

Billy nodded, pulling the blanket up to his neck. He drifted off, listening to the murmur of the hushed voices in the room.

———————

The next morning when he woke up, he definitely felt worse; his wound hurt more than last time, and he was cold and achy.

“Billy?”

He turned to the direction of the voice, a smile breaking out despite how bad he felt. He opened his eyes to see Dulcinea sitting next to him, holding a book. She set it on the nightstand and leaned forward slightly.

“Dulcinea.” He tried to sit up, but she put a hand on his arm.

“You don’t need to sit up for me, Billy,” she said, lightly stroking his arm with her thumb absentmindedly.

“What’re you doin’ here?” he asked. He wanted to reach out for her hand, but he didn’t want to assume anything and make her uncomfortable.

“George came and told me what had happened,” she said, moving her hand down to his own. “He told me that they weren’t sure you were going to make it, but that you were fine now.”

“You didn’t have to come,” Billy started. Dulcinea stopped him, looking slightly hurt.

“You do not want me here?” she asked, pulling her hand away. Billy reached for her hand again.

“No, no… I didn’t mean that,” he replied, squeezing her hand lightly. “I just… after what you said before, I wasn’t sure you’d wanna be here.”

She smiled. “Of course I do. We can still be friends, no? Are you feeling any better?”

Billy shrugged with a grimace. Dulcinea frowned and put the hand he wasn’t holding on his forehead.

“You don’t look so good,” she said as she felt his forehead. “And you feel warm.”

Billy chuckled, though regretted it when his side flared with pain.

“Aren’t I s’posed to be warm?” he joked, trying to hide the fact that he was in pain. “I’m alive, after all.”

“That’s not what I mean,” she said, standing up and heading for the door. “I’m going to get Susan.”

She called for her by the door, then came back to Billy, followed by Susan.

“He feels warm,” she told her. Susan put the back of her hand against his head.

“Does your wound hurt more than it did yesterday?” Susan asked. Billy glanced to Dulcinea, then back at Susan and nodded.

“I’d like to check it, if that’s okay.”

Billy nodded again, pulling back the blankets with a shiver.

“Does anything else feel wrong?” Susan asked as she cut at the bandages.

“I guess I’m kinda… achy. Cold, too.”

Susan furrowed her brow as she peeled the last of the bandages away to look at his wound.

“What is it?” Dulcinea asked as she glanced at Susan’s expression.

“It looks like it’s a little infected,” she said. Dulcinea covered her mouth with her hand.

“Badly?” she asked. Billy closed his eyes and grimaced as Susan gently felt around the wound.

“It’s minor, but it’s still a concern. I’m going to see the doctor,” Susan said as she grabbed clean bandages. She replaced the old bandages and left, promising to return as quickly as possible.

Billy reached for the blankets, but Dulcinea stopped him as he groaned at the effort.

“All you have to do is ask,” she said, setting the blankets on top of him. “I don’t think you should be moving much.”

“She didn’t mention that,” he said weakly. Minor infection or not, he definitely felt terrible.

“Well, I think it’s a good idea,” she said, sitting down in the chair. “Can you sleep?”

“Probably.”

She hummed in response, then stood up. She carefully got into the bed next to him, sitting against the headboard. She patted her lap, gesturing for him to put his head there. He gave her a half smile, following her instructions and biting back a groan as he shifted his position. He closed his eyes as she started stroking his head, gently pushing his hair back. He continued shivering, so she pulled the blankets up closer and shifted closer to him.

“It’ll be alright,” Billy mumbled, snuggling into her slightly. Dulcinea forced a smile, even though he couldn’t see it.

“I know,” she replied. “But I think you’re a little delirious right now.”

He drew his eyebrows together, confused, but kept his eyes closed.

“No I’m not. Jus’ tryin’ to make you feel better.”

Dulcinea laughed lightly. “Shouldn’t I be the one trying to make you feel better?” she asked. He smirked a little.

“Not necessarily.”

“Why don’t you sleep now?” Dulcinea asked, running her fingers through his hair. “You need to rest more than you need to talk.”

