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Charlie's Guide to Life Ch. 01

By: Falling_Bryanna



"Come on. Just go on one date. What could it hurt?" Stevie questioned for the twentieth time that night.

It could hurt a lot. I'd learned my lesson earlier that year, which had prompted my decision to take a dating sabbatical. I'd always been the girl that never settled down, never had a boyfriend. And I was pretty proud of that too. But as they say: never say never. I fell for a guy and fell hard. No one quite got it. Whenever Lex got the chance, she would remind me that it was only three months. Three months to her was a lifetime to me. She was a serial dater and a serial cheater at that. I spent every day for nearly three months with a boy. I let him in and I got hurt. Big time. 

"Oh well, she wouldn't want her heart to get broken like last time." Lexie laughed. 

My mind drifted back to the last night I had spent time with Macon. He had worked all night and was completely exhausted. We just took a nap—his arms around me. Him telling me that I was amazing, begging me not to leave. If only I had stayed—stayed a few more minutes, a few more hours. 

"Charlie...Charlie! Earth to Charlotte..." Stevie shouted. 

"What?" I yelped. I knew my eyes would give me away.

"She was daydreaming about HIM again." Lex huffed.

"Seriously Charl, it's been 6 months. He's long gone." Stevie not so subtly reminded me. "Just go on the date."

"FINE." I knew that they were never going to let it go. 

"Finally. He's a nurse. He's hot. What more could you ask for?" 

"Thanks Lex. You're right. What more could I ask for?" 

But I knew exactly what more I could ask for—someone I'd never have again. 

"Yeah Lex. What more could she ask for? Ohhh, I know. Macon."

"Thanks guys. I appreciate the sympathy." 

The fact of the matter was that I was over Macon. Yeah, sometimes I still missed him. On the rare occasion, I had a few what if thoughts. Mostly it just left me cynical. I really couldn't understand the concept that everyone was so adamant about: Your heart will be broken many times before you find your "true love." I basically thought it was a bunch of bullshit. Why would I knowingly put myself through pain? Uhh...I wouldn't, hence my decision not to date. 

"You've got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince." Stevie felt the need to remind me. 

"I said okay. What more do you want from me?"

"Well you two can argue about this all night long. I HAVE to get home." Lexie said as she hugged us and left our place. Stevie and I had been roommates for the past 4 months. 

"Now, what I want from you...I want you to give this a shot. I want you to stop being afraid of getting hurt. Never finding love is just as bad as being hurt a few times. I just want you to give this guy ONE shot. Just really try and be open. It's been six months. You've taken your goofy-ass 'sabbatical.' Stop being afraid to live, K?" 

"One date. One shot. Then I can have as long a break as I want. Alright?"

"Fine. His name is Cooper. You have a date with him Saturday night."

"As in TOMORROW night??"

"Yes ma'am."

Tomorrow came way too soon. Stevie helped me get ready but wouldn't tell me where the date was. I had more butterflies than I had expected considering I thought I had turned cold-hearted. Cooper showed up promptly at 7:00. I opened the door and was floored. He was gorgeous. If Stevie hadn't been behind me, I would have turned and ran. I knew I was in trouble from the moment I saw him. 

"Hey. I'm Cooper."

"Charlie," I said shaking his hand. 

"Stevie said that you were a smart one, but she failed to mention the fact that you're beautiful." I blushed.

"Thanks," I said turning to look at Stevie. She just gave me a "told you so" smirk.

"Bye Stevie," I said as I walked out the door. We walked to Cooper's car, and he even opened the door for me.

"So where are we going?" I asked as he got into the car.

"You don't waste any time, do you?" 

"Well, I can't help being curious."

"You'll like it. I promise." He paused. "I had to step up my game though because apparently I only get one chance." I blushed heavily.

"Obviously Stevie can't keep her mouth shut..."

"It's okay. I like to know what I'm up against."

"Hmmm...so what do you do?"

He laughed. "Nice subject change. But I'm a nurse anesthetist at Methodist Germantown."

"Really? I hear there is a lot of money in that." I said glancing around his car as if I was acknowledging that he did indeed have a beamer. 

"Yep, that's pretty much the only reason I do it—for the money." He snickered.

"Sorry, sometimes I can be a little..."

"...Aloof?"

"Okay, not exactly the word I was looking for, but I deserved that."

"No, you probably didn't...I became a CRNA because I wanted to find a balance between anesthesiology and having a life."

"Ohhh, well...." I murmured as we came to a stop at a traffic light.

