Read Casey's Courage for Free Online

state troopers’ help, it landed in the middle of the highway, transferred Casey, and arrived back at the hospital by the time a team of specialists had scrubbed in.
    When the ambulance left, Tres returned to the sale ring where the veterinarian had put an air cast on the mare’s leg. Jake and several other men stood around waiting for Ira to bring in the truck with a hoist to take the sedated mare to the hospital area of the breeding barn.
    Tres placed a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “Ray Milton is flying back to San Marcos. He said he’ll take you and Pauline to San Angelo to be with Casey.” Jake’s look of loss and disbelief urged Tres to get Casey’s dad moving. He touched Jake’s shoulder again. “Go get Pauline and pack what you need to stay for a while. We’ll take care of things here. I’ll call and reserve a room for you in the hotel adjacent to the hospital.”
    A medical counselor met Jake and Pauline in the waiting room. After introducing herself, she said, “Casey has a broken right leg and hip and two cracked vertebrae in her neck. Her head injury is serious, but we don’t know just how much damage has been done yet. The doctors are still working on her and conferring with other neurologists.”
    Pauline was pale but calm. “When can we see her?”
    “When the doctors have completed the necessary surgery, I don’t know how long that will be. You can see her for five minutes each hour once she is settled in ICU.”

    Jake, in shock and not able to deal with how he last saw Casey, seemed to operate in limbo. “Where do I need to go to find out if Mr. Spencer got a room for us?”
    The unruffled counselor replied, “I’ll call and check for you.” She walked to the nurses’ desk to use the phone. After a short conversation, she turned back to the Masons. “Your room is 306. There’s a door down the hall to the left you can take to go over to the hotel. Everything is wheel-chair accessible.”
    “She’s hurt really bad, isn’t she?” Pauline asked, her voice quivering.
    The counselor placed a calming hand on Pauline’s shoulder. “Head injuries are hard to judge, but Dr. Newton is an excellent neurologist. He also has several other neurologists with whom he confers. Casey is in good hands.”
    In the early morning hours, Pauline and Jake were finally allowed to see Casey. Her inert body lay with her leg and hip encased in a cast. She was strapped to a bed that gyrated and rocked in slow motion.
    Pauline’s breath caught in her throat when she finally made herself look at Casey’s head.
    “Are you all right?” the nurse asked.
    Pauline frowned. “Why did they shave off her hair and put ice around her head?”
    The nurse talked as she adjusted every little thing about the equipment. “She had a deep gash on the right side of her head that had to be sutured. A tube had to be inserted to drain the fluid buildup causing pressure on her brain. The tiny wires you see were put in to help conduct the cold from the ice around her head to reduce swelling.”
    Shock and the effort to cope with things alien to his world made Jake oblivious to anyone else’s needs. Intravenous tubes, wires, and a close-fitting neck brace made the pale person on the bed look like someone from outer space, not his daughter. Something inside him crumbled. His dreams—gone forever.

    Jake’s low, rumbling voice startled the nurse and Pauline. “Will she be mentally handicapped for the rest of her life?”
    “Right now there is no way to know. The doctors are doing all they can to keep that from happening. When Dr. Newton makes his rounds in the morning, you can talk with him.”
    “Why’s she in that moving bed?” Pauline asked.
    The nurse finished marking a chart. “To help circulation while she is unconscious. May I suggest that you go get some rest? You’ve had a long night. We’ll call if there is a change in Casey’s condition.”
    Three days later, Jake went back to the ranch. He told Pauline to