Chapter Eleven
Sirens blaring in the distance slowly stirred my foggy mind. I ran my fingers across the ground next to me, running over something cold, hard and then soggy and wet.
“Tiff, Tiffany. Wake up. Tiffany.” My lids fluttered open at the urgency in my sister’s voice, and I saw her hovering over me. “Don’t move. The ambulance is on the way.”
“I’m fine,” I told her, attempting to sit up.
But that was when the sharp pain radiated from my wrist. I tried to shake it off, but the pain only worsened.
I saw a group of people congregating on the sidewalk across the street, and I tried to locate my bicycle.
“Good thing I bought the extra insurance,” I muttered with an attempted laugh, but an ache right under my ribcage took my breath away.
“And who was telling who to wear what and watch out for leaves?” My sister tried to keep the situation light, which I appreciated since there were at least a dozen sets of peering eyes.
“I really am fine. Let me sit up at least.”
“Nope.” She kept her fingers pressed into my shoulder.
The ambulance pulled up only feet away, blocking the view of most of the spectators, and two men jumped out of the vehicle.
They looked relieved that I was awake as they hurried over and knelt next to me.
“My sister won’t let me stand up,” I informed them.
“That’s probably a good idea until we assess what exactly happened,” one of the men said quickly.
“I really am fine. Just had a little accident.”
One of the paramedics began working a brace around my neck.
“It wasn’t a little accident,” my sister interrupted. “She skidded on a wet pile of leaves and flew over her handlebars landing like ten feet away from her bike. She wasn’t conscious for a few seconds.”
I was sure she was overexaggerating until I slipped out of the medic’s grasp and brought myself upright when I spotted my bike over by the stop sign.
“Does anything hurt?” he asked.
“My wrist and my ribs or something around them, but I’m sure I’ll be fine. Nothing a little wine won’t cure.” I flashed a feeble smile, but he wasn’t buying it. The other medic brought over the gurney, and I knew my fate was sealed.
So much for chocolate and dress shopping.
I tried to be sneaky and stand up as they were setting up the gurney but that’s when I realized my wrist wasn’t the only thing causing sharp pain. The moment I turned my ankle and tried to put weight on it, I nearly wanted to scream, so I quickly sat back down and hoped no one noticed.
“What’s wrong?” my sister asked.
“My ankle seems a little sore,” I whispered.
“My sister’s ankle is a problem too,” Stacy said.
“Whose side are you on?” I scowled at her.
“Yours.” She grinned just as the two men swooped me up and put me on the gurney.
“I’m sure I can just go home and put a little ice on everything.” I tried to tell them.
“We need to get your head injury checked out, along with any possible breaks.”
“I don’t have a head injury, and I’m positive I didn’t break anything.”
Except I actually wasn’t sure because the throbbing in both my wrist and ankle was only getting worse.
“Possibly not, but your helmet is on the sidewalk.” The medic near the front of the gurney began rolling me toward the ambulance and my heart fell. My idea of a good time with my sister wasn’t spending it in an emergency room.
And right when I thought things couldn’t get worse, I spotted Billy’s car come to an abrupt stop across the street.
I really hoped he didn’t see me.
“What happened? Is everything okay?” I heard him ask one of the groups on the sidewalks.
“That woman who’s watching Lucky got hit by a car,” a woman answered.
Oh, my word.
“No, she didn’t. She fell off her bicycle,” a different lady corrected.
“Same difference,” I heard the other one mutter just as Billy’s footsteps pounded the asphalt.
“Tiffany,” Billy called out as the medic locked the gurney wheels.
“You know her?” The medic outside asked.
“I do. Is she okay?”
“She certainly got knocked around,” he answered.
“I’m fine,” I yelled so the two could hear. “I’m just fine.”
Billy poked his head around the open doors, and for some unknown reason, the moment I saw him, tears brimmed my eyelids, and I quickly wiped them away.
He climbed into the ambulance against the medic’s commands and took a seat on the edge.
“You don’t look fine.” His eyes scanned my body before he brought his gaze back to mine. “They’ll take good care of you and make sure you’re okay before releasing you.”
“Can I go with her?” my sister asked, peering into the opening.
“No riders,” the medic said, pointing for Billy to exit.
Billy’s gaze fell to mine. “I’d kiss you, but I don’t know what hurts.”
