Sage
Sounds were muffled, my vision tunneling as we rushed into the city ER.
The ambulance already beat us and we were informed they were working on him.
I needed to do something. I couldn’t just sit there while we waited for an update, so I called Agatha and Bill.
It was late now and with the snow, it wasn’t wise for them to leave until the morning.
I promised them I’d call as soon as we heard something.
My gut tightened while I paced the waiting room, my stiff lungs making it difficult to take in deep breaths.
What if his injuries were serious or even worse … What if he doesn’t make it?
I can’t lose him. I can’t lose him.
I shook my head as if to shake the catastrophic thoughts out of my brain.
My heart was in my throat and I struggled to swallow the ball of emotion that was forming.
Guilt roiled my stomach. I should’ve just let him kiss me on New Year's Eve. Now I may never know what it felt like to press my lips to his. To fall in love with Christian Riggs. I was so scared to open my heart to him, thinking I’d get my heart broken.
When the real fear was in possibly losing him.
Since Lina and Reed had Penn, they decided to take a walk and find coffee for everyone while we waited for news. Romy and Jude went to find hotel rooms for all of us in the city, needing to get Charli down for bed and it looked like we weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Chuck squeezed my shoulder before taking a seat, bowing over his knees, his hands clasped as though he was in prayer.
Just as I was taking another pass in the middle of the waiting room, the sliding glass doors opened.
Kale was still in his chaps and he got a few looks from the city patients.
His eyes darted everywhere until they landed on me.
I halted in my steps, a silent sob breaking through.
Kale’s face fell as he took quick, long strides, his chaps swaying.
I fell in his arms as soon as he reached me, burying my face into his chest. I gripped his shirt, holding him to me for comfort.
I didn’t remember the last time I hugged my brother, but it was long overdue.
It made me cry harder thinking, why did it take me this long to hug my brother?
It could’ve easily been him. My tears dampened his chest as he held me to him.
“Is he going to be okay?” Kale asked, his voice breaking on the okay.
I lifted my head to look up at him, his eyes misty as they connected with mine.
“We’re still waiting. They’re working on him now.”
He nodded, wiping the tears beneath my eyes. “Has anyone called Agatha and Bill?”
I took a deep breath, settling my sobs. “I did before you got here. They’re going to wait to hear, but it sounded like they’ll head down in the morning.”
He nodded again, unwrapping his arms from around me and taking my hand, bringing me over to where Chuck was so we could sit. He didn’t let go of my hand, cradling it in his lap while we waited.
Time passed slowly. I watched as people came and went, other nurses calling other names, but no one came out for us. Lina and Reed eventually returned, Penn sipping on her hot chocolate like she just got an adult coffee. Reed passed out the coffees while we waited.
I’d just finished mine when Jude called telling us they checked into the hotel and got rooms for the rest of us.
Penn found some magazines and was pretending to read, her legs crossed like a little grown up, while she drank her “kid coffee.” She was sitting so patiently even though Lina and Reed were considering heading to the hotel to try to get some rest while they waited for news.
Chuck had gone up to the nurse’s station almost a half dozen times asking for an update, but they weren’t giving us anything.
Eventually a woman in scrubs stepped out into the waiting room, her eyes searching while she called, “Mrs. Riggs?”
We all exchanged looks with each other.
“Is this about Christian?” Chuck asked. “His parents aren’t in town. We’re friends of his.”
“No, I’m looking for his wife, Mrs. Riggs?”
Everyone turned to look at me, Kale’s eyes burning into the side of my face.
I gulped, tentatively lifting my hand. “I’m Mrs. Riggs.”
“You’re fucking what?” Lina asked.
At the same time Kale ran a hand over his face and said, “You gotta be fucking kidding me.”
I turned briefly to look at them all staring at me. I was unable to speak and my skin was on fire.
“Are you married?” Lina asked.
I grimaced. “Yeah …” My attention went back to the nurse, so I didn’t see their mouths hanging open. Heat was scorching my skin as I approached the nurse.
“Come with me,” she said, opening the door to the ER with her badge before I followed her inside.
I refused to look back, knowing they’d all be staring at me in shock. I knew there would be so many questions when I returned.
Monitors beeped, nurses and doctors were busy with patients behind closed drapes, as I followed her toward a curtained alcove. She pulled it back, Christian’s eyes immediately meeting mine and I nearly cried again out of relief.