He briefly nodded his head, already half asleep by the time she finished speaking.

————————————————

“It doesn’t look too bad, but if he doesn’t improve before tomorrow night…”

“Is there anything we can do?”

“Put some iodine on it again tomorrow, keep it clean. Make sure the bandages stay clean. That’s about all we can do.”

Billy barely registered the voices in the room, keeping the blankets as close as he possibly could to his cold body. On top of the intensified pain in his side, it seemed he couldn’t get warm no matter how hard he tried. As he felt movement next to him, he realized someone was holding him close and stroking his head.

“It’s alright, Billy. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

He turned his head to the voice, burying his face into the soft warmth of whoever was next to him. He opened his eyes, looking up to see Dulcinea next to him; she had one arm behind his shoulders, her fingers toying with the hair on his forehead.

“Hi, Billy,” she said, smiling and looking down at him.

“Hi,” he mumbled back, leaning his head back down on her shoulder.

“The doctor just left; he said your wound is a little infected.”

“Mm.”

“It’s not too bad.” She paused, then lightened her tone a little. “The doctor said you should improve by tomorrow night.”

“Kinda heard what he said, I think,” Billy replied with a sigh.

“Oh.”

They were quiet for a moment, the only sound being Billy’s breathing.

“Does it hurt really bad?” Dulcinea asked after a moment. “Sorry, that’s probably a stupid question.”

“‘S not a stupid question,” he responded. He tilted his head back slightly, the top of his head resting against Dulcinea’s cheek. “But yeah. It does.”

He turned his head to look at her when she didn’t respond.

“Ya look worried,” he said. He brought a hand up weakly and stroked her chin with his thumb. “Don’t need ta worry ‘bout me, darlin’. I’ll be fine.”

Dulcinea smiled a bit sadly. “Why is it you keep trying to comfort me when you’re the one who’s sick and injured?”

He tilted his head, snuggling his face closer to her neck and closing his eyes.

“‘Cause I don’t like seein’ you upset,” he said tiredly. Dulcinea stroked his cheek with her thumb.

“I think maybe this is the fever talking,” she whispered, leaning her cheek against his forehead. She pulled the blanket back up over his shoulder as he shivered again. “Do you need another blanket?”

He shook his head slightly, taking a deep breath and grimacing. Dulcinea moved her other arm to his shoulders, hugging him gently.

“I’m sorry…” she told him, planting a light kiss on his head.

“Hm? What for?” he asked sleepily.

“For leaving you,” she responded, sliding her hand up to cup his cheek. “I should’ve tried harder to understand.”

“Don’t need to apologize,” he mumbled back with a shiver. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Me too,” she replied, pushing a strand of hair off of his face as he fell back asleep. “Me too.”

——

Dulcinea watched as Susan checked the bandages a few hours later. She touched them gently and studied them for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction.

“I think they’re good for now,” she told Dulcinea, still by Billy’s side. He seemed to be sleeping soundly and she didn’t want to disturb him. “Tomorrow morning I’ll have to put iodine on it, but the bandages should be fine until then.”

She glanced at Billy. His face was flushed and his breathing was still heavier than it should be, but he was sleeping at least; his face was turned towards Dulcinea’s neck as she kept her arm around his shoulders.

“He’s still shivering,” Dulcinea stated, concern etched on her face. Susan sat down with a slight sigh.

“Probably a combination of blood loss and feverish chills,” she said, leaning her cheek on her hand. She watched Billy as he stirred slightly, but didn’t wake.

“It just makes me so angry,” she said after a moment. Dulcinea looked to her as she stroked Billy’s forehead absentmindedly. “Murphy’s men getting away with all of this, making our men out to be the bad guys! And now this. He’s so young…” she trailed off, closing her eyes and rubbing at her forehead.

“I’m trying to be hopeful, Dulcinea,” she continued. “And I don’t want to scare you, but… I’m just so worried he won’t improve.”

“I know,” Dulcinea replied, running her finger down the bridge of his nose. “But he’s a fighter.”

Susan laughed a little and stood up. “That he is. I’m going to start on dinner. You should get up and move around some, dear.”

