Page 75 of The Pieces We've Lost

Tears welled in my eyes. I didn’t understand.

Dad ignored her, his focus locked on me. “Hey, look at me.”

I looked up at him, my eyes still glassy.

“Listen, when I get out of here, we’re going to make sure Mom takes you to Cheyenne one day. You’ll love it there.”

“Okay, Dad.” I nodded.

I had no idea what that meant, besides Cheyenne being the place where Mom and Dad had first met. It had to be special if we were going to go there in the future.

“I love you, Sunshine.” He kissed my forehead.

“I love you too, Dad.” I hugged him, not wanting to let go.

Grandpa and Grandma came in and said a few things to Dad and then they told me to go with them and give my parents some time alone. I didn’t argue because I knew that once they were done talking, Dad would be cleared to go and we would all leave the hospital together. He had to; he was invincible.

I gave them one last look over my shoulder, not knowing it would be the last time I would see my dad alive.

“Ellie! Come here, girl, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Reid called out to me, bringing me back to reality. Everyone was gathered around Colter, trying to evaluate how serious his injury was.

“Is he going to be all right?” I asked as I slowly walked up to the group, trying to keep my expression as neutral as possible. My mind was still clogged with thoughts of thatnight, and it took all of my focus to keep the sound of my dad’s voice from shouting in my head.

“He hit the railing pretty hard when he was thrown from his horse. Enough that he’s out cold right now. We’re going to run him to the hospital if you want to come,” Reid explained.

I hated hospitals. Even if I never had to step into another one again, it would still be too soon. Especially for something like this. But Colter was important to me. And I was going to be there for him when he woke up.

“Yeah, I’ll go with you guys,” I agreed.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

colter

My head was throbbing. And when I opened my eyes to figure out where I was, fluorescent lights made the pain worse.

“Where the fuck am I?” I groaned and tried to sit up.

“Easy there, Sparky. You’re concussed, lie back down.” Ellison was standing to my left.

“What happened?” I was trying my best to remember, but the last memory I had of the accident was foggy.

“You got thrown into the fence. Hit your head pretty hard. The doctors said you were lucky there was no significant damage.” Reid walked closer to me.

“Fuck, man.” I didn’t know what to say. This was the kind of injury that could have been prevented. The kind that shouldn’t have happened. Not at this point in the year.

“It happens, Colt. It wasn’t your fault,” he tried to reassure me.

It was my fault, though. This could cost us big in the long run. I wouldn’t be able to compete, and Reid would have to rope with a different partner. It wasn’t always the biggest problem, but competing with someone who youweren’t familiar or compatible with could result in a drop in the rankings. We couldn’t afford that, especially not if we were hoping to make it to the NFR.

A sense of apprehension rose in me. I was about to fail another person. I had failed Sophie, and now I was failing Reid too. Who was to say I wouldn’t fail Ellison next?

I knew if that happened, I would never recover. I couldn’t handle letting down two of the most important people in my life on the same day.

The room started to heat up, getting uncomfortably warm. I didn’t realize I was sucking in air, unable to breathe, until Ellison was right next to me, holding my hand. I leaned into her touch, her presence starting to quiet the thundering voices in my head.

“Breathe, Sparks,” she urged, her voice immediately calming me. “Do it with me. In and out.”

“I’m so sorry, I-I don’t know what happened.”Fuck, why am I so weak?

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