Eagle Down (Cyber Cowboys Series Book 3)

by M Elle Kelso

  David could suddenly put a name to the voice he heard.

  It was C.J. McCormack. No, that wasn’t right. It was C.J. but the McCormack part wasn’t right. He’d remember eventually. What was she doing here? More to the point, where was here?

  He shook his head, trying to remember what he could not recall. The immediate pain stopped him.

  C.J. watched as his head moved restlessly on the pillow. She tightened her hold on his hand and talked a little louder.

  “Come on, David. Wake up. Come back to me. Talk to me. I’ve missed talking to you. Wake up, David. Wake up.”

  Wake up, wake up, wake…why was he asleep? With C.J. in the same room. Why was she with him?

  C.J. continued talking, watching the heart monitor to see what affect her words had on him. Every time she spoke, his heart rate accelerated. Then it would slow a little when she was quiet. Well, if he wanted to hear her talk, she could sure do that.

  “Hey David, you gotta wake up, love. There are people here who want to talk to you. Blake and Jared are here. Kaycee’s over at the hotel. Mac is here, although I think he’s back at the hotel, too. Come on, wake up. We’re all waiting for you.”

  David’s eyes continued to flutter but didn’t open. For the next hour he hid in the fuzzy warmth, feeling like he was floating. His heart monitor faithfully registered every effort he made to wake up. And as long as that monitor showed a change at the sound of her voice, C.J. continued to talk to him.

  Finally, his eyes opened and stayed open. But when he tried to move his head, he was hit by a wave of pain so intense that he thought he might scream. His hissed breath was the first indication C.J. had that he was back.

  “David? Are you awake? Can you hear me?”

  Her eyes searched his face.

  David wondered why she was here.

  Where was here? Then the sound of the heart monitor and the breathing machine invaded his muzzy brain and he knew.

  This is a hospital. Had there been an accident? Had he crashed his truck? Maybe he’d fallen off one of his horses. As soon as he figured out what had happened, he’d get out of here. He had never liked hospitals and he had no intention of staying in one any longer than he had to.

  When he tried to speak the breathing tube got in his way, garbling everything he tried to say. His eyes searched C.J.s while he tried to decide why she was here. Where was Blake, or Jared? Why weren’t they here?

  A slight movement again sent a shaft of pain through his head.

  Man, do I have a headache. And why is C.J. hanging onto my hand?

  A doctor came into his limited line of sight, telling him something.

  Guess I’d better listen or I won’t know what’s going on here.

  “David, I’m Matthew Hawkins, your doctor. If you will just lie still a moment, we’ll get rid of that tube for you, then you’ll be able to talk and swallow.”

  Hawkins asked the nurse to look after the tubes and indicated to C.J. that he’d like her to follow him out of the room. Once on the other side of the door, he turned to C.J.

  “There is one other thing I forgot to tell you. He may not remember what happened. In cases of severe trauma, especially if there is any head injury, the patient will sometimes have no recollection of events leading up to or of the actual accident itself. So don’t be surprised if he can’t remember. He was looking a little puzzled back there so I think he’s not sure how he got here or what’s happened. Whatever you do, don’t tell him; let him remember at his own speed.”

  “I wondered about that. He was looking at me as if he wasn’t sure what I was doing there.”

  C.J. felt a little deflated that David didn’t seem to remember why she’d be there. But he had been in a terrible accident and she had to remind herself that things weren’t going to be right for a while yet.

  Nadine Roman came out of his cubicle, pushing the breathing machine in front of her.

  “He’s waiting for you.”

  “Thanks, Nadine. Come on, C.J., let’s get back in there and see what he has to say for himself.”

  David watched them enter the room together, the lady from the newspaper and the doctor. Maybe she was writing a story about him and his accident, whatever that was. He wondered how long he had been asleep.

  “So, David, can you talk better now?”

  Matt Hawkins waited for him to try and speak.

  In a voice still hoarse from the anesthetic and the tubes, he finally managed to get out a squeak.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  His voice sounded scratchy but it was stronger with every word. Obviously he was going to stay awake for them.

  “Hey, Doc, what happened? How’d I get here?”

  He was looking back and forth between Matt and C.J.. One of them would have an answer for him.

  “You were in an accident, David. You took a blow to the head that has left you unconscious for nearly twenty hours. So if you feel a little disorganized you can blame it on that. How do you feel?”

  Hawkins had been watching the monitor as David listened and saw no fluctuations in the heart rate that would indicate that he remembered anything.

  “I guess I’m okay. Got one hell of a headache, though. Can I get something for that? This is a hospital, it’s it?”

  Matt Hawkins and C.J. both smiled at this half-hearted effort at levity.

  “I can do that for you. We’ll have to give you a very light dosage so your headache might not disappear completely. You have a very mild concussion and painkillers are really not meant to be taken at the same time.”

  David watched the doctor and the woman and wondered again what kind of accident he’d been in.

  “So, did I crash my truck? Somebody hit it? What?”

  “Don’t you remember, David?” Hawkins' voice sounded gentle and unconcerned when he asked that.

  “Not really. I just remember hearing a noise, a loud, screeching sound…”

  David was gently shaking his head, trying not to give the concussion a reason to make itself known.

