Under the Cowboy's Control

"Selena, Angel, I can't leave you like this. You've probably got acute appendicitis.

You might die."

"I d-don't have appen--I don't have that." She wrapped her arms around her legs and closed her eyes again.

Travis wasn't going to sit here wasting time arguing with her. She wouldn't wear the clothes he bought her, so she probably didn't want to use his money on a hospital. He pulled his cell from his pocket and flipped it open. "Juan. Get the black truck and bring it around to the back of the house. I've got to get Selena to the hospital. Something's wrong with her." He paused to listen. "Yeah. Hurry."

He saw she was wearing one of the two damn shirts she originally owned and probably nothing else but panties. Goddamnit! He had bought her at least four nightgowns. She was, without a doubt, the most stubborn female he had ever met.

And the only one who didn't want to spend his money. The sheet was covering her up to the waist. He moved to the chest of drawers and started pulling out clothes.

She was going to need some things if she had to stay in the hospital awhile.

The mudroom door slammed and seconds later, Juan walked into the room and handed him the keys. "It's out back, ready and waiting. What's wrong with her?"

Juan walked over to Selena and laid a grandfatherly hand to her forehead.

"Probably acute appendicitis. We've got to go now." He was stacking clothes on the dresser.

Selena grabbed Juan's hand and started babbling in semi-hysterical Spanish.

Juan patted her on the cheek with his wizened old hand and said, "Shh..Shh.. si, si, Senorita."

Juan straightened his back and stepped away from the bed. "Boss, I need to speak to you in the hallway." He walked over to the door and stood waiting.

"Not now Juan. Shit. We've got to go."

Juan raised his voice to get the other man's attention. "Travis. Young man, I want a moment, now."

That got Travis's attention and he looked up sharply at Juan. He glanced back at Selena who was silently writhing on the bed. A scowl crossed his face and he slammed out of the room and focused his attention on Juan.

"This had better be good, old man." Irritation dripped from his voice.

"She doesn't have appendicitis." Juan got right to the point. "She has menstrual cramping."

Travis tried to wrap his brain around what Juan was telling him. He was totally floored. He stared at Juan with his mouth open. "No way. No Goddamn way she could be hurting like that."

Juan put his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "It is so. She told me it is so.

Sometimes it happens like that. Nature is not always kind to women. Some never have a twinge. Some go through agony every twenty-eight days. She is one of the unlucky ones. Please don't make this any worse on her by threatening her with doctors and hospitals and truck rides over dirt roads. She is in too much pain for that."

Travis closed his eyes and hung his head. "Shit. Okay."

Juan nodded once and opened the bedroom door and walked into the room again.

He began talking to Selena in a low, soothing voice. She answered him back the same way, never opening her eyes.

The Spanish was too advanced for Travis to follow. He only understood maybe a fifth of what they were saying.

"She needs a couple of more pillows. Do you have extras in the house?"

Travis nodded and walked to the hall closet where the linens were kept. He brought two large pillows back to the bed. Selena mumbled her thanks and spoke another few low words in Spanish.

Juan came up and tucked the two pillows as closely to the base of her spine as he could get them to go. Again, she mumbled her thanks.

Travis was horrified that she could be experiencing this kind of pain. He had never he

ard of anything like this in his life. He had heard some of the girl's way back in high school whispering about the cramps, but he never imagined it could be like this. This was almost like what the animals went through when they were in labor.