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"You bull riders really are a breed apart," he grumbled as he pushed himself to his feet. "And I mean it about calling me. I can get a prescription called in no matter where we are. If you start hurting, do not try to tough it out. If you have a bruise that's getting darker instead of fading, I don't care what time it is. If you can't reach me, head to the closest ER. Internal bleeding is nothing to mess with, and if I had my way, you'd be getting a full exam instead of photos."
"Yeah but - "
"I get it," he assured me. "I also know that changing your mind isn't going to happen. Trust me, you are not my most stubborn patient."
"Gonna bet that's J.D.," Tanner joked.
"Not even close," Doc said, pausing to pat Tanner's shoulder. "Make sure she's not lightheaded when she gets up and you..." He gave Tanner a serious look. "Ice your hands, at the very least. You know the drill."
"Will do," Tanner said.
And while Doc headed to the room where Austin and Derek still remained silent, Tanner scrambled to his feet. This time, he didn't try to pick me up. Instead, he thrust out his hand, offering it to me so I could pull myself up.
But it was the look on his face that got me. There was worry in his eyes, but also respect. He wasn't trying to baby me. He wasn't telling me I was making the wrong call. Tanner was just helping in the only way he knew how, and I had a funny feeling it was the exact same way he'd treat J.D.
So I clasped his hand and groaned as I pulled myself up. He tugged, giving me a little more assistance, then caught my waist when I made it. For just a moment, I allowed myself to lean against him, because I knew I couldn't do this alone. My head was ringing. My body felt like it was protesting everything.
And in the back of my mind, I kept hearing Austin's voice.If you want to make it out of this in one piece, you'll pack your shit and go home.
This wouldn't end. It wouldn't stop. Guys like Austin never gave up and they didn't know how to back down. This? It wouldn't be the last time someone hated me, so when was it too much? When did I call it quits?
Was riding bulls really worth it? If I couldn't win, and I couldn't change anything, then why was I still fighting so hard? Because it was all I had? Did that even matter if the deck was stacked against me?
I didn't want to quit, but as Tanner guided me down the hall, tucked in at his side, I couldn't help but wonder if I could do anything to stop it. It felt like the ones who hated me would just keep spurring this shit on until my dreams had been completely shattered.
Chapter56
I was shavingthe edges of my beard when my phone started going off. Grumbling at the interruption, I ignored the first notification, but the fifth in a row had me crossing the room to see what the hell was going on. When I saw Tanner's name on the screen, I was unlocking that bitch as fast as possible to see what was up.
Tanner:
Austin and Derek jumped Cody.
Tanner:
She got her ass kicked pretty bad, but I took them out.
Tanner:
She still wants to take pictures.
Tanner:
Fuck, she's a mess, man. You need to get here. I don't know what to tell her.
Tanner:
Doc says she's ok!
Tanner:
Oh, and bring your vape. She's gonna start hurting soon.
Wait, what? Cody was hurt? Fuck! The moment I saw that, I started moving. A swipe cleaned off my face. I found a t-shirt and pulled that on. My boots took longer. Fuck a belt. And while I was scrambling to put some real clothes on, my mind was in hyper-drive, trying to figure out how the hell I was getting over there.
I'd given Tanner my truck. Now I was stuck at this hotel without a ride. Most of the guys would be heading out sometime today, but the question was who tended to sleep in late? On impulse, I hit up one of my most consistent assistants: Jaxon.
J.D.:
