“Sure as long as you don’t get in the way.”
“I’ll check on how you’re doing later,” Mira said. She kissed Olivia on the cheek.
Callum followed behind as they wheeled Olivia to the ambulance. She cried out when they and lifted her up.
“The pain meds we gave you should be working soon and you’ll probably feel sleepy,” the paramedic told her.
Callum climbed in and sat off to the side, holding on for dear life when the vehicle took off and the siren wailed. Normally he hated blood and anything vaguely medical, but Olivia looked like she needed someone with her.
The paramedic hung the IV drip up and covered Olivia with a blanket as she continued to shiver. He guessed she was in shock. She looked over at Callum who smiled back at her.
“Are you a cowboy,” she asked him. He barely understood her because her teeth were chattering now.
He realized he was wearing his cowboy hat which his mother had always told him not to do when he was inside a house or a vehicle.
“Yeah, I guess that’s what you’d call me,” he said.
“I’ve never met a cowboy before,” she stuttered, now shaking some more.
“Glad I’m your first one,” said Callum.
Her eyes fluttered and then she seemed to drift off.
“Her blood pressure’s falling slightly but looks like the pain meds have finally kicked in and she’ll be comfortable now,” said one of the paramedics.
Callum didn’t know much about medicine well besides fixing horses and cows on the ranch but he knew falling blood pressure wasn’t a good thing.
“Is she going to be okay?” Callum asked.
“She’s lost a lot of blood so I’m guessing she’s going to need a transfusion,” the paramedic said.
“I can donate,” said Callum.
Shit, he was a tough cowboy but he hated getting shots, hated needles anywhere near him, even hated giving the cattle their shots, and he’d just offered to donate blood. Maybe it was that whole primeval thing kicking in again.
The ambulance stopped and Callum guessed they were at the hospital which if he remembered correctly was about six blocks from the shelter. Olivia was mumbling and she was fluttering her eyelids as they carried her out.
“Do you know who her next of kin is?” asked the nurse who met them at the door.
“I’ve only just met her so I don’t know. How about you leave it blank and use me, Callum Monroe as a contact person.”
“And insurance?”
“Send the bill to me.”
He knew anything to do with medicine and surgery was expensive so how he was going to cover her bill he had no idea but he’d think of something. Main thing was to get her into the ER and have that shoulder wound checked out.
The nurse made some notes on a pad. “If you’d like to wait here, I’ll give you an update once the doctor’s seen her.”
Callum was drenched to the skin from the rain and some of Olivia’s blood had somehow gotten onto his denim jacket. His mom would know how to get that out. He still needed that ice cold beer, but he couldn’t leave now he’d opted to be Olivia’s contact person.
He strolled along to the waiting area, took off his hat and parked himself by the table on which sat an assortment of magazines. He wasn’t in the mood for reading but he couldn’t think of anything else to do besides people watch to pass away the time. He skimmed through the first three and all looked like women’s fashion publications. He wouldn’t be caught dead looking at one of those. He never understood why women placed so much importance on what was in fashion or what designer shoes some A-list celebrity was wearing. Shoes were shoes, clothes were clothes. He bit his lip, maybe that’s why he and Joanne had broken up after dating a whole six months. They figured out they didn’t have anything in common. When would he find a woman who was actually on his wavelength? Seemed women around here didn’t want to settle on being a cowboy’s wife any more. He blamed the sudden migration of all the yuppies once again.
He picked up one of the magazines just for the hell of it. He looked to his left and right before turning to the first page, just to make sure no one was around. Well, at least no one who knew him.
The first model he saw had the same color hair as Olivia. Um, how come he’d noted that and even remembered it? She was currently living a shelter which meant she was a battered woman. That also meant she had a boyfriend or husband. Yeah, and how come he was thinking about that too?
He flicked through the next couple of pages, trying his best to put the thought of a man hurting a woman out of his mind. If he ever witnessed such a thing, he’d kill the son of a bitch.
What men really want in bed…
Now that article grabbed his interest. It was written by some female journalist and he was guessing she’d gotten it all wrong. Woman didn’t have a clue what he wanted them to do to him once they got between the sheets. Like pay more attention to his balls, rub the underside of his dick, realize that guys being guys just needed to fuck without all the spooning and hugging that went on for hours after the deed was done.
Guys really are softies at heart.
Callum gave a snoot of a laugh and once again, glanced around to make sure no one was around because he realized that it had sounded downright girly.
But for fuck’s sake, softee’s at heart. They basically just want to kiss and cuddle just like women.
Please, where did this writer live? Another planet? And had she ever had a boyfriend? Ever been fucked for that matter?
He read on.
At heart they’re not all wham bam thank you ma’am.
You wanna bet honey. You’ve never been around a true blooded cowboy.
Callum realized he’d said that out loud and saw a lady who’d just sat down and glare at him. He nodded to her but she quickly looked away.
He had the good mind to e-mail this journalist and tell her how wrong she’d gotten things. Feeding women’s minds with junk like this; no wonder men and women couldn’t get on the same page any more. Well some did, like his folks for example. He turned a few more pages and saw a sexy dress that he’d love to buy a lady and give her a special night out.
