"Listen, I don't know what your circumstances are at home, and frankly, I don't give a shit. But, I will not stand to have this fighting and bickering disturbing every patient in this facility!" Doctor Archer stomped to his desk, and yanked out his chair, plopping his butt behind it. After taking a seemingly steadying breath, he looked up at the bunch of them. "Ms. Stewart is going to need a place where she can be monitored," he leveled them all an angry glare, "which means, you idiots need to come to some kind of agreement that satisfies me or I won't sign her release papers."
Travis watched as Doc Archer crossed his arms over his chest, his face set on full throttle stubborn. He'd been down right pissy since he broke up their discussion about who got to take Harley home, and wrangled their asses into his office. Scrubbing a palm behind his neck, he couldn't help feeling like he'd just been busted, and sent to the principal's. Travis had great respect for all members of the medical community, but this guy seemed to be more suited for work that didn't include dealing with the public.
"What do you mean, monitored?" Bo asked in his usual impatient way. The man definitely wasn't affected by the doctor's surly demeanor.
"I said her situation was no longer critical." His green eyes rolled heavenward before narrowing them at the group standing squished inside his office like cattle in a chute. "But she is not fully recovered. She needs to be constantly watched for complications. Any signs of excessive drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, confusion, memory problems...you need to bring her straight back here." He thumped a fist on his desk. "Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars, but fucking straight back here."
"Hey, there's an idea! We can play Monopoly!" Tanner chirped from the far corner, and Travis along with the others, groaned loudly. "What?" he asked, lifting his shoulders. "It's a wholesome way to pass the time, and it sounds like she's going to be laid up for a while, so we're going to need something to keep her entertained or she'll be bouncing off the walls in less than an hour." He looked from one unimpressed expression to the other. "I don't see any of you dickheads coming up with a plan," he muttered moodily.
"Jesus..." Doc Archer closed his eyes, and rubbed the bridge of his nose, his forehead wrinkling as if he was in pain. "Have any of you listened to a single word I said?" Standing up, he started clicking off the instructions one by one on his fingers. "No video games, no board games, no texting, no using the computer, no television...no goddamn over stimulation for the next seven to ten days. Her brain needs to rest. Even though all those things seem simple enough, your brain has to work to keep track of shit, and what her brain needs is nice...quiet...downtime so it can heal." He let out a heavy sigh. "If you can't provide the right environment for her, I can recommend an intermediate recovery facility that can."
"We don't need your recommendations," Bo said stiffly, his jaw tightening to a stubborn line. "We take care of our own."
Travis stood next to him, and nodded his head in agreement. It would be over his dead body before he'd let this asshole ship his woman to only God knew where.
Doc Archer raised a disbelieving brow which completely disagreed with what Bo claimed. "Are you sure about that? Besides monitoring she will also need someone to prepare her meals, make sure she's eating properly, is taking her medications as prescribed, making sure she gets the help she needs so she is not over doing things, and most importantly...where she can get some rest with no incentive to over stimulate herself."
The last part of his snapped statement was focused solely at Travis, and he bristled. Yes, hearing the no sex rule when he had walked into her room took him by surprise, but he wasn't some fucking Neanderthal. He could control his hormones, and the fact the doctor was still insisting on busting his balls about it was grinding hard on his nerves.
"We will take care of her," he said firmly. "Just sign the damn papers."
Doctor Archer frowned at him, his chin lifting in challenge. "I am sure you are aware, Montgomery your girlfriend has an independent streak a mile long. The thought of her being dependent on anyone just about made her break out in hives this morning when I told her of her limitations upon release." Looking down, he shuffled some papers on his desk. "Not to mention she gave me quite the earful about my mother hen tendencies, and what orifice I could stick them up in," he muttered.
"That sounds like our Harley," Cade said, smirking from the corner.
"Doc, you have no idea," Bo added, scratching his goatee thoughtfully.
Dr. Archer nodded his head, and with a heavy sigh, sat back down. "Look, wherever she ends up, needs to be someplace where someone is going to be home around the clock to watch her, and keep her from disobeying my orders. I know ranchers work some strange hours, that's why I recommended the care facility. We don't need her overreaching, and possibly setting herself back in her recovery. I guarantee she is not going to like the idea, and would rather go home. Beings I don't trust her promise to behave herself, I am rather disinclined to take her word she will do what I say unsupervised." He sat back in his chair, and Travis got a glimpse of how exhausted he appeared to be. "So, I will ask again. What are your plans for my patient once I release her?"
"I have the perfect solution," Travis said as a plan began to form in his head. "If it's okay with you guys, I would like to take her home with me."
"And what makes you think we are just going to let you waltz out the door with her?" Bo asked, turning to face him. Travis could tell by the scowl on his face, his idea wasn't going to be an easy sell.
"I have the one thing you don't."
"And what is that, Princess?"
"I have an Addie." He grinned wide, and faced the Doc. "If it's mother henning you want, then Addie has a master's degree on the subject. She'll make sure Harley doesn't do anything she's not supposed to."
