by S. E. Kloos
Moving into the room, he grabbed a chair to position it next to the bed, sat down, stretched his legs out, and crossed his arms. He was exhausted, but tried to forced himself to stay awake at least long enough to find out what was wrong with his Little Darlin’.
He didn’t make it.
An hour and a half later, the doctor finally got the results, but all they said was that further testing was needed. With all the negative and sketchy results, he had a pretty good idea what was going on, but the test for it made most females very uncomfortable. When the doctor walked in, he saw Xander with his feet kicked up on the edge of the bed, his ankles and arms crossed, his head down, and the brim of his hat covering his face.
The doctor wasn’t sure which rider he was, and only knew he was one because of the outfit he was wearing. After treating so many different riders that night, it was kinda nice to see one not in a bed. He cleared his throat roughly, not to be rude, but to try and wake up one of the two inhabitants.
Xander started at the noise, jumping slightly in his seat. Rubbing his eyes with a thumb and middle finger, he lifted his head to look around for what woke him. When he saw the doctor standing there, he took his feet off the bed and stood up, shaking the hand that was presented to him. After introductions, Xander crossed his arms again. “How is she?”
The doctor folded his hands together in front of him. “Well, for starters, she’s dehydrated and her blood work showed a very low iron content, even for someone as anemic as she is. I am going to admit her for at least 24 hours to get those two issues resolved. As for anything else, the results from the tests we ran so far haven’t given me a good enough picture as to an actual cause for her illness.”
Xander took a deep breath and let out slowly through his nose and nodded. “Do you have any idea what might be the cause?”
The doctor nodded. “I have an idea, yes. Let me ask you this, when she eats red meat, how does she usually have it?”
Xander hummed. “Depends. Hamburgers are usually about a northern medium and steak is about as raw as a bite right out of the cow’s ass. Anything more cooked than that and she gets a real nasty stomachache.”
“How long before she started getting sick was her last red meat intake?”
Xander ran a hand down his face as he thought about that. After a minute or so, “I wanna say she started feeling like shit two or three days after her last hamburger.” Then he pursed his lips, “Real sleazy lookin’ place off the highway little over a week ago. So, what do you think it is?”
“I think she either has e-coli or salmonella poisoning. That would also explain why her iron count is so low. Anemics are far more susceptible to foodborne bacteria, since they lack the iron needed to keep the blood clean and break down things that enter the body. If she isn’t taking one already, she will want to start taking an iron supplement or a multivitamin with extra iron in it.
“Now, the good thing is, testing and treatment is the same for both conditions. I want to make sure which one it is first, because salmonella poisoning can be quite dangerous. The nurse will be here in a few minutes, and I am going to get her admitted. Then we can rehydrate her and get the iron and proteins she’s lacking back up to a normal level. Does she take any medications on a daily basis?”
When Xander shook his head no, the doctor nodded, reiterated the nurse would be by to get what was needed to run the test in a few minutes, and left the room. Xander sat back down to wait for the nurse.
It didn’t take but ten minutes for her to come in and ask him to step outside. Once out in the hall, he spotted a vending machine at the end of the hall and, hoping it was one that had coffee in it, headed that way.
He was leaning on the wall outside the room, drinking the most disgusting cup of coffee he had ever had in his life, when the nurse came back out. She told him she was done, and someone would be around shortly to take his girl to a room. When he went back in, he saw tears sliding down Elizabeth’s cheeks. Brows drawing at the sight, Xander went over, and after setting his coffee cup down, he sat on the bed next to her, gently using the side of his finger to wipe the tears away. “What’s the matter, “Little Darlin’?”
Elizabeth sniffled, looking up at the concern-filled eyes of her boyfriend as tears kept slipping from her eyes. Her voice was a quiet whimper. “I just had a giant q-tip shoved up my ass because I couldn’t poop.”
Xander grimaced at the answer. That did not sound pleasant. Running his fingers through her hair, he tsked. “Well it’s over now, so you go ahead and go back to sleep, alright? They want ya stayin’ here for awhile so they can keep an eye on ya. I gotta step out an’ make some calls, but I’ll find ya when they move ya.” She went to open her mouth, so Xander covered it with his hand. “Sleep, Little Darlin’.”