“Christian!” I hurried to his side. A blanket covered his legs, his shirt had been removed and a bandage wrapped around his torso.
A sling held his left arm in place. I noticed for the first time that he had a tattoo on his left pec, right above his heart, that looked to be a starburst or North Star.
His hair was messed up and he looked pale and exhausted, but it didn’t stop him from grinning.
“You’re here! See,” he said, turning to the nurse, “I told you my wife was out there.”
I shook my head, laughing. “About that … We’ll probably need to talk before we see the others.”
“You’re all here?”
“We’ve been worried sick. Of course we’re all here. Your parents will be driving down in the morning, too.”
He tried to shrug it off but then grimaced. “They don’t need to do that. I’m fine.”
“No, you’re fucking not. It was bad. It was so bad, Christian.” My brow furrowed with worry. “You got knocked out and trampled on.”
The nurse was going about the room checking the heart monitor that was attached to his finger, then checking the IV that was in his arm.
“The doctor will be right in to talk with you,” the nurse said, before stepping out.
I gripped his hand that lay at his side on the bed, giving it a squeeze. “You scared the hell out of everyone.”
The fool was still beaming at me and I hoped it was just the pain killers they gave him. “Did I scare the hell out of you?”
I scoffed. “Of course you did. We rushed here as soon as they brought the stretcher out for you. Do you remember anything?”
He started to shake his head, then winced.
I pumped his hand as if I could stop him from hurting himself. “Don’t move.”
“The last thing I remembered was getting on the bull. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the ER.”
“Shit, Christian. That’s bad.”
“Hello?” The doctor called on the other side of the drape.
“Come in,” Christian replied.
The curtain slid open and the doctor stepped in. He held a clipboard and wore tennis shoes and black scrubs, a stethoscope around his neck. “I’m Dr. Peterson.”
We both greeted him as he took a seat on the rolling stool in front of the computer. He clicked around for a moment before turning to us.
“Well, it looks like your husband is one lucky guy.”
It was the first time anyone referred to Christian as my husband and it made my chest grow tight.
“Surprisingly, his shoulder is going to be okay. There were no tears once we relocated the joint. But he does have a pretty severe concussion which we’ll continue to monitor over the next twenty-four hours.
It will take some time to recover from that.
You’ll feel foggy and more than likely will experience headaches and light sensitivity for a few weeks.
The best you can do is rest and sleep to let your brain heal.
Limit screen time and I’d avoid driving for the next week. ”
“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Christian commented, making me swing my head around to look at him incredulously.
The doctor gave him a tolerant smile. “Your cracked ribs will take longer to heal. You’re going to need to limit work and lifting anything over fifty pounds. Nothing vigorous.”
“But, doc, please tell me that doesn’t mean sex is off the table?” Christian whined.
My head snapped to him, my face flushed. “Christian.”
He was loving this a bit too much. The bastard even winked at me!
“That may be best. You’re going to want to lay low for the next few weeks. I’ve already written you a prescription for OxyContin for the pain. You’re going to want to use compression and ice for the next thirty days, but it could take six to twelve weeks to fully heal.”
“Nothing I can’t handle. I’ve broken a rib before.” Christian brushed it off.
“You have?” I asked inquisitively.
He nodded. “Hazard of the sport.”
I should have known. He was taking this too well.
The doctor glanced back to the computer screen before turning back to us. “The MRI shows a partial tear of your ACL.”
Christian’s hand tightened in a vise grip and I looked back at him. His smile was fading. He didn’t like this news.
“We’ll wrap it up the best we can and give you crutches, but you’re going to need to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon. It’ll require surgery to repair it and physical therapy. You’ll be looking at, at least, four months of recovery.”
Christian’s head dipped, his chin falling to his chest. His eyes closed momentarily before blinking away emotion and returning his gaze to the doctor.
“I know that may be hard to hear, but most young people recover fully, especially if you stick with the therapy.”
Christian nodded, but I knew he was now thinking of the rodeo season he was going to miss.
“Do you have any questions?”
Christian and I exchanged glances. He wasn’t smiling anymore. “No, we’re good.”
The doctor said his goodbyes, leaving us alone.
“Are you mad at me?”