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"I was playing softball and the second baseman had to leave early, and they asked if I could do it. And I said yes," Megan ended her explanation with a sob. "I tried to field a grounder but it bounced off the dirt and hit me in the face. I think my nose is broken."
"Actually, there's just a small fracture," the doctor said as he came into the room holding an x-ray. He gave Megan an encouraging smile. "There's no displacement, so while your nose will be painful and swollen for a few days, I expect you to make a full recovery."
Ria felt an enormous rush of relief. "That's good news. Can I take her home?"
"Yes. The nurse will be in soon with the discharge papers. I gave Megan some pain medication, so she should take it easy for the rest of the day."
"I'll make sure of that," Ria promised.
He paused at the door and glanced back at Megan. "Maybe stick to the outfield in the future."
"I'm never playing again," Megan vowed as the doctor left the room.
"See, it's going to be all right," Ria said.
There was nothing but disbelief in Megan's eyes. "By next Saturday night? There's no way Eric is going to want to take me to the prom looking like a hideous monster."
"You are not a monster, and you'll look a lot better by then," she said, hoping that was the truth.
"I hate my life," Megan wailed.
Ria wasn't too thrilled with their lives, either, but at least the injury wasn't serious.
The nurse came in a moment later. Ria signed the appropriate forms, knowing with each signature that she was creating a paper trail, but that trail was tied to their new identities, so hopefully it wouldn't be an issue.
"Let's get you home," she said after the nurse left.
"I can't get on the bus like this. Everyone will look at me."
"We'll take a cab," she said. But as they walked out of the examining room into the waiting room, she saw Drew standing by the door. Her step faltered. She'd hoped he'd gone home.
Drew came forward, concern in his eyes.
"Everything okay?" he asked, his glance moving from her to Megan. "Hi," he said. "I'm Drew Callaway. I'm a friend of—Tory's," he said, stumbling over her name.
Ria appreciated the effort, even though the last thing she wanted to do was introduce him to Megan.
Megan shot him a suspicious look, and why wouldn't she? Megan knew better than anyone that Ria didn't have any friends.
"He is a friend," she told Megan. "This is my sister, Megan, Drew."
"Who's this?" Megan asked, a suspicious note in her voice.
"Your sister?" Drew echoed in surprise, shooting her a quick look. "The one who gave you the necklace?"
"No," she said quickly. "I need to get Megan home."
"That's why I waited. I thought you might need a ride." He glanced at Megan. "It's nice to meet you."
"Is it?" Megan asked grumpily. "I look like a freak."
"Can I ask what happened?" he questioned tentatively.
"Megan took a softball off her nose," Ria explained.
An understanding gleam entered his eyes. "I've been there. I took a hardball off my face in the tenth grade. Last time I was put at shortstop." He cocked his head to the right as he considered her injury. "Yours doesn't look so bad."
"How long did it take for the swelling to go down when you got hit?" Megan asked.
"About three days. I had a shiner for a while though."
"Great, that's just great," Megan said with a sigh.
"My car is not too far away," Drew said. "Shall I bring it around or—"
"We can walk," Ria said, wanting to get away from the hospital and home as quickly as possible.
She got into the front seat of Drew's SUV while Megan climbed into the back. When Drew asked for her address, Ria had another small panic attack. She would have preferred that he not know where they lived, but that was impossible now. She gave him the address and Drew started the engine.
"So you're a softball player, huh?" Drew asked Megan as he drove out of the parking lot.
"Not really. This was only my second time. Last time I was in the outfield. I should have stayed there," Megan said. "But Shari had to leave early and there was no one else who wanted to take her spot. I thought I could do it. Mom used to play softball, and she was really good."
