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"Uncle Arthur! Can we go-"
"Not now, Jack." Arthur tries his hardest not to turn back around, but his uncle insticts can't take it. "I-" He looks at the pouty boy and he feels his chest start to hurt. Is it the heart or the lungs? Guess he'll never know. "I'm sorry, Jack. I got things to do. Ask your papa to take you fishing."
"Okay, uncle Arthur." The little boy walks away despondedly and goes looking for his papa.
Shit. What kind of lame excuse is "I got things to do"? They're literally beside Kamassa River. It won't even take him 20 minutes to bring the boy down there and catch one fish.
Arthur shakes the gulit away and walks to his tent to read the letter left on his table. "Penelope Braithwaite..." He shakes his head. "What people do for love."
"Uh, Arthur?"
He looks to his right and sees someone he really doesn't want to talk to right now, or ever. "Evenin', Abigail." He tilts his head away from her and pretends to read the letter again.
"Can we... talk?"
"Not right now." His words come out as a whisper.
Her lips form a tight smile, but her eyes say something else. "Okay, Arthur." She almost walks away until... "It's just- Did I do something?"
His brows come together while laying the piece of paper back down. "What? Course not."
"Then why, Arthur? I'd be able to take it if was just me you was avoidin', but I've seen you push my boy away too. You of all people should know that he looks up to you like a-"
"Abigail." His voice is so soft and unsure as he lays a hand on her shoulder. "Can we talk somewhere else?"
She closes her mouth and nods.
He leads her to the log on the small cliff that overlooks the river and takes a seat. A sigh escapes his mouth.
She sits beside him and places a hand on his arm. "Arthur... Are you alright?"
"Heh, when was I ever alright?" His eyes look to moon as if the answers to his life's questions are written on it.
She gives him that stern look she's so good at giving. "Arthur."
"I'm dying, Abigail." He looks between his boots and tries to break away from her grip, but to no avail.
"What?"
"I'm surprised you haven't caught on. Everyone who sees me says I look like shit."
"That's not true, Arth-"
"It is." He looks at the woman beside him and the pain quadruples so he tears his gaze away. "I got tuberculosis. That's why I been avoiding you and the boy. Don't want you to catch it."
"You're a goddamn idiot, Arthur Morgan." She stands up and crosses her arms.
"Ain't the first time you've told me."
"Why didn't you tell us?! We can help you. We can get Dutch to stop working you like a horse. We can-"
"You can't, Abigail and you know it."
She wants to counter him. She wants to prove him wrong, but it's true. They can't do anything. This ain't the pinkertons. This ain't the O'Driscolls. This ain't anything they can shoot at. It's tuberculosis and there ain't no cure.
Arthur remains looking at the ground while Abigail continues to stare at the man with a troubled expression.
"I'm sorry, Arthur." It's all her brain would allow her to say.
"You don't gotta say sorry. You ain't done nothing wrong."
"No. I'm sorry, Arthur." She sits on her knees right in front of him and takes his hands in hers. "I- All I ever do is ask from you. I asked you to look for John in Colter. I asked you to take Jack fishing in Horseshoe. I asked you to bring Jack back in Shady Belle, and just a few days ago I asked you to bring John back. All I do is ask and I- I-"
"It's okay, Abigail." He squeezes her hands and looks deeply into her soul. "It's okay."
"But I-" She shakes her head as protest.
"It's okay."
She tries her darndest to be strong, but the tears start rolling down her face like waterfalls. "Thank you Arthur, for everything."
"It's nothing."
"It's not nothing. I don't know where I'd be now if it weren't for you. Even all those years ago you were kind to me. Even before Jack and before I became John's girl, you were... you still are and will always be the best man I know."
The pain in his chest hasn't subsided, but now it's a different kind altogether. It hurts, but it feels good. It's the kind of pain you feel when you're taking a bullet out of your body or the pain you feel when you've been working hard for the people you love. It's the good kind of pain.
He leans into her and wraps her into a tight embrace. "I..." He closes his eyes and breathes in deeply then sighs an exhale.
She rests her cheek on his shoulder as she slowly rubs his back. "I know, Arthur. I know."