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Tim settles himself comfortably into the soft linen sheets, and cradles Raylan against him. The cowboy is still healing, and needs careful monitoring. He knows his lover isn’t asleep, but Raylan is savouring every second of the warmth of the sun and the being together that this affords them. Tim lets him.
As soon as he could wobble to his feet, Raylan had checked himself out of the hospital, despite Art and Winona and lots of other people shouting at him. Tim got it, he had his own wound to deal with, but Raylan’s injuries had changed his life, and Tim gets it. Raylan needs to be anywhere but there.
They go to the Travel Agency, where the very nice assistant takes one look at Raylan and wonders out loud if he’ll actually make the flight. Tim can hardly blame her, Raylan’s skin tone is grey and he looks so damn tired and thin that Tim feels about twenty pounds heavier just looking at him.
Tim’s tired too. He knows he’s got six weeks of medical leave and possibly a ton of rehabilitation for his shoulder.
Where do they want to go?
Raylan wobbles to his feet, the assistant looks like she’s ready to catch him if he falls, and Tim shakes his head in bewilderment. Raylan heads to the large map of Italy on the wall. “Here.” He stabs a finger at what appears to be an island.
“Ischia?” The assistant sounds doubtful.
“Ischia.” Says Raylan.
So the assistant checks it out. It’s an island in the bay of Naples, it’s volcanic, has hot springs, good for Tim’s shoulder. Tim privately thinks it would be good for Raylan’s injuries too, but knows that’s not why Raylan has chosen this place. There’s a look of determination in Raylan’s eyes, so Tim doesn’t question. That can wait.
He mentally reviews his bank balance. He can make it, if they don’t eat out every single night, he can afford this for them. Tim’s pulling out his bank card, ready to pay, when Raylan digs into the pocket of his denim jacket and pulls out a roll of dollars.
The whole ticket, and then some.
Tim stares, because he has no idea where Raylan has gotten the money from, then he realises, the nine weeks that Raylan has been in the hospital, this is the first down payment on the disability pay-out.
It hits Tim then like a freight train that the cowboy marshal is no more. Raylan’s career has ended.
There was a time when people feared for Raylan’s life, but this? Tim realises in that moment that he has absolutely no words for this man, but he’s going to hold on the best that he can.
Raylan knows he’s messed up. That he will have to be careful for the rest of his life, and that his career as a Marshal is over. He’s lost a kidney and his spleen, knifed in the back and then shot three times, he knows he’s incredibly lucky to still be alive. That it was Tim, badly injured himself, who fought to keep him alive.
He curls into Tim’s arms, celebrating the still being alive part in his head, listening to the sounds of movement outside. In a little while they’ll get up and wander down to the market, do battle with the phrase book, even though Raylan has managed to get the “questi, per favore” bit down flat. Pointing at what he wants to buy. Tim laughs at his pronunciation. But the stallholders get it, even if they do look puzzled for a moment or two, so Raylan feels a little proud of himself that he can ask for something in a foreign language. The teasing is very gentle.
Tim carefully eases away and sits up. The morning market is one of the highlights so far, so they should get moving. He reaches for the little medication bottles by his side, doles out Raylan’s doses and gives his partner a nudge. “Ray…”
He feels rather than hears the huff, but Raylan eases himself into a sitting position and takes the pills. He could sort his medication himself, but Tim likes to take care of him, and Raylan accepts that.
Something else that’s new, someone who cares without wanting something in return. Raylan’s getting his head around that one. Working out that this is a two way street, it’s where he’s gone wrong before. Tim’s even helping him to be a better father.
Raylan smiles, and pads to the shower, he never expected to be here, but this is the best thing that ever happened to him, other than his daughter, and he’s going to try and do it right this time. For everyone’s sake.