The Cowboy's Autumn Fall

by Shanna Hatfield

  “Chainsaw?” Bailey managed to say around the pounding in her heart.

  “That big storm we had a few days ago felled a lot of trees. The neighbor asked Brice if he wanted some so he was over there getting them ready for transport. I knew he should have listened to Travis and waited until someone was around to help him,” Tess said, twisting a strand of loose hair around her finger nervously.

  “But a chainsaw through his leg could be… could mean…” Bailey said, faltering when tears closed off her throat.

  She felt Tess’ hand squeeze hers. “Let’s think positive. Brice will be fine. He’s too ornery to be anything else,” Tess said, as much to convince herself as Bailey.

  “I certainly hope that is the case,” Bailey said, taking the exit and following Tess’ directions to the hospital.

  “How did you know he was hurt?” Tess asked as Bailey pulled into the parking lot.

  “He called and asked for help then the line went dead. I was heading home for the weekend anyway, so I hurried out the door and kept trying to call him back. When I finally got through a nurse named Sandy answered the phone.”

  Tess managed a smile at her friend’s name.

  “If he’s with Sandy, she’ll take good care of him,” Tess said, grabbing Bailey’s hand as they hurried into the hospital.

  They arrived to find Michele pacing in the waiting room with Denni while their neighbor, Chris, sat nearby wringing his ball cap in his hands.

  “Mom, how is he?” Tess asked as she hugged her mother.

  “Oh, Tess, he’s lost so much blood,” Michele said, reaching out to hug Bailey as well. “When Chris found him, he rushed him to the hospital, but they think he may have been out there for a while before Chris got to him. They said if he hadn’t been wearing his chaps, it might have severed his leg before he turned it off.”

  Tess stepped over to their neighbor and offered him a hug when he stood. “Thank you for bringing him in.”

  “I feel like this is my fault,” Chris said, running his hand through his hair. “I knew he was coming over this morning and should have stayed there. My wife told me he shouldn’t be out there cutting up those trees alone, but Brice said he wasn’t worried about it. I got home about one and saw the truck there but not Brice so I started looking for him. He was between the two maple trees that fell down with blood all around him. I figured I could bring him in faster than the ambulance could get out there and back, but it sure scared me to find him like that.”

  “I’m sure it did,” Tess said, squeezing their neighbor’s hand. “We appreciate everything you did for him.”

  “I finally gathered enough sense to call your mom when I brought him in. Brice has been asking for Bailey since he came to a bit ago,” Chris said, turning to look at the girl he met a few times at various functions.

  While they waited for someone to give them any news of Brice’s condition, Travis showed up followed by Ben. Bailey felt like an outsider as she sat with the family waiting for news. When Mike Morgan finally arrived, Michele fell against him and burst into tears all over again.

  Sitting next to her aunt, Denni rubbed Bailey’s back soothingly while they waited. “I’m glad you’re here, honey. Brice will be so happy to wake up and see you.”

  “Not after what I’ve done,” Bailey said, trying to hold back her tears. From the moment she heard Brice ask for help, Bailey realized with utter clarity what she wanted. It wasn’t a career filled with accolades, it wasn’t her name on brilliant dissertations, or a record of her great finds in the world of paleontology. It was Brice. She wanted more than anything to have a future with Brice. “I’ve been so stupid.”

  “Yes, you have, but you’ll have plenty of time to fix that,” Denni said, smiling at Bailey when she stared at her. “If Brice will take you back, and I’m certain that he will, I’d say the smartest thing you could do would be to hang on to him for a lifetime.”

  “What if he isn’t going to be okay, Aunt Denni? What if I never get the chance to tell him how I really feel?” Bailey asked, swiping at the tears that trickled down her cheeks.

  “You’ll have your chance, honey,” Denni said, rubbing Bailey’s shoulder comfortingly. “Just make sure you take it when it comes. Our Brice is too stubborn to be down for long. You mark my words, he’ll be fine.”

  Waiting for what seemed like hours, finally a doctor came to speak with them. Everyone got to their feet as he looked around the room. Hearing the news, Trey, Cady, Trent and Lindsay had joined the group, leaving Cass with Aunt Viv.

