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“Considering I’m thirty-one, then yes.” She grinned.
“And your youth may be what helps you recover from this fall, Ms. Winters,” a voice echoed from the corner of the room as the doctor stepped in. “We have your test results.” He eyed Zander, silently telling him to leave. Zander started to stand up.
“No, it’s fine. He can stay,” Rachel said, feeling nervous at just the sight of the doctor.
Zander nodded, sitting back down, as they both awaited the results.
“The good news is you don’t have a concussion. You’re lucky, considering it was quite a fall from what I’ve heard. Be sure, though, to see a doctor if you have any odd symptoms, severe headaches, forgetfulness, confusion, blurry vision, all of that. But I think you’re out of the woods as far as head injuries go.”
Rachel exhaled, feeling relieved that at least something was going well.
“That’s the good news. The bad news is your ankle isn’t doing as well. Now, it isn’t broken, which is good. It’s just a sprain, but don’t let that fool you. Sprains can be pretty rough to heal.”
“Okay, so just stay off it for like a day, right?” She could live with that. She’d already missed this evening’s show, and she was sure Michael would be okay with her missing tomorrow. She’d be back at it by Monday, singing and dancing her way through the play again.
“I’m afraid you’re going to need to stay off of it as much as possible for the next two weeks at least if you want it to heal. No walking for the next several days and then limit walking as much as possible. I can get you crutches so you can get around, and then we’ll have to assess the situation in a couple of weeks and see where we are.”
“What? A couple of weeks? I’m on Broadway. I can’t perform with crutches,” she exclaimed, shaking her head. This was no good. Two weeks off? She couldn’t be off the stage for two weeks. This was a disaster.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Winters. But look, do what you’re told to do for the next couple of weeks, take good care of it, and it could be back to new before you know it. But listen, if you don’t stay off it, you’re going to risk doing worse damage. All in all, you’re lucky you came out of this pretty unscathed. Take a while to rest and give yourself time to heal. This wasn’t a small fall, you know. Now the nurses will be in to go over some things with you and fill out some papers, then I’m clearing you for discharge. But stay off of the foot. What’s that they say in show business? The show must go on? It will go on without you, Ms. Winters, for a couple weeks. Take care of yourself.”
She groaned. “I believe they also say break a leg, so that wasn’t the best reference,” she argued. The doctor laughed.
Rachel felt frustration bubbling again, thinking about how every time she got ahead, she fell back a few steps… or a whole flight of stairs.
“And, you, take good care of this woman. I can tell she’s got a stubborn streak. You’ve got your hands full,” the doctor said, pointing to Zander and winking.
“Oh, we’re not a couple,” Rachel argued, as if that mattered.
“Sure, you’re not,” the doctor said, chuckling as he shook her hand before leaving the room.
Rachel was too devastated to say anything, her mind racing with the bad news and what it could mean for her career.
“I’m sorry,” Zander said, scooching his chair closer. “But it’ll be okay. I’m sure your director will understand. These things happen.”
“Yeah, they do. They always happen to me. When am I going to get a break?” she whined. But then she looked at Zander and felt guilty.
So many people would kill to be in her shoes, getting the chance to be on Broadway. She shouldn’t be complaining. Still, it was aggravating. She wasn’t one to be held down, to sit around and wait. She was the one who was always moving and doing and trying. She needed to be actively working toward her goals, which meant she needed to be able to actually work. Sitting on a sofa for two weeks while the show went on without her was a sickening thought.
Rachel Winters didn’t just sit still and let opportunity fly by. However, after this whole stunt, it looked like that was about to change.
“Thank you for staying with me,” she said sincerely, looking at Zander again. “I appreciate it. Tell your kids I’m so sorry I ruined their acting class.”
“You didn’t. And you’re welcome. Rachel, look, I don’t know you very well, but I’d say spending a few hours together in a hospital room sort of lets you see a lot about a person. And I’m just going to say I think you’re too hard on yourself. Cut yourself some slack. Give yourself a little bit of permission to live a bit. You don’t have to be perfect, you know?”
She grinned. “Thanks,” she said again, and even though she was seeing visions of her Broadway star fading out before it was even really lit, she smiled.
Zander Riley was right. You did get to know someone after spending hours in a hospital room together. And despite the situation and the embarrassment and the sadness, she did like what she’d gotten to know about him.
She really did.
