He pulled over, and I jumped out of the truck, rushing out before I vomited. My insides hurt as I threw up violently.
“Brock . . .” I cried as I stood there afterward, my entire body trembling with fear before Ty gently guided me back to his truck.
Kaylee got into the back with me, letting me bury my head in her chest and cry.
Chapter Twenty-Five
LINCOLN
“Lincoln.”
I stirred and opened my eyes. Kaylee was looking down at me with a soft smile.
“I thought you might want some coffee.”
I stared at the cup in her hand, but just the sight of it made me feel nauseous. “No, I don’t want any.”
She frowned. “Then, will you at least come with me to eat?”
My eyes traveled past her to Brock. He was lying in a hospital bed, an IV dripping into one arm, a blood pressure monitor on the other. His face was bruised, and the cut above his eye showed where the doctors had stitched it shut.
I swallowed hard. He was still unconscious as he lay there, machines beeping and oxygen being pumped into his body. My chin trembled as I thought back to the doctor and his laundry list of things wrong with Brock.
A concussion. No bleeding in the brain, which was good. His major injury, besides the head, was a costochondral sprain. It was making breathing difficult for Brock, especially with him still being unconscious. He’d be out of the PBR for two months. Maybe three. Complete rest was ordered, which I was positive Stella and I would make sure happened.
Also, he had a cut on his leg from the bull stepping on it. Forty stitches required for that one. The cut above his eye had only needed fourteen. Only. He had a black eye, and it looked like someone had beaten the hell out of him. That was the result of the bull throwing him in the air and Brock coming down and hitting his own helmet lying on the ground.
“I’m not hungry,” I finally managed to say.
“Lincoln, you have to eat to keep up your own energy. Do you want to help take care of him when he wakes up?”
Tears filled my eyes. “Yes.”
“Then, let’s go eat.”
I nodded. “Give me a second, okay?”
Kaylee sighed and then looked at Brock as she replied, “Two minutes, and then I’m dragging you out.”
As I made my way over to the side of the bed, I took in a deep breath. I reached for Brock’s hand, lifted it to my lips, and kissed it.
“Hey,” I whispered. “Please wake up. I really need you to wake up. I know the doctor said you were going to be okay, but if you could just wake up and tell me yourself, that would be great. I need to see your smile. Hear your voice. Feel you reach up and touch my cheek. Tell me you love me again, because I really need to tell you how much I love you, too, and know that you hear me.”
My head dropped down, and I focused on not crying. I had to be strong for him, and standing here, begging him to wake up to comfort me, was not what Brock needed.
Clearing my throat, I lifted my head. “So, while you’re lying here napping, I’ve been dealing with the drama that is Kaylee and your brother Ty. That’s been interesting. I’m not sure if they like each other or hate one another.” I chuckled. “It’s pretty entertaining, watching the two of them, though. And Blayze has been keeping me on my toes. That boy has more energy than the Energizer Bunny.”
Pulling in another deep breath, I kept my voice steady.
“Don’t even get me started on Tanner. He has three broken ribs. His career as a bullfighter was stripped from him before it even started. He’s a big baby too. I mean, he tries to act all cool, but when it’s just me and him, he whines. It’s sort of funny.”
My eyes searched Brock’s face for something. Anything.
I sighed and leaned over, gently kissing him on his bruised cheek. “I love you. I’m going to grab something to eat. I’ll be back.”
The door to the room opened, and I shot Kaylee a dirty look. “I’m coming,” I said in a low, growling voice.
After grabbing hospital cafeteria food, we sat at a table. Ty, Dirk, and another cowboy friend of theirs joined us. His name was Pitt. I thought I recognized him, and it finally hit me who he was.
“You’re a bullfighter, right?” I asked.
Pitt looked at me and grinned. “Yes, ma’am, I am.”
“It’s sweet of you to be here.”
He tipped his cowboy hat at me. His honey-brown eyes had specks of gold in them that caught the light more when he smiled. “Brock’s a real good friend of mine. Known him since he first came on tour with us. I came right when Dirk called me.”