“Why the hell was he still riding?” It slipped out before he realized, and he sighed. “Sorry.”
“Hey. Hey, it’s still Sky. It’s bruises, cuts. It’s stillhim.” Doc touched Sky without a bit of hesitation. “And it’s all he’s ever done. He’s been slowing down over the last few.”
“I know it’s him, Doc. I’m not sure I know what that means, but I know it’s him.” That was the idiot still out riding bulls at thirty-two. That was his husband.
They had a very long road ahead of them.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Maybe I need some coffee.”
“This is hard. That’s what’s wrong. Parker can stay for another week, but then you’ll be on your own with him. Do you want me to get some of the other retired guys to come spell you?”
Just what he needed. More rodeo. He wanted to move Skyler up north a soon as possible. “No. Thank you. And I don’t need Parker’s help either.”
“He’s damn near hysterical, you know.”
Like I give a shit.
“Doc, there’s no love lost between me and that kid. He could have—” He sighed and shook his head.
“Regardless. He’s here, and he cares about your guy. They’ve been friends a long time.”
Friends with benefits, but he wasn’t going to air that here.
“Beck.” Doc caught his eyes and held them. “Sky needs to know he’s here. That people are here.”
Beckett looked at Doc, who had been spot-on about what Sky needed so far. The man didn’t waste a look like that. “He’s only here for another week?”
“He’s not riding as well as Sky. He’ll have to get back to work.”
This was riding well?
He stepped up to Sky’s bed and found those two free fingers to hold again. “Hey. I’m here. I’m going to get some air and let Parker come in and say hello. They don’t like too many people here at once.”
And I don’t want to hear whatever that asshole has to say to you anyway.
“So…I’ll be back. Okay? Okay.” He gave the fingers a squeeze and let go, then nodded to Doc. “Thanks, Doc.”
“Anytime.” Doc settled on one of the chairs, pulled his hat down over his face, and closed his eyes.
That old bastard could sleep anywhere.
Beckett left Sky’s room, pulled off the gown and mask, then shoved them into the bin. Parker wasn’t hard to find; the guy had barely moved from the waiting area since Beck arrived.
“Go on in.” He sighed and headed for the coffee machine at one end of the room.
Parker didn’t hesitate; he just pushed in, making the nurses all bawk and squawk.
He snorted and got a cup of coffee. He’d expected swill but it wasn’t too bad, actually. Maybe in ICU they figured you deserved the good stuff.
He pulled out his phone and did what he could to return work emails or forward them on to Adam, his business partner. He’d taken the week off, but he was going to have to have a longer conversation with Adam in the near future because he didn’t know when or if Sky might be movable.
Adam had been the ultimate in class—not once pointing out how he was uprooting things for a husband no one had seen for years, never calling him all kinds of a fool.
He and Sky weren’t together anymore, but in all the years they’d been living apart, neither one of them had ever even whispered the word “divorce” either. He’d stopped wearing his ring, but he’d never been interested in seeing anyone else.
And Sky’s ring, which was still in Beckett’s jeans pocket, obviously meant something too.
Hewasa fool, even if Adam hadn’t said it. A fool to fall so desperately in love with a wild, beautiful bull rider. A fool to believe getting married would somehow close the gap in lifestyle and in simple geography between them.