26. Holden
Chapter Twenty-Six
Holden
Aloud crash combined with a pain-filled cry is the first thing I hear when I push the door open on the event space side of Lizette’s building.
“Mom!” There’s panic in the young voice.
I drop my bag and race to the other side, following the sounds of the child crying. When I enter the kitchen, my anxiety level shoots through the roof, and I freeze.
Simon, with his glasses sliding down his nose and tears streaming down his face, strains as he tries to lift a slab of granite, I assume for a countertop, off Lizette’s arm.
Lizette’s lying on the ground on her belly, one of her forearms pinned underneath the stone, and her other hand trying to comfort the little boy as she rests it on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m f-fine.” She’s not fine; there’s no question she’s crying. “Can you please g-go get my phone?”
I snap out of my daze and rush over to them.
“Lizette!”
Simon looks up at me, and his tear-streaked face breaks my heart. The relief in his eyes breaks it even further.
“Here, I got it, buddy,” I tell him. I fight to keep my voice calm, even as fear of what her arm is going to look like fills me. “Could you go on the other side and take hold of your mom’s other hand for me, so she’s got something to hold onto?”
He nods, his tears have slowed but not stopped.
I glance down at Lizette, and her tear-streaked face shows her obvious surprise that I’m there.
I kneel beside her.
“If I lift it, do you think you can shimmy out from underneath the piece?”
“Mmhmm. I think so.” She controls her voice, but I can tell that she’s in pain.
It’s heavy as hell, but I lift the stone, and she wiggles herself until she clears the area. When I know she’s free, I set the slab safely on the floor so that it won’t fall again.
I assist Lizette to sit up, and she leans with her back against one of the cabinets. She closes her eyes and takes several deep breaths. When I glance down at her wrist, I’m shocked it’s not significantly deformed, but I’m pretty sure it’s broken, regardless.
“Hey, Simon?” I ask. “We’re gonna help your mom here, but could you do me a favor and go up to your house and get a pillow so we can put her arm on it?”
He glances over at Lizette as if for permission.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. That would be a big help,” she tells him.
“Okay,” he says, sniffling, and then turns and takes off. As soon as he’s out of sight, her tears break free.
“Could you please get me something to wipe my face, so he doesn’t see me crying?”
“Of course. I’ll get you some ice, too. Then we need to sit here for a minute and make a game plan.”
I walk over to the sink and run cold water, then grab a washcloth from the clean pile sitting on the island area, and moisten it.
“Where are your food storage bags? Like gallon-size.”
After she tells me where to find them, I grab one and fill it with ice from the freezer. Then I take it over to her and carefully place it on her wrist. She reaches for the washcloth with her hand on the uninjured side, but I gently guide her hand back onto her lap.
I clean her face and wipe the tear stains away. It occurs to me that I’ve never seen her cry, and it crushes me that it’s happening now.
Simon runs back into the kitchen with the pillow, and I direct him on how to slide it under her arm while I help her lift it. I noticed he’s shaking.
“I’m okay, buddy. It just hurts a little,” Lizette says.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get it off you, Mom.” Simon’s voice trembles.
“Oh no, baby. That was so heavy.”
“Yeah, I almost couldn’t lift it, and I’m a grown man. I could see how hard you were trying, and you were making it move a little, so you must be pretty strong,” I tell him as I kneel next to him.
Without thinking, I take the washcloth and wipe his face as well. When I finish, he sits on the floor next to Lizette and snuggles into her side. She wraps an arm around him and holds him close.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“You’re welcome. I’m just glad I was here. What happened?”
“They delivered the slab today, and my friend was going to put it in tomorrow, so I foolishly had them lean it against the island. When I was folding the clean towels, I saw it starting to slide. I was afraid it would break, so I dove for it, but I slipped and fell. My wrist was in its path and got stuck under the edge. As you saw, obviously.”
“Okay, so you know we gotta get this x-rayed, right?” I ask.
“No, you’ve done enough, and I’m fine. I’m just gonna ice it and see how it is tomorrow.”
She gasps as she starts to move her hand. Simon’s eyes nearly pop out of his head, and I can immediately see that Lizette tries to hide and downplay her reaction so that he isn’t upset.
“I’m all right, sweetheart. I just moved it the wrong way.”
The way he’s peering up at her with his big blue eyes makes me want to hug him and attempt to comfort him.
I remember how helpless I felt seeing my mom in pain when my dad died, and I know it’s different than a broken bone, but I was also eighteen compared to this little guy, who’s six or seven years old. So, I imagine he’s really frightened.
Damn, Lizette’s so brave, and I can already see that she’s probably an amazing mother.
“Really, Holden. I’m fine. If you could maybe help me turn off the lights and lock up, then I can rest it tonight. I’m sure it’ll be okay in the morning.”
“Lizette…”
“Mama, you gotta go to the doctor,” Simon says.
