“I suppose we were. But I was an idiot.”
Jim’s grin widens. “Glad you figured that out. Better late than never. And for the record, you better not hurt her again.” He claps me on the back again.
“I promise. I won’t.”
I’m about to say more, but a nurse wheels Brit back into the room.
“How’s the patient?” Jim asks her as he stands.
“The doctor is looking at the x-ray now,” she states.
“What am I going to do with my kiddos? First, Niko and now you,” he teases.
Brit giggles. “Bubble wrap?”
The doctor walks in and smiles. “Not broken. I’ll get you a boot. I’d like you to wear it for at least three weeks. It’s a pretty bad sprain. I’ll give you the number of a PT place. You’ll want to learn some strengthening exercises to help it mend. I’ll prescribe some pain and anti-inflammatory meds for the first few days. But only take them if you need them. Otherwise, over-the-counter meds will work just fine. Lots of ice and staying off of it for a few days will help. Let me write everything up, and we’ll get you out of here in a few minutes.”
“Well, I guess skiing is out for tomorrow,” she says with a sheepish smile.
“We wouldn’t want any more trees to get injured,” I reply with a laugh. She shoots me a glare. “What? Too soon?”
Jim laughs as a nurse comes in with a boot and discharge papers. She goes over everything again and shows Brittany how to put the boot on her foot. She also gives her crutches, which Jim and I have to force Brit to accept.
Once she’s all booted up and ready to go, she limps out of the ER with both of us in tow.
“I’ll go grab the car,” her dad says.
She turns to me as we stand near the door.
“Thanks... for the help,” she says to me.
“I’m just glad that you’ll be OK.”
She nods and looks over at her dad, who is pulling the car around the parking lot in front of us. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you soon.” I know she doesn’t want to have a serious chat in front of her dad, so I decide to save the conversation for later, as much as that pains me.
She starts to hobble toward Jim’s car that’s just pulled up to us. She turns back as she opens the door.
“If the whole ski instructor thing doesn’t work out, you could always become an EMT,” she says with a grin and gets into the car.
I shake my head and go to find my car.
Brittany
I shuffle into the cabin and sit down on the sofa next to Niko. I prop my foot on the coffee table, and he stretches out beside me.
“Well, you two are quite the pair,” Dad says with a chuckle.
I roll my eyes. “Can you grab my guitar for me?” I ask.
He heads to the loft and brings it down to me.
“I suppose we’ll need to switch rooms. I don’t think you are going to be able to climb the stairs up to the loft.”
I sigh. “I suppose you are right.”
“Did you call Mom?” he asks.
“I texted her.”
“You should call her. Have you talked with her since you’ve been home?” he prods. Dad knows full well that I am not super close with my mom. We mostly text each other. I visit her about once a year and speak to her about once a month. We’ve just never been super close. I was always a daddy’s girl, and when they divorced, I became even more of a daddy’s girl. Plus, Mom met Walter about three months after they separated, so she’s never really been alone.
“I’ll call her,” I state with a hint of irritation in my voice.
“Good. I’ll make you something to eat,” Dad says as he walks into the kitchen.
“Dad, I’m not really hungry.”
He sticks his head around the corner. “You can’t take the meds on an empty stomach. I’ll make you some toast and tea.”
“Fine,” I mutter. I know I’m behaving like a petulant child, but right now, I feel like I’ve hit a new low. And then I remembered I was supposed to work tonight.
Fuck. My. Life.
I pull out my phone and call Zane.
“Yep, forget something?” he answers.
“I am so sorry! I just got home from the ER.”
“What? Are you OK?”
“I sprained my ankle pretty badly, but I didn’t break anything.”
“What happened?” he asks.
“I went for a quick ski and, well, the mountain won.”
He chuckles. “Sorry to hear that. I’m guessing you need to stay off it for a few days?”
I sigh. “Yeah. I’m really, really sorry.”
“No worries. Just let me know when you’re healed.”
“Thanks, Zane.”
“Sure thing.”
I hang up as Dad sets toast and tea down for me. “Eat up,” he urges as he sits down next to me and pulls out a book. I’ve tried for years to get him to read on the e-reader I bought for him, but he refuses to read on electronics. Thus, the newspapers on the table, the magazines in the bathroom, and the paperback books on the nightstand. The man is hopeless.
I grab my pen and paper from my guitar case and start jotting notes. As a melody comes to me, I strum it on the guitar and write it down. We become immersed in our own worlds. Dad and I have always been like two peas in a pod. It’s a comforting silence except for my guitar strumming. Niko falls asleep beside us.
My phone pings with a text. I look down and smile.
Cole: Hey stranger! You want to grab drinks later this week?
Me: Sure. But I have to warn you that I fell skiing so I am a little gimpy.
Cole: Oh shit. Are you OK?
Me: I’ll live. My pride’s hurt more than my ankle.
Cole: LOL. Well, pick a place and time and we can meet up.
Me: OK.
I smile and set down the phone. But my smile fades into a frown as I think about Ty. I clearly still have feelings for him, but should I? As the evening wears on, I find my mojo and the words and notes begin to flow. Long after Dad goes up to bed, I crawl into his bed with Niko and eventually fall asleep after spending way too many hours thinking about Cole and Ty and what I should do about both of them.
Eleven
Brittany
My phone pinging is what wakes me the next morning.
Harley: Bitch! Get up!
Harley: OMG! Parker just told me what happened!
Harley: Are you dead? You better fucking answer me or I’m coming over!
Harley: Coming over.
Harley: You best open this door in one minute or I’m getting the spare key. #dontsueme #ownersdaughter #ownerprivileges #justgotthekey
I groan as I hear the door open.
“You better be dead!” Harley’s voice rings out from the front of the cabin.
I groan. “I’m in here, you wench!”
Harley stands in the doorway a moment later with her hands on her hips. “You couldn’t call? Text? Respond to a text?”
I pull the blanket off my busted leg. She winces. “You need a girl’s night out.”
I roll my eyes. “Right. I have a boot for God’s sake. I’m not going anywhere.”