Dulcinea nodded. “Next time he wakes up. I don’t want to disturb him.”

Susan nodded. She gave Dulcinea a smile and left the room, shutting the door. Billy stirred at the sound of the door shutting, his face moving away from her neck.

“Dulcinea?” he asked, opening his eyes sleepily.

“I’m right here, Billy,” she responded, rubbing his shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

“Fine,” he replied with an exhale. “You been here all day?”

“Yes.”

He turned his head to look at her, moving his eyes up to meet hers.

“You should move around a bit,” he told her, pulling a hand up to meet hers on his shoulder. He grabbed it and gave it a weak squeeze.

“I just don’t want to leave you alone,” she replied, moving her thumb along his knuckles. He gave her a small smile, trying to blink away the sleep from his eyes.

“Don’t think I’ll be goin’ anywhere, darlin’,” he responded, closing his eyes. Dulcinea smiled.

“I love it when you call me that.”

He opened an eye to peer at her. “What? Darlin’?”

“Yes,” she replied, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. “You still look half asleep, Billy.”

He mumbled something in response, giving her hand another squeeze again. She gently removed her arm from behind his shoulders and sat up.

“I’ll be back in a little while,” she said, grabbing his hand and placing a light kiss on his knuckles. He smiled, his eyes still closed as she smoothed the blankets back over him. “I’m gonna help Susan with dinner, and then I’ll bring some to you, alright?”

“Mhm,” he replied with a slight nod of his head.

“Just call out if you need us, especially if you’re in more pain.”

He nodded again, and she gracefully stepped off of the bed, walking over to the door. She glanced back at him and frowned. He looked so sick and weak on the bed covered in blankets, with his frequent shivering and his flushed face. She turned away and closed the door, leaving it open just enough to hear if he called. Billy the Kid was a fighter, and she hoped that he had enough in him to fight off his infection.

—————

Billy opened his eyes, hearing someone set something down next to him. Dulcinea sat down next to him, grabbing a bowl of stew off of the nightstand.

“Hi,” she said, giving him a smile. “Hungry?”

Billy nodded. He wasn’t sure that he really was hungry, but if it made her feel better, he’d definitely try to eat. He slowly pulled himself up with a groan, gritting his teeth through the pain. He managed to get into a sitting position and leaned against the headboard, his eyes screwed shut, breathing through the pain. He heard Dulcinea set the bowl down, and then a moment later her hands were on his shoulders, placing a blanket over them.

“Thank you,” he said, opening his eyes and accepting the bowl she offered. As he took a bite of the warm stew, she felt his forehead with her hand and frowned.

“I’m fine,” he told her after he had swallowed the food. She forced a smile.

“How’s the food?” she asked.

“Good,” he lied. He didn’t want to tell her the pain was making him a little nauseous, so while he was sure the food really did taste good, it wasn’t settling well for him. After a few more bites, he set the bowl aside. Dulcinea looked at the amount left, then back to him.

“You don’t want more?”

Billy shook his head. “Not right now.”

Dulcinea nodded, taking the bowl and setting it on the nightstand. She took a glass of water instead and handed it to him. When he had finished and gave it back to her, Charlie and Susan came into the room.

“Did you eat?” Susan asked, coming up to his side.

“Some,” he replied, pulling the blanket around his shoulders closer. “Hope it’s not an insult to your cookin’,” he added with a small smile. Susan smiled and waved her hand slightly.

“Billy, you’re injured and fighting infection. I won’t take offense to you not eating your whole plate.”

“That certainly tells us how sick you are,” Charlie added with a smile. “Usually you have at least two helpings. I’m surprised you don’t lick your plate clean, honestly.”

Billy chuckled in response. “Real funny, Charlie.”

“Do you feel any worse?” Susan inquired. Billy shrugged.

“Not worse, but not better either. Still hurts like-“ he stopped, glancing at Susan and Dulcinea. “Still hurts a lot.”

“Well, hopefully you’ll sleep well tonight,” she told him, putting her hand on his shoulder. “We’ll see if you feel any better in the morning.”

