Читать книгу The Bridge Repair - Misty Malone - Страница 7

After they'd eaten, Nick checked her foot and decided the swelling had gone down enough he could put a cast on it. He helped her sit up on the side of the bed, but insisted she sit there for a few minutes to be sure she didn't get dizzy or lightheaded. He called and asked Ellie to bring in a wheelchair and the two of them helped her into it, making sure she didn't put any weight on her foot. He took her to a little room that had what he needed to put her cast on.

They visited while he worked, and he was happy to see how easily they seemed to find things to talk about. It seemed to him they had a natural chemistry and got along well. Their conversation or time together never seemed forced, which was wonderful. Once the cast was on, he helped her back into the wheelchair. “As soon as Dr. Stone checks you out and gives me the all clear, I'll teach you how to use the crutches,” he told her.

“How does Dr. Stone fit into the picture? Why does he have to give the okay before I can learn how to use crutches?”

“I want to be sure you've healed enough from your concussion and you're not going to be getting dizzy or lightheaded. We definitely don't want that happening with you on crutches.”

“Oh,” she said, a bit dejected. “I guess that makes sense.”

“Yes, I guess it does,” Nick confirmed. “So you're not going to be getting up and about much until he says it's okay for you to.”

“And I can't go home tomorrow unless I've been up and walking with the crutches and you know I can do it; right?”

“That, among other things, yes. I want to be sure you're okay on crutches, without getting dizzy when you're up, and without your foot swelling.”

“So my entire future is resting on Dr. Stone,” she said in a very dramatic way, with a grin.

Loving her sense of humor, Nick agreed. “You could say that.” He'd just gotten her back to her room and was helping her into bed.

She saw the smile in his eyes as he said that, and pushed on. “I hope Dr. Stone gets here soon then. He's one man that I'm really anxious to see again right now.” Nick loved the adorable, though teasing, look she got, and the sparkle in her eyes. “Plus he's very easy on the eyes,” she said with a look of pure mischief.

Just then Dr. Stone walked into the room, but stopped when he heard her words. She and Nick both turned to see him, and Dr. Stone's face turned red, as did Kara's. Nick looked at the two of them and laughed. Both of them turned their red faces to Nick, who was laughing so hard he couldn't say anything for a couple of moments.

He finally got his composure back and turned first to Dr. Stone. “She was kidding. Teasing me, actually.” He looked at Kara and grinned. “That serves you right, you feisty little brat.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead, letting her know he was teasing.

Dr. Stone, seeing Nick kiss her forehead, was initially surprised, but quickly joined in the teasing. “I'm sorry, did I interrupt something here?”

Nick answered for the still red and speechless Kara. “No, but a brief explanation may be in order. Kara has agreed to go out to dinner with me when she's released, and since I had a free day today we've gotten to know each other better. I told her she wouldn’t be released until I'm sure she can handle crutches and her foot won't swell, and that won't happen until you say she's recovered enough from her concussion to be up on said crutches. She has an adorable sense of humor and was attempting to tease me, but when you heard her it sort of backfired on her.”

He'd taken one of her hands in his and was using his thumb to gently rub it in the very calming fashion he'd done earlier, which seemed to help her relax. Kara noticed and appreciated that little gesture. She smiled up at Nick, then addressed Dr. Stone. “What he said is true, and I apologize.”

Dr. Stone smiled genuinely at both of them. “No apology necessary. In fact, teasing him is fine. It's probably a good thing if you can give this guy a hard time now and then.”

“Why is that?” Kara asked.

“I've gotten onto Nick a few times, telling him he needs to get out there and find him a lady. He always tells me he'll know the right woman when she comes along, or it'll take a special woman that sees things as he does, or something like that. So maybe having a good sense of humor and knowing how to give him a hard time occasionally is a requirement for dating him. I know it'd make me happy, knowing someone's giving him a hard time now and then.”

Kara could easily see that Dr. Stone and Nick were friends, and it was good to see the easy companionship they had. His statement broke the tension, and the three of them visited a couple of minutes before Dr. Stone got serious. “Well, let's see how you're doing, see if we can get you up on crutches this afternoon.”

