Chapter 5 #2
The worst part about this situation for Lucy was that she couldn’t bring herself to broach the subject of next steps with her beloved.
They talked about everything. They had the kind of relationship she used to dream about before she met him and discovered what was possible.
So why couldn’t she ask him about their future and what he saw happening for them?
She didn’t know, and that made her feel like a spineless, wimpy, ridiculous excuse for a modern woman who ran her own business but couldn’t seem to manage her relationship.
Lucy was descending into a full-on pity party when a shout from the hill had her snapping out of it in time to see Simone mid-fall.
She landed hard on the packed surface and let out a scream that made Lucy’s blood go cold. She took off running toward her niece and Colton, who was on his knees next to her.
Simone’s shrieks had the attention of everyone in the area.
Her heart pounding, Lucy tried to walk up the small hill, but the snow and ice were so slippery, she kept stumbling.
The snow patrol team had spikes in their boots that made it possible for them to rush by her in their haste to get to Simone.
Lucy stopped and looked up at Colton, hoping for info.
He held his arm up and pointed to the elbow.
“Please let her be okay,” Lucy whispered as she watched the snow patrol remove Simone’s skis and load her onto a sled-litter thing to bring her down. “Please, please, please.”
As soon as they started down the mountain with Simone, who was still screaming, Colton came down to where Lucy stood at the foot of the hill, feeling useless and frightened.
He kicked up a wall of snow as he came to a stop beside her. “I think her elbow is dislocated.”
“Oh no.”
“The good news is it can be fixed pretty easily. The bad news is it hurts like hell.”
At the thought of Simone in so much pain, Lucy felt like she was going to be sick.
“Hey,” Colton said. “Look at me. Breathe. She’s okay. It sounds worse than it is.”
Lucy watched as the snow patrol headed for a building with a big red cross on the outside. “If you say so.”
“Hop on.”
“What?”
“Jump on, and I’ll give you a ride to the first aid building.”
“Um, I…” Visions of calamity danced through her brain, making her hesitate.
“Lucy, come on! She needs us.”
His urgent tone got her attention. She jumped onto his back and held on for dear life as he pointed his skis toward the building while she tried not to scream her head off. Colton brought them to a swift stop right by the door.
Simone’s shrieks could be heard from outside.
Lucy dropped down from Colton’s back, landing on unsteady legs.
He had his skis off and his arm around her within seconds, guiding her through the door. “We’re her aunt and uncle,” he said to the nurse who met them. “What can we do?”
She thrust a clipboard in their direction. “Sign for authorization to treat her.”
Lucy took the clipboard and signed where directed, her hand shaking so hard, she could barely hold the pen.
“What’s the plan?” Colton asked.
“The doctor would like to do what’s called a reduction. We'll need to take some X-rays and she’ll be mildly sedated.”
“Wh-what’s a reduction?” Lucy asked.
“They’re going to snap the bone back into place,” Colton said. “Which hurts like a mother-effer. That’s why they want to sedate her.”
“We do them almost every day around here,” the nurse assured her.
Lucy’s vision began to swim, and she was overly warm all of a sudden.
“Lucy,” Colton said, giving her a little shake. “Breathe.”
“Would you like to be in with her when they do it?” the nurse asked.
“I will,” Colton said. To Lucy, he said, “Go sit and keep breathing. I’ll be in there with her, and she’ll be fine. I promise.” He kissed her forehead and directed her to the waiting area. Then he took off with the nurse.
Feeling like a total wimp, she landed in a chair and dropped her head between her knees the way she’d seen done on TV medical shows.
Breathe, Lucy. Breathe. Tears filled her eyes at the thought of her precious Simone in such terrible pain.
Emma. I need to find Emma. She took a chance and tried her sister’s cell phone, but the call went directly to voice mail, which meant Emma was somewhere in Butler without service.
After leaving a message for Emma to call her, Lucy stood on her shaky legs and walked to the reception desk. “Is there a phone I could use?”
“Of course. Come around the counter.”
Lucy did as directed and tried to summon the number to the Abbott home from a memory that had gone blank.
She closed her eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and tried to concentrate.
Simone needs you, Lucy. This is no time to go stupid.
She was about to ask for a phonebook when the number came to her.
Her hands were still shaking as she punched in the numbers.
Molly answered on the third ring.
“Hi, it’s Lucy.”
“Hey, what’s up?”
“So, um, Simone fell while skiing and dislocated her elbow.”
“Oh no! The poor thing! That’s so painful.”
“Yes, it is. I’m looking for Emma. Is she there?”
“No, honey, she went off somewhere with Grayson a couple of hours ago. I have no idea where they are, but I’ll call my sister to see if she knows.”
“If you’re able to find her, we’re at the clinic on the mountain.”
“I’ll tell her. Keep me posted.”
“I will.”
“She’ll be fine, Lucy.”
“Keep telling me that. All I can hear are her screams. It’s horrible.”
“It’ll be okay. I promise.”
“Thank you, Molly.”
“Any time.”
Lucy ended the call and thanked the receptionist. She was on her way back to the chairs when she heard Simone’s screams reach a whole new level. That was the last thing Lucy heard before everything went dark.