All of us woke up at 8:00. I went into the bathroom to change into some clothes. I put on a blue tank top and dark blue shorts. I completed my outfit with a flowy white vest over the tank top. Mike and I went downstairs first. "Good morning Aunt Kate," I said when I saw her around the corner. "Mornin' y'all," Aunt Kate replied. Biscuits and gravy, country potatoes, scrambled eggs, and bacon were on the table along with pitchers of milk and orange juice. "In Texas, we always have plenty of food for each meal. Has Mike been feedin' you alright?" asked Aunt Kate. "He sure has. I have to make sure he doesn't give me too much if anything," I answered. "Good boy Michael," Aunt Kate replied patting his cheek. We dug into our delicious breakfast. By the time we were finished, I was stuffed. "I couldn't eat another bite," I exclaimed. Mike and I went upstairs to brush our teeth. "So what do you think of Aunt Kate's cooking?" he asked me. "It's great. I just can't eat that much," I answered. "Aunt Kate always thinks we're too skinny," Mike chuckled. We walked into the bathroom and brushed our teeth. I brushed my hair and we went downstairs together.

While we were gone, Davy, Micky, and Peter brushed their teeth in the downstairs bathroom. "I'll be settling some things about the oil on my land most of the day so y'all can feel free to go on a long trail ride or whatever y'all feel like doin'," Aunt Kate said. "Micky and I can come along to keep you company," Peter volunteered. "That would be mighty fine," she replied. They saddled up some horses and rode into town. "I bet you would love to go on a trail ride Jennifer," Mike assumed. "I would love to," I replied excitedly. Davy, Mike, and I headed into the barn and looked at the horses. I decided to take a dark brown mare on the trail ride. We groomed our horses and saddled them up for the ride. Mike, Davy, and I put cowboy hats on to blend in. Plus, it was a really different experience for us. We mounted our horses and took off into the rocky land.

It was unlike any trail ride setting I had ever been in. The cross country feel made it very authentic. We dismounted to stretch our legs. I wandered a few feet away from Mike and Davy to take a look at a nearby corral. I put my foot on a rock to get a better view. All of a sudden, a rattlesnake shot out from beneath the rock and bit my right ankle. I yelled out in pain. "What is it?" Mike asked me before rushing over to me. "I got bit by a rattlesnake," I stuttered. I've never seen Mike look this scared before. "Davy man get over here," he yelled. "What is it?" Davy asked running towards us. "She got bit by a rattlesnake. Bring me my backpack," Mike instructed. Davy sprinted back and brought him the backpack. "Okay Jennifer, you have to sit down so the venom doesn't travel faster into your bloodstream," Mike told me calmly lowering me to the ground. He reached into the backpack and pulled out a bottle of water. He opened it, brought it to my lips, and I drank some slowly. "Davy, take off her socks and shoes so they don't cut off her circulation if it swells really big," Mike instructed. Davy did as he asked. Mike washed the bite with water and immobilized my ankle as well as he could. I felt really dizzy and slumped to the ground. Davy put his fingers on my wrist. "Her pulse is pretty fast," he said worriedly. "You need to try to calm down Jennifer. Tell me what's happening," Mike commanded gently. "I feel really dizzy, I can't really see that good, and I feel really hot," I answered. "We need to get you to the hospital. The nearest one is ten miles away so we'll have to get there by horse," he replied.

Mike lifted me up with ease and whistled for our horses to come to us. They trotted over. "Jennifer's horse Sapphire will be able to get back to the ranch by herself as long as I let out a long whistle. Davy, do you think you could manage to ride with Jennifer in front of you? You're a better rider than I am and could get Jennifer to the hospital faster," Mike assumed. "Of course I ran ride with another person in front of me," Davy replied. He mounted his horse quickly. Mike lifted me onto Davy's horse and let out a long whistle to tell Sapphire to go back to the ranch. She ran off as soon as she heard it for a few seconds. Mike mounted his horse and we raced off to the hospital. I was feeling really tired after twenty-five minutes of riding and started to close my eyes. "Stay awake Jennifer," Davy said lightly tapping my cheeks. The horses increased their pace as if they knew getting to the hospital a few seconds quicker could make a difference. After a few minutes, I couldn't stay awake any longer and slipped into unconsciousness.