"Hey Charlie," he said as he looked over at me and put his hand on my knee. "I'm not about to propose. I just want one date—12 hours. Can I just get that?"

"Why? I mean, why try so hard on such an impossible date?"

"Let's just say I like a challenge..."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"You've got your 12 hours." I said smiling. He kept driving and driving until finally we ended up downtown. We parked in one of the many garages, and he came around to open my door.

"So?" I asked, hoping to find out where we were going.

"Bluefin sound okay?" He asked putting his hand on my back. 

"Sounds perfect." 

"I always knew sushi was the way to every girl's heart." 

He didn't realize how true that was. We went inside and got a table. We picked what sushi we wanted. Surprisingly, we were pretty much in sync with our sushi choices. I felt my cold exterior beginning to melt, which was probably not a good thing. 

"So how old are you Mr. Nurse Anesthetist?" I figured he had to be quite a bit older than me considering how many years it takes to become a CRNA.

"28. I'm like an old man compared to you kiddo."

"HEY!"

"I'm just kidding. 21 is more like an adolescent." 

"Thanks. Thanks a lot." I kept a straight face and pretended to be upset.

"So what do you do?"

"I'm premed at RCC, but I'm sure you already knew that."

"Maybe I did. So are you in it for the money too?"

"Of course I am. So what all has Stevie told you about me exactly?"

"Enough to peak my interest—you jump out of airplanes, you pole dance, and you're going to be a doctor. I think that's pretty much the trifecta."

"Well...I'm not sure how accurate the pole dancing intel is, but..."

"I'm pretty sure it's accurate. You won't pole dance outside of class. Am I right?" 

"Okay, okay. Maybe you do know a little bit about me. But what about you? She hasn't told me anything about you."

"I like sushi. I'm a nurse. I think that covers it."

"I feel so enlightened."

"Alright. My dad was in the Air force , so I was born in Spain. I'm actually fluent in Spanish. I went to school in Boston but my parents and little brother moved to Memphis. I decided to get a job here too. My dad wanted me to be a pilot so I learned how to fly. Um..I'm sure I have a few more tricks up my sleeve."

"Humm. So do you have a plane?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I ask because I want to know if you're loaded."

"I knew it."

"Actually, if you can fly and have a plane I thought you might let me jump out."

"My dad has a couple."

"I'm just going to let that one go." 

"I wasn't spoiled."

"I never said you were" I laughed. We talked more and finished eating. 

"So not that I didn't appreciate the sushi but is that really 'stepping up your game'?" I asked as we were walking back to his car. 

"Who said that the night was over?" He said as we were getting back into car.

"It's almost midnight." I said. I was even surprised at how long we had spent at Bluefin.

"You promised me 12 hours. I still have about 8."

"I didn't know you literally meant 12 hours."

"Well, I did. We have a kinda long drive. You could take a nap if you like."

"That's okay. Just get me some caffeine and I'll be good."

"You aren't even going to ask where we are going?"

"Would it do me any good?"

"Nope. So what are we talking here—coffee, energy drink, IV drip?" 

"I think an energy drink will be just fine," I said laughing and laughing.

I stayed up and talked for about 2 hours. He never would tell me how long it would be though. I felt like it was a few dates rolled into one. Stevie must have really told him about my dating issues. Before long, I lost the battle and fell asleep. 

"Hey. We're here." I heard as his hand softly brushed my cheek. 

"I fell asleep." I whispered.

He laughed and laughed and laughed. "Yes, yes you did."

"What time is it?"

"3:30. Come on. I can take off at night but we have to wait until sunrise to land."

"Wait. What? Take off? Are we flying?"

"Just come on. You'll see." 

"Okay. Okay. Okay." I got out of the car and walked a ways before I saw it. "A hot air balloon?! We're going in a hot air balloon? Who's going to fly it?"

"Silly girl, I am."

"But who is going to pick us up. And sunrise is a while away. And..."

"Shhh. Just trust me. We're still in my 12 hours."

"Fine."

A few guys were there to help him get the balloon of the ground. He told me that they would come pick us up when we landed—we had a GPS in the balloon. I couldn't believe how beautiful everything was. I mean, I'd always wanted to jump out of a balloon, but I'd never thought about just riding in one.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"I think you are going to have a lot to live up to next time." He didn't respond. He just smiled. 

After a while, he finally asked the question I'd been expecting all night. "So what happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Clearly there is nothing wrong with you. So why don't you date?"

"I have a problem with trust."

"So does it make you uncomfortable that your life is in my hands right now?"

