Read with BonusRead with Bonus

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER

3

W

hile each movement highlighted the fact that the man had some serious muscle under his work shirt, it also jostled her leg, causing blinding explosions of pain. He set her gently on the seat in the cab of the truck.

Jenna unclenched her teeth enough to ask, “Can you get my purse for me?”

Isaac headed into the cabin, and emerged a few minutes later with her purse and a plastic baggie full of snow.

With the makeshift ice pack applied to her knee, they set off for town in his truck. It was a twenty-minute drive to the clinic, and with each bump of the truck her knee seemed to grow more painful. Jenna was so focused on breathing through the pain that she didn’t process any of the scenery along the drive.

The clinic was crowded, but with one look at Jenna being carried in by Isaac, the receptionist rushed out from behind the desk and led them directly to the big treatment room. Isaac put Jenna gently down on the exam table.

“I’ll go get the doctor for you.”

“Thanks, Mary.” Isaac turned back to Jenna when the receptionist had left the room. “Is there anyone I should call, Jenna?”

Like who?

Her mother wasn’t exactly a calming presence in an emergency, and the last thing she wanted was for her brother to know where she was. There really was no one else.

“No, I’ll be fine on my own.” She always was. Jenna was used to handling problems by herself. But instead of leaving like she expected, Isaac sat down in the chair beside the exam table.

“I’ll stay,” he said. “If that’s okay with you?”

Jenna nodded, not trusting herself to speak. The pain and frustration were wearing down her resolve not to cry in front of this man. She had been an idiot to go traipsing off into the woods. And even more of an idiot to veer off the path. But she’d wanted so badly to see the deer that had made the tracks in the snow. His being so nice about the whole thing was only making her feel more stupid.

The doctor joined them a moment later. Jenna opted to have her pants cut up the leg rather than to try to get them off. After a series of questions and a quick, extremely painful exam, he let her know that she was lucky. Nothing was broken, but her kneecap was dislocated. And he was going to have to put it back into place.

Jenna swallowed. The procedure the doc was describing sounded painful. “Do I get some good drugs first?”

“You bet.” The doctor returned holding a needle. “This might sting a little, but it works like a charm.”

Boy, did it ever.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter