The Heart of the Rodeo

by Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

  The Heart of the Rodeo

  By Nicole Higginbotham-Hogue

  Chapter One

  Blake watched as last year’s rodeo champ, Earl took position and began his ride. The man was a pro around these parts, and everyone knew it. Nevertheless, the bull was too strong, and Earl was flung off without reaching any points. Blake took a deep breath, preparing herself. She was next, and she looked into the crowd to see her best friend, Walter tipping his hat as she walked down the bleachers and towards the gate. A rodeo hand assisted her with the mount, and she knew that there were only seconds left before she had to show everyone in the crowd her worth in the sport.

  Blake gripped the bull riding rope with her right hand, which was clad in a light leather glove. She had coated it with resin to help with her grip, and she positioned her body close to her hand. She had been watching the bull for the last hour as the other riders were thrown off one by one. As the only female in the Melville Rodeo Competition, she had a lot to show the audience, and she had been practicing for months, getting ready for this competition. Blake listened as the bull snorted, waiting for the bell to ring and the ride to begin. It was going to be the longest eight seconds of her life, but if she could keep her feet tight and let her body move with each buck, she was confident that she would be able to win the competition.

  Blake heard the bell ring and held on tight, adjusting her body as the bull bowed its head and turned. She couldn’t see the clock or even hear the audience at this point. All that she had in her head was that she needed to hold on. Blake felt the ride get easier, if that was such a thing, and started to relax. Before she knew what was happening, she felt her legs loosen and her body begin to fly through the air.

  Blake felt her body hit the ground hard and heard the scuffling of the rodeo hands as they guided the bull back to the pin. She tried to lift her head, but she found that she couldn’t. She could feel the grit of dirt and sand in her teeth and a light iron taste as her mouth filled with blood. Blake’s vision was blurred, but she could tell that there were people rushing to her aide. “No,” she said to them. “I got this. I can get up on my own.” She tried once again to lift herself from the ground, but a sharp pain rang through her side, and she couldn’t feel anything, but pain radiate from one of her legs.

  “Let them help, Blake,” she could hear Walter say. “It looks like you scuffed yourself up pretty bad.”

  Blake groaned as her friend continued to insist that she needed help, and she continued to try to get up. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, trying to clear her vision and noticed that the crowd had gone silent. “I don’t know why I’m having so many issues,” she mumbled mostly to herself, but before she could try to get herself up again, she felt her body being lifted off of the ground and onto a soft surface. “Can you at least tell me what my score was?” Blake called as her body swayed back and forth on the soft structure. “Did I make it to eight seconds?” She waited for an answer, but no one responded.

  “We need to get her into the ambulance,” a man’s voice yelled. “She needs immediate assistance.”

  Blake laughed and tried to protest, but she found that the words were no longer flowing coherently. She didn’t want to be taken anywhere. She just wanted to know what her score was, and she wanted to go home. She wasn’t a fan of hospitals in any regard, and she didn’t like when people tried to make decisions for her. She tried to look to see where she was being taken, but the jumbling around just made her dizzy. Blake closed her eyes tight with every intention on opening them again, but as soon as they were closed, she could feel her body slip off into a deep sleep.

  Chapter Two

  “Dr. Jane Steibold,” her friend, Cam said, holding up her glass. “I can’t believe we finally got through this.”

  “I didn’t think that I was going to make it through the residency program after mixing up Dr. Franklin’s schedule that last time,” Jane laughed, taking a sip from her margarita. The realization that she was free to practice without guidance was slowly donning on her, and she was excited to start her new career somewhere where she could establish herself without having to rely on another person’s reputation.

  Jane had wanted to be a doctor for as long as she remembered, and she had begun her training as early as she could to ensure that she would be able to practice sooner than later. She remembered the first time that she had realized her calling. She was eight. Her family had gone to the store to grab a couple of last minute items when she saw a man collapse in the store. Jane remembered how upset the man’s family had gotten, surrounding him with tears, and she remembered feeling a sudden urge, almost need to help.

  Before she knew it, she was instructing bystanders to call 9-11 and give the man space. She bent down towards the man, shaking his shoulders and asked him if he could hear her, but when he didn’t respond, she tilted his head back to clear his airway. She had seen this on television, and it had been very effective, so she was sure that it would help. However, the man wasn’t breathing, and she was forced to start CPR. Jane had learned CPR as part of a health and wellness requirement for school. She knew the process almost by heart at that point. Jane continued CPR on the man. While all of this was going on, she wasn’t thinking about anything else but making sure that the man was okay. Jane had given him CPR for only a couple of minutes when she heard the stranger cough. She remembered how great she felt at that moment. She remembered looking at his family members’ faces and how happy they were and thinking that if nothing had been done, the man might have been taken from them. She had felt so blessed at that moment, and from then on, she knew what she needed to do.

  “Janie, are you still with me?” Cam asked, taking her out of her memories.

  “Yes,” Jane smiled. “I was just remembering why I decided to become a doctor in the first place.”

