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“I think so,” I answer, so he keeps on moving back to Jessa.
Shade is the next person coming through the doorway, and he bellows Jessa’s name. Without thinking, I step into his path and hand Danny off to him. Besides the fact that my entire body hurts, I think that the feel of his child will help him focus and stay calm.
“Are you alright?” Sheriff Michaels’s calm voice comes from beside me.
“I need to sit. I don’t know.” My answer is factual as I try to assess my needs for the first time.
“Smith!” he calls out. “Help Molly to the bench outside, then get her to the hospital.”
“No,” I say, but my voice is noticeably weaker than it was a moment ago.
“Yes,” he answers in a commanding tone. “Smith, now! Take her report and get her to the hospital yourself if there isn’t another ambulance in the next ten minutes.”
That must have been when my adrenaline rush wore off, because it was like that fog that had lifted earlier descended again and I only have bare recollections of anything else until I wake up in a hospital bed later that evening.
“How are you feeling?” Bree’s voice is soft but clear and I finally spot her, sitting in a chair near the window.
“Am I alright?” I ask, although I realize that question makes no sense as soon as the words fall from my lips.
“How about some water?” she asks me next, putting her book to the side as she crosses to open a bottle for me.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I asked Tabby to check your chart since no one would tell me your condition and I figured someoneshould know since you don’t have family nearby.” She pauses and I nod, indeed happy that she was looking out for me. “She let me know that you would be fine and she arranged for this bed for the day, since we weren’t sure about your insurance status. Well, that’s the good news, the bad news is the bakery. Besides the obvious, the windows upstairs also blew out in the explosion.”
“Oh, no! What about Jessa, Danny, and Royce?” My mind reels as it catches up with today’s events.
“Jessa and Danny are going to be just fine. Royce will be held overnight, then Roy will keep an eye out for him at the clubhouse. Besides a concussion, one of his wrists broke when he was thrown, and of course, he’s a mess of cuts,” she quickly fills me in. “I talked to Flint, and we’d like you to come stay with us, until a building inspector signs off on the structure and my husband can get the windows replaced.”
“I don’t know, my things and the ovens…” My voice drops off when I think about paying off my monthly loan on all the equipment I had purchased. Unfortunately, it might be time to dip into my inheritance until I’m up and running again.
“Molly, don’t worry about that now,” Bree tells me as she sits on the foot of my bed and squeezes my leg with a grin. “You’ll be sharing a bathroom with Joe, but I’ve almost civilized him. He puts the toilet seat down about eighty percent of the time now!”
“Flint’s not still angry at me?” I ask, barely able to make eye contact with her but considering how fast her eyebrows shoot up, I can see she has no idea what I’m talking about. “He, um, we butted heads a while back.”
“He didn’t mention anything, and trust me, he would have told me if you weren’t welcome,” she says, shrugging her shoulders.
I can see the curiosity in her eyes, but she stops herself from asking me anything else.
“That’s settled then. I’ll go get ask the nurse about releasing you and we’ll head home.” Bree turns on her heel, heading off on her mission before I can point out that I didn’t actually agree to stay with them.
Sitting up, I consider my other options and realize that there’s just one: the fancy resorts on the edge of town. There had been a motel, but after a fire leveled it, the rebuilding process has dragged on.
When I first got here, I stayed at a bed & breakfast. The couple who owned it was more than a little odd, and the husband kept trying to rub my shoulders whenever his wife left the room. Needless to say, I got out of there as soon as I could.
Jessa and her aunt, obviously have too much on their plate right now, so there’s no chance of staying with them.
“Miss Kent?” There’s a nurse entering the room and as I had just stood up, my head snaps in her direction and I try not to look guilty. “Mrs. Kelly went down to the giftshop to buy some sweats for you to change into, while I review your marching orders with you.”
“Oh, yes, thank you. She said that Tabby, um, Dr. Forsythe said I checked out alright?”
“Dr. Cuasay was on duty in the ER when you came in, but yes, it looks like you got off with a bruised bum,” the older lady says with a soft smile. “Your clothes are in that bag right there, but they’re a mess. And we understand you’ll be staying with friends?”
“Yes. I was wondering if you could tell me how the man that was injured is doing?” I hesitate to ask, then narrow my eyes when I see her blush.
“He’s a lively one, isn’t he?” She practically giggles despite her age. “He asked about you also, but I’m not allowed to share information on my patients.”
I open my mouth to let her know that I understand and practically giggle when I see her tilt her head to the left two times. Looking over her shoulder, it takes me a moment to piece her silent message together. “Our number is on this sheet, you call us if any of the listed issues pop up, you hear me?”
With those words, she takes her leave and I quickly follow her to the door, peeking both ways until I dart into the room that she indicated. The curtain around the bed is drawn and I take a deep breath before reaching behind me to hold my hospital gown closed.
