Page 77 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

Kieran puts a fist up to his mouth and clears his throat. “I’ll quickly step out to let the nurse and doctor know you are awake. Okay, Sis?”

I nod, scooting to the side of the bed so Lachlan can lie beside me. I wrap my arm around his shoulders and run my fingers up and down his shoulder. He plants a gentle kiss on my clavicle, and I shiver.

“What happened?” I plead.

Paisley comes around to my left side and places her fingers in mine.

Lachlan takes a deep and steadying breath. “You went unconscious about three-quarters of the way up the incline. One of the deputies had to tether himself and slide head-first off the slope to reach you. If I had let go, we would have both fallen. I was stuck in a seated position so you could stay balanced across my lap.”

I remember hugging him from the front as we started the climb, but I don’t remember getting to the hospital.

Lachlan continues, “Edwin drove you in his patrol car straight to the ER while Callum and I searched for the Deed of Trust. After we found it in the loft of the barn, we took it and my grandfather’s will down to the County. Sure enough, the one Cody recorded was fraudulent. The dates and signatures don’t match. Edwin is there now collecting more evidence.”

I try to nod, but my head doesn’t move. I don’t really feel much pain. They must have me on some good pain meds.

“And my head?” I tentatively ask.

He audibly swallows. “Good news is you didn’t need a craniotomy. There doesn’t appear to be any brain bleeding, but we are supposed to watch it for another couple of weeks. I will insist on you not sleeping alone. The blunt object someone struck you with didn’t break the skull, but you did need twelve stitches to close off the wound. You definitely had a concussion. Also, because you lost so much blood and went unconscious, you were given a blood transfusion,” he says, his voice shaking.

Paisley cuts in, “I agree with Lachlan. You shouldn’t sleep alone,” then under her breath, says, “ever again.”

She winks at me, and I smirk back at her.

“Wait, why did you say whoever hit me? Wasn’t it Cody?” I ask.

Lachlan clears his throat. “We’ve looked at the video surveillance and it clearly shows two men. The one who had you and the bat was not Cody. Cody drove.”

“Who? Who else was it? I remember them telling me they needed me out of the way or needed me as a bargaining chip or something,” I ramble.

“We don’t know yet. It wasn’t James. We are still looking for Cody,” he rasps.

A thought occurs to me. “Don’t you meet with the people about the mine tomorrow?”

Kieran shuts the door behind him as he maneuvers back into my room.

Lachlan squeezes me into him, but Kieran responds as he stands at the end of the bed, “No, actually. Ingrid called and explained what had happened. They have rescheduled it for mid-July. None of us have really left your room since we were allowed into it yesterday afternoon.”

I groan, “You all must be exhausted. When can I get discharged? Other than my head hurting a bit, I feel fine.”

Interlocking his fingers with mine, Lachlan hums, “Kieran said you would say that. The doctor told us that after you wake, he wants to keep you under observation for twenty-four hours, then you could be discharged. Since it’s 9 a.m., you should be out of here tomorrow by lunch.”

I give a slight nod, trying not to move my head. Being at the mine when it was first discovered has me attached to the entire process. I don’t want to miss what the DEQ has to say about it. I'm so glad it won't be tomorrow.

My hands turn clammy thinking about the time in the mine, but it was almost surreal. Being unconscious during most of the ordeal leaves me less shaken than I think I should be. It feels almost like a dream. As if I was watching it all happen from the outside. My memories of the events after checking on the alpacas are fuzzy at best. Oh my goodness, the alpacas!

I gasp. “Dewdrop and Sunray! Are they doing okay?”

Paisley chuckles. “Of course, you are worried more about the baby animals. For Christmas, I’m making a calendar of Lachlan posing with baby animals and giving it to you. Be forewarned!” Then she looks at Leo and shakes a finger. “Don’t even think about stealing my idea. That is the best one I have come up with in years.”

We all laugh and I admit, I’m starting to get a slight headache. At that moment, the doctor walks in with a nurse.

“Good morning, my name is Dr. Tomasevic. I’m just going to perform a few minor tests to see how you are doing,” he explains.

“Do your worst.” I smile, and the doctor chuckles.

“Good to see your sense of humor is in good shape, I can cross that test off my list,” he grumbles.

The nurse next to him smirks, and he removes his pen light. Shining the light in each eye, I see him nod to the nurse. He gently palpates my skull, then slowly leans me forward to inspect the dressing and sutures. After running through a range of tests, my pupils and memory seem to be functioning to his satisfaction. He gives a few more instructions about caring for my head wound, confirming my discharge tomorrow if everything goes well overnight.

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