  “Dang,” Cam replied. “I thought that you were reconsidering going Melville.”

  “No,” Jane laughed. “I think that Melville will open a lot of doors for me. How many first-time doctors can say that they started their own private practice and don’t have to work under the supervision of a senior doctor?”

  “Not many I suppose,” Cam sighed. “I’m just going to miss you. That’s all.”

  “I’ll miss you too,” Jane said, putting her hand over Cam’s. “I won’t be that far away though. You can always come to visit.”

  “Can you see me in a flannel T-shirt and boots?” Cam replied sarcastically. “I think I’m too much city for a country town like Melville. They would kick me out as soon as I ask where the valet service was.”

  Jane laughed at her friend. “Maybe, you should give it a chance, Cam,” she replied. “If you reconsider, I will hold an open spot at my office for you.”

  “There might not be enough work for one doctor, let alone two,” Cam told her. “I think that I will take my chances in the city. At least then, when I get off work, I can go to the clubs or shopping.”

  “You’re right,” Jane said. “You are too city.”

  Chapter Three

  Blake opened her eyes, noticing the bright light and the white walls right away. “Dang it,” she muttered, sure that she knew where she was. She tried to move her arm, but it was held down by an IV. She looked around the hospital room, noticing the rows of flowers and a white board with a nurse’s name on it. She didn’t want to be there. She just wanted to go home. Blake looked for a button on the side of her bed to get the nurse’s attention. Finding the big, red button, she pushed it over and over again until someone came into her room. Blake watched as a young girl came in, looking right away at the machines that were monitoring her heart and IV.

  “Ma’am are you okay?” the girl asked, looking
at her with a concerned look.

  “Just fine,” Blake said. “Actually, better than fine, so can you let me out of this thing? I want to go home.”

  “I’m afraid that isn’t possible at the moment,” the girl replied. “Your friend, Walter came up and said that he would be able to take you home, but we couldn’t let you go without knowing that you had in-home care. There are a lot of things that you are going to have issues with, and without an experienced medical professional, we are going to have to send you to a rehabilitation clinic.”

  “I’m not going to any such place,” Blake told her, trying to get out of her bed.

  “It’s mandated for your release,” the girl said. “I can get your nurse if you want. I’m just a CNA.”

  “Then, get the nurse,” Blake told her. “Because I am going to get out of here whether you like it or not.”

  Blake waited for the young girl to leave and tried to move her legs so that they angled off the bed. However, something was wrong with her right leg. Blake looked up and noticed that her right leg was held up in the air by a sling. The whole leg was bound up in a cast, and even though her other leg was movable, she wasn’t able to get the right leg out of the sling and wasn’t sure what she was going to do to get out of the hospital from there.

  “Trying to escape?” a voice laughed at the doorway.

  “Walter,” Blake cried. “Get me out of this thing. I want to go home.”

  “That’s why I’m here,” her friend responded. “The hospital told me that I needed to find in-home care for you, and after pulling a couple of strings, I managed to do just that.” Walter signaled his hand out the door, and Blake watched as a woman about her age walked through her door. “This is Dr. Jane Steibold. She is the new doctor in Melville, and I am glad that I ran into her. She doesn’t have anywhere to live once she gets to town and was planning on staying in the local motel when I told her your situation. She agreed to help you for free as long as you could take her in while she gets settled and looks for a place.”

  Jane stepped forward with her hand extended. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.”

  Blake shook her head and gave Walter a look. “I don’t need anyone taking care of me, let alone living with me. You should know better than that.”

  “But it’s the only way that the doctors are going to let you come home,” Walter replied. “They won’t release you without someone to take care of you at home, and this is a great opportunity. You would get free medical care, and she would have a place to stay.”

  “I’m not doing it,” Blake said. “Now, help me get my foot down.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible, Blake,” her nurse said as she walked into the room. “If you leave without being discharged, your insurance won’t pay for any of this medical care. You have two choices. Let this woman take care of you, or we will send you off to a rehab clinic, and there is no set time in which your leg will be back in shape.”

  Blake was furious at this point, but she certainly didn’t want to pay all of the medical bills out of pocket. She was paying for insurance for a reason. She looked around the room. Walter was clearly trying to hold back a grin, and the doctor that he had brought looked concerned. She knew that she was going to have to make a decision, and either decision that she made was going to be one that she didn’t want to deal with. However, the idea of being at home in the comfort of her own house sounded way better than being stuck in a rehab clinic, and worst-case scenario, she could always let the doctor live in the house and dismiss her of her services. It was only extra work that she was going to have to do anyways, and if Blake let her live there for free then she wouldn’t have to worry about the other woman bothering her or trying to take care of her. Blake looked at the three people that were staring at her, waiting for her answer. “I guess you are right,” Blake lied, looking at the nurse. “I think that it will be okay to let the doctor stay with me for a while and help out.”

  “Alright then,” the nurse replied. “I will go get your discharge papers.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Blake smiled her best smile.

