Remembering August (Triple C Ranch Saga)

by Rodney V. Earle

  “Who is Joe?” asked Dr. Nguyen. “Is he sick?”

  Sheila chuckled. “No. He’s my husband.”

  “Your husband is sick?”

  “No… he’s—”

  “You say he have stomach plobrem?” said Dr. Nguyen. “Who his doctor?”

  “No… he is a doctor,” Sheila said.

  “Oh,” said Dr. Nguyen. “So Joe is sick?”

  Colleen laughed and said, “See what I gotta put up with? How was your nap?”

  “I not take nap, but I’m tired,” Dr. Nguyen intercepted.

  “Not you, Doctor,” Colleen said. “Sheila. She took a nap.”

  “Oh. I confuse,” he said and turned to Sheila. “Who is your doctor?”

  “Sheila… just ignore him,” Colleen said with a smile.

  “Umm… too good,” said Sheila with a yawn of her own. “I gotta hit the road.”

  Dr. Nguyen winked at Sheila and returned to studying Colleen’s chart.

  “You gonna come see me tomorrow?” Colleen asked. Dr. Nguyen looked up from his chart and before he could say anything, Colleen said, “Not you, doctor.”

  Sheila stood up, gave her hair a finger comb, and gathered her purse. “Absolutely,” she said. “Probably around supper time.”

  Doctor Nguyen started to say something, but decided against it. Sheila leaned over Colleen, gave her a quick hug and kissed her on the forehead.

  “I’m worried about you,” Colleen said.

  “I’ll be fine,” Sheila said. I’m just gonna take it one day at a time.”

  “What are you gonna… or I should say… are you gonna tell Joe about it?”

  “I don’t know,” Sheila said. “I will at some point.”

  “Well… hang in there,” Colleen said. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Sheila said with another kiss to the forehead. “Heal up soon.”

  “I will. Drive safe.”

  “Nice to meet you, doctor.”

  “Nice to meet you, too,” said the Doctor. “Tell Joe I hope he feel better.”

  Sheila thought for a second about explaining that Joe wasn’t sick, but gave in and said. “I will. Thank you.” Sheila winked at Colleen and headed for the door, checking her watch again.

  Doctor Nguyen lowered the bed rail and moved the covers from Colleen’s leg. “How you feel?” he asked.

  “Not too bad, Doc,” she said. “Thanks to the Morphine, that is.”

  “Good,” said the doctor. “You feel this?” he said as he ran the tips of his fingers the length of Colleen’s foot.

  “Yup.”

  “Try move big toe,” he said.

  Colleen held her breath and tried to move her toe. Sharp pains shot through her leg. Her whole body flinched. “Owie… owie,” she said, wincing.

  “That not too bad,” said the Doctor as he pulled the covers back over her leg.

  “Speak for yourself, Doc.”

  “Can you bend you knee?”

  “Yes. That I can do, and it doesn’t hurt too much.”

  “Okay. Good. Vely good,” he said, patting Colleen’s shoulder. “You go home tomollow.”

  “What?” said Colleen, surprised.

  “You mebbe go home if X-lay rook good.”

  “Seriously? What time will that be?”

  Doctor Nguyen picked up Colleen’s chart again and flipped through the pages. “All rook good so far. I say…” he said, looking up thoughtfully at the ceiling tiles as if they held the answer. “Mebbe four or five o’crock I come see you, then you go.”

  “Oh, thank God,” said Colleen. “Thank you so much, Doctor.”

  “Welcome,” he said as he fumbled in his pockets for a pen. “You eat good?”

  “Yes. As a matter of fact, I’m starving,” said Colleen.

  “Me too,” said the doctor. “I hungly for cake.”

  Colleen chuckled. “When I get home, I’ll send you one. What kind of cake do you like?”

  “Oh, any kind. I eat all kind.”

  “Do you like carrot cake?” Colleen asked.

  “My fave-lit,” said the doctor.

  “Okay. I’ll have my mom send you one of hers. It’s to die for.”

  Doctor Nguyen checked Colleen’s IV meds and made a note in the chart. “Good,” he said. “I get you more Morphine, and I see you tomollow.”

