Cowboy Kind of Love

Terrified

I woke up the next morning as he got up.

"You coming?"

"Yeah." We got to the arena and Kayce looked at me.

"You go to the bar with them?" He asked seeing my face. "Should have burned it."

"No, I didn't."

"What happened?"

"Won a bet."

"What bet?"

"None your business." Dad walked up to Kayce and I and I hugged him

"Think you make him nervous." I said as Jimmy looked over his shoulder at us

"How's he doing?"

"Finally found his calling." I replied as Kayce chuckled.

"I mean really.?"

"He's willing to get after it all day." Kayce replied, "Guess that's worth something."

"Like a monkey trying to fuck a football." Lloyd said walking up Dad walked off and I heard him cough and turned seeing him drop to a knee.

"Daddy!"

"Dad!" Kayce and I both yelled running to him. I made it first and everyone stopped what they were doing and came to us.

"Dad." I said touching his arm before looking up. "Call 911."

"We can't wait on them" Kayce said as we rolled dad over.

"Get his vest off him." Rip said. I pulled it open.

"Move him into my trailer" I moved as Kayce and Rip lifted him me following on their heels. My tough facade cracked the second he dropped to a knee. "Put him up on the table." Dad was coughing up blood as they laid him on the table.

"Turn him on his side so he doesn't choke." I said as Rip and Kayce rolled him.

"There's a bucket at your feet." Sam said as Kayce grabbed it. "I need the x-ray machine wheeled up here." She said. I rubbed dad's back as he coughed up blood. Tears filled my eyes that I swallowed down. I felt a hand on my back and looked at Rip who was touching me. Silently consoling me knowing I was close to losing it and barely keeping it together. "Slid the paddle under his back." I helped Lloyd as we got the paddle under his back.

"Don't sweat dad." Kayce said, I could tell her was scared too. We rolled him over onto his back and I gripped his hand, Rip having his hands on Dad's shoulders.

"John, I have to take an x-ray and see if I can figure out what's going on"

"It's the cancer Colon cancer." Kayce lifted his head looking at me, he hadn't known until now.

"If it was colon cancer you'd be shitting blood not puking it. Just stay still just a second."

"What is it?" I asked

"It's not colon cancer John. You have an ulcer and it ruptured."

"Let's get him to the hospital."

"He'll bleed out in 20 minutes" I said shakily as my brother looked at me

"She's right we've got to cauterize it." Sam replied moving quickly.

"You got anesthesia?" Kayce asked.

"My anesthesia is for cattle it'll kill him and I don't know the algebra to reduce the dose. He get's local and that's it."

"Just do it." Dad groaned. "Get Alexis out of here."