“I’m sorry it took so long for us to get back in here, but I wanted you to know your scans were clear. No internal bleeding was found in your head, chest, abdomen or pelvis.”
He wondered how long he’d been out. “Great. Does that mean I can go home?”
Dr. McRory frowned. “I’d rather keep you here for observation.”
Jordan did his best to focus on the man’s face. “I really need to go home.” He abruptly remembered Cutie. “I have a puppy waiting there, not to mention the livestock. Please, Doc, you need to let me go home.”
“Only if you promise to stay in bed until tomorrow. You can get up to use the bathroom, but that’s all. And I want someone there to watch over you in case your condition makes a turn for the worse.” McRory’s expression was somber. “If you can’t follow those instructions, I won’t write the discharge order.” When Jordan didn’t respond, the doctor added, “If you leave against medical advice, your insurance plan may not cover your emergency department bill.”
He winced. He couldn’t afford to cover the hospital bill on his own. But before he could say anything, Autumn stepped up to the bedside.
“I’ll watch over him.” She held his gaze for a moment before turning toward the doctor. “And I’ll make sure he stays in bed until tomorrow. I promise that if his condition changes, I’ll bring him back to be seen.”
He swallowed a protest. For one thing, he didn’t have anyone else he could call to stay with him. Besides, he didn’t seem to have a choice. Yet, he didn’t like the idea of having Autumn take care of him.
She wasn’t to blame for his injury, but it was impossible to ignore how the gunshot had come too close for comfort. If that criminal had hit his horse, he’d be in a world of hurt. Without Durango, his ranch wouldn’t survive.
Making it impossible for him to pass on the ranch legacy to his baby niece once they found her.
“Okay, then.” McRory nodded with satisfaction. “I’ll write the discharge order. Beth will give you the signs and symptoms to watch out for.”
“Thanks.” Jordan struggled to sit up. Autumn gently pushed him back down.
“You should rest until the nurse comes back. This could take a while.”
He bit back the urge to snap at her. His head hurt, his stomach roiled and he hated feeling helpless.
Rather than continue looking up at her, he closed his eyes again. Doing so helped ease his headache.
But it didn’t ease the knot of dread forming in his heart. As soon as he was well enough to be left alone, he’d tell Autumn to go home. By then, her new security system would be up and running and without her being there, he was convinced the shooter would leave him and his ranch alone.
Besides, he couldn’t afford to become dependent on Autumn. Not when he needed to focus on making his ranch as successful as possible.
Autumn was right in that the process of getting out of the emergency department had taken much longer than getting in. When it was time to leave, he swallowed hard and willed his stomach to settle as he rose to his feet. When Autumn slipped her arm around his waist, he wanted to tell her he didn’t need her help. When Bear nudged his leg, he thought again about Cutie.
“What time is it?” He winced when they left the darkness of his room to walk down the brightly lit hallway. “How long has Cutie been home alone?”
“Four hours. I would have brought her, but I wasn’t sure the staff would allow her to be there.” She sounded apologetic when she glanced at her dog. “Bear’s K-9 vest is enough to prevent people from asking him to leave.”
He knew the puppy wasn’t nearly as well behaved, but he still felt bad for being gone so long. “She’ll be fine.”
“I hope so.” When they stepped outside, she steered him toward the left side of the parking lot. “My SUV is over there.”
He concentrated on staying upright without swaying as they covered the distance. The minute he was settled in the passenger seat, he closed his eyes again and rested his head on the window.
There was no way he’d be able to handle the ranch chores in his current condition. There weren’t other ranches nearby, as some of his father’s neighbors had sold their land and moved on. For the first time, his isolation bothered him. He’d never been this vulnerable before. Hopefully, after a few hours of sleep, he’d feel better.
He had to recover quickly. Lying in bed for days wasn’t an option. Not when he’d already moved the cattle to the south pasture.
By the time Autumn had pulled into his driveway, he’d convinced himself he’d handle the ranch chores on his own after a brief nap. He forced himself to push out of the car and go into the house under his own power, without waiting for her.
Cutie greeted him like a maniac, which meant turning around to take her outside. Autumn watched him with a hawklike gaze as she let Bear out of the back.
He didn’t know what to say to her. The injury wasn’t really her fault, but he was still upset with how close that guy had come to killing Durango.
“Are you hungry?” Autumn asked once the dogs were finished and they were back inside.
“No. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a nap.” He didn’t meet her gaze but walked straight and tall down the hall to his bedroom. It was only as he was taking off his boots that he realized he forgot to ask if she found a suspect with a dagger tattoo.
