He should’ve stuck to eating cookies. But he was actually tired of cookies. He swore he heard Carolyn’s phantom laughter in his head.
The doctors had checked on Carolyn first thing this morning. No change. No plans to ease her out of the coma. They decided she’d “benefit” from two more days in stasis.
That really increased the churning in his gut.
Pacing hadn’t helped.
Neither had catching up on world news on TV. If anything that’d turned his stomach a little more.
The nurses let him use the private shower and steam room on this floor. Ten minutes of hot water pounding down on him and slipping on a fresh pair of clothes made him feel better.
He returned to the ICU waiting room to find his grandson Ky hanging around.
“Hey, Grandpa. I wondered where you’d disappeared to.”
Carson ran a hand through his damp hair. “Cleaning myself up so your Aunt Channing doesn’t come back and hose me down like we used to have to do with your Uncle Colt when he was a boy.”
“Uncle Colt? Really? Man, he’s always like…so clean. Cleaner than anyone else, even when he’s workin’ cattle.”
“Times change.” He dropped into his chair. “So what’s up?”
“Dad said I was supposed to tell you that me’n Anton and Gib are looking after your horse.”
“I appreciate that. I’m sure your Gran-gran would say the same.” As much as it pained him to admit, he’d have to get rid of Sheridan. That mare deserved an owner who could give her the care she deserved and that hadn’t been him in the last year. Plus, he couldn’t look at the horse without thinking of the accident.
Kyler shifted his sneakered feet and glanced at the closed hospital door. Carson couldn’t count the number of times he’d heard the words “spitting image” used to describe a father and son, but Ky was such a carbon copy of Cord—at least in looks—that even he’d mistakenly called the kid Cord a time or ten.
“How is Gran-gran?”
“The same. I keep tellin’ myself that’s a good thing. Might be bad if she woke up before the doctors wanted her to.”
Ky sat heavily in the chair next to him.
Didn’t seem like the kid wanted to be here—not that Carson blamed him. Chances were he’d been roped into keeping Grandpa company.
Ky locked his gaze on Carson’s. “Are you and Dad in some kinda fight? He wouldn’t come here himself and tell you about us takin’ care of the horse and we’ve been doin’ it for four days. Then I heard him complaining to Mom about you.”
“Not gonna repeat what names he called me?” Carson said with amusement.
“Nope.”
“Probably wise. Your dad—and the rest of my kids—ain’t happy about the ‘no visitors’ rule. They think I’m bein’ controlling and paranoid. They believe the rules oughta be different for them since Carolyn is their mother. But she’s my wife, my responsibility. My sole purpose is to do everything in my power to get her outta that hospital bed and home where she belongs.”
Kyler didn’t even blink at Carson’s snappish response. “I don’t understand why everyone is so bent outta shape about it. I know if it was Mom in there my Dad would be the same way. ’Cept probably worse.”
Silence stretched.
Finally Carson said, “You don’t need to stick around if your dad guilted you into comin’ here.”
“He didn’t. I’m here because I wanted to ask you something.”
“Ask me what?”
“What happened between you and Dad that made him move to Seattle?”
Not what he’d expected and he didn’t know if he should answer. “Son, does your dad know you’re askin’ me about that? ’Cause that wasn’t a happy time for either of us.”
“He refused to talk to me about it, so I figured I could ask you since you don’t pull punches.”
Maybe this would be the one time he would.
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t need to know so I can make a decision.”
“You and your dad still goin’ round and round about post-high school options?”
“We’re still going round and round about everything.”
Poor kid. Carson remembered what it was like to be at loggerheads with his dad and all the times he’s been a stubborn jackass of the first order with his sons. “Tell ya what. Get us both a soda and we’ll see where we end up.” Carson dug in his pocket and pulled out five crumpled one dollar bills. “Damn soda here is higher priced than whiskey.”
Kyler grinned. “Maybe we oughta be drinkin’ whiskey. I’ve got some in my truck.”
Carson gave him a level stare.
“Kidding. Dr. Pepper it is.”
He returned with two bottles of soda, two candy bars…and three bucks. Carson raised an eyebrow when Ky passed the money back. “The candy is my treat.”
“Thanks. You oughta be savin’ your money to take out all them pretty girls swarming around you. Gas ain’t cheap these days.”
“Dad pays for my gas, so it’s all good.” Kyler cracked open his soda. Then he wolfed the candy bar before Carson opened his wrapper.
“Why don’t you tell me what’s goin’ on.”
He sighed. “The team’s already started football practice. Every morning from six to eight and then there’s weight training and agility conditioning every afternoon from four to six. Coach thinks we can win state this year after we’ve finished second the last three years, which would be awesome since it’s my senior year. I come straight home after practice and get chores done. Dad is passing off my evening chores to Foster, which is about time because I was doin’ way more at his age than he is. Anyway, there’s already been a couple of college scouts showing up to watch practice.”
“The scouts are there for you?”
A tinge of red appeared on Kyler’s cheeks. “Yeah. Anyway, I like the scout for UWYO. They’re a division one school, but they’ll never get close to a national championship. The scout who showed up last week was from Oklahoma State. He talked a good game and they’ve got the winning records to back up their claims.”
“Did either of them offer you anything?”
“Both did. Full rides. Arizona State University offered the same thing with the option clause of expanding their offer, whatever that means.” He wiggled the metal tab on the can. “So to throw more crap in the mix, last week, Marla called.”