When Love's Gone Country

Chapter Twenty-Nine



The vet arrived, an older gentleman with a kind way about him. He talked with Diego in soothing tones the entire time he was examining him. He pulled cleaning agents, antiseptic and bandages from a black bag and tended to the wound.

“I’m going to give you a prescription for pain medication. It will make him groggy and a bit lethargic, but it will help. In a few days, he’ll be back to normal.”

“Thank you,” Bobby said. “I know his owners will be relieved.”

“Here,” Emma said, handing Alex one of the keys from around her key chain. “This’ll get you to Milton in no time. It’s the Blazer parked in the garage next to the main house. That key will open up the garage, too.”

“Thank you,” Alex said.

“It’s got GPS and everything. Just say Milton Hospital and it’ll do the rest,” Frank said.

“Purity is better with that stuff than me. I’ll let her take care of it.”

“We’ll get Diego up to the main house while you’re gone. You can get that prescription filled at the hospital pharmacy,” Emma said.

They all headed up the cellar stairs and then to the garage. The trip to the hospital was spent in silence. Everyone was still stunned from the days’ events and unsure what condition they would find Jacob and Courtney in.

They found Brad in the waiting room and were filled in on Jacob’s condition. The surgery had gone well and he was in post-op.

“He should be in a room within an hour or so. Courtney is sleeping. She was coughing so much, they gave her a sedative.”

Purity and Meg stood in Court’s doorway watching her sleep.

“She looks so peaceful,” Meg said. “I have so much to thank her for. She saved Jacob’s life, then Alex saved Jacob’s life. We are doubly blessed.” Meg began to cry.

“Oh, Meg.” Purity hugged her friend.

“I don’t want him to die. I couldn’t stand it. It’s bad enough that he thinks we don’t love him, but he just can’t die without knowing how much richer our lives are with him in it.”

“He knows, Meggie. I know it doesn’t seem like he does. It’s just all this crap from his past boiling its way to the surface. He loves you guys just as much as you love him. He just needs time and a bit of space.”

“Well he’s not getting any space. I’m not letting him out of my sight for even a second.”

Purity smiled. “Yes, you will. Because you love him and you want what’s best for him. You’ll go to counseling, we’ll all go to counseling, and five years from now things will be different.”

“Five years! My heart can’t take five years of this.”

“You’d be surprised how much the heart can take.”

“Jacob’s on his way to a room,” Bobby said, interrupting their conversation.

They all headed to room 128, except Brad. He stayed by Courtney’s side, holding her hand.

When she moaned and then opened her eyes slightly, he said, “Hey, honey, how you feelin’?”

“Like I been chewed up and spit up.”

“That sums it up pretty well.”

“Why do you look so tired?”

“Worried about you.”

“Oh, I’m fine. You know me. I’m too ornery and stubborn to let a little water take me down. How’s Jacob?”

“He just came through surgery and has a room. I think he’s doing well. I’m gonna check on him in a minute.”

“I love you. Do I tell you that enough? Should I say it more?”

“You tell me the perfect amount and you show me all the time.”

“Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. I’m gonna go to sleep I think.”

“Why don’t you do that.”

“Okay.” She patted Brad’s hand and slipped into a restful sleep.

Brad sighed. She was loopy, but she was Courtney again, making jokes and asking about Jacob. She was okay. He took a deep breath and released it. She was okay.

In room 128, Jacob was breathing steadily. They watched as each breath brought small amounts of liquid trickling down the drain tubes, collecting in two heavy plastic coated bags on either side of the bed.

“That’s from inside his lungs?” Jeremy asked.

“Yeah. He swallowed, well, inhaled a lot of water,” Bob said.

“So, it didn’t go in his belly, it went into his lungs, ‘cuz he breathed it in.”

“Right.”

“Now, this is makin’ it so the water’s comin’ out.”

“Right.”

“So, each time that stuff comes out, he’s gettin’ better.”

“Right.”

“He looks better than before,” Purity said. “A lot more color in his cheeks.”

“He’s doing very well,” the nurse said. “By tonight we’ll have him up walking around and he’ll be coughing more. That will really get the fluid out. He’ll also be doing breathing exercises to strengthen his lungs.”

