Taken By A Texan. Lass Small

the slightest smile on Andrew’s face. His eyes closed. There was a long exhale of breath and his body seemed to dissolve. There were several gasps there in the room. All female.

      Rip looked at the sister. She was watching her brother intently. The nurse took Andrew’s wrist and felt the heartbeat She’d thought he’d died. His breathing was so slow. But it was steady. He had sunk down into deep sleep.

      The dog looked at Rip. He told the dog, “He’s okay. You can stay fifteen minutes, then we’ll go home and you can come back this afternoon.”

      Rip was actually letting the nurse know how he was going to let the dog come visit. She took a protesting breath, but the floor doctor was at the door.

      The doctor came inside the room and took up Andrew’s wrist. The doctor didn’t push the dog aside but left him with his forefeet on the side of the bed.

      The doctor lifted one of Andrew’s eyelids and listened to his breaths, then he said, “He’s sleeping very nicely. He needs to sleep. This has been a very tough time.” Then he turned to Rip and smiled. And he said, “Thank you for bringing his dog up. Do it again this afternoon. Andrew has been restless and frowning. Obviously, he’s been worried about the dog. Knowing the dog is all right, Andrew will rest better.”

      “When’s the best time?” That was Rip’s response to the obvious logic.

      “We’ll stimulate him and shift him. We’ll wake him about two. Come then.”

      “Okay.”

      “—and bring the dog.”

      “Off course.”

      

      As Rip left the room with the dog, the patient’s sister followed. She had not protested the dog or the man, and it was now that she said, “Thank you for bringing Buddy along.”

      “So that’s his name?” Rip found himself looking at the snippy woman. She was a looker without doing anything about it. She didn’t have on any makeup other than those eyelashes and her hair was casual.

      She said, “Andrew and Buddy are good friends... buddies.”

      “That’s why the dog went looking for help.”

      “Is that how you found him?”

      “The son of our boss, Tom Keeper, saw the dog first. He sent out the alarm. He was on horseback. I had a plane. I took Buddy and flew low and we found him...Andrew.” And again Rip asked, “What the hell was Andrew doing out in that territory?”

      “I have no idea.”

      About then, the doctor came up the corridor and smiled as he said, “There’s a boy who should see Buddy. Would you mind taking a little more time?”

      Being a loner, visiting wasn’t one of the things Rip chose to do. But how could he refuse when he knew the dog was a curious creature? Actually, the dog was nosy. So Rip said to the doctor, “Lead the way.”

      The thing that surprised Rip most was that the sister... whose name he hadn’t heard... was following. She must be bored just sitting next to her sleeping brother. But then, what good would that do, just sitting by a man who was entirely out of it?

      So what’s-her-name went along. She had a good, easy walk.

      The doctor told Rip, “There’s a very lonely boy whose home is a long way from here. He has brothers and sisters who call him, but he doesn’t have any visitors. He, too, has a bad leg. But his is broken.”

      The boy’s name was Chuck. He lay in bed with his leg elevated somewhat by a complicated bunch of wires. He was pale and very quiet. He was watching TV.

      In an aside, the doctor said to Rip, “Thank God for TV children’s shows.”

      Two nurses said softly, “Amen.”

      Andrew’s sister asked, “But do the kids get together and watch?”

      The doctor nodded. “Those who can walk. Some of them come here, if they’re not too ill.”

      The doctor went in the boy’s room. “Hello, Chuck. May I bring in a friend?”

      The boy turned his head slowly. “Yeah.”

      And the dog came in alertly, looking. Did he expect to see Andrew again? He put his feet up against the high bed and looked at the patient.

      The boy was delighted! “Hello!” he exclaimed. “How’d you get inside?”

      And the doctor said, “His master is in the hospital. He’s asleep. The dog’s name is Buddy. I thought you might like to know him.”

      Chuck smiled and put out his hand. The dog, Buddy, gave the boy’s hand a lick, and Chuck smiled as he petted the dog.

      It was a nice thing to watch. But the doctor had to leave and did so quietly.

      The nurse said to Chuck, “Don’t put your hand on your face or in your mouth until I’ve washed it.”

      They all laughed, but the important laugh was Chuck’s.

      

      

      After fifteen minutes, the nurse in charge reluctantly signaled Rip to leave. Rip told Chuck, “We’ll see you this afternoon.”

      Another visit from the dog was something for the boy to anticipate.

      The nurses were charming in their goodbyes.

      Andrew’s sister watched those people leave before she said to Rip, “Thank you for coming. Andrew will be so glad to see Buddy again this afternoon. I know keeping the dog and bringing him here takes your time. Is Buddy a problem for you?”

      “Naw. He just goes along with me. He likes flying.”

      She actually looked at him as she asked, “What sort of flying do you do?”

      He returned her look, and he found he liked the way she watched him. He told her, “I look at crops, at the height of grasses, for vans that are off the highway and could be rustlers after cattle...and I look for people who don’t have cellular phones and can be lost.”

      She watched him soberly. “...or trapped under a dead horse.”

      “I mostly look for our guys. Andrew is my first foreigner.” Well, he wasn’t from another land, so Rip added, “A nonresident...trespasser.” His tongue just added that. It was true. Andrew hadn’t had permission to trod on acreage that was private land.

      Andrew’s sister guessed, “He was where he wasn’t supposed to be?”

      “Exactly.” Then without his permission, Rip’s tongue just went on, “He could have gone to any highway rest stop and inquired as to how he might go anywhere. There are state cops at almost all the rest stops. They give information. Nobody intrudes on private lands. And to go over a fence and out on the lands and get lost is a great nuisance for the owners and crews on the places. It takes our time and concern. We are busy people.”

      “How are you managing?” She gestured. Then, realizing that wasn’t enough, she added, “Coming here and taking care of Buddy?”

      Rip looked at Andrew’s sister and thought it was probably a good thing he didn’t know her name. She lured him. He didn’t want that kind of serious, unknowing lure. He sighed and said, “I manage. He’s a good dog. My boss gives me the time to bring him to see the pilgrim.” He almost instantly bit his lip.

      “Pilgrim?”

      It was not a kind name. Rip had used it to mean a person who’d landed where nobody wanted him. So Rip said, “Uhhh. Well, he was new to us.”

      Andrew’s sister nodded. Then she said, “If anything... changes...I could call you and save you the time coming into town. Is there a phone number where I can reach you?”

      He asked, “What’s your