CountryCore Series: The Ranch Hand (WLW)

Chapter Nineteen

Hayley woke to the sound of some machine making way too much noise and cutting into her ears like the opaque grating of the tractors on the ranch. Had she left her humidifier on all night again? She was going to waste all the essential oils Chris had gotten her and they were only a few days old. Well, no, there's no way it could be that. It's just too loud... She shifted and a sharp pain in her chest held her body captive. With a cough she sat up and wrapped her arms around her torso, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Hey! Shh-shh! It's okay now! You're okay, doll..." She heard Chris call from beyond her shut eyes.

Hayley opened them and glanced around the room as she let Chris guide her back down to the bed. She was in a hospital room. She looked toward the sounds that had woken her and found a heart monitor beeping and an oxygen flowmeter on the wall. She followed the tubing back to her bed and reached up to her face in a frenzy to get the mask she realized was on her face off.

Chris' hands shot up and she stopped her from removing it just as a stubborn, persistent ache rocketed through her body and hissed at her to relax. Hayley gasped and grabbed her side out of reflex immediately regretting her decision as her touch only caused more pain. Her ribs were too sore for words and her throat burned like sandpaper lined it. She shuddered and let out a whimper, squeezing her eyes shut again.

Everything from the last twenty-four hours recaptured in stills like she was watching a slideshow flash across her mind, and then she opened her eyes. She reached out and Chris took her hand as she sat down beside her on the edge of the bed. She instinctively held on tightly, letting it solidify the fact that she was alive for a few minutes as Chris ran her unoccupied hand through her hair.

Once settled, she looked at Chris and reached out with her other hand. She leaned forward and let Hayley cup her cheek. That was what she needed. The person she loved most to guide her back to earth. Back to bed and to Chris' warmth.

"You're in the hospital. You're alright." Chris told her as she took her hand and moved it to her lips. She kissed her and Hayley spotted some bandages on her hand, then noticed matching one on her other. Chris flexed her fingers and softly smiled, a smile that looked to be leaking with relief. "I'm okay, doll. Jus' some scratches. Nothin' like what ya went through. I'm so sorry I--"

"No, I-I'm sorry." Hayley interrupted in a voice even softer than her usual whisper that was grated and degrading all in one. It hurt so much. Everything hurt. "I should h-have...listened to you. I was...s-so stupid and--"

"Shh... Don't finish that sentence, Hales. You're not stupid." She kissed her palm and rubbed her cheek with it. "You're gracious an' lovely. Ya had no...I had no idea what Aubrey was capable of. I had a feeling she was bad news...but I never thought it was this bad."

"Ch-Chris..." She pulled her in and Chris laid a tender string of kisses along her cheek. Hayley let go of her hand and reached up for the mask, but Chris stopped her. "Please... J-Just... Just for...a moment, Chris."

She nodded and gingerly took the mask off of Hayley's face, laying it beside her. Chris leaned in and took her face into her hands. Hayley let her take control and kiss her along her cheeks, then her bottom lip. Chris finally kissed her on the lips, soft and slow at first, then Hayley took her tongue into her mouth and held onto the back of her head. They kissed for what felt like days to make up for the hours they spent apart, then Chris pulled back.

She was crying and rested her forehead against Hayley's. They stayed in silence for a bit longer, then Chris begrudgingly pulled back once more and put her mask back on. She moved to sit in the chair to the side of her bed and took her hand in between her own. She kissed each of Hayley's fingertips, then her palm and finally rested her cheek in it with long exhalation.

"They said ya got very lucky. Your oxygen levels are much better now. She... She didn't hold you down...long enough...but it looked so bad and scared the hell outta me." Chris spoked into her hand. She seemed afraid to look her in the eyes. Hayley reached over and lifted her chin, running her fingers down her cheek for a little encouragement in the form of a timid smile. "The main problem was your asthma and the dirt in your lungs. Ya weren't gettin' enough oxygen an' your lung collapsed. Ya had a chest tube for the first three days and was in an' out of it. When your oxygen levels started to clear up and all the fluid was drained from your chest, they removed the tube and changed to the mask. You've been asleep on an' off for about five days."

Chris reached for a cup of water on the table beside them and put the straw to her lips. She graciously took small sips from it and let the water soothe her throbbing throat. Eventually, Chris took the cup away and reclaimed her hold on her hand.

"Five days? Is everyone else alright?" Hayley asked in a little more even voice.

"Hales..." Chris gave her the most proud smile she'd ever gotten. "Do me a favor an' jus' worry 'bout yourself for a bit, doll. I love that ya worry 'bout everybody else, but right now, everyone's more worried 'bout ya. Can ya do that for me?"

It went against her better instincts, but what good had her intuition done her as of late. She nodded and let her head fall back against her pillow. Sleep came easily. Chris was there and no one could hurt her when she had such a fierce and loving protector at her bedside.