Page 47 of Always

Gwen checked her cell phone.

“There’s no service!” she cried.

“Hannah,” Anika said, forcing her voice to remain calm, “are you feeling pain anywhere else, or is it just your elbow and your ankle? Did you hit your head at all, or your back?”

“N—no...” Hannah said hesitantly. “It’s just my ankle.”

“Well then,” Anika said, firmly taking charge, “Gwen and I will carry the backpacks. Marco and James, let Hannah put an arm over each of your shoulders, and Blaine be on hand to help her down some of the steeper parts. We can switch off if anyone gets tired.”

They all agreed to this. Using Marco and James as her crutches, Hannah was able to hop fairly well. On the parts where they had to scramble, Blaine helped with her feet, and they were able to lift, slide, and carry her down the first mile or so.

At this point, right when Marco began to flag and Hannah was beginning to look a bit sick and sweaty, they met a group of college-aged boys coming up. The group offered to turn back with them, to help get Hannah down to the bottom of the trail.

No one was proud enough to refuse that help. Switching off between the four boys and the men in their group, they managed to make it back to the parking lot. Hannah even perked up enough to make a joke about her pack of handsome litter-bearers.

Gwen rolled her eyes. “God, Hannah, please don’t enjoy this,” she said sourly, but Anika could tell she was relieved to see her sister still in good spirits.

Anika wanted to follow Gwen, Blaine, James, and Hannah to the hospital in Marco’s car, but Gwen assured her repeatedly there was no need.

“Look at her,” Gwen said, nodding her head at Hannah in the front seat of the G-Wagon, her swollen foot propped up on the dash. “She’s fine. I’ve got James and Blaine to help me—no need for you and Marco to burn the rest of your day waiting with us. They’ll probably just tape up her ankle and send us home. With a nice hefty bill, of course.”

“Are you sure?” Anika said again. “I’d be glad to come with you.”

“It’s fine. You guys go have fun.”

“Alright,” Anika said reluctantly, “but text me later if you’re stuck there and you want me to bring some food or coffee or something.”

“Okay,” Gwen said, giving Anika a quick hug before she returned to her sister.

As it turned out, Hannah was worse off than they expected. An x-ray showed that she actually had broken her ankle, and the doctor said they’d better keep her overnight to allow the swelling to go down so they could put on a cast the next morning.

Gwen kept Anika updated via text, assuring her that Hannah was surviving just fine, and they didn’t need her to bring anything because James had gone out to get proper food, so they weren’t dependent on the hospital cafeteria. She did, however, agree that Hannah would welcome a visit the next morning, since she was already bored of the limited channels on the TV in her room, and they would probably be stuck there until at least noon.

Marco was disappointed when Anika asked him to drop her off at home. He’d been hoping she would stay the night at his apartment.

“You don’t really need to go see Hannah first thing in the morning,” he said. “It’s only a broken ankle.”

“I know it’s not life-threatening,” Anika said. “I just feel bad for her, and I feel a little responsible.”

“Why?” Marco said. “You didn’t tell her to jump around the rocks like a five year-old.”

“She’s my employee as well as my friend,” Anika said. “I just feel like I should help take care of her.”

That was true, and also Anika felt guilty for the resentment she’d harbored toward Hannah over the last few months. It wasn’t Hannah’s fault that Anika still had feelings for James. As far as Anika could tell, James hadn’t even told Hannah that they’d dated.

The whole thing was a mess. The least Anika could do was bring some bagels over in the morning.

“Fine,” Marco sighed, pulling up in front of her apartment building. “Promise me you’ll stay over next weekend at least.”

“I will,” Anika said.

At that moment, her phone dinged softly where it lay on the seat beside her. A message had come in, with the name clear at the top: James Dawson.

Marco saw it at the same time Anika did. The color rose in his face, and he opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it again, forcing himself not to say anything. She could see his irritation and his curiosity, but since she had no idea what the message said, she had no intention of reading it in front of him.

Instead, she slipped her phone into her pocket and leaned forward to give him a kiss.

“Next weekend,” she promised again, getting out of the car.

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