She opens her mouth, I’m sure to object, but I don’t give her the chance.
“Good idea, Simon. How about this? I remember you’re friends with my niece, Layla, right?”
“Yeah,” he says. His cheeks turn pink.
“Well, I happen to know that Layla is going to be across the town square at the pizza place tonight with the rest of my family. How about I have my brother Harrison—you’ve met him—come pick you up, or I take you over there to hang out with them, and I’ll take your mom to the doctor?”
Simon looks up at Lizette. I can’t quite tell if he’s asking for permission or asking her to rescue him from this guy who’s trying to send him out for pizza.
“Okay,” he says in a quiet voice.
I look at Lizette, and she nods.
I shoot a text to Harrison to see if he’ll come pick Simon up. Then, over the next few minutes, I help Lizette rise from the floor and sit on a stool. It takes a while because of her pain. I run upstairs to get her wallet.
When I return, I’m surprised to find Hayden with Lizette and Simon. He’s kneeling next to Simon, who is holding onto Lizette’s arm. Not only is Simon shyly smiling and giggling, but my brother is actually grinning.
I freeze because I don’t remember the last time I saw my twin brother smile like this. I’m sure that it was before Charlie left him.
When I get my wits about me again and walk over, I smile at Hayden.
“I thought Harrison was coming with Ladybug.”
“I volunteered. I figured it was time to get to know this little guy better,” Hayden says.
After Hayden and Simon leave, Lizette turns to me.
“I really don’t think this is necessary.”
I shake my head and stare at her.
“Why are you so stubborn about this? I’m 95% sure you broke your wrist. If you did, and you don’t get it taken care of, you could make it worse. And if it’s worse, it’s going to be harder to take care of Simon. So, let’s just do this.”
“I could call a ride. You don’t have to take me.”
“Woman, if you don’t get that sassy ass out to my car, I’m going to pick you up and carry you there.”
“You would not.”
“Do you want to try me?”
I’m trying my damnedest not to smirk, but it’s really hard because I can see the wheels turning in her head, and she’s trying to decipher if I’m serious or not.
“I don’t need you to take care of me.” Her voice is less confident than a few minutes ago.
“How about we just say it’s my way of saying I’m sorry for being such a dick your first day back?”
“You’ve already said you’re sorry for that.”
I sigh and roll up my sleeves.
“What are you doing?” The suspicion in her voice leaves no doubt that she doesn’t trust me, and right now, she shouldn’t.
“Getting ready to throw you over my shoulder and take you to the car.” Her eyes widen, and it’s almost like I can see the debate going on in her brain, deciding if she should come willingly or risk me following through.
“Fine. Let’s go,” she says. A minute or so later, we’re in my car and on our way.
Several minutes go by in silence as Lizette looks out her window.
“How are you liking it here so far in Aron Falls?” I ask.
“It’s okay. Nice. I’ve been really busy, as you know. But um, you don’t have to do this whole small talk thing. You don’t have to pretend to want to.”
“Why wouldn’t I want to talk to you?” I ask her.
“Sorry, forget I said it.”
I don’t say anything else for a few minutes, but then I can’t help it. The silence drives me mad. We used to talk so easily before everything happened.
“Did you get to see the progress the guys made today before the incident?” I ask.
“I did. I’m assuming you were here to check it out and make sure it was okay.”
“Yep. I’m giving them the go-ahead to take down the temporary supports tomorrow.”
“That’s great. I love how the beam work looks. As soon as I get the floor put in, I’ll have the tables delivered, get the countertop installed, and have the door dividing the two sides put up. Tad is going to do the countertop soon. Hopefully this week.”
“Who is Tad?”
“He’s my friend from where I used to live.”
“Really? A friend?” What is my problem?
This woman chose someone else over me all those years ago, so that green-eyed monster in me needs to check himself.
“Do you have something you want to ask me?”
“He’s just your friend?”
“I mean, we’re pretty good friends.” I hate the sparkle in her eye when she brings him up. We’ve pulled up to the emergency room, so it ends the conversation. It leaves me a bit annoyed, but it’s probably better that we don’t talk about Tad anymore. And what kind of name is Tad?
The ER is busy tonight, so we have to wait to see the doctor. When my stomach growls, she glances over at me and frowns.
“I’m sorry I kept you from your family dinner. If you want to go, I can hire a ride home.”
“Please stop. I’m not leaving you here. I’m fine. I wouldn’t have offered to bring you if I didn’t want to.”
She looks like she’s getting ready to pick a fight, but her face betrays her anxiety that maybe I’m telling the truth. I think that might frighten her more than anything else right now.
“Fine. But I want it noted that I didn’t ask you to do this.”
“It’s noted.” I fight to hold back a smirk, and I fail. The best part, though, is the hint of a smile forming on her face. Even getting that tiny thing out of her feels like a win.