Wrangled (8 page)

One evenin’ Uncle Hank come in to talk a
spell.

“How’s the physical therapy goin’, son?”

“I guess it’s goin’ okay, Uncle Hank. Jenny
keeps sayin’ I’m doin’ good, keep up the good work and all that.”

“What’s the trouble, Cody?”

“I didn’t say there was no trouble.” I
said.

“You didn’t say it, but there’s trouble. I
can see it in your face and hear it in your voice. What’s wrong?”

“Aw, Uncle Hank, it’s Annalee. She’s not
actin’ right, and I think it’s ‘cause she’s jealous of Jenny. But she’s got no
call to be.”

“Boy, how many times am I gonna hafta tell
you that girl is trouble?”

“You might as well stop tellin’ me, Uncle
Hank, ‘cause she’s my gal. If that means trouble, I’ll just hafta figure out a
way to deal with it.”

“What’s she doin’?”

“Nothin’, that’s just it. She used to come
in and keep me company, bring the kids sometimes. It was nice, felt like we was
a little family. But since Jenny’s come, Annalee’s all tight in the mouth and
she won’t bring the kids around. I’m afraid I’m losin’ her, Uncle Hank.”

“Good riddance, far as I’m concerned.”

I set my jaw. I didn’t like gettin’ riled
up with Uncle Hank, but I had to set him straight. “Hank, just so’s you know,
I’m gonna marry Annalee when I get up on my feet and get some money. You might
as well get used to it.”

“Shit, have you talked to her about it?”

“Nossir, but I’m gonna. Soon as she gives
me a chance.”

“Dammit, boy, you aren’t old enough to take
care of a wife and two kids.”

“I don’t agree with you, Hank. I’ll show
you, soon’s I’m up outta this bed.”

Hank shook his head, then, kinda mournful,
and said, “Cody, I think you’re makin’ a big mistake. But I ain’t gonna argue
with you no more.”

“What have you got against Annalee, Uncle
Hank? What’d she ever do to make you take a dislike to her like that?”

“It’s nothin’ like that, boy. She’s just
had such a different upbringin’, and she’s been married in that goddamn evil
cult, you don’t know nothin’ about her. I just worry somethin’ ain’t right
about her.”

“Uncle Hank, if you found a beautiful wild
mustang out in the hills and it was willin’ to let you catch it, would you turn
it away because you didn’t know anything about where it come from?”

“Well, no, I guess I wouldn’t. But I’d have
the vet look at it before I put it in the barn with the others.”

“Fair enough. Before I declare for Annalee,
we’ll talk about all of that. Does that satisfy you?”

“I guess it’ll have to.”

“Then please, Uncle Hank, treat her right.
She’s got enough on her mind with them two kids and now Jenny. She don’t need
you for an enemy.”

“All right, boy, I’ll try, for your sake.
You just be careful.”

At first, I didn
’t
know what I was seeing. Abo seemed to stop like he’d hit an invisible wall, and
then Cody was flying straight toward the side of the corral. When he hit the
fencepost headfirst, I thought he was dead. Miguel and a couple of the other
hands vaulted the fence, and I ran around the outside to where Cody was laying
all still. When I saw the ugly gash and swelling on top of his head, I
screamed, high and long, and then Miguel was there, hissing “Annalee, shut up.
We’ve gotta get Abo under control. You’re not helping.”

I looked up to see Abo running around the
edge of the corral. Unless someone caught him, he was going to run straight
over Cody, and I almost screamed again, but a wrangler stepped in front of him
and turned him, though he still couldn’t catch him.

“What happened?” I said.

“Abogado shied at somethin’ and then
balked. Cody lost his grip. Where the hell is the boss?”

It had only been a couple of minutes since
Cody hit the fencepost, but Miguel had sent one hand running to the ranch house
while he was jumping the fence. In only another minute, Russ came running up, a
cordless phone in his hand. He was talking to someone.

“Yes, just now. I just got here, haven’t
checked, but he looks unconscious.” Miguel nodded. “Yes, he’s, it looks like
he’s been thrown from his horse into the fence head first. His leg’s in a funny
position, too. Yes, I’d feel better if you send an ambulance. Please hurry.” To
me, he said, “Annalee, you need to get in the house.”

“I want to stay with him.”

“Please don’t argue with me. You’re in no
condition. You’re white as a sheet, and you’re shaking. You’re in shock. Go in
the house and find Janet, she’ll take care of you.”

No one ever argued with Russ when he used
that tone of voice, but I couldn’t seem to figure out how to stand up, much
less walk in the house. I just stared at him, barely understanding what he
said. With a snort of disapproval, he looked around and spotted one of Cody’s
friends standing in the circle of men who had run to the scene.

“Bill, take Annalee in the house and tell
Janet I said take care of her. The rest of you men, stand back so the ambulance
won’t run over half of you getting here for Cody. Miguel, can you get a blanket
for him?”

