Sheila had left, but the visitor who had been pushing at the door had also never come in. I was truly alone for the moment and sat up with shaky muscles. I pulled the blanket free with my right hand and was careful to not move my left arm. It had been put into a sling, and there was more gauze and bandages on it than I’d thought.

A .22 in the shoulder? Either it was a minor flesh wound, or the pain medicine was working wonders. I made it to my feet without pulling out the IV lines and wheeled my IV to the bathroom. I took one look at myself in the mirror and considered the shower, but knew I couldn’t with everything hooked up to me.

I took care of business and used a washcloth, bar of soap and a disposable razor that had been left in a neat pile to clean myself up. Doing it one handed was challenging, but I was finding that the more I moved, the easier it got, no matter how shaky and weak my muscles were.

My stomach grumbled when I finished brushing my teeth. Maybe I could grab some lunch and get out of here soon. There was one thing I couldn’t do one handed, and that was tie the back of my gown closed. I’d have Jackson or Ali help me, cursing my sling and wondering how hard it would hurt if I were…

I’d pushed open the door to the room, the gown flowing behind me as I almost got scared out of my skin.

“Surprise,” Mom, Dad, Ali, Jackson, Sandy, and Charlie shouted. I fell on my ass.

“Shit,” I said, after making sure I hadn’t pulled my IV out. Jackson and Bill helped me up, putting the IV machine back on its wheels, and the girls gave me some privacy as my gown was retied.

I laughed, laughed hard, and soon everyone else was as well. The doctor and nurses were pissed, I could tell, but I didn’t have a problem with my heart and I hadn’t hit my head so… lighten up guys? Once I was sitting on the bed, my ass covered, I saw Mom kneel and pick something up. Her movements were covered by Alison, who was smiling big enough to make the Cheshire cat jealous, and I knew some sort of mischief was coming.

“What’s the surprise about?” I asked them.

“Well, it is your birthday,” Mom reminded me.

“What?”

“Well, you know. It’s that one day a year I celebrate when you came from my stomach.”

“I keep forgetting how long I was out.”

It was the truth, plus I hadn’t celebrated my birthday since I’d left the ranch. It was a part of my life I was running away from back then.

“We’d always planned to be home for your birthday, Son,” Bill said.

“And surprise!” Mom said, putting a baby in my arms.

I stood there, looking at the pink bows in her sparse hair and got a smile from her. Her chubby hands were clenched and I would have done more, but I was one handed. I blew her hair out of her eyes and watched her blink. Mom smiled and pulled her back.

“One more surprise,” Alison said, before walking up to the bed with a little boy holding her hand.

“Hello,” I told him, but he was half hiding behind Alison’s leg. It had been his eye peeking in while the FBI was questioning me.

“Hi,” he said softly, with a thick accent.

“I’m Cameron. Are you my little brother?” I asked him. He just nodded and tried to hide behind Ali.

“He wants to be a cowboy when he grows up,” Mom said, coaxing him from Ali and sitting him on the edge of the bed.

“That’s a good job, an important one.”

“I want to be sheriff cowboy,” he said, his accent thick but understandable.

“Good. What’s your name, little man?”

He said something unintelligible to me, and I had to wonder how old he was. No older than three or four by his size if I had to guess. Mom just smiled, but Bill came to the bed, holding the baby.

“This is Lilly and that is Kyle.”

I grinned like a fool.

“The doc says you can go home day after tomorrow if you don’t overdo it today.”

A nurse came in to give me a new cup of water and check my vitals.

“Good.”

“So rest. These folks can come back later.”

“Okay, okay.” I grumpily said my goodbyes. I tried to ask Alison to stay for a moment, but she just shook her head and left with my parents.

“So can you unhook me from this yet?”

“Yes, and let’s get the sling off a moment so the doc can check your bandages when he comes in.