Wallis hadn't looked in on Forest; just tried to keep his heavy footfalls from waking him up. When Lex motioned him over he agreed that he didn't look good. He'd opened the cabinets looking for what had been requested. He'd found a rag but nothing else that may help to bring the fever down.<br/><br/>“No,” he said solemnly, worried about their host. “He's been running himself ragged, probably long before we showed up. A body can only hold out for so long.” He felt a little guilty for not trying to help the farmer more. They could have been a little more insistent but Forest was protective over the work. They'd let it go, and had waited for Forest to show them how things were done. Too late now, it would seem.<br/><br/>Forest grumbled when Lex wiped the sweat off his brow. The water was cold against his skin and he weakly made the effort to push the young man's hand away.<br/><br/>“I can help,” Wallis offered when Lex suggested moving him. “He'd probably be more comfortable in his own bed.” He put a hand on Forest's arm, moving around Lex.<br/><br/>“Hey, Forest. You're looking pretty lousy today, brother. We're going to get you back upstairs so you can rest,” he said, trying not to overly surprise the farmer. He was awake now, so better to get it done before he fell back asleep. Forest was making an effort to sit up anyway, Lex helping him along where he knelt down beside the couch.<br/><br/>“Let's get you on your feet then.” Wallis had put a hand beneath Forest's elbow and he allowed the two of them to help him to his feet. When they turned towards the stairs though, Forest fought them. He jerked away from Wallis, spinning towards the front door, slumping into Lex's side, not realizing how much of his weight Wallis had been holding. Wallis helped to stabilize him again, unsure what to do in the situation if Forest didn't want to cooperate with them. He was a grown man and they weren't in any sort of position to make him do anything, sick or not. At the same time, he didn't want to test if he was strong enough to stand on his own two feet, unwilling to break the man down if he couldn't. He seemed proud in that way.<br/><br/>“More to do,” Forest was mumbling. “Fence.. gonna come down,” he was protesting. About that time Mason emerged from where the bedroom and Wallis looked to him for a little help since this was his friend.<br/><br/>“Gonna be fine, Forest. Mason and I will take care of any fence issue. I didn't work construction for years without learning plenty. Anything else you can tell us exactly how you want it done. Lex can write it down and we'll do it exactly as you say. For now, he's going to look after you. Fever's got you in a bad way. A little rest and you'll be back up and running in no time,” Wallis volunteered when Mason didn't speak up. The man looked like he was about to argue and Wallis knew it was because he didn't want Lex and Forest to be in the home alone together, which was ridiculous. They needed him to get better much more than they needed to cater to Mason's jealousy. Lex was the best one for the task of looking after Forest, and Mason was the best choice in helping him fix whatever issue was going on with the fence. Wallis stared hard at Mason and eventually nodded, knowing he couldn't argue.<br/><br/>“Come on Lex, let's try to get him upstairs while he's got the strength to fight us for the door,” Wallis said, and they coaxed Forest up the stairs. Mason followed behind and they guided him right back to his bedroom, the largest one at the end of the hall. It belonged to his parents but after his mother had died, Forest's father had them switch bedrooms. It was decorated warmly like the rest of the home, minus some picture frames taken down. They got Forest to sit on the edge of the large bed.<br/><br/>“We'll handle it, you have my word,” Wallis said.<br/><br/>“Take the gun,” Forest croaked, but it sounded like as much of an agreement as anything. He pointed, but the rifle he was talking about was sitting propped against the end of the couch, downstairs. Not in its usual spot beside the bed.