Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Noah
Iconsider myself to have a high pain tolerance, but goddamn, everything hurts like a motherfucker. The nurse was in here at some point and gave me more pain meds, but they wore off, and now I need a double dose.
My hand fumbles around as I feel for the call button. As soon as I groan, Fisher’s on his feet and at my bedside.
“What do you need, baby?” he asks.
“Pain...” I whimper, trying to hold my eyes open.
“More meds? Okay, hold on.”
He presses the button and asks if I need to readjust, but the thought of it has me shaking my head. Every inch feels like a mile, and I’d rather not move unless I have to.
The nurse enters with a smile, but her eyes linger on Fisher a moment longer than necessary.
Of course he’s oblivious to it as he keeps all his focus on me.
If I had an ounce of strength to spare, I’d tell her to keep her flirty gaze off him.
But as long as she delivers what I need, I’ll save scolding her for another time.
“Hi, Noah.” Her voice is low but bubbly. “I have more morphine for you, but it’s gonna make you drowsy.”
“Good,” I whisper.
“Once I’m done, I’ll replace your ice packs. That should help your ribs.”
I manage to nod because it’s all I can do. My head pounds from the mild concussion, which is what the morphine is supposed to help with, along with every other inch of my body that’s suffering.
Everything was pure chaos from the moment Fisher carried me into the ER.
They put me on a stretcher and rolled me into a room for a full-body examination.
I remember screaming in pain as they checked my ankle and ribs.
Once an x-ray ruled out any internal bleeding from my ribs, they took me in for a CT scan and found a fracture in my ankle.
Then they wrapped it until a specialist could look at it to determine whether I need surgery.
My parents arrived within an hour of my being admitted and have been talking to the doctors about a recovery plan. I already know I’m going to have to stay off my foot for six to eight weeks, but I don’t want to hear it. Someone like me doesn’t have time to sit around for two months.
As soon as the meds hit my system, every part of me relaxes, and I grin.
“Better?” Fisher asks, brushing his hand over my cheek.
“Yeah. Can you tell the doctor my ankle’s fine, and I won’t be needin’ surgery?”
“Considerin’ it’s black and blue, swelled up to the size of my fist, I doubt he’s gonna believe that.”
I frown. “Nothin’ ice can’t fix.”
He brushes loose strands of hair around my ear and smiles weakly. “Sorry, love. Even without surgery, they’re gonna tell you to stay off it. No gettin’ around that.”
I groan and drop it for now. “Is Donut alright? What about the snake?”
“Tripp got him to calm down and brought him back to his stall. He was shaken up, so they called the vet to give him some sedatives. The snake was found and disposed of.”
It’s a miracle Donut didn’t hurt himself, and I’m thankful he’s at least okay.
“Was there only one? Where’d it come from?”
“That’s all I saw, but your brothers are searchin’ the entire trainin’ center and other barns to be sure. Tripp saw Craig by the barn doors. He musta released it, then waited to make sure Donut reacted.”
“God, he’s like a parasite that won’t go away. I remember Tripp rushin’ out. Did he find him?”
“No. Tripp called the sheriff, and they’re on high alert for him. He wasn’t at his house when they went to question him.”
I groan at the thought of him still on the loose. “I didn’t even do anythin’ to him.”
“My best guess this time is he’s pissed about Delilah. He somehow knew you’d be practicin’.”
“He’s not gonna quit till he kills me,” I say, and then my eyes get too heavy to keep them open.
“Well, the good news is you don’t need surgery. The bad news is you will if you don’t stay off your foot. Rest is key.” The doctor looks at me, and I want to argue that I can’t be off that long. But with my parents, Gramma Grace, and Fisher standing in the room, there’s no fighting it.
They’re going to make me stop training until I’m fully healed.
“I’ll make sure she stays off it,” Fisher says, and I hold my breath as I wait for my parents’ reaction. “I feel responsible for what happened. The least I can do is help her through the recovery.”
We haven’t had more than a couple of moments alone to talk, but I see him struggling with the guilt and the reminder of what happened with his daughter.
As soon as Donut reared and I felt my foot get stuck, I immediately thought about how this would affect Fisher and tried like hell to get myself out.
I hadn’t expected Donut to pummel me, or I would’ve tried harder to move faster.
Gramma grins as she looks back and forth between us, and I swear, she knows something.
“It’s not your fault, Mr. Underwood,” Momma tells him. “I told her trick ridin’ was dangerous.”
