Gone Country: Rough Riders, Book 14

by Lorelei James

  “Where is Rielle?” Ben asked.

  “Trade show in Denver with Rory.”

  “Did you call her?”

  “No. Not until I know…” He cleared his throat. “Same with Sierra’s mom.”

  “Let’s err on the side that everything will be all right.”

  “I’m trying. But if anything happened to her, I’d lose my fucking mind.”

  “I know. Don’t think that way.”

  It was hard not to. “Sorry that Cam got you out of bed. I wasn’t thinking straight when he called.”

  “That’s fine. I wasn’t in bed. I called Mom and Dad. They’re a little slower on the draw, but they’ll be there.”

  Wasn’t long before they were in town. Gavin unbuckled his seatbelt the instant they turned into the hospital parking lot.

  Ben pulled up to the front. “Go on. I’ll see you inside.”

  He nearly fell on his ass when his boots connected with the slippery ground. He righted himself and headed through the ER doors. A woman not much older than Sierra managed the front desk.

  “Sir? How may I help you?”

  “Sierra Daniels. I’m her father. I need to see her.”

  “I’ll let the staff know you’re here. In the meantime, you’ll need to fill out all the paperwork on this clipboard—”

  But Gavin had already started down the hallway.

  “Sir! You can’t just go back there.”

  Watch me.

  He stopped short of yelling her name as he passed by hospital rooms. He reached another desk and the woman behind it was no pushover. She got in his face. “You cannot barge back here.”

  He loomed over her. “My daughter was in a car accident and I’ve no idea if she’s even okay. Please, just give me any kind of information—”

  “They’re doing a CT scan on her right now.”

  Gavin whirled around. “Who are you?”

  “Alan. The EMT who brought her in.” He raised his hand to forestall Gavin’s question. “Before you badger me to tell you more, I can’t.”

  “Who can?”

  “I can.”

  He turned the other direction quickly.

  A male in surgical scrubs moved toward him and Gavin’s heart dropped.

  “I’m Roger, the ER nurse. Before I can tell you anything you need to fill out the forms. There are a few questions we need answers to on Sierra’s health history.” He pointed to the small waiting room. “The sooner you get the bureaucratic portion done, the sooner we can treat your daughter and the sooner you can see her.”

  Gavin grabbed the clipboard and pen. His eyeballs pulsed with anger. This was bullshit. It’d be faster if they just asked him the fucking questions. He glanced at the clipboard. The words on the paper blurred into black blots.

  Get control.

  Five excruciating minutes later he handed in the paperwork. Then another five minutes before Nurse Roger appeared.

  “I’ll take you back to see Sierra. Two things you should know. Sierra admitted she’s been drinking tonight.”

  Gavin’s stomach dropped even as his blood pressure skyrocketed. Sierra had been drinking and driving?

  “You can yell at her about poor choices another time. I need you to be focused on the positive side of this. Like she wasn’t behind the wheel—”

  “What? She wasn’t driving?” As much as that relieved him, it also had him demanding, “Then who the hell was driving?”

  Roger put his hand on Gavin’s arm. “Calm down.”

  “I am calm. Who was driving?”

  “Her boyfriend.”

  Since when did Sierra have a boyfriend? As he looked at Roger. “You said two positive things. What’s the other one?”

  “She wore her seatbelt. She only ended up with a broken collarbone and didn’t go through the windshield.”

  White spots danced in front of Gavin’s eyes and he swayed.

  “Whoa, there. Let’s sit down for a second.”

  “No. I’m fine. Just…no one’s told me anything about what happened or how it happened or that she had…” Broken body parts. He managed a hoarse, “What else?”

  “I’ll let the doctor discuss that with you. You’re ready to see her?”

  “Yes.”

  Roger walked to a room at the end of the hallway.

  With each footstep Gavin’s heart beat faster. His mouth was so dry he couldn’t swallow. His gut churned. His pulse pounded in his eyes, in his ears, in his throat. Hospital sounds morphed into brutal silence in his head, making him feel like he was underwater.

