Page 5 of Hargrave Flame Out
“Look at you,” Dr. Sanders said, striding in to join them. “Diedre was right, as usual.” He narrowed his gaze. “You’re alert,” he observed. “Not in too much pain?”
“Manageable,” she allowed.
“Good.” He consulted his tablet, using the stylus to scroll and tap. “You feel ready to get out of here?”
“Absolutely.”
Dr. Sanders shared a look with Reed. “No one ever wants to hang out with me,” he joked. “But first things first,” he said,facing Celeste again. “Stay ahead of the pain for a day or two. That’ll keep everyone happier. You are not to be alone when you’re on the painkillers.”
“She’ll stay at my place,” Veronica piped up. “Just tell me the schedule.”
“Good to hear.” Dr. Sanders continued to check her over.
“You decided that in a hurry,” Celeste complained to her sister.
“Where would you rather be?” Veronica folded her arms. “You can’t be alone at the Hideaway.”
“I second that,” Dr. Sanders murmured.
But Celeste was having flashbacks to their mother’s last few months. Caregiving was no fun and becoming a burden—even in the short term—was the last thing she wanted for any of them. “How long until I can be on my own?” she queried.
“A few days, most likely.” Dr. Sanders shrugged. His sharp gaze moved between the sisters. “How about this, you can’t drive right now, and you probably don’t feel like walking all over the place.”
“I was thinking about a bike ride earlier today,” Celeste said absently.
“Well, that’s a good option. After we get a cast on your arm and you can manage the pain with over-the-counter options.” He pressed each of her fingertips on the splinted hand, studying her for reactions. “We’ve got an appointment scheduled for you in three days.”
“She’ll be here,” Veronica promised.
It was only mildly humiliating being treated like a child. She blamed her acceptance on the meds. Thankfully Veronica found her humor and the two of them laughed while getting her dressed in clean clothes for the ride home.
“I cannot wait to wash my hair,” Celeste said as another lock brushed across her cheek, filling her nose with more of that acrid smoky smell.
“First on the list,” Veronica teased. “You don’t mind if we ride with the windows down do you?”
“You’re hysterical,” she grumbled.
“I get it from you, sis.”
Celeste thought that might be a relatively true statement. “Can we swing by the Hideaway?” she asked. “I was in the middle of a bunch of paperwork. She glanced down at her busted wrist. Being right-handed, this was going to be an interesting challenge.Short term, she reminded herself. Not forever. Just an awkward few weeks. “And if I’m going to be with you for a few days, I’m going to need clothes in addition to the laptop and stuff.”
“When does our next guest check-in?”
Veronica’s eyebrows dipped low, her gaze full of worry. “Did you hit your head?”
“I really hope not.” Celeste did a quick replay of what she could recall. “Dr. Sanders didn’t mention any concussion issues. It’s just been one helluva day.”
“Yeah,” Veronica agreed. “We’ve got time before we need to worry about guests. We blocked this week for deep cleaning and planning.”
“Right.”
Diedre arrived with a wheelchair, and once Celeste was settled, Veronica stepped behind her to handle the driving. It triggered an onslaught of memories from her mother’s illness. Her jaw clenched. This was not the same. She would be back at full capacity within a couple of weeks.
In the lobby, they found Reed chatting with Fire Chief Evan Miller.
From her place in the wheelchair, he towered over her. His normal friendly smile was stiff and formal right now. Didn’t quite reach his eyes. “How are you feeling, Celeste?”
“Grateful your crew showed up so quickly,” she admitted.
