Chapter 92

“Don’t you fucking start as well!” Rory said, looking up at the horse.

After some more harsh words and gesticulating, first Rex then Shadow got the message and left him.

Rory did his best to stretch out flat on the ground in an effort to ease the pain in his leg.

He was cold, shivering, wet. And alone. He thought maybe he should call for help but a quick search of his pockets didn’t turn up his cell. Then he remembered, he’d left it charging in his and Zane’s room. He sighed and closed his eyes in defeat.

All the stupid talk of getting Rory pregnant, and then seeing Zane holding Anna. Was it leading up to Zane becoming a father and paring up with Tonya? Was it a sign? Hadn’t he been waiting for the other shoe or cowboy boot to drop? Well, it sure as shit had dropped now.

* * * *

Time seemed to slow. Rory opened his mouth, at least the rain allowed him to drink, soothe his dry throat. And the cold dulled the pain.

The rain was good. He liked rain. Wet. Cold.

Glad I never told him I loved him. Guess he never loved me.

Rory spread his arms, embracing the cold wetness, letting it do its worst to him. He didn’t care.

Didn’t love me, couldn’t love me.

It was feeling warmer. Warm was good. He should take off his coat but he was too tired. Sleep was good. No more hurt.

Was there a Heaven? Would his mother be there waiting for him? Would she have baked cookies? Like your cookies.

“Rory?” A voice, far in the distance was calling to him.

“Mom?” he whispered.

“Uh, it’s Barry. Jimmy and Jake are here, too…and Zane!”

Rory relaxed. His mom had come for him. He’d be all right now. He let sleep take him. So peaceful.

“…We need an ambulance!”

There were more voices, but they faded out. That was good. Rory just wanted to sleep.

“…Left tib and fib…Looks like a simple fracture…Rory, just gonna put this around your leg to support it…”

“…Ror…!”

“Haven’t you done enough damage already, asshole? Let them do their work…”

* * * *

“You had us worried there for a bit, dude, ” Jake said, patting Rory’s arm.

“Sorry.” The foolishness of his actions was starting to set in. As was the guilt.

Rory was in a semi-private hospital room with Jake, Jimmy, and Barry around his bed. He remembered nothing of the ambulance ride and very little of the emergency room—save someone telling him he had a mild case of hypothermia and he’d broken his left leg. He hated to think how much all this was going to cost.

“Not your fault,” Jimmy said. “Did you get thrown?”

Rory didn’t understand. Thrown from what?

“That fucking horse of Barry’s,” Jimmy explained.

That was something else that was a bit hazy. “It wasn’t Shadow’s fault.” Rory was pretty certain of that.

“No, I’m sure it wasn’t,” Barry added. “What happened?”

Rory closed his eyes and tried to remember. “We, Shadow, Rex, and I had just come out of some woods, and I think there was a herd of wild deer up on the hill in front of us. We must have surprised them or something and…” Rory rubbed at his forehead. “I think they ran towards us. Shadow reared up and I fell off.”

“See, told you it was that fucking horse’s fault!” Jimmy growled.

“No,” both Rory and Barry said together.

Jimmy pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Shut up,” Barry said, lightly punching Jimmy on the arm.

“Didn’t say anything,” Jimmy protested and Jake snickered.

Barry glared at Jimmy. “You’ve never liked Shadow.”

“He’s never liked me. Fucking thing bit me first time I went near him.” Jimmy rolled up his sleeve. “Still got the scar to prove it.”

“Bullshit,” Barry said. “There’s nothing there.”

“Is, too,” Jimmy insisted, although Rory could see a twinkle in the man’s eye.

“Shadow, and Rex, too, were heroes,” Barry said, kissing Jimmy’s wrist before rolling down the man’s sleeve. “I tell you, it was like something out of Lassie and whatever the equine equivalent is.”

Flicka, Rory thought, but kept that to himself.

“What about me?” Jake asked, rolling up his sleeve.

“He didn’t bite you.” Jimmy rolled his eyes.

Barry sighed dramatically but bent to kiss Jake’s arm. Turning back to Rory and rolling Jake’s sleeve back down, he said, “Like I was saying. Rex was barking his head off at the door and Shadow was stamping his hooves and whinnying at the bottom of the porch steps, both of them demanding I follow them or something. As Shadow had his saddle on, and as you’re the only other person he’d let ride him, I figured you’d fallen off and were hurt.”

“Yeah.” Rory closed his eyes again. Whatever they’d given him in the ER for his leg was leaving him pretty spacey. However, one thing kept playing on his mind. Zane. Why had no one mentioned him? Or Tonya?

“Earth to Rory,” Jimmy said, snapping his fingers inches from Rory’s nose.