Cowboy Casanova

Chapter 53

FAITH POV: I quiver as a blanket wraps around me. The womans voice is smooth and soothing. She tries to comfort me. I'm shaking like a leaf. Cold blood covers me. I can feel it. They know they can't move me until I open my eyes.

My eyes at this point, have been crusted over with tears, sweat, and blood. I don't know if I can open them anyways. I don't pay much attention to what the voices say. I just analyze the tone. Can I trust them?

I stopped hearing Tim about five hours ago... I know he's gone... I feel empty and alone, which I've never felt in the same room with him. What do I do now? How am I supposed to go on? I try to think about the girls. I need to stay for the girls. The girls...

I feel a moist cloth grace my eyelids gently. The woman's voice comes back again. I try to open my eyes. It hurts... but I manage to pry them open. The light blinds me, so all I can see is the woman's outline. She seems thin and frail. I reach up to rub my eyes, but she grabs my hands and stops me. She continues to talk as I look around the room, trying to see anything I possibly can. My eyes begin to adjust, allowing me to see dark splotches everywhere. Tim...

"Just stay calm honey, alright? We are going to take care of you." The woman says softly. My eyesight is now clear. I look to where Tim was, to see a puddle of blood. There's no way he survived when he's lost that much blood... I look down at myself, to see that I'm covered in a mixture of his, and my own blood. My arms look as white as a sheet. I look down at my injured leg to see another section of Tim's shirt is wrapped around it. Did he try to help me?

I quickly begin to look from point to point of the room. The woman grabs my shoulders as I begin to scream. Why did he help me? He needed the most help...

"Sweetheart, please calm down." The woman says.

"No.... no....." I begin to cry. "Please... god no..."

"Honey, please just let us help you." She says desperately. I think of the girls. They need me... I need to get fixed up and get back to them. It's all on me now... I nod and let them take me up for treatment.

A few stitches and a CAT scan are done for my injuries. They give me more blood, saying that I've lost a lot of mine. I still quiver... Mom is on her way, and I'm guessing they're going to wait to break the news about Tim till after she's here.

The doctors roll in an almost unrecognizable body in beside me. He looks dead. The same woman who coaxed me into opening my eyes comes over and leans against my bed.

"He's a fighter." She says. I wonder why she's telling me about a stranger, until I see the cross tatooed on his arm. The girls initials are on it, as well as mine. Tears fill my eyes as I'm overcome with joy, and despair. He looks like he's in so much pain.

"I know." I manage to utter. The woman smiles, and goes to the opposite side of his bed. The slides it over till our beds our touching. She takes down his guardrail, as well as mine, so I can see him closer. I brush my hand across his face. He's cold.

"We found him practically wrapped around you. I have no idea how he survived. You guys were there for over 24 hours." She says. I nod. "We thought he was dead, so they tried to move him away from you, so we could check for your pulse, and he woke up. He wouldn't allow a man to get near you. I mean, there's no explanation for why he survived." She continues. I sit for a moment and stare at him. He's my protector... my rock... my everything... Why? Why does he protect me or even love me, for that matter?

The ventilator pumps air into Tim's punctured lung. He's received liters worth of blood. I can't help but wonder why he's still holding on.