Being twins, Reno and Darren were much closer than many siblings. She’d seen it in action. At meals, it was common for one to finish the sentence of the other. Disagreements were rare. She had no doubt that they would fight to the death for the other. Losing Darren would destroy Reno.
The elevator doors opened on the second floor and Reno rushed through, hurried to find his family and get some news.
Magda followed behind, no less anxious but giving Reno the space he appeared to need.
As she arrived in the waiting room, she heard Dr. Caroline Graham-Montgomery say, “The break is bad, Reno. I’m not going to lie to you. He’s going to be in the hospital for a while. Luckily for him, he was wearing his seat belt so he wasn’t thrown through the truck’s windshield. However, a leg break like this is serious.”
“So how serious? What are they doing to him in surgery?”
“He broke both the tibia and the fibula.” She pointed to her shin. “These bones here. The one in the front is the tibia, and the one we are the most concerned with. When the eighteen-wheeler hit Darren’s truck and broke his leg, a piece of the tibia was shoved through his skin. We call it an open fracture. You following me?”
Reno nodded. Magda didn’t like how pale his face had become and thought he looked a little unsteady on his feet.
“Maybe he’d better sit down while you explain this,” Magda said. “I know I’m still digesting all this after being awakened from a deep sleep and making a frantic drive down.”
“I’m fine, Magda,” he snapped.
“Actually,” said Caroline, “I think she’s right.” She slipped her hand through her cousin-in-law’s arm and made him take a seat with the rest of the Montgomerys gathered there.
“As I was saying, the orthopedic surgeon felt the best course of action was to take Darren to surgery to clean out the open wound. There was a lot of dirt and grease in it. The worst thing that could happen now would be an infection. We want to avoid that at all costs. Understand?”
“Yeah. I’m with you. So what’s next? A cast?”
“Not in this case. Since Dr. Jackson had to take him to surgery and clean out the wound, and given the severity of the break, he is doing what is called an open reduction and internal fixation. That means he’s exposing the bone and moving the fragments back into the correct alignment. Then he’ll put a metal plate along the tibia to hold those pieces in the right places. He’ll put screws in above and below the break to hold the metal plate on.”
“And what about long term? Is he going to be crippled from this?”
Caroline responded with a smile, the first one since she’d started explaining what was going on with Darren. Reno’s shoulders relaxed, only slightly, but Magda knew him well enough to see the comfort he took in Caroline’s expression.
“Nope. It’ll be stronger than ever. But he has a long road ahead of him. It’s going to take at least three months to heal, maybe longer. And he’ll have to go through physical therapy to get all his strength back, but he’ll get there.”
Reno’s eyes widened. “Mom and Dad.” His gaze swung to his sister beside him. “KC, you’ve called them, right?”
She put her arm around him. “I called. They’ll be here in the morning. There’s nothing they can do tonight, so I told them not to charter a private plane. No reason to. Besides…” she swept her arm around the waiting room and sea of Montgomerys standing and sitting there, “…I assured her that we have loads of family support.”
“Yeah.” A long breath escaped. He raked his fingers through his hair. “Thank you all for coming.”
Caroline stood. “I’m heading back into surgery to see how it’s going. I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything more than what I’ve told you.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She leaned down to hug his shoulders. “Hang in there. Darren is in the best hands I know.”
He nodded.
Caroline motioned Magda to follow her. “I’m glad you came with him,” she said. “He’s going to need all the support he can get.”
“I know. I remember how helpless I felt when Zeb was in here, like there was something I could be doing but wasn’t.”
Caroline nodded. “Patients have it rough, but then families do too, especially families as close as the Montgomerys.” Her gaze flicked to her husband, Travis, and back. “Marrying Travis and inheriting all this family was the best idea I ever had.”
Magda smiled. “They all love you. I can tell.”
“Speaking of family, Zeb seems to be doing well.”
Chuckling, Magda said, “Good medicine or a good woman. Which do you think?”
Caroline nodded. “A combination of both, I’m thinking. But I’m glad he’s getting back on his feet. I’d better get back to the OR and see what’s going on.”
Magda stood alone for a minute, worried that she’d overstepped and shouldn’t have come with him. But then Mitch came over.
“Good to see you, Magda.” He snaked an arm about her shoulder and gave her a hug. “How’s working for Reno and Darren been?”
“They’ve been easier to train than you were.”
He laughed. “I was older and more set in my ways maybe.”
“Maybe. Or more bullheaded.”
“Yeah, that too.”
“How’s Blanche working out?” She wasn’t sure what she wanted him to say. Her ego wanted him to say that Blanche couldn’t compare to her. But seeing how happy Blanche made Zeb, and how Blanche seemed to care about Zeb, she also kind of hoped she was as awesome as Zeb thought.
“Well, she’s no Magda Hobbs.”
“But then again, who is?” she replied.
He squeezed her shoulder again. “Blanche is working out fine. Good cook. The kids love her. She’s the third grandmother in their lives. Spoils them rotten. I can tell you that Adam is still convinced you’re his girlfriend, so you haven’t been replaced there.”
Magda wiped her hand across her brow to remove imaginary sweat. “Whew. At least someone loves me.”
