The Luxury of Being Stubborn (The Stubborn Series Book 4)

by Jeanne Arnold

  I nodded and tried to compose myself. “Can you tell Molly we’re not coming back?”

  “Sure thing,” he said as he grabbed my neck and kissed the side of my head. “Keep it together, legs. He’ll be cussin’ you out in no time. When he was fifteen, he had a concussion from falling off a mechanical bull and was back on the saddle the next day.”

  The nurse listened to Gabe’s heart and watched me watching her as she did it. “It’s slowing down a bit. Good sign. Do you want to listen?”

  “He’s going to be mad when he finds out where he is,” I said as I set the stethoscope to my ear and Gabe’s heart. “Wow, that’s loud.”

  “As long as he’s not mad about the dungarees I cut,” she said.

  She hung the stethoscope around her neck. A patient shrieked a few beds down, and we both watched to see if Gabe reacted to the noise. His eyelids fluttered, but he didn’t open them.

  “They usually pull me down here to lend a hand when there’s a full moon. I have a way with unruly oil workers. Most of these guys that come in here don’t have a wife or girlfriend with them.”

  Someone cleared her throat behind the curtain and pushed an oscillating fan into the space.

  “Thank you, lovely. Now we’re talking. This should do the trick,” said the nurse as she took the cord and plugged the fan into the wall behind Gabe’s bed.

  “Avery?”

  I looked up to spot Erika Ingarson gaping wildly at me through the curtain.

  “What happened?” She set her hands on her heart. There was still no ring on her finger.

  “He was working at the ranch and passed out. Your brother called for an ambulance. Do you work here too?”

  She dropped her hands and stared at my basically naked boyfriend in the bed. “I volunteer once a week. Can I do anything? I’m shocked to see you here.”

  “He won’t open his eyes,” I told her even though I silently wished she would walk out of the room. I wanted to tell her to stop touching Gabe with her eyes.

  “I can sit with you. My shift is over.”

  “That’s okay,” I told her as I stroked his arm. He was my boyfriend. I didn’t want her to be in the room when he woke up. He needed to see me first.

  “No really. You shouldn’t be alone.”

  I stood up tall and peered out the curtain. “Caleb and Deliah will be coming back.”

  The nurse dimmed the light above the bed and handed me a washcloth. She stepped out to check on other patients and left us standing above Gabe on different sides of the bed. I never felt so uncomfortable.

  I distracted myself by soaking the cloth in a bowl of ice water, rung it out, and then ran it over Gabe’s arms and legs. He didn’t move.

  “Do you need me to make any calls for you?” Erika asked. “I can run to the cafeteria and get you some lunch.”

  I didn’t answer her. I couldn’t eat.

  Someone called her name. “I’ll be right back,” she said. She touched Gabe’s foot before touching my arm and walking off.

  Why was she being so nice?

  I huddled over the hospital bed where Gabe lay unconscious and burning up. I was completely helpless. I ignored my mother’s calls and sent a text to Lane to get back to North Dakota as soon as he could. I listened to Gabe’s heartbeat in the monitor and watched his blood pressure cuff take his pressure automatically. He didn’t react when I whispered in his ear. He didn’t fuss when a technician took blood from his arm or when the doctor returned to listen to his breathing and check his eyes.

  Time seemed to go by so slow yet nearly twenty short minutes passed. “Gabe, can you hear me? Open your eyes. Gabriel Halden—you need to wake up right now.”

  Condensation from an icepack was dripping down his side. I traced the water with my finger and felt the heat of his body under my touch. His heart was still drumming away. I kissed his red cheek and the side of his eye and studied the contours of his features. He had the most perfect nose and perfect lips. I needed to see his hazel eyes smile again.

  I thought I heard a phone. I reached for mine on the bed, but no one was calling. I listened again and heard the intermittent buzzing among the beeps and clatter of the ER. The sound was coming from Gabe. I slipped my hands under his legs and couldn’t find anything. I felt all the way up to his butt. There was nothing but the sheet. I reached under his hot back and found the phone and a melted ice pack at his waist.