  “Dr. Steibold, I need you to fill out some information,” the nurse said, waving the other woman towards her.

  Blake watched as the two women left the room and looked right at Walter. “Next time just tell them that you are taking care of me, and get me out of here.”

  “Blake, you know I can’t do that,” Walter replied. “I don’t have a medical degree.”

  “You don’t need a medical degree to leave me alone, Walter,” Blake said, rolling her eyes.

  “Blake, you are a piece of work,” Walter told her. “You better let this woman do her job.”

  “I will,” Blake said. “But if she decides to quit early, my feelings won’t be hurt.”

  Chapter Four

  The ride home was mostly silent, and Blake took that time to relax and enjoy being free of the hospital atmosphere. She had been sent home with crutches and was pleased that she took to them right away. She didn’t want to spend anymore time in the hospital learning new things, and she was annoyed with the constant attention that was given to her every time that she tried to do something. Now that she was free, it was nice to know that she would be able to sleep in her own bed and get back to her normal life. She had been pining for a cigarette the whole time that she was in the hospital, and she knew that there was an unopened pack laying on her kitchen table

  Blake looked out of the window, recognizing the familiar landscape and buildings of her small town. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and the closer she got to her house, the better she began to feel. Blake closed her eyes as the warm sunshine hit her cheeks and breathed in the warm air. “It feels good to be home,” Blake said to Walter, who was driving his truck towards her house.

  “I’ll bet it does,” Walter replied with a smile. He pulled down the street, passing several houses on the way until he got to the end of the town, where Blake’s house stood all by itself.

  Blake waited for him to pull into the drive and tried to figure out how she was going to get from her seat in the high-level truck to the ground. Just as she opened her door, Walter called to her to wait and got out of his side of the truck to meet her. “I don’t need your help,” Blake told him as she swung her legs off the side of the truck, trying to hold her crutches.

  “I know you don’t,” Walter replied. “But humor me for a minute.”

  Blake groaned, but she let her friend help her down from the truck and guided her crutches under her arms so that she could get to the front door. Every ounce of her wanted to run towards her house at this point, but she knew that she was incapable, so she hobbled along until she got to the front door and sighed as her key turned to unlock it.

  “Thank you, Walter,” Blake said, turning back towards her friend. “I appreciate you taking me home, but I’d like to spend a little time by myself at the moment if you don’t mind.”

  “Not a problem,” Walter said to her. “Let me just get Dr. Steibold’s luggage, and I will leave and let you two get acquainted.”

  Blake looked back towards the truck and saw the other woman getting out. The ride to her house had been so quiet that she had forgotten that the other woman was even there. Blake felt the excitement in her chest dim as she realized that she was going to have to take the woman in, dismissing any chance of peace and quiet that she was looking forward to. Blake waited at the door for Walter to bring in the woman’s luggage and for the woman to follow him inside.

  “Be good to her,” Walter told Blake, winking as he left.

  Blake didn’t reply. She just groaned and closed the door. She figured that she would be able to get along fine with the other woman as long as she left her alone. Blake turned towards the new stranger that was occupying her home. “The bedrooms are upstairs,” she said, pointing at the stairway. “You can have any one that you want except for the one on the end. That one is mine.”

  “Thank you,” the other woman repli
ed. “But I think that I’ll wait to put my luggage up. I’m sure that you are hungry after your long stay in the hospital.”

  “I am,” Blake said. “But I do know how to cook.”

  “So do I,” the other woman told her. “Let me help you out. You have already been through quite an ordeal, and it was very nice of you to offer up your home to me at this time.”

  “What is your name again?” Blake inquired. “Jamie? Jackie?”

  “Jane…” the other woman answered, somewhat annoyed.

  “Well, Jane,” Blake replied. “Let me tell you how this is going to go. You are going to go up to your room and get yourself comfortable, and I am going to go out for a much-needed smoke on the porch. I am going to enjoy a little peace and quiet, and then, I will make dinner. You can join me if you want. If you don’t, that is your choice, and then, we will go our separate ways.”

  Blake watched as the other woman’s friendly smile turned into a frown. “Well, Miss Young,” Jane replied. “I have been sent here to help you, and I won’t be talked down to or treated like crap, so you can do what you want, but I am here to assist you with your medical needs, and if you don’t follow my advice, then I will have to call the hospital and tell them that you aren’t cooperating, and you can go back there and go to rehab instead of healing in the comfort of your own home.”

  “That’s a pretty snarky comment from someone that needs a place to live right now,” Blake laughed, already ready for her guest to leave.

  “I don’t necessarily need somewhere to live,” Jane told her. “I offered to live with you to help you out. I would have been just fine in the motel until I found a house.”

  “Well, then why don’t you leave then?” Blake responded. “It would be less work for you, and you wouldn’t have to deal with me.”

  “You really think that you bother me, Miss Young?” Jane asked. “I went through more than eight years of grueling classes and four years of training just to get where I am, and it hasn’t all been easy. I can deal with you. The question is are you going to deal with me or go to rehab?”