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But that wasn’t the worst of it. Almost in slow motion, they both started heading for the ground. Cate was helpless to stop the cascade. They crashed hard, with Cate somehow on the bottom.
Harry’s big body knocked the wind out of her. There was no opportunity to save herself. For several seconds her eyes were closed with dots of yellow light dancing on the back of her eyelids.
When she could manage a painful breath, she gazed up at him. “How bad are you hurt? Did you hit the knee again?”
He was braced on his elbows, trying to keep his weight off her. He brushed her nose with his. “Let’s just say I’m regretting a few life choices in the last two hours.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We’re going to try the exact same thing, only this time we’ll make it work.”
“I don’t want you to get hurt again, Harry.”
“I’m tough, Catie-girl. The question is, areyouokay? We crashed pretty hard.”
“I’m fine. But we need to get you home.”
She knew he hurt himself more just by rolling over to let her get up. They took everything slow. When the crutch was in position, she offered him her shoulder one last time. “I believe in you, Prescott Harrington.”
He groaned. “Don’t make me laugh. Everything hurts.”
“I’m ready when you are.”
This time, they executed the plan. Once Harry was upright, Cate quickly got the second crutch under his left arm and steadied him.
“I’m good,” he said. But the two words were strained.
Now all they had to do was walk a quarter mile in the dark.
Cate decided she needed to take Harry’s mind off their trek. “Well, this settles it,” she said, matching her steps to his halting stride.
“Settles what?”
“Now youhaveto let me go meet your mother. You can’t drive.”
“Hell.” She could tell by his disgusted response that he hadn’t thought of that.
“I’m a very pleasant person. I’m sure she’ll like me.”
“My mother and I have a fragile relationship. You don’t want to get caught in the middle.”
“You want to tell me about it?”
“I absolutely do not.”
She could hear the discomfort in his voice, so she let the matter drop. Tomorrow would roll around soon enough.
By the time they made it back to the house, Harry was in enough pain that he let her persuade him to go to the small regional hospital that was less than ten miles from Blossom Branch.
Cate was relieved. She would have done her best nursing, but professional help would be better. “Are you okay with me driving your car?” she asked.
“Don’t have much choice.”
He was barely finishing his sentences now. After she helped him scoot the passenger seat back and fold his legs into the car, she ran inside for her purse.
She punched the hospital’s address into her phone. It wasn’t hard to find, but she didn’t want to waste valuable minutes.
When they arrived at the small medical center, the A-team took over. Cate was left to collapse into a hard plastic chair in the waiting room and exhale in relief. It was an hour and fifteen minutes before someone came to get her.