  The screen lit up. “Dad,” I read out loud. “Does dad mean Judson or Joel?”

  My phone lit up on the mattress by Gabe’s leg. It was Joel.

  “Hello?” I answered Gabe’s phone.

  “You sound like a girl,” Judson said. My phone went to voice mail in my other hand.

  “I am a girl. It’s me, Avery. Did Caleb call you?”

  There was a long pause that gave me time to clear my choked up throat. “Well, no. Should I be expecting a call?”

  “Gabe’s in bad shape and nobody can find you,” I said hastily. “You disappeared.”

  “Hey now, slow it down. What exactly happened?”

  I covered my other ear so I could hear him better. “He passed out and Travis called an ambulance, and they brought him to the hospital with heatstroke, and Caleb found out, and we’re all here now. Gabe won’t wake up and he’s overheating. He’s not responding to anything.”

  There was another pause and some racket on the phone. “When did this happen?”

  “Within the hour.”

  “Y’all are there? Hold tight,” he drawled. He sounded like he was in the same room with me.

  I lowered Gabe’s phone and stared at the screen.

  Caleb must have returned. A Texas drawl carried through the frenzy of the emergency department. I moved to open the curtain and tell him that Judson was on the phone. That’s when I figured out it wasn’t Caleb’s inflection calling Gabe’s name. I jerked the curtain open and watched the back of a man wearing a cowboy hat speaking heatedly with Gabe’s nurse.

  Then I twirled around and gasped. A hand skated up my leg under my dress and pinched the back of my thigh.

  “Gabe?”

  Eight

  “You’re making me hot,” Gabe said with scarcely a voice. His eyes were closed.

  “I had nothing to do with making you hot.” I held his jaw and lightly kissed his lips. “How do you feel?”

  “Dead,” he whispered hoarsely.

  “They’ve been trying to bring your temperature down.”

  He didn’t move other than to scowl. “What the hell is on my hand?”

  “It’s an IV for fluids,” I said as I pushed the ice packs away from his arms. I was delighted he was talking. I couldn’t help myself from hanging on him.

  “Do you remember what happened?”

  He turned his head a fraction. “I was digging. Then I couldn’t see.”

  “You passed out, and Travis called for help. What were you digging?”

  A sliver of hazel appeared as Gabe tried to open his eyes. “I’m tired.”

  I set my head on his shoulder and let his hand remain on my leg. I didn’t want to leave him to look for Judson in the hall.

  “It appears that sleeping beauty is emerging from his nap.” The nurse pulled the curtain open a fraction and stepped in.

  I glanced up. “I said I was his sister, but I’m not.”

  She raised her eyebrows, and a suggestion of a grin crept over her tan face. “There’s a gentleman here looking for you.” She fixed a new glove on her hand and stepped closer to check on Gabe. “Hello, Mr. Halden. Can you open your eyes for me?” She brightened the light and moved it closer to his head.

  Judson snuck in to grab my elbow and led me away from the bed where I was crouched over Gabe.

  “What the hell happened?” he said when he got me away from the bed. He watched Gabe while he waited for me to answer.

  “I told you,” I whispered. “Where have you been?”

  He tightened his lips and tilted his head. He seemed frazzled. “Joe
l’s flying back this afternoon.”

  I filled my lungs and held my breath for a moment. “What about the honeymoon?”

  “What about lover boy? Is he gonna pull through?”

  “I think so. Where’ve you been?” I knew better than to mention the red-headed stripper.

  I heard the nurse ask Gabe if he had any tingling or numbness on either side of his body. I stepped back into the space. Judson followed me.

  “The room is spinning,” Gabe said in a hush. He still had his eyes closed. I took his hand and gently rubbed my thumb over his wrist.

  “I’m going to bring you some Gatorade,” she said. “I’d like you to try to open your eyes and smile at this lovely lady. Can you do that for me?”

  Gabe grunted softly. I could feel his old self breaking through the haze.

  “Looks like you’re tryin’ to deep freeze my boy,” said Judson.

  Gabe’s eyes opened, and he stared at Judson.

