#dutton yellowstone

It was quiet in the Dutton house, but if you walked upstairs to the rooms you could hear Kayce stirring in his bed. His head moving from side to side trying to keep himself in some sleep. The fever had crept in the middle of the night and the shivers came soon after. “Kayce?” Lee walked and opened the door a bit wondering what the noise was. The faint light of the hallway casted enough on the young boy to make Lee notice Kayce, he wasn’t having a good sleep.  He pushed through the door in a hurry and kneeled down in front of him. “Bud?” His brow furrowed in confusion. Lee pressed the back of his hand onto Kayce’s forehead, he was burning up. His eyes searched for an answer that his mind couldn’t come up with fast enough. “Kayce?” He said a little louder. With his hands he shook the young boy awake. Lee’s heart stopped hearing the weak sound of Kayce’s voice.

“Lee?” Kayce was only 9, he didn’t know what to do. Of course, Lee was much older but until 2 years ago when someone got sick, it was their mother who took care of them. “I don’t feel well,” In haste Lee swept into his feet, leaned forward, one arm under Kayce’s legs and the other under his arms.

“Let's find you something Bud,” Lee picked him up with ease, making sure to accommodate him as he carried him all the way to the kitchen. As he placed him in the leather couch, he almost kicked himself, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to bring him out of bed in the middle of the night when he was running a fever. “That’s right!” A slight smile appeared on his face; he got an idea.

“Where is dad?” It came out in a low groan from the young boy. As his hand opened every drawer looking for the thermostat his mouth went dry. Lee’s eyes flicker to the oven light reading, 2:33am. He was trying to stay awake to hear from his father's meeting but by now he should have known he wasn’t coming tonight. No matter how hard Lee tried to be a part of the ranch, John Dutton couldn’t bear it. Deep down he made himself think it was to protect him, but protect him from what? The deal of the ranch wasn’t what brought the death of his mother, it was a simple ride on the horse that had done that. The death brought this on him now, the responsibility of his three younger siblings. He had learned to step up from uncertainty and now it wasn’t any different. He took a deep inhale when he finally found the thermostat.

“He will be here in the morning,” He spoke softly and motioned for him to open his mouth. “We should have some medicine in the fridge for you, if by morning you don’t get better, I will take you to the doctor.” Lee found his head rubbing Kayce’s small red cheeks. Kayce was the youngest among them, he needed to be a big brother more than ever to him. His thoughts were cut short when he heard a beep. The indicator turned red and read 102. “Shit,” He whispered.

“Am I dying?” This caused a laugh to escape Lee lips, He cupped his face and made Kayce look up to him.

“No buddy, you will be okay.” He returned a gentle smile to his younger brother. “Let's get you some medicine,” Lee tried to be a little more upbeat for Kayce as he walked over to the fridge. “This will do it,” His hand reached for a familiar bottle, the one prescribed to Beth not so long ago.

“Are you sure you know what you are doing?” Lee turned to his younger brother with a raised brow.

“Are you questioning your older brother?” He set the bottle on the kitchen counter. He let out a small sigh of relief when he heard a small laugh from Kayce. Kayce shook his head. “That's what I thought,” He smirked, moving his attention back to the medicine. Thankfully there were instructions to what age you are supposed to give and what amount too. He checked the instructions, then double checked, and tripled checked, just to make sure he wasn’t making a mistake. “Alright bud,” He turns his body over to Kayce. “How about we get you to bed first?” A small weak head gripped Lee's shirt.

“Can I sleep with you tonight?” He fought against his judgement. It wasn’t smart to have him so close when he is sick, but it was his little brother, and he wasn’t scared of a little sickness. “I don’t want to be alone,” Kayce didn’t need to say anything else; Lee already had his mind made up.

“Of course you can,” He leaned forward, grabbing Kayce carefully, trying not to make the medicine fall from its little cup. Kayce’s arms wrapped around Lee’s neck for support and his head fell on his shoulder weakly. Kayce always felt loved by his siblings, but he had a special bond with Lee. It didn’t matter if their age difference was over 10 years, they were best friends, at least to little Kayce they were.

“Lee?” Lee was careful to watch his steps, he hummed and responded.

“Yeah?”

“Are you ever going to leave me too?” That made Lee freeze. On top of the steps, he stood frozen. He knew eventually this day was going to come, his father the great John Dutton wasn’t one for words, so of course Kayce would come to him.

“I can’t know where this life will take me,” Lee said, looking into his eyes. “Just know that whenever you need me, I will be here.”