  Then he was beside her and he almost wept at seeing the most precious thing in his life lying in a hospital bed attached to an IV. Her dark hair was pulled back, showing the paleness of her face against the white pillow. Bruises dotted her face, jaw and neck. Her lips were reddened, cracked and chapped. Her right arm was strapped in a sling and resting on her belly. She wore a hospital gown. The left side of her body from her shoulder down was covered with several blankets. He was as afraid to touch her as he was afraid not to touch her.

  Roger said, “It’s okay. You can get closer.”

  Gavin murmured, “Why’s she covered up?”

  “Hypothermia. She was really chilled when they brought her in.”

  “How long was she out in the elements?”

  “Dad?”

  His heart leapt at hearing her voice. “Sierra-bear. I’m here, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes opened. Tears immediately poured out. “I’m so sorry. I know I was stupid… I never meant—”

  “Ssh.” He held her face in his hands. She was so cold. “We can talk about all that other stuff later. I’m just happy you’re mostly all right.” He swiped away her tears with his thumbs and kissed her forehead. He let his lips linger, needing to reassure himself she was breathing.

  “But I need to know if Boone is okay.”

  Gavin pulled back and looked into her pain-filled eyes. “Boone?”

  “Boone West. He was driving.”

  Boone West. Why did that name sound familiar? Right. The punk-ass kid who’d worked on the garage with Chet and Remy West. If that little fucker was responsible for the accident it didn’t matter if he was all right because Gavin was going to fucking kill him.

  “Your boyfriend is okay,” Roger said. “He’s being checked out in another room.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend,” Sierra whispered.

  “Even if he was, he wouldn’t be after this,” Gavin snapped.

  “Don’t be mad at him. He wouldn’t let me drive because I’d been drinking. It’s not his fault.”

  “Not his fault,” Gavin repeated. “You’re in the hospital after he wrecked your car. That puts him entirely at fault.”

  “Mr. Daniels,” Roger warned.

  Gavin clenched and unclenched his fists. He wanted to inflict pain on that kid for the pain Sierra was suffering through. Somehow, he got control. He touched Sierra’s good shoulder, but she flinched anyway.

  “Don’t. That hurts.” More tears slid down her face.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Gavin looked at Roger. “Have you given her anything for the pain?”

  Alan shook his head. “She’s a minor and we couldn’t administer anything until you arrived. Plus, it’s too risky with alcohol in her system. She’s on an IV to clear it out faster. Meantime, we’re putting an icepack on the injury every thirty minutes until it’s safe to give her pain meds.”

  Dammit. He felt so helpless. He wanted her to stop hurting now.

  A white-coat-wearing doctor came around the curtain. He said, “I’m Dr. Abernathy,” to Gavin, but he focused on Sierra. “How are you feeling, young lady?”

  She whispered, “Stupid.”

  He smiled. “I hear that a lot in here, trust me. Let’s talk about your injury. You in pain?”

  Sierra nodded.

  “Scale of one to ten, ten being the highest.”

  “Nine.”

  The doctor jotted that down. “How about your hea
d?”

  “Hurts really bad. So does my neck.”

  “Your entire body will feel like that for several more days, sorry to say. But I’ll point out that you’re lucky. The accident could’ve been a lot worse.” He gently patted her good shoulder. Then he faced Gavin. “You’re her father?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll get right to it. The CT scan revealed a mild concussion, which is actually good news. I expected a little more head trauma since the airbag didn’t deploy.”

  Jesus.

  “Her clavicle sustained a fracture. A little worse than a hairline fracture, not as bad as a multiple fracture. Given her age, I’d say she’ll heal completely in twelve weeks.”

  “Three months?”

  “She won’t have to wear the sling the entire time. She can probably remove it after three weeks and only wear it at night for the next four weeks. But any activity that requires her to put pressure on that part of the body? Minimum amount of rest is twelve weeks.”

  “What other treatment will she need?”

