“Perfect.” Kent grinned and they went back to find the sheriff.
Mason had come up trumps with the food. He had placed a selection of vacuum-packed sandwiches on the table along with several bags of potato chips. There was more coffee and even doughnuts.
“Wow, Dad, thanks for the picnic.” Kent smiled approvingly as he sat down.
“I can still fire you, you know,” Mason grumbled jokingly.
“Oh, please don’t. I’d have to suffer him on the ranch full-time if you did that!” Travis grinned as he tucked into a chicken-salad sandwich.
“You two look a lot better.” Mason smiled at them as he passed around the chips.
“We’ve got to look good for our girl,” Travis replied.
“How long do you think they’ll keep us waiting?” Kent was peering down the corridor as he picked a slice of tomato from his sandwich.
“It shouldn’t be too long now,” Mason said calmly.
Travis’s stomach rumbled loudly. He glanced over at Mason’s watch. “We’ve been going nearly twenty-four hours without eating. How the hell did that happen?”
“I think food was the last thing on our minds,” Kent replied with a sigh.
Travis placed a comforting hand on his lover’s. “We’ll see her soon, buddy.”
Kent smiled at Travis’s cheerful face. He loved his partner’s optimism.
“That girl’s gonna need a lot of taking care of after all this,” Mason declared as he gulped his coffee.
“I reckon we’re up to the task,” Travis said with a grin.
“We haven’t done such a good job up until now,” Kent remarked ruefully.
“What’re you talking about, buddy? We killed the motherfucker who was making her life hell. We’ve enabled her to start living again instead of running all the time. I reckon we’ve done all right there.” Travis gave Kent a playful punch on the arm.
Kent shook his head and smiled. “Well now, I suppose if you put it like that…”
“Mr. Shearan said you can see her now,” a young nurse interrupted their banter, and they both shot to their feet.
Their jokey demeanor vanished as they walked reverently into the ICU. Brooke was in a side room, hooked up to numerous machines that beeped and blipped a merry chorus. A big computer-type machine was on the wall above her head with numbers flashing and lines of light flickering up and down. The room was dark and warm, and a nurse stood by the bedside.
Kent was the first though the door, and he stopped abruptly when he caught sight of her. She was lying so still and lifeless. The cervical collar surrounded her neck, and a large white bandage was tied around her head. Her arms lay over the white bedcover. One was in a cast, the other had a cannula fitted with several tubes running from it.
“Just a few minutes,” the nurse whispered as she made way for them and headed toward the door.
Kent’s heart pounded and took deep breaths to steady his nerves as he neared the top of the bed. He stared at her soft, angelic face. A large dressing covered her left cheek, while the rest of her skin was a mass of cuts and bruises. Her lower face was concealed by a small mask with a tube which protruded from her lips, covered by a full mask over her mouth and nose. It was connected by a long tube to the ventilator that worked its magic at the side of the bed. She looked so fragile, so beautiful. A large lump welled in the back of his throat and he took deep breaths to keep his tears at bay.
Travis followed Kent into the room and immediately made his way across to the other side of her bed. He shook his head in disbelief as he took in the sight of their beloved woman, who looked helpless and totally dependent on the people and machines that surrounded her. He stared at her eyes. They didn’t even flicker. Travis’s face went bright red, and he started blinking rapidly as tears threatened his eyes.
Both men stared in silence, not even daring to reach out and touch her. Kent didn’t have the heart to tell Travis their ordeal might not yet be over. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Mason had said—Chad had friends. Sure, most had abandoned him, but there had to be at least one creep out there who wouldn’t be happy with what had gone down in Moone County. Kent gazed down at Brooke.
This would not happen again.
Chapter Fifteen
The next few days passed painfully slowly. Although Brooke’s vital signs improved and she was taken off the ventilator, she failed to open her eyes. Kent prolonged his leave from work, and the boys took turns staying with their girl all through the long days and nights. At first they had spent all their time waiting around outside, only being allowed to pop in to see her for a few minutes, but now they were sitting quietly at her bedside whenever it was feasible.