"Terribly uncomfortable."

"I think I deserve more than generic answer for this balloon ride."

"I had trust issues and then I got hurt, creating even more trust issues."

"Define 'got hurt'."

"I wouldn't want to lose my mystery..."

"I don't think that's possible."

"I liked a guy, my first time really really liking someone. It ended and left me hurt."

"You like to keep your distance don't you? See, Stevie told me that you dated a guy for three months, he moved and you haven't been the same since. Somehow, I think there is more to the story than that." 

"I...I...uh..." THIS is exactly why I don't date.

He came closer to me. "Charlie, I didn't mean it like that. Obviously, she is missing a rather large chunk of the story if it hurt you that bad."

"Cooper, this is our first date, a blind date at that. How much do you really need to know?"

"Do you think that you're the only one that's ever been hurt? I need to know what I'm getting myself into."

My mind drifted away to the day Macon broke it off. It feels like it was just yesterday--the pity in his eyes, his patronizing voice. "I don't think that I like you the way that you like me." The horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. "I really want to be friends still." The realization that my biggest fear was coming true.

"Charlie. Charlotte? Are you still with me?" I felt his hand on my face turning it towards his.

"You're not getting yourself into anything. Your 12 hours are almost up." I said sliding to the floor of the basket. 

"Dammit Charlie" he said sitting down beside me, "That's not what I meant. I want to know why you can't trust me." He stopped. "No, I want you to be able to trust me,"

"Okay." I said as he slipped one arm around me. "The day before it ended I told Stevie that my biggest fear with guys is that one day they will just decide they don't like me, that one day they will just wake up not liking me anymore and I'll have no warning. The VERY next day that's what happened. The guy told me he didn't have feelings for me two days after he told me how amazing I was. That's what no one understands. It's not about losing a guy or even really having my 'heart broken.' Granted, I found out later that it wasn't his feeling that had changed but his job. By then it was too late."

"Hey you...look at me. I understand." He put his hand on my face. I thought he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me. "And just for the record, you seem pretty amazing to me." And then he just stood up. He didn't even try to kiss me. "Get up here." He said pulling me to my feet. "You can't enjoy the view from there." I stood up but I couldn't take my eyes off him. "What?"

"Nothing," I said smiling as I turned to enjoy the unique view. 

We talked a lot more. We did have 3 hours. He told me how he'd had his heart broken. How his last girlfriend was over 4 years ago and she had cheated on him for months before he found out. I realized that he had trust issues too. I didn't want to like him. I really didn't. But I couldn't help it. Stevie knew I wouldn't be able to resist him. But I had to resist. Heartbreak was not something I was fond of.

"Look," he said slipping his arm around my waist. The sun had just begun to rise. It was truly the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. 

"Thank you." 

"For what?"

"For dinner. For the balloon ride. For everything." 

"No, thank you."

"For what?"

"For giving me 12 hours."

The sun rose. We landed. A driver was waiting to pick us up. It only took us an hour to get back. We got back to the house around 8. Before we could even get to door, Stevie had opened it. 

"Where have you been?!" She demanded.

"Uh. On a date?" I muttered, very confused. 

"When you get done, we are going to have a chat young lady." 

"Okay Mom." I laughed as she went back inside.

"I guess I'm gonna be in trouble too." Cooper snickered. 

"I'll try to calm her down before she sees you at the hospital tomorrow." That's how Stevie knew Cooper. She was a sonographer at the hospital where he worked.

"That would be greatly appreciated." He gently kissed my forehead. "I had a great time with you. Really. I'm glad I convinced you to give me a few hours."

"Well when you put it that way..." I gave him a big hug anyways. "Thanks for an incredible night."

"You had fun, really?"

"Oh shut up."

"You take care. Bye." And he got into the car and drove off. I walked inside, not really sure what to think. 

"Where in God's name have you been? I've been scared shitless! I called you a bazillion times."

"Stevie. Relax. I always turn my phone off on a date. Sorry."

"I was just worried. You're a little fragile you know." She took a deep breath. "So, where did he take you?"

"We went to eat at Bluefin."

"Okay, slightly above average."

"Then he took me on a hot air balloon ride."

"Are you serious?"

"Now I'm going to bed. I'm beat. I'll give you all the details later." I went to bed happily confused.

Charlie's Guide to Life Ch. 02



I woke up later that day and filled Stevie and Lex on most of the details from the date. I left out most of the "emotional stuff." I hoped that maybe he would call. Stevie said that she had given him my number before the date. But as the days passed, I thought I had just struck out again. That is until I happened to eavesdrop on a conversation. 