  “We’re keeping her overnight. Unless something unexpected shows up from the accident, I’ll release her tomorrow. She’ll need rest. I’ll write a script for pain meds. She’ll need to see her regular doctor in two weeks just to make sure everything is healing properly. She’ll need physical therapy at some point.”

  His thoughts were racing as he tried to process it all. “What about school?”

  “Your call. But since she is right handed, and she won’t be able to use that hand or arm for the first two weeks, I suggest she remain at home. My other concern is an accidental fall. Sidewalks, parking lots and roads are dangerously icy this time of year. For her, even a minor fall could cause major damage.”

  “Understood. And thank you.”

  Dr. Abernathy motioned to Roger. “Start her on Demerol.” They conversed in medical jargon.

  Gavin kissed Sierra’s forehead. “I love you. We’ll get you fixed up, I promise.”

  “I have to stay here overnight?”

  “They just want to make sure you don’t have other injuries.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m scared.”

  “I know, sweetheart. But I’ll be right here.”

  “You’re staying with me?”

  “Do you really think I’d leave you alone when you’re hurting?”

  “No. It’s just…I thought you’d be mad. I’m so sorry.”

  “I know you are. Why don’t you close your eyes? I know you’re in a lot of pain.”

  She nodded.

  Roger took him aside. “We’re moving her into a regular room.”

  “A private room,” Gavin insisted.

  “Does your insurance cover that?”

  “I’ll cover it.”

  “Okay. I’ll let them know. Once she’s in her room we’ll start the pain meds.”

  Gavin watched as they lifted Sierra from one bed to the next. He followed behind two nurses and one orderly as they wheeled the bed down the hallway and into a small room.

  After hooking Sierra up to more machines, Roger injected the pain meds into her IV and spoke to her softly. He ditched the used surgical gloves and stopped in front of Gavin. “This stuff works pretty fast. But I’ll be back in ten minutes to check on her.”

  Gavin hauled the chair beside the bed and held Sierra’s hand between his, finally able to take a breath. Finally believing she’d be okay.

  “Daddy?”

  God, that made his heart hurt. She hadn’t called him that in years. “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “I love you.”

  Don’t cry. “I love you too.”

  After a few minutes, she stopped stirring. Her breathing slowed.

  Roger returned and discreetly checked on her, without disturbing her. “She’s asleep. I know you’re staying here tonight and that’s fine. But there’s a waiting room full of people asking for you. It’s late and she can’t have visitors, so could you please deal with them?”

  Gavin sent Sierra an anxious look.

  “She’s out. I promise she won’t know you’re gone.”

  “Okay.” He took a minute to compose himself before he left the room.

  Charlie and Vi jumped up the instant they saw him. Ben was standing next to Cam, still in uniform. Quinn threw the magazine he was reading on the table and stood.

  Vi rushed forward and put her hands on his face. “Are you all right?”

  “No, not really.” He inhaled and told them Sierra’s diagnosis. “The pain meds just kicked in so she’s asleep. I’m staying with her tonight.”

  “Anything we can do?” Quinn asked.

  “I’ll need someone to bring my car tomorrow.”

  “Or one of us could pick you up when you’re ready,” Charlie offered.

  He didn’t want to be beholden to anyone. Ben understood that. He said, “I can drop it by in the morning.”

  “Thanks.”

  The three people sitting in the back of the room approached the group. Gavin recognized Chet and Remy West. His gaze narrowed on the taller young guy standing between them with a blanket dangling from his shoulders.

  That fucker Boone West.

  He moved quickly, latching onto the kid’s jacket and hauling him up until they were nose to nose. “You have a fuckload of nerve being here when you’re the reason my daughter is in the fucking hospital.”

  “Let him go,” Chet said sharply.

  Gavin shook Boone. “Don’t have anything to say?”

  “Gavin,” Ben said in that listen to me voice. “Let him go. It’s not what you think.”

  “I think I want to kick his ass.”

  “Typical McKay macho bullshit,” Remy snapped. “Let him go right fucking now or you’re dealing with me.”

  “And me,” Chet said.

  He released him. But he didn’t back off.

  Neither did Boone. “How is Sierra?”

