Bullwhipped (A Cowboy Romance) (12 page)

Sammy was dozing in his chair when she got back to him. She poured herself a cup of coffee and though her stomach still wasn’t ready for anything, and sipped on the hot beverage in an attempt to get some energy. She was drained, she was angry, and she was worried. She stared at Dean as he came back in, sitting in the same chair he had when he first pumped Sammy for information. He didn’t say anything and kept his eyes downcast, his usual overbearing demeanor appearing like a man defeated. Maybe she had gotten to him. Maybe it was an act. It didn’t matter either way. She was not going to let him run over her.

“Cale Warren family?”

A doctor took his mask off and adjusted his glasses, approaching them. He shifted his clipboard and Olivia felt like she was about to puke up the coffee she had just drank. Sitting up, she grabbed Sammy’s hand, pulling him from his slumber.

“I’m Olivia, his girlfriend. This is Sammy and that’s his dad, Dean.”

“I’m Dr. Chambers. I wanted to come out and give you an update on Cale’s situation.”

His
situation.
Oh God, Olivia felt the room spin.

“He’s still unconscious, so it’s uncertain if there’s any brain damage. We are running scans to check that. He has a broken rib that punctured his lung, so he’s on oxygen. There’s also some internal bleeding happening, and at the moment, we can’t locate where it’s happening. We have to stabilize him and run more tests. They are in the process of getting him moved to the ICU. Once he’s situated, he can receive two visitors at a time. Do you have any questions?”

“So you don’t know if there’s any brain activity yet?” Sammy asked.

“We did some scans and we are waiting on the results. We won’t know a whole lot until those come back and if we can get a reaction from Cale.”

“So he’s not stabile?”

“His o2 is at a good level now that we have him on oxygen, but past that, we just have to take it one step at a time. Our concern is the brain activity and keeping the lung from collapsing, along with locating where the internal bleeding is coming from.” The doctor patted Olivia’s hand. “He’s in good hands. He’s young, he’s otherwise healthy, and he’s strong. We’ll come get you as soon as we get him moved.”

“Thanks, Doctor.” Olivia whimpered and hugged Sammy, his strong arms serving as a safety net. “Brain function? It’s worse than I thought.”

“Dr. Chambers is right, Olivia. He’s strong. You need to be strong for him too.”

“I hope they get him moved soon. I want to see him.” Time was in slow motion, and she wished they could push the reset button on this day.

Olivia had to take a few seconds before stepping behind the small partition that separated the beds in the ICU. He was in bed seven and she took that as a good luck omen. Sammy had let her go in first and to her surprise, Dean stayed back as well, giving her some privacy with him. The nurse nodded toward her and extended her hand.

“I’m Daisy. I’ll be Cale’s nurse until seven in the morning.”

Olivia was so disoriented that she didn’t even know what time it was. Returning the gesture, she said, “I’m Olivia.”

“If you need anything let me know. He’s still asleep, but everything is stable.”

“Thanks.”

She slid into the small room, gasping at the sight of him in the bed. His face was bruised up and there was a nasal cannula in his nose. Edging closer, she took his hand in hers, wishing he’d squeeze back, but it fell loose, not responding to her touch. Looking up at the numbers on the monitor, she studied them. She wasn’t a medical person, but she at least understood where they needed to be. As the nurse had said, things looked okay, but he wasn’t awake, and it made her sick to her stomach.

“Cale, it’s Livie. I want you to know that I’m here for you. We’re here for you. Sammy is just outside. He said he’d come in soon.” She thought better of mentioning his father. She didn’t want to agitate him just in case he could hear her. “I love you so much, babe. We need you to wake up.”

She fanned her hand through his unruly hair, hoping his eyebrows would lift in response like they usually did when he was sleeping, but again, she received nothing in return. The bull had done a number on him. His bottom lip was swollen and the bruising around his eye was swelling. And that was just the visible injuries. What was going on inside him?

She recollected what he had told her the night he had opened up to her about his dad.

“Pain is relative. At least if the bull hurts me it’s only because he just wants to buck me off and get on with his life. It doesn’t hurt near as bad as my dad’s fists did.”

Would that still ring true for him? Had he ever been through something this drastic? She swallowed hard, studying every line on his face, every eyelash, and everything about him, as he lay helpless in the bed.

Sammy came in and went to the other side of the bed, taking his hat off as he looked down at his friend. “Jeez, Cale,” he said, keeping his voice low.

“Sammy is here, Cale.” Olivia smiled. “I’m not sure if he can hear us or not, but I’ve always heard to talk to them and that sometimes can pull them out of their coma, or whatever it is he has going on.”

