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“Not the leftovers lady’s house...?”
Fleur resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. You just had to do something once...
“That was just an oversight on Sage Blossom’s part.” Fleur remembered the crystal in her pocket. Maybe Rick wouldn’t approve of her giving it to Simon...
But he kept an open mind, she knew that. She felt for the crystal, putting it into Simon’s hand. “Sage Blossom gave me this to give to you to make you feel better. It’s a crystal.”
Simon nodded, holding onto her hand and the crystal. It seemed they were both giving him comfort, and no one could argue with that.
* * *
As they passed along Main Street, Jim Brady let off a couple of whoops of his siren, and a pair of teenagers who were larking around on the sidewalk started to mind their manners suddenly, hurrying away in response to Jim’s shouted instruction to go home. Rick stayed in the tracks of the sheriff’s SUV, glancing back every now and then to make sure that Simon was all right. Soon the lights of the clinic appeared up ahead.
Simon reluctantly let go of her hand as Rick and Jim maneuvered his stretcher from the SUV. Fleur slid down from her seat, catching them up as Simon was set down on the examination couch in one of the small consulting rooms that lay beyond the emergency entrance to the clinic. She took up her place at his side and Simon smiled at her, taking her hand again.
One of the night nurses appeared in the doorway in response to Rick’s telephone call. When he saw her hurried demeanor, Rick paused.
“Everything okay?”
“Yes, but we’re busy tonight. Peyton Walsh got very upset over the storm, and her brother tried to get out of bed to comfort her and fell. He seems all right, but Alex is on his way in to check on him.”
No surprise that Peyton was afraid of the storm. She and her twin brother Connor had been badly injured in a storm on Christmas Eve, and they’d had a rough crossing over to the clinic on New Year’s Day too. That would be enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies, let alone a ten-year-old who was still recovering from a spinal puncture wound.
Rick nodded. “Go back to Peyton. I’ll manage here.”
The nurse shot him a relieved look. “Thanks, Rick. Call if you need anything.”
Fleur knew that he probably wouldn’t. Peyton and Connor were the darlings of the clinic, brave kids whose family were struggling to overcome enormous obstacles. If they needed someone to comfort them now, Rick would think twice about calling that person away.
“You should go too now.” Rick caught her eye. “Jim needs to get back...”
And without a lift home with Jim and her father, she was stuck here. But here was where Fleur needed to be.
“I’d like to stay here with Simon. If that’s all right?”
Rick flashed a questioning look in Simon’s direction. “Are you happy for Fleur to stay while I examine you?”
Simon nodded, squeezing Fleur’s hand. As he did so, something clattered to the floor and before she could pick it up, Rick had noticed it.
“It’s... Sage Blossom gave it to me for Simon.” She could now see that it was a piece of amethyst, which seemed very out of place amongst the gleaming surfaces and medical equipment in the consulting room.
“That’s very nice of her.” Without any more comment, Rick picked the crystal up and gave it back to Simon.
* * *
Rick was used to weighing conflicting needs and priorities, but this one seemed to tear a little at his heart. Fleur should be at home, safe, not having to confront her own fears in order to calm Simon’s. But one look at her face, set with determination, and he gave in. Simon obviously wanted her here too and it wasn’t as if he couldn’t do with her help.
She hurried over to speak with her father, sending him and Jim away with a firm wave of her hand. Then Fleur took up her place again, next to Simon.
“Keep talking to him...” Rick spoke to her quietly. He’d already checked Simon’s breathing and heart, and there were no concerns there. There was no evidence of broken bones either, apart from the swelling to his wrist, and Simon’s thick clothing had saved him from any abrasions other than a few very minor ones on his face. But he was drowsier than he should be, ignoring Rick’s questions about how he was feeling.
But Fleur got through to him. She asked if he had any pain, and he answered that just his wrist hurt. When Rick checked for a concussion, she kept the lad focused and responsive.
Then Rick found what he was looking for. When he removed Simon’s shoe, he found a small scorch mark on the bottom of one of his socks, and on further examination there were tell-tale red marks on his foot and ankle.
“Simon, I’m going need to take a look at your back...”
Simon muttered something about leaving him alone, and Fleur smiled at him. “We just need to know you’re okay, Simon. Once we do, you can rest...”
