To Rodeo To Your Heart (COMPLETED)

Chapter 16

Caisson wakes up and looks around slightly confused as to where she is. Oh yes! There is her handsome man sleeping soundly beside her. She smiles at him and picks up her phone. Panic starts to seep into her mind as she reads the number over and over. 5:15. "Gunner," she whisper yells. She shakes him slightly. "Gunner."

Three times of that and he doesn't budge. She gets up and grabs a bottle of water. Holding it over his tee shirt covered chest she says, "Gunner Pate if you don't wake up right now I am going to pour this cold water all over you. In three... two... one..."

He jumps up making their foreheads collide. "Ouch! You have a hard head. Why are you going to pour water on me?"

"Because it is 5:15 and if you don't get your riding clothes on and get stretched you are going to miss your ride! Now get busy!"

He kisses her cheek with a smile. "Thank you for waking me up, Cais."

"Your welcome. Now get changed!"

He nods and takes his nice clothes to the little bathroom. As he buttons up his bright red pearl snap he pokes his head out the door. "Did we really kiss? Or was that just a dream?"

She laughs. "I'm pretty sure that was in real life. I at least hope it was real life."

He smiles wide. "Me too." He draws his head back into the bathroom and finishes getting dressed for his ride.
***

Of the ten guys that have taken their ride before Gunner only three have made the 8 seconds. He takes a deep breath as he lowers himself on to the broad back of the white speckled bull. As he gets his hand tied into his bull rope he silently begins to pray. Lord, as I place myself on this bull's back I place my life in Your hands. I know You always have a reason for whatever happens. Help us all to be okay with it and have faith in You. In Jesus name I pray, amen.

He bobs his head signaling to the gate man to 'let 'er rip' as his granddad used to say. The bull flies out of the chute in three quick jumps. Quickly he throws his heels in the air before spinning to the right. Gunner moves with Dynamite Flame as if they had chatted about how the ride was going to go. It seems as if he can predict what move the bull will make next. As the buzzer rings the crowd erupts in cheers and a smile, as wide as the United States, spreads across his face.

He jumps off and begins running to the fence to climb over. Just as he jumps onto it the bull shoves him against the thick blue metal bars of the fence. He grimaces and tighten his grip with his hands. In seconds the bull fighters have the bull out and men are circled around him, but all he can see is Caisson running across the stands towards him.

"Let go of the fence and drop down. We will keep you from falling," one of the guys says to him.

He does as they instruct while his mind plays the same words over and over again in his head. Get out of here and be okay, for her.
***

Caisson draws in a breath and begins to squeeze past people while muttering a 'excuse me'. She can tell he is still conscious, but that does little to ease the worry that is growing in the pit of her stomach.

Once out of the stands she ignores the warnings against going to the medical area. Nothing is going to stop her from making sure he is okay and being there for him. She stands at the door running her gaze across the room to find him. Once she does she isn't sure if she should smile or let tears fall.

He sees her and smiles. "Come here, Cais."

She slowly makes her way to him and sits on the chair beside his cot. "What's wrong?"

"My left leg is messed up, but I have to go get a x-ray to tell how bad."

She nods as he wraps an arm around her and kisses her head. "Do you want me to take you?" She asks him.

"Well I sure ain't riding in an ambulance! So yes, I do."

She smiles a little and hands him the crutches beside him. "Are you sure you don't want a wheelchair or something?"

He laughs as he begins to make his way out of the medical area on the crutches. "Caisson, stop worrying about me so much. I'm fine. Okay?"

She sighs and rolls her eyes at him. "Okay, okay, you are fine. I said it, but you still have to tell your parents."

He huffs. Telling his parents about an injury wasn't the worst thing in the world but it wasn't fun either. His mom always sounds really sad and hurt and asks him to quit riding. While his dad understands and says 'glad you aren't worse'. Now with Caisson too sometimes he wonders if the joy that he gets from riding is worth the worry and pain it causes them, but in the end he always come back to the same conclusion: if God wants me to stop riding he will tell me I'm one way or another. "Alright. I will, but not until after we know what is actually wrong."