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“Uh huh,” she said but avoided eye contact.
With her clasping his forearms, Allen lifted and helped her settle into the backseat. Scooting backwards, Heather adjusted until her back touched the opposite door. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t afford to have a sprained knee.
She wanted to adjust her dress but the pain in her knee had more precedence. Pressing her face against the leather in the backseat, she hid her face from Allen. When she heard the engine rumble, he pulled off the street.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
“Not now, please.” She gritted her teeth.
“Anything else I can do?” Did he sound worried?
Heather exhaled. “You could distract me.”
“How’s that?”
“Play some music. Sing a song. Tell a joke. I don’t know, just do something!” She didn’t mean to sound snippy but could anyone blame her when she felt like someone had stabbed her knee.
“Okay… a joke.” Allen cleared his throat.
“Don’t grow a longer beard thinking about one. Turn some music on.”
He did, but it was not the Christmas music she was expecting. Instead, she heard… was that Motown? Heather turned her head, but his eyes met hers in the rearview.
Heather swallowed. “I was thinking about something else.”
“Not a fan of The Temptations?”
She rolled her eyes. “Nothing wrong with them, but it's Christmas.”
“They have Christmas songs; it’s not just not playing now.”
“In case you haven’t noticed…” She pointed to her leg. “I’m injured here.”
“I understand that and I’m doing my best to get you to the hospital.”
Her mouth fell open. He was stubborn. She didn’t know whether to throw her shoe at him or keep her mouth from flooding with moisture. She would not allow the new guy in town to get under her skin. Instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and focused on breathing through the pain.
Allen pulled into a parking lot and parked. Heather looked around to see that they were at Maple Meadow’s hospital. She placed both hands on her side and started to slide forward. Allen opened the door and held out his hands.
“Can you get up on your own?” he asked.
Heather took deep breaths as she tried to stand only to sit back down. Allen didn’t say a word but wrapped an arm around her waist. She licked her lips realizing there were more important matters aside from her attraction to the man who once again picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck once more, avoiding eye contact.
“I have your things Heather,” Sonia said as she jogged to catch up with them. “I also called Mom.”
“Great.” She inwardly winced.
“Let’s get you inside,” Allen said.
She couldn’t help looking at him this time. Did his pupils dilate as he looked back at her? Heather couldn’t pinpoint it. It didn’t matter, anyway. She wasn’t interested.
***
“How are you feeling?” Sonia asked. Then she checked her phone. “Mom should be here soon.”
“I told you I’m fine.” Heather reclined in her hospital bed with her arms folded across her chest.
A television hung from the wall, while a small closet held her purse and coat. She stared at the whiteboard listing her patient information with her nurse’s name, along with the tests to be performed on her knee. So far, she sat with it elevated with extra pillows with an ice pack to help with swelling. The clack of heels and the squeak of rubber-soled shoes drifted in from the hallway. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of latex gloves and hand sanitizer.
