“And so the moral of the story is, yes, Dusty Quinn is an awesomely good-looking amazing guy, but Alan Murray’s even better.”
Sammi shook her head. “That’s not really a moral, is it? Aren’t morals more like, ‘A stitch in time saves nine’ or something?”
“That’s more along the lines of a proverb. Not to be confused with the Proverbs in the Bible.” Lindy leaned back in her seat at the diner. Bea, Celeste’s new nurse, was at the apartment giving her a bath, and the shop wasn’t due to open for an hour. Lindy had taken advantage of the opportunity to sneak off for breakfast before the day got crazy.
“Well, regardless of what it’s called, I think it’s great. Alan’s fantastic, and you made a great choice.”
“No doubt about it. Actually, that’s a lie. For about thirty seconds, I couldn’t believe I’d just sent Dusty away—I’ve only been in love with him forever. But that thirty seconds passed, and I’m over it now.”
Sammi laughed. “Glad to hear it. So, about Alan—is he coming over again today?”
“No, sadly. He called and said he overdid it yesterday. He’s going to stay home to sleep it off.” Lindy jabbed the table with her finger. “I knew he shouldn’t have stayed at the shop so long, but it was the sweetest thing.”
“Yeah,” Sammi said a little dreamily. “There should be more guys like that in the world.”
“No, I don’t think so because I’d probably have crushes on all of them.” Lindy took a sip of her orange juice. “It’s kind of hard not to have a crush on a guy like that, though.”
“Agreed.” Sammi nodded toward the kitchen. “Do you think Alan could give Danny lessons in this whole being-a-man thing?”
“Is Danny still getting under your skin?”
“Yeah, he is. And it’s so stupid. I know we’re better off apart from each other, but I still care about him.”
“You can care about someone and still recognize that they’re not good for you.”
“Truth. And caring about someone doesn’t mean that you have to be with them.”
“Truth.” Lindy’s phone buzzed, and she picked it up. It was a text from Bea. “Uh, I gotta go.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Celeste slipped in the shower. This is bad—this is super bad.” Lindy fumbled in her purse. Why couldn’t she find her wallet? It was supposed to be right there, not buried when she needed it.
“Go! I’ll cover the tab.”
“Thanks.” Lindy raced out the door and down the street, the impact of her feet hitting the concrete jarring her with every step. She’d been so happy just moments before, but now she felt the weight of everything that had happened pushing down on her, compressing her lungs and making it impossible to breathe.
She unlocked the door and raced up the stairs, calling out for her aunt as she went. She found Celeste on the bathroom floor, Bea kneeling next to her. A blanket covered Celeste’s body, but she still looked cold.
“What happened?” Lindy put her hand on the counter to steady herself. She didn’t like the color of Celeste’s face—it was gray. No one should be gray.
“She wanted to try showering today. I called her doctor and got his approval, so I fetched a shower stool from my car. She was just sitting down on the stool when her feet went out from under her.” Bea was in tears. “I’m so sorry. I’m here to keep things like this from happening—they’re not supposed to happen while I’m here.”
“Not your fault,” Celeste said through gritted teeth. “I’m not very coordinated.”
“But—”
“She’s right, Bea.” Lindy could see that the nurse’s tears were only upsetting Celeste more. “Let’s concentrate on taking care of this, all right? We can’t let ourselves get distracted by things like guilt or blame. There’s a bigger picture here.”
Bea nodded. “You’re right. I’ll focus now.”
The paramedics arrived just moments later, and they were able to get Celeste onto a stretcher in the narrow confines of the bathroom. Lindy made sure the blanket was tucked in snugly before they carried her down the stairs, then she followed them.
“I’ll check in with you later,” Bea said. “I need to go into the office and fill out a report.”
“All right. And drive safely,” Lindy told her. “Don’t get into a wreck because you’re upset.”
“I’ll be careful. Thanks.”
