Page 8 of Caleb's Cause
“Not a problem. I figure it’s going to take you a few days to get everyone straight. That’s why we have these shindigs, it’s for the newbies to meet everyone at once.”
“What a wonderful idea.” Caleb followed the older man, making sure to match his steps, and when he got to the area, he stopped in shock to see all the people there. He leaned closer and asked. “Is this everyone?”
“Only the people that work with Broken, and New Double. Oh, and the three men that helped raise Clark and Erin. The other hands that have been with Erin for a long, long time, have their own families they go home to every night. Only Wendel, Floyd, and Virgil stay on the ranch. They have their own cabins, just like you, and everyone else.” He swung his arm wide, and Caleb nodded at seeing the cabins again. He stepped forward and the first person to approach him was his uncle. He held out a beer, then jerked it back when Caleb started to reach for it.
“Are you sure you’re of age?”
“I’m twenty-four, Uncle Ry.” Caleb laughed as the older man shook his head. “Damn, I feel old.”
“That’s because you are,” the beautiful redhead he’d seen in town the day before said as she came up and wrapped her arm around Ryan’s back, then turned to Caleb.
“Hi, I’m Pru, and I’m engaged to Ryan. You’ll hear it all, but I might as well start it off. Has Erin told you about our challenges?”
“Not specifics, but she mentioned there were some.”
“Oh, well, I have TBI. Traumatic brain injury. I have good days and bad. To look at me, there’s nothing wrong, but there is.”
“We’re working on it, Prudora,” Ryan said as he bent down and kissed the top of her head.
‘Lucky bastard’,Caleb thought of his uncle with the redhead.
“I don’t work with things like that, but I’d like to know what’s happening.”
“The way my doctors explained is that some days, my neurons fire normally, like they are now. Today is a good day.”
“What does a bad day look like?”
“I either stare off into space and forget my own name, or I talk so fast no one can understand what I’m saying. That’s when the doctor says my neurons are either sluggish, or being overactive. I don’t know what to do, but some days I feel like hitting myself over the head again to straighten them out.” She quickly shook her head vigorously and held her hands out before her. “I never would do that, but that’s the way my brain seems to work.”
“May I ask what happened to cause your TBI?”
“I was whip-smart, and still am in my good days, but I was in the Air Force. I was training to become a pilot. I won’t get into all the details, but one of the other trainees operating the helicopter started hot dogging. Something must have snapped in him, because we were at least two hundred miles off course, and we crashed. We hung upside down for hours before we were found. Out of the five of us, I was the only survivor. The doctors think everything should go back to normal, and it was because I was upside down for so long that caused the TBI, because I never hit my head. At least I didn’t think I did. I didn’t have any marks that indicated the tree that came through the windshield hit me. The men on either side of me shielded me with their bodies, and they were pinned by the trees, and they had me pinned.”
“Damn, so you couldn’t get free?”
“No. But, I’m better now, or at least I think I’m improving.”
“You are,” Ryan said. He looked at Caleb with a smirk. “You know what happened to me, I told you and your dad the last time I was there.”
“Right, and I have to say, and I hope no one takes offense, but holy fucking shit, Uncle Ry, when did you get so fucking huge?”
Ryan grinned as he flexed his muscles. “I put on sixty pounds since you last saw me. I had lost forty because of the torture. And I’m completely healed. I’ve been working construction, and other than the missing eye and scars all over my body, I’m healed.”
“I’m glad for that.”
“Good, and I know you were raised properly, so please don’t take offense to what I’m about to say. I think that now, since you’re an adult you can call me Ry, Ryan, or Carter. I’m giving you my permission to drop the ‘Uncle’.” He saw the grin on the younger man’s face, then took him around to introduce him to everyone. By the time they sat down to eat, Caleb had met everyone, and knew of their challenges. He knew he’d be questioning them later, because he didn’t know if he’d remember it all, Which was fine. It would give him an excuse to talk with them.
They all laughed and joked as they ate, and again Caleb had the sense that he had come home. Not that living with his father hadn’t been a good experience, but living with his mother had been hell. Now that she was where she belonged, and would be for a long, long time, he could finally breathe easier. It took a few minutes to realize that Ryan was calling to him, and he shook his head to look over at the man he had respected and loved his entire life.
“Caleb,” Ryan began. “I don’t know about the women, other than Prudora, but most of the men here know about my situation with your mother.” He turned to look at the others. “Caleb is my sister, Karen’s child. Please, do not think that he is any way like her. He isn’t. If I thought he was, I would have never asked him to come and look up Erin when he was done with school. As we all learned here tonight, he will be the physical therapist and chiropractor over at Broken Two.”
Caleb nodded and said thanks as the others welcomed him, then he turned to Ryan with a grin. “So, was that an introduction for me to spill the tea about Karen?” He looked at the others with a shake of his head. “That’s really her name, and I believe I was twelve when I started using her first name. I’m twenty-four now.” He saw everyone nod, then with his eyes on Ryan only, he smirked. “I will start this off by telling you that Karen is exactly where she belongs, and will be for some time to come.”
“Spill,” Ryan said, and settled Pru back to his chest, and took a sip of his beer. “Not that I care, but I want to know if I have to look over my shoulder.”
“Not for at least eighteen to twenty years. She’s not even eligible for parole until after serving eighteen.” Caleb felt proud that he didn’t just blurt out that his mother was in prison.
“Holy hell, what did she do this time?” He looked around and explained how bad and entitled his sister thought she had been growing up, and about some of the things she had done to him while growing up.
