Chapter 24 Hestia #2
He crumpled to the ground. A collective gasp made its way round the stadium as Lottie screamed his name, looking back at me as my legs began to give way.
‘Oh my God,’ I choked, leaning on her, my hands grasping at the wall beside us as the bull fighters rushed over to him. Seconds later, the bull was secured and paramedics ran out into the arena. ‘Oh fuck, Lottie, no, no, no . . .’
‘It’s okay. It’ll be okay,’ she cried, but the uncertainty in her voice made what little strength remained in my body give way.
‘Is she all right, ma’am?’
I heard voices coming closer, felt Lottie shaking as she held onto me, refusing to let go.
‘C’mon now, honey, stay with us,’ a new voice said. ‘She ever pass out before like this?’
My head whirled, my pulse pounding as cool hands touched my forehead for a moment, fingers pressed to my wrist.
‘Jesse – the bull rider just out there – she’s his . . . girlfriend.’
‘Oh, damn. Okay. C’mon, sweetheart,’ the voice said. ‘Let’s get you some air. Jesse’s gonna be just fine. Looks like he’s conscious, okay? He’s doing better than you right now.’
Seconds later, I was blinking up into the face of a stranger, a woman with a kind expression. She was holding out a bottle of water. I took it, my hand trembling. The arena was still spinning.
She talked to Lottie for a minute, discussing what to do with me as I turned my head, craning my neck for a look at the big screen. Only a corner was visible from this angle, but I could see Jesse being led out – walking, but heavily supported on one side.
‘A terrifying end to one of the best rides we’ve seen in the past year! The score to beat!’ the announcer roared. The crowd was clapping as Jesse left.
‘I want to see him,’ I murmured to Lottie, feeling her hesitate for a moment. ‘Please – I’ll be fine, I just need to see him.’
I gritted my teeth as she pulled me up, assisted by two others, and thanked them as we slowly walked out.
‘You scared the shit out of me,’ she said, letting out a shaky breath.
‘Sorry,’ I replied, attempting a small smile as my balance slowly returned. ‘I seriously need to toughen up to all this, don’t I?’
She exhaled, raising her eyebrows. ‘That, or a bottle of whiskey beforehand,’ she muttered, shaking her head. ‘Fucking insane sport.’
I murmured my agreement as we made our way steadily around the outside, the cooling evening air helping to dissolve the tension through my body, until . . .
‘Is that –’ I started, seeing an ambulance move in closer to the back of the building, picking up my pace as Lottie did the same.
A group of men emerged from the stadium, and there, between them, was Jesse. Still in full rodeo gear, covered in dirt.
‘Jesse!’ I yelled, not knowing if he would hear from this distance. I broke into a wobbly run as the ambulance doors opened. ‘Wait – Jesse, please!’
The men around him stopped, parting as he turned towards me.
I continued at full pace, Lottie dropping back as we neared.
‘Oh, thank fuck,’ I cried, my heart rending as he tried to smile. It turned into a grimace of pure pain as I reached him.
‘Ma’am, we need to get him to hospital,’ one of the paramedics said, trying to step in my way.
‘No, I can – let her through,’ Jesse said, wincing as he stepped towards me.
We were suddenly face to face, all of the distance, the words and the pain of the past few weeks evaporating.
‘Can you give us a minute?’ Jesse asked the group, frowning as he struggled against the pain. He released his hold on the man to his right and grasped the ambulance door instead. ‘Please.’
As they dispersed, I turned, hearing shouting behind us. Chrissy – her path blocked by Lottie, face red with rage.
‘Lottie’s got it,’ Jesse whispered, his fingers tracing my jaw, gently turning my face back towards him.
And suddenly I couldn’t speak; my eyes were filling, as his did.
‘You came back,’ he murmured, taking in my face.
‘I never really left,’ I finally admitted. The tears were falling freely now, too many to wipe away. Reaching up as he leant down, I closed my eyes as his lips met mine – the feeling I’d thought I would never have again. I almost gasped at the strength of it.
