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Sage winced. “You obviously didn’t know him before the injury. He’s not going to like being immobile.”
Candice was frowning, but she shrugged. “If he wants to keep his leg, he’s going to have to get used to it.”
When Sage let herself into his room a few minutes later, she could see the fear in her training officer’s eyes, though, and she had a feeling he would behave. “Hey, old man,” she said, forcing a smile as she walked in.
Gary blinked at her, his face creasing into a smile. “Oh, man, Harrison. It looks like you went ten rounds with Muhammad Ali.”
Sage grinned and she knew it was a little lopsided. If she’d tried to apply makeup with her weak hand, she would have looked like a circus clown or something. “Yeah, I’ve been getting some seriously dirty looks. So, how are you feeling?”
Gary’s expression dimmed a little. “I’m doing okay. Kind of getting used to what I have to do. Or not do.”
She nodded, sinking down into the chair beside the bed. “Candice said you have to stay just like this for a while.”
Gary looked down his leg, then up the contraption holding it suspended above the bed. The leg was wrapped in bulky dressings, but there were silver wires sticking out along the side. “Those are external fixetors. They’re hoping I don’t develop an infection in one of the little bone pieces. They added a plate and screws, but some of them were too small for that.” He grinned at her. “Let me tell you, though, they have some of the most amazing pain medicine on board.” He thumbed toward a pump, off to the side. Then his expression dimmed again. “I know how serious it is, so I’m going to roll with the pain medicine and be a good boy.”
“Well, I brought you something.” Sage reached for the bag she’d carried in and retrieved the card she’d written the info on. It looked weird because she’d had to write it left-handed, which sucked. She walked across and handed it to Gary. “You were always talking about the trip you want to take to Germany when you retired, so if you download this app,” she pointed at the link on the card, “and enter this code, I got you a subscription to start to learn the language.”
One side of Gary’s mouth tipped up. “Now, that’s something I can do. Thank you, Sage. That’s a hell of a goal, in more ways than one.” He held his hand out, and she clasped it with hers, then she returned to her seat.
They talked for a solid half-hour before Gary’s eyes started getting tired. Sage said her goodbyes and called an Uber on her app. Brian had gone into the office today, but he’d promised to check on her after her appointment.
She’d only been to the doctor once since she’d been to town, to talk to him about continuing her medications. She tended to be low in iron, and she was flirting with hypertension. As she walked into his office, Dr. Remmo lost some of his polish. “Oh, Ms. Harrison, they said you’d been in an incident, but wow…”
He checked her over thoroughly and agreed to let her start physical therapy later in the week. He also agreed that she could wean off the pain meds, using them only when she needed them. Sage didn’t like the way they made her feel, so she promised herself she would be off them quickly. The doctor took off her sling and manipulated her arm, and she was very glad she’d taken them that day, because she would have been yelling in pain.
Sage called the Uber to take her home and she wasn’t surprised when Brian came over to check on her a few hours later. He knocked on the door, then let himself in. She was glad he had the key, because he’d saved her a couple of times. She looked at his concerned face and smiled, her heart jumping in her chest to see him. Her body reacted that way every time, now.
“So, what did the doc say?”
He sank down on the couch beside her and she related the details of the visit. Then she related the details of her visit to see Gary.
“Infection is the big danger, in injuries like that. Any time you have external pins going into the skin, they really have to be careful about cleaning them,” Brian said, voice soft.
“I bet,” she murmured, but she was looking at him. Something wasn’t right. She could see it in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
Brian sighed, rubbing his palms on his legs. “I think your ex may be planning a move. I found him on Facebook and he’s selling a bunch of crap. He doesn’t have a lot of friends, but one of them said they were going to miss him, but that they understood how important family was.”
Sage frowned. “His family is in Wyoming. That had better be where he’s going.”
The thought niggled at her that he was coming up here, though. After the flower and the bear, it was like he was preparing her.
Brian didn’t seem convinced either. “You might call your lawyer out there, and make sure he hasn’t made plans with child support or something,” Brian told her.
She nodded and heaved a sigh. “I seriously doubt it, but it’s worth a call.”
She looked at him for a moment. Today, he was dressed in business casual, with khaki pants and a blue button-down shirt that strained over his pecs. She wanted to run her hands through the golden hair at his temples. Soon, she promised herself. She would get into physical therapy and things would straighten out. Today, she was sore from everything she’d done, and tiredness was tugging at her.
“I have some calls out, trying to narrow down a few things. Why don’t you kick back and relax, and I’ll work at the table.” He motioned toward the kitchen.
Sage sighed, wishing she didn’t have to rely on him as much. She’d thought about calling her family, but they had their own medical issues, and the ranch to care for. “Okay.” She moved into the recliner space and reached her bad hand down. Her fingers worked a little and if she was careful, she could do this without hurting herself. Once she was settled, he draped a thick blanket over top of her, then leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Tears started in her eyes, and she swiped them away. She looked up at him, emotion thick in her veins. “Thank you, Brian. We’ve kind of sucked you into our world, but I’m so thankful for you.”
He brushed his hand over her good cheek. “Believe it or not, I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
She hoped he meant those words because she tucked them very carefully into her heart. “In a week and a half, I’ll be able to motor like normal. And I’ll be cooking us a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.”
Brian grinned at her as he straightened. “That sounds phenomenal. I can put away a turkey,” he said, patting his flat stomach.
Sage blinked and dragged her gaze away from his body. “I bet you can,” she said, smiling. In spite of her injuries, she was the happiest she’d been in a long time.