I nearly roll my eyes out of my head. “Ridin’ always is when there’s a snake in the arena. Wouldn’t matter if I was sittin’ on him regularly or hangin’ off the side.”
“If that were the case, you wouldn’t have this many injuries.” She tsks.
I don’t bother arguing since I’ve already told her the full story.
“We’ll send you home with some painkillers for the discomfort, but ultimately, time and patience are your key to healin’,” the doctor says.
Two things I don’t have right now.
Once the nurse brings in my discharge papers, Dad pulls around his truck, and they roll me outside in a wheelchair. They’re sending me home with crutches and a boot I already want to rip off.
“Oh God.” I wince, sucking in a sharp breath. Breaking three ribs on the same side is a pain I’ve never experienced before.
“Take it easy now,” Momma says when I try to stand on my own.
Fisher’s at my side, holding me up with one hand and resting his other on my back as I hunch over.
“Can you jump in?” he asks softly.
I look up at the open door. “Doubtful.”
Without another word, he wraps an arm underneath my knees and lifts me. I quickly grab his shoulders as he carries me the last two feet to the truck and sets me down on the seat.
“No point in makin’ ya suffer when I can help you inside myself,” he says as if to explain it aloud with my parents behind him.
“So strong, Fisher.” Mom squeezes his bicep. “Don’t be strainin’ your back while liftin’ her now.”
“Gee, thanks, Momma,” I deadpan, struggling to buckle myself in.
She stands next to him as Dad puts my crutches in the back.
“Oh, honey. You know what I mean. You’re all muscle.”
I know I’m being sensitive, but I just want to go home and lie in my own bed. My mother fussed over me all day while Fisher beat himself up over me getting hurt. We all know it’s not his fault, but no matter how many times I say it, he argues how he should’ve handled it differently.
The only thing that needs to be handled is Craig and as soon as Sheriff Wagner finds him, I’m pressing charges for trespassing and assault with intent to harm.
With all the new cameras installed, we’ll get a clean shot of his face this time.
He’s going to pay for sabotaging my career and for scaring my precious Donut.
I’m going to visit him at the family barn as soon as I can so he knows I’m not mad at him.
“I’ll meet you at your house,” Fisher says when Momma walks away.
“You don’t have to take care of me,” I say firmly. “This isn’t your fault, and I’m not your burden.”
His eyes darken as his jaw clenches, and I worry he’s going to blurt something in front of my parents that’ll cross the line.
But then he leans in close to my ear and murmurs, “You will never be a burden to me, Goldie. I would give up the privilege of breathin’ if it meant takin’ an ounce of your pain away.”
It’s not fair he says these sweet, caring things to me, and I can’t express them back. He ended the relationship, losing his right to speak that way to me.
“You comfortable, sweetheart?” Dad asks, hopping in the driver’s seat.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lie.
Momma and Gramma get in the back seat, and Fisher helps shut their door.
“I’m gonna run to the grocery store. Figure she can’t stock up her fridge, so I’ll make sure she has everythin’ she needs,” Fisher tells my family.
“That’d be very kind, thank you,” Momma says.
I stare at him, biting my tongue to tell him not to bother.
The last person I want around me when I’m not feeling my best is a man I’m in love with and can’t have.
I have four brothers who could help. Plus, Magnolia is ready to quit her job to help me full-time.
Honestly, she just wants an excuse to tell Mrs. Blanche to stick it where the sun doesn’t shine, but I told her not to bother since Fisher designated himself as my personal nurse.
“Make sure you call Mallory and Serena. They’ve been worried sick about you. Serena was in the ER with her grandma when Fisher brought you in,” Momma says.
“She was?”
“They were just leavin’ from seein’ the baby. Mimi said Fisher was pale as a ghost and frazzled when he tried to explain what happened.”
My heart shatters at the memory of him carrying me to his truck. I could barely keep my eyes open, and he told me to squeeze his hand until the pain went away.
I didn’t let go until they brought me back into a room and told Fisher he had to wait.
Magnolia sits next to me as I lie propped up with some pillows and sulk about not being able to go to the barn to see Donut. As soon as I got in bed, I took off the boot and literally crawled under my covers.
Once Fisher showed up with bags of groceries, my parents and Gramma left so I could rest, but there’s no way I can sleep soundly with him in here. I texted Mallory and FaceTimed with Serena before Magnolia came over. My brothers sent me a group text, all betting how long until I go stir-crazy.
I won at only an hour.
“He’s been in there for thirty minutes cookin’ ya dinner,” Magnolia says. “Smells damn good, too.”