“He’s going home today—Silver and the pilot, too.” Nate held up a newspaper. “He wanted me to bring you this.”
It was today’sDenver Independent.
“Wow.” Eric remembered the exact moment when this shot had been taken. He’d heard the click of the camera and ordered Ramirez to get out. “Ramirez is good.”
“He’s kind of a big deal. He won a Pulitzer some years back.”
“Rossiter told me about that. Can I keep the newspaper?”
“It’s yours.” Nate took it from him, set it on his bedside table.
“Thanks for helping with the evacuations. We would have lost a lot of horses if not for you and your old man.”
“Not just horses.” Nate told Eric that his father had helped Winona evacuate the wildlife clinic. “It made his entire year to have a baby moose and fawns in his trailer.”
“A baby moose?” Eric hadn’t known that.
“Yep. So, tell me about your situation.”
Eric told Nate what the doctors had said. “I’d show you my leg, but it’s all wrapped up now. They’ve got temporary skin grafts on it. I guess they take skin from a donor site at some point and use that.”
Nate listened, nodding. “They want the burn site to stabilize first. They won’t want to risk losing an autograft to a hematoma or some other problem.”
“I just got to say, it doesn’t sound like fun.”
Nate looked Eric straight in the eyes. “I won’t sugarcoat it. It’s going to be tough. For a time, every day is going to be a bitch, but it will get better. I promise. A year from now, you’ll be looking at this in your rearview mirror.”
Eric wondered what it was like for Nate to be here. Did it stir up bad memories for him? Eric couldn’t see how it wouldn’t. Nate had spent the better part of a year in a burn center in San Antonio and had gone through dozens of surgeries to reconstruct his face and enable him to use his right hand. And still, he was here.
“How did you get through it?”
“One day at a time. One hour at a time. Sometimes, it was minute by minute.” Nate pulled over a chair, sat. “I don’t have many memories of the first weeks. I was unconscious a lot of the time. The first time my fiancée saw me with my face unbandaged, she decided she couldn’t handle it and broke things off. It felt like my life was over.”
“Bitch.”
Nate chuckled. “I appreciate that, but she did me a favor. She got out of the way and made room in my life for Megan. You’ve got Vicki, so you’re set. And, hey, congrats. I hear you’re expecting another baby. That’s great.”
“Yeah.” Eric fought to stay awake. “Vicki is trying to find a rental nearby, somewhere furnished where she and my mom can stay with Caden until I’m discharged. It’s too much to drive in from Boulder or Scarlet Springs every day.”
“I’ve got a friend here in Denver who’s a realtor. She can help Vicki narrow her search and handle the rental agreement for her.”
“Can you text Victoria … the realtor’s number?” The morphine was really kicking in now. “She’s got so much on her mind.”
“You got it. If you or Vicki need anything else—help with medical bills, meals, someone to drive, watch Caden, go to the grocery store—please let me know. I’ve got your six. You’re a hero to the people of Scarlet and to me.”
“Thanks.” Eric’s throat grew tight. “Coming from you, that really means something.”
Eric didn’t realize his eyes were closed until Nate spoke again.
“You rest, buddy. You did your part. Just heal and let us take it from here.”
Chapter 23
Brandon followedLibby through his front door, glad to be home. “Smoky with subtle undertones of smoke.”
He’d left the windows open, and smoke from the fire had gotten in. It hadn’t done any lasting damage and would clear eventually. Then again, the entire area around Scarlet Springs still smelled of smoke.
Libby set his bag of junk down inside the door. “Let’s get you comfortable.”