After checking her out, during which Nick backed away from them some, but stayed close enough to hear what was going on, Dr. Stone made the awaited announcement. “Kara, I think you're ready to tackle the crutches.”

Nick came back to the side of the bed. “Do I need to limit her time up for a little while yet?”

“I would, but not because of the dizziness so much as it may wear her out.” He turned to Kara and explained further. “A concussion is a brain injury, and all injuries need rest to heal. When your brain is tired it relays that message to your body. It's important that you don't ignore that message. If you start pushing yourself the effects of the concussion will reappear. You may start to feel dizzy or lightheaded again. If that starts, you definitely need to rest. But if it does start, it's like exacerbating an injury, and it will take longer to heal. So take it slow and rest a lot, both here and when you go home.”

“Okay,” Kara said, rolling her eyes a bit. “I get it. Everyone is telling me to rest. The doctor that did the anesthesia checked on me last night and said I need to rest for several days until all that is out of my system. The nurse this morning told me the same thing.”

Nick had a frown on his face when she glanced over at him. Dr. Stone spoke up. “We're all telling you this because it's important, Kara. Your body has been traumatized pretty severely. You have a brain injury, as well as a broken foot. Then the anesthesiologist pumped drugs into your body to force it to sleep. Lots of rest is the one thing that will help more than anything else right now, to allow all these areas of your body to heal.”

“I understand,” Kara assured him. “I'm not trying to be rude, and I apologize if it sounded that way. I'm just not the type of person that rests a lot, and being forced to do that sounds horrible. But I understand what you're saying.”

“Understanding what I'm saying and doing what I say are two different things, Kara. That's all I'm saying; no more lectures. I'm sure you'll hear much of this same thing when Dr. Sherman gives you his going home instructions. I'm going to release you from my care now with that advice, but be sure to call me if you have any problems, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you, Dr. Stone.”

“You're welcome. Good luck.” He turned to go, but stopped at the door and turned to look at them both. “And good luck with your dinner date. I hope it works out well for you two. I think you'd be good for each other.”

He turned and left, and Kara turned to look at Nick. “What did he mean by that; that we're good for each other?”

“I'm not exactly sure, but I can guess. I can be a little controlling, or demanding, and I've already noticed you can be a little testy, or feisty, so maybe that's what he's talking about.”

“I'm not feisty. I just don't take any crap from people, and I want things done my way when my way is the right way.” She thought a few moments before sheepishly adding, “Which I feel is most of the time, I guess.”

Nick laughed heartily, a full belly laugh. “You, my dear, are an adorable little lady that I'm eager to get to know better.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “And for the record, you are a feisty little thing.” Before she could argue he added, “Which is one of the things I find so adorable about you.”

He smiled as he watched the emotion in her eyes. She turned from upset to what he hoped was happy. He patted her leg. “So, are you ready to tackle walking with crutches?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said anxiously. “How hard can they be?”

Twenty minutes later she was slowly making her way down the hall with the crutches, while Nick walked beside her, pushing her IV pole. They went to the physical therapy room, where he and a physical therapist taught her how to go up and down steps with crutches.

“Very good,” Nick praised. “Let's go over to the chairs and sit down and rest a little bit.” When they got there he showed her how to back up to the chairs and hold her crutches while she sat down. “You're doing real well, Kara. You're a quick learner.”

“I have a new respect for people on crutches. This is harder than it looks,” she admitted.

Nick chuckled, but nodded in agreement. “Yes, it is. Now, you wait here a couple of minutes while I go get a wheelchair to take you back to your room.”

“I can walk,” she insisted. “It's not that far.”

“For your first time up you've done enough. I don't want you getting worn out.” She started to argue, but saw the stern look on his face and stopped. “Wise choice, Kara,” he said seriously. “I'll be right back.”