‘I love you, Jesse,’ I whispered, our mouths still touching. ‘I meant it before, even though I screamed it at you.’
He choked a laugh, wincing at the movement.
‘I know,’ he replied, stroking my cheek, kissing me again. ‘I felt it. I’m so sorry that I hung up . . . I’m so sorry about Chrissy. We didn’t . . . I mean, she wanted to, but . . .’
I shook my head, not wanting her name between us.
‘It’s okay, I don’t care. I just – I want to be with you, Jesse. I need to be where you are. Even if it’s here, watching you get fucked up by a goddamn bull.’
He tried to smile, gritting his teeth instead as he held his right arm.
‘Sir, we really need to get you to the hospital. That arm needs to be set.’
The paramedic stepped towards us and I nodded, not wanting to prolong Jesse’s pain.
‘I love you too,’ Jesse said, his gaze on mine, watching as I absorbed the words. ‘I can’t wait to make up for the weeks we missed.’
I smiled, understanding everything included within that.
‘I’ll be there, at the hospital,’ I replied, glancing at the paramedic as I stepped back. He took over as Jesse tried to smile back at me, others moving in to help him into the ambulance. I turned and headed back towards Lottie.
‘Where’s Chrissy?’ I asked, glancing around before noticing the sly smile on Lottie’s lips.
She shrugged.
‘No idea. She took one look at you guys kissing and stalked off. I mean, I did say that if she didn’t take the hint and fuck off, you would likely go full psycho, and ripped shirts would be the least of her problems.’
I laughed, the sound of it surprising us both after everything that had passed today.
‘You’re so sexy when you fuck with people,’ I said, looping my arm through hers. We turned back to the ambulance, watching them close the back doors.
‘They’ll be going up to the Peak Memorial hospital,’ she said, glancing at her phone. ‘I messaged Cole. He’s been there himself before. Says the food’s pretty good.’
I shook my head. ‘Fucking cowboys.’
And so the waiting began. An hour or so into it, surrounded by coffee and snacks, I looked up as someone approached.
‘I knew you’d come back.’
Clara held her arms out as I got up, giving her a long squeeze.
‘Your brother is a pain in my ass,’ I sighed, smiling as she chuckled.
‘Tell me about it,’ she agreed, turning to shake Lottie’s hand as I introduced them.
‘And I want you to know that I filled him in on Chrissy’s little game earlier.
’ She shook her head in disgust. ‘That girl always did have a snaky side. Been that way since high school. She’s been waiting for a chance to get back with Jesse ever since he dumped her the first time. ’
‘Thanks,’ I said, glancing over to the doorway as a doctor emerged, heading for us as he recognized Clara.
‘Are you Jesse Bennington’s family?’ he asked, looking between us as Clara nodded.
‘Well, he’s doing all right considering, but he’s going to need surgery on his right arm.
Maybe even a plate in his shoulder. It’s pretty routine, nothing to worry about – but I’m going to need you to fill in some forms for us, for the insurance. If he has it?’
Lottie stepped forward then, nodding, offering her help as the one that dealt with payroll and benefits at the ranch.
‘I totally forgot that you have to pay for everything here,’ I said to Clara, rapidly realizing the financial implications of an injury like this.
She nodded grimly, frowning.
‘Yeah, it’s tough,’ she said, watching as Lottie went over to the administration area. ‘Even when you win. He did, by the way – I don’t know if you checked.’
‘Oh shit, he did?’ I gasped, wondering why she wasn’t mirroring the surge of relief in her expression. ‘Isn’t that good? Doesn’t it help to pay for everything?’
She pursed her lips, considering it.
‘I mean, I don’t know the full extent yet, but I’d be surprised if this whole thing doesn’t cost the best part of twenty thousand dollars, maybe thirty.
Depends how long he stays, how complex the surgery is.