Once she nodded, Xander kissed her forehead before picking up his coffee, going outside for some fresh air and a cigarette. He also had to make a few calls so the right people knew that he wasn’t going to be present at the arena the next day.
Chapter 31
“This stuff tastes like shit.”
Xander looked over the back of the couch into the kitchen, where Elizabeth was glaring at the bottle of liquid antibiotics. Shaking his head, he turned back to the show he was watching. “Take your meds, Sugar Britches. And while ya in there, don’t forget the iron pill this time.”
Elizabeth turned that glare on the back of Xander’s head, giving him the finger while she was at it. The meds tasted like someone took a shit on her tongue, and the iron pill was bigger than she was. She didn’t forget to take shit. She just didn’t take it. It wasn’t like she knew he was counting to make sure she took her pills.
Looking back at the liquid death, Elizabeth sighed before picking it up, grabbing a spoon. With a slight whine, she took the dose, chased it with the horse pill, taking a long drink of her milk to wash it down. That was just about the only thing that took the taste of the amoxicillin out of her mouth. She had never had this before, but she knew she never wanted to take it again. If the huge pill she had to take would keep that from happening, she would deal. She only had to take the pills for another week, and then she was allowed to switch to chewable vitamins.
She was gonna get the gummy ones.
Tossing the spoon in the sink, she went and plopped down next to Xander on the couch, leaning into his side. After a few minutes, she looked up at him. “I’m bored.”
Xander looked down at her, cocking a brow at her. “Whatcha wanna do, Little Darlin’?”
Thinking for a minute, she hummed. “I wanna see the ranch.”
Humming in his throat, Xander nodded slowly. “Alright. Go change into somethin’ lighter. It’s too hot for sweats. I’ll meet ya out at the barn.”
“Barn?”
Xander smirked as he nodded again. “You’ll see. Go change.” After a look from his girl -who then went to go change out of the sweats she has been living in since they arrived at the ranch- Xander got up, put on his boots, grabbed his hat, and was out the door.
They had been there now for about three weeks, and this was the first time that his girl had felt up to leaving the house. Between the antibiotics she was on and her body trying to get used to actually having iron in her blood, she has been having trouble with stomach aches and sleeping issues. She was also a cranky bitch over the fact that her doctor told her she wasn’t allowed to have any red meat... at all... until she finished taking the meds and the salmonella poisoning was cleared out. She might not have been a Texan, but she was as gung-ho about her cow as any born and raised one. She still had a week or so left, and she was not happy about it.
He figured her lack of pissiness over the discovery he was keeping secrets from her was because she wasn’t up to snuff when they got there. He was proved right when she finally let him have it a few days ago, once the worst of the poisoning passed. She wasn’t so much pissed off as she was ‘hurt over it’. He, as a guy, didn’t understand that one. It wasn’t like he was hiding it. He just didn
’t think to mention it.
He was right in assuming that she figured that he didn’t live with his parents at 26, but she hadn’t anticipated that he lived on a fifteen square acre ranch on the border of California and Nevada five months out of the year. He was actually only in Texas for a couple of weeks, collectively, over the year when he went down for the county fair and his mama’s birthday. This year was the longest he had been there in the last five, and that was only because he broke his foot.
She didn’t seem to stay mad about it long though, and had since spent a massive amount of time exploring the house, relaxing in the library or by the closed in pool, because she hadn’t felt up to going outside. Now that she seemed to be feeling better, Xander was actually excited about showing her around the grounds, one place in particular.
Before he had the chance to get too far from the house however, he heard Elizabeth scream. Pivoting on point, he bolted through the house, slamming into more than one wall due to the lack of traction his boots had on the wood floors, then shoulder checked the bathroom door, throwing it open to find his girl staring at her phone in absolute horror.
