Chapter 50
CHAPTER 50
CASSIDY
“ M r. Scott?”
I carefully stood. Kenny moved to support me with one arm. Ginny and Karen stood as well. The nurse at the door looked at everyone.
“Only one of you can come back,” she said.
“We’re all coming, Jill,” Ginny said. “Don’t act like this place is so busy you can’t fit us all in. And don’t even pretend you guys follow the rules.”
Jill shook her head. “Ginny, that mouth of yours is obnoxious.”
Ginny flashed a smile. “And that’s why you love me.”
The nurse rolled her eyes. “Get your ass back here. I should have known the three of you would be traveling as a pack. Do you ever leave each other’s sides?”
“Not when we can help it,” I retorted. “I was alone when this shit happened.”
Jill rolled her eyes again and beckoned us to where the doctor waited.
The sterile scent of the hospital tickled my nose. We were led to a small room, cramped with a bed and medical equipment. Nothing like the spacious arenas in medical dramas. I took my place on the bed while the other three squished into whatever corner they could find out of the way.
“Lay down,” Jill ordered.
The bright hospital lights stung my eyes as I squinted up at the ceiling. She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around my arm and checked my vitals. This all felt like an overreaction to what was nothing more than a few cuts and bruises.
“Can we wrap this up? I’m fine,” I grumbled.
“I haven’t even started,” Jill said. “I’m going to get the doctor. You just sit there and try not to bleed on anything. You three, I swear, you’ll keep this place in business.” She looked at Ginny. “I see you’re still healing.”
“I’m doing just fine,” Ginny said.
Jill muttered something under her breath and, with an exasperated sigh, made her exit. We were left alone, waiting for the doctor. Ginny was standing against the blue-curtained window, arms crossed, glancing every so often at her cellphone, which had been buzzing in her hand. Kenny was leaning against the far wall, arms folded as well.
Karen’s eyes were fixed on her phone, scrolling like she couldn’t care less. She looked perfectly content, not sparing me a single glance. Good. Let her act like this didn’t bother her. I was barely hurt anyway. I wasn’t sure why she insisted on coming anyway.
As I sat there, pretending I didn’t care either, the curtain was pulled back. Mae, Carson’s mom, walked in. She shook her head. She glanced at my friends before walking to my bedside.
“What the hell happened?” Mae demanded. She looked at my hands and face. I was certain it all looked worse than it actually was.
“Earl,” Ginny said.
Mae looked at me, then Ginny. “Earl? My Earl?”
“Yes. He got into it with Cassidy, and things turned ugly. Earl attacked him.”
“Cassidy had enough of Earl’s mouth and here we are,” Kenny said.
“Earl started it,” I clarified. “This was pure self-defense. If I had started it, I wouldn’t have any injuries.”
“We thought you should know,” Ginny said, her voice softer. “The fight was over Carson.”
“Carson?” she gasped. “What does this have to do with Carson?”
She looked at me, questioning and waiting.
“Carson showed up at the ranch a couple of weeks ago,” I said. I was trying to be as gentle as possible, but I didn’t know if there was any easy way to tell her the truth. “I found him early in the morning. He was nearly unconscious in the roadway. We got him inside and warmed up and he swore he was fine.”
“What are you talking about?” Her words were full of pain.
“He was at Earl’s and things got rough. Carson was scared and came to the ranch for safety. It happened in the middle of the night. It was freezing and he didn’t make it to the house. We found him in the morning, damn near dead.”
Mae’s face twisted with anger. “You should’ve told me about this before now!” She looked between all of us, her eyes fierce. “Earl’s a loose cannon and an absolute loser. I’m taking him back to court.”
“I’m sorry, Mae,” Ginny began, but Mae held up a hand, silencing her.
“Why did Earl come after you?” Mae asked.
“Because Earl and I have always had beef. He knows Carson came to me. And I did report it to CPS, but legally, Carson had to go back with his legal guardians. Carson begged us not to tell you. He didn’t want you to worry. He said it was fine. I’ve been trying to keep an ear to the ground, and from what I understand, things have been calm.”
“I should kill that asshole,” Mae said. “That son of a bitch. He can screw with me all he wants, but this is too far. I’m going to make damn sure he never sees his son again. He will not lay one hand on my boy.”
“If you need anything, call me. I’ll be a witness. Just say the word. If Carson needs a place to stay, he can stay at the ranch. I know you have to work. If Carson needs to hang out for a day or two, he’s got a place at the Rocking Horse.”
She crossed her arms, giving me a long look, one eyebrow cocked in amusement. “You look like you’re just as much trouble, Mr. Scott. I’m not sure you’re a good example.”
She wasn’t wrong. I let out a weak laugh, feeling the sting in my lip. Karen chuckled from her chair.
Mae looked at me again. “Are you hurt?” she asked.
“Nah, these guys insisted I come in.”
“I’m sorry Earl went after you. Thank you for standing up for my son.”
