Cowgirl Up ✔️

Chapter Twelve

Isaiah

I walked just ahead of Grace and Kylie.
The whole way to the hospital, the entire sky was pitch black.
It's the wee hours of the morning so it was expected.
Because of the news we received, I was more than alert enough to drive.
My speedometer had been sitting well over the 100 mark for most of the journey, speeds I didn't usually reach these days.
Grace walked, holding Kylie's hand and my poor Daughter was struggling to keep her emotions in check.
She'd been in and out of the rounds of water works and panic attacks the whole drive in, terrified of what we would find.
We're familiar enough with the hospital, so went straight to the ER.
We came across Aarian Zannox, Codie Bentley and his girlfriend also Aarian's little sister Noah, along with young Hayley Jackson.
Blayze and Keegan were the only two I couldn't see.
Codie released Noah's hand and stood, walking forward to meet us.
The boy's are familiar to me, through the year's of having Blayze around.
Their group clicked soon after Blayze's arrival some nine year's ago.
"Any new's son?"
I asked the young lad.
Codie pulled a grim face and shook his raven hair covered head.
Damn it.
Codie gestured to a corridor type area some twelve feet away.
"Blayze is around that way."
He explained.
I frowned.
"Why's he not with you guy's?"
Codie chewed nervously on his lower lip.
"He ain't doin too well, Mr. Harley."
He finally admitted.
Shit.
"Okay."
I gave his shoulder a squeeze.
"I'll go check on him."
I made my way in the direction he mentioned, leaving Grace and Kylie behind, knowing they'd comfort each other for now.
I came across Keegan resting back in one of the chair's, his tanned face tired and weary.
Beside him sat Blayze, leaning forward so his elbows were braced on his knee's and his head in his hand's.
Keegan looked over and saw me approaching, probably having heard my boot's on the hard floor.
He pushed to his feet and came to meet me near the corner.
"How's he doin?"
I asked, not for the first time.
Though I was pretty sure I already could guess at the answer.
"Not good."
Keegan shook his head.
"Blames himself. But I think also, he's actually scared."
His face twisted to show his own discomfort.
I placed a hand onto the young Lad's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
"Why don't you head back out to the other's and I'll have a chat with him?"
I suggested.
"Yes sir."
Keegan nodded.
He rounded the corner and I walked over to Blayze, easing myself onto the chair beside his.
"Gidday m'boy."
I greeted him.
Blayze's shoulder's tensed.
Slowly he lifted his head, revealing clouded and red rimmed blue-green eyes.
He clamped his hand's together and rested his chin on the large double fist.
"Whatever you're thinking of doin to me, I doubt I haven't already thought of it myself."
The broken rasp in the lad's usually strong, proud voice twisted like a knife at my heart.
This is a side to Blayze Rowan Riley that I've never seen.
He was an angry, defensive mess when he arrived nine years ago, but as a team, we'd all worked through that.
My Daddy taught me that respect and self courage came from looking after others and working hard, earning what you got.
So I did my best to instil that into the troubled sixteen year old we suddenly had under our roof and joining our breakfast table.
We set him to work with myself, Lukas and the farm hand's, out running the properly and also around the house helping with meal prep and clean up.
My Daddy also instilled in me that a well rounded man is a man to be proud of, so I always taught Lukas to respect his Mum and sister (Grace and Kylie) and to help out where possible with household chores.
I figured if I was going to help Blayze back to a strong sense of self, I'd treat him as if he were my own, so he got the exact same treatment as Lukas.
He went to school, had his job's about the home and property and I paid him for the property work he earned.
He soon showed a keen sense of loyalty to the Farm and Family and within a few years I couldn't connect him with the angry, sour tempered, fight loving, emotionally agitated and neglected teenager we'd first met.
I leaned forward to try to get a better look at his face.
There were tear track's on his tanned cheek's.
His knuckles were white.
His hands and arms even had a tremble to them.
This broken picture is not one I've seen in the almost decade I've know the bloke.
I sighed.
"Blayze..."
He hung his head like a child who'd been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar.
"Son you did nothing wrong."