Going to her side, he gently took the phone from her, setting it on the counter and placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to pull her attention from the device to him. Giving her a light shake, he watched her eyes snap from the phone to his. His eyes narrowed when he saw those eyes again, the ones from the day they met. Glancing behind him at the phone sitting innocently where he put it, he turned to Elizabeth. “What happened?”
Elizabeth looked into the jade green eyes looking deep into hers, the eyes of a pissed off guardian angel ready to lose everything to protect her. Her voice trembled and shook, but she was able to get out, “He found me.”
Pulling his girl to him, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, so she buried her face in his chest. He picked up her phone, hitting a button to light up the screen again, and read the text that had his lady in tears.
Enjoy your time playing house. Soon, it’ll all be over. You’ll be right where you belong, and so will the backwoods hick. By the way, love the little blue suit. You should wear it more.
Xander glared at the screen for a moment before clearing out of the message and making a call.
Three rings later, ‘Hello?”
“Wyatt, it’s Xander. I’m callin’ in that favor.”
There was a chuckle on the other end of the line. “Took ya ass long enough, Xan. Whatcha need?”
Xander glanced down at the top of his girls head, watching as she trembled. He could almost smell the fear coming off her. Voice turning darker as the glare on his face deepened, “Everyone.”
That boy thinks he can do whatever the fuck he wants and not face the consequences of it? Xander had no issues showing the spoiled little bastard why no one messed with ‘backwood hicks’.
Chapter 32
By six that night, there was a knock on the front door. Looking at his lady, Xander got up to answer it, leaving her at the kitchen table. Not bothering to see who it was, he opened the door, a smirk coming to his lips as he held out a hand to a very old friend of his from childhood. “Been a long time, Wyatt.”
Shaking his hand in return. “Too long, Xander. How’s ya mama doin’?”
Moving to the side to let Wyatt in, Xander shut the door before leading him to the kitchen. “Doin’ real good. Daddy threw his back out again few months back, but he doin’ fine now.” Once they got to the kitchen, Xander went over to his girlfriend, who was well on her way to drunk, wrapping an arm around her. “This here’s my lady, Elizabeth. Sugar, this is Wyatt Vega.”
Elizabeth didn’t say a word to him, simply lifted her glass in a saluted hello before taking her shot and reaching for the bottle of Jack on the table again.
Xander glanced at Wyatt quickly before looking back at his girl. The reason that Xander called him, not his brother and cousin about this, was because Wyatt had experience dealing with battered ladies... as well as the pieces of shit that did the battering. He also had connections and the like that were gonna come in mighty handy.
Wyatt set the case in his hand on the kitchen table and took a seat across from the young lady. After folding his hands in front of him, he cocked his head to the side. “You know that ain’t gonna do nothin’ but make ya hate yourself in the mornin’, right?”
Tossing back another shot, Elizabeth sighed, “Yup.” She pointed a finger at him and winked, “But it numbs ya,” then lowered her voice into a stage whisper, “Hurts less.” With that, she smiled and poured another shot.
Xander let her have that last shot, but took the glass from her once she swallowed while snagging the bottle off the table, prompting his girl to pout. Before she had a chance to verbally protest his actions, Xander leaned on the counter, looking at her. “You still on medication, so if memory serves, you ain’t supposed to be drinkin’ at all. Get over it and pay attention... if ya can.”
Elizabeth continued to pout for a minute, but never said a word about it. Instead, she just nodded, turning to the guy Xander had been telling her about over the course of the afternoon. “Sorry, it’s been a really bad day.”
Wyatt just smiled at her. “Think nothing of it, Dolly.” Nodding to Xander, he asked, “He tell ya why I’m here?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, not really. He told me some stories about you guys growing up, but that was about it.”
Wyatt glared over her shoulder. “I bet he did.” Xander just winked at him. Letting that go for the time being, he turned back to the Betty. “Can I have your phone, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Lizzy...” Reaching into her back pocket for the requested phone, she held it out to him. “Why?”
Taking the phone and opening the case he had with him, Wyatt smiled at her. “Well, since this guy knows where you are, don’t you think it’s only fair you know where he is?”
Blinking at him, Elizabeth cocked her head to the side. “How?”