He left, and Kara thought about his words while he was gone. Wise choice? He said earlier that he could be a bit demanding or controlling, but she had to admit it was more like demanding what was best for her, and it surprised her to realize she found that trait rather appealing. She was still thinking about that when Nick returned with a wheelchair. She pushed the thoughts aside for consideration later on.

He was soon helping her back in her bed and getting her comfortable. Ellie followed them into her room and checked her IV and took her vitals. “I'll be back in about 20 minutes to change your IV bag and add your antibiotic. How's your pain level? Do you need something for it?”

She paused a moment, and when Kara didn't answer right away, Nick stepped in. “Kara, there isn't any need to suffer. You've just been moving around for the first time since the surgery, and your foot has been down, not elevated, so it's apt to swell some, which means that you're more than likely sore.”

“I am a little sore,” she admitted, “but I don't think I need anything as strong as the pain medicine I've been on. Could I try something like some Tylenol?”

Ellie looked at Dr. Sherman, who offered a suggestion. “Kara, I'll order something a little stronger than Tylenol, but not as strong as what you've been on. Suffering with pain doesn't do any good at all. It just delays the healing. My guess is you'll need something a little stronger than Tylenol today yet, especially after all the activity you've just had. We can try Tylenol first if you want, though, as long as you'll let her know if you need something more.”

“Okay,” she said, laying back against her pillow and closing her eyes.

Nick finished writing in her chart and handed it to Ellie, who read it and nodded to him. “Which do you want to try, Kara; the Tylenol or something a little stronger?” Ellie asked, observing her patient carefully.

Nick answered before Kara had an opportunity to. “Why don't you let her give you this new stuff now and take a nap. Then you can try the Tylenol if you want.”

To his surprise, his feisty little lady agreed, which told him she was in more pain than she was letting on. While Ellie went to get the medicine, he sat down beside her. “So which hurts more; your head or your foot?”

“My foot,” she answered quickly.

“That's good,” Nick said. At the odd look she gave him he explained why. “I'd rather you not be in pain at all, which is why I want you to take the pain medication, but your foot should hurt some. You just had surgery on it, and you've been up. Even though you haven't put weight on it, it hasn't been elevated, either. So I expect you to have some pain with it. We can manage that pain.”

“But not my head?”

“Like Dr. Stone told you yesterday, you'll have some headaches for a little while, but if your head hurts a great deal, or if it hurts for an extended time, I want you to tell me about it, okay?”

She nodded, but he waited for her to answer verbally. “Okay.”

“But I want you to get plenty of rest so that hopefully we won't have to worry about your head hurting too much.” Ellie came back with a syringe, and put the medicine in Kara's IV. “Is there anything I can get for you, Kara?”

“No, I'm good. Thanks.”

“I'm going to leave, too,” Nick said after Ellie left, “so you can take a nap. I can tell you're tired.”

“Will you come back later?”

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes.” She was laying back against her pillow with her eyes closed and didn't see the smile her simple answer brought to Nick's face.

“Okay. I'll be back later this evening then. You sleep now and let that foot heal.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. He was happy to see her smile when he did.

Nick had to work the next day, but he released her that evening, after checking with the nurses as to her progress during the day. He told her if she let a nurse help her dress and get ready to go he'd take her home and get her settled in. She readily agreed, and he checked in on another patient of his while she dressed.

She directed him to her apartment, and he soon had her resting comfortably on her couch with her foot resting on a pillow on the coffee table, while he went to a drug store to get her medications. He also brought back dinner for them, which they ate in the living room.

After they ate Nick picked up their dishes and the empty containers and headed for the kitchen, telling her in no uncertain terms to rest. She noted how bossy he sounded, or very authoritative, as she liked to think of it, but again, she knew he was looking out for her, and instead of being upset by it she got a warm feeling from it.

He came back in and sat down at the end of the couch and gently pulled her up against him, so her back was leaning against his chest. “Now you can put your foot up on the couch to elevate it,” he told her, more as a statement than a suggestion.