“Everything.” The adrenaline was wearing off as quickly as it came, but somehow his words overpowered everything.
“I’ll give your sister a ride. You’ll be okay.”
“The bikes need to be returned.” I nodded and watched him jump out of the ambulance, followed by the medic who closed it up.
The driver turned on the sirens, and I let out a low groan, grateful that my head was the one part of me that wasn’t hurting.
By the time we made it to the small hospital, I was actually grateful to be there. My head didn’t hurt, but my right cheek and jaw did.
Within under a minute, I was rolled into the emergency room that was the size of a shoebox where two nurses rushed over, slid a curtain closed on all sides, and maneuvered me onto a new bed.
They quickly took down my stats while listening to me tell them my version of what happened. It wasn’t until I heard my sister’s voice on the other side of the curtain correcting those events that I felt at ease.
When the nurse opened the curtains, I saw both Billy and Stacy standing there with worry laced through their expressions.
“She’s going to get x-rays,” one of the nurses explained. “And then we’ll bring her right back. I’ll have someone bring in another chair.” She looked at Billy and I caught a blush running up her cheeks.
Billy didn’t seem to notice, instead keeping his gaze on me.
“Did you get the bikes back?” I asked.
“We did, but don’t worry about anything.” My sister tapped my shoulder as they wheeled me by, and I felt like shrinking into the mattress.
Out of the many encounters when I’d seen Billy, there was only one time where I appeared halfway decent. There was no way this was endearing or cute.
By the time I got wheeled back into my room, Billy and Stacy were laughing and having a great old time.
“She’s never been known in our family for being graceful.” My sister chuckled and then straightened up the moment she saw me.
“I’m not the one who fell off the roof when sneaking out,” I teased as the nurses locked the bed in place and began tending to my cheek and jaw.
Apparently, there was quite a scrape along my face because everywhere they touched stung like my skin was on fire, but it wasn’t distracting enough to take away the pain from my wrist and ankle.
“I’m Dr. Bellatone.” An older gentleman walked into the room holding a tablet and shook my hand. “Good to see you, Billy.”
“And you as well. Just wish it was under different circumstances.” Billy pressed his lips together and walked over to the bed, resting his hand on my shoulder as a nurse put in an IV.
As the doctor went on to explain that I’d fractured my ankle and only sprained my wrist, all I could think about was Billy’s touch on my shoulder and then those feelings swirled together in a hazy world as the pain medicine kicked in and I fell asleep.
“Oh, please don’t worry. We’ve got it covered. When I leave, our parents will be coming out here and—”
“I insist. It’s not a bother,” Billy’s voice woke me right up.
I’d expected to still be in the hospital, but I was back at the house with Lucky sprawled out on the bed next to me.
“She’s up.” My sister sounded gleeful and Billy spun around.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, moving closer.
“Out of it.” I smiled, noticing a huge lump at the end of the bed. “What’s that?”
“You’ve got a pretty large plaster cast on,” he explained. “It’s hot pink.”
“Hot pink?” My brow arched.
“You’d already fallen asleep when they started, and I thought you might like something other than boring white.”
“Right.” I glanced down at my arm and saw a brace from my hand to my elbow.
“You have a bad sprain too.” Stacy sat down next to Lucky.
“This is no way to start a vacation.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about.” My sister patted my good leg. “I’m going to go get some dinner going.”
Billy flashed her a grateful smile, and my sister nearly bounced out of the bedroom. Seemed like they got along while I was passed out.
“Life is never dull around you, is it?” He sat down on the bed next to Lucky.
“I swear it’s not usually like this for me.” I laughed, feeling the tightness in my cheeks.
“I’d like to believe that for your sake,” he shook his head, “but I just don’t know.”
The doorbell rang and I attempted to sit up.
“Your sister will get it. You’re supposed to stay in bed for the next couple weeks.”
“What? I can’t do that.” I shook my head and panic swam through my veins. “Lucky needs me.”
“And he’ll have you.” Billy smiled. “You’ll be right here for his every need. We’ve just brought in a little help for some of the more complex tasks.”
My sister knocked on the door and peeked her head in. “You’ve got some visitors.”
Hildie walked in carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Chance and Maddie were right behind her.
I never in a million years expected to get any visitors and seeing these friendly faces made my heart warm.