I was about to walk into the kitchen when I heard Stevie on the phone: "You weren't supposed to actually like her. I just wanted her cheered up, willing to date again." Typically, I'm not a snoop but I decided to pick up the other extension. 

"But I did like her. I mean I do. What is so wrong with me asking her out again?" A familiar male's voice asked.

"She's not your type. I mean, she's just not what you're looking for."

"How do you even know what I'm looking for. She's amazing, you know that. Amazing is my type." It was Cooper.

"She's not gonna put out Coop. I'm not even going to barely let you take advantage of her."

"I'm not an idiot Stevie. She's got it written all over her face. I know that she's a virgin."

"You do?"

"Yea, I do."

"Oh. And you still want to go out with her?" 

"Well yeah. Do I have your permission?"

"Just think about it for a couple weeks, and then you can ask her."

"Yeah, because that'd really be the way to her heart." 

"It's already been five days. She thinks you aren't going to call."

"Even more reason for me to call now."

"Fine. You hurt her and I'll make sure your dad kills you. Then I'll dig you up, revive you, and kill you again."

"Okay, okay." They talked for a few more minutes and she issued many more threats before they hung up. I appreciate Stevie trying to protect me but still.

Not even five minutes later, my cell phone rang. "Hello," I picked up thinking that it surely couldn't be him.

"Hey you."

"Cooper?"

"Do you have many other guys calling you?"

"Well no but..."

"I know, sorry it's taken me so long to call you back. I don't really have a good excuse. Well other than the uncertainty of conning a few more hours out of you."

"It's fine. You called."

"Can I have a few more hours?"

"As long as it isn't another all-nighter. "

"Okay, I'll pick you up tomorrow around noon."

"That didn't sound like you were asking."

"I'm too afraid to give you a chance to say no."

"What do I wear?"

"Jeans and a tee. Flat shoes."

"If I asked you what we were doing, would you tell me?"

"Never. See you soon."

"Bye." What had I gotten myself into?

The next day came fast. I dressed according to my instructions. I was surprised at how nervous I actually was. When the doorbell rang, I nearly had a heart attack. Stevie beat me to the door.

"Thanks Stevie," I said when I made it to the door.

"No problem," she smirked.

"Hey Charlie."

"Hey Cooper."

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."I said as I walked out the door. "Bye Stevie."

"So are we taking another road trip?" I asked as Cooper opened by door.

"Haha, no. Not this time." He said as he got into the car.

"Good, you know long car rides don't really work for me..."

"You mean you can't remain conscious on long car rides?" He laughed.

"So how long do I have to play nice? Not 12 hours I hope. I don't know if I can be nice that long today."

"Today? I don't recall you being nice that long last time."

"Maybe nice wasn't the right word."

"How about you just cooperate for the afternoon? Is that doable?"

"I guess so..."

"Good."

We drove for about 30 minutes into the country. Finally, we arrived at our destination. It was a BIG colonial home, well mansion actually. It was surrounded by acres and acres of land. The driveway had a big rod iron fence. I had no clue where we were. 

"So..." I questioned.

"You'll see..." We parked at the house. He even opened my door. "This is my parent's place." He must have seen my face because he added, "Don't worry. They are on vacation. Come on."

We walked into the house. His maid (yes maid), well his parent's maid, handed him a picnic basket. I wondered why we have driven all the way to his parent's house just to have a picnic. 

"Come on," he said leading me outside. "We have a little walk. I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, that's fine..."

"Well come on then." He said grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the house. We started walking toward the mystery location, but he never let go of my hand.

"Define 'little walk'." 

"About a mile. Think you can handle it."

"I dunno...That's pretty much a marathon."

"I think you will survive." He said squeezing my hand. He finally stopped in the middle of a clearing that looked just like the past mile. "See, that wasn't so bad."

"Not to be Debbie downer, but what is so special about this particular field?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Okay, then why walk a mile?"

"So we could be closer to the next surprise."

"So is every date going to be a surprise?"

"You mean I get another one?"

"Maybe. It depends how good the surprise is." He sat down the picnic basket and walked toward me. He was so close I thought he was going to kiss me.

He put his lips on my ear as he whispered, "In that case, I'm not worried." He put his hands on my waist and kissed my cheek. It took everything I had not to kiss him back. "Let's eat."

"Okay." I said almost too stunned to move. And then we ate. And we didn't even talk much, which in a way was interesting. We didn't have to talk. It wasn't awkward at all. I didn't feel like I needed to try so hard like I did with Macon. It just felt natural.