"Does that mean she is also capable of keeping your dick in your pants?" Dr. Archer asked dryly.
If the man hadn't had such a somber look on his face, Travis would have thought he was joking. But, since the man didn't so much as crack a smile, he knew he was completely serious, and he had to resist the urge to punch him square in the nose.
"Anyone ever tell you you're a real asshole, Doc?" Travis snarled.
"All the time," he replied with the first hint of a grin Travis had seen since they were all forced into his office. Reaching for his pen, he quickly scribbled his name across the paperwork, and handed them to Travis. "Now, if you please, you all can get the hell out of my office."
Twenty minutes later, Harley sat dutifully, but grumpily in a wheel chair with two potted plants in her lap, and a bouquet of balloons trailing behind her as a nurse wheeled her out of the hospital. She wanted to walk out of the damn place on her own two feet, but Dr. Archer had refused, stating it was hospital policy. Frankly, she didn't think it had anything to do with policy, and he just got off on making her life a living hell.
But, if behaving and being the good little patient would get her out of here, then she would do whatever it took. Even if that meant sitting in the damn wheelchair with a happy smile plastered on her lips as she waved at everyone wishing her well. Actually, she was beginning to feel like she was on a parade float, and her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Finally reaching the exit, the nurse wheeled her out to a waiting red dually parked in front. The comforting feeling of the fresh morning breeze hitting her face, and the satisfied expression associated with it, disappeared at the sight of Travis bounding out of the driver's side of his truck. Opening the passenger door, he headed towards her.
"Ready to blow this joint, sunshine?" he asked with an easy going grin that made her sigh, and had a tendency to make her forget her own name. Lifting her effortlessly out of the chair, he deposited her lightly inside the truck.
"Wait...what?" She pulled her gaze away from his handsome face, trying to make sense of why she was sitting in his pickup instead of one of the boys. But, she didn't get much of a chance to say anything as he quickly shook hands with her men, who looked anything but please, and then headed back to the driver's side to ease himself into the seat with one graceful movement.
Despite her confusion, she couldn't help but giggle at the small, dreamy sigh that escaped out of the nurse's mouth as she handed Harley the rest of her get-well gifts, her eyes never wandering from Travis. After all, she couldn't blame her for admiring the sexy cowboy. Lord knew, she was guilty of enjoying the same pleasure every chance she got since the day she first met him.
"You take care of yourself, baby girl, and if you need anything...anything at all, you just give us a call, and we'll be there faster than two shakes of a lamb's tail," Bo said gruffly. Leaning into the cab, he gave her a quick hug and peck on the temple. "We'll come see you as soon as we get things straightened out at the ranch, I promise."
"Ah...okay," she said, more confused than ever. She kept the questions begging to fall out of her mouth in fear it would only delay her escape. Instead, she hugged each one of her men goodbye, and promised them all she would call if she needed anything over and over again, until she could finally shut the door. After Travis pulled away from the curb, she turned towards him, and frowned. "Okay, what's going on?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
He chuckled. Reaching out, he snatched her hand out of her lap to wrap it in his. "I'm taking you home with me."
Her heart stuttered in her chest, and she was thankful that damn machine wasn't hooked up to her anymore. "Home? As in your...home?" she stuttered, swallowing hard.
"Yup." His smile grew as he brought her hand to his lips, placing small kisses across her knuckles that made her shiver.
"How did you manage that?" She couldn't resist sneaking a peek in the side mirror of the truck to make sure her boys weren't in hot pursuit, and to make sure Travis hadn't done something stupid like kidnap her. Since the barn incident, they'd been hovering over her, and fighting like a pack of wild dogs on a stew bone about who got to do what. If he actually managed to convince them to let her stay with him for a little while, then he was just a step short of being a super hero.
"It wasn't too difficult." He shrugged a dismissive shoulder, but Harley couldn't help but notice he refused to look her in the eye when he said it, and she didn't think it had anything to do with heeding the rules of the road. "Doc Archer had some very stringent rules he required to be followed before he would release you, and my place met all of his demands."
That brought her head snapping around, making her a little dizzy in the process. "What do you mean?" Harley tried to keep from sounding bitchy. She really did, but the mere mention of Dr. Archer, and his meddlesome ways, made her hackles rise. The guy gave a whole new meaning to control freak. "What demands?"
Travis released a long sigh. "Now, baby...I know you don't like the idea of being taken care of..."
"You're damn right I don't," she groused, interrupting him.
"But you need someone to keep an eye on you for the next few days, and I just happened to have the perfect person for the job. Plus, she's been busting my hump about meeting you, so it's really a win win for everyone."
If she had any ideas about spending some alone time with him, they just disintegrated before her very eyes. "Who?" She narrowed her eyes at him. If he hired her a babysitter, so help her God, he was going to be the one needing aftercare when she was through with him.