“We heard the news,” Hildie said, shaking her head. “Leaves can be such a hazard.”
My cheeks blushed, and I managed to scoot up farther in the bed so I was at least upright.
“They brought dinner,” my sister told me.
My gaze flew to Hildie’s. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It was actually Chance’s idea.” Hildie patted her son’s shoulder.
“We hope you start to feel better soon,” Maddie added. “If you need anything, call day or night.”
Hildie set the flowers on the table at the foot of the bed while Chance and Billy traded a look I couldn’t quite place.
“Well, we only wanted to drop by so you knew someone was thinking of you.” Hildie smiled. “And again, if you need anything…”
“You guys are too kind.” I shook my head, feeling the swell of tears rise.
I didn’t know what had gotten into me since the accident, but I felt far more emotional.
“Not at all, dear.” Hildie smiled.
“I put in extra dessert,” Chance said and patted Lucky on the head.
“That made the accident all worth it.” I laughed.
“We’ll let you be. Take care.” He smiled and gave a slight wave to Billy and me.
“Thanks again,” I told them all as they filed out of the room.
My sister followed behind them and I just sat in shock.
“Why are people so nice here?” I asked.
“I spent the first few years asking myself that too and then I realized they just are.” He grinned. “It’s got to be something in the water.”
“It’s kind of refreshing.”
“You had me pretty scared.” Billy’s eyes softened and my heart skipped a beat. “You were pretty roughed up.”
I touched my cheek and felt the sting as I tried to see myself in the window’s reflection.
“I’ve moved my first couple meetings and—”
“What do you mean? For when?”
“Your sister tried to get additional time off, but it didn’t work in her favor, and I volunteered to be here with you the day after she leaves before your parents get here.”
“My parents? This is such a mess,” I groaned and pushed my body back into the pillows.
“I’m actually kind of happy about it.” He smiled.
“Happy?”
“Well, I won’t have to beg to spend time with you any more. You just kind of have to put up with me.” The twinkle in his eyes reappeared.
“After that kiss, I didn’t have any doubt about having fun with you.” I smiled and felt the raw skin stretch along my jawline. I really wanted to see how it looked.
“Listen,” his voice was a little strained, “I don’t want you to think that I’m seeing anyone else or—”
“I haven’t given that much thought. It’s not really my place…” I glanced down at Lucky who was still sound asleep. “I think just sticking to having fun is the best thing.”
Billy laughed and shook his head. “And I still can’t figure out which kind of fun we’re talking about.”
“At this point, I haven’t a clue either.” I leaned back against the pillows a little more to adjust the throbbing sensation in my ankle. “But I have noticed that wherever I go, women seem to fall all over you.”
“Hardly.” He chuckled.
“Well, let’s skip right over the woman who jumped in your arms and kissed you and go to the nurse who turned scarlet from merely being in the same room as you.”
Billy scratched his chin and let out a long, deep sigh. “I didn’t even notice.”
“Which one didn’t you notice? The woman sticking her tongue down your throat or the nurse.” I grinned, rubbing Lucky’s ears.
“Well, it was hard to miss the first one, but I certainly missed the second. Are you sure it wasn’t just the pain making you see red?”
He slid his hand to my good leg, and even through the fog of pain medicine, I felt a spark run through me.
“Positive.” He relaxed a little. “Truth is I don’t date much.”
“But you collect lots of numbers.” I wiggled my brows. “Let’s be honest. You’re sexy as hell. You’ve got an amazing personality. You have Lady and you own your business. It wouldn’t be hard to find someone if you really wanted.”
His smile only widened. “Maybe that’s exactly it. I haven’t really wanted to.” His eyes held mine and I felt heat stirring inside.
“Maybe you’re like me and only want a little fun.” My voice cracked slightly as he slid his hand up my leg a little.
“Maybe that’s it.” He glanced toward the door. “Or I might not be cut out for anything more.”
“That probably makes two of us.” I smiled and slid my hand over his. “So fun it is with a girl in a cast who’s bedridden.”
“Do you realize how much fun I could have with that scenario?” He leaned over and kissed me, but it wasn’t as gentle as before.
His mouth was strong and demanding pressed against mine. A riot of emotion swirled through me as our kisses deepened and I knew to keep my guard up. My gut instincts with him were right. He was a player, but I didn’t mind playing on my terms.