Arthur tensed at the touch at first, as if he didn't want any more connections, but the warmth of the other man's hand in his and the gentle caress over his knuckles had him relax and allow it.
The confirmation that he didn't have long to live wasn't as harsh as it might have sounded. He knew he didn't, already handed his death sentence from the doctor in Saint Denis, and he felt it inside himself. He was at his limits.
But he was...okay with it. Sister Calderone had offered him some of the best comfort and advice he'd had in some time, and he was no religious man in the least. This was his fate. He'd lived a bad life, hurt folk, let his son die, and chose the gang over the woman he'd loved for years. Good things didn't happen to bad people. He'd do what he could for John and his family and ensure it didn't happen to them.
The statement though drew a questioning brow. "Next time around? What you mean?"
no subject
The confirmation that he didn't have long to live wasn't as harsh as it might have sounded. He knew he didn't, already handed his death sentence from the doctor in Saint Denis, and he felt it inside himself. He was at his limits.
But he was...okay with it. Sister Calderone had offered him some of the best comfort and advice he'd had in some time, and he was no religious man in the least. This was his fate. He'd lived a bad life, hurt folk, let his son die, and chose the gang over the woman he'd loved for years. Good things didn't happen to bad people. He'd do what he could for John and his family and ensure it didn't happen to them.
The statement though drew a questioning brow. "Next time around? What you mean?"