“Well, when you are working at breaking the horses, I can sneak down to watch you.”
“That’s not fair, I can’t sneak in to watch you work and see what I want to see.”
“Well, I guess it depends on if that is the only thing you want to see. I might have other things you want to see.”
“You do have a couple of other things that I like to see.”
“You have a couple of other things too.”
“Do tell?”
“Nope.”
“Please!” he begged
“Okay, you have gorgeous blue eyes and wonderful muscles.”
He laughed and leaned over to kiss her. “Good morning, sweetheart. How do you feel?”
“I hurt everywhere!”
“Did you call the nurse for some medicine?” he asked somewhat sternly
“Not yet. I got distracted looking at you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, call the nurse and then can look all you want.”
“But the medicine puts me to sleep.” She whined “Then I can’t look at you.”
“I repeat, I am not going anywhere. And you need your rest. Lindsay, we are going to be spending weeks in close proximity. You can look then.”
“But..”
“Call the nurse Miss Stubborn. And stop arguing with me. I don’t have my rope and gag.”
“My brothers will kill you if they ever find about that.”
“OK, what is it going to cost me so that they don’t find out?”
“I’ll have to think about that.”
“How about a kiss as payment?”
“One kiss? That’s all.”
“I’ll kiss you until you don’t want anymore; when you get well, and you will only get well if you sleep. Call for the medicine.”
She reached for the call button because she really was starting to hurt bad. Not so he would win the argument. “I am not letting you win, I just am hurting.”
He leaned over her and gave her a soft kiss. “I love you Lindsay. I want you to get well fast.”
“I love you Nick. I am so glad you are here with me. I would be scared if you weren’t here.”
“I am not leaving San Francisco without you. You will probably have to stay at the hotel for a few weeks recuperating and I will gladly stay with you.”
The nurse came in and interrupted before she could reply. Nick stepped out into the hall while the nurse checked her over, gave her a quick bath and got her settled again.
When Nick went back in Lindsay was fading fast. “Either your brothers or I will be here when you wake up, I love you.”
Nick was buying a soda from the vending machine when he heard a young voice. “Hey mister, are you a real cowboy?”
He turned to find the person who asked him the question and found a boy about six and a girl about the same age sitting in wheelchairs. “Why do you think I am a cowboy?” Nick asked as he knelt down in front of them.
“Because you got boots and a cool cowboy hat.” responded the boy. “Are you a real cowboy?”
“Well, I live and work on a ranch so yes that makes me a cowboy.”
“Cool” exclaimed the boy “Can we ride your horse?”
Nick pretended to think about that and asked “Well, I only let friends ride my horse, so what are your names?”
“I’m Scott, she’s Katie” the boy said pointing to the girl
Nick reached out to shake their hands “Nice to meet you Scott and Katie. My name is Nick.”
“Does your horse have a name?”
“His name is Spade.”
“Can we ride him? Katie will be your girlfriend if you let us ride.”
Nick pretended to think about that too. He also caught a glimpse of Sarah, Dalton and David behind the two kids. They were grinning at him and his new girlfriend. “My girlfriend? Katie you want to be my girlfriend?”
She nodded at him.
“That’s great, I need a cute girlfriend, but I am afraid my horse is in Arizona where I live.”
“Darn” the boy said. “So that means we can’t ride him.”
Nick shook his head at Scott and Katie. “Is Katie still my girlfriend?”
“Sure.” Scott said “Will you buy us a soda since we can’t ride your horse?”
“Scott, Katie, no soda.” A nurse said as she approached. “Sorry guys, but you have to go back to your rooms.”
“But..” Scott started to complain
“Go!” the nurse pointed to where they came from. And they turned in their chairs and started back to their rooms. The nurse just shook her head and started to move away.
“Who are they and why are they here?” Nick asked
“They are Scott Jones and Katie Dowd and they have a great friendship. They have both been here a long time because of their cancers. Both of them are improving and we hope they can go home soon. They roam around trying to get people to buy them a soda. But I think you are the first they have tried to get a ride on a horse from? Or to offer up Katie as a bribe.”
“Are their parents around?” Nick wondered
“Yes, somewhere. They spend lots of time here too so they can be with their children.”
“What rooms are they in?” Nick asked thinking of a plan. The nurse told him and left to go back to her patients.
Sarah grinned at him as he joined them. “A new girlfriend already? You work fast.”
“Hey, what can I say? She likes cowboys.” Nick said with a smug grin.
“Stepping out on Lindsay already?” Dalton teased
“Lindsay who?” Nick asked
“You are in big trouble when she is up and around.” David said joining in the game. “She will string you up in the tallest tree.”
“She has to catch me first.” a smug Nick replied walking into Lindsay’s room
They all walked in quietly but Lindsay was already awake. “Hi”
Dalton and David went over and gave her a kiss on the forehead and Sarah gripped her hand gently. “How are you feeling?” she asked
“Sore”
“Has the doctor been by this morning?” Dalton inquired
“No, last night. The nurse said he should be here anytime.” And just as she said that there was a knock at the door and the doctor entered.