“Yeah, that sounds good to me.” Sammy swiped his hand against his skin, trying to hide his tears, but he wasn’t quick enough. “I just… I just can’t stand seeing him like this. It brings back too many memories. Cale is a superhero for what he’s been through. This shouldn’t be happening again.”

“He’s been hurt this bad before?”

“I wouldn’t go as far as saying this bad, but he was in and out of the hospital since he was a boy.” Sammy gripped the side of the bed so tight that his knuckles turned white. “You need anything, Olivia? Want food? I’d be happy to go get it for you.”

He wasn’t one to stand around in the hospital, and he was grasping at excuses to be helpful. She couldn’t blame him for it. He genuinely cared for Cale, but felt more useful doing productive things.

“I could use a toothbrush and some toiletries. I don’t plan on leaving, but I’d like to freshen up.” Walking to his side of the bed, she hugged him again. “Cale won’t be mad if you don’t want to stay up here. Don’t feel like you have to stand around and wait. You go finish your rides. Stay on eight. Bring home a check. That’s how you can help him.” She pointed down at the bed. “I’ll stay here with him.”

He nodded and the tears flowed. “Yeah, he wouldn’t want me skipping out on them, especially here in Killeen.”

“Go take home first place. For him.”

Olivia followed him out into the hallway, hugging him one last time before he left. Letting out a deep breath, her calmed nerves heightened when Dean started toward her.

“How is he, Olivia?”

“Still unconscious.”

He stepped toward his bed but she put her hand on his chest in an attempt to stop him. The man had seventy pounds on her, but she stood her ground.

“I don’t think you should go in there.”

“He’s my son. I want to see him.”

She kept her hand on him, staring right into his eyes. They were the same shade of green as Cale’s. “I don’t think he needs to stress put on him, Dean. The last thing you need to do is hop on in there and start talking down to him, even if he’s not awake. Can’t you have a small shred of respect for him right now? I mean, let him recover.”

“I thought a lot about what you said to me earlier. You’re right. Everything you said hit home and I’m sorry.”

Shaking her head, Olivia had a hard time reading him. Was he that good of a con artist, or was he truly being sincere? “That’s good to hear, Dean, but maybe you ought to say that to Cale once he’s awake. For now, let him rest. Respect him that much to just wait a bit longer. Can you do that?”

Dean hesitated, looking past her toward Cale’s room. He didn’t like it, but he agreed. “I can do that. If that’s what you think he needs, I can do that. I really did think about it all. Thanks for opening my eyes to it.”

Olivia was skeptical, but rather than stand and debate it with him, she went back to Cale’s bedside, sending Oscar a text about the situation. She was on the verge of breaking down. There was still no news from the doctors about his brain functioning or what the next steps would be. What little patience she had was in its last reserves.

Taking Cale’s hand again, she closed her eyes. “Come on, Cale. Wake up. Be okay. Please.”

***

“Cale?”

The voice echoed like he was in a deep tunnel, but when he tried to open his eyes, it felt like a nail was being driven through his skull. Cringing, he kicked his legs out, but his body screamed at the sudden movement. Even the groan deep in his throat was painful.

“Cale? Are you waking up?”

A hand gripped his and his first instinct was to pull away, but the touch was so soothing that he welcomed the smooth palm against him. Forcing his lids open, he squinted, still unable to make out who was there. His vision was blurry and he blinked several times to try and clear it.

“Cale, honey, it’s Livie.”

Livie
. Her name was like music to his ears and he turned to face her, finally making her face out against the light above him. “Livie…” he whispered, his throat burning.

“Do you need some water?”

He nodded and it was like his brain was sloshing around in his skull. “Can you turn the light off?” His own voice was painful. How in the hell did he get here? Had a semi truck hit him?

The light dimmed but didn’t completely turn off, but it helped alleviate some of the sharp pain. Olivia placed the straw on his lips and he drank two big gulps, savoring the water.

“What… what happened?” Talking made him lose his breath, and he ran his finger over the rubber contraption in his nose. There was a deep pain in his chest with every inhale and exhale.

Before she could answer, a man in a white coat came in. “It’s good to see you awake, Cale. You’ve been out of it for three days now. We were starting to get worried about you. I’m Dr. Chambers.”

Cale stared up at him, still confused about everything. “Cale Warren.” Of course he knew who he was, he was holding his chart for crying out loud.

“Here’s what we know from the tests we’ve ran. Your brain function seems to look good. You waking up confirms it, but we are concerned about some short-term memory loss. Can you tell me the last thing you remember up until now?”

