When Nathan awakes, questions race through his head, but his parents provide few answers. Anger and frustration set in; his dad tries to console him by noting he had a solid ride with five seconds. But Nathan is determined to ride again to bring the proper fall of Gangucha. Will Nathan’s determination be enough to see him back on Gangucha, or will his determination be needed for something not yet known?
Three Seconds
Nathan reopens his eyes and looks at the empty chair beside the bed.
****
Nathan opens his eyes and sees his mom sleeping in the chair beside the bed. His mouth is dry, but he notices his headache is less severe. A surge of fear rushes through him when a rhythmic beep ripples through the room: beep, beep, beep, beep. His mom remains motionless, almost seeming dead to the noise. Nathan soon hears a few quick steps before the beeping is silenced. He shifts his eyes to the left and watches the nurse punching buttons on a monitor. She looks over and says, “Hey there, you’re awake.”
“Yeah, I just needed a quick nap.”
“Well, a quick nap never hurts anyone, but you’ve had us worried,” she says, pushing one last button.
“I only slept an hour. What was there to worry about?”
“Nathan, do you know what day it is?”
“Of course, it’s Tuesday, the same day when I started my nap!” Nathan responds with a yawn.
“No, it’s Friday, November 6; you went to sleep on Tuesday, October 16.” Nathan is silent. “Let me wake your mom; she is going to be so thrilled. She hasn’t left your bedside since the Tuesday that you remember.”
“Can you wait a minute?” Nathan asks. “Can you tell me what the doctors have been saying? I know you will be straight with me.”
The nurse grabs her chart, flips through some pages, and reads, “Doctor Kovensky and Doctor Murdall have determined that you are suffering from a serious neck and head injury.”
Nathan’s mom shifts in the chair and quickly stands up when she notices the nurse beside the bed. “Is everything all right?” she asks before seeing Nathan’s open eyes. “You’re awake!” Tears roll down her face as she leans over to kiss his forehead.
Nathan watches the nurse quietly slip out of the room; he wants to ask her some more questions, but she escapes under the fussing of his mom. He looks at his mom and says, “Has it really been three weeks?” She nods her head. “Where is dad?”
“He’s doing chores at the ranch, but he’ll be back tonight. We’ve been here every day and night.” She pulls her chair closer and sits on the edge of it. “How are you feeling?”
“Well, I’ve been better, mom. But my head doesn’t hurt as much.”
“Is there anything I can get you? Some ice chips, maybe?”
“Can you tell me what is really going on?” Nathan asks, looking into his mom’s eyes.
She leans back, runs her fingers through her hair, and slowly says, “The doctors are 95% certain that your injuries will not allow you to walk again. But there is so much out there today…there’s electric wheelchairs…there’s assistive feeding devices…there’s even animals who are trained to help you…there’s…”
“Mom, mom, I don’t care about those things; why didn’t you just say I’ll never ride again?” Nathan feels a tear slip out of the corner of his eye. “It’s not fair; it’s just not fair! I rode Gangucha well; I was only three seconds short, mom, only three seconds!”
She stands up and puts her hand on Nate’s shoulder. “Honey, everyone knows you rode that bull well; your record will forever be remembered.” She is silent and looks out the window. Nathan senses her intense regrets even in her silence.
“I’m sorry, mom. It’s not your fault.”
“Just remember your dad and I will always be here for you, no matter what!”
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