Ranch Daddy

28

Riley

For the next few days, I worked on autopilot, avoiding my father as much as possible. Angelo seemed overwhelmed by my father’s expectations, and other than taking over some of the paperwork, my father seemed to be doing little other than yelling at all of us, especially Casey. Did he think I was sleeping with him too just because we were both gay?

I told myself I couldn’t text Blake more than twice a day, first thing in the morning and at night. I kept to that, even though I wanted to call him at least once an hour. He continued to encourage me and say how proud he was, and even that little bit of contact helped. Once the calves began to drop, I was so busy I sometimes went hours without thinking about him. A week after the first calf was born, we got so busy even my father had to get his hands dirty.

One day, during what I hoped to hell was the peak of calving, Casey and I were working to soothe one laboring cow and standing ready to take her baby to be tagged once it was born.

My father was in the pasture with another cow, an especially cranky one he insisted I wasn’t competent enough to work with. Instead of focusing on his own charge, he kept watching and criticizing what Casey and I were doing. When it seemed as if the calf we were waiting for might be stuck, Casey donned a glove and got ready to reach in and assist.

“No,” my father yelled, startling the cow beside him. He ranted at Casey, but I didn’t hear his words because I was focused on the cow my father should have been watching. He took a step forward, moving closer to her face. He was waving his arms and shouting. I saw what happened next as if it were in slow motion, yet there was no time to warn him.

The cow slammed her massive head into his chest. He flew backward and landed on the ground. I thought the cow would trample him, but Casey distracted her while Vic hopped over the fence and walked slowly toward my father who lay there, not moving.

I swallowed, pushing down fear and panic. “Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” Vic said. “Call 911.”

As I talked to the operator, explaining what happened, Vic and Angelo moved my dad out of the pasture. He’d be in more danger from the cows if he was left there than he was from whatever further damage might be done by moving him.

I couldn’t stay on the line while waiting for the ambulance because two calves were being born, and Casey and I were the only ones to take care of them. I was thankful to have something to focus on, though. No matter how much I hated my father, I didn’t want him to die.

The paramedics arrived, and I debated whether to follow the ambulance to the hospital. It wasn’t like the work on the ranch would stop while we waited to find out the extent of his injuries.

“Go with him,” Casey said. “I’ll call over to the KC and see if they can spare someone to help. We should call what’s her name too. Leanne?”

“Oh fuck. Yeah, we’ve got to tell her.” The last person I wanted to talk to was my father’s girlfriend who wanted nothing to do with me. I found her number in my father’s office. When I called her and explained what had happened, she started sobbing hysterically. I couldn’t understand anything she was saying, but then another woman came on the line and said she was Leanne’s sister, Katie. She and Leanne were going to meet me at the hospital.

The hours I spent at the hospital were pure hell. I texted back and forth with Blake, and if it hadn’t been for his reassurance, I might’ve lost my fucking mind. He’d offered to come if I needed him. I’d been so tempted to say I did, but I knew that, as hard as it was, I had to prove to myself that I could handle this on my own.

Katie was pleasant enough. Initially, she tried to keep up conversation, but I just wasn’t up to making small talk. Leanne would hardly look at me. She’d convinced herself it was somehow my fault my father had been injured. I kept quiet as I sought comfort from Blake, checked in with Casey, and tried to keep my mind from playing out all the different scenarios that could result from the day’s events.

Finally, a doctor came out to speak with us. “Your father is out of surgery. We’ve taken care of the internal bleeding he was experiencing, and his prognosis is good, but his recovery time will be lengthy. He’ll be here for several days, then he’ll need to spend a few weeks in a rehab facility.”