  “Well, that’s not at all unusual when you’ve had the kind of blow to the head that you had. But I think, for now, we’ve done enough talking. Just lie still and your head won’t hurt. See if you can remember by yourself.”

  “Thanks, Doc.” He turned his eyes to C.J. “How about you, C.J., want to tell me what happened? I take it you’re covering the accident for the paper.”

  The blood drained completely from C.J.’s face. She thought she might faint.

  Matt Hawkins moved to stand next to her.

  “Now, David, don’t be bothering C.J.. I already told her not to tell you anything, so we can see if you’re able to remember yourself.” If this went much further, he might have to take her out of the room in a hurry. He didn’t think she could just stand by, hearing this, and not react.

  “Well, Mrs. McCormack, looks like you’re saved by this kind man.”

  David looked at C.J. and wondered why she became so pale. Probably didn’t like hospitals.

  At the same time, Matt Hawkins was turning C.J. toward the door.

  “Okay, David. That’s it for this visit. You like still, let the pain killer take effect. We’ll be back in a little while.”

  “Thanks, Doc. Bye, C.J..”

  His eyes closed or he might have wondered why the doctor was holding C.J. from behind, by both arms.

  Matt felt an overwhelming sympathy for this woman. This was her husband and he didn’t act like he was more than a passing acquaintance. He guided her out of the room and down the hall to the waiting room. He felt the shudders passing through her as she began to sob and looked up to see if he had any help.

  Jared had been watching for them so he saw them as they came through the double doors. He hurried across the waiting room to help the doctor with C.J.. When he realized how close she was to fainting, he simply picked her up and carried her to the chair in the corner.

  As he held her, he turned to the doctor.

  “What happe
ned, Matt? Why is she like this?”

  Jared was busy handing her tissues and holding her while she sobbed. Before Matt could answer, C.J. looked up at him. Her eyes were brimming over with tears.

  “Jared, he doesn’t know me.” She shook her head fitfully. “No, that’s not right. He knows me. He thinks I’m C.J. McCormack and that I must be covering his accident for a news story.”

  She gulped a sob and hiccupped again.

  “Jared, he called me Mrs. McCormack.”

  She looked at Matt Hawkins, despair clearly etched across her pale face.

  “He doesn’t know he’s married to me. Does he, Doctor?”

  “C.J., I warned you. Sometimes when there has been a blow to the head of the magnitude he took, that will happen. He will remember some of it, he might remember all of it. And he may never remember any of it.”

  C.J. looked staggered. Jared couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “Does that mean he doesn’t remember how he got here, either?” Jared didn’t want to know the answer but he had to ask.

  “That’s right. It may be only hours before he remembers anything, it might be days. And, again, it might be never.”

  The three of them sat there in silence, wondering where this all would lead.

  David’s mind was floating again. Not like the last time; he figured this was from the painkiller the doctor had ordered for him. They had injected it into his IV line and it hadn’t been long in taking effect.

  I wonder why C.J. is here. Must have been some spectacular crash for her to be covering the story. But there’s something wrong about that. That name doesn’t sound right.

  He closed his eyes and let the painkiller lull him into a twilight where the pain receded.

  Jared was sitting beside C.J. the next time David woke up. He was going to have to be her strength if David continued to believe that she was Mrs. McCormack. He just hoped it didn’t take long or the toll on C.J. might be more than she could stand.

  He watched David’s eyes flicker open and knew when he registered who was there. Again there was that puzzled look C.J. had described. He really didn’t know why she was there. He was going to have to explain this to all of the others so that they could be there for C.J. when it was their turn to see him.

  “Hey, cowboy, how you doing? How are Annie and the kids?”

  David had started to call him cowboy when he had taken to wearing jeans and boots only four months ago. That meant that David’s memory loss didn’t go back that far. He’d have to remember to tell the doctor about that. At least that way they had some kind of a timeline to work from.

  “They’re good. Annie says to say hi, and to hurry up and get yourself out of here.”

  He watched as a cloud of feelings passed over C.J.’s face. David didn’t even seem to notice.

  “And where’s Blake? Is he holding down the fort?”

  “No, man, he’s here. He just went over to the hotel to get Kaycee. They’ll be back here in a bit.”

  “Who all’s here? Anyone else I know?”

  “Yeah, Mac Blade is here with us as well. Hooch and Will are at home, doing our chores. Paul had a court appearance in Portland.”

  “So someone is looking after my horses while I’m stuck here? Thanks for that.”

  “Yeah, they won’t be starving. Wouldn’t hurt some of them to go on a diet, either. I saw Mirage yesterday and he’s carrying a few extra pounds.”

  “He’s fine. You leave his weight alone. It’s going to be a long cold winter and he needs that extra weight.”

  Matt Hawkins had listened to this exchange from over by the door and he noted that David knew it was winter, and since the snow had only been around for about three weeks that gave him a better idea of what time period was missing from his memory. Now he stepped forward.

  “Well, David. You’re doing much better than we thought you would since you came in here. So much so that I think that by tomorrow we’ll be able to move you to a private room, instead of ICU. Your visitors will still be restricted to just two at a time and only for short periods. But you’re doing well enough that we can move you out of here.”