“Hey. The whole Landry family loves you. We missed you too. Can’t tell you how glad we are to have you back around. Zeb is happier than I’ve ever seen since him, excluding the day he dragged you to my ranch. There wasn’t a happier man in the world.”
“Thanks for saying that.” She glanced over at Reno. “I better go see if I can do anything for him or KC.”
As it turned out, Reno only needed her to sit by him.
Around the room, there were small clusters of Montgomery family members talking and drinking coffee. The conversations were hushed as though they were sitting in a library or church.
In an unexpected action, Reno reached over and took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Her first response was to jerk her hand back, but she didn’t want to make a scene, and ultimately, she was glad she hadn’t reacted when he also took KC’s hand.
“Thank you for coming,” he said to Magda.
“You have lots of family here. I’m pretty much a surplus.”
“No, never a surplus.” His lips pulled into a sad smile. “Frankly, I couldn’t hold hands with Travis or Drake. Their fingers would never fit between mine.”
She squeezed his fingers and returned his smile. “Not to mention all the family jokes that’d come out of that.” She was trying to keep the conversation light and maybe even distract him a little from the deep worry etched on his face.
“Okay, I’ve got news,” Caroline announced as she came back into the room. She’d changed into hospital scrubs. Her hair was hidden under a flowered surgical cap and her shoes were covered in paper slippers. “And it’s all good.”
Beside her, Reno let out the breath he’d been holding, but he tightened the hold on her hand.
“The tibia is broken and the break is severe. However, the realignment went togeth
er as easy as two matching puzzle pieces. Dr. Jackson will be out to talk to you all when he’s done, but so far, Darren is handling surgery well. He does have a bad contusion on his chest where he rammed the steering wheel.”
“I don’t know what that means,” Reno said.
“A bad bruise,” Caroline said. “He’s got some other bruises and dings, but the leg seems to be the worst of it.”
Reno released Magda’s hand and stood. The cool air in the room chilled her fingers, which had been warm and snug in Reno’s hand.
“Thanks, Caroline. I’m glad Travis picked you to marry.”
Travis and his wife exchanged glances and then Travis laughed. “Me too, Reno. Me too.”
Magda could tell there was a story there, but obviously one known only by those in the Montgomery clan.
Around five a.m., Reno’s aunt and uncle, Jackie and Lane Montgomery, arrived. Not surprisingly, Reno’s parents were with them.
His mother hurried over to hug Reno and then KC. “We got here as fast as we could.”
“Mom,” KC said. “I told you a private plane wasn’t necessary.”
“What’s the point of having money if I can’t use it when I need to?” Nadine Montgomery replied. “Where’s Darren? Can we see him?”
Caroline came over. “Hi, Nadine.” She hugged her husband’s aunt. “I’m always glad to see you, but not like this. Darren is in recovery. He’s doing great. Come on over here and let’s sit down. I’ll go over what’s happened so far.”
Caroline led Darren’s parents and Jackie and Lane Montgomery over to a table where they could all sit and talk.
Reno’s cousin, Cash, came in and walked directly to Reno. “Hey man. Hated hearing about Darren.”
“Thanks.”
“I know you’re going to need a hand around the ranch for a while, and I’m your man.”
Once again, Magda stood in amazement as the Montgomery family circled the wagons around one of their own. Until Cash’s comment, she hadn’t given the workload at the ranch much thought, but being a ranching family, the rest of the family had obviously already discussed the challenges Reno would face trying to deal with the D&R alone.
“Thanks, Cash, but I can’t ask you to do that.”
Cash laid a large hand on Reno’s shoulder. “You didn’t ask. I’m volunteering, which means I’m donatin’ my time to help you.”
“No way. I could use some help. That’s for sure, but I can’t ask you to do this gratis.”
Cash smiled. “Don’t you worry about that. I’m going to need some help in the spring when I start building a house for me and Paige. Don’t think I won’t be looking at you to be hauling some boards for me.”
“You’ve got a deal.” Reno held out his hand, which Cash shook.
Reno had lots and lots of family around him. He would be fine. Emotionally, she stepped back from the feelings she’d been fighting since the almost-kiss in the yard. Physically, she walked away from where Reno stood until she was across the room.
A large window overlooked the hospital parking lot. It was mostly empty, still too early for the day shift to come. The sun wouldn’t be making its appearance, if at all, for another couple of hours. By this time on any regular day, Reno and Darren would be up and getting ready to head out to check on the cattle. She doubted Reno had given them more than a passing thought.
She wiggled her fingers at Mitch until he came over.
“What?” he asked.
“I know Reno and his family have a lot on their minds right now, but I don’t know what to do about the ranch. The horses need to be let out of the barn into the pasture. The cattle need to be fed. I don’t want to say anything to Reno because I think he’s just holding it together. What should I do?”
He nodded. “Good thought. Let me go put my head together with Travis and I’ll let you know.”
She turned to stare out the window. With the darkness outside and the light in the room, she could see all the interactions without turning around. Mitch pulled Travis aside, who then got his father in on the confab. After a brief discussion, Travis pulled out his phone and Mitch headed back to Magda.
