Ranch Manny - B.A. Tortuga Page 0,80
nodded. “This damn rain.”
“Yes. Yes, exactly. The mold is just ridiculous. Let me get the paperwork started. It’ll be a few hours before we move him, but I am going to order the antibiotics now.”
“Thanks, Doc.” He tugged out his phone as soon as the medical folks left, texting Hal.
The phone rang immediately. “Fuck. Really?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I need to come on back to the ranch, but I can’t leave Curly here alone. He’s disoriented.” Take the guy out of his routine and he got so much worse.
“Fuck. Okay. The weather is going to get shitty. Your guy going to be able to feed tonight?”
“I’ll call Wiley in to help if I don’t get home in time.” He wouldn’t make Trace go it alone.
“Fair enough. I’ll head out now. You need anything? Food?”
“I’m good. Can you tell Trace what’s up? They keep glaring at me for being on my phone.”
“Yeah, sure. No problem.” Hal sighed. “I’ll stop at the house and grab Curly a bag.”
“Thanks, buddy. I know this sucks. I appreciate it.” Curly just didn’t have anyone else, and he was family.
“No problem at all. See you in a few hours.”
“Yep.” He tucked away his phone, smiling as the nurse came in to start Curly a drip.
“Fluids and antibiotics.”
“Good deal.” When Curly started out of a doze, Brent settled on his other side in the ugly chair there. “Now, you be good and let the lady do her job.”
“Yeah. I am good, son. I—” A rough spate of coughing rocked the old man’s body, turning him bright red.
“Shhh.” He got the cup of water they’d put on the table next to them. “Here. Have a drink, huh?”
“I’ll get you something to help as soon as I get the IV in, sir. No worries.” The nurse was calm, sure. Brent liked her.
“Thanks.” Curly sipped the water, his eyes looking bruised. Poor guy. “Man, my ribs.”
“No breaking them coughing, okay?” Brent had broken more than one rib rodeoing.
“Not this time.” Curly tried to smile. “You’re a good boy, Brent.”
“I try, old man.” He winked broadly. “Hal is coming down in a bit, okay? We’ll keep you company between us. Trace said the kids are all coming down with a bug.”
“Oh damn. Not another one.”
Another one? What the hell did that mean? The last kid to be sick was Daisy, damn near back at Christmas.
“You kids are always sick. I told your Uncle Jim that it was normal, but…”
Oh. Brent swallowed hard. “Well, you’re right. That’s just kids, huh?” That had been damn near twenty-five years ago.
“All kinds of them. They get all sick and run a fever.”
“They do. I reckon you got one this time, huh?”
“Little bit.” Curly winced as the needle went in. “Just a little bit, son. Don’t you worry on me none.”
“I got you, buddy. I’m not worried. You’re like a bull.”
“Yep. Ferdinand, the one that smells the flowers.”
“That’s it.” He grinned, just glad Curly had stopped fighting.
“You make sure you tell those little girls to stay inside. There’s a storm coming.”
“I will, buddy. I promise.” He wished there was a window in this damn place. He wanted to see the sky.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he rolled his eyes.
He tugged it out, since the nurse was gone for a minute.
There were three phone calls and a single text from Trace.
“Curly, I got to go call Trace. Are you feeling good enough to let me step out?” He had to. They’d given Curly something to relax him, Brent could tell.
“Mm-hmm. You’re okay, Georgie. Don’t you worry none.”
Brent closed his eyes. He thought maybe Georgie was Curly’s nephew. He slipped out, holding up his phone to the tech at the nurse’s station. “Two minutes. He gets agitated, y’all holler.”
“Sure. You should grab yourself a bite to eat too.”
“Good idea.” He would buy something out of a machine, maybe take Trace supper home by way of apology. He hit the hall outside the ER doors and called Trace.
“Hey. You okay? The wind is blowing hard. I was waiting for you to call.”
“Shit, did Hal not come by? Curly got a little growly, so I was in with him.”
“He stopped by and left a note that y’all were changing places.”
“Oh. Well, we are. As soon as he gets here, I’ll be on my way home.” Brent rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “I’m gonna see if Wiley can