She rubbed his shoulder slightly before turning to walk away.

“I’m staying with him,” Dulcinea said, grabbing the bowl of food to take to the kitchen. “If anything happens, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you, Dulcinea,” Susan said with a smile. “It’s nice having your help.”

The two women walked out of the room, leaving Charlie alone with Billy. Charlie stood in the room awkwardly for a moment before sitting down. Billy had his eyes closed again, leaning his head against the headboard.

“Is it worse than you’re lettin’ on?” Charlie asked after a moment.

“Hm?”

“You’re not makin’ it seem better than it is? To ease their minds?”

“No,” Billy said with a sigh. “Wouldn’t do me much good to do that, would it? Not if I wanna live, anyway.”

Charlie shrugged. “Just checking. You didn’t tell us you got shot at first, so…”

Billy opened his eyes and looked at Charlie, who clearly looked concerned. “I told you I got a graze. Wasn’t till we started ridin’ away that I realized it wasn’t a graze. Only reason I didn’t say anything was ‘cause there was nothin’ we could do at the moment; figured it’d be better to just get home.”

Charlie was quiet for a moment, then nodded his head. “Yeah. Alright, that makes sense. Sorry I assumed otherwise.”

Billy smiled and closed his eyes again. “‘S’alright, I get it. You’d be lost without me.”

Charlie laughed as he stood up. “Yeah, okay. Just don’t die on us, got it?”

“I ain’t plannin’ on dyin’ yet, Charlie,” Billy mumbled back with a smirk. Charlie shook his head with a smile.

“I think Dulcinea’s right; your fever is making you delirious.”

“Is not.”

“I’m not arguing with you,” Charlie said, heading for the door. “See you in the morning.”

“Say hi to Manuela for me.”

“Who says I’m going home?” Charlie asked, his hand on the door. Billy shrugged.

“Jus’ figured.”

Charlie laughed quietly. “Fine. I’ll mention that to her. Now get better already, alright?”

Billy lifted a hand in response as Charlie left the room. It was quiet for a few moments before Billy heard soft footsteps come in and the door close. He heard a lantern being lit, then felt the mattress dip beside him as Dulcinea settled onto the bed again, getting underneath the covers.

“Hi again,” Billy murmured, opening his eyes halfway to glance at her. Her hair was down as she sat against the bed, holding a book.

“Hi,” she responded, giving him a smile. “Is this okay?”

Billy frowned in confusion. “Is what okay?”

Dulcinea gestured to the bed. “Me staying with you.”

“Oh. Didn’t think of that.” He turned his face so he was facing her. “If it ain’t proper for you to be here, don’t feel like you have-“

“I didn’t think about that, but let’s not worry about it,” she said, cutting him off with a decisive nod. “If it doesn’t bother you, it doesn’t bother me. It’s not like you’re in the shape to do anything.”

Billy shifted down so he was lying down on his back, biting back a groan as the movement made the pain flare.

“True,” he conceded, placing his hand over his wound and grimacing. Dulcinea scooted closer to him, putting her hand on his shoulder opposite of her and grabbing her book with the other. He rested his feverish cheek against her side with an exhale and closed his eyes.

“You’d better fight this, Billy,” Dulcinea said quietly after a while. He reached his warm hand up to her hand on his shoulder and held it.

“That’s just what I plan on doin’, darlin’,” he said sleepily.

——————

The next morning brought some definite changes. Dulcinea opened her eyes and was startled at first to see Billy’s sleeping form next to her. The previous day’s events came back to her quickly though, and she reached a hand over to his face, sliding her hand down his cheek. He smiled in his sleep at the contact, and she was surprised to find his cheek didn’t feel hot. She moved her hand up to his forehead, pushing the dark curls back and pressing her hand against it. She smiled; he no longer felt feverishly hot, but the pleasant warmth she was used to. She lightly dragged her finger down the bridge of his nose, then placed a kiss on his forehead. He stirred, his hand finding hers and holding it.

“Mornin’,” he whispered, opening his eyes halfway and smiling. Under different circumstances, she could get used to this; waking up next to him and looking into his beautiful blue eyes that still held sleep in them.

