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I didn’t know who Theo was, or why he needed to be texted, but I didn’t have the energy to wonder. I felt a hand come to gently touch my back.
“Hi there. My name is Alex. What’s yours?”
“Ha…Hannah.” Speaking was harder than normal. That wasn’t good.
“Hi, Hannah. We’re getting help for you. Are you able to sit up?”
“Not sure,” I mumbled.
“What happened? Did someone hurt you?”
“No. Fell. Hit head. Now nauseated.”
“Oh no. You probably have a concussion. I’m not a doctor or anything, but I know the signs. I think half of our friends have had bad ones at this point. It’s actually kind of a joke in our group.” After a pause, she removed her hand, but I heard her adjust to sit next to me on the cobblestones. “Sorry, I guess it’s not so funny. Just stay there, the paramedics will be here in a minute.”
I knew she was right. As a veterinarian, I didn’t diagnose as many concussions in my patients as a medical doctor does, but I knew the symptoms in all mammals. And this was looking like a rough one.
I didn’t hear sirens, but a loud vehicle approached and Alex spoke in a soft tone.
“They’re here, Hannah. They’ll take care of you.”
* * *
Two hours, and two vomiting sessions later, I’d been given a room in the Emergency Department of Moon Harbor County Hospital. After a CT scan and an IV hookup to rehydrate me, I settled in to wait for the doctor to come back with the results.
“You doing okay?”
I looked over at Alex, who had kindly waited with me this whole time. I meant to give her a look of gratitude but it must have looked pained because she cringed.
“I’m sorry, what a stupid question.”
“No, not at all. I’m feeling a little better.” She cocked her head and lifted her lips up in a smirk. I laughed, which sent a shot of pain through my skull. “Okay, I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck, but I’ll be fine. I feel badly that you’ve wasted your evening here.”
“Oh don’t feel bad at all.” Alex patted my hand and gave me a genuinely warm smile. “I couldn’t leave you to be all alone in a hospital with a head injury. Plus, I know what it’s like to be new in town. Sara took me under her wing immediately, and now I’ve done the same with you. Consider yourself adopted.” She grinned wider and I felt myself doing the same.
“I’ve never been great at making friends. Too busy studying and working, I guess.”
“You’re a veterinarian, right?” I must have given her a confused look, because she followed it up immediately. “You’ll get used to this town knowing everything about everyone.”
I laughed again, this time delighted. “I think I like the sound of that. Maybe. I don’t know, I’ve always lived in larger cities, and small town life seemed so charming in the books I read.”
“Oh it is charming, for sure. It comes with its drawbacks, like anything else. But I think you’ll really love it here.”
“I hope so. I mean, aside from this,” I waved my hands around, indicating the hospital visit, “I’m happy so far. It’s only been a week, so I still have so much settling in to do. I don’t even have all my stuff yet. The moving company was delayed.”
“Oh god, that’s awful. When are they coming?”
“They promised me by the end of the week.”
“Perfect, you can let me know when they arrive and I’ll bring reinforcements over to help you unpack.”
She said it with a smile of finality. She was going to help me, and that was that. I felt a tear prick my eye and willed myself to not become a blubbering mess in front of this stranger, who has now become my first friend in Moon Harbor. But like any good friend, Alex noticed immediately, grabbing a tissue from the box on the counter and handing it to me with another warm smile.
“You’re adopted now, remember?”
A knock on the open door prevented me from getting more emotional, and we both looked up to see Dr. Espinosa walk into the room, his bald head reflecting the overhead light.
“Alright, Hannah. We’ve got some good news.” He looked down at the chart in his hands. “You don’t have a cranial fracture or any bleeding.”