Holy shit was all he could think of when he saw the price. He’d have to work a long time to buy a woman these types of clothes.
He flicked more pages and came across the horoscopes. Sloan and his mom always read their star signs but he’d always put it down to being utter bullshit.
Aquarius…what the hell, he had nothing else to do right now so he might as well read it.
The moon is moving into your sign and you’re about to meet someone who will play a significant part in your future. The relationship won’t be a smooth one but that’s what will make it even more satisfying.
Just as he thought; as general and vague as hell and could pertain to just about anyone.
He closed the magazine and placed it back on the table. He still was thirsty but he didn’t want to leave the waiting room just in case the nurse returned to tell him about Olivia. Callum rested his back against the wall and closed his eyes.
*****
Callum had realized he’d fallen asleep until he felt someone tugging on his arm. He opened his eyes, not quite sure where he was until he saw a nurse standing there looking at him. Good thing he’d put the magazine down and hadn’t been caught red handed reading about fashion trends for 2017.
“Mr. Monroe?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Olivia is going into surgery and we wanted to know if you’d like to continue to wait here.”
Surgery…Callum sat up straight and suddenly one hundred percent alert again “Is she going to be okay?”
“She’s in stable condition but the bullet didn’t go all the way through and the surgeon needs to remove it.”
Callum took a deep breath. He could imagine how scared she was, how much pain she was in, and worse still, not a single soul was here for her.
“Sure, no problem, I
can wait while she has her surgery.”
“Can I suggest you take the elevator up to the surgical floor because the family area has much more comfortable chairs with books and even a TV.”
He was about to ask if there was anywhere he could get himself a beer but decided that wouldn’t sound very appropriate.
“I know doctor’s come and talk to family members and seeing she doesn’t have any, maybe he can come speak to me,” Callum said.
“It’s usually only next of kin but under the circumstances, I think that should be okay.”
The nurse walked away and Callum looked at the clock on the wall, almost ten thirty p.m. He’d give his sister a call to give just in case she hadn’t heard what happened at the shelter, although he was pretty sure it had made the news. After that, he’d head upstairs, get himself a black coffee and hopefully find something to read that had been written by someone with testosterone.
Chapter Two
Callum hoped he hadn’t been drooling because when he woke up, several people were now sitting opposite him. He’d stayed awake for as long as he’d been able to without his eyelids getting heavy. Before dozing off he’d chatted to a family who was waiting for their little boy to come out of surgery after he’d been rushed in with what they suspected was a burst appendix. Then he’d talked to an older couple whose granddaughter had been in a car accident earlier that night. He’d been happy to hear that both patients were doing just fine. Now he hoped Olivia would be the third to come through surgery with flying colors. He drank the last of the coffee and then grimaced when the bitter tang hit his tongue. He focused on the clock, it was almost one a.m. and he was about to get up and stretch his legs when he saw a doctor wearing scrubs heading his way. He looked just hot and tired as Callum currently felt.
“Mr. Monroe?”
“Yes, but please call me Callum,” he said, hating the moniker because he suddenly felt old like his dad or even his late grandpa.
“Would you like to step into the family room and I’ll give you an update on Olivia.”
He hoped that didn’t mean something bad and the reason he couldn’t talk to him in the waiting area where people might overhear things. Maybe it had to be private because Callum wasn’t a family member. Crap, he was overthinking this. She was going to be fine. She had to be.
“Is she doing okay?” were the first words out of his mouth when the doctor closed the door to a small suite with a couch, two chairs, and a table on which sat a box of tissues.
“She pulled through just fine and we got all of the bullet and its fragments.”
“That’s great.”
“However, she’s going to need plenty of rest and some rehab on her shoulder. Does she have anywhere besides the shelter to live and anyone who can keep a careful watch on her? Maybe even drive her back and forth to the rehab clinic?”
“I don’t know but my sister’s studying to be a social worker and she volunteers at the shelter so she might know of someplace.”
“And there’s no family in the area?” the doctor asked.
“I guess not. Do you think I could go see Olivia?”
It all sounded so sad and depressing for this young woman and he’d come this far, he thought it only right that he paid her a visit to let her know someone was at the hospital and thinking about her.
“She’s in recovery right now then later she’ll be moved to a room but she’ll still be sleepy. Why don’t you go home get some sleep yourself and then come back around nine and she might be up to seeing a visitor.
Callum ran his fingers around the brim of his hat. “Okay then, but in the meantime, I’ll leave my number and my sister Sloan’s number just in case Olivia needs something.”
The doctor put his hand out to Callum. He took it and they shook.
“Really nice of you to stick around to help the poor young woman,” the doctor told him as they walked out of the room together.
******
Olivia had no idea where she was. The last thing she really remembered was the sound of the gunshot and then a fireball hitting her shoulder and she’d gone to the ground. She’d then seen a bullet hit the man in the side of the head and…
She swallowed, her throat felt dry and sore. She didn’t want to ever think about that image again.