Mike's POV

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jennifer slump forward and Davy caught her to position her leaning into him to stay as balanced as possible. My heart was racing. The hospital was five minutes away. I was starting to question if we were going to make it to the hospital in time. I pushed my horse to go faster and Davy did the same. I felt a small amount of relief when the hospital was in sight. I practically leaped off my horse when we reached the feeding post areas. I tied both of our horses to it and let them drink the water and food inside the trough. I patted their necks briefly to thank them for getting us here as quickly as they could. I took Jennifer from Davy's arms and burst through the hospital doors. "Someone help me please! My daughter's been bit by a rattlesnake," I shouted desperately. A group of nurses rushed over to me with a hospital bed and I set Jennifer on it. They quickly moved her into a room in the emergency room section out of urgency to start treating her. A doctor came into the room as the nurses tested Jennifer's vital signs and administered anti-venom. "How long has she been unconscious?" the doctor asked. "Ten minutes," I answered. "The patient has really low blood pressure, two puncture wounds, and is struggling to breathe," a nurse stated. "Put her on oxygen. Did she tell you her symptoms before she passed out?" the doctor inquired. "She was dizzy, tired, and had blurred vision," I answered. "Yeah that's classic rattlesnake bite symptoms. Hook her up to an IV with anti-venom, hydrating fluid, and something to get her blood pressure back to normal," the doctor ordered. The nurses quickly set up the IV, stuck the needle into Jennifer's arm, and put in a breathing tube. "We've done all we can do for now. We'll just have to see how she reacts to the treatment. Blood tests will be taken every couple of hours. We have to move her to the intensive care unit," the doctor said gravely. I swallowed and nodded briefly.

The nurses transported Jennifer to the intensive care unit. Davy and I followed them. By the time we got there, they were starting the blood test. We looked away and sat down in two of the chairs that were in the room. The nurses finished the blood test a few minutes later. "We'll let you know when we get the results," one of them said before exiting the room. Davy and I scooted our chairs next to Jennifer's bed. "I'm so sorry Jennifer," I whispered. Davy paced the length of the room. Time passed so slowly. A doctor came into the room and stood next to me. "Jennifer's blood pressure has improved slightly but we still have to monitor it.. Her oxygen level is at a very low level so we will increase the amount of oxygen in her breathing tube. We're going to have to get brain scans to see if the decrease in oxygen is causing any swelling," he said. "Okay," I replied. The nurses whisked Jennifer out of the room.

Davy looked out the window. "Do you know when your aunt, Micky, and Peter will be back?" he asked. "Not for a couple hours probably, but we have to call them," I answered. I dialled the oil company where they were at and was placed on hold for Aunt Kate to pick up. "Hello," I heard her say. "Hi Aunt Kate. It's Mike. Jennifer got bit by a rattlesnake and we're at the hospital," I informed her. "Oh dear! How's she doin'?" Aunt Kate asked. "She's been unconscious for about a half hour and the doctor said something about low blood pressure and low oxygen level," I answered. "I will be done here in a few more hours, but I can tell Micky and Peter how to get to the hospital so they can meet up with you," Aunt Kate replied. "That will be great. Come on down when you can," I said. "Of course dear," she replied and the call was ended.

The nurses returned Jennifer to the room. To my disappointment, she was still unconscious. "The doctor will be back with the results shortly," one of the nurses said before they left the room. Jennifer was looking really pale with a slight blue tint. The doctor walked briskly into the room. "There is enough swelling in Jennifer's brain to have a cause for concern so we will have to put her into surgery to have fluid removed," he told us. "But that should take care of the swelling right?" I asked worriedly. "To an extent. If we find that the swelling is still large enough, we'll give medication through the IV to reduce it," the doctor answered. "How soon does the surgery need to be done?" Davy asked. "As soon as possible. She is in a near-coma state already," the doctor answered quickly. I signed the form that gave permission for her to go into surgery and receive any necessary treatment. Davy and I were forced outside so the nurses could put a hospital gown on Jennifer.

Within a few minutes, we were called back into the room. "You two can have a moment with her before she goes into surgery," a nurse said understandingly. The other nurses followed suit and left the room. "You'll be okay Jennifer. We'll be here for you when you get out of surgery. All of us love you," I murmured. "Duke and Sapphire love you too," Davy added. I smirked and kissed Jennifer's forehead. Davy kissed her cheek. The lead nurse knocked on the door before walking into the room. "You can follow us down to the operating room and I'll show you where your waiting area will be," she said holding onto the bed and pushing it out of the room. We followed the group of nurses to the station where the put the patient under anesthesia. It was administered and we continued down the hallway where the waiting area was. Davy and I sat down in the chairs and watched Jennifer being taken away. It was a helpless feeling that I couldn't do anything to help her at this point.

