AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Your leg. Hang on.” Holden darted to the freezer and removed an ice pack and applied it to my injury. “I’ll be right back. And for shit’s sake, do not try to leave again.”
I whimpered as I held the cold compress against the throbbing area that pulsated with sharp stabbing pricks. Holden must have been running because he returned in seconds. “I had to grab my wallet, keys, and phone.” He lifted me again, then took long strides up the wide stairs to what seemed like the main floor. I peeked at the living room to the left.
“Two houses?” I managed to squeak out, hoping to take my mind off my situation.
“Basically. This is the main house, we were in the basement, but it has its own door, three bedrooms, two bathrooms. So yeah, it’s another house.”
Holden hurried down the hall, his shoes slapping against the floors. “Marble?” I asked, suddenly praying I didn’t stink while his grip tightened around me.
“Yeah, I’ll give you a tour later. And River?”
“What?” I hiccupped.
“You need to eat more. You don’t weigh shit.”
“Holden?”
“Yeah?” he asked as he managed to open the front door with me still in his arms.
“I think I’m going to pass out. It hu…” I didn’t have the opportunity to finish my sentence before my entire world went black.
After X-rays and pain meds, I must have dozed off. Strange voices pulled me from the darkness. Someone needed to dial their volume down. My head ached like a son of a bitch. I felt around for my knife as I waited for the bright lights in the room to stop blinding me, but I couldn’t find it. I groaned softly and peeled an eye open, then closed it again.
“She’s my cousin from out of town,” Holden explained to the doctor.
“So, she’s family?” he asked and nodded toward me.
I continued to pretend that I was asleep and eavesdropped, assessing the situation while watching them through slightly open eyelids. The doctor seemed young, maybe early thirties. His wavy brown hair was short, and he had a runner’s build. Long and lean.
“Yeah, from Michigan. My mom’s sister’s daughter. They’re not really close and this is the first time I’ve seen River in years,” Holden explained.
“Wouldn’t you know your cousin’s last name?” The doctor arched an eyebrow at him.
“I do. I was just rattled, and it slipped my mind. As the X-rays showed, she broke her leg pretty badly. I heard it snap. Her last name is Collins.”
“All right, son. I understand that it might have freaked you out a little bit. But you’re a star quarterback. You’ve seen a lot of injuries, Holden. I wouldn’t think you’d get shaken up over something as common as a broken bone.”
“Yeah, but that’s on the field. This … this one was my fault.”
“What do you mean?”
Shit, Holden. Hush already. You’re digging a deeper hole for us.
“She was teasing me and took my phone. I chased her through the house, and she flew out the door, and jumped over a chair. I was right behind her and heard ...” Holden’s face paled. “But she’s going to be okay?”
The doctor smiled. “Why don’t you ask her?” He nodded at me, and I gave them a sheepish wave.
“Hi, River. I’m Doctor Martin. How are you feeling, young lady?”
“A little nauseated, but other than that I’m okay. Better than earlier.”
“I’ll send you home with a prescription to settle your stomach and some pain pills, but your leg is broken. You took a really nasty tumble and now you have a stable fracture. It looks like your face is bruised as well.” The doctor cleared his throat and pointed to my nose. “Those aren’t fresh, though.” He glared at Holden again.
Fuck. My makeup must have worn off. I raised a hand to the bruises. “Yeah,” I whispered, refusing to look at either of them. I stared at my cast instead. No wonder Dr. Martin was grilling Holden hard.
“Let’s get your nose reset since you’re here. Holden promised me he’ll look after you for the next six weeks while you heal. I better not see any more marks on you, though.” He narrowed his gaze at Holden as he spoke.
“He didn’t do it. I swear,” I said, jumping to Holden’s defense. This guy had fed me, driven me to the hospital, and stayed. He didn’t deserve to be accused of hurting me. The least I could do was clear his name of any suspicions.