  “We’ve had Brice in surgery and he should be just fine. He might not walk quite the same when he’s healed, but he’ll have full use of both legs for a good while to come as long as he doesn’t have any more encounters with a chainsaw,” the doctor said, smiling at the group and their collective sigh of relief. “One of our biggest concerns was the amount of blood loss. He tried to use his belt as a tourniquet but must have passed out before he got it tightened enough to do any good.”

  “What happened?” Mike asked, taking a step closer to the doctor.

  “From what we can gather, the chainsaw kicked back and sliced into his leg just above his knee. He managed to pull it away before it reached the bone. The trouble with chainsaw accidents is that it not only cuts the skin but chews up tissue. So instead of a nice clean cut we can stitch, the wound is ragged, dirty and hard to mend. We flushed the wound, removed debris and bits of tissue and stretched the muscle to reattach it. These types of wounds don’t hold stitches well, but Brice can boast one hundred and thirteen stitches in that leg of his since we managed to get three layers in to hold the tissue together,” the doctor said, watching the impressed look on the faces of the men. “Due to the type of injury, they also tend to form a lot of scar tissue which can shorten the muscle and decrease function. I know Brice has an excellent physical therapist to help him stretch that muscle once it is healed. I would guess, with proper care, he’ll probably regain ninety-nine percent mobility on his leg.”

  “When can we take him home and what do we need to do for him?” Tess asked, knowing she would be the one primarily giving care to her brother, although Trent could also be called on since he doctored animals and humans on both of the ranches.

  “We’ll keep him overnight, just to make sure there aren’t any complications, and release him in the morning. He’ll need to be restful for several days, walk on crutches and in general take it easy. I’ll want to see him in two weeks and he needs to keep the bandage in place, not disturbing the stitches. Brice can take showers if you wrap that area well with plastic to keep the water out and I’d say a few days in bed with his leg up wouldn’t hurt him at all. After that, he should start getting up and walking with his crutches a little each day.”

  “How long will his recovery time take?” Travis asked, remembering the painful weeks he spent in bed with his hamstring injury.

  “Probably ten weeks total,” the doctor said, glancing at his watch. “Brice should be in recovery by now. Once he’s moved into a room, a few of you can go in to see him at a time.”

  “Thank you, doctor,” Mike said, shaking the man’s hand as he turned to walk away.

  Turning to look at the group, the Thompson and Morgan family blended together by friendship and love, Mike asked them all to bow their heads as he gave a prayer of thanks for Brice’s safekeeping. Knowing that his son could have lost his leg made Mike realize the depths of his gratitude for Brice’s well-being.

  “We might as well head home,” Trey said, hugging Michele and shaking Mike’s hand. “Too many visitors will just wear him out tonight.”

  “Probably,” Michele agreed, hugging Trent and Lindsay as the two elder Thompson boys and their wives left with a wave and disappeared down the hall along with their neighbor Chris. Denni announced she would stay until Mike and Michele were ready to leave. It was agreed that Ben, Tess and Travis would visit Brice first, since Ben had to get back to Portland for work.

  An hour later a nurse ca
me and led the first group to Brice’s room. Michele and Mike went next and Bailey continued to sit with Denni, wondering if she’d be allowed to see Brice.

  When Michele came back, teary-eyed but smiling, she patted Bailey’s arm. “He’s been asking for you, Bailey. Go on in.”

  Bailey stood and straightened her spine before moving down the hall.

  Entering Brice’s room, Bailey walked quietly to the bed and stood staring down at Brice. His hair was a tousled mess, his face was stubbly like he’d forgotten to shave that morning, and he looked pale. Reaching out, she gently smoothed the wave of hair from his forehead and ran her hand down his firm jaw.

  “Hi, Bailey,” Brice whispered, not opening his eyes.

  “How’d you know it was me?” Bailey asked, placing her palm on his cheek, absorbing the fact that Brice was alive and would be fine.

  “I could smell you for one thing,” Brice said, opening one eye, then the other. He looked a little dazed from the pain medication. “And no one else’s hands make me feel all tingly inside like yours.”