  “So he hears your voice and all of a sudden he wakes up,” I said as I ran my fingers over his hair and pulled it off his forehead.

  Gabe squeezed my hand and closed his eyes.

  The nurse turned something off on the machine behind his head. “Mr. Halden, can you tell me what day it is?”

  “The sixth.”

  “Very good,” she said. “And do you know where you are?”

  “Hell,” he muttered.

  “You have that right,” she laughed. “That’s why we’re moving you up to the second floor. I believe you have a private room waiting. They’re letting me go with you.”

  I turned to Judson, and he lifted his hat. His epic haircut was still throwing me off. “The great and powerful wizard of oil has spoken.”

  “Mr. Halden, it looks like you have connections.” She winked at me and revealed that she knew who the Haldens were. “Now if you can keep your eyes open and start a conversation, we may be able to avoid carrying out some unpleasant procedures.”

  “Yeah, brother. You gotta pee before they try to stick a you-know-what in your you-know-where,” said Caleb as he traded places with Judson behind me. He wiggled Gabe’s foot. “Welcome back to earth.”

  “I’m here too. Is he going to live?” Deliah asked.

  The nurse nodded and set a washcloth on Gabe’s forehead. “Once we get him upstairs, you can bribe me and the other floor nurses to let you have a party. Right now I’m afraid two of you are going to have to step out.”

  “I’m not leaving,” I said firmly.

  “I need to take care of some things. I’ll be around,” Judson told us. Then he set his hand on Deliah’s head. “Let’s catch up.”

  Caleb walked to my side of the bed. “Valerie’s on her way. Molly offered to watch the tots.”

  “Joel and Meggie are flying back,” I told him.

  “How’d you get Jud here lickety-split?” he replied.

  “I didn’t. He was already here.”

  “Your cocktail waitress has arrived, Mr. Halden,” said the nurse as Erika peered into the curtain with a tray in her hands.

  “I have Gabe’s drink and I brought some snacks for you, Avery.”

  The nurse took a bottle of Gatorade off the tray and left the donuts and two bottles of iced tea for me. She poured Gabe’s drink in a plastic cup. I opened a straw as the head of the mattress began to rise slowly, lifting up Gabe. He had his eyes closed until I shook his shoulder.

  “Try this drink.” I placed the straw at his lips. He opened his eyes and drank the entire cup.

  * * *

  By early evening Gabe was sitting up eating a Popsicle in his private room. His temperature was almost back to normal. I took the stick from him as he closed his eyes. He drifted in and out of sleep all day.

  The local news channel continued to feed exaggerated stories about the unidentified remains on Gabe’s land. I changed the channel only to find a story about the HalRem pipeline merger. “I hope you leave Meggie and Joel alone when they get to the airport,” I said to the television.

  “They’re just getting in,” Judson drawled from the doorway. He kept disappearing for half an hour and then coming back. “The newlyweds.”

  “I hope they know they flew almost two thousand miles to watch him sleep.” I hadn’t spoken to Judson aside from talking about Gabe’s health. I tossed an empty cup and the Popsicle wrapper in the trash and glanced at Judson long enough to catch his eye. The sight of him made me uneasy.

  “Is there something you want to say to me? I get this feeling you do,” Judson said.

  I walked over to the window and leaned on the wall.

  “Why did you take Gabe to Cushing?”

  He stepped into the room and sat on the arm of a reclining chair.

  “Did he tell you I took him to Cushing?”

  “No. He wouldn’t tell me anything. But you went to Oklahoma, and Lane said the only reason any of you would go there is for business.”

  “My business, not yours,” he said.

  I couldn’t help but huff.

  “Ask him about my new mom,” Gabe said from the bed.

  I drew my gaze from Judson to Gabe and tried to hide my grin. Gabe was listening to everything.

  Judson rocked back and forth on the chair and rubbed his chin. He looked guilty of something.

  “My mother’s on her way. I’m going to meet her in the lobby.” I kissed Gabe’s cheek and he grimaced. I tried not to touch the sunburn that had surfaced on his neck.

