Chapter Chapter Sixteen
Amy
“Amy. Amy.” Knox’s voice reached me from a distance.
I opened my eyes. The bus had come to a stop. I looked around. We were clearly in a small town, and it was pouring rain.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“This is the town’s clinic. It’s the best we can do. Let’s go. Can you stand up, or are you still in pain?”
I rose from the chair and winced. “I still feel the bite, but it’s not as bad.”
The driver half turned to us, and as I made my way to the steps in the front, he said, “Storm warning going on. Couldn’t believe it when I heard it this morning because the sky was so damn open.”
I frowned. “Well, it was sunny in San Diego.”
“We drove in the opposite direction,” the driver informed me. “This was the nearest town.”
“Oh no. I hadn’t realized that.”
“No way am I going to drive back now. I spoke to the bus company. They told me to find shelter on their dime. Once you two are done at the hospital, I suggest you find a hotel too.”
“We’ll find a place here and stay overnight,” Knox told him.
I looked up at Knox and then at the driver. “Have either of you actually talked to anyone at camp?”
“I don’t have anyone’s contact information,” Knox said.
“I did,” the driver said. “It’s raining there as well, but nothing like here. And according to the weather report, the storm won’t move in their direction either.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Let’s get you checked out,” Knox said, “and then we’ll take it from there.” He was carrying both our backpacks.
When we got off the bus, we hurried through the sliding doors and into the small clinic. Even so, I still got a bit wet.
“That rain is something,” Knox said.
There was a small reception area. The woman behind the counter smiled pleasantly. “Hello. What can we do to help you?”
“I was bitten by a snake,” I began.
Her eyes widened.
“I took out the venom and disinfected the wound,” Knox informed her.
“Please go into the adjacent room. Dr. Stevens will take a look at you right away.”
Fortunately, Dr. Stevens didn’t seem all too worried. He appeared to be in his seventies and had a very calm demeanor. He checked the wound and googled the type of snakes in the camping area that fit Knox’s description.
“That type of snake isn’t venomous, so you’re not in any danger. I’m going to give you a prescription for an antibiotic anyway, just to make sure you don’t get a bacterial infection. How long are you staying in town?”
“We’re not.”
Knox didn’t say anything, but from his expression, I had a feeling that he had other plans.
“If the wound doesn’t close in a few days, go see a doctor. Try not to be on your feet a lot until then.”
“Oh, but I’m a teacher. That’s what I do. I stay on my feet a lot, and I’m chaperoning a camping trip this weekend. That’s how this happened.”
Dr. Stevens shook his head. “I don’t recommend you resume the chaperoning duties. It just wouldn’t be safe.”
“Agreed. I’ll make sure she rests, Doctor,” Knox said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
Dr. Stevens started to laugh. “All right, then. Well, here’s your prescription.” He gave me a sheet of paper with illegible writing. “We have a pharmacy here at reception. Jean can give you everything.”
“Perfect,” I said.
“Perks of being a small town.”
“Doctor, can you recommend a hotel for tonight?” Knox said. “I tried to look online, but I don’t have good signal.”
“I recommend Joyce’s Bed and Breakfast. In fact, I can drive you two there. You’ll get soaked if you try to walk there in this weather. And I don’t recommend this one walking.” He nodded to me. “It’s just two streets away.”
“Wait, wait,” I protested, looking at Knox. “Doctor, thanks for your offer. That’s very generous. But I need to make a phone call first. I need to talk to Gregory and Vanessa.”
Knox frowned but nodded. “All right. Let’s go back outside.” He pointed to the corridor. “Sit down there, and I’ll get the prescription from the receptionist.”
“I’ll be in here, you two. Let me know what you want to do,” Dr. Stevens said.
I smiled. “Thank you. I appreciate it. That’s very nice of you.”
Goodness, people were friendly in small towns. Who just offered to drive strangers around?
Knox held my waist firmly as we left the room. “I can walk,” I said, but my ankle was a little more tender than before. The doctor had prodded it a bit and then bandaged it tightly.
“Woman, just let me take care of you,” Knox said in a low voice.
I felt a wave of pure joy wash over me.
“Okay,” I said.
After I sat down, Knox went to the receptionist, and I took out my phone. I called Vanessa, but she didn’t answer. I tried Gregory next.
He answered before the first ring even finished. “Amy, what’s going on? How are you feeling? Sterling didn’t explain much except that you got bitten by a snake.”
“Yes, I did. I’m not in any danger. It wasn’t venomous. But we’re two hours away, and there’s a bad storm going on here right now. And we’d have to rent a car—”
“Can’t the bus bring you back?” Gregory interrupted.
