Chapter Thirty-One
Leo
I was having the best dream ever.
Standing in the arena, having just won the final at Stampede.
Looking over into the stands and seeing Maddy there screaming her lungs out with pride.
Fighting her way through the crowds to get to me.
In true Hollywood-love-story style, we ran towards each other in slow motion, meeting in the middle of the stadium, her peach boots scuffing in the dirt as she leapt into my arms and I twirled her around as she kissed my lips.
Fucking bliss.
And then it was ruined by an intrusive beeping.
A sound I recognized from being in hospital before.
I came to, drowsy, confused and numb. I looked down at my body, draped in blankets in a hospital bed. I tried to move my arm but couldn’t lift it. There was something resting on it, with light brown hair.
“Mads?” I croaked, my throat dry as hell. I coughed and felt a weird tugging sensation in my side. My eyes drifted to my torso, and I pulled back the blankets, seeing I was shirtless and with a tube sticking out of me.
“What the…” I trailed off, my throat still too dry to talk properly. The tube looked like it was stitched into my side and was attached to a machine.
Maddy stirred. “You’re awake,” she sighed and then promptly burst into tears.
“Hey, no—” I rasped and then coughed, that horrible internal tugging hit me again and I grimaced.
“You must be thirsty,” Maddy sniffled and got up, pouring me a cup of water. I tried to take it from her but she swerved around my arm and held it to my lips, a defiant eyebrow raised.
“Drink.”
I relented and lowered my arm, sipping the water until the cup was drained and then drained another. I cleared my throat, the dryness abating.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, taking in her appearance. She was dressed in a navy sweatshirt and matching pants. I think I recognized them as mine and I really fucking enjoyed the sight of her in my clothes.
“Well,” she began, folding her arms over her chest. “When I was eight years old, I wrestled with a boy at school. Then some twenty-plus years later, he was an idiot and got on a bull and the bull won.”
I chuckled and flinched when that awful sensation hit me again.
“Dammit Leo, stop moving!” she hissed, gripping my hand.
“Stop making me laugh then,” I retorted. “And I feel like I won.”
“Is the bull in hospital with a collapsed lung?” she demanded. “No.”
“Fuck, a collapsed lung?” I’d never had an injury that serious before. I didn’t remember much after the bull bucked me off. Just going under it, my chest caving in and then Tori’s face. God bless Tori for being the doctor she was. Who knows what could have happened if she hadn’t been there.
My throat tightened with emotion at the fact that I could have never woken up again. Could have missed out on so much of life. Could have been injured so much worse than I was.
I pushed the thoughts away; they weren’t helpful. I knew what I signed up for with bull riding. And I knew I was damn lucky to have only had the injuries I had received through my career.
Some men died.
Not wanting to worry Maddy even more, I tilted my head at her. “Aw baby, were you worried about lil ol’ me?”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Only you could joke right now.”
I sobered. “It’s because I don’t want to see you sad.”
Maddy took a seat in the chair next to my bed and gripped my hand again, raising it to rest against her cheek. “I’m not sad. I was worried. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You don’t need to—” I began but she kept going, her hazel eyes magnified by the tears resting on her lower lashes.
“Because as terrified as I might be to lose you, nothing scares me more than losing you, having not loved you to the absolute fullest. The fullest I can give you. Because I do, of course I do, you idiot.” She took a shuddering breath in. “I love you so much, Leo.”
The depth of emotion in her words landed with a contentment inside me that I hadn’t known was missing.
Her expression earnest while she fearlessly placed her heart on the line, without so much as a stutter.
I’d never been prouder of her than in that moment.
I understood why she couldn’t say the words until now, why she couldn’t admit them, and what admitting them out loud could open her up to.
The pain of loss was etched on both of our souls but more so on hers.
I knew my Tough Girl wasn’t afraid of anything.
“It’s always been you, Leo,” she whispered.
I swallowed thickly. “Oh, thank God.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Did you doubt it, really?”
I waved a hand gingerly. “No, Mads. We’ve been in love with each other for ages, whether you wanted to admit it or not. But now, you’ve chosen it. Deliberately chosen me. Us. Our future, our happiness. Even in the face of fear and I’m so thankful.”
“Gah, stop it, you’re going to make me cry even more. I hate crying.”
“Well get ready for more. Our whole lives it’s been you and me. And I want it to be me and you until the end. Like in The Notebook, where the old couple die together. Because I don’t want my life to be without you for a single second.”