"I know it's probably corny but I brought champagne."

"Champagne," I laughed. "What are we celebrating?"

"You." 

"I think that you're just trying to get me drunk."

"I would never do that..."

"Uh huh. Sure" I said as he opened the champagne and poured two glasses.

"To you..." he said as we both took a drink. I tried unsuccessfully not to giggle. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing. So what's next?" 

"We drink the rest of this bottle?"

"You are trying to get me drunk." We finished the bottle and then he put everything back into the basket. 

"Well, let's go..."he said. He linked his fingers around mine. 

I leaned closer to him. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was just me. I took him about 5 seconds to drop the picnic basket and turn toward me. He put his hand on my face. His lips were less than an inch from mine. 

"Hi." He said barely breathing. He wrapped his other arm around my waist.

"Hi back." My world was spinning. I closed my eyes, and he pulled me closer to him. He sighed and backed away. He kissed my cheek and picked up the picnic basket. What had just happened? We started to walk again and he picked up my hand. "We're almost there," he said smiling. My heart was still racing.

"What are we doing?!" I demanded. And then I saw the stables and two beautiful horses.

"Horseback riding." He said as if it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. 

"Well of course." I said sarcastically.

"Shh you." He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me tight. "When I planned this, both horses were healthy. Now, only one is—so we are going to have to share one..."

"Share a horse?"

"Uh yeah. Is that a problem?"

"No...I guess not. I think that it's just an excuse to get close to me, though."

He chuckled. "It's quite possible."

I'm no horse expert, but I could tell that he was no ordinary horse. He was white with brown spots, almost like a leopard. Cooper threw out some fancy lingo about him being an 'Appaloosa'—because that really meant something to me. When I told him that, he just laughed at me and me that his name was Ranger. He had blue eyes. He was gorgeous. And the horse wasn't the only gorgeous creature there. I found myself staring at Cooper. HIS blue eyes. Short, wavy blonde hair. He wasn't tan but wasn't pale either. He was 6'3" with the right amount of muscle. And his smile was out of this world. I couldn't stop staring at him. I didn't get why he was so determined to be on a date with me. 

"What is it?" He asked. I hadn't realized how close he had gotten while I was daydreaming.

"Just you," I said as I leaned closer to him. "You're too good for..." 

He shut me up with a finger on my lips. "Hush. You are too..." But he never finished. He started to turn away as if he were trying to resist. I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. I put my hand on his face. I didn't have to do anything else. He pulled me close to him. It was inevitable. His hand reached up to my face. His lips slowly moved to mine for what felt like an eternity. And then his lips met mine. I swear I felt a spark. First a hard short kiss then one long, slow kiss and he pulled away. It was the kind of kiss that left you wanting, no needing, more. He un-entwined himself from me. 

"I...I'm. I'm, umm..."He stammered.

"Please don't apologize unless you really are sorry." 

"I'm not sorry at all," He said as he kissed my cheek then my nose then my forehead. But I had been so cold for so long and I needed more. I had been hiding from myself, hiding from the truth. Because I knew that if Macon had really liked me, he wouldn't have done what he did. And I knew there had been someone else. I had heard Lex and Stevie whispering about it one night. That was the real reason I had shut myself off. 

So I kissed him again and he didn't seem to mind. He put his hand on my face and kissed me as if he would never get another chance. He had his arm around my waist keeping my close. I finally broke away.

"I. Uh...I." I really didn't know what to say. He just laughed.

"You ready for the horseback riding?" He was grinning from ear to ear. I just nodded. The stable boy or stable man or whatever the politically correct term for the person who takes care of the horses helped us get on Ranger. I got on first and then Cooper got on behind me. He had to reach his arms around my waist to reach the reigns. I could almost feel electricity running from his arms every time he would brush against me. I leaned back so that my back was flush against his chest. 

"I can do that if you want. I have ridden a horse before." I said pointing to the reigns. I knew he wouldn't let me. In fact, I was hoping he wouldn't take me up on my offer. 

"I've got it," he said kissing my neck. I felt my whole face flush. I was doing what I said that I would never do—I was falling for someone, again. I couldn't help it. This time I didn't have to convince myself that he really liked me or that I liked him. It was obvious. And that made it even more difficult. "Just relax." He said as he let go of the reigns with one hand and wrapped it around my waist. 

"I am relaxed."

"No, you were relaxed until you started thinking."

"Sorry." I laughed.

