Shame

Ruiz stared into the eyes of the stallion. The stallion stared right back. Neither of them had moved or even so much as breathed since the beginning of the standoff. While the stallion was currently sporting the clear advantage in weaponry, Ruiz held the advantage in armour. The stallion was aiming a slingshot right at him, but he had the protection of a young mare being used as a meat shield.

The mare was trembling in his grasp. He felt exceptionally guilty about holding her hostage like this, but she was the only thing keeping him from being shot. She swallowed hard as she glanced at the stallion. "Dad..." she muttered, her voice cracking.

"Let her go," the stallion spoke slowly. "No funny business."

Ruiz took a step toward the back door in response, keeping his eyes locked on the stallion. "Where are my effects?" he asked.

"You're free to leave," answered the stallion, "with all of your belongings. Just release my daughter."

Ruiz took another step toward the door. "Bring them to me. Let me see them."

"Not while you have my daughter. I'm not letting you take her."

The backdoor swung open, and the mare from the garden came in. "What's all this?!" she demanded.

"He's holding our daughter hostage," barked the stallion.

"He's holding me hostage," spat Ruiz right back.

"Lands sakes, Jed, lower your weapon," spat the older mare.

"Sadie, he has our daughter," Jed growled.

"And I'm not going to let you hit her, now lower your sling!"

Jed stood there for a moment longer before lowering his hoof, though he kept his weapon loaded and ready. In an instant, he could be back on his target.

Sadie then turned to Ruiz. "He's not holding you hostage. Why he didn't bother explaining that to ya's beyond me. Let my daughter go, return to your bed, and stop bleeding all over my nice, clean floor," she commanded.

Ruiz was compelled by her mere presence, but he was able to resist the urge to do so. She was imposing, to be sure, but he was still in fear for his life. With a sideways glance, he steeled his resolve. With a shove, he pushed the young mare into her father's arms. He would likely release his weapon to catch her, giving Ruiz enough time to escape, weapons or no. He bolted through the door, only to trip over the steps leading down to the ground. The impact of his chest against the dirt sent a massive shockwave of pain through his body that seized his muscles and brought his movement to a complete stop.

"Well, two out of three ain't bad," huffed Sadie, turning and walking into the kitchen. "Take him back upstairs, Jed, I'll be up in a minute."

Ruiz found himself lightheaded and dizzy as Jed tossed him over his shoulders and carried him back into the house. "You're just all kinds of trouble, aren't ya?" he remarked as he made his way up the stairs. "No idea what she sees in you."

Ruiz couldn't bring himself to respond. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he was right back to square one, in worse condition than when he'd woken up. He was bleeding and battered, weakening him, his sombrero was sitting on the floor in the laundry room, his poncho was nowhere to be found, and his weapons were still lost somewhere with his belt. This had all been a tremendous backstep.

Jed was surprisingly gentle laying him on the bed. He'd expected to just be flopped down like a sack of chicken feed, but he made sure to place him down in such a way that didn't damage his bandages or cause him any extra pain. "Don't move from that spot," he commanded. "And keep your hooves to yourself."

Just as Jed walked out of the room, Sadie came in carrying a large white box and a stool. She placed the box on the nightstand and the stool next to the bed for her to sit on. She pulled a pair of scissors out of the box and pressed her hoof into Ruiz' shoulder. "Hold still," she told him. "If you cooperate, this won't hurt as much."

With a nod from Ruiz, she cut open his bandages and removed the torn stitching. All open wounds were given a fresh round of sanitizer and topical antibiotic before being sewn up and covered with a bandage. She was no surgeon, but there wasn't one handy at the moment, and she was the best substitute available. His probability of survival was at its highest in her hooves.

She had him roll over a few times to ensure she'd covered all of the damages, then made him stand up so she could swap out the mattress and sheets he'd bled all over. She left him with a glass of water and his thoughts.

He couldn't believe what he'd done, especially with that young mare. Given his past, he completely understood why Jed had drawn on him. Just as Ruiz would have given his life to protect his siblings, Jed was willing to shoot him in front of his own daughter just to keep her safe. To make matters even worse, holding her hadn't even accomplished anything. She now had a greater degree of fear in her life, and for what? An attempted escape that hadn't panned out. He certainly wouldn't be trying that tactic again.

He considered trying to leave again, this time just walking out the front door. If he was shot, so be it. If he were the one in Jed's shoes, he'd be sitting in a rocking chair in the hallway, his slingshot trained on the door in case he decided to ruin his house even more. After the stunt he'd pulled, he'd completely understand if he was brought out behind the barn, tied up and executed by firing squad.

So, why the bandages? Why the first aid? He'd seen a large coil of rope outside when he looked out the window, so why wasn't he tied up, or at least secured to the bed? Why was he given a clean mattress and set of sheets? If he was being held here, why was he being treated this way? Surely, if they'd wanted him dead, it would be easier and more cost-effective to just shoot him on the road. If they wanted to torture him, surely it would be better to let his injuries fester.

The only answer he could come up with made him sick to his stomach. He wasn't a prisoner being kept for profit. Somepony had found him on the road and brought him back to their home to heal him. He'd repaid this debt by destroying their house and holding their daughter hostage. This was as bad a fuck-up as could possibly be imagined, and he had no way to repay the damages that he'd done, let alone account for their kindness.