“Hello. You are very popular.”
“This is part of my family; my brothers David and Dalton and Dalton’s wife Sarah.”
“How is she?” Dalton asked the doctor
“Well, if you all will give me a few minutes with her to look her over, I’ll let you know.”
They exited the room and stood around waiting. None of the four were very good at waiting but they were excellent at pacing and taking up space in the hall. Finally the doctor invited them back in. “She is doing okay; but she is going to be in the hospital a few more days. Then she will have to stay put somewhere for a few weeks. She won’t be able to travel home, the plane trip would be bad for her lungs and a car trip would hurt her ribs.”
“She will stay at the hotel here. I’ll be staying with her.” Nick stated authoritatively
The doctor nodded and told Lindsay to rest and he’d see her tomorrow. She waved goodbye to him.
“Nick, he said I had to stay for a few weeks, don’t you have to get back to work. I can stay by myself.”
“Nope, I am not cleared from the doctor yet. So I am staying.”
“Lin, you can’t stay by yourself. Nick isn’t doing me any good at the ranch; let him make himself useful by waiting on you hand and foot.” David pointed at with a meaningful glare to Nick.
“That’s right; consider me your slave until we go home.”
“Thank you.” Lindsay replied softly
“My pleasure” he whispered as he kissed her cheek.
“Nick” Dalton interrupted “The suite at the hotel is ready for you so go get some sleep.”
“Ok, I’m going. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He said
as he kissed her goodbye. To everyone else he said “She is stubborn about sleeping so get tough with her.”
After Nick left, the rest of them talked for a while until Lindsay told her brothers that she needed to talk to Sarah for a minute alone. They weren’t happy about it but they left the room.
“Sarah, will you do me a big favor?”
“I’ll try my best.”
“Can you go shopping for me? I need all kinds of clothes. Pajamas, t shirts, shorts, underclothes, everything if I am going to be laid up for a while.”
“Sure honey, Dalton and I will go while you rest. David will stay with you. Go to sleep.”
“I’m scared to.” She replied honestly
“Oh sweetie, I’m sorry. Dreams?” Sarah said comforting Lindsay’s hand in hers
“Yes, I keep seeing it over and over again. He was so big and strong. I tried to fight back but he fought harder.”
“Do you want to talk to the chaplain or someone, it might help?”
“No, it will go away probably.”
“If you change your mind, tell David he’ll know what to do.”
“Are they feeling guilty because they weren’t here to protect me?”
“Of course, they have both been playing “if only” all night and all morning.”
“I’m sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have walked in the park. I thought it was safe.”
“Don’t do that to yourself. This isn’t your fault.”
“I know. But it was so scary. I just got the love of my life and I almost lost it.”
“Nick was extremely worried about you. The plane couldn’t get here fast enough to suit him.”
“I love him.”
“We can tell.” She said with a wink. “We will be back after shopping.”
Nick returned to the hospital later in the afternoon. He had slept some but really wanted to be with Lindsay. He missed her and was worried about her. I should have been here to protect her.
He stopped by the pediatrics’ ward in hopes of visiting Scott and Katie’s parents. He wanted some information on the kids. He asked the nurse if their parents were around and was directed to the game room. He found four adults watching the kids so he approached them. As he approached Katie and Scott saw him and called to him “Hi Nick.”
“Hi Scott and Katie. How’s my best girlfriend?” Nick said as he sat down on a kid chair by the table where they were playing cards.
Katie giggled and smiled at him.
“What are you all playing?” Nick asked the pair then listened to the explanation of their game. When they got involved in the game again, he turned to the parents.
“Are you Katie and Scott’s parents?”
Four people nodded.
“Can I speak to you for a moment in the hall?”
Nick and the parents joined him in the hall.
“My name is Nick Cates. I met your wonderful children earlier today.”
The parents introduced themselves as Randy and Deena Jones and Samantha and Bart Dowd
“Your children approached me and asked me if I was a real cowboy?” Nick stated with a big smile.
All four parents laughed and Randy Jones, Scott’s father spoke up. “To a six year old boy, being a cowboy is the best thing going. And if you have a cool cowboy hat, then you are a real cowboy.”
“Well, at the time, I did have a cool cowboy hat on so that makes me a real cowboy. We had a conversation and Katie was offered up as my new girlfriend if I let them ride my horse. I live in Arizona so they can’t ride my horse; but if I arrange someone to give them a ride on a horse, are they well enough to take the ride?”
“They are being discharged next week so it is a possibility.” replied Katie’s mother Samantha. “We could check with their doctors.”
“Well, I will be in San Francisco for several weeks. My real girlfriend was attacked and will be here healing for a while. For clarification, I really am a “real” cowboy. I am an assistant to the best horse breeder in the country. I live and work on a ranch in Arizona called StageWest. We have contacts all over the country and some good friends that live not too far from here where I can arrange for the kids to ride.”
