“They’ve got one of the trucks,” a voice replied. “I’ll tell him to drive him back in that.”
Blinking my eyes open, I winced when the pain hit me all at once. I couldn’t even be sure which area it was coming from because my whole right side hurt. Groaning, I moved my leg to try and get into a position where I could sit up, but even my ass cheek on that side was screaming at me.
“Does she need an ambulance?”
“Is the vet still on site?”
“Yeah, Kaylon’s still here, but working on Hayes now and trying to help him settle. Did you see the size of the wound on his left flank?”
“If Hayes is stable, get him to come and see Addy. On your way to him, call out Corey and see if he can come and see her immediately. If we get her stabilized by Kaylon in the meantime, we’re not wasting any time getting her treated by Doc.”
“If you say so, man. Want me to get Santana to come and take Toby?”
Rolling onto my back, I blinked up at the sky. “I’m okay,” I croaked, then licked my lips and swallowed to see if that’d help. “I don’t need a doctor.”
Remy’s face appeared, and he looked down at me like I was nuts. “Babe, I wouldn’t say you don’t need a doctor. The reason I’m not calling 911 right now is because we’ve Kaylon, who can assess you immediately right over there.”
He pointed at somewhere behind him, but I didn’t turn my head to look in its direction. “We’re also calling our friend who’s a doctor in town. By the time he gets here, we’ll know what we’re working with and can get you the help you need.”
That was all weird, but I appreciated them not calling an ambulance. Given how much the contraceptive shot had cost me, I could only imagine how much an ambulance callout would cost. I really needed to read the fine print on things.
Feet running across gravel sounded, and then Gus and Kaylon, the vet, came to a halt beside me.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Kaylon clipped, getting down on his knees and looking me over.
“I got hit by a train,” I joked weakly. Well, semi joked. That’s what it felt like had happened.
“Let me check you over,” he muttered, wincing when he noticed something. “Jesus, Marcus is gonna flip.”
“He’ll go postal,” Remy agreed somberly.
When I turned my head slightly to tell him not to worry Marcus, I noticed he had Toby strapped to his front in one of those baby carriers, and regardless of how secure he was, Remy still had his hand under his butt, like he was afraid the baby was going to fall out of there. Me? My concern was that his head was under the carrier as it rested against Remy’s chest. Didn’t babies need oxygen?
That aside, the sight would steal most women’s breaths. There was this big man, with his t-shirt and well-worn jeans, with a tiny baby attached to his front. I wish I could pick my phone out of my pocket and snap a photo of him for Santana.
“Your new fashion accessory suits you,” I told him, trying to make him smile, just as Kaylon pressed a painful area, making me hiss.
“Sorry, you’ve got some stones and dirt in your cuts.” The man looked up at Remy. “I think we’re safe to move her for when Corey gets here. Can you give me a hand?”
Turning around, Remy whistled at someone. And that someone just happened to be Santana, who looked down at me worriedly. “I can’t believe it. Hayes is one of the sweetest horses, Addy. He’d never hurt anyone.”
“I don’t blame the horse,” I scoffed. “Shit happens.”
“I need…” Remy broke off, looking torn about something. “Shit, okay, I need you to take Toby for me while I help Kaylon with Addy. Can you do that?”
Santana froze where she was kneeling next to me, her head tilted back to look up at him. “Can I do that?”
“Yeah, Santana. Can you look after him? Yes or no?”
I watched her nostrils flare as she took in a shuddering breath, but after she blew it back out again, she smiled sweetly up at him. “Thank you for bestowing the insurmountable privilege of being entrusted with your child. I promise to look after and care for him, ensuring all his needs are met, and fight for his life with my own, my liege.”
I swear, if it were physically possible, Remy’s head would have started spinning on his shoulders with smoke coming out of his ears. Instead, he just stared at her with the muscle in his jaw ticking for a moment and then began undoing the harness the baby was in to pass it over to her.
“Make sure you support his head,” Remy barked as he passed Toby to her.