"Addie." Briefly taking his eyes off the road, he glanced over in her direction. "You haven't met her. She works for me at the DR, and has been since before I was born. You'll love her, and she will simply adore you, I promise." After giving her a little reassuring wink, he turned his attention back to the road.
Closing her eyes, she leaned against the headrest, cussing under her breath. She wasn't remotely worried about not being like or adored, what she didn't want was anyone making her feel like an invalid. She'd had plenty of that when she was recuperating from her accident at the World Championship. The small glimmer of hope she had at finding out she was going to be at Travis's, and away from the overbearing, well-meaning men in her life, vanished as it dawned on her she only reduced the number of people intent on smothering her to death.
"Please tell me you're not going to be treating me like some big baby. Honestly, Travis, I feel fine. It's just a bump on the head."
"First off, you are not fine, and that was way more than some bump on your head, Harley. You were attacked, and damn lucky to be alive. What happened to you scared the shit out of everyone, and if we seem a bit over protective, then we've earned the right to be. We went through hell sitting in that waiting room wondering if you were going to make it or not."
The bitterness of his voice surprised her, and she popped her eyes open wide to face him. The concern etched on every tense line of his face was like a slap across hers. Here she was, pouting, throwing a hissy fit, and telling people to not treat her like a baby when, in fact, that was exactly how she was acting.
Tears sprung to her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away before he noticed. She needed to get a better grip on her emotions. It seemed she was jumping all over the place lately, and that wasn't like her. Nor was it like her to be obstinate. She'd been acting like a ninny. Not just recently, but pretty much since the day she moved to Wolf Springs.
Yes, she had wanted to handle everything on her own, and prove to everyone how capable she was, but look what it got her. Attacked at her own damn ranch, a burned barn, and a one way ticket to the emergency room. Travis was absolutely right. She could only imagine how she would have felt if it had been someone she loved in that situation. Not knowing from one minute to the next what was going to happen to them, or if it would be the last time she would ever see them. A small sob lodged in her throat, and her chest ached at the thought of losing any of them. It was past time she stopped being stubborn, and thinking she could handle all this on her own. Especially when it was pretty damn obvious she couldn't. Her continued pigheadedness would only end up with someone getting seriously injured, or even killed. If that happened, she would never be able to live with herself.
"You're right," she said humbly, ducking her head. "I will do whatever you think is best."
"It's not going to be so bad, Harley," he teased softly, chucking her lightly under her chin. "Besides, it won't be for long, and then you can go right back to raising hell. And I promise, I won't let Addie hover too much. I know you like your independence, and after the first few days," he smiled, giving her hand a gentle squeeze until she looked up at him, "I will make sure you gain a little more freedom. As long as you're healing up fine, what Doc Archer doesn't know, won't kill him."
She laughed at the way he waggled his brows at her before for he turned those blue eyes she loved so much, back towards the windshield. Again, he was right. Besides, this might not be so bad after all. She would get the chance to get to know him better, and see the Dusty Rose. She'd been interested about it for some time now, so this would be the perfect opportunity to appease her curiosity. Plus, they could maybe put their heads together, and figure out what the hell was going on. There had to be a reason behind this attack, because it sure as hell wasn't accidental.
"Oh!" She jerked up straighter, yanking her relaxed hand out of his.
"What? Are you in pain?" he asked, whipping his head towards her.
"No." She quickly shook her head, wincing at the movement. She really needed to stop doing that. "I just realized I hadn't gotten the chance to tell you what I remembered from the other night." Rubbing her forehead to ease the little wave of dizziness, she looked up at him. "After he knocked me in the head, I had a few minutes before everything went dark, and I distinctly recall him saying...you just made my job a hell of a lot easier."
Harley watched as Travis's hand tightened on the steering wheel to the point she was worried he would snap it off the column. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his tense thigh, trying to give him some reassurance, though she didn't think it helped. Hell, she couldn't blame him. She was mad as hell too, and...to be honest...scared.
"I don't think this was random, Travis. I think somebody is out to kill me."
Author's Note:
Hello my darlings!
Whew...I just barely made the deadline with this one. I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of When Roses Collide, and if you liked it, you will consider giving it a vote. I look forward to reading your comments which are always appreciated. I haven't had time to respond lately, but know that I am smiling and laughing right along with you. If you have any questions you liked answered before I get to responding to your comment, please don't hesitate to send me a direct message.
Now, as for the scheduled update. As you know, the holidays are approaching fast. I just got word today that I am expecting some company, which always brings a smile to my lips, but...also a little frown because I am wondering how I am going to get any work done! LOL Anyway, here's the deal, I will try to sneak in some writing time whenever possible, but I can't make any promises and I am afraid this is going to be the story until after Christmas. You know how those holidays go! Always something to do, and somewhere to be. I hope you all understand!
But, hang in there. Soon the holidays will be over, and we will be back to our scheduled programming. ;)
As always, thank you for reading, and your patience!
Sincerely,
K