Page 86 of The Cowboy's Bullfighter
“Son?Honey? I need you to wake up just for a second. You’re fixin’ to go into surgery again, just to clear out some infection. I need to see your pretty eyes first, baby. Come on and look at me.”
“Goddamn it, boy!” Pops snapped. “Wake up and look at your momma.”
His eyes popped right open.
“There he is.”
He hurt everywhere and nowhere all at once. It was like being caught in a wave where you knew you were fixin’ to drown, but it was all too big to feel.
“Momma,” he croaked. Shit, he really was fixin’ to die.
“You know it. They have to just go in and clean you up a little bit. You got busted up pretty good.”
“Brooks?”
“Is coming. I swear to God.”
“Okay.” He groped for his mom’s hand, the IVs pulling. Lord, he’d figured he’d never have to feel that again. “Love you.” His throat was dry as bone, but if they were gonna have to surge on him more, he wouldn’t be allowed to guzzle anything. “Ice chips?”
“Here, baby.” His mom gave him a tiny sliver of ice, then wet his lips with one of them sponge things.
“This one won’t be long, and then you’ll be moved into a private room and can rest a few days.” Pops winked at him. “You look like shit.”
“Oh good.” He felt that way. “Need help with the kids. Benji’s got to work.”
“I know, honey. Ben can stay until the end of the week, and I’m here with your pop. You just rest and get better. Be strong.”
“Another ice?”
“Sure, baby boy. But then you just close your eyes. When you wake up again, you’ll feel better. You’re needing to get all that goo out of you.”
“I need Brooks to come.” That was who he wanted here, dammit. “Tell him he cain’t just leave me like this.”
“Oh, I will let him know, as soon as I see him. Don’t you worry your baby head about that.” Momma’s eyes seemed to flash. “I will let him know how the cow ate the cabbage.”
“Just tell him I love him, and that I ain’t really mad at the horse. He was just doing what was in his nature.”
A hospital tech came into the room. “It’s time to take him, guys. You can wait in the waiting area if you want, and then we’ll put him in a room of his own once he’s out of recovery.”
“Okay.” Momma was crying, but Pops kissed him on his forehead, nodded.
“See you in a couple minutes, boy.”
“Yes, sir. Love you.”
“I love you. Never doubt it.”
Coop closed his eyes and nodded. He never had doubted it. Why start now?
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Hey, buddy. Welcome back.”
“Hey, Kase.” Brooks gave Kase a smile, even though worry was riding him like a prize pony. He needed to get to Coop.
“You get all your shit sorted?”
He hefted his bag, grunted. “I did. I didn’t check anything. The straws will be coming by courier.”
