California Cowboys

Chapter 3

Cora sat with her forehead pressed against the window. They had left home about an hour ago and she had been sitting like this the whole time. The first major airport was two hours away and she had planned to stay like this the whole time. Her dad had different plans.

"Dammit Cora!" he grunted, shutting off the radio. "If you don't want to go then I'll turn this car around right now."

She sighed loudly and watched as the widow fogged up. Just like she had as a child, she picked up her finger and wrote a few curse words until the glass cleared up.

"I want to go," she finally said. "This is just going to suck."

"Then just stay here!" chimed in Annie.

Cora pinched the bridge of her nose to try and prevent the tears from spilling. Annie was one of the biggest reasons she was feeling so guilty. Their mother had abandoned them a few months after she had given birth to Annie. Cora remembered her but most of the memories were of her mom being miserable and depressed. She couldn't remember a time she actually smiled.

Cora knew they were better off without her but that had always been a sore spot for Annie. The poor girl had only recently stopped blaming herself for their mother's disappearance. Now Cora was the one abandoning her and she knew Annie was going to take it hard.

"She needs to go Annie," said Rich.

Annie blew a piece of hair out of her face and leaned back into the chair. "I know. Who's picking you up?"

"Bill said that Cody would be waiting for you," answered their dad.

Cora looked down at her leg and frowned. "Hopefully the six hour flight won't bother my leg too much. Did we pack all of my gear?"

Rich nodded. "Yes sweetie. Everything is packed and we'll make sure it gets on the plane."

Cora grunted her approval and turned back towards the window. She was really starting to regret this trip. All her doctors had approved the stay but she was worried. They knew her medical history, these people didn't. Her dad had all of her records transferred to the nearest hospital and physical therapy office. She didn't need to go to therapy but the option was there.

The car ride there seemed to go by too quickly. Before she knew it her dad was parking his old pick up next to the airport drop off. Her quietly got out of the car and began to unload her stuff. Cora had quite a bit. She had crutches, special shoes to help her balance, medication, heating pads, gels and creams, and a brace for bad days.

Cora got out of the car and Annie followed shortly after. No one spoke a word as they checked her baggage in. It wasn't until the young man handed her the ticket that she felt this weight press against her chest.

"I can't do this," whispered Cora. She clutched her chest and leaned against the counter.

Annie was the first to grab her. She wrapped her little arms around her and squeezed tightly.

"You can do this. It's not for very long and we'll be waiting for you when you come back," replied Annie.

Cora took a deep breath, wiping her tears. "You're right; I can do this but I'm going to miss you."

Annie pulled back, offering Cora a bright smile. "I'll miss you too. Now stop being all mushy and go have fun."

Cora's dad finally approached her. He was desperately fighting to hold back tears but wasn't doing a good job.

"You'll be okay," he said, giving her a big hug.

Cora laughed. "That sounded more like a question."