Chapter 23 #2
“I’m good, just a sore ankle. Before you work on me, I’m not allergic to anything, but I’m on these medications.” She handed the man in charge the list. She wasn’t surprised when he looked at her and asked.
“How long ago?”
“Nine years. But I’m also thirteen weeks pregnant.”
“Okay. Other than your ankle, do you have any other injuries?”
“My elbow.” She lifted it and saw the nurse wince.
They began cleaning it and then wrapped it.
“The portable x-ray is here. We’re going to put this lead apron over you.
Now just hold still.” Everyone left the room except the x-ray technician and then they came back in.
Fifteen minutes later the curtain was yanked back, and there stood Christopher.
“Sir, you can’t be in here,” the nurse said.
“I’m her husband,” he said, and went to the head of the bed and took her hand in his. He kissed the side of her head. “How are you?”
“Good, just a banged-up elbow and sore ankle.”
“Well,” came a chuckle from the other side of the room. They looked over and saw x-rays on the lighted wall. “You have a broken ankle. It’s a clean break, but we’re going to have to cast it. I can give you a mild pain reliever that won’t counteract the current medications and won’t hurt the fetus.”
“You told them?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”
“No, I’m just glad you did. Because if you hadn’t, I would have.” He grinned and kissed the side of her head again.
“How’s Sean?” Before he could answer, they looked up and saw him standing there with his arm in a sling.
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Just a broken ankle.” She shrugged and settled back when the doctor began casting her ankle.
“While I work on this, go ahead and pick out a color.” He placed a plastic tub of brightly colored rolls on her lap. Christopher picked up the pink and raised a brow, but laughed when she wrinkled her nose at him. She picked up a dull gray.
“Why that one? It’s dull.”
“Yeah, but if I get any slop on it while working, no one would see it.”
“What type of slop? You know you can’t get this wet, right?”
“I do, but I have work to do when I get home. I’ll throw a plastic bag around it. But I have a very messy job, so this gray will blend in.”
“Don’t you think you should have a bright color so that when you see it, you’ll be careful? If you blend in, I’m afraid you’ll forget until I get there to help you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be going home with her,” Gypsy said from the other side of the bed.
“I’ll remind her, but Christopher’s right.
I’ve seen your work, the gray will look like the rest of you, and you’re going to have to be careful.
I know you hate pink.” She grinned at Christopher. “What about this nice light blue?”
“Does it match my eyes?” Wanda grumbled and batted her lashes at them. They were all laughing when a group of people rushed in.
“Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?”
“We went to the gallery after the show, we were going to see if you and Christopher wanted to go to a late dinner. Douglas told us what happened, so we’re here. Fern and the kids are here, and Brandon stayed with Douglas.”
“Why?” Gypsy frowned.
“Brandon and Douglas are police officers back home,” Angie said as she kissed her daughter’s temple. “Brandon stayed to talk to the police with Douglas, more in a support role because he wasn’t there. What happened?”
“No clue.” Wanda leaned back and winced.
“All I know is we were at the gallery and Sean, and his date joined us. Douglas and Trish walked up, they seemed angry and the next thing I know I’m on the floor in pain.
I looked over, and Sean was bleeding on the floor, and Trish was trying to help him.
Oh my god, where’s Trish, she isn’t hurt, is she? ”
“No. She sent me with you. She was staying with Douglas to give her statement. Remember when you hired me, a couple weeks later I went to Seattle to talk with Trish?”
“Yes, what about it?”
“I didn’t tell you, because I didn’t think it was relevant at the time, but Amy, the woman from tonight, was fired right in front of me.
She’s the one that kept trying to find you, wanted to represent you.
Trish told me later that ever since Amy was hired, she was like a dog with a bone trying to get Trish to hand over your account to her. She was finally fired over it.”
“I still don’t understand,” Wanda said, and the mild pain reliever began to kick in.
“Let’s let her rest while this dries,” the doctor said. He indicated for them to go out in the hall. “Once that dries, we’ll get her up and use crutches. After she can make a couple successful passes up the hall with the crutches, I’ll release her.”
“Doctor, will she be able to fly?”
“What do you mean?”
“We,” Gypsy said as she pointed to herself, and Wanda behind the curtain. “Live in Arizona. They live in Oregon, and he lives here. We’re supposed to fly home on Monday. Should I keep the flights or cancel them and rent a car and drive home?”
“I’ll leave that decision up to you,” the doctor said. “It’ll take the cast at least an hour to set, then I’ll release her, but I’m confused. You’re calling her Wanda and Willow, what’s her actual name?”
“Wanda Perkins,” Angie said. “That’s her real name given at birth. But she’s an artist, and her artist’s name is Willow Raintree.”
“The potter that had a showing at the SoHo Gallery? Opened last night?” He grinned at their shocked expressions. “I was there. My wife’s sister is Gabby. And you’re saying that woman in there is Willow Raintree?”
“Yes,” they all said at once. The doctor laughed.
“Well, at least I was able to see her. I bought several of her items last night and ordered several more.”
“Don’t plan on getting them as Christmas gifts,” Gypsy spoke.
When everyone stared at her in confusion, she sighed.
“She sold everything. Except for those two tall items she sent at the last minute, she had shipped five of everything on display. Everything sold. Gabby’s keeping the last items, and once Willow gets home, she’s going to make new ones and ship them to Gabby, so the owners can get their items. The exhibition’s running all month.
I have to finalize the details tomorrow, but we think it would be better for Willow to make the items, then ship them to Gabby.
She’ll get them to their owners since most of them are from here in the city. ”
“Everything?” Randall asked in shock. “She had a lot of items on display.”
“Fifty of them. They’d started with only thirty, but it was Willow that raised it to fifty.”
“Wow.” They were awed.
Christopher looked at Sean and said, “How you holding up?”
“Getting tired. I think I’ll grab a cab and head home.”
“I’ll drive you. The police are going to want your statement,” Christopher said. He turned to the Perkins. “Could you see Wanda to her hotel room? When I’m done taking Sean home, I’ll be there.”
“Yes,” they said, and watched as the men left.