  “Oh,” Bailey said, smiling through the tears that were rolling down her cheeks.

  “Don’t cry, sugar,” Brice said, weakly. “Doc says I’ll be right as rain in a few months, although this is sure gonna slow down my new business.”

  “Yes, it will,” Bailey agreed, running her hand down Brice’s arm and grasping his hand in hers. “I know I can’t stay long, Brice, but I want you to know, I’m…”

  “Not now, sugar. Don’t say anything now. Let’s talk later when I’m not half-drugged,” Brice said, with a lopsided grin.

  “Okay. We’ll talk later,” Bailey agreed. When a nurse didn’t immediately come chase her out, Bailey pulled a chair up next to the bed, held Brice’s hand and talked to him about what had gone on at work, things she’d found or done. She even told him about mixing up the prehistoric cat with a magnolia, which made him grin.

  “I can’t keep my eyes open, sugar. I’m gonna sleep awhile,” Brice said, finally allowing himself to close his eyes and rest.

  “You go to sleep, Brice. We’ll be here in the morning to take you home,” Bailey said, standing up to press a kiss to Brice’s forehead.

  “Promise?” Brice whispered, only partially awake.

  “I promise,” Bailey said, watching as Brice’s breathing grew deep and he appeared to be sleeping. She let go of his hand and rubbed fingers softly along his face. Kissing his lips, she whispered “I love you” before leaving the room.

  Denni, Mike and Michele were waiting for her when she came back.

  “He’s sleeping,” she said, wondering what Mike and Michele must think of her for dumping Brice the way she had, then showing up today.

  “Good,” Michele said, looping her arm through Bailey’s as they all walked toward the door. “I’m so glad you’re here, Bailey. I don’t know what happened with Brice and you, I don’t need to know, but he’s missed you terribly. If you’re here for the weekend, we’d like you to come to the house and spend some time with him.”

  Bailey nodded her head. “I’d like that very much.”

  “Good,” Michele said, giving her a hug and wave as she and Mike left.

  Denni and Bailey walked through the parking lot together. “Why don’t you come home with me tonight, honey. It will save you the drive back to the ranch and you can come bright and early in the morning to see Brice.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Denni. That would be great,” Bailey said, smiling at her aunt.

  “I’m glad you’re back, Bailey. We missed seeing you around the last several weeks,” Denni said, stopping next to her car.

  “I know and I’m sorry. I’m sorry for running away, for closing everyone out, for letting Brice think…” Bailey couldn’t continue talking as tears filled her eyes.

  “Oh, honey, it’s okay,” Denni said, giving her headstrong, independent niece a hug. It was about time the girl finally realized she was head over heels in love with Brice. Everyone else knew it weeks and weeks ago. “Let’s go home and you can tell me all about it.”

  Bailey nodded and followed Denni to her house.

  After a good visit, they went to bed although Bailey didn’t get much sleep. She arose early the next morning, wondering what time they let visitors in to see patients at the hospital.

  Knowing Bailey would wear a groove in the floor if she kept pacing, Denni shooed her out the door, telling her she might be able to get in to see Brice before the family came to take him home.

  Walking to his door, Bailey was surprised when no one stopped her from going in Brice’s room. He was in bed, still looking pale and weak, but not as bad as he had the night before. She took his hand in hers and held it a while before his eyelids fluttered open.

  “Hey, sugar. I was dreaming you were here and now you are,” Brice said, still a little buzzed on medication. “It’s like magic.”

  “Most definitely magic,” Bailey said, unable to hide her grin. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Heck, no. They were in here poking and prodding me every few hours. How do they expect a body to rest that way?”

  “I don’t know?” Bailey said, trying to swallow back a laugh. “Maybe that’s why they plan to send you home this morning.”

  “Yep. That’s what the doctor said when he stopped by a while ago. He went to sign my release papers and as soon as my taxi service arrives, I’m out of here,” Brice said, some of the spark returning to his eyes.

  “How about I sit with you until then?” Bailey said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed.

