Page 21 of Love By The Falls

“Okay. Thank you for bringing him in. We’ll take it from here. You can go back to your hotel now.”

The nurse leaves us to return to her station, but none of us moves.

“It doesn’t feel right leaving without knowing if Arturo’s going to make it,” says Charlotte.

Teo, Tasha and Nikki run through the automated glass doors. “Where is he? Will he be alright?”

Brady shrugs. “Don’t know yet. They’re gonna run some tests. But they said we can go.”

Tasha exhales and closes her eyes. “Thank God. I’ll collapse if I don’t lie down soon.”

Charlotte is pacing the hallway with her arms crossed. “Are you ready to go back?” I ask her.

“I don’t think I can. But you go ahead. I’ll just call a cab as soon as the nurse updates me.”

I don’t spend a second considering that alternative. If she’s staying, then so am I. Leaving her alone in a foreign country all by herself isn’t an option. Even though my time with Teo is trickling down to just a few more hours, I’ll have to catch up with him at the airport on the way back to the States.

“Go on. Charlotte and I will catch up with you soon.”

“Are you sure?” asks Teo.

“Yeah.”

Charlotte sits on a gray leather chair in the waiting room and drops her head into her hands. Her floral dress clings to her chest and thighs from perspiration. There are scratches on my hands and dirt underneath my fingernails. I must have scraped them along the rocks when picking Arturo up. Memories flood my mind, and I sit down next to Charlotte and rest my head back against the white wall.

Nothing about this trip is what I’d imagined. I was supposed to wine and dine Teo and bring back a signed contract. At worst, we would have had a few drinks and scheduled a meeting next week at home. But this?

“What are you thinking?”

“Me? Just thinking that this trip is like nothing I’d planned in my head.”

Charlotte scoffs, and a smile tugs at her cheeks. “Yeah, me, too.”

“You were great back there, you know,” I say. “Pretty calm under pressure.”

She leans back and stares at the ceiling. “I was terrified we’d make a mistake, or Arturo would stop breathing before we could find him help.”

She rubs her face and then drops her hand onto the armrest between us. Staring at her hand, I’m reminded of reaching for it back in the Jeep. “I’m sorry about earlier. I only meant to comfort you by holding your hand. I hope it didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“It didn’t,” she said, still staring at the ceiling. “It made me feel…”

I watch her lips, waiting for her to finish, but she only closes her eyes and rubs her forehead again.

I don’t press her. We’ve been through a lot. Although I want to reach over and grab her hand again, I hold back, rubbing my palms along the armrest.

About an hour later, the nurse spots us and walks over. “The doctor checked the x-rays, and he’s broken his arm in two places and dislocated his shoulder. He may have injured his hip, but another doctor is looking at those tests. Arturo is awake but sedated to help with the pain. Fortunately, he’ll be alright.”

I exhale slowly, and Charlotte runs her hands through her hair. “Thank you,” she whispers, seemingly to the nurse, but she’s still staring at the ceiling.

“You’re welcome. There’s really nothing more you can do here. You should head back to your hotel now.”

I stand and shake the nurse’s hand. It’s awkward because she isn’t expecting it, but I am grateful for their help. “We will.”

Charlotte doesn’t stand up with me, still staring at the ceiling, so I extend my arm to help her. She drops her gaze and accepts, gently placing her small hand in mine. Her skin is cold, and it sends shivers up my arm. “Let’s get out of here,” I say, rubbing her skin with my thumb.

She nods and lets me hold her hand as we walk back to the Jeep. We’re only ten minutes from the hotel, and neither of us speaks on the way back. I give the valet the keys when I pull up to the front.

Charlotte is pensive. She’s staring down and away. I walk her back to her room and stand at the door after she steps inside. She looks up at me, her eyes are red, and her face is drawn. “Do you want to come in?”

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