  “How the hell do you think she is? She’s got a broken collarbone, a concussion and she’s in the hospital.”

  A petite redhead bulled her way between Gavin and Boone, her focus on Gavin. “Back off. Sit your ass down.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Joely Monroe. I’m Boone’s doctor. And if you shake him like that again, I’ll have Cam arrest you for assault. He was also in the accident.”

  “But he’s not in a goddamned hospital bed so it can’t be that bad.”

  “Wrong. He doesn’t have health insurance, which is why I’m here as a favor to his uncles. Checking to make sure he doesn’t need to be hospitalized. He also had hypothermia and he refused to leave until he saw you and knew how Sierra was.”

  Gavin had no response for that.

  “Thanks, Doc. I’ll take it from here.” Cam pointed at two chairs facing each other. “Gavin. Take a seat. Boone, you too.”

  Gavin didn’t argue. Neither did Boone.

  “Now, Boone, why don’t you tell Gavin what you told us.”

  Boone aimed his face at the carpet.

  Probably out of guilt that the kid couldn’t even look him in the eye.

  “No rush,” Cam said.

  Chet and Remy stood behind him; each had a hand on his shoulder. “The sooner you get this over with, the sooner we can get you to our place, get you warmed up and doped up so you can rest.”

  Boone nodded and winced slightly. “I showed up at a party and Sierra was there. She’d been drinking.”

  Gavin listened as the kid detailed what’d gone on. His stomach pitched when he heard the word blowout. “You were driving Sierra’s car and you had a blowout?”

  “That’s how the accident happened, although her car was running like shit before that so it could’ve been a combination of factors. I was driving about forty-five when the right front tire blew. I stepped on the brake and the back end skidded out on the ice. I managed to get the car slowed down but we still hit the ditch at thirty miles per hour. My airbag deployed. Sierra’s didn’t. At the angle we hit, the passenger’s d
oor got wedged open.”

  A sick feeling took root. “It’s twenty degrees below zero outside.”

  “Yeah. Once the powder from the airbag cleared out, I saw Sierra was unconscious and I knew we were in the middle of fucking nowhere…” Boone paused to take a breath. “I shoved my airbag aside and hoped like hell Sierra had stashed a cold weather emergency kit someplace. I crawled out and opened the rear hatch. I found the thermal blanket and tucked it around her as best as I could after I checked her vitals.”

  “Vitals?” Gavin repeated. “Why would you do that?”

  “I’m an EMT. She came to when I was checking her and I suspected between the impact and seatbelt, she’d broken her collarbone. My cell phone was dead so I found hers and called the ambulance line directly. They were en route to the hospital from another accident. Given our location, I knew it’d be thirty minutes before the ambulance even reached us.” That’s when Boone looked Gavin in the eye. His eyes filled with guilt. “I’m sorry. The instant that tire blew I knew we were gonna crash. I tried to…”

  This kid that he’d accused of hurting his daughter had actually saved her. Saved her. Saved her from drinking and driving. Saved her from hypothermia. Saved her by being an experienced driver. Because if Sierra had been behind the wheel? She probably wouldn’t have known what to do during a blowout. It might’ve been hours before anyone found her…in subzero temperatures, alone, injured…she wouldn’t have made it long.

  The horror of the situation hit him anew and he started to lose it. His body shook. He couldn’t breathe. He wanted to laugh, scream and cry all at the same time.

  Then Vi was tugging him to his feet. Telling everyone he needed some air.

  He clutched her hand, followed her blindly as she led him to another small waiting area. She placed her cold hands on his cheeks and got right in his face. “Gavin,” she said softly. “It’s okay. Let it out.”

  “I… What if… She…”

  “She’s okay.”

  “But… I can’t…”

  “It’s just you and me here. Go on, son, and let it out. I’ve got you.”

  Gavin broke down, crying quietly, silently. His body trembling as he curled into her and let her hold him up. His thoughts bounced between being grateful that Sierra was all right and being paralyzed with fear about what if scenarios now that he knew the truth.