“Like hell, Justin. Big brother or not, stay out of my way and you won’t get hurt,” Jamie grumbled, and the men laughed again.
Cole frowned. “When did you get here?”
“I came in before you did. Little did I know two of my family would be in this place. You know I hate hospitals.”
“We all know your affinity for them, Justin,” Cole said.
“Cole, there’s someone here to see you.” Abby pulled Carrie by the hand and shoved her up next to the bed. At first, his eyes lit up before he frowned.
“What are you doing here?”
Her heart dropped to her toes.
He hates me.
She couldn’t say anything as she turned and ran from the room.
* * * *
“If you weren’t stuck in that bed right now, I’d kick your ass for you, Cole Wilder,” Abby said.
He frowned when his gaze met hers. “What?”
“She came all the way here to see you, and you practically throw her out of the room.” Abby glared at him, and he shifted uncomfortably in the bed.
His gaze shifted to the door where Carrie disappeared.
It was pure shock, that’s all.
I just didn’t expect her to be here.
“Find her, Abby. I need to talk to her.”
“That’s better. I’ll do what I can, but with that attitude, I don’t know if she’ll even come back in here.”
“You have to try. I need to tell her something.”
When Abby disappeared, his gaze locked with his mother and father. “Mom? Are you okay? I came here to see you, not end up in the bed beside you. What the hell happened anyway?”
“You were t-boned at the corner of Sheridan and two-eighty-seven,” Chase explained. “You are hurt pretty badly, but it sounds like you’ll recover okay.”
“How did Carrie get here?”
“She flew here after Abby called her and told her you had been hurt. She cares about you, Cole. Don’t mess that up,” Chase told him.
Cole frowned. Something wasn’t right.
“Where’s the baby?”
“Baby?” The startled look on his mother’s face almost made him laugh.
“He’s not mine, Mom, so don’t get your hopes up. Carrie’s sister died a little over a week ago having him. I helped her with him before I came home.”
“One of my neighbors is watching him today since we all came to the hospital to see you,” Chase answered.
“Jessie’s dead?” Bonnie asked with a startled look on her face.
Cole frowned. It almost sounded like his mother knew her. “Yeah.”
“Oh my God, Charles. Jessie’s gone. No wonder Carrie is so upset.”
“Why do I get the feeling you know them?”
“I’ll explain it to you later, son, when you are feeling better, but yes, I know them. Well, sort of. Your father and I were good friends of Carrie’s father. We never really got to know the girls, although I’ve seen plenty of pictures of them but nothing recently. I didn’t recognize Carrie when Chase introduced us.”
Cole looked up at the sound by the door, and his eyes met Carrie’s across the room. She had been crying. Her face was puffy, and her eyes were red and swollen. “Carrie. Come here, baby.”
She hesitated as her gaze shifted to his family.
“We’ll go now so you two can talk. We will see you after while.”
He didn’t even notice the departure of his family except when Justin’s gaze lingered a little longer on Carrie, before he disappeared out the door. He held out his hand, and she slowly walked to his side and slid onto the chair next to the bed. Lifting his hand, he brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the lingering tears.
He smiled. “Hi.”
She bit her lip before she answered, “Hi.”
“I’m sorry about before. I was just shocked you were here.”
“I had to come. When Abby called me…I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I didn’t think you wanted to see me again.”
She dropped her gaze to the bed.
“Carrie?”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made you leave.”
“I planned to come back over there the next day so we could talk, but I got the phone call from Chase.” He linked their fingers together.
“I know. I got your message on the answering machine at the store, but it wasn’t until right before Abby called me later.”
“And?”
“I need to tell you something. I didn’t want you to leave the other night, but I’m scared. You told me from the beginning you weren’t the settlin’ kind, and I took that to heart. I wanted to push you away before you left on your own, thinking it would hurt less that way. I can’t help how I feel. I’ll just have to deal with it if you do decide to leave and not come back, but I want whatever you are willing to give me.”
“I heard something when I was still out of it, so I don’t know for sure if it’s true or not.”
“What’s that?”
“Did you kiss me and tell me you loved me?” She looked away. He took her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. “Tell me.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Say it again.”
“I love you.”
He sighed. “Good.”
“Good?”
“Yeah. If I have to give up my wandering ways, I want to make sure the girl I’m willing to give them up for loves me, too.”
“What are you saying?”
“I love you, Carrie. I think I fell in love with you the first time I saw you.”
She laughed as tears rolled down her cheeks. “While I stood there yelling at you for getting Jess pregnant? In fact, I think I called you a bastard.”
"And a son of a bitch."
"Yeah, that, too."
He smiled and shrugged. “Not like I haven’t been called that before.” He brushed her tears away “You have no idea how beautiful you were, all protective and ready to take on the world to look after her.” He brushed his fingers across her face. “I was a goner as soon as you stuck your claws in me.”
“I don’t have claws.”
“Oh, yes, you do. You were like a lioness defending her young.” He pulled her closer. “Now—come here. I need to feel your lips against mine.”
She stood up and reached over the railing. “I love you,” she whispered, before her lips moved over his. It was the best feeling in the world.
Someone cleared his throat behind them, and she pulled away with a smile.
“I need to check you over, Cole.” Dr. Collier walked to his bedside and smiled.
“I’ll be back after a while,” she whispered.
“I’ll count on it. I love you, Carrie.”
“I love you, too.”
She grabbed her purse and walked toward the door. With a short, backward glance, she headed for the lobby and his family.
Chapter Fifteen
“What are you saying, Dr. Collier?”
“You may never walk again, Cole.”
“That can’t be right!”
“You can’t feel your legs. Your back is fractured and pressing on your spinal column. I can’t tell right now if there is permanent damage or not. There is too much swelling to tell.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. Looking down at the two bumps beneath the blankets, he concentrated on moving them, but nothing happened.
“Don’t worry too much about it right now. Until the swelling goes down, I can’t do even do any more tests. It may only be temporary.”
He put his head back against the pillow behind him and closed his eyes.
Not walk again?
“Have you said anything to my family?”
“No, I’m headed down to find them now.”
“All right.”
“Take it easy, Cole. We don’t know the extent of the damage yet, so don’t do anything rash like try to get up on your own.”
He snorted, but didn’t open his eyes when he heard the doctor leave.
Now what the hell am I going to do?
Millions of thoughts raced across his mind. He may never be able to ride again, never be able to do much of anything again, including making love to Carrie.
I feel worthless. How can I ask Carrie to spend the rest of her life with me if I can’t take care of her?
* * * *
Carrie found the family sitting about where they had been before and she told them the doctor came in to examine Cole. They all agreed to get something to eat to pass the time until they could see him again.
Once they all ordered food in the cafeteria, small talk centered around the horses Chase and Abby were training, the coming baby, and how excited Chase’s parents were to become grandparents again.
Several minutes later, Dr. Collier approached their table.
“Bonnie—Charles. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Certainly, but whatever you need to say can be said in front of my children. Is this to do with me or with Cole?”
“It’s about Cole.”
Carrie’s heart dropped to her stomach.
Something's wrong.
The doctor took a chair next to Bonnie and pulled her hand into his.
“Bonnie, there’s a problem.”
“What, Dr. Collier? Just tell us, all right? We will handle it as a family, like we always have.”
He patted her hand before his gaze swept the group and landed on Carrie.
“The accident was pretty hard on him. You know he had a collapsed lung.”
“Yes.”
“That part is okay now. The chest tube is helping, and we’ll probably be able to remove it in a day or so.”
“Get to the point.”
He sighed. “Cole had an injury to his back. He has a fracture to his spinal column, which basically means he broke his back.”
“And?”
“He can’t feel his legs.”
“He’s paralyzed?” Bonnie’s gasp was echoed throughout the group.
“Yes.”
“Oh, my God,” Carrie whispered before her hand covered her mouth.
“I don’t know at this point if it’s permanent or temporary. I’ll have to do some more tests, but for now, he won’t be able to walk. Obviously, this means his rodeo days are over. Even if the condition is only temporary, he’ll need extensive rehabilitation.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. He can’t walk, may never walk again.
She stood up and moved to the window. The snow continued to fall in swirling white crystals, laying a heavy blanket over the streets, buildings, and cars. Christmas was just around the corner, and it was the first one without Jess.
“You okay?” Abby put her arm around Carrie’s shoulder.
Her lips quivered and she tried to hold back the sob lingering in her throat. “Not really. God, Abby. What if he never walks again?" Carrie shook her head in denial. “I don’t understand how this could happen. He’s so strong and is always there for everyone else.”
“I know. It’s not going to be easy on anyone.”
“I need to talk to him, let him know it doesn’t matter if he can’t walk. I still love him no matter what.”
“That would probably be a good thing. If I know Cole at all, he’s going to be feeling sorry for himself. Not being able to ride is one thing, but never being able to walk again? That could do some real damage to his male pride.”
“Thanks, Abby.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll keep the family down here for a bit.”
Carrie hugged Abby before she moved toward the elevator to see the man she loved.
* * * *
“Cole?” Carrie’s soft whisper reached his ears right before she touched his hand.
Opening his eyes, he saw her sit down next to him, and she tried to smile. The worry lines around her mouth and between her eyes made her look older than her twenty-six years. He knew with all the crap she had put up with over the last two years, his injuries just added to it.
“Hey. How do you feel?”
“Like shit.”
She shook her head, and her fingers caressed his hand.
“Did the doctor talk to y’all?”
“Yeah.”
Tears formed at the corners of his eyes and slipped down his cheek as a sob broke from his lips. She stood up and sat on the side of the bed with him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
“It’s going to be okay,” she whispered, holding him tight.
“I can’t move my legs, Carrie.” He held on. She was his lifeline, his tether in the tornado that his life had become, as the world came crashing down around him.
“I know. It doesn’t matter. I love you—all of you.” His nose buried in her hair, he inhaled her sweet scent, letting it wrap around his senses and carry him back to when they made love. Just the scent of her and her body next to his should have sent his cock into overdrive, and it terrified him to realize nothing was happening.
They sat that way for several minutes. Hearing sounds coming from the doorway, Carrie released him to move back to the chair. The rest of his family came into the room, and he wiped the tears remaining on his face.
His parents took over, just like they always had. They made plans for him to be moved to their house in town when the doctor released him. He watched as the group time-lined everything out, who would take care of him, how they would hire someone to do extensive rehabilitation and so on. His mind spun from the information and how his family seemed to almost dismiss him from the conversation. He decided to take over. With a shrill whistle he released from between his lips, the room grew silent.