  “Thanks, Doc. If you won’t tell me what happened, will you at least tell me what my injuries are?”

  David aimed the question at the doctor but was aware that both C.J. and Jared were gazing at him in a concentrated way.

  “Well, let’s start with your head and work down.” The doctor gave him the basic, no nonsense detailed report that David wanted, but it really didn’t answer all the questions.

  Hawkins had been watching David’s face, especially his eyes, while he spoke. If David was aware that he was making light of his injuries and hadn’t made a full disclosure, he gave no indication of it.

  “Well, it must have been quite the crash, if the aches and pains are any indication. I’m so stiff I can’t even move.”

  Jared’s hand tightened convulsively around C.J.’s fingers. He hoped she could hang in through that comment. He didn’t blame David, but he wished it could have been different.

  David kept looking at C.J., then away, as if trying to remember something but not sure what it was. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming tiredness sweep over him.

  “Guess I’m not as with it as I thought. I think I’m going to sleep again.”

  “That’s normal, David. That’s the after affects of the anesthetic. We’ll all leave you now, so you can sleep.”

  Matt herded the others out of the room.

  Blake, Mac and Kaycee were waiting for them. Blake was the first to speak.

  “The nurse says he’s awake. How’s he doing?”

  “Blake, let’s all sit down and Matt, here, Dr. Hawkins that is, can bring you all up to date.”

  As Jared spoke, he sat down next to C.J. and reached for her hand. Someone had to offer her comfort while she heard all those details again. He wondered how he would feel if Annie suddenly didn’t know him, except as an acquaintance. He figured he’d be devastated.

  By the time the others were up to speed on David’s status, it was time for another visit. This time it was Blake who accompanied C.J. He, too, held her hand as they approached the bed. He got away with just standing and watching his friend. David was still sleeping and didn’t wake up when they entered. Blake stayed his allotted five minutes then left, leaving C.J. sitting with David on her own. She just hoped she could do this.

  She fell asleep, sitting in the chair beside the bed and that was where David spotted her when he woke up. It made his head ache worse just trying to figure out why this woman was here, so he gave up and just watched her. She was beautiful; with shoulder length red hair that he’d like to run his fingers through. That thought stopped him. This was Mrs. McCormack. So obviously there was a husband someplace. He had no right to be thinking of her like that.

  But as he laid there and watched her sleep, a memory stirred. A memory of what that hair felt like. It stirred, then was gone. He wondered about that.

  As though she felt his eyes on her, C.J. suddenly woke up. Blinking tiredly, she yawned and then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. David saw the glowing emerald on her finger and figured that her husband must have good taste. It suited her.

  “That’s a nice ring. That emerald sort of goes with the red hair.”

  “Thank you. My husband picked it out for me.” She extended her hand so he could see the ring better, then pulled back. “I love the ring and wouldn’t trade it for the world. But, you know, he thought I might want to trade it for something different.” C.J. knew she was probably pushing too hard, but she thought that if she dropped little memories like that he might remember her faster. She looked at him with a quizzical expression.

  “Don’t you think that’s a little strange?” she asked.

  He looked at her hand and the ring, wondering about it but not sure why.

  “Not really,” he replied, “maybe he just wanted to make sure you liked whatever you had to wear all the time.”


  David felt another small tug of memory—there was something about a ring.

  Again, it was gone.

  They sat there in a companionable silence. C.J. wished she could tell David who she was and what he meant to her.

  David wondered what there was about this woman that kept niggling at his memory.

  Finally, the effects of the anesthetic hit again and he drifted off to sleep.

  C.J. was crying softly when she rejoined the rest of the group in the waiting room. This time it was Kaycee who held her while she cried.

  “He doesn’t know who I am. Being his wife, I mean. He made a remark about my ring,” she held out the hand with the emerald on it, “but he doesn’t remember that it was him that gave it to me.” She sniffed then hiccupped. In a weak little attempt at humor, she continued, “he thinks my husband has good taste.” Once again, the tears started. This time they lasted only half as long.

  It was decided that Kaycee would make the next visit and Mac the one after that. They were painful for both of them. They were upset knowing that David was in such serious condition. But they couldn’t let on how they felt because, with each visit, C.J. grew stronger. By the time the nurse was ready to give David his sleeping pill for the night, they were all in desperate need of sleep.

  David woke the next morning and, for a moment, wondered where he was. Then his memory, such as it was, came flooding back. The hospital. Injured. But today, they were moving him out of ICU and up to a room of his own. So that wasn’t too bad. At that rate, he’d be out of here before the week was up.

  The sound of the door opening brought his head around. C.J. stood there.

  Why was this woman here? What was so important that she was here all the time? Was she waiting for him to remember what had happened during his accident? Must be a real slow news week for her if he was the best she could do.

  She had pulled her hair back into a makeshift ponytail. Her shoulder length hair was not quite long enough for it and several tendrils had escaped and curled around her face. He much preferred it when she wore it down.

  When it brushed against his chest he loved the feel of it.

  With a gasp he looked away from her.