  “Sounds good,” said Colleen. “Have a good night, Doc.”

  Doctor Nguyen nodded at her, flipped the chart closed and said, “Bye bye.”

  “Bye.”

  Colleen mashed the pain button and grabbed her cell phone. A thousand things ran through her head. Shivers ran up her spine at the thought of going home. She dialed the ranch and said aloud, “So many things to do.” The answering machine picked up after five rings. “Shit.”

  †

  Carlos stepped inside the doorway, wiped his feet, and headed for the kitchen. The table was empty, which only meant one thing. He peered in the den and saw Joan buried in the couch. He shook his head as he counted the empty bottles of Wisconsin Premium. Suddenly his cell rang. He hurried back out of the kitchen and out the front door. The last thing he needed was to deal with a drunk, pie-eyed woman after such a long day.

  “Hey,” said Colleen.

  “Hello there.”

  “I figure it’s about dinner time. She sittin’ there?”

  “No. She’s asleep.”

  “Passed out is more like it,” said Colleen.

  Carlos said nothing.

  “Well, since she still isn’t talking to me, I need another favor.”

  “No problem, Boss.”

  Colleen ignored Carlos’s Boss comment and said, “You have anything pressing tomorrow afternoon about five or six?”

  “No,” said Carlos. I should be done with a riding lesson about that time. Miss Victoria.”

  “Awww. That girl… she’s as cute as a damn button. Tell her I miss my star pupil, will ya?”

  “I will do that,” said Carlos. “You said you need a favor, Boss?”

  “I do,” said Colleen. “Can you come pick me up?”

  “You’re coming home then?”

  “Yes. If all goes well with the x-rays, Doc says I can go home.”

  “Fantastica,” said Carlos. “And this visitor you spoke of this morning… she will be coming then too?”

  “Well… if she gets in touch with me. I have no idea where she is right now. I’m hopin’ she didn’t take my money and run.”

  “She took your money?” Carlos asked.

  “Well… no. I gave her some cash to get things in order before she comes out, and she’s supposed to call me.”

  “Oh.”

  “Hey, has Mom said anything to you about… my visitor?”

  “Not much,” said Carlos. “I know she moved some things from the… room.”

  “Okay, good. Well, when you see Mom in the morning, just let her know I’ll be coming home, and I would appreciate if she came with you to pick me up.”

  “I’ll tell her, but I don’t know if she…”

  “Well…” said Colleen. “If she does, she does. If she doesn’t, I’ll deal with it when I get home.”

  “Okay,” said Carlos. “I will be there about five then.”

  “Perfect. I can’t wait to get the hell out of this place. Too much shit to do.” Colleen heard a loud engine in the background. “Jesus… Jeff really should put that thing out of its misery.”

  “I will tell him you said so,” chuckled Carlos as he waved his hat to the sheriff.

  “Why is he there? Is something wrong?”

  “No, no…” said Carlos. “Just another tin pan. Same as usual.”

  “Where this time?”

  “The arroyo up the main trail.”

  “Damn nomads,” said Colleen.

  “Si.”

  “Okay, Los. I’ll let you get back to it.”

  “See you tomorrow… Boss.”

  “Carlos? You know how much I—” Carlos hung up before
Colleen got the chance to scold him.

  Carlos wiped his brow on his sleeve. Jeff killed the engine and leaned out the window. “Looks like we finally get a break from this heat,” he said.

  “Oh?” said Carlos as he propped a foot on the running board of the tired Blazer.

  “Could be late tomorrow night or so. Storm’s brewin’ up Santa Barbara and headed this a-way.”

  “Hmmm,” said Carlos thoughtfully. “The big boss won’t be happy about that.”

  “How’s she doin’?”

  “She is getting better. She comes home tomorrow.”

  “No shit,” said Jeff, thoughtfully. “I hear tell her and Joan had some… words.”

  “News travels quickly,” said Carlos.

  Jeff nodded and picked at his teeth with a toothpick. “MaeBell travels faster,” he said. “The way I heared it, it was some kinda ruckus. A little birdie told me you got a new filly comin’ in.”

