It scared me to see John that drunk last night, to see him that upset and that vulnerable, but what scared me more was the thought of how far he would've taken it if I hadn't gone up there to see him.

I couldn't think about that; instead I got out of bed, feeling very unrested and sluggish. I showered, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, and then went downstairs to make myself a pot of coffee.

It was only seven in the morning, way too early considering I went to bed at half past two the night before.

I had work to do though. John would likely be asleep for a couple hours still, and I doubted he'd feel up for working too much today, which meant I'd have to pick up the slack. I didn't mind. It was Sunday; we usually took it pretty easy on Sundays anyway.

I put my boots on and shoved a pair of earbuds in my ear, putting my iPod on shuffle as I made way out into the early morning sun, the dew on the ground just about gone.

The water trough in one of my bigger paddocks outside was getting a little low so I turned on the water hose and filled that up first, then went into the stables to check on the horses and fill the stalls with fresh water and feed.

"How're you doin', boy?" I whispered to Spirit, stroking his dark mane and patting his shoulder.

I spent most of the morning inspecting the pastures and taking out some unwanted weeds. Some of the horses followed me around, possibly wondering if I had any treats for them. They lost interest when they realized I didn't have anything. "Sorry," I apologized with a little smile as an old gelding snorted at me, looking quite unimpressed by my lack of apple slices.

When I came back to the barn at around noon I decided to check on John and see if he was still breathing.

I knocked softly on the hatch, just in case he was just getting out of the shower or something. When I didn't hear an answer, I opened the hatch. He was still asleep, lying on his stomach with his face in the pillows.

I tip-toed to the bed and ran my fingers through his hair, noticing that the aspirins were gone. He must've gotten up a little earlier to take them and gone back to bed.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Mm, you're makin' too much noise," he mumbled, his words muffled by his pillow.

"Dare I ask how you're feelin'?" I smirked.

"Like I was run over by a fuckin' bulldozer," he grumbled, unmoving.

"Do you want coffee or food? I can make somethin' greasy..." I suggested with an amused smile on my face, trying to suppress my giggles.

"This ain't funny," he grumbled.

"I'm not laughin'," I argued.

"You're smilin'," he went on.

I had no clue how he could possibly know that with his face buried in the pillows but I didn't ask, instead sitting down on his bed and running my hand up and down his back. He was still wearing his dress shirt but his pants were lying in a heap next to the bed. I wasn't the one that pulled them off him, so he must've done that sometime during the night.

"What time is it?" he asked, the grogginess in his voice slowly wearing off. He turned his head around to look at me, squinting a little in the dim light coming from the cracks in his blinds. He looked like crap.

"About a quarter after Noon," I shrugged.

He struggled to get into a seated position, but when that failed he resorted to lying down on his back, digging his fingers into his hair.

"I need to go check on the horses," he grunted.

"I took care of it," I reassured him, putting a hand on his stomach. "What you need to do is shower... you smell really unappealin'... and get out of those clothes... I'm goin' to Maisy's later; she's openin' up weddin' presents... so I'll drop your suit off to get it dry-cleaned before I head there."

"Okay," he said.

"Okay," I repeated.

We were silent for a while and I could tell something was going on in his head. He sighed and ran his hands over his stubble.

"Last night..." he began. He was looking like he was struggling to put the pieces together. "You were here," he stated.

"I was," I nodded.

"I yelled at you," he murmured.

"Mmhm," I replied, glancing down at my knees.

"I'm sorry," he said. The pain on his face was raw and real, his eyes meeting mine. Any trace of the anger I'd seen last night was gone from his features. "I shouldn't have... I was an idiot, I get like that sometimes," he whispered.

"You're not an idiot," I smiled wryly, lying down in the bed next to him. I nestled my head in the crook of his arm. For a moment we were silent, his fingers running through my hair. I draped my arm over his stomach. "You're just old," I murmured against his chest, smiling.

"Oh well thanks," John snorted, his chest rising and falling underneath my cheek as he laughed.

"I'm kiddin', I'm so sorry, that was a bad joke," I giggled, tilting my chin up to look at him. "You're not old... ten years... eleven... It doesn't matter... it really doesn't. We're not doin' anythin' wrong," I said stubbornly.

"I know," he sighed, pulling me closer and kissing the top of my head. "I don't do well when people start talkin' about me... Feels like high school," he admitted with a low chuckle.

"Yeah," I replied, listening to his heart beat, considering his words. I let out a long breath. "I have to leave soon," I told him.

"No you don't," he argued, his hold on me tightening.

"I won't be gone too long..." I giggled. "You still need to shower and eat somethin'," I added, poking him in the belly. "You can hang out in the main house if you don't wanna stay holed up here... I've got Netflix," I smiled.

"Netflix won't fill the void in my heart when you're gone," he retorted.

"Sounds like the start of a song," I giggled.

He stayed quiet for a few moments, his fingers drumming against my arm to a beat in his head that only he could hear.

"You're like a drug, can't get enough..." he started to rap, his country twang adding a fun little twist to the words. "Every time I think I'm done, I turn around and come right back for more... You're like a hook, reelin' me in... with your sequence of still pictures in rapid succession..."

I burst into fits of giggles, propping myself up on my elbow to watch him.

"Oh baby, I can watch ya all day... Bingin' like I ain't got no shame... But when it's all said and done... you'll never be the one... I'm just a lonely old fool, sittin' on my couch, lyin' in my bed, fictional characters in my head..."

Oh my God. He was killing me, I couldn't breathe!

"One night I walk in a club, tryin' to get me some... I'd be like: I can be your McDreamy and you can be my..." he stalled, grinning. "What's the name of the girl in Grey's Anatomy?" he asked.

It took me a minute to settle down to answer him, my belly aching from all of the laughing. "Meredith," I giggled, shaking my head.

"Right!" he said, launching into a rap again: "I'd be like: I can be your McDreamy and you could be my Meredith... gettin' all sorts of kinky, doin' it on gurneys..."

"Okay, okay, stop! Oh my God, John!" I laughed, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Wow, that was horrible," I laughed, running my fingers through my hair, my cheeks flushed red. "Catchy though... wow, you're somethin' special."

"Oh you know, I do what I can," he smirked.

"The fact that you know about McDreamy..." I trailed off, slightly disbelieving. "I like you a little more now," I laughed.

"Don't read too much into it, I've never watched a single damn episode and I ain't about to," he smirked.

"Oh my God, it's so good... so cheesy but so good!" I gasped.

"Alright, that's my cue... I'm gonna go shower before you convince me to watch a whole season with ya," he said quickly, untangling himself from the sheets and from my embrace.

I watched him go, my eyes trailing down to his boxer-briefs, admiring the view until there was a door separating us. I fell back into his bed, grinning like an idiot as his song replayed in my head.

He was a pretty great singer though, I couldn't deny him that. The fact that he was able to come up with that off the top of his head was impressive too. Actually, it made me wonder what he could come up with if he decided to actually write a song.

A/N: I can't write songs and I certainly can't rap... but I tried my best! LOL John is a goof. :D