I turned Love Story and made my way onto the track. I could practically feel the horse vibrating with excitement as we made our way around. He was getting edgy, so I pulled him back. We made a few circles to calm him. I looked over at my father and he smiled and nodded. I gave Love Story a small squeeze with my legs and he bolted.
“Holy shit!” I yelled as the horse took off running.
He was indeed a natural on the racetrack. Why they hadn’t ever raced this horse was beyond me. As we approached turn two, he picked up his pace. I let him go for a bit until we came to turn three. I pulled back some, but he wouldn’t listen. Giving him a bit more force, he almost stopped on a dime, forcing me forward. One foot came out of the stirrup as Love Story reared up. I lost balance and saw exactly what was going to happen. I fell back with one foot in the stirrup, but the horse didn’t care. My head hit the ground and I cried out. The last thing I saw was Love Story headed for turn four. Everything went black.
I OPENED MY eyes and all I saw was people moving around me. Where the hell am I? It sounded like wind roaring through the mountains. Voices. I heard voices. It was loud. My head throbbed and my back had never hurt so much in my life. I tried to talk, but couldn’t. I looked from one person to another. There was a guy and a girl.
The girl glanced down, smiling. She hit the other person and said, “He’s awake.”
I managed to say the word “loud.”
She nodded. “You’re on a helicopter. I need you to keep calm sir.”
Helicopter?
My eyes grew heavy again. As I closed them, all the loud sounds faded away.
Liza. I love you so much, Liza.
I PULLED UP and put Walkers truck in park as I leaned back against the seat. My parents had finally convinced me to leave the hospital. I’d headed to the hotel to shower and get some sleep. But I couldn’t sleep. I hadn’t slept in three days. I looked down at the ring on my finger as I cried.
“You promised you wouldn’t leave again. You promised.” I thought back to this morning, when Walker had pushed me away.
“WHAT ARE YOU saying?” Walker asked.
The doctor looked down at Walker. “Mr. Moore, you could possibly have damaged your spinal cord. We won’t know until the swelling goes down and we’ve run some tests. I’m just saying I need you to be prepared.”
Walker turned his head. The doctor talked for a few minutes more before leaving. I went to the side of his bed and reached Walker’s his hand.
He pulled it away. “Please just leave me alone.”
I swallowed hard. “It’s going to be okay. The sedative they gave you will wear off and you’ll be able to mo
ve your legs. I feel it in my heart,” I reached for his hand again.
He turned to me. “I want to be alone. Please leave, Liza.”
My mouth opened slightly and I shook my head. “No, I’m not leaving you. No, Walker.”
Walker turned to my father and gave him a pleading look. My father held me in his arms as he walked me out. The entire time I was pleading with Walker and Daddy to let me stay.
I WIPED MY tears, opened the door to the truck, and jumped out. I made my way into the hospital and saw Reed coming toward me. I walked right into his arms. I didn’t have any tears left. Reed pulled back and held me at arm’s length. “The doctors said the swelling should go down within a week, but he was able to move his toes a little bit ago.”
“Oh, thank God. That’s a good sign right?”
Reed smiled and nodded. But his smile faded when he said, “I think his biggest struggle is going to be mental. All he talked about after you left was the plans that y’all had together. The things you wanted to do. How he wanted to take over the ranch and the idea of not even being able to do one of those killed him.”
I nodded. “But he moved his toes! He moved his toes! He’s going to be okay. We’re going to be okay. Right, Reed? Right?”
Reed pulled me into his arms and whispered, “Yeah, sweetheart. Yeah.”
IT HAD BEEN over a week since Walker’s accident. The swelling had gone down and the doctors expected him to make a full recovery. They’d be releasing him within the next few days. He just had to do a bit more therapy first. I knocked on the hospital door as I slowly opened it. Walker was standing and saying something to the young nurse who was getting ready to help Walker back into bed since he was returning from rehab.
The slender, blonde nurse looked up and smiled. When Walker saw me his smile faded for a brief second.
“Hey,” I said as I walked into the room.
“Hey, Liza.”