“Don’t look so down.” Mr. Shearan caught Kent’s expression as he sat by her bedside on the afternoon of the fifth day.
“She doesn’t seem to want to wake up,” Kent said sadly.
“Her body and mind went through a lot of trauma,” Mr. Shearan explained, picking up his notes. “It needs time to recover. While she’s resting, she’s giving them both time to heal. It looks like it’s working well too.” He was studying the pages in front of him and then looked down at her. “Her kidney and spleen appear to be working satisfactorily. I would expect them to recover completely.”
“She won’t have to go on dialysis or anything then?” Kent perked up slightly.
Mr. Shearan shook his head. “No, her kidney was only bruised.” He flipped the page in his notes. Then he stood over Brooke and peered at her intently.
“Is everything OK, Doctor?” Kent hardly dared ask.
The consultant was quiet for a minute before straightening up and smiling at him. “Oh yes. I would expect her to wake up before too long. Most of her swellings are going down now, and we haven’t detected anything which causes concern.”
Kent beamed. “How soon before she wakes up? Should I call Travis?” He was practically jumping out of the chair.
Mr. Shearan chuckled. “Not yet, son. Your friend was here all night, I think he needs to rest himself. Give it a couple more hours and I’ll check on her again. Then you can call him if things are still on the up.”
Kent sat down again a little reluctantly. He was still holding Brooke’s hand. He gazed down at her pale face. The dressing on her cheek had been reduced to a slightly smaller one than she first had, and the swelling around her cuts wasn’t quite so severe. She still had the large bandage around her head and the cervical collar. She looked beautiful.
“I’ll be back later. Make sure you get some rest yourself before she wakes up.” Mr. Shearan smiled kindly as he left the room.
Kent sighed. He stroked her hand and sat back in what must have been the most uncomfortable chair on God’s earth. Being a large, muscular man, he found it a bit of a squeeze just to sit down, and then the arms dug into his hips. The back was straight and upright and just the wrong height. Whenever he dozed off, he woke with a crick in his neck. It was worth the discomfort to be able to stay with Brooke, though. The first day or two spent roaming the corridor outside had seemed endless, and not being able to see her nearly killed him.
One of the nurses appeared with a cup of tea for him. The staff didn’t mind their company one bit.
“Thank you.” Kent smiled at her and watched her blush.
“She’s looking better.” The woman nodded over to Brooke.
“Mr. Shearan reckons she’ll be waking up before too long,” Kent informed her before taking a long sip of his tea.
The nurse smiled. “She’ll need a lot of looking after when she gets out.”
“She’s going to get that, all right. We won’t let her lift a finger once she gets home. She’ll get all the rest she needs. She won’t be allowed to move a muscle.”
The nurse laughed. “I think the physical therapist will have something to say about that. Once that collar comes off, she needs to be moving her head again, and those legs will cramp up without a bit of exercise now and then.”
“Well, all righ
t, as long as it’s doctor’s orders,” Kent relented with a grin.
“That poor girl won’t know what’s hit her when you two get her home. I’ll bet she’s used to her independence. You’ll have to be careful, you know.” The nurse chuckled.
“Don’t you worry; we’ll take care of everything.” Kent had a self-satisfied grin on his face as he sipped his tea.
The nurse shook her head, smiling, and left the room.
The staff was all well aware of the boys’ plans to take Brooke home and look after her on the ranch once she was better. Most of them were a little jealous, truth be told. Brooke was going to need a lot of help with her recovery, though, and the guys were determined they would be the ones to give it to her. They would give her the world on a silver plate if they could.
Kent finished his tea and took one more look at their sleeping beauty before settling as best he could for a nap. The room was warm and quiet except for a machine that insisted on bleeping all the time, and he soon drifted off.
