You had been friends, if it could be called that with Grady before he was drafted and sent off to the war. Never did you imagine yourself married with a family when interacting with him but when he returned, things began to change and before you knew it, you had been swept off your feet. The troubles he had didn't bother you. The war had changed him in a lot of ways but he was still the sweet man that you remembered. The night terrors and drinking didn't put you off, not when he could murmur the sweetest things and make you feel like the only one in the world. He needed a loving touch and it was one that you were happy to provide. 

The two of you were currently settled in the loft on a soft blanket, leaning against one another as you looked out the window in the loft. His hand was against your hip while you were lightly running your fingers through the hair on the back of his neck. Clear skies granted you a perfect view of the stars tonight. It felt like a good choice since Grady had a particular rough day with news of the passing of one of the members of his squad. There hadn't been any time during the day between the kids and chores to be able to check in and see where he was at. He had taken the news and immediately set himself to work, out at the barn and among the pens for most of the day. You were hesitant to bring it up, not wanting to ruin the soft moment that you had been able to create for him. And yourself really. A little selfish perhaps but you needed it as much as he did.

Leaning over, you kissed his cheek softly. The action granted you a smile, the soft one that you loved. 

"How you doing sweetheart?" His voice was low, barely above a murmur. 

"I'm perfectly fine," you offered. "Want to make sure that you are okay."

"Nothing you gotta worry about," he promised. Of course he would say that, not wanting to worry you. It was also a sure sign that he didn't want to talk about it, so you wouldn't push him. If there was something he felt like bringing up, he would. Otherwise, it was a subject that would have to be off limits for now. 

"Why don't we head inside? You can have the rest of the pie I made earlier." 

"Knew I loved ya for a reason." You hummed as you caught him in a proper kiss this time before pulling away. Getting up, you held your hand out to him. He took it, pushing up to his feet. The blanket could be left, who knew if you would get the chance to come out tomorrow. 

Climbing down from the loft, the animals were quiet, undisturbed by your presence as you walked through the barn and out into the night. Grady kept a hold of your hand, a small squeeze given occasionally, as if he was reminding himself that you were right beside him. It wasn’t an action that you minded, liking the feeling of his larger hand encompassing yours. 

Back at the house, you got him settled at the table with a giant plate of the pecan pie that you had made earlier in the day. The kids had done a fair bit of damage to it earlier and you had to end up hiding the rest to make sure that Grady actually got some. The garbage was full so with him settled in and enjoying the sweet, you decided to take it out yourself. 

Walking out towards the can, you hummed softly to yourself, though remained mindful that there could be a large predator watching you. That was part of the reason the garbage was set away from the house, hoping to avoid any inquisitive animal pressing too far into the house. Especially when the kids wandered the house when they got up at night.

You had just set the bag down when it felt like someone slammed into your back. Breath robbed from your lungs, you stumbled forward, mind immediately going to the worst case scenario. Bobcat, bear, coyote, any of them could have come out of nowhere. Scrambling forward, you spun quickly, heart in your throat, eyes darting about to see what had attacked you. There was nothing in the quiet night, no growls breaking the air, no glowing eyes peering out of the darkness at you. You tried to calm down your racing heart. Something had hit you, but maybe it was something silly like a bat.

The nerves and adrenaline had you hurrying back to the house, trying not to panic that something could be following you. A slow breath of relief left you as you stepped inside and turned to close the door. 

"Is that blood?" You turned to face your husband, confused about the comment. 

"...No?" Pain started to blossom across your back. "A bat or something flew into me. I'm sure it's okay." You tried to play it off but the pain was getting worse and now it was getting harder to breathe. Panic welled up once more, eyes focused on the worried face of Grady as he stood up and hurried over to you. He was saying something but it was like someone had suddenly put ear muffs over your ears. His voice was fuzzy and sounded far off. 

"Y/N?" He had grabbed your shoulders and guided you to a chair, right before your legs gave out on you. "Listen to me sweetheart. Everything's going to be fine. I need you to stay awake. We gotta get you to the hospital." Blackness crept to the corners of your vision. Hospital? Why would you need a hospital? He had said something else and all you could make out was bullet. He pressed something to your back and it made you cry out, the pain intense.

"Grady?"