  My mother was holding a mason jar full of candy as she made her way down the hall past the reception desk.

  “I couldn’t get away sooner,” she told me. “Emmie wouldn’t nap. How is Gabe doing?”

  “He’s tired. Judson’s up there with him. Caleb took Deliah to the cabin to pick up his glasses and some clothes. They cut everything off him when he got here.”

  She was flushed. “Well, Avery, I’m awfully sorry. This was unfortunate. I’m sure you’ll keep a close watch on him. Tell the night nurse if you have any concerns,” she said and then took a deep breath. “Two FBI agents stopped by the farmhouse just as I was leaving to take the girls to Molly. They insisted that Judson was in town and that I need to contact them if I see him. Your sister let it slip that Cowboy Gabe was in the hospital. I didn’t even realize what she did until I walked in here.”

  “Why do they want to talk to him so badly? I can’t figure out what he’s hiding.”

  My mother gave me a cautionary look. “Avery, that’s none of your business.”

  “He showed up without anyone calling him. How did he know to come here? He’s been acting suspicious. He’s been in and out of the room all afternoon.”

  As if it were staged, Judson stepped out of the stairwell and marched down an adjacent hallway toward the emergency room.

  “There he goes again leaving again,” I commented.

  “Can you show me how to get to Gabe’s room? Your aunt and Joel will be here in a few minutes. I should get back to Molly. Your sister’s going to eat her alive.”

  I led my mother on a roundabout way so I could see where Judson went. I wanted to know what he was doing. When we got to the elevator, I told my mother I needed to get something to drink and I would meet her upstairs.

  Beyond the elevator I could hear the beeping and moaning sounds of the ER. I turned the corner and spotted Judson standing outside a room. I stopped walking as two men approached him.

  “Excuse me—Judson Halden. We need to speak with you.”

  “Y’all need to let me be with my family,” Judson told the agents. He walked toward me and away from the room where he had been standing.

  “Sir, we need to do this right now.”

  Judson turned quickly. “I’m afraid y’all will have to wait. My attorney is under the weather.” Then he waved to me down the long hall. “Can I have a minute with you?”

  “Sir, you need to come down to the station with us. We’ve been trying to locate you for some time. We believe you can provide some information we ne
ed.”

  “I don’t cotton to that,” he said loudly. Then he pointed at me. “C’mere, Avery.”

  “Me?” I asked as he broke away. “What’s going on? Why are they so insistent?”

  “Those bozos need me to come to the station with them, but I need a big favor from you.”

  “Sir—Mr. Halden,” said one of the agents.

  Judson raised his hands in the air. “Can y’all give me five damn minutes, and I’ll meet you in the lobby?”

  “You have five minutes, sir.”

  I watched the men walk away without an argument. Judson took my wrist and tugged me in the opposite direction.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Nowhere.” He stopped and we stood between rooms so no one could see us. “I need you to keep an eye on someone.”

  I gave him a hard stare. “Sure. First tell me what you know about Gabe’s land and what happened a long time ago.”

  He grunted his defeat just like Gabe always did and turned around to smack the wall in frustration. “If only I had the luxury of being stubborn like you, missy.”

  “Are they going to arrest you for the murder of Gabe’s grandfather’s partner?”

  He turned around and grinned crookedly.

  “No, doll, they’re not.”

  “So we have a deal? You tell me what you know about the skull and I’ll watch out for whoever it is you’re looking for.”

  He played with his new haircut at the back of his neck. He was a handsome man if I had to describe him in general. It was mostly the eyes that got me.

  “I helped Oliver Remington. I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t do.”

  “I doubt I would get myself shot in the back,” I said.

  His eyes spread wide. Evidently, I rendered him speechless. He shoved his hands in his back pockets and narrowed his gaze down the hall.

  “Four minutes left,” I said. “Can we get on with this so I can return to Gabe? I left him alone with my mother. What do you want?”

  “I need your discretion until this is over. There’s someone here I need you to meet.” He motioned to the room where he’d been standing earlier.

  “This is why you were at the hospital before Gabe got here?”