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“Hi, sweetie,” Becky greeted her daughter, who bent and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
Jo moved on to greet her uncle and his wife before reaching the tall, muscular, blond-haired man that was her sister’s plus one at the gathering. “Donny, it’s a pleasure to see you again,” she spoke sincerely as she leaned in to give him a light hug.
“It’s nice to see you again, Jo,” the man replied, hitting her with a dazzling smile.
“Orders up,” she heard Jamie call out from the far end where he stood in front of the grill.
“I’ll go get the buns,” her mother said, rising from the chair to make her way inside.
“I’ll go get them,” Jo offered, but her mother waved her off. Realizing she’d be fighting a losing battle, she allowed her mother to go get buns.
Cora and Jules came out of the house a short while after their mother went in and joined the party. From the looks on their faces, she could tell that they had made up. Jo was happy for them. They had a long journey ahead of them, but at least they had each other.
“Buns are here,” Becky called from the porch steps, holding up the two bags. The group cheered her on.
“Let me go help Jamie put these sandwiches together,” Uncle Luke informed the group, rising from his seat and heading toward the grill.
Becky was only a foot behind him when her foot snagged on something, and she went tumbling to the ground. When she cried out in surprise at her sudden falling, Uncle Luke turned and reached out to her, but it was too late. She’d already made contact with the concrete. She cried out in pain and shock at the impact.
Jo’s heart clenched in horror at the whole incident, and she stood frozen as her limbs tried to catch up with the command from her brain to move.
“Where does it hurt?” she heard Uncle Luke ask her mother as he gently helped her up with a hand on her back. Jo’s feet started moving, taking her closer to the scene.
“M-my h-h…hand,” she heard Becky strain to say, cradling her right arm in the left.
“We need to get her to the hospital,” Cora said with urgency.
“I’ll take her in the Jeep. The girls can ride with me,” Uncle Luke said. “I’ll call Tessa to let her know what happened and that we’re on our way.”
The next few minutes were a flurry of activities. Jamie had lifted Becky into the back of the Jeep with Jo and Andrea on either side of her. Cora was up front with Uncle Luke. As soon as everyone was secure, the vehicle peeled out of the property, and in less than fifteen minutes, they were at the entrance of the Whidbey Island Public Hospital. Tessa and a few other nurses were already awaiting their arrival. They sat Becky in a wheelchair and wheeled her away, leaving the family in the waiting area.
Half an hour later, and still, no news had come about their mother. Jo’s heartbeat pounded in her ear, any louder, and she suspected everyone would be able to hear it, not just her. She sat with the back of her head against the wall. Cora stood, pacing back and forth, and Andrea sat in the opposite chair with her hands around her body as she chewed on her bottom lip nervously. Uncle Luke was the only one who seemed the calmest as he stood by the far wall with his hands over his chest, watching the time on the clock.
An hour later, Tessa came into the room.
“Is she okay?” Cora asked immediately.
Tessa gave the family a reassuring smile. “Aunt Becky is fine,” she reassured them.
Everyone released an audible sigh of relief.
“She, however, suffered a hairline fracture of her forearm. It’s minor, so she won’t need surgery. However, she will have to wear a cast for the next six weeks while it heals,” she explained to them. “The doctor will come and fill you in on all the details. I just thought it best that I gave you the news first.”
“Thanks, Tess,” Andrea said, going over to hug their cousin tightly. The other two did the same.
After the doctor came and practically went over all that Tessa had already told them, they were allowed to go see her. Becky lay on the narrow hospital bed with a white cast that ran from her elbow to the base of her fingers, completely encasing it.
“Hey,” she greeted as soon as her daughters stepped through the door.
They each went over and hugged her tightly. “You gave us a scare, Mom, but we’re glad you’re okay.”
“I’m sorry I did that,” she apologized.
“It wasn’t your fault, Mom,” Jo spoke up. “It could have happened to any one of us. We’re just glad that you’re okay.” The others nodded in agreement.
“My babies,” Becky broke down, which caused them to break down as well as they all rushed to hug her, taking care not to touch her cast.
After getting the prescription and signing the release forms, they left the hospital and headed home.