“No, the driver said he won’t work in these conditions. Besides, the doctor advised me to take the weekend off.”
“So, that means you’re not coming back tomorrow either?”
I scratched my forehead. Part of me wanted to ignore the doctor’s advice. I didn’t want to let my students down, but my leg was throbbing a lot.
“I won’t be in any shape to go on hikes or do anything interesting. Makes no sense for me to come back just to stay inside a cabin and lie in bed the whole time.” Even as I said this, I felt very disappointed. “I’ll contact Ms. Adams so she’s aware.”
“There’s no need. I already spoke to her. She figured that you might need to take time off. Sergio and Helena are coming tomorrow to take your and Sterling’s places.”
“Okay. Well, I guess that’s settled, then.”
“Are you staying there with Sterling?”
“We’re searching for a hotel. It’s really pouring outside, and it doesn’t really seem safe to drive tonight. Besides, if we don’t come back to camp, we’d actually have to drive back eight hours to San Diego.” It was already four o’clock in the afternoon. “It wouldn’t make any sense.”
“All right. I’ll see you Monday at school.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine by then. Thanks, Gregory, for everything.”
“Take care, Amy.”
“You too.”
His voice was a little cooler than I was used to, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. The best part was that Ms. Adams had already taken care of everything. Sergio and Helena were great, and the kids would love having them around.
God, I was exhausted even though I’d slept for about two hours on the ride over. Knox was right. The adrenaline surge and drop was wreaking havoc on me.
Knox came back a few moments later. “Got your pills and made reservations at the B&B the doc suggested.”
My jaw dropped. “When did you even have time?”
“I’ve got skills, Amy,” he said with a very serious expression, and we both started laughing.
“Gregory already spoke to Ms. Adams, and she arranged for two teachers to go in our stead, so that’s covered.”
“Perfect.”
His eyes flashed, and I swallowed hard. I tried to push myself up from the chair but briefly lost my balance. Knox gave me his hand, and after pulling me to my feet, he once again put an arm around my waist. I didn’t protest at all because I really needed it.
He knocked on the doctor’s door.
“Hey, Dr. Stevens. We booked the room.”
“I’m ready. Let me get you over there.” The doctor grabbed his jacket, and the three of us walked to the door. He pointed to a compact just down the street. “That’s my car.”
Knox and I squeezed into the back seat. The car was so small that he had to hunch his shoulders and keep his head down.
“All right, here we are,” Dr. Stevens said about three minutes later. The B&B was two stories and didn’t look very big.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Knox said.
“Anything you two need, just give me a call, okay? The number on the contact form from the clinic is my personal one. I’ll come to you if necessary.”
“Is that likely?” I asked.
“No, but just in case. If you get a fever, tell me right away. Other than that, I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“I’ll take good care of her, Doctor.”
Knox opened the door. God, this rain was something. It was as if someone was pointing a firehose at us from above. He got out and said, “Come on.”
He must have seen the reticence on my face. “Now is not the time to argue, Amy.”
Nope, it really wasn’t. The rain was pouring down on him.
“Thank you,” I told the doctor before pushing myself out of the car.
Knox put both backpacks on one shoulder and wrapped the other arm firmly around my waist as he helped me inside the B&B.
“What is with this rain?” Knox said as we stepped in. It was worse than when we’d come into town.
“You must be Knox and Amy,” the woman at the reception desk said. Her red hair was up in a ponytail, and she had gold-rimmed glasses.
“Yes, that’s us,” Knox replied.
“You’re lucky. I was supposed to have another couple here this weekend, but they called today to cancel because of the weather.” She took a set of brass keys from the wooden table next to the door. “I’ve got your key here. Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”
She walked in front of us, and Knox once again put an arm around my waist, stabilizing me. She led us behind a narrow staircase and opened a door. “Here it is.”
“Wow, this is nice!” I exclaimed.
“I’m glad you think so.”
We took off our shoes by the door so we wouldn’t track in mud and water.
The room was much larger than what I expected for a B&B.
The wood was chipped here and there, and the curtains and bedsheets were just a little washed out, but it made the place feel extra cozy.
Everything was decorated in shades of brown and burgundy.
Even the wood seemed to have a reddish hue—cherrywood, probably.
“Since I’m assuming you don’t want to leave the building again today, I’ll bring you something to eat in a bit. Do you have any food allergies?”
“No,” Knox and I replied at the same time.
“Perfect, then I’ll leave you to get comfortable and get out of those wet clothes.”
My cheeks heated after she closed the door, and Knox started to laugh. He still had an arm around my waist. He moved slowly in front of me to lift my chin up. “Your mind is in the gutter already.”
And he was right.