For some reason, when she heard that tone she seemed to automatically do what he said. She didn't think about it first or question it; she just did it. She wondered about her response to his stern voice, as she'd begun to call it in her mind, because she wasn't normally that amenable to taking orders. But for some reason when he used that voice she always equated it with him looking out for her, and that made her feel secure. This time was no exception, and as soon as her foot was elevated on the couch he pulled her a little closer to him with his arms wrapped around her waist, and he leaned down close to her ear. “That's my girl,” he whispered, and kissed the top of her head. She snuggled in against him.

They turned the television on, but didn't watch much of it. They were talking, and growing closer than either thought was possible this quickly. After leaning against him for about an hour she chuckled.

“What's so funny?” he asked.

“It just occurred to me, my co-workers set me up on a blind date for tonight. I forgot all about it until now. I will assume when I called and told them I'd been in an accident and wouldn't be in, they canceled that for me. I'm good with it being canceled. I really didn't want to go, but I didn't want to hurt their feelings. I'd been trying to find some way of getting out of it. I guess I succeeded.”

He chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders. “Kind of an extreme move just to get out of a blind date, don't you think?”

“Maybe, but look what I got,” she said casually. “I'd much rather be here with you than anywhere else with someone I don't know.”

“You didn't know me until Wednesday,” he pointed out. “Maybe you would have really liked this blind date.”

“Maybe. But this is the fourth time they've set me up and I haven't liked any of them yet,” she said.

He sat up straighter at her words, and was quiet for a couple of minutes. “I don't want you to do that any more,” he said.

She considered his words, which was a very blunt statement, and his reasoning. “Why?”

“I hate the thought of you going somewhere with a man you don't know. That's not safe.”

Her shoulders slumped a little. She'd hoped he meant she didn't need to go out with anyone else now because they were dating. However, it still showed he was thinking of her safety. While she was trying to decide how she felt, he continued. “Kara, the more I get to know you the more I want to know you even better, and I feel like you have similar thoughts. Am I wrong about that?”

“No, you're not,” she readily admitted.

“So I think we owe it to ourselves to see what becomes of this relationship.”

“I’m good with that.”

He paused several moments. “We haven't known each other long, but just in the time we've spent together, I feel like you're a friend – I mean, a true friend, and I care about you more than I ever thought I could care about someone in this short a time. I think that's because we have a natural attraction for each other. I hope things work out with us, but even if they don't, I don't want you going on blind dates any more.”

“But if we —”

“Look,” he said, “I know we're not officially together as a couple, at least not yet, and I may not have a right to tell you who you can or can't see, but I care about you.” He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. “I care about you a great deal, and going out with men you don't know isn't safe. I'd rather you be with me, but if that doesn't happen I want to be sure you're with someone safe. So I don't want you going on any more blind dates with these men.”

“But Nick, my friends set us up. The guys have to be all right or they wouldn't have set us up.”

“You said you haven't cared much for the others. Be honest with yourself, Kara; did you feel safe with them?”

“I knew at least one of my co-workers knew each one of them. They wouldn't hook me up with someone they couldn't trust.”

“That didn't answer my question. Did you feel safe with all of them?” She dropped her head and didn't answer right away. “That's what I thought. Kara, you don't know how your co-workers knew these men. They could be a friend of a friend of a friend. Please tell me you won't go out with men you don't know any more. You need to have at least met them, talked with them a while before you go anywhere with them.”

“So I have to have a date with them and get to know them before I can go on a date with them?”

Nick sighed and shook his head slowly. “You're a smart lady, Kara. That's one thing that's drawn me to you. You know what I'm saying, but I will not argue with you about it now.” He leaned down and kissed her neck. “I honestly think it's a moot point, because I think we've been brought together by fate, and we're meant to be together. I've never felt this way about a woman before, and I'm serious about that. I have an unexplainable need to protect you.”

“You do?”

“Obviously, or I wouldn't have been upset at the thought of you going out with a man you don't know.”