When Lindy found out they’d be taking Celeste to Lewiston, a larger facility than the hospital in Riston, she decided to take her own car and follow behind. This was crazy—this was so crazy. Celeste had been through enough. She’d been through much more than enough. There had to be an end to it, didn’t there?
An end. Lindy shook her head as she realized just how many times she’d had that thought. Yes, things were supposed to come to an end—but it seemed that no one could control just when that end would happen. It was a matter of riding it through until then.
And that was exhausting.
***
Dr. Browning entered the ER exam room with Celeste’s chart in his hand and a frown on his face. He’d been in to see them before and had ordered a series of tests. Now it seemed those tests were back.
“You’ve fractured two of your vertebrae,” he said, coming straight to the point. “We’re going to need to operate and put a rod in your back. This procedure will keep those vertebrae from pinching your nerves and causing paralysis.”
Celeste nodded. “I understand.”
Lindy couldn’t process what he was saying. It was like her brain had switched off. “You mean that if she doesn’t have the surgery, she could become paralyzed?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. We need to perform the procedure tomorrow morning if at all possible. The longer she’s in this condition, the harder it will be to get the results we want.”
“Then why wait until tomorrow?”
“Because we need to finish her lab work and get her prepped. We also need to consult with the surgeon who will be performing the operation. I sent him over her test results and he’s agreed to do it, but he’s out of town at the moment.” Dr. Browning took off his glasses and regarded Lindy with sober eyes. “I know this is a stressful time. Please understand that we’re doing the best we can for your aunt.”
“I know, and I don’t mean to sound impatient. I’m just worried.”
“Which is completely natural. Now, she’ll be here at the hospital for at least a week following the procedure, and then she’ll be moved to a rehab clinic for probably a month after that before she returns home. I suggest that you go get anything you think she might need for her comfort while she’s here. We’ll keep a sharp eye on her while you’re gone.”
“Okay. I can do that.” Lindy squeezed Celeste’s hand. “Hey, you. What do you want me to bring?”
“Oh, goodness. I don’t even know.” Celeste passed her free hand across her face. “Some books, maybe? My hairbrush and toothbrush, definitely. But bring a new toothbrush. I can’t stand the idea of using one that’s been all drippy in a suitcase. I have new ones in the drawer.”
“All right. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Lindy stepped out into the hallway and took a deep breath. One thing at a time . . . one thing at a time . . .
She left the hospital and sat on a bench near the entrance to call her mother. “Hey, Mom. Have you left yet?”
“I left fifteen minutes after you called. I’m about two hours out now. What are they saying?”
Lindy’s mother, Joan, was a professor at the College of Western Idaho in Boise. “You were able to get someone to take your classes?”
“Yes. Now what are they saying?”
“They want to do back surgery in the morning and put a rod in so she won’t end up paralyzed.”
“Oh, wow.” Joan didn’t speak for a long minute. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. I had my assistant book me a hotel room in Lewiston—maybe we can share it.”
“Great idea, Mom. I’m heading back to grab her some things, so I’ll see you at the hospital.”
Once she’d hung up with her mother, Lindy headed back out to her car. Go home, pack a bag for Celeste, pack a bag for herself, make a new sign for the door of the shop, post on Facebook that they’d be closed, make sure the shop’s security system was activated . . . She had a lot to do.
The first thing she did when she got in the car, though, was send a text to Alan.
Celeste fell and is in the hospital in Lewiston. I’ll be gone for a little while. Probably a week. Just so you know.
He replied as she was buckling her seatbelt. Where are you now?
Heading to the shop to pack some bags.
I’m coming to help. On my way.
She shook her head. You’re supposed to be resting.
Yeah? So are you.
She laughed out loud at that. I’m not the one with cracked ribs.
But you’re hurting.
She couldn’t argue with him on that. She had to wipe her eyes before she could see the screen enough to type, I’ll let you know when I’m almost there, all right?
All right.
She took a moment to breathe, and then she pulled out of the parking lot. She had a lot to do.