Hooking the phone up to a cord before flipping a switch, Wyatt glanced at her a second, then went back to what he was doing. “I’m gonna track the phone he contacted you from. I’m gonna assume it isn’t the number you know it to be.”
She shook her head. “No, it wasn’t, but I tried and it came back as a disposable cell. I thought you couldn’t track those.”
Wyatt smirked, sitting back and crossing his arms as his equipment began to beep and whirl. “You’re right, you can’t... I can.”
Dropping back against the seat, Elizabeth just stared at him a moment in astonishment. “How?”
“While Xander here was the daredevil with a death wish, the rest of our circle actually went off to school after we graduated. I went to CalTech. There is very little with electronics that I can’t do. Tracking and tracing cell phones was 101 my senior year.”
Still shocked at the off handedness of his voice, Elizabeth just nodded, “So, what happens when you find him? Are you gonna call the cops?”
A very dark look settled on Wyatt’s face at her question, an amused chuckle rumbling in his chest as he shrugged a shoulder. “Eventually; once the prick learns his lesson.”
Elizabeth looked back and forth between him and Xander a few times, taking in their matching looks. She had a very bad feeling she knew what he meant by that, she just wanted to be sure. “What does that mean?”
Wyatt also looked over at Xander for a moment before locking his hazel eyes on her brown ones. “Don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours over the finer details, Dolly. Not somethin’ a lady should hear anyways.” Glancing at his own phone when it rang, he picked it up to look at the caller ID. “I’ve gotta take this. Excuse me.”
Once he was out of the kitchen, Elizabeth turned to look at Xander, who held a hand up to stave off any questions she was about to ask. “Please, Little Darlin’, don’t. I don’t wanna hafta lie to ya.”
Elizabeth looked hard at him. “I don’t wanna see you get in trouble, Xander.”
Xander snorted. “If
that’s the only problem, ya ain’t got nothin’ to worry ‘bout, Sugar Britches. ‘Sides that, the little fucker threatened me, somethin’ ya just don’t do without gettin’ a good ol’ southern ass whoopin’, which is somethin’ the prick is in sore need of. I bet just about anythin’ that when he was growin’ up, he never even got put in a time out, while my parents busted my ass.
“That, Little Lady, is the biggest difference between us southerners and y'all from north of the Mason Dixon. Y'all got away with murder while we was knocked into next week for giving our parents a dirty look. My daddy still scares the shit out of me. I got him by six inches and over fifty pounds, but I’ll still cower like a toddler when he gets pissed off. We get the fear of God put in us at real young ages, and it’s because of that we actually have manners and respect for our elders.”
“There’s a difference between respect and fear, Xander. I was never spanked and I respect my dad.”
Xander cocked a brow at her. “Ya do, huh? You wanna know what woulda happened to me, had I talked to my daddy the way ya talked to yours the other week? My daddy would’ve hunted my ass down and knocked my fuckin’ teeth out the minute I said ‘fuck you’. There are times, places, and people ya talk like that to, but it ain’t ever to your parents. There ain’t shit they can do to ya to deserve to be spoken to like that. My mama’s favorite thing to say to me and my brother when we was growin’ up was, ‘I brought you into this world, I can take you back out’, and she fuckin’ meant it. Matter of fact, if we was at a friends house and fucked up, we got our ass busted by their parents before we was sent home to get it again when we got there.
“It was never about gettin’ us kids to be afraid of our parents. It was so we didn’t grow up and be like this sumbitch, thinkin’ it’s alright. We understand there are consequences for doin’ somethin’ wrong, and we know how to weigh that consequence against the gain we get for doin’ it anyway. I don’t want ya thinkin’ that I’m scared of my parents. I’m not. I respect my parents and love ‘em both with everythin’ I got. However, that’s not to say that I’ll ever be ol’ ‘nuff to not get my ass whooped by them for fuckin’ up. No matter how old we get, we still always gonna be their babies, so they always gonna be there to keep us on the right path. I ain’t ever gonna look back on my life, thinkin’ anythin’ bad about my mama and daddy. Can you say that?”