So where am I?
She tried to focus her eyes but she felt sleepy like she’d been drugged. The cowboy. Had a handsome cowboy sat next to her and talked to her, held her hand at some point after she’d been shot? Maybe she’d dreamt about seeing one. Yeah, maybe she was asleep. Cowboys weren’t her type. Well, now she had no type. Men were cruel and selfish and she didn’t want anything to do with them ever again.
Olivia tried to turn but a sharp stabbing pain shot through her shoulder. She lay still and couldn’t help but burst into tears.
“You okay, honey?”
It was a woman voice. She didn’t recognize it but maybe she was a new volunteer at the shelter.
“My shoulder hurts.”
“We can up your pain meds if you want but just try and relax. “
Olivia focused and saw the woman standing beside her was in scrubs and adjusting an IV drip that led to the back of Olivia’s hand.
“What happened to me?”
“You were shot and had surgery but you’re going to be just fine.”
Shot, surgery…why couldn’t she remember much? Panic washed over her when she realized she didn’t have any insurance to cover the cost. She had been insured through Mark’s employer and she was pretty sure he’d dropped her coverage when she’d disappeared out of his life. A tear ran down her face again, knowing she was probably going to be in debt for the rest of her life. Surgery wasn’t cheap and she’d heard about people going bankrupt after a major illness or an accident.
“Honey, don’t cry because everything is going to be okay. Just try to sleep.”
Sleep, yeah she was feeling heavy-eyed.
“I hear there’s a handsome cowboy waiting to pay you a visit later today.”
The cowboy again. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
*****
“Thanks for the ride,” said Sloan.
It was still raining and a cold wind blew from the mountains as his sister upped the heat in the truck. Sloan had insisted on going to visit Olivia and as Callum wanted to see her too, he’d thought it pointless taking two vehicles.
“What’s going to happen to Olivia?” asked Callum.
“If she wants to go back to the shelter that’s an option for a while although I can’t blame her if she never wants to see that place again.”
Callum momentarily took his eyes off the road and glanced at his sister. He knew she really cared for every woman at the shelter and knew she was going to make an awesome social worker. He didn’t let on but he was proud of his baby sister for being a single mom, getting a degree, not to mention working and volunteering too.
“I know you can’t discuss her case or but maybe you can tell me just a little bit about her? Callum asked.
Sloan leaned against the panel in the truck and smiled. “Am I detecting some interest besides you being just a nice guy?”
“No, I…oh hell, you know me too well, little sis.”
Sloan patted him on the arm.
“We honestly don’t know that much about her but that’s not that unusual because some women arrive at the shelter broken people who want to remain almost anonymous during their entire stay.”
“Is that what happened to the lady whose husband came looking for her? The one the police shot?”
Sloan nodded. “Some men will go to any length to try and get their wives and girlfriends back.”
“Sick people abusing them and then hunting them down so they can abuse them some more,” Callum said, glancing as he drove by Blue Sky Brewery and remembered that’s where he’d been heading the night before.
“I guess he didn’t think he’d be the one who wound up dead,” Sloan said.
“And
injure an innocent bystander,” Callum added.
“Aren’t you glad we grew up with loving parents?” asked Sloan.
Callum had to admit he was thankful for that every day when he saw all the shit that went on in other homes. He pulled into the parking lot at the hospital and checked his appearance in the rearview mirror, hoping his sister didn’t catch him. He hadn’t shaved because he’d hit the pillow hard when he’d gotten home and was too tired, or maybe too lazy, to shave when he woke up.
“The doctor said she’s only going to be up to see one person at a time so you go ahead and I’ll look around in the gift shop for a bit,” Callum said, when they stepped into the hospital lobby.
His sister gave him that certain smile again that told him she knew what he was up to.
“Okay and I’ll put a good word in for you.” Sloan winked at him.
Callum didn’t come back with a comment but simply headed to the gift shop and thought about what item would cheer Olivia up. He didn’t know her at all and therefore hadn’t got a clue as to her interests or hobbies. A stuffed bear caught his eye. Would she think it silly and juvenile? He’d take his chance and to add a touch of maturity to it, he’d purchase a flower and have them place it in the bear’s hand.
He carried the bear to the checkout and then lifted up a pink daisy from one of the pots at the front of the store. “Do you think you could attach the flower to the bear’s arm here?” he asked.
“Sure I have some ribbon and that’s going to be adorable,” said the girl behind the desk.
Callum hoped Olivia would think that too.
He got smiles from everyone when he walked into the elevator, and oohs and aahs when he headed to the nurse’s station.
“I’m looking for Olivia Simpson’s room. I know my sister Sloan’s visiting with her and the doctor said only one person at a time but I promise I won’t stay long.” He batted his eyelashes at her. Since eighth grade everyone had told him he had ones that girls were envious of and he often used them as a way to flirt and get ladies eating out of his hand. He crossed his fingers hoping they’d come in useful this time too.
“It’s 569, down to your left and that bear is so cute.”
Callum (Cowboy Tough Book 1) Page 2