* * *
Brooke was gradually becoming aware of muffled sounds around her. Light flickered into her eyes as they slowly fluttered open. Pain throbbed through her body, though she couldn’t pinpoint where it was worse. She felt heavy and tired, and very peaceful. As she eventually managed to open her eyes fully, she realized she was lying in a dark room. An incessant beeping sound invaded her ears, and a clean, sterile smell assaulted her nose. The world seemed to be moving in slow motion. She was aware of the presence of somebody—or some bodies—near her, but she felt that she was a million miles away from them. Her brain was a heap of mush, and just moving her eyes was almost too much effort.
A dark shadow moved over her and she smelled a familiar scent. She knew she liked the faint aroma but couldn’t remember what it was. A warm, soft hand was holding hers, and she forced herself to move one of her fingers slightly. A soft, breathy voice murmured near her face, and she felt an aura of calmness and safety. She sighed.
“Brooke, baby, can you hear me?”
Words permeated her brain and danced inside her head before forming a coherent sentence. When they finally made sense, she stared into the darkness at the man who had spoken to her, and through the blur she saw a face she loved gradually materialize. She slowly licked her lips to force her mouth to open and strained her sore throat to push out a small sound.
It was enough to make him smile. A dazzling smile full of hope, care, and love beamed down at her. She felt something deep inside her glow warm, and suddenly the pain didn’t seem so bad. She stared up at the big green eyes twinkling down at her. She didn’t have the energy to smile or speak or move a single muscle, but it was OK. He seemed happy for them just to gaze at each other.
More muffled sounds encroached on their reverie as nurses and doctors flitted around the room. She felt bereft when the big, warm hand left hers and someone clipped something onto her finger while wrapping a cold cuff around her arm. Voices were becoming louder as more bodies crowded her, and she slowly managed to make out the shapes of people around her.
Brooke couldn’t move her head; her neck felt as though it was caught in a vise. Her eyes began darting around wildly as her peace was shattered, and she felt herself start to panic with the mayhem surrounding her.
“It’s all right, baby. I’m still here.” A waft of Diesel aftershave steadied her nerves as Kent’s gentle voice whispered to her from the opposite side of the bed. He had just moved out of the way of the nurses but hadn’t left her. Brooke’s whole body started to relax again, and she focused on the handsome face that came into her line of vision.
Muted voices surrounded her, but she wasn’t interested in them. She just concentrated on the one whispering soothingly into her ear. The warm glow returned to her insides, and she felt a deep sigh escape her lips.
“Travis is on his way, baby, he won’t be long now.” She heard Kent whisper to her, and another hot ember radiated from somewhere deep inside her. Brooke actually felt her lips move into a slight smile, and was relieved that Kent saw it too. He chuckled deep in his throat. She remembered how much she loved that sound.
The crowd around them finally dissipated and a nurse leaned in to speak to Kent. “Just a few more minutes, Deputy, she needs some rest.”
Kent nodded to her as he stroked Brooke’s face gently. The soothing motion and the softness of his hand comforted and warmed her, and her eyelids began to droop.
“Shh,” he whispered as she fought the sleep that threatened to engulf her. She wanted to stay with him, but it was too much. Peacefulness surrounded her. A feeling of calm and safety, and knowing her men weren’t far away were all she needed. The sensation enveloped her like a warm blanket as she finally relented and allowed herself to sleep.
Kent sat by her side for a short while before the nurse returned and ushered him out. “She’ll be asleep for a while now. Go get yourself a coffee. Mr. Beaumont’s just arrived, and the doctor wants to fill you in on a few things.” She smiled at him, and he reluctantly stood up, kissed Brooke’s soft, swollen cheek, and went to find his lover.
* * *
Travis was running up the corridor toward him. Kent headed him off before he rushed into the little side room to see Brooke. “She’s gone back to sleep,” Kent whispered, holding on to Travis’s arm.
“Holy cow, I only just got here!” Travis looked crestfallen as Kent veered him toward the vending machine.