Cale thought about the question for a moment, glancing at Olivia and back to him. “Hard to say. Everything is fuzzy. I guess watching Olivia take her ride at the rodeo.”

“You don’t remember your ride?”

He shook his head no and cringed. He had to remember not to do that. “No.”

“You got beat up pretty bad by the bull. Broken rib, punctured lung, concussion, and some internal damage.”

“I got bucked off?” Cale asked, lifting his head from the pillow. The room spun and he closed his eyes, fighting the vertigo.

“You got hung up on the rope, Cale,” Olivia said, brushing her hand down his forearm.

“When can I get out of here?”

“We’ve still got to run some tests. Your lung could collapse if we jump the gun too soon. And I also need to keep an eye on your concussion. If there is short-term memory loss, we might have to look into that. The good news is that your internal bleeding has stopped and appears to be healing well.”

Cale frowned and looked up at the ceiling. All he could think about was the rodeo and not finishing. His dad would have a field day with him, especially since he predicted this very thing about getting hurt and being stuck in the hospital.

“Slow and steady, Cale. You’re recovering well, but we have to make sure you’re okay.” Dr. Chambers patted the bed. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Doctor.” Olivia smiled down at Cale, tracing her index finger over his hairline. “I was so worried about you.”

“I can’t believe this is happening.” He was pissed, but he couldn’t take it out on her. “Did you stay here this whole time?”

“Yeah. I can’t stomach the idea of leaving you here.”

“How long has it been?”

“Three days.”

He remembered the doctor saying that, but it escaped him. Maybe his short-term memory really was shot. That could be a blessing and a curse, all at the same time. “Did you miss your rides?”

“I did. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re awake now. It’s just a rodeo. They’ll be more.”

“Another set back for your riding school,” Cale said, finally revealing that he knew about her plans.

“How did you know about that?”

“Oscar told me the night he tried to fight me. I shouldn’t set you back from your dreams, Livie. Killeen is a big check and here you are, stuck in a hospital with me. History repeats itself. This won’t be the last time I’m in this situation. Sure as hell ain’t the first time.”

“I’m not stuck here, Cale. I
want
to be here. I can get the money some other time.”

Her pained look made his heart break. “I’m sorry. I really do appreciate it.” He gripped her hand, squeezing it as hard as he could, but he had no energy. The woman really did love him, though he couldn’t figure out why. “What a surprise, my dad isn’t here either.”

Olivia shifted her weight, her posture changing. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but since you brought it up, I’ll tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“He is here. He’s in the waiting room. He’s also been here this whole time.”

“Really? He must really want to lay into me this time. I screwed up and he’s chomping at the bit to let me know about it.”

“No, Cale, there’s more you need to know. I confronted him. He claims that he’s thought about it. I don’t really know him, but I think maybe a light turned on. He’s kept his distance at my request so you wouldn’t get worked up, but I think we need to see if he really is being sincere.”

“He’s not, Livie. He’s the same son of a bitch that he was before this.” All of the talking was making it even harder to breathe, and the nurse came in when his monitor started to beep.

“Cale, your 02 is low. How about you rest some more? How’s your pain on a scale from one to ten?” she asked as she checked his IV’s.

“About a seven.”

“It’s time for another dose of pain meds. It’ll help you relax.”

He felt the cool liquid gush in the port and it was an almost instant effect. His vision blurred and he felt great, like nothing else mattered in the world. Olivia faded, and he barely was able to mouth the words, “I love you,” before completely crashing.

***

Olivia felt horrible for getting Cale riled up. He was so confused and worried about everything but himself, but at least he was resting again. She was relieved that he didn’t have any major damage, but the short-term memory loss was still worrisome. Walking back to the waiting room, she sat beside Dean who looked exhausted. The bags under his eyes were getting darker.

“Hey Olivia. I hear he woke up.”

“He did. But he’s sleeping again. I made him talk too much. He’s still struggling. It’s going to be a slow recovery, I think. He’s already wanting out of here. Probably wants to get right back on a bull.”

Dean smiled and his laugh was so natural that for a second, Olivia forgot about his awful past with Cale. “He’s a stubborn ass. Always has been. I guess you can blame me for that.”

“I told him you’ve been here. That’s what got him flustered. If you truly want to be here for him, I think you need to talk to him. Without sounding like a complete bitch, if you’re just all talk and you have no intention of mending your relationship with Cale, I suggest you walk right out the door and don’t look back.”

“It’s sad that it took you reaming me for me to open my eyes, but yes, if I didn’t care and just wanted to point out his failures, I wouldn’t have waited around.”