“When can he come home?” Jeremy asked.

“The doctor will decide that, but I would guess three or four days, maybe even sooner.”

Everyone was encouraged by the nurse’s words.

Meg and Bobby decided to stay the night in Jacob’s room and Brad wanted to do the same for Courtney. Purity and Alex offered to take Jeremy back to the ranch with them.

“Want to sleep with us tonight?” Purity asked Jeremy when it was getting close to bed time.

“Can I?”

“Sure. Diego’s already on our bed and I figure we could all use some cuddling time.”

“I do that with Mom and Dad sometimes. I like it.”

When Diego was snoring at the end of the bed and Jeremy was deep in sleep between them, Alex said, “So this is what it’s going to be like when the baby’s born.”

“Probably. How do you feel about that?”

“To quote Jeremy, ‘I like it.’”

They shared a lingering kiss, then drifted off to sleep.

The next morning they headed to the hospital. Courtney was rummaging through a drawer when they arrived. “Don’t they have any damn scissors around here?”

“You look better,” Pure said.

“I feel better. I want out of this joint. And I hate this stupid thing they put on your wrist. I want it off, now!”

“I think they make you keep it on until you’re discharged.”

“I’ll gnaw the damn thing off if I have to.”

The nurse came in. “I told you to stop tearing at your bracelet. You’re going to end up with a bruise or a scratch on your skin.”

“Do you have any scissors?”

The nurse rolled her eyes and headed for the door. “I’ll check on your discharge paperwork.”

“They can’t keep me against my will. I’ll sue.”

Purity laughed. “So glad to see you’re back to normal.”

“It’s not funny. I want this IV out of my arm, too. It itches.”

“We’re going to head up and see Jacob.”

“Oh, I’ll go with you. He’s doing so much better today.”

“You’ve already seen him?”

“I went up around four o’clock. Couldn’t sleep and I didn’t want to bother Brad. Meg and Bob were crashed out in the chairs looking damn uncomfortable and Jacob was watching t.v. We talked for a bit. His voice is really scratchy.” Court unplugged her IV pole and pushed it ahead of her toward the door.

“Are you supposed to be doing that?” Pure asked.

“It’s fine. I do it all the time.”

“She’s only been here a day,” Alex said. “How can that be ‘all the time.’”

Purity shrugged. “You know Courtney.”

When they reached Jacob’s room, he was sitting up eating eggs, bacon and hash browns.

“I think we have the wrong room,” Alex said. “We’re looking for sick patients.”

Jacob smiled. “I’m feeling a lot better today.” He began coughing, a little at first, then it turned more violent with his face turning red and taking in gulps of air.

Meg rubbed his back and held a pillow to his chest. When he finally got his breathing under control, he took a sip of water. “I get these coughing attacks.”

“I saw,” Pure said. “You handled it well.”

“The nurse gave me some pointers. It helped. Hey, I really wanted to thank you, Alex, for saving my life and everything. I was kind of out of it and don’t really remember much.”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Purity asked.

“Something grabbing my shirt and pulling me. I couldn’t really fight it. I felt so tired. Like it wasn’t even me or something. It was weird. Then I remember bits and pieces, like seeing Courtney and hearing her try to breathe. And then I remember you. You had your hand on my face or something. I was on something that was moving. And then I remember this sound, like helicopter blades. It’s all kind of blurry and disjointed.”

“I can fill you in,” Alex said. “You did hear Courtney trying to breathe. She was the one who went into the river after you. She grabbed your shirt and pulled you down river. Both of you almost drowned.

We put you in the back seat of the golf cart and laid your head on Purity’s lap. She was holding onto you to keep you on your side. She touched your face because you looked so pale.

You did go for a ride in a helicopter. That’s how you got to the hospital.”

“I missed that? I’ve always wanted to ride in a helicopter.”

“Maybe you’ll get another chance,” Bobby said.

“The nurse says he’s doing so well, she won’t be surprised if he’s discharged tomorrow,” Meg said.

“I’ve been walking the halls already. If I can do that here, they might as well let me do it at home. I hate hospitals.”

“Everybody does,” Meg said. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”