  “Si,” said Carlos. “A friend of the boss. You know this… filly?”

  “I’ve seen her around. I know of her,” said Jeff. “You’re gonna have your hands full. You can about count on that.”

  “Well…” said Carlos. “I will stay clear of the chicken house.”

  “Good plan. See any sign of our tin pan?”

  “No. I will ride out again tomorrow with Miss Victoria,” said Carlos.

  “Lemme know if you see anything.”

  “Will do.”

  “Never a dull moment,” said Jeff as he started the Blazer’s engine. “I’ll check back by after the boss gets settled in a day or two.”

  Carlos touched the brim of his hat and stepped back a few steps. Jeff leaned out the window and looked up at the sky. “Yep,” he said. “Storm’s comin’. Big ’un.”

  †

  Leah hung more antibiotics and fiddled with Colleen’s Morphine pump. They were discussing Colleen’s idea about Augie coming to the ranch. Colleen could tell that Leah had reservations.

  “So you think that’s a bad idea?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly,” said Leah. “I know that she… well… trouble follows her. I think you already know that this isn’t the first time she’s been in the hospital… for the same reason.”

  “She told me that. She opened up quite a bit, actually.”

  Leah finished with the Morphine pump. “If she told you anything, you’re the first,” she said.

  “Interesting,” said Colleen. “What I do know is that I’m rollin’ the dice a bit by takin’ her on at the ranch. I’m a sucker for a hard case.”

  “Um… she’s definitely a hard case,” said Leah. “She’s got some demons I couldn’t begin to imagine.”

  “I’ll bet she does. But… I know the risk, and I am convinced she’s worth it.”

  “Okay, good. I just wanted to be sure you were… prepared, so to speak.”

  “I will have plenty of help keepin’ an eye on her.”

  “You’ll need it. I mean… I don’t want to sling mud about her or anything… because, God bless her, she’s a sweetheart, and I love her to death. I shouldn’t be discussing her at all, but I trust you. All I can say is that judging by her type of injuries and all, this… boyfriend is bad news, and I would expect that you’ll have that to deal with at some point.”

  “I thought about that, and I’m sure I’ve dealt with worse,” said Colleen confidently.

  “Let’s have a look at your dressing,” Leah said, returning to the tasks at hand. Colleen shifted her position while Leah pulled back the covers. “All I’m sayin’ is…” Leah continued, “be careful. Watch your back.”

  “You mean from Augie?”

  “I mean in general. I get the impression that there are more skeletons in that closet than what she told you. Did she say anything about any other… guys?”

  “She said she’s married. Some Navy guy.”

  “I didn’t want to say it directly,” said Leah cautiously. “So that’s another… thing to deal with.”

  “Have you met him?” Colleen asked.

  “Briefly. He was here before when she was… here. Nice guy. Good lookin’.”

  “Oh yeah? How good-looking?” Colleen was curious.

  “He sort of looks like… Have you ever seen a picture of Rafael Nadal… the tennis player?”

  “Wow,” Colleen said. “That good-looking?”

  “Yup. He’s… uh… hot… to say the least. This looks great, by the way. You are a fast healer.”

  “I haven’t even looked at it myself,” said Colleen. I mean, I don’t mind the sight of blood or guts or some really nasty things – you get used to it workin’ around horses – but I can’t stand the sight of my own… blood. Makes me wanna frow up.”

  “If I didn’t know any better, I would say this looks like you had surgery two weeks ago. Maybe even three.”

  “Oh yeah?” Colleen said.

  “Absolutely. Do you want to see it before I put a fresh dressing on it?”

  “Uhh… No. No, thank you. I’ll see it soon enough.” Just the thought of seeing the pins in her leg made her queasy. “Do you work tomorrow?”

  “Nope. Day off. First of four in a row,” said Leah.

  “Awww… So I won’t get to see you again after tonight?” Colleen said with a pouty face.

  “I guess not,” said Leah.

  “Well hey… am I allowed to give you my number? I mean… is that legal or whatever?”

  “It’s legal, but… it’s like… the laws for privacy are so strict, and the hospital policy goes way past the laws. Did you know that if I see you in public, I am not allowed to approach you and say hello?”

