Chapter Text
Spencer woke to small movements under his hand, he didn't want to open his eyes, as long as he didn't look he could hold on to hope that his wife was merely sleeping next to him and not dead, but their boy needed attention and that tiny baby was all he would have left of Alex he had to take care of him. He was steeling his nerves and snuffing out his last bit of hope when the sweet voice of his wife reached his ears, “are you hungry sweetheart?"
His eyes flew open to find Alex stroking John's face, her head turned towards him with a watery smile as he gently brushed her hair back from her face staring at her in awe, “darlin'," his voice was shaking as he took in the feeling of her warm cheek under his hand.
“I can feel my toes," she told him, sounding both thrilled and in shock.
“You can?" He felt like he was drowning in hope and when she nodded with a wet laugh through her tears he felt a tear slide down his cheek as his dream for a future with Alex by his side came rushing back.
John's small whine had turned into a cry while his parents had been staring at each other and their gaze broke to both look at their small boy who was demanding attention. Alex started to push herself into a sitting position when Spencer realized what was happening and quickly helped her sit, placing himself behind her to be able to wrap them both in his arms.
Her hospital gown was dropped and she quickly had John at her breast and his cries stopped as he latched on and began to nurse. Alex curled up in Spencer's arms, her head coming to rest against his neck, he couldn't believe that she was warm and breathing and as she tucked her feet, her toes wiggling under his leg, moving body parts that the doctors had wanted to cut off just the night before. “You can move them," he pressed a kiss to her temple tugging her tighter against his chest fighting back a sob.
He looked down at her, really looked at her, her color was better than the night before where she had been sickly grey, her pert little nose was completely normal, he reached for her hand where she wiggled her fingers at him and they were warm and pink. “I don't understand," he started, “but darlin' you can never scare me like that again."
Her beautiful laughter filled the room and he felt it warm him from the inside, “I will do my best to not potentially freeze to death on you Spencer." She held up her bandaged hand, “can you get this off me please?"
He gently unwrapped the bandage revealing her hand, the first thing she did was move to rest it on his cheek and he covered it with his own leaning lightly into her palm, “I love you," he told her finally leaning down to claim her lips being careful to not interrupt their boy's feeding.
“I love you," she pressed her forehead to his, her eyes closed breathing him in. They stayed like that until John fussed pulling away from her breast, Spencer took the small baby from Alex so she could get the gown back in place, their boy fit in his two palms but he stared up at Spencer with a familiar look, the same determination that Alex's eyes frequently held.
"Just as stubborn as your mother, aren't you little one?” Spencer looked up from his son to see his wife unwrapping the bandages from her legs, she paused and shot a grin at him.
“What? They are uncomfortable," she chuckled as he just shook his head at her watching as more healthy pink skin was revealed.
The new family stayed wrapped together, Spencer and Alex both holding and staring at their boy, so small but clearly already a fighter, ever bit a Dutton, until a knock on the door interrupted them and a nurse came in clearly not expecting to see Alex sitting up and bandage free. The nurse had quickly called for a doctor who was joined by Cara and Jacob who had slept in the hall expecting Spencer to need them for support, the doctor had no answers for Alex's healing except possibly that delivering the baby had let her body redirect blood to her cold bitten limbs but Spencer didn't care for the reason, he didn't care how it happened, he was just grateful to still have his wife.
It was only Duttons left in the room, Cara at the side of the bed in a chair cradling a sleeping John while talking softly to Alex, when Jacob claimed Spencer's attention, “Jack was found dead last night gunned down on his way to join us at the train station."
The news was a blow to Spencer, Alex's fingers caressing his arms that were still around her, the only thing grounding him in the moment, this war that Whitfield had started had taken the very last person he would allow. “Let's go finish this," he told his uncle, carefully extracting himself from Alex's bed, brushing a kiss to her lips before straightening up. "I'll be back before you can miss me," he teased his wife just to see a smile on her face again.
“I miss you already baby," she quipped as he stepped away from her to get his hat and coat from where he had put them the night before when he still thought it was his last few hours with her. “I bet we will be ready to leave by the time you get back, and I expect you in one piece."