Then there’s physio afterwards . . . I doubt his insurance will cover all of it. It’s gonna eat right into that money.’
My mouth popped open in disbelief. ‘That’s – holy shit. It’s so much,’ I replied, shaking my head.
‘Yeah,’ she agreed, sinking into the seat behind her.
I followed suit, my mind whirring with the injustice of it.
‘His insurance might cover some of it, but the rest will have to come from the winnings. It’s a good job it was a decent payout this time.
That’s why you end up with so many people having to use things like crowdfunding to try and prevent getting into debt.
The amount of times I’ve donated for different people is crazy. Our system is so fucked.’
I nodded, turning over the implications.
‘Do you know what he was planning to do with the money?’ I asked tentatively, not wanting to pry, but trying to gauge how big of a disaster this was.
She nodded, biting her lip as she looked at me.
‘Some of it was for Mom, as you know. About forty thousand is what she needs to pay for an ongoing supply of her new meds for the next few years. But the rest was . . . well, I don’t want to spoil anything.
I think he wants to tell you himself.’ She smiled, but it was tinged with sadness.
‘But maybe . . . now, I don’t know. Maybe it won’t work out yet.
I guess we need to focus on getting him better, right? ’
I didn’t press her for more, just listened as Lottie came back over, repeating what the doctor had said.
Clara got up, heading out to call her mum and Belle, while Lottie sat next to me.
‘What I wouldn’t give for the NHS right now,’ she sighed, shaking her head. ‘I know it’s not perfect, but at least people don’t go fucking bankrupt because they get injured.’
I told her what Clara had told me about crowdfunding, suddenly wishing there was a way I could help, maybe find a way to try to replace the money Jesse would lose.
But without a visa to work, there was no way I could charge people for tattoos, even if I could do enough to amount to twenty or thirty thousand.
Lottie side-eyed me as I became quiet.
‘What are you think—’ she began, stopping as I gasped, an idea hitting me squarely between the eyes.
‘I can’t work yet here in the US,’ I explained, trying to stay calm as more and more ideas poured into my thoughts. ‘But I can give away tattoos, right? For charity?’
She frowned, not following.
‘I mean, I’d have to check, but yeah, I imagine so? But why?’
‘What if we did something for Jesse? A way of raising the money to pay for his hospital bill?’ I said, watching as her face changed, the idea dawning on her too.
‘If we all offer something up that people could bid on, like a charity auction, back in Jackson – locals and tourists. I could offer up tattoos. Maybe, if you and Lil don’t mind, we could offer a weekend stay at the ranch?
Bailey might be able to give riding lessons . . .’
‘I fucking love it,’ Lottie breathed, nodding. ‘Who wouldn’t want to help Jesse? Especially with what he had planned . . .’
She tailed off, her cheeks colouring a little as she glanced at me.
‘What?’ I said, frowning. ‘What now?’
‘Nothing,’ she said, dismissing it with a wave. ‘It’s not for me to say. Let him tell you once he’s out of surgery, okay? Seriously, Hes,’ she added as I gave her shit-eye. ‘I don’t want to ruin it for him, okay? It’s nothing bad.’
‘Fine,’ I grumbled, pulling out my phone. ‘But we need to gather up as many prizes as possible – and see if we can find somewhere to host this, make a party out of it. C’mon now,’ I added, trying my best Wyoming drawl. ‘Y’all the best marketer in the state, or what?’
She snorted, already halfway to making a call.
‘Hope your powers of persuasion are better than your accents,’ she joked, dodging me when I tried to swipe her as she got up.
‘Rude,’ I murmured, smiling as she winked back at me.
Opening my phone, I pulled up the first person I could think of, tapping the call button.
‘Howdy, stranger! Hang on – are you calling from the UK? The dial tone sounded different?’
‘Um, not quite,’ I began. ‘Listen – I’ll explain everything, but Dee, I have a favour to ask.’