Maddy sniffled and dashed a tear away, reaching up to wipe my own away.
“I thought you always said The Notebook wasn’t a true love story?”
“That’s not the point. Stop ruining the I love you moment with logic.”
She rolled her lips in. “Apologies, continue telling me how much you love me.”
“Such a wise-ass,” I muttered, shaking my head. “But it’s true. I’ve loved you all along, Maddy.”
She ducked her head, then met my stare, her lower lip caught between her teeth and she half smiled. “I think I’ve loved you all along too.”
“Kiss me,” I tugged her hand.
“You have a chest tube in; this is not the time,” she pulled back. “I can see that horny look in your eyes. Also you probably have gross breath.”
I shook my head, chuckling. “What am I going to do with you?”
“Get better quickly and you can do what you want to me,” she promised.
“Ew, can you two stop being super gross, please?”
I peered over Maddy’s shoulder and saw Tori leaning against the doorframe, her white coat on and a clipboard in one hand.
“Hey, it’s my favorite doctor friend,” I called. “Tor, what the hell happened to me?”
Tori pushed off the doorframe and walked over to the bed, flipping through the chart.
“Erm, it says here that you tangled with a bull and lost,” she raised her head, shooting me a shit-eating grin.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, heard that one already.”
Maddy giggled next to me, and I squeezed her hand affectionately. I loved hearing that giggle.
“When you got wrecked, the bull stamped on your chest and cracked a rib. From the force of his weight, it pushed a bone shard straight into your lung and punctured it. A pretty big one too. Good thing there was an awesome doctor on hand there.”
“Fuck,” I huffed, my free hand coming up to pat my chest where the tube was.
“Yep. Fuck indeed, sir. You sure as shit don’t do anything by halves, do you?” Tori dropped the chart in the holder at the foot of the bed. Then fixed me with a fierce look. “You’re a dick for scaring me.”
“For scaring us,” Maddy added.
“Don’t gang up on me, I’m recovering from a serious injury,” I whined, trying to garner sympathy. It worked with one but not the other.
“Yes, you are. And you’ll be here for a few more weeks while your lung heals.
That tube’s gotta stay in to keep inflating your lung while the tissue seals itself back together.
Also, your rib will hurt like a sonofabitch too.
I’ve got you on some nice strong painkillers.
” She fixed me with a patronizing smile.
“I hate to break it to you, bud, but I don’t think you’re going to make the final. ”
I smiled ruefully. “Really? I did get a great score; I could still drag my ass there.”
“Don’t you dare!” Maddy growled, sharpening her glare on me.
“Don’t worry, Mads. I’m all yours to look after. Maybe take me home? Stampede will be over with and surely Frank’ll feel bad enough for me that he’ll give me a nice long break. I’ll need someone to nurse me back to health.” I waggled my eyebrows.
“Ew. I save your life and that’s the mental image you leave me with? You suck.” Tori sighed dramatically. “But I guess I’ll come back to Reverence with you too.”
“Uh, you will?” I asked, doubtfully.
“Sure, I can’t trust you,” Tori winked and then sauntered out of the room.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Cowboy,” Maddy insisted. “I think she’s more interested in the local bar owner than in nursing you back to health.”
I nodded. “Ah, makes sense. Well, just me and you, then.”
Maddy smiled and pressed a kiss to my hand. “Always.”
“Can’t believe I’m not going to make the final,” I sighed. I’d gotten a great score, I had a real shot but then fate and a bull had intervened.
“I’m sorry you didn’t get your shot,” Maddy said, rubbing my arm.
I shrugged. “I kinda did though.”
“That’s true. Look how far you got, and for your first time at Stampede, you did incredibly. According to Tilly anyway. I have no clue on the stats but it’s awesome that you got so far. I didn’t doubt you would do amazing things.”
“There’s always next year,” I suggested.
Maddy fixed me with a sharp stare. “I knew you’d say that. At least let’s focus on getting you healed first and then we can look at round two.”
I covered her hand with mine, stroking her fingertips. “You think I’ll be as much of a pain in the ass in recovery as you were when you shattered your leg?”
She raised a brow at me. “You think I can be as much of an asshole drill sergeant as you were?”
“I was not!” I replied hotly.
“You so were,” she cocked her head to the side and tapped her chin. “Pretty sure you even threatened to spank me one time.”
“Now that I can get on board with,” I teased.
She tsked. “You’re incorrigible!”
I laughed. “And you love me anyway.”
She shook her head, fighting a smile. “And I love you anyway.”