“Anytime. I’ll do it again and again. I’m surprised Earl isn’t in here. I’m not the only one that took a hit or two. He got tangled up in some barbed wire. It didn’t improve his mood.”
“I hope he does come in,” Mae said. “I’m going to pour salt in his wounds.”
“I wouldn’t doubt you, Mae,” I said, yet the gravity of the situation hung heavy in the room.
Mae glanced at all of us one more time. “And you three,” she said to Ginny, Kenny, and Karen. “Try to keep him from doing something that will land him in jail.”
They all agreed.
Eventually, the doctor came in. There was some poking and prodding and an offer to get x-rays, which I declined. I knew nothing was broken. The doctor agreed and gave the nurse instructions to clean up the cuts on my hands.
The nurse walked in, ready to take care of my wounds. She unceremoniously began wiping away blood with antiseptic. She was all business. Thirty minutes later, my right hand was bandaged and my left was clean but sore as hell.
“Here,” she said, giving me some Tylenol, which I downed quickly. “Your chest will be sore. If you feel something poking or the pain gets worse, get your butt back in here. And try not to get into any more fights. Put some ice on your hands.”
“Thank you, Jill.”
The four of us walked out of the hospital and climbed back into the truck. I glanced over at Karen, who had been eerily silent. Her jaw was clenched, her mouth set in a tight line. I could feel the anger radiating off her in waves.
Finally, she turned to me, her eyes blazing. “You don’t think things through, do you?”
I raised an eyebrow. “I did what I had to do.”
“Did you, Cassidy? Or did you just do what felt good? Because let me tell you, swinging at Earl might feel good for about a minute, but the damage afterward?” She shook her head. “You’re just a scared little boy who still sees himself as that same kid from years ago. You know what I see when I look at you?”
I braced myself, unsure of what was coming. “No, but I guess you’re going to tell me, aren’t you?”
“I see someone who’s so much more than that. Someone who could make a difference, who could actually help Carson instead of dragging him into some macho, meaningless fight. You’ve made me feel safe since I came here. You’ve looked after people and kept the ranch running. But today? Today you didn’t think about anyone but yourself. You were pissed off at me and saw some stupid man as a punching bag.”
My patience snapped. “And what exactly are you trying to say? That I’m some kind of failure because I did what no one else had the guts to do?”
Her eyes narrowed and her cheeks flushed. “This isn’t about you sticking up for the little guy. This is about you letting anger run your life. Don’t you think I know what it feels like to be angry? You act like you’re the only person who’s had it rough, but you’re just using that as an excuse to act like a kid who never learned how to control his temper!”
“So what, I’m just supposed to sit back and let Earl beat the tar out of me?”
“Maybe you could have thought about the impact first. But no, you wanted to be the hero, as if throwing a punch ever solved anything!”
Ginny suddenly swerved the truck, pulling over to the side of the road with a sharp jerk that had us both bracing ourselves. She twisted around in her seat, glaring at us with the kind of look that could make even the toughest man think twice.
“I have half a mind to dump the both of you on the side of the road right now,” she hissed. “But I’m feeling generous. Karen, if you weren’t pregnant, I wouldn’t hesitate. And Cassidy—good God, if I have to listen to another word of your bickering, you’re walking home. Got it? If you think you’re hurting now, you just wait until after you walk five miles! Stop sniping at each other already.”
I swallowed hard, glancing at Karen. She looked like she was ready to keep going, but she clamped her mouth shut, glaring down at her hands instead. Ginny wasn’t the type to make empty threats.
“Can you drive now?” Kenny asked.
“I don’t know,” Ginny said. “Are these two going to act like grownups?”
“I’m done,” I said.
Karen said nothing. I didn’t think Ginny expected her to.
“Fine,” Ginny said.
Kenny opened his mouth. “I?—”
“No,” Ginny said. “No one speaks. I want silence.”
Kenny chuckled but did what he was told. Every so often, I’d catch Karen sneaking a look at me before she turned away again. I wanted to reach out, to say something, anything, to break the tension, but I wasn’t about to piss Ginny off. She wasn’t messing around. She would whack all of us with her crutches.
By the time we reached the ranch, I couldn’t get out of the truck fast enough. As the truck stopped, Karen hopped out before I could say a word. I watched her head off toward the lodge without saying anything to anyone. I knew she was stomping up the stairs and would lock herself in her room for the rest of the night.
“Go easy on her, Cassidy,” Ginny said. “No matter how angry the two of you are at each other, she’s pregnant with your baby. You have to at least respect that.”
I didn’t answer, just nodded, and headed to the bunkhouse. Anger, shame, and bitterness all clouded my thoughts. I slammed the door behind me and sank onto the edge of my bed, burying my head in my hands. Hitting Earl had felt good, so damn good, like I’d finally taken a stand, finally shown him I wouldn’t let him treat Carson or anyone else like that. But now, all I could feel was regret. I gave him what he wanted. He wanted to push me to the point of violence and I let it happen.