Page 5 of In Love with a Ranger

“H-How bad is it…” he said hoarsely and felt someone touch his other hand, causing him to slowly turn his head. He saw his sister Giselle’s husband, Austin, standing there, looking at him with candor and sympathy as the man grasped his hand in a brotherly grip, holding him tight.

“You’re gonna set off metal detectors from here on out, brother,” Austin chuckled tearfully. “But you missed your face, so you’ll still get girls.”

Gideon tried to laugh because only the twerp would say something so dumb, so true, and so out of place to lighten the mood. He heard his mother whisper something under her breath as he nodded slowly.

“Bad, huh?”

“The leg bone is connected to the hip bone – but barely.”

“Austin!”

“What?” the spiky-haired man uttered openly. “He doesn’t need sugar-coating on it. The man wants to know if life’s going to be the same or if it’s gonna change, and these are the questions I’d be asking if the shoe was on the other foot.”

He held up a hand and whispered behind it.

“Foot is intact somehow, but you broke your femur in two places and fractured both bones near the shin. Your noggin took a hit, but your helmet is the reason you’re alive, oh yeah – and you’ve got two bulging discs in your lower back now. I know that because they’ve been poking your toes for reaction the last few days to make sure the nerves weren’t damaged. Other than that, it’s a peachy sort of Saturday morning.”

Saturday?

He thought it had been three days, but it was closer to a week. Austin released his hand, giving him two thumbs-up and grinning – causing Gideon to smile painfully as he closed his eyes. The skinny man had obviously been crying and was putting up a front. He couldn’t imagine his mother and father’s reactions, nor his sisters.

“Giselle… knows?”

“Oh yeah, she said if you made it, she’d break your other leg for scaring her. That woman is little, but her temper is huge. Threatens me with dull needles when I get outta line.”

“Beck… family… trait…”

“Don’t you worry about a thing, Gideon,” his mother began, and he turned toward her slowly, grateful they were there. “You’ll come home when you are stable. Your father and I can drive you to the VA hospital for your appointments. The discharge papers will give you unemployment for several months plus when you file for disability, then you can…”

“Wh-What?”

“Baby, you are coming home with us and…”

“Actually, Mama Beck – can I talk to Gideon for a few minutes alone?” Austin interrupted quickly, smiling. “I was going to call Giselle, but I think ‘Man-talk’ needs to happen first… no offense.”

“Are you kicking me out of my son’s hospital room?”

“When you put it like that, it just sounds awful… but yes,” Austin grinned. “Five minutes, please.”

“I’ll get some coffee and be back in a few.”

“He’s not going anywhere.”

Gideon cursed under his breath grimly because it was true. If what his mother was saying was accurate, the Army had gotten word of the extent of his injuries – and booted him. It was obviously bad because this wasn’t a military facility. He would be a liability with bulging discs and other issues that might crop up as a result. He’d heard of people having permanent nerve damage resulting in loss of use but alive. He was alive and going to be considered disabled at thirty-five years old.

As soon as the door to his room closed, Austin’s head swung around.

“Hear me out before she gets back in here because she’ll flip her lid,” he began in a rush, surprising Gideon. “Let her think what she wants, but you do not have to go home. Your mother will smother you and treat you like an invalid. You aren’t – and she means well, but Giselle has pulled some strings for you.”

“Like what?”

“She’s got a good friend who was a medic in the Army who lives on a ranch in Wyoming now. He’s got a cabin you can use, so long as you don’t mind bunking up with Chris. No rent, no hovering mamas, and no one to keep reminding you of the changes. It’s a fresh start, my friend, and if you want to do it, I’ll fly you there myself.”

“Is there anything else wrong with me? My leg…”

“Nasty concussion, spleen swollen, but it’s gone down so they didn’t have to remove it, some internal bruising, so I’m guessing you feel pretty rough…”

“You have no idea,” he choked, smirking. “Try not to make me laugh – please?”

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