“The nurse reckons she’ll be resting for a bit, but you’ll probably see her a bit later on. In the meantime, the doctor wants a word with us.” Kent handed him a cup of coffee and they went to look out of the big window in the corridor while they waited.
“Did she say anything? Is she OK?” Travis’s mind was racing.
Kent grinned. “She wasn’t up to talking.”
Travis looked disappointed.
“I told her you were on your way, though, and she managed a smile.”
Travis beamed. “For real?”
Kent nodded. “I got the impression she was trying to stay awake till you got here, but she just couldn’t quite make it.”
Travis nuzzled against his lover, and they enjoyed a coffee-flavored kiss before footsteps alerted them that Mr. Shearan was on his way.
“What’s the news, Doc?” Travis got straight to the point.
“Well, it’s good, actually. Your girl seems to be showing all the right signs. We’ll be taking the cervical collar off in a couple of days to see how she goes. Her spleen and kidney seem to be behaving themselves too. We need to do a few more tests once she’s fully awake to check out possible spinal problems, though. The swelling in her lumbar region is still concerning us, but don’t worry too much at this stage; it could be just taking its time to heal. It’s still very early days yet.” Mr. Shearan sounded quite optimistic, which raised Travis’s spirits even more.
“Can I see her? I want to be there when she wakes up.” Travis was a little peeved that he had missed out.
“Of course. The nurses will be with her for a short while now, though, but you’re welcome to come back in, say, half an hour and sit with her quietly.” Mr. Shearan smiled.
“Thank you, sir.” Travis grinned back.
Kent nodded to the doctor as he went back to his duties.
“Happy now?” Kent teased his partner.
“Hell no. I should’ve run a few more of them dang red lights to get here.” Travis shook his head thoughtfully.
“You should not have! I’ll have your guts for garters if I find you doing that, d’you hear me?” Mason appeared behind them, giving Travis the shock of his life.
He turned around and grinned. “You’ll have to catch me first, Sheriff.”
Mason let out a deep laugh. “In that dang truck of yours? No problem, son.”
Travis screwed up his handsome face a little. “You might have a point there, actually, Sheriff.”
Mason Bains was still giggling when the three men went to sit down with their coffees.
“So, are you longing to get me back to work yet, boss?” Kent grinned at the sheriff, who had insisted that his deputy was no good to him while his mind was constantly in the ICU of their local hospital. Kent had been ordered to prolong his leave of absence until he was ready to return to the job, and he wasn’t about to complain. He and Travis had kept vigil at Brooke’s bedside nonstop since she was admitted.
“Nope. You take as long as you need. I hear she just woke up today?” Mason smiled.
“Yep. She was so beautiful. I can’t wait till she starts talking again. I just know it’s gonna be right this time.” Kent had an unusual optimism about him this evening that couldn’t fail to make the other two smile.
“Well, that’s good.” Mason seemed genuinely pleased for them.
“Travis, Wyatt Hennessey told me he’s planning on bringing in a couple of new guys to help out with the building work for your new stable block. I’ve managed to check one of them out but I’m still trying to get the gen on the other. He’s not come up on the radar, so that’s good, but I can’t seem to find anything on him at all. I’ve still got some irons in the fire, so to speak, but Wyatt needs to know if you’re happy for him to start up there while we’re still looking.” Mason frowned as he drank his coffee.
Travis sighed. “Well now, I suppose if Wyatt’s happy to employ him, I’d be happy to have him do the job. Lord knows I need all the help I can get up there. As soon as the insurance give us the go-ahead I want that work started right away. I don’t want Frank Buchanan getting too attached to my horses.”
“All right, then. I’ll let Wyatt know. I’m still gonna keep checking, though. People without a past give me the willies.” Mason finished his drink and put his cup in the trash can. “You let me know if there’s any news on your girl. Some of us still have work to do.” He grinned as he left them.
Ménage on Moone Mountain Page 15