I insisted, reaching over to put my arm around his shoulder's.
"I wasn't there."
The young lad's voice cracked.
His shoulder's were stiff under my arm.
"You got there. You got her here."
I insisted.
How did he not understand the importance in that?
"But it's not enough is it? She's still in there!"
Blayze's voice broke and he gestured at the steel door's.
I sighed.
"It's only been a couple hour's, Blayze. These thing's take time."
I reasoned.
Though I wouldn't mind going and putting a fire cracker up some Hospital Staff arse myself...
"I couldn't keep her awake!"
Blayze's voice cracked once again, his frazzled emotions clear as day.
"It's all my God damn fault!"
He pushed himself to his feet, shrugging off my arm.
"Oi, Oi, Oi!"
I pushed myself off the chair, my old body not as free as his young one.
Blayze turned to face me, his jaw clenched tight and his knuckles white at his sides.
His deep eyes had a shining of unshed tears brimming in them.
My heart twisted further, but I did my best to be strong for the breaking lad before me who so obviously needed a rock to lean on.
"This kind of thing that happen's to that girl is not your fault!"
I placed my hand's on each of his shoulder's, trying to get him to listen to me.
Blayze opened his mouth.
I knew he was just going to try to protest.
"Thing's happen, Blayze! She made the choice to go to that party. You cannot shoulder everything she does."
I tried to make him understand.
He shook his head.
"I shouldn't of let her go."
He denied.
"That wasn't your call!"
I insisted.
"She cleared it with Kylie."
And Kylie's no doubt feeling incredibly guilty by now...
Blayze clenched His jaw and his fist's.
"I still should've stopped her."
"And what would that achieve? She'd be kicking, screaming and cold shouldering you."
I pointed out.
"She wouldn't be in there!"
Blayze gestured to the steel doors, like they were home to the Devil himself.
I shook my head.
"She's seventeen, Blayze. She's gonna start experiencing the world and we all have to get used to that."
"I don't want her to get hurt."
He finally met my eye, his expression full of troubles.
"And now she has."
"She will wake up and be thankful that you got to her and got her here."
I promised him.
He's shouldered way too much when it comes to my Granddaughter.
He's even gone up against her supposed Father and bested him.
More than once.
Our dear Girl is blessed to have him in her life.
The metal door's beyond us opened and a Doctor came out.
His eyes landed on Blayze and he walked forward, like he'd found who he was looking for.
I stepped forward, clearing my throat.
"I'm Bailey's Grandfather, Isaiah Harley."
I explained.
Blayze turned around, now standing just behind me.
The youngish looking Doctor with brown hair and green eyes smiled and extended his right hand towards me.
I gripped it and shook it.
"I'm Doctor Malachite Legend."
He informed.
I nodded.
"The test result's came back positive to Rohypnol."
He winced.
My blood started to simmer in my vein's.
If I catch the person responsible for this...
"Pretty sure that's what I already told you!"
I glanced over my shoulder at the pissed off sounding Blayze.
"Let's just hear him out, eh?"
I suggested.
The Doctor shot me a small smile while Blayze folded his arm's across his chest, frowning.
I turned back to Dr. Legend, rolling my eyes.
"Regarding concent from her guardian, we would like to hit Bailey with a medicine to flush the drug from her system. It will result in her being sick, because that's one of the fastest ways to eliminate toxins from the body. She'll raise a sweat, we will attach a catheter and there's almost a hundred percent chance of her vomiting a good few times."
Doctor Legend explained.
Oh Bailey's gonna love this.
She's always hated being sick with the vomits, ever since she was a tiny Kid.
"But she'll be okay once all that's done?"
I checked.
"She may experience emotional stress and trauma, but physically she will be fine once we flush the drug. Though because it induces sickness she will have to stay in hospital until..."
He consulted his wrist watch.
"At least tomorrow morning. However we will monitor her and I dare say none of you will be going too far."
He added, lifting his gaze back up to mine.
"No not at all."
I answered before Blayze decided to snap.
Or throw a fist.
Both were just as likely options, in my experience.
"I'll fetch her Mum and explain what you've told me, because she is priority guardian."
I explained.
"No worries."
Dr. Legend nodded.
I turned and made my way back to the other section of the designated waiting area.