"So...Tell me more about this boy that broke your heart."

"Why?"

"Because I am smart enough to realize that there is something that you aren't telling me..."

"He cheated on me."

"What?"

"He cheated—the last month he was screwing someone else and I didn't have a clue."

"But why?"

"Why what? Why was he screwing someone else? Probably because I wouldn't. Why didn't I realize? Probably because I didn't want to..."

"Does Stevie know?"

"Yeah. No one know that I know though...well, except for you."

"I'm sorry."

"Please don't. We only dated three months. Not three years."

"So because I was hurt 'worse' I shouldn't feel bad for you or even hear about it."

"That's...that's not what I meant."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just, I guess I still have a few issues to deal with myself."

I didn't really know how to respond. Cooper didn't really seem like the type to share his emotions like that. I never had to find a sensitive response because while I was processing my emotions I saw a snake in the path. I had no idea what kind of snake it was so I wasn't overly concerned. Cooper never saw anything. Ranger, on the other hand, did see the snake. And as good of a horse as Ranger is, the snake still scared him and he still bucked. Maybe if Cooper had realized what was going on he could have calmed Ranger or even braced. But he didn't. Ranger threw both of us off—violently. I flew off into a tree and Cooper landed on top of me. All I remember was feeling lots and lots of pain. Then everything went black. 

"Charlie....CHARLIE...Charlotte." I jolted awake. "Hey. You were starting to scare me."

"Are...are you okay?" 

"Am I okay?! Are YOU okay?"

It made sense to me that I asked if he was okay. I knew I wasn't. The sharp, piercing pain in my leg told me that much. "I'm fine. You?"

"I think I dislocated my shoulder." He said as I touched his arm. "Shit...I definitely dislocated my shoulder."

"We might have a problem." 

He was lying right beside me. He put his hand on my face. "I think I will survive."

By now the pain in my leg was sending me close to blacking out again. I knew it had to be bad. "I hurt my leg. I think I might have broken it."

He must have heard the desperation in my voice. He looked at my leg. His face gave it all away. "Umm. Yeah. It might be broken. I don't think you are going to be able to walk back to the house. And I can't carry you."

"Is it that bad."

"No no no. But I just figured you wouldn't be able to walk."

"Cooper. Please don't lie to me."

"Charlie. It's broken. It's a compound fracture."

"My...my bone. It's sticking out?"I said trying to sit up to look.

"Don't try and look. Just lay down. Ranger is right here. I'm gonna ride back to the stables and get him to call an ambulance. In the meantime, I'll bring the truck back to get you." 

"You're hurt too."

"I'll ride to the hospital with you. I have some friends that will take care of it."

"I don't want to be here alone."

"I'll be right back." He kissed my forehead and he was gone. 

It seemed like he was gone an eternity. The pain hit in waves. I would think that the pain was gone and it would come back again. Finally I heard the truck. I was ecstatic to see Cooper again. I could tell that someone had set his shoulder. His arms were both hanging at his sides and he showed no sign of pain.

"I told you I would be right back. The ambulance is on its way but it will be a little while. We are going to take you to the house." He said as he started to pick me up.

"Wait. Your shoulder!"

"It's back in and it doesn't hurt too bad." He answered as he lifted me up the rest of the way. 

"I guess this date turned out to be an adventure too."

"That it did. I feel bad about your leg. I'm so sorry. Ranger isn't usually so spooked. I don't know what got into him. If I had only..." I stopped him midsentence. I grabbed his face with both of my hands in kissed him. He seemed quite surprised but he kissed me back. I was just happy he didn't drop me.

"If only you had what? Killed all the snakes in the woods before our date? You know it's not your fault."

His only response was a smile. He carried me back to the truck. The "stable person" was waiting there. They put me in the bed of the truck and Cooper got into the back with me. We drove very slowly back to house. As we were pulling to the front of the house, I heard the ambulances off in the distance. That's when it hit me. I started to get really scared. I didn't just break my leg. I had a compound fracture. I would most certainly need surgery.

"Relax."

"I think I've heard that before. Perhaps just a little early today? I don't really think it helped anything."

"It's won't be as half as bad as you think. I promise." He said squeezing my hand. "I'm going to make sure that you get the best orthopedic surgeon and nurse anesthetist possible." 

"One with a dislocated shoulder? That makes me feel much better." 

"Shh. I think the pain is making you delusional."

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*Any comments, feedback, suggestions, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Any ideas on where the story should go? Send me a pm. Thanks for your support.

[More chapters coming soon ;o) ]