Why is she crying?I hate when she cries.
My head is foggy, my legs and arms feel weighed down by lead. I rub the back of her hand with my thumb, but this seems to only make her cry harder.
“Kac—” I want to comfort her, but I can’t get words out. My throat feels like someone rubbed sandpaper down it repeatedly.
“I’m so happy you’re awake.” She puts her other hand on top of my hand she’s already holding. Tears are rolling down her face, but now she’s smiling.
The nurse gets me water and lets me take a small drink, helping my throat. “I—I don’t understand.” I can barely get thewords out. I remember being at the rodeo and getting ready to ride, but everything after is blank.
“Your bull went down on top of you the other day.”
The other day? How long have I been in this hospital?
She must see the confusion in my eyes. “Knox, you’ve been in a coma for almost three days.”
A coma?
Three days?
Before I can ask questions, the doctor makes me do some neuro tests, checking my pupils, nerves, and motor function. He seems satisfied with the results, saying I don’t appear to have any brain damage—I could’ve just told him that—and moves on to telling me they removed my spleen; I also have a lacerated liver, and a cracked sternum.
Shit.That I can feel.
I’m slowly coming back to myself, and it feels like I’ve been hit by a truck. I try to take a deep breath, and son of a bitch, that hurts.
“What’s your pain level?” the nurse asks. She must have seen me grimace.
“My ribs have hurt since July,” I grumble at her.
“Knox!” Kacey scolds.
“Joking is a good sign.” The doctor chuckles. He asks a few more questions, and checks a couple of monitors before he leaves, saying, “I’ll be back in an hour to check on you.”
The nurse gives me a dose of pain meds in my IV before she, too, slips out the door. I mess with the bed adjustments, sitting up as far as I can while Kacey’s fingers are flying a million miles an hour over her phone screen.
“Your fingers are going to blister.”
Her head snaps up. “Sorry, sending out an update to everyone. Your mom will be here in about an hour.”
“She’s coming here? She doesn’t need to come,” I complain. I hate when I get hurt and people make a big deal of it. I’m a bull rider—we’re always hurt.
Kacey cocks an eyebrow at me. “You were in a coma. You’re lucky my dad isn’t up here. He texts me every hour and uses spoiling Rein rotten as a coping mechanism—look.” She holds her phone out to me, and I see Rein sitting in a chair at the dining room table.
The laugh starts before I can stop it, causing every muscle in my chest to tighten as all the air suddenly leaves my lungs. I try to breathe in, but all I can get is a tiny wisp of air into my lungs. I groan in pain and close my eyes, waiting for it to subside.
Kacey jumps to her feet. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t think about you laughing.”
I can’t help but smile. “It’s okay, it was worth it. Besides, it’ll feel a lot better when it quits hurting.”
She looks at me with narrowed eyes. “Okay, tough guy, you can drop the act when it’s just me in here. I won’t ruin your reputation.” She starts to sit in her chair again, but I stop her.
“Come here.” I hold out my arm.
She sits on the edge of the bed, and I take hold of her hand. “I heard you.”
Her eyes widen. “Like, the whole time?” she squeaks out.
I fight not to laugh, she’s so cute. “No, at least I don’t think so, but I heard you before I woke up.”