He felt her relax back against him. “Thank you, honey,” he said. “I really don't want to get into an argument over something I don't think will ever be an issue. I just hope if we aren't always together you'll remember what I said. I know it will be your choice and I won't be able to stop you, but I had to let you know my thoughts. Now, enough said. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

Kara went from angry with him for trying to tell her she couldn't go on a blind date if she wanted to, even though in reality she hated them, to feeling warm and fuzzy inside hearing that he cared about her and wanted to protect her, to glad he changed the subject quickly in order to avoid an argument. She was a little confused by her feelings, but still had a bit of mischief in her. “Tomorrow? I was hoping we could go dancing. What do you think; are you up to it?”

Nick laughed out loud and hugged the little lady he was quickly falling in love with. “I'm up to it, but as your doctor I have to suggest we wait a week or eight before we go dancing.”

“Eight weeks?”

“That big plaster thing on your foot should be off by then and you'll be a little lighter on your feet. I'm guessing that'll make it easier to dance,” he said with a grin.

She frowned and gave him her best pout. “So how about you; do you have any plans for tomorrow?”

“I was thinking maybe I could take you out for dinner, then we can come back here and I can hold you in my arms, much like I am now, while you elevate your foot and we watch a movie.”

“Much like I am now?” she asked.

“Much like that, as coincidence would have it,” he said with a bit of a chuckle. “I want to be with you, but I don't want you to be in pain. If your foot's not elevated it could swell the first week or so, and if it swells it will be more painful. But,” he promised, “as your foot heals we'll be able to do more things.”

She turned so she could look up at him. She studied him a moment before answering. “Actually, I think that sounds wonderful. I can't tell you how good this feels right now. I don't feel tired like I need to sleep, but I feel —”

“Run down, low on energy?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“That's what surgery does, honey. That's one reason I want to take it easy tomorrow. If you feel like that tomorrow evening and would rather stay home we can do that, too.”

“If I have to stay home and rest most of the day tomorrow I will, but I think I'd really like to get out of the house for a little bit.”

“That's what I thought,” he said. “If you rest tomorrow and feel up to it, we'll go out. If you're feeling lethargic I'll bring dinner here. Fair enough?”

“That sounds more than fair. Thank you.”

“No problem. Maybe that'll get you to rest tomorrow,” he said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. “Something tells me I'll have my hands full trying to get you to rest as much as I'd like to see.” He continued, before she could argue. “Now, are you ready for me to get you tucked into bed for the night?”

“No,” she quickly said. “All I've done for three days is lie in bed. It feels terrific being up, but I will admit I'm probably not up to dancing yet.”

“We have plenty of time to get to that. If you like to dance we will definitely go dancing. Just not for a few weeks yet.” She leaned her head back against him while they visited longer.

After the news was over, he turned the television off. “Okay, little one, time for bed. Let's get you into your bedroom. I'll make sure you get into your pajamas and take your medications before I tuck you into bed. I'll lock your door on my way out.”

Kara's eyes were big. “You don't have to do that. I'll be fine.”

“Actually, sweetie, yes, I do have to do that. I'll sleep a whole lot better if I know you're safely tucked into bed before I leave.”

Nick watched as she turned her head away from him, not saying anything. A few moments later he heard a soft sound that worried him. “Kara, are you okay?” She nodded, but didn't say anything. He gently turned her head so he could see her face, and saw tears streaming down her cheeks. He picked her up and gently sat her on his lap, encouraging her to lay her face against his chest. “Kara, what's wrong? Are you in pain?”

“No,” she whispered.

“Are you okay?” Again she nodded, but didn't say anything. “Kara, talk to me, please. Did I do something wrong? What do you need?”

He could tell she was fighting to gain control. In between sniffles she spoke so quietly it was hard for him to hear her. “I'm sorry I'm being so emotional. I don't know why I am. I've never had anyone care for me like this.” A few more tears escaped from her eyes as she added, “I like it.” She snuggled in against his chest, and he pulled her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head.

“I'm glad you like it, Kara, because I don't think I could stop caring if I wanted to.” He held her tightly against him, feeling something special between them. Eventually he forced himself to pull away far enough to look into her eyes. “Okay, Kara, as good as you feel in my arms, it's getting late and you need to sleep. Let's get you into bed.”