Peter and Micky came down to our waiting area a half hour later. All of us shared a group hug. "When did the surgery start?" Micky asked. "About a half hour ago," I answered. "I knew snake bites could be fatal, but I didn't think they were this fatal," Peter said. "Most people are okay once anti-venom is administered," I replied. None of us knew what to say to each other. We sat in silence until a doctor came into our waiting area two hours later. "The good news is that the fluid was successfully removed from the brain. The bad news is that she is comatose," he stated. "What made her go into a coma?" Peter asked. "When the body knows that something is really wrong with it, it shuts itself down until it heals. In Jennifer's case, her body knew that enough oxygen wasn't in her system so it shut down," the doctor answered. "Do you have any idea when she'll wake up?" I asked. "It's pretty unpredictable. She's lucky even to have survived this long with such low oxygen levels. There is a chance she can come out of this okay and there's a chance the swelling could backfire or her body is starved from oxygen too long," the doctor answered carefully. "So is there anything else that can be done for her?" Davy asked. "We'll be giving her a high flow of oxygen through her breathing tube and increase it if necessary," the doctor answered before taking us to Jennifer's room upstairs.

Thankfully, Jennifer didn't look any worse but even that didn't tell us too much. Davy, Micky, and Peter left to get some lunch for us. I went to Jennifer's bedside and knelt down next to her. "You have such a knack for getting in dangerous situations. But you always pull through. You've made our lives better since we found you. You're very kind-hearted, talented, patient, funny, and loving. I can't imagine life without you now. Please stay," I said desperately before a tear fell from my eye. I heard footsteps come into the room. "It's only me Michael.," Aunt Kate said walking closer to me. I quickly wiped the tears of my face. "You haven't cry since the time you saw your momma cry. She's a very special girl," she said putting her hands on my shoulders. "The doctors aren't sure if she'll make it," I sobbed. "She loves you guys so dearly that she'll do anything she can to stay. If I didn't know she was your adopted daughter, I would have been sure that she was your biological daughter. She's a lot like you you know," Aunt Kate replied. I thought about what she said and realized that Jennifer is a lot like me. "Your friends will be here soon. Freshen up in the bathroom. I'll stay here with her," she stated. I walked to the bathroom, put water on my face before drying it off, and went back to the room.

Micky, Peter, and Davy were back with food. I took a sandwich and a drink. We ate our lunch and each of us spent individual time with Jennifer as well as being together till 7:00 when visiting hours were over. "Only one of you can stay overnight," a nurse said. "You stay with her Mike. We'll be back in the morning," Davy told me. All of them hugged me before they exited the room and rode back to the ranch. The nurse changed the couch into a bed for me and told me where stuff like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and snacks could be found in the family lounge area. I decided to not bother with disposable pajamas but brushed my teeth for the night. I returned to Jennifer's side when I was done. I sat down next to her and remebered how I sang to her when she was upset. I decided to sing the song I wrote recently but haven't shown anyone. I began to sing softly.

Well, I've known for a long time
The kind of girl you are
Of a smile that covers teardrops
The way your head yields to you heart

Of things you've kept inside
That most girls could not bear
I've known you for a long time
But I've just begun to care

I've known of all the heartaches
I've known of all the pain
I've seen you when the sun shines
And I've seen you when it rains

I've seen you make a look of love
From just an icy stare
I've known you for a long time
But I've just begun to care

Oh, I know I've been blind
To not have loved you all this time
But the image of you was not clear
I guess I've been standing too near

Oh, it's taken me a while
But I have finally found
What you are to me
And that's what really counts

What you are to me
Is something we can share
I've known you for a long time
But I've just begun to care

Oh, I know I've been blind
To not have loved you all this time
But the image of you was not clear
I guess I've been standing too near

And it's taken me a while
But I have finally found
What you are to me
And that's what really counts

What you are to me
Is something we can share
I've known you for a long time
But I've just begun to care
Yes, I've known you for a long time
But I've just begun to care

I stroked Jennifer's cheek and kissed her forehead before making myself comfortable on the makeshift bed. I pulled up the blanket and turned off the lights in hope of Jennifer surviving and possibly waking up tomorrow.