“Good morning,” she replied, giving his hand a squeeze. “It feels like you don’t have a fever anymore. How do you feel?”

He thought for a moment. “Not quite achy anymore. Still cold, but more of a… dull cold rather than chills.” He took a deep breath. “That make sense?”

Dulcinea nodded. “I’d say the fever’s absence is helping. I’ll see if Susan is up and we can check your wound.”

He grabbed her hand as she started to get up. She glanced back down at him.

“What is it?”

He almost looked shy as he looked in her eyes, then moved his line of vision down slightly to her lips. She held back a giggle as she leaned forward and brought her lips to Billy’s, bringing a slight smile from him.

“Better?” she asked, pulling away slightly. He smiled and nodded, bringing a slight giggle from Dulcinea. “I can definitely see someone is feeling better.”

She gave him one more quick kiss before getting out of the bed and walking to the door. Billy watched her go, rubbing at his face. His side still hurt, but he was glad he didn’t feel achy and feverish anymore. Dulcinea came back a moment later with Susan, who was holding a bottle and cloth.

“Good morning, Billy,” she said, coming up beside him. “Dulcinea told me your fever is gone. You don’t feel any worse?”

“No,” Billy replied. Susan touched his forehead, then smiled.

“Oh, that’s wonderful news!” she said, sitting down. “I do still need to put iodine on it though, alright?”

Billy nodded, pulling the blankets back so Susan could access his wound. She moved his shirt up, then peeled the bandages away and studied it.

“It still looks a little bad, but it definitely has improved since yesterday.” She took the top off of the bottle and glanced at Billy. “This… isn’t going to feel good,” she warned him with an apologetic look.

He sucked in a breath as she poured the iodine onto his wound, tensing up and groaning at the sting it caused.

“Sorry,” Susan said, noticing Billy gripping the blankets with one hand, his eyes screwed shut.

“‘S’fine,” he muttered through gritted teeth. Dulcinea came beside him, rubbing his shoulder to comfort him.

“On the bright side,” Susan said as she rewrapped the wound, “as long as it keeps showing improvement, I won’t have to keep putting iodine on it.”

“That would be great,” he replied, the sting finally going away. “M’I outta the woods yet, nurse?”

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at his nickname with a smile. “I think so, William. You still have to take it easy for a while; you still have the blood loss to deal with.”

As she stood up to leave, Billy stopped her.

“Thank you, Mrs. McSween,” he said, putting his hand on hers. “You’ve done so much for me… I can’t thank you enough.”

She smiled and patted his hand.

“You’ve done so much for Lincoln County, on top of keeping our boys as safe as you can since Tunstall’s murder,” she told him. “It’s the very least my husband and I could do for you. You’re no outlaw to me, Billy.”

Billy smiled in response, touched by her words and motherly way.

“Will you thank your husband for me too?” he asked. She nodded.

“Of course. I’m glad you’re doing better, Billy.” She smiled and headed for the door, nodding to Dulcinea. After she left the room, Dulcinea laid down on the bed, resting her head on Billy’s chest. He placed his arm around her shoulders, tracing circles on her arm with his finger.

“You had me scared for a little bit, Billy,” she told him quietly, toying with one of the buttons on his shirt. He moved his hand up to her hair.

“Told ya I wasn’t plannin’ on dyin’,” he replied, stroking the side of her head. She lifted her head, resting on her elbow to look at his face.

“You don’t need to come so close to death trying to prove your point,” she said, poking at his nose. He smirked, his hand moving to her back.

“Don’t plan on doin’ it again, darlin’,” he replied as she brought her face closer to his. She nuzzled his nose, then pressed her lips against his, her free hand cupping his cheek as he deepened the kiss. She pulled away after a moment, smiling at the almost disappointed expression on his face.

“You promise?” she asked, tracing a line down his nose with her finger.

“I can’t promise that, but I promise to try,” he replied, looking into her eyes and rubbing her back. She smiled, laying her head down on his chest again.

“That’s enough for me.”