“We’ve got it covered. Travis is sending his foreman and some of the cowboys from the Halo M out to the D&R to take care of things. They shouldn’t have any trouble.”
“I feel like I need to be doing something. Standing here isn’t helping anybody.”
“I know, but I saw the way Reno was holding your hand.” He gave her a quizzical look. “Is there something going on between you two?”
She snorted. “Not hardly. I think I was just the closest hand he could grab.”
“Hmm.”
“Listen, I rode in with Reno, but I think I need to get back out to the D&R. I can’t imagine he’ll be leaving anytime soon. Think you could give me a lift to your place? I could borrow Zeb’s truck for a few days.”
“Magda.” Reno’s voice boomed across the room.
“I’m here,” she replied. “You don’t have to yell.”
“We need to leave. With Darren laid up, it’ll take double the time to handle the chores.” He removed his cowboy hat and raked his fingers through his hair.
“Don’t worry,” Mitch said. “Travis and his dad are sending a crew out to take care of things for today.”
Reno breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God they thought of that.”
“Actually—”
Magda kicked Mitch’s foot before he said any more. “Reno is right. Great of Travis and his dad to remember you need a hand on the D&R for today.”
Mitch looked at her with a frown and then a shrug. “I think Olivia and I are going to head out. Magda, you still want to catch a ride?”
“Absolutely.” To Reno, she said, “I’m going to catch a ride with Mitch and borrow Zeb’s truck to get back to the D&R. I know you want to stay here with your family until you see Darren.”
Reno pulled out his truck keys. “Here. Take the truck. I’ll get a ride home.”
She shook her head. “Thanks, but no. You keep the truck. With your parents here, you’ll probably need it.”
“Montgomery family?” a nurse said from the doorway.
Ten pairs of eyes turned toward the door.
Clint and Nadine Montgomery stood.
“We’re Darren’s parents,” Nadine said.
“Great,” the nurse said. “We’re moving him to room thirty-three-ten. He should be there within fifteen minutes or so.” She glanced around at the crowd. “Not all of you can go in there.”
“Not a problem,” Jackie Montgomery said. “Most of us are leaving now that he’s out of surgery.”
“Stay here,” Magda said to Reno. “See Darren. You’ll feel better if you do. I’ll head on out to the ranch and check with Travis’s foreman. If there are any problems, any at all, I promise I’ll call.”
For the second time today, he took her hand. “Thank you.” He gave her fingers a quick squeeze and headed toward his parents.
“Okay, chauffeur,” she said to Mitch. “I’m ready when you are.”
The door to the kitchen banged opened about ten that evening. Magda set her digital reader on the coffee table and headed into the kitchen to fix Reno something to eat if he’d missed dinner. She was surprised when Clint Montgomery followed his son into the house.
“Mr. Montgomery,” she said. “Reno. Have you guys had dinner?”
“We had something at the hospital,” Reno said. “I told Dad he could stay in Darren’s room tonight.”
“Of course. I put fresh sheets on when I got home, so it’s ready.”
Clint smiled. “Lucky guess, or did Nadine call to say I was coming?”
“Neither. Just figured I’d take advantage of Darren being out of his room to do a little cleaning. I wasn’t sure how long he’d be in the hospital and I wanted
to be ready.”
Reno hung his coat and hat on the peg rack. “You don’t have to worry about that. He’s going to be laid up for a while before he comes home.”
“Oh. I’m sorry.” And she was. She really liked Darren. He was the brother she’d never had.
“He’ll be fine,” Clint told her. “Could have been a lot worse.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“We went by the junkyard where the wrecker took his truck. It’s gone, Mags. Totaled.” A shiver racked Reno’s body. “I don’t know how he got out with only a broken leg.”
“I’m glad your mother didn’t see it. She’d have had nightmares for months.”
“Mr. Montgomery. Did your wife stay at the hospital?”
“Call me Clint,” Clint said.
Magda nodded her acknowledgment. “Did Nadine stay at the hospital or is she coming out tonight?” It felt so strange to use their first names, like speaking a foreign word for the first time.
“She’s staying there tonight. There’s not really anything we can do for him right now but sit there. But there was no dragging her out of his room.”
“Did he wake up? Did he say what happened?”
“He woke up for a bit,” Reno said. “But he was pretty out of it and nobody pushed him too much. The sheriff came by. Said he’d come back tomorrow to see if Darren remembered any more. But it sounds like, for once, my brother was minding his own business. The driver of the truck had a massive heart attack. He died at the scene.”
“Good God,” Magda said. “That’s awful.”
“We’ll know more later. The sheriff has asked for an autopsy of the driver to make sure there were no drugs or alcohol.”
She wanted to ask about Darren’s blood alcohol level. She wondered if it had been checked, but right now was not the time nor the place. Both men looked like they were ready to fall over.
“Any problems this afternoon with Travis’s men?”
“Nope. I checked on the horses, who were a little put out that they had to stay in today. Reminded me of snow days when Adam couldn’t go out because of some reason or the other. I swear, if Gordo could have stuck out his lower lip in a pout, he would have.”
Texas Bossa Nova (Texas Montgomery Mavericks Book 5) Page 7