AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t mention it. I’m glad I could help you. I know it’s scary. I was scared the first time I was in a car while it was being dismantled around me.”
Suddenly it grew bright under the sheet, and he removed it from over our heads. My car was now a convertible, as there was no longer any roof. That could be nice in summer, but in mid-January, it allowed the freezing temperatures to surround us quickly, and I shivered harder.
I listened to Lee speak to the men around him, and then he explained that they were going to lift the dashboard off my leg. I could no longer feel my leg, and all I wanted was to be removed from here and brought someplace warm.
This time, Lee didn’t come under the sheet with me; in fact, he disappeared from my side after saying that he had to get ready to get me out. I immediately missed his presence, and after the tool made vicious sounds next to me, I felt the pressure release from my leg.
The sheet was quickly tossed to the side, and then there were a bunch of people there, all jostling me in different ways as they tried to remove me from the car. I heard Lee’s voice, and my brother’s, but the rest all faded around me as the pain threatened to unhinge me. I ground my teeth, fighting to breathe normally as the pain screamed up my leg and into my hip. Every shiver making it worse.
The board was hard under me, and then my head was braced between cushions, and I was strapped down. Suddenly, the panic of being confined again just after having been freed began to build in me.
“Roxy, you’re okay. This is for your own safety. We don’t know if you hurt your spine,” my brother said as he leaned over my face. “I know you don’t like tight spaces, but this is to protect you.”
“Okay,” I responded between gritted teeth. I was carried a short distance, then felt myself being put on a gurney. The minute I was strapped down, the stretcher began to move, and Roman stayed at my side, holding my hand.
I was lifted into the ambulance, and then the door was closed, and I felt the heat rushing down from air vents. Thank god. I was shivering so hard that I wasn’t sure if I would ever be warm again.
I heard the scissors cutting again and kept my eyes closed as Lee removed the rest of my skirt. When he lifted the arm of my jacket, my eyes flew open. “No! Don’t cut my jacket.”
“I’m sorry, Roxy, I have to. I need to get an IV started on you.”
“It’s only a jacket, Roxy; we’ll get you another one.”
I’m not sure why I got so upset, but tears began to leak from my eyes and run down the side of my face. Maybe it finally hit me that I was in an accident and I was injured, but whatever it was, I wasn’t able to stop the tears now.
Roman brushed a few away, whispering to me as Lee worked. I felt the sleeve of the jacket fall away, felt my blouse being torn, and then the prick in my arm of the needle, and still, I sat there silently crying for the beautiful suede coat that I had saved frugally for as it was destroyed.
I opened my eyes, finding my brother’s matching eyes staring down at me. “It wasn’t my fault, was it? The accident I mean.”
“No,” he shook his head, “witnesses stated that the light turned green, and the car on Tenth had the red. He didn’t stop, and he hit you. He’s at fault, not you.”
That oddly calmed me. “Was anyone else hurt?”
“The woman in the minivan had a minor injury, probably a sprained wrist. The driver of the pickup that hit you was fine. I don’t think the driver of the other car was injured either.”
“Ass,” I muttered, and someone snickered. I glanced to the side, noting the smile on Lee’s face. He was pulling the stethoscope from around his neck.
“Roxy, I need to listen to your heart,” he said to me, and my brother sat up out of the way as Lee put the small metal disk to my chest. Our gazes locked again. Did my heart beat faster when he looked at me? I could have sworn it did. He moved the disk around and asked me to take a few deep breaths. Seemingly satisfied with what he found, he winked down at me again and then put the stethoscope back around his neck.
We talked a little about what hurt, and he asked me general questions about myself and my health as he took notes on a clipboard. He was all business now, and I kind of wished that I was back under the sheet with him again.
“Damn—Roman, I need you to go to my shop and get my cellphone. I was supposed to meet with a new client this morning. That’s why I was out so early.”
“I’ll go get it once I know you are alright. I already called Dad; he’s on his way to the hospital.”
“Why did you call him?” I barked. “He doesn’t need to come. Call him back and tell him to go home.”
“Roxy, cut the shit. You know Dad will want to be there for you.”
“Yeah, right. Dad will probably find another excuse to tell me that if I had a real job, I wouldn’t have been out on the roads. Jesus, Roman, why did you call him?”
“Because he’s your father, Rox.”
I rolled my eyes and then glanced at Lee. There was no way he hadn’t heard our conversation, but his face was expressionless. I’m sure he listened to a lot of things in his job, just like Roman did.
“I swear, Roman, if he says one thing negative to me, I’m going to kick him out.”
“I’ll talk to him, Rox. Dad just wants to make sure you’re okay.”