“That would be wonderful. And so special for them.” Scott’s mother, Deena commented “How can we get in contact with you?”
Nick gave them his phone numbers and told them Lindsay’s room number.
“I would like to visit them while they are still here; would that be okay with you?” Nick asked
“They would like that.” Scott’s father replied
“I need to get back to my Lindsay but I’ll just say goodbye and see you all another time.”
Nick went and said goodbye to Scott and Katie and said he would see them later.
Lindsay’s brothers and Sarah were in her room when he arrived; he went right to Lindsay and kissed her in greeting. “How are you?”
“I feel pretty rough.” She replied
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked worriedly
“She is running a fever and has been sick.” Dalton replied
“What did the doctor say?”
“That it is normal for an infection to develop. That’s why she is in the hospital so they can watch for those things.” David answered Nick
Nick took her hand in his and kissed it. “I’m sorry.”
She nodded
“Have you slept?” he asked
“Some” was her reply and “No” was everyone else’s.
Nick started to scold her but Sarah grabbed his hand to stop him. Then she motioned for Dalton and David to leave with her. They all said goodbye and that they would see her tomorrow. As she was leaving she told Lindsay to talk to Nick.
After they left, Nick looked at Lindsay and asked what that was all about.
“She stopped you because she figured you were going to scold me for not sleeping.”
“I was.” He replied
“I can’t sleep Nick. Every time I close my eyes, I see the attack and I get scared again.”
Immediately contrite he comforted “Oh, sweetheart. I didn’t think about that. I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
“No”
“It might help.” He said trying to encourage her. He took her hand in his and kissed it.
Lindsay closed her eyes as she remembered that day “I was walking through the park between sessions of the conference. I thought I was paying attention to my surroundings like they teach women. But as I walked along, I was admiring the landscape and it was a pretty nice day. I remember the feel of him grabbing me and throwing me down to the ground. I tried to fight back but he seemed so big. He had a knife and I got cut a few times and he also punched me several times in the face. He kicked me in the ribs also. I don’t remember anything after that.”
Nick was barely controlling his rage, he kissed her hand gently because she was so sore but he wanted to wrap her in a big hug. “I can’t hug you because it will hurt you, but I’d give anything to be able to crawl in this bed with you and comfort you with a hug.”
“I wish you could too. I think I could sleep better with you beside me.”
“As soon as we are able, I will sleep with you and hold you as long as you need.”
“Promise?”
“With all my heart.” He said with a kiss “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to protect you.”
“My brothers are playing that game too. It was not our fault, it was broad daylight. I never expected an attack in a public park.”
“Thankfully there were some good citizens there who stopped him and captured him until the police could come.”
“Do you know who they are? I’d like to thank them.”
“I’ll ask David if he can get the information from the police.”
“Nick, thank you for being here with me. It is so much less scary with you here.”
He sat gingerly on the bed so he could look directly at her so that sh
e could see how serious he was. “I love you Lindsay Matthews. I am so glad we decided to be more than friends so that I can be here for you. If we hadn’t talked things through before now and started dating, I’d be at home going crazy.” He placed her hand gently over his heart. “This belongs to you now and I want to be wherever you are. In sickness and in health.”
“That sounds like the marriage vows.”
“It might as well be. I want to be with you forever as your husband.”
“Are you proposing?” she asked very surprised
“Not officially. But unofficially yes. Ever since I saw you as more than a friend, I have wanted to be your husband. Did I realize it right away? No. But looking back, my heart knew it right away.”
“Then I accept your unofficial proposal. I have loved you a long time. My heart has been yours for eight years Nick.”
“That still surprises me and thrills me. I could have been making love to you for eight years if I hadn’t been so clueless.”
She laughed. “Maybe we can make up the time lost?”
“Playing catch-up sex? Yeah, that works for me. We will be dead, but who cares.”
She laughed and then groaned at the pain.
“I’m sorry honey. I won’t make you laugh again.”
She nodded
“Lindsay, I do have one small problem with being your husband.”
“And what would that be?”
“You will have to share me with my new girlfriend, Katie.”
“Excuse me?” she questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Nick had a teasing grin on his face as he answered. “She is a beauty. She likes real cowboys that have horses.”
“Well, I don’t share well with others. I like my own cowboy and his horse.”
“Sorry, it’s a done deal. If I give them a ride on my horse, Katie is my girlfriend.”
“Them?”
“Scott and Katie”
“Who is Scott? Her other boyfriend?”
“Nope, I’m her only boyfriend. I think, I better check on that. I don’t like to share.”
“Me either. So you better tell this Katie to come see me and we will see who wins you.”
“I told you, Katie wins me since I let her ride my horse.”
“I don’t think so. My boyfriend, my rules.”
“Well, she might be a little young for me but she is really pretty.”
“And how young is she?”
“About six.”
“Six? As in six years old?”
Nick nodded and smiled
“Start talking mister.”