Coming home

chapter 7

She laid in bed for a while, not even wanting to move for fear that the safe and comfortable feeling would be replaced by pain and nausea. Laying there, she came to the conclusion that it was still night and even thought about going back to sleep, but couldn’t seem to turn off her brain and her eyes just wouldn’t stay closed. Now that she wasn’t in pain, she was trying to figure out what exactly happened. Sure, it had been a while since she took Chaos for a ride, but never had Chaos gotten spooked like that.

Claire and Chaos went back a long way. Chaos had been Claire’s first and only horse. It was like Chaos could read her mind as a teen and knew every moment that Claire made, just like Claire knew Chaos’s movements. Neither one had been surprised by the other, even when it was unexpected. When they just started off yesterday, it seemed like there had never been a gap in years since they last rode off together. Claire had been surprised by how being in the saddle and the movement of Chaos had felt more like coming home than actually coming up the driveway.

Claire let out a little scream when she saw a small movement in the corner of the room. At first, she thought it was just her imagination since her eyes hadn’t adjusted to the dark yet, but then the figure started moving toward her. She let out an even louder scream now, which only made the figure come faster. She had never felt as completely helpless in her life as she had felt at this moment. What was she going to do?

Luke had thought she was having a bad dream about the accident the first time he had heard her, but the next scream proved that she was terrified. He sprinted to her bed, ready to… ready to what he wasn’t quite sure of, but he was ready. All he knew was that she had needed him and he was going to be there this time.

“What the hell?” she asked as she recognized the figure. “Luke, What are you doing here?”

“We drew straws, I lost,” Luke said with a toothy grin.

Claire shot him an "I’m not amused look” that he must have gotten when his grin disappeared. Now wasn’t the time for his sense of humor, especially when he scared the daylights out of her. Come to think of it, his timing had always been off when it came to making jokes.

Turning serious, “Did you really think we were going to leave you all by yourself right after you had an accident?” Luke stated.“You had to realize it was either me or James. I didn’t peg you to have gone stupid in the last 10 years, but I guess I was wrong.” Earning him another nasty look, although this one was more deadly.

“Oh yeah, because scaring someone to death is the exact thing to do to protect them after a head trauma.” she said while slapping her hand over her mouth like that would bring the words back. She instantly regretted it. She had tried not to use words like that when she told the little fib about what the doctor had said.

She hadn’t wanted to alarm them more than they already did and just told them the doctor had said she just had some scratches and would be bruised some. She had explained the sling away by saying she had a slight sprang of the shoulder from trying to catch herself when she fell. She hadn’t even told them Chaos had got spooked, only that Chaos had stepped in a hole. Yes, it was a fib, but it had been a fib to keep her sanity and spare them the worry.

Luke raised an eyebrow, “Head trauma?”

“Nothing to worry about and I certainly don’t need a babysitter,” she said angrily. She was more angered at herself than him, but she wasn’t going to let him know that. Maybe if she was ornery enough, he would just go home and leave her alone to figure some things out.

“You not only need a babysitter, but you also need a whipping for not telling us what the doctor actually said. Do you need to be declared incompetent and appointed a caregiver?” He had known this wasn’t a possibility, but he had to get her to see she was acting like a stubborn child.

She was saved by having to reply to that when there was a loud banging on the door. “That would probably be James. I doubt he even got halfway home before you screamed. Would you rather me or him? Because someone is staying,” he asked, eyeing her.

With a sigh, Claire said “You.” She wasn’t even going to think about the grilling she would get from James. James had been a major figure in her life. Between her dad and James, there really wasn’t anything she could ever get away with. It was like she was always being watched and kept safe as a kid. It didn’t seem that it was going to change any time soon either, not if she kept the ranch anyway.

She watched Luke saunter off to answer the door before James kicked it in. That would be a sight to behold, Claire thought. She secretly wished James would kick it in right when Luke got there to open it. Maybe it would hit Luke right in his hard head. That would serve him right. That would make her feel so much better about all of this. Only if wishes came true, she thought.

When Luke returned, he plopped down in a chair that he moved into her room and stared at her. “What are you going to do? Just sit there and be creepy all night?”

“ If it gets the truth out of you, then yes,” he responded with a little too much roughness. She would have rolled over and put her back to him, but that would mean lying on her hurt shoulder, and that wasn’t going to happen. She decided that she would just glare at him like he was her. “Why do you think that is any of your business?” Claire shot back at him.

“So are you going to actually tell me the truth about what the doctor said or am I going to have to find out by other means?” he inquired, ignoring her question. She really wished he would just drop it, but that didn’t seem to be something that was going to happen either. He wasn’t going to stop until she told him and then she wouldn’t be able to get rid of him or James. She was weighing her options. She could just tell him the truth and doom herself to a caregiver. Or she could deny it and have him on her case the whole time.

“Fine,” Claire shot out, deciding to take the lesser of the two evils. At least this way, she could hire someone herself and have some kind of control over the situation. “I have a concussion,” and then quickly added. “It’s not serious. The doctor said I may have a headache for a couple of days and would heal quickly.” The doubt on his face wasn’t quite what she was hoping for. “And I dislocated my shoulder, which he seemed more concerned about. He mainly said I couldn’t do anything.”

Claire watched as the doubt on Luke’s face changed to anger and then to an array of emotions until it relaxed to contentment. Oh no, she thought, she had seen this happen before. He thought he was going to solve all her problems and she wasn’t going to have it.

“Whatever you’re thinking, then No,” then another, “NO,” just to clear up any confusion he may have. “I’ll take care of myself and I will hire someone to come in,” with a heavy emphasis on “I”.

“Just hear me out,” Luke begged.

“No!” Claire said firmly. “I don’t need you or James babysitting. Ya’ll would just be under foot. Ya’ll have ranches to work and families to take care of or at least other people to consider,” she added.

“That’s just it. My solution will help everyone out. It would be like you would be doing me a favor. Just hear me out. Please.” He knew it was begging, and it made him look weak, but he didn’t care. She couldn’t be left alone and she would be the perfect person to help with Elizabeth. It would be like Elizabeth would have her own personal therapist without even knowing it. The added bonus is that Claire added a great female influence that Elizabeth desperately needed.

Claire had to be careful with her answer. She didn’t want to give him the wrong impression, but he had piqued her curiosity. It had to be something important to have him acting like this. Her curiosity had always got the best of her and was the whole reason she overheard what she had that night many years ago. She did know one thing thought, there was absolutely no way she was going to have Nancy in her home or as her caregiver. He might as well get that idea out of his mind. It just wasn’t going to happen. Claire didn’t care what his reasoning behind it might be.

Luke was on the edge of the chair waiting for any sign for him to continue. He started fidgeting like the anticipation was going to kill him. “Nancy will not be my caregiver,” she stated with determination.

This took Luke off guard. He just assumed she had known. In a small town, no one could keep a secret. Everyone found out everyone else's business sooner or later. That’s when it dawned on him. Claire hadn’t been a part of their small-town life in years.

She had been a city gal and only came home on holidays and such. If it hadn’t been for her dad, then she wouldn’t have even come home then.

“It’s not Nancy. It’s Elizabeth,” he said nonchalantly, waiting for her reaction before continuing.