Second Chance with My Bull Rider (Cowboys of Sunnydale)

Chapter 1 August 2nd-2

THE MONITORS BEEPED in another room. People scurried around, calling to each other. I sat at the nurses’ station trying to fill out paperwork for the last patient I’d seen. I stared at the computer screen for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“Hey, Delilah, are you almost done?” Chad, my supervisor, asked. “You’ve been at it for a while.”

“I can’t seem to focus today.”

“I’ve noticed.” He laid a hand on my shoulder. “Is everything O.K.?”

A moment or two passed before I could respond. How do I tell him how I feel? What would he say? “Yes, everything is fine.”

“You haven’t been yourself for the last couple of weeks.” He set his clipboard down and leaned against the counter. “You’re coming in later than normal, leaving at lunchtime, and just overall distracted. The doctors have been making comments to me on your mental health, especially Dr. Glanders.”

I sighed and tried not to roll my eyes. Of course, Dr. Greg Glanders would be worried about me. We dated for a bit, but I broke it off after a couple of weeks. He was a great guy, just boring. We parted as friends, at least on my side. I knew he wanted to be more than that. I missed the excitement and the zing that I had with my first and only love. Instead, I said, “I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

What I wanted to tell him was that I had grown to resent my job, waking up in time for work was difficult, and all I wanted to do was go to bed when I got home. Not to mention, my mind wandered over to Happy Hearts Therapeutic Riding Center and thought about everything I could do there: the children I could help, horses to be cared for, the barn needed to be painted, the fences mended, and whatever else Leah needed. The stable was the bright spot in my week.

“You’re getting burnt out,” he said softly, breaking into my thoughts. “You’ve been here for six years without a vacation. No one can work the hours you’ve been keeping...I want you to go home early, your shift is almost over anyway. And tomorrow I want you to come in and let me know how long you’re going to be gone on vacation and where you’re going.”

“Seriously?” My eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Kid, you need a break. Not to mention, you are a liability if you start messing things up with patients.”

I cringed at his words. He was right.

“We can handle everything while you take a couple of weeks off. The ER will be fine if Delilah Allen takes a vacation. We’ll be here when you get back.” He clapped me on the back, grabbed his clipboard, and hurried off down the hall.

“What am I going to do with a vacation?” I said to myself as I grabbed my things.

On the way back to my apartment, I made a detour to the library which sat close to downtown San Antonio. I parked my car in the parking ramp and walked a couple of blocks to the library. It was a beautiful day for South Texas in August. It was hot but a stiff breeze made it comfortable to be outside. The library doors loomed ahead of me and slid open silently as I approached. The cold air inside caused goosebumps to race up my arms. I shivered, hugging my arms to my chest.

“May I help you, ma’am?” The woman at the desk asked.

“Um,” I glanced around. It was huge, much bigger than the library in my hometown of Sunnydale that was thirty miles away. There was even an elevator with a list of floors next to it. I turned back to her, a little overwhelmed. “I think I just need a computer.”

“Absolutely, I’ll need your driver’s license or another form of identification.” She handed me a sheet of paper covered in small print. “These are the instructions on how to log onto the internet.”

I exchanged my license for the paper as she tapped away on the keyboard before giving my license back and pointing me on my way.

The computer lab was cool and quiet, filled with little clicks as people typed away on the keys. I weaved my way to computer number 32 and set my bag down. Following the instructions on the sheet of paper, I logged in and searched for any information on therapeutic riding centers in Texas.

After a few hours, my eyes were sore, my back hurt, and the tips of my fingers were numb, but I held in my hand several sheets on how to become certified to run a therapeutic riding center. My body was physically tired from work and concentrating on the computer, yet my heart was excited with the new prospects on the horizon. Chad was right, I was feeling burnt out from my job as a nurse, which I had been doing since college.

Sometimes, I needed to work to distract me from the memories that crept up on me at home. The love and family that I almost had but lost, the pain and the loneliness that filled every corner of my small apartment, and the longing for a child that I may never have. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I folded the paper and placed it in my bag to head home. Maybe, just maybe, I could do something different. I’d still be helping people. I’d be making a difference in the lives of others. With a conviction I hadn’t felt in a long time, I decided on what I’d be telling Chad in the morning: that I needed a permanent break from the hospital.