Page 37 of Keeping His Brat

“You will be. And you’ll probably be feeling pretty miserable for the next couple of days so the more sleep you get the better. I’ll check back in a little while to see how you’re doing. The nurse will set you up with the antibiotics in a few minutes.”

She left them alone and it seemed like a good time for Sam to get Charlie out the door. It took him a while to convince her it was okay to leave him. Neither of them was happy about it, but it was necessary for a number of reasons. One was that he needed to pass out and it was going to be hard enough alone.

Charlie slid to her feet and picked up her bag, shooting him sad looks as she headed for the door. “I hate leaving you here. What if something happens?”

“If something happens then I’m in the best possible place for it. They’re going to take care of me. And hey—Charlie girl?”

She turned back. “Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you,” he said.

“You are? Why?” Her eyes narrowed as if suspecting a trick.

“This was a lot to handle, for anyone, and you did everything right. You know you saved my life, right? I mean imagine if I’d been there alone. Who would have called the ambulance?”

She seemed to brighten at the praise, a slight smile curving her lips up at the corner. It was clear she hadn’t thought of that, but he had. “Does that mean you owe me?”

He chuckled. “We’ll see. I guess I might be able to come up with a reward for you.”

“I have a few suggestions …” She let the words trail off and licked her bottom lip deliberately.

He snorted and shook his head. “I just bet you do. Now, get on home. Be careful driving at night. You know those roads aren’t the best. You’re in charge of things while I’m gone, but work with Ben, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy.”

“Good girl. Now, get going and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Charlie blew him a kiss and ducked out the door fast. Her hurried exit probably showed how hard it was for her to leave at all. If she hadn’t gone quickly, she probably would have found reasons to drag it out. This way was easier.

As much as he loved her and was already missing her company, he was also glad to be alone. He needed to let the pain show without worrying that he was scaring her. There was no part of his body that wasn’t aching at the moment. His head and chest were the worst, but every muscle seemed to be chiming in.

It felt like he’d cracked a rib trying to control the coughing, because every time he began to hack, she’d get that scared pinched look on her face. Sam wasn’t dumb. He was starting to realize why the coughing in particular was hard on her. Jimmy had done a lot of coughing in the last couple years of his life.

He hated that she was so worried, but he couldn’t do anything about it except get better. To do that he needed to rest.

Real rest wasn’t easy to come by in the hospital. It was noisy, the bed was uncomfortable, and the nurses had a tendency to come in and out frequently. But once they set up his medication, including an IV bag full of high doses of antibiotics, he was finally left alone long enough to sleep.

The heavy-duty cough suppressants they gave him had a strong drowsy effect that helped and when he finally did pass out it kept him under for a long time. Even the nurses coming in to check his vitals didn’t wake him completely. He would just stir and mumble and then slide back down into slumber.

Chapter 11

The next few days were busy ones for Charlie. The bed felt lonely without Sam in it. Between that and worrying about his condition she didn’t sleep well. Her studies were taking a backseat to the ranch work that needed to get done, but she was aware of looming deadlines, so she had to try to fit in research whenever she had a spare moment.

That left her camped in the main barn’s office where she could keep an eye on things as she worked. She forced herself to make time for a video session with Marilee because she desperately needed someone to talk to. Getting all those feelings out helped a lot.

It made it easier for her to be brave when she visited Sam in the evenings. It was obvious he was trying to put on a strong front for her. She felt guilty that he needed to do that for her. It was her fault because she’d reacted so badly to him being sick. But once she was able to talk things out with her therapist it did get easier for her to hold things together.

It was becoming clearer to her that she needed to make some friends, find someone local that she could talk to. She couldn’t deny that the therapy was helping, but it also seemed that if she had a friend to lean on a little bit, she wouldn’t have gotten so stressed when the one important person in her life got sick.

“I agree that you need more in your life than Sam, school, and the ranch. Friends are important. So, what are you going to do about it?” Marilee asked.

That was the problem. She didn’t have time to do anything about it, not while she was pulling double duty and sinking in responsibilities. “I guess when he’s better I’ll have to look into it. I honestly don’t know where to start though. I mean where do I find friends when I don’t leave the ranch?”

Charlie had already explained why being friends with the hired hands didn’t really work. “I understand the conflicts there. But besides that, Charlie, I’d like to see you have some connection outside of the ranch. It seems like you live in a bit of a microsystem. You live, work, and socialize all without leaving your land.”

“Well, yeah and that’s comfortable most of the time.” She felt guilty admitting it, as if it was wrong to be content in her own little world. “I guess I owe my father for getting me off to college. As angry as I was at the time, I’m not sure I would ever have experienced the wider world if he hadn’t.”

“Surrounding yourself with the things you knowcanbe very comfortable, unless those things aren’t filling all your needs. In this case, I think there are some things lacking. Getting off the ranch is a good start. How about a hobby? Or maybe some charity work? Those are good ways to meet people.”

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