  “What? Are you kidding?”

  “Nope. If I am in my scrubs… or even if I’m not… and I come up to you, and you’re with someone, they could put two and two together, and they would know you were a patient of mine.”

  “Oh that’s horse shit,” said Colleen, disgusted. “Who came up with that?”

  “God only knows. So if you give me your number, I am not really allowed to call you.”

  “So… no matter what, once I leave here, we can’t be friends?” Colleen asked, confused and agitated.

  “I’m not supposed to say it… but there are ways around that. Now, if you were to ask me for my number, and you called me, well… there’s not much I could do about that, is there?” Leah said with a wink.

  “Oh,” Colleen said, and then shifted her weight a little. She stared blankly at the wall like the conversation had never happened. She spoke in monotone as if she were reading aloud. “Uhh… nurse Leah, can I please have your telephone number? I would like your telephone number, please. Do you have a telephone number you can be reached at, so that I might ask you questions if I need to? Is there a telephone number to which you might be reached? If I wanted to call you on the telephone…”

  “Okay, okay,” Leah laughed as she finished dressing Colleen’s leg. “I don’t have a telephone, but I have a cell phone. Would this be sufficient?”

  “Perfectly acceptable,” said Colleen in the same dull monotone. “May I have it, please?”

  Leah recited her number and Colleen plugged it in her cell. “That is so stupid,” she said.

  Leah smiled and winked as she removed her gloves, and then went to the sink. “What time did Doc say you could be discharged?” she asked as she washed her hands.

  “Five or six,” said Colleen. “So what are your plans since you have a whole four days off?”

  Leah dried her hands and searched her pockets for a pen. “Let’s see… tomorrow I am going book shopping with my Bubba.”

  Colleen perked up and said, “Oooo I like books. Where do you go?”

  “We go to a bunch of libraries all over the place. One in Santa Monica, one in Oak Park, Westlake Village, and sometimes the one down the road in T.O.”

  “So you have library cards in all of those places? Are they connected or something?”

  “No. Lots of libraries have a Friends of the
Library bookstore in them. Most of them sell books for fifty cents for a paperback, and a buck for hard cover. You’ve never heard of that before?”

  “No,” said Colleen, surprised. “Are they… in good condition? I mean, are they all used and torn up, or what?”

  “Not at all. The libraries get book donations, and they re-sell them. They are all way under-funded, so volunteers organize and sell them. It’s really a good deal, and lots of them are brand new. Never been read.”

  “I had no idea. I love books, but I don’t get much chance to read anything more than Western Horseman. I guess I’ll have some time on my hands for a while now, huh?”

  “Well, as fast as you’re healing, I wouldn’t count on it,” Leah said with a smile.

  Colleen stuck out her bottom lip and turned pouty again. “So I guess I won’t ever see you again?” she asked in a girly tone.

  “Awww… yes you will! You have my number.”

  “It’s probably fake,” Colleen said with tears in her eyes.

  “No, it’s not. Call it. You’ll see. You’ll get my voice mail, but you’ll know it’s me.”

  “You won’t ever call me back. I just know it.”

  “Yes I will! I might not answer the first time because I don’t know your number, but leave me a message and I will call you back.”

  “Promise?” Colleen asked.

  “I promise.”

  Colleen raised her arm and motioned for Leah to give her a hug. Leah’s eyes welled as she embraced Colleen.

  “If you call tomorrow, I might not answer right away. I turn my cell off while I’m in the libraries.”

  Colleen sniffled. “Okay. Thank you for… everything. Shit, I don’t even know where to begin.”

  “Oh, you’re quite welcome, young lady,” Leah said as she wiped her eyes. “I’ll be around for another thirty minutes or so. Let me know if you need anything before I go.”

  “Okay,” said Colleen as she exaggerated her pouty face and mashed the button for more Morphine. “Love you.”

  “Awww… I love you too, honey. Get better soon.”

  “Okay,” Colleen repeated.

  Leah hated goodbyes, much less long ones, and so did Colleen. Leah fought back more tears as she left the room and headed for the nurse’s station.