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“Are you okay, sir?”the steward asked.Some of the crowd moved away, satisfied the injured stranger had got help, while others just moved back but continued to watch.
“Nope,” Donovan said, his voice pained.“Not okay at all.”
“Do you think you can stand up?”
“Not sure.I may be able to with help.”
I moved back a little further as a man who had been watching everything came forward to offer his assistance.They both supported Donovan, heaving him up to his feet, but as he tried to put weight on his injured leg, he cried out.
“Okay,” the steward said.“Take it easy.We need to get you off the ice.We’re going to ease you out of here, and then we can get your boot off.Just keep as much of your weight as you can on your good foot.”
Donovan nodded, but I couldn’t see his expression as I was behind him now.Thankfully, we weren’t far from the edge, and the guys took all his weight and helped him off the ice, with me following.
I hoped he hadn’t broken his ankle; that was going to do nothing for his opinions about Christmas or my activities.A stab of guilt pierced through me.Maybe this was a stupid idea.Ice skating was dangerous, and even though it wasn’t exactly guaranteed that someone would get hurt, it was always a possibility.Now, I might have knackered his ankle and his Christmas.
Once Donovan was off the ice, he hobbled over to the nearest bench, and the two men helped him to sit down.Pain was clearly written across Donovan’s face, and that ripple of guilt washed through me again.As the steward used his radio to call the medics in, I sat down on the bench beside Donovan.I didn’t know what to say to him, so I just sat quietly, praying I hadn’t permanently damaged him.
“The medics are coming,” the steward said, and the man who had assisted nodded and patted Donovan’s shoulder.
“Hope you get sorted out quickly, mate.”
“Thanks,” Donovan said, returning the guy’s nod with one of his own.
The first aid station was just outside the ice rink, so it took less than two minutes for a medic to come in and assess the situation.After removing Donovan’s ice skates and examining his ankle, which was severely swollen, the medic said it was badly sprained, but he was confident it was not broken.Once we were given some instructions on how to take care of the injury and things to look out for that would suggest something was amiss, the medics told me I could go and get my car and bring it to one of the side streets because there was no way he’d be able to walk as far as the car park.The medics were able to provide a wheelchair to get Donovan from the rink to my car, but I didn’t know how me and June would get him into the house.He had been bandaged up and given some paracetamol for the pain, and I’d had to push my car’s passenger seat as far back as it would go to allow him as much space as possible.
Once we were on the road, anxiety churned in my stomach.
“Donovan, I’m so sorry,” I said, glancing at him for a second.His head was resting back against the headrest, his eyes closed.
“What for?”he asked.
“I should never have suggested ice skating.”Or maybe any of this.It was clear any friendship we’d had as children was pretty much gone now we’d had our own life experiences and grown different personalities.It had seemed fun when I’d suggested it.I’d intended to show him there was more to life than travelling.That there was still magic to be found if he was willing to look.Sure, he had agreed to it.And he’d done so with a reasonable amount of good humour.Even so, he probably never wanted to be landed with Seasonal Sally from next door.
“I knew what I was getting in to.”From the corner of my eye, I saw his head turn towards me, and I wriggled awkwardly.I was sure my face was beginning to glow, knowing I was the cause of his pain, even if he was being nice about it.
“Yeah, but did you really want to come?Or did you just do it because...Why did you come?”
I risked another glimpse his way and his wrinkled forehead suggested he was confused by the question.“Nova, I’m in Devon visiting my grandma.I know nobody here aside from you, and even though the link between us isn’t exactly the strongest, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do while I was here.And that’s not to say I don’t want to spend time with Nan, but three or four weeks is long when you only know one person.So, I came with you because I thought it would be fun.And because I haven’t been ice skating for years.And because, even though you continually threaten to murder me, which you almost succeeded at today...”I cringed, and he grinned, “I’m not totally closed-minded.Idon’tthink there is anything left in Dawlish for me anymore, but I might as well make the most of my time here.It beats sitting around in Nan’s house or driving around trying to find things to do on my own.”
I raised an eyebrow.“I thought you liked being on your own.”
Another eye flick his way.He hesitated before saying, “It’s different here.I already know what’s around for the most part.When I’m in a different country, a lot of it is about the unexpected.”
“Seems dangerous.Don’t you research where you’re going?”
“To a degree.But I like to look around and find things off the main tourist trails.That’s beside the point.You asked me to do something with you, and what do I have to lose?”
“Your ankle, apparently,” I muttered, the lurking guilt hitting me again.
“What happened today was an accident.Nothing more, nothing less.It might limit any other things you have planned for me, though.”
I thought over my list, surprised to find I was relieved that wasn’t the case.“Actually, everything else I have planned involves sitting down.Maybe one thing might require a shopping trip, and another is better standing up, but I could find something for you to sit on.”
Had I not been driving, I would have closed my eyes and hoped to disappear.I heard the words I’d just said, the double entendre screaming at me.Donovan laughed out loud as my cheeks burned.
“Not the first time a woman has said that to me,” he said, and I squirmed in discomfort.
“I didn’t mean that how it sounded,” I said, wishing my car came with an ejector seat to propel me away from this situation.I remembered my fleeting thought that, had I met him in any other way than I did, his attractiveness would have got my attention.
