“Everyone else is in the waiting room. They only let three of us in here at a time, but we’ve all been with you, waiting for you to wake up, sweetheart.”
Mom brushes my face gently and tears start welling in her eyes.
“I’m okay Mama.” I give her hand a squeeze.
She turns around to hide her tears from me.
She takes a deep breath before saying, “You’re okay.” Mostly to reassure herself, I think.
Dad gives me a gentle kiss on my head before putting his arm around Mom, leading her to the door.
“Let’s give them a minute,” he whispers to her.
Denton comes over to the side of my bed and takes my hand into his. He holds on so tight like any moment I might slip out of his grasp.
“God, Sorrel, I was so scared you weren't gonna wake up.” He clears his throat, holding back tears. “They said you had a concussion and they were going to keep you asleep to make sure you didn't have a brain bleed. The last three days felt like a lifetime.”
“It’s been THREE DAYS? Fuck, we missed the rodeo.”
He lets out a hoarse laugh that turns into a fit of coughing. “You don’t need to worry about that right now, Sorrel. Just focus on getting better.”
I give him a sad smile. “Well, I ain’t getting my entry fees back. And your voice—is it gonna be okay?” I ask concerningly.
“Doctors say they don’t know, only time will tell…”
“God, Denton, I’m so sorry. I feel awful. This is all my fault.”
“It’s not your fault, Sorrel. They said it was a freak accident. Natural combustion or something like that.”
“No–it was Huck! I saw him! He had a can of fuel. He started the fire!” I say too loudly, reaching for my throat as it feels like hot coals are being poured down.
Rage spreads across Denton’s face. “The ranch hands pulled us out and the fire truck got there before it could spread, but the barn is gone, Sorrel.”
My heart cracks. The barn used to be my favorite place. Huck ruined it for me and now he burned it to the ground. But in a strange way, hearing that, I feel relieved. Set free. I’ll never have to look at it again and think of that night.
“We’ll build another one,” I tell him and pull my blankets up over my neck, a chill coming over my body.
“Why would they think it was natural combustion? There was a fire in the field so obviously someone had to have started both.”
“I guess there had been a lightning storm that night before we got to the ranch. I remember seeing it in the distance as we were driving but didn't think anything of it.”
In the summer, fires are caused by lightning from time to time, so it’s not uncommon. It’s also the perfect alibi.
“It wasn't lightning. It was Huck. I saw him do it.”
“I believe you,” he says, giving my hand a tight squeeze.
Knock knock knock.
“Charli!” I yell too loudly, my throat burning again.
She comes running over and jumps on top of me. I give her a big hug and breathe her in. She smells like honey and her tan skin is glowing.
“Well, you sure look a lot better than me,” I quip.
“Oh, stop it right now, Sorrel! You’re beautiful and you’re alive! What the fuck, Sorrel, I was so scared. Don’t you ever do that to me again!”
I let out a raspy laugh. “I’ll try not to get caught in any more fires I promise.”