Everyone but me jumped to obey his orders.
I looked in confusion at Bill as he pulled me to my feet. “Is he…Bill, he’s not
dead?”

“Naw, Annalee, he ain’t dead. Come on, now,
let’s get you in the house.”

Sitting in the kitchen with Janet fussing
over me, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, it seemed like hours before I
heard the wail of the siren. Red lights flashed on the window panes for a few
minutes, and then the siren started up again and Cody was gone. I hadn’t even
gotten to kiss him. That’s when I broke down in tears.

Janet handed me a clean hanky, and left the
room for a minute. When she came back, she had my four sister-wives with her,
along with Charity. They all crowded around, wanting to know what had happened,
but I couldn’t make it out in my mind’s eye. Cody was riding…and then he was
flying. And then he was lying on the ground, out cold if not dead.

Charity said, “He isn’t dead.”

“How do you know?” Amber asked, just before
I would have.

“Because the siren’s on. If he were dead,
they wouldn’t use the siren.”

For the longest time, I strained to hear
the siren as it faded into the distance. As long as I could hear that, my Cody
was still alive. Once I’d calmed down and stopped crying, the girls all went
about their business, but Charity stayed to talk to me.

“Do you know what his injuries are,
Annalee?”

“No. There was a big ugly lump on his head,
and a gash. I heard Russ tell someone on the phone that his leg was in a funny
position, I think. What would that mean?”

“Probably that it’s broken. Hey,” as I
started crying again, “honey, stop it. You need to pull yourself together. If
he’s badly injured, he’s going to need someone to take care of him. Are you up
to it?”

“Oh, yes, Charity, of course I am! Will
that be okay?”

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to
it. For right now, let’s go see which room to give him if he needs any
nursing.”

Charity kept me busy until  Russ came back
in and spoke to her quietly. She turned to me and said, “Hank called. They have
him resting comfortably, and the doctor’s looking at the x-rays, but it looks
like his leg is broken badly. If I bring you what you need, can you get this
room ready for him?”

“Yes, I can do that,” I said as sturdily as
I could. I didn’t want Russ to see me being a ninny any more. The two of them
left, and I caught a look of concern as Charity turned her head to look up at
Russ. I almost asked then what they were keeping from me, but I figured they
would deny it. Besides, I didn’t think I could take any bad news right then.
Charity was back in a few minutes with clean sheets and towels, and Russ
followed her with a few things for Cody’s comfort, including a little bell he
could use to call me in from the classroom or the playroom.

As I reached for the linens, I sent Russ a
pleading look, and he heaved a big sigh. “Sit down, Annalee.”

I looked around and spotted an easy chair
in the corner, so I went over and sat in that, then looked at Russ wordlessly.

“Annalee, there’s a possibility that Cody
could be very badly hurt.”

I gasped, and clasped my hands together up
by my throat.

“You need to be strong for him, if you have
feelings for him. He hit that fence post hard enough to break his neck.” Russ
held his hand up as my mouth dropped open. “Hang on. We don’t know that he has,
but I can just about guarantee his leg has a compound fracture. Right now, he’s
still unconscious. I’ll let you know as they update me. Charity says you want
to take care of him if that’s necessary.”

I nodded, unable to form a sentence. “Have
you ever nursed an injured person?”

“Not really. I mean, sometimes people got
sick, and I’d take care of them. We all did.”

“Well, if he needs skilled nursing care,
we’ll have to get a real nurse out here, but I guess maybe you can see if you
can help. If not, let’s see how it goes. Men that get laid up around a ranch
can be rough company.”

“I don’t care, Russ. I love him.” That
seemed wrong, somehow, telling Russ I loved Cody before I ever told Cody. But
if that’s what it took to get them to let me do this for him, that’s what I’d
have to do. Russ’s face changed, though. He looked like he was trying to make a
decision, and it must have been about me because he was looking at me the whole
time.

“Okay. Let’s see how it goes,” he repeated.
Then he patted my shoulder and left. I sat there for a few minutes thinking
what it would mean if Cody’s neck was broken. I knew enough to know that could
cripple him. Would he be paralyzed? I didn’t know how to judge that. All there
was to do was stop thinking about it and get his room ready for him, whatever
shape he was in.

It was hours later when Charity woke me
with a hand on my arm. I had finally climbed into my own bed and tossed and
turned until I fell asleep. It might have only been minutes ago, for all I
knew. Charity whispered, so she wouldn’t wake the kids in their beds. “Annalee,
I thought you’d like to know that Cody is awake and has sent word to you that
he’s going to be okay.”

That was the best news I’d heard since I
saw him flying through the air. “When will he be home?”

“That we don’t know yet. The doctors still
haven’t decided about his neck injury, and I don’t think they’ve set the leg
yet. It could be a while.”