“Yes ma'am," he tipped his hat, shooting her a smirk as she tipped her imaginary one back at him before walking out the door, his uncle following him to the car, Spencer would dispense with Whitfield and still have his wife and son home to the ranch before lunch.
He quickly lost patience for the back and forth ranting of Whitfield and Jacob, this could have been done in one shot and in less than a minute if his uncle hadn't decided to deliver a monologue to a soon to be dead man, hell Jacob looked mad when Spencer interrupted the discussion with a bullet to Whitfield’s head before he knocked over some whiskey and dropped a lighter walking out of the house as the fire spread.
When he walked back into Alex's hospital room he found her dressed looking like the girl who had run after his car in Africa instead of the version of his wife who had clearly believed that she had found him only to die at his side. Cara was still holding the baby so Spencer took advantage of his wife's empty arms to pick her up and the peace that spread through his body when her arms wrapped around his neck was a feeling he'd only ever found while she was touching him.
“Successful hunting husband?" Her smile was light, he knew she was joking to help his mood more than her own.
"It's done,” he said solemnly, his eyes closing, his face tucked into her neck, as her hands ran across his shoulders and down his arms and back clearly making sure he was unhurt.
“Good, now, could you please take me home?" That was all Spencer had wanted to do for months now, having Alex with him and taking her to the ranch was an actual dream come true, the circumstances were far from ideal and the pain of losing Jack was in the back of his mind but he focused on the joy that he felt at finally being able to take his wife home.
“Yeah darlin', let's get you home," he squeezed her tightly for another few moments before carefully placing her back on her feet. Her hands came to cradle his face when he opened his eyes again, the pure love that shown in her gaze he knew was reflected in his own, this woman had faced untold trials to get back to his side and had told the universe in no uncertain terms to fuck off if it thought for a second it could keep them part any longer.
From the corner of his eye Spencer saw his aunt leaving the room taking John with her, leaving him alone with Alex for the first time since he got her on the train, no tiny baby between them, no prying eyes trying to figure out their relationship, just them like it had been for those blissful weeks on their beach. “I missed you," she whispered, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, her head resting on his chest.
“I missed you too sweetheart, I missed you too," he dropped a kiss to the top of her head before resting his cheek on it needing to hold her to steady himself. He had a grave to dig, a ranch to run, cattle to gather, but for this moment he would stop and just hold his wife, his personal force of nature. “I don't deserve you," he started and Alex pulled back with a giggle to meet his eyes.
“You silly man, who else could possibly deserve me? You are the only person who has ever wanted me for no reason other than being me, not for my name, money or connections, just me. Remember that when I make you utterly insane for the rest of our lives Spencer.” Her teasing held a note of pain underneath it and he held her impossibly closer.
"I love you Alexandra Dutton," he knew the tears that made her eyes shine now were happy ones.
“I love you Spencer Dutton," she was up on her toes and kissing him fingers playing with his hair. The door opening behind them made them separate as Cara stuck her head back into the room.
“We need to get back to the ranch kids," her tone was solemn and he knew it was due to knowing they would be going home to bury Jack.
Alex's cheeks had a pretty blush on them as he rubbed his thumb along them not looking away from her face, "ok Aunt Cara, we're ready.” He fussed with the collar of Alex's coat and then took her hand and led her out of the hospital and into the car where Cara gave John back to her before getting in the other car and Spencer pulled Alex into his side tucking a blanket around them, both of her legs draped over one of his. When they drove under the Yellowstone sign Alex leaned to press a kiss to his cheek, “I told you I was yours to keep."
He gripped her thigh under the blanket and looked down at her and their son, “guess I'll have to come up with a new dream then."
Her smile was breathtaking just like every other time she had aimed it at him, “I'll let you think about it for a few days husband."
He laughed then, loud and unburdened, because this wonderful, joyful woman had given him back his soul and as he stopped the vehicle in front of the lodge they were home and no one would take her from him ever again. “Welcome home darlin'," he told Alex as he helped her out of the auto, watching as her eyes lit up even more as she took in the lodge, uncaring of the shell casings that still littered the lawn from the battle he'd fought just the night before.
“It's perfect," she whispered before turning to look at him, “show me around?" His cheeks hurt from his smile as he nodded and then swept her and John up in his arms and carried her into the house, her giggles floating across the ranch like a cleansing for the land itself.