  “I’d like that,” Brice said, grinning at her. “I’d like it even more if you’d kiss me again and tell me you love me like you did last night.”

  “What?” Bailey asked, surprised. How could he possibly know what she’d said? He was asleep, or so she thought.

  “You heard me and I heard you last night. You said you loved me,” Brice said, looking at her with eyes that pleaded for confirmation. “Did you mean it?”

  No time like the present to finally tell him the truth.

  “Yes, Brice, I meant it. More than you could possibly know,” Bailey said, holding his hand between hers. “When I realized something was wrong with you yesterday, I couldn’t think of anything except finding you. If something had happened to you, if I couldn’t have… I’m sorry, Brice. I’m so sorry.”

  “I know, sugar. Let’s talk about all that later. I just want to enjoy looking at you and seeing your smile before they shoot me full of something else that knocks me out for a while,” Brice said, squeezing Bailey’s hand. “We’ll have all weekend to get things straightened out.”

  “Actually, I’ve got the entire week free if you’d like me to spend it with you,” Bailey said, pleased by the look of surprise and happiness that flew across Brice’s expressive face.

  “A whole week of your playing nursemaid for me? I think I’m still dreaming,” Brice said with a cocky grin. “Maybe you better pinch me.”

  “Maybe I will later,” Bailey teased as she heard the Morgan family coming down the hall.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Jump, and you will find out how to

  unfold your wings as you fall.”

  Ray Bradbury

  “How many more chairs do we need, darlin’?” Trey asked Cady as he carried two more chairs to the dining room table. The big farmhouse table, normally able to seat fourteen comfortably, was made even longer with the addition of a few card tables.

  Using tablecloths in a warm shade of brown, Cady placed miniature pumpkins, creamy candles and bowls of nuts down the center of the table on a runner made of burlap. Set with cream plates and polished silverware, the table looked both rustic and elegant.

  “We need a total of twenty-three chairs, boss-man,” Cady said with a grin from the stove where she was working to put the finishing touches on the Thanksgiving feast. In addition to all the Thompson and Morgan clan gathering around the dinner table in less than an hour, Cady’s Aunt Viv and Uncle Joe, Cass
’ friend Ashley and her parents, a few of the ranch hands and Hart Hammond would be there.

  Denni and Nana arrived earlier and were artfully folding cream-colored napkins at each place setting as Trey dusted off the last of the chairs, listening to the football game Trent and Travis were watching in the great room. Cass was flitting between the kitchen, great room and her bedroom, excited to have her little friend coming to join in the festivities.

  Finished with the dusting, Trey stepped into the kitchen and put his arms around Cady, drawing her back against him. She relaxed in his embrace and smiled when he nuzzled her ear.

  “This is a little different picture than a year ago, isn’t it darlin’?” Trey asked, kissing her neck.

  “It sure is. It’s hard to think that just last Thanksgiving poor little Cass was living in neglect, Travis was still in Iraq, Trent and Lindsay were avoiding each other like the plague and you were planning the best way to sweep me off my feet.”

  “My planning paid off, didn’t it?” Trey asked, sweeping Cady into his arms and swinging her around the kitchen.

  Bailey walked in from the hallway and smiled. The affectionate nature of her cousins no longer bothered her in the least.

  “See you’re at again, Trey,” Bailey commented, grinning at her cousin as she picked up salt and pepper shakers to set on the table. “Can’t you control yourself at all?”

  “Not with this beautiful wife of mine,” Trey said, kissing Cady on the cheek before setting her down and playfully swatting her bottom. Winking at Bailey, he sauntered off to the front room to watch football with his brothers.

  “It is so cold out there,” Tess said, hurrying in the back door with a bag of paper plates. Cady was worried they’d run out of extra plates by the time the guys had several helpings of dessert so Tess ran home to get some paper plates. Setting the plates on a side table in the dining area, she kissed Denni and Nana’s cheeks before going back to the mud room and hanging up her coat.

  “Do you think it will snow tonight?” Tess asked as she washed her hands and joined Cady and Bailey in the kitchen. Cady made gravy while Bailey mashed potatoes and Tess buttered the tops of the rolls, hot from the oven.