As long as he was going to be okay, I could
deal with whatever else came at us. I whispered thank you to Charity and turned
over to try to get back to sleep so that I’d be ready to help when Cody came
home.

It turned out Cody didn’t have a broken
neck, thank God, but he did have a neck sprain and a brace for it. And his poor
right leg was in a full cast. I was going to need to take care of him, all
right. He couldn’t get in or out of the bed by himself, he’d need to be bathed
in bed, and someone would need to help him in the bathroom. I was ready to do
all of that, but I knew he wouldn’t want me to. I didn’t even get to talk to
him until late in the afternoon the day he came home, because by the time Russ
got through in there and sent me in, Cody was sound asleep. I wrote him a note
and put it under the bell, then went about my business.

I was in the playroom with all of the kids
and Amber and Ciara, when all of a sudden there came a racket from the other
room; that bell was ringing like Cody was panicked about something. I dumped
Tali off my lap where I was sitting on the floor, jumped to my feet and ran
down the hall. Swinging through the door to his room and expecting the worst, I
said with what breath I could catch, “Cody, what’s wrong?”

“Nothin’,” he said, calm as could be. “The
note said to ring the bell.”

“Oh,” I said, breathing out all the panic.
I was so relieved, I plopped down on the end of the bed before I scolded him
for scaring me to death. We talked a bit more, and then he told me he was
hungry, so I went to get his lunch. After he ate, I offered to take him to the
bathroom, but he seemed embarrassed, so I backed off and told him when the time
came to let me know and I’d get Russ.

“We’ll see,” he said.

Honestly, I don’t get men. They act like
they never have to go to the bathroom, or get sad, or anything like that. Do
they think we’re stupid? They’d have to be something besides human to live up
to all the rules they set for themselves. I asked if he’d like me to stay and
talk or read to him, but he said he’d rather watch TV, which kind of hurt my
feelings. But, I figured he was tired, so I left.

I was taking Tali back to the playroom
after changing her diaper when the bell rang again, just once like I’d asked. I
didn’t even think about what he would look like to her, I just thought he might
need something right now, and it would take time to put her down in the
playroom. So, holding her in my arms, I went into his room. My poor daughter
took one look at the monster in the bed, that big brace around his neck looking
like his head was floating somewhere above his body, and started having a fit.
Cody looked like he couldn’t handle much more screaming, and I was trying to
shush Tali. Finally, she stopped screaming, and he asked what he did wrong.

That’s the thing about Cody. He’s so sweet,
but if anything goes wrong around him, he thinks it’s because of something he
did. Sometimes it drove me crazy. But, he was asking me to get Russ for him,
because he needed to go to the bathroom. I was glad to be doing something
useful for him, even if it only meant that he was willing to let me help now.

As the weeks went by, the weather turned
and all of a sudden we were mostly confined to the house again. The wind and
snow were too much for the kids, except on the rare sunny days, when it was
still cold as could be. As much as time dragged for us girls and the kids,
though, I’m sure it was worse for Cody. Fall going into winter was some busy
time for the hands, making sure all the hay was under cover and rounding up the
cattle where they could be kept warm in a bunch. Once winter set in good,
they’d be able to spend more time with Cody, but for now, all he had was me and
the kids. He seemed to enjoy them, though. Tali had gotten used to his brace
and didn’t scream anymore when she saw it. Al was fascinated by Cody’s cast and
neck brace, asking questions about them over and over again. If Cody was
impatient with answering a three-year-old’s repeated questions, he didn’t let
on.

Best of all, for me, was when I could put
the kids to bed and then come back and snuggle in Cody’s arms, up on the bed
with him. We figured out after a while how to get a kiss in here or there.
Sometimes I thought he wished he could do more. Then there were the times I’d
bathe him with a basin of warm water and a sponge, since he couldn’t get the
cast wet in the shower. The first time, I know he was embarrassed because his
penis got hard when I touched him there. I didn’t mind, though. I knew that’s
what happened, when a woman touched a man there, even if it wasn’t for sex. So
I tried to tell him it was okay, but he wouldn’t look at me.

~~~

Before his accident, I thought Cody and I
were getting close and might have sex soon, and I was ready. After I talked to
Charity about the feeling that scared me, she came into my room one day and
handed me some books and a DVD.

“Annalee, your sex education has been
neglected, so I got these for you. When Celeste is eighteen, pass them to her,
but for now you study and learn.”

“What is all this, Charity?”

“The books are to understand your body and
a man’s body and how they fit together.”

“Well, I think I know how they fit together,
Charity White. I have two kids, after all.”

“Maybe so, Annalee, but you didn’t know
that it’s supposed to feel good, did you?”

I widened my eyes at her. “The Prophet
always said that the pleasure was for the man, and the woman shouldn’t feel
any. That it was a sin because it was woman that caused mankind to be cast out
of the Garden.”