Page 20 of The Cottage on Plum Island
When they arrived at the cottage, no lights were on, which worried them even more, and they were nearly frantic by the time they got inside the house. The hallway light was on, and a soft light glowed from Betty’s room.
They rushed toward the room and found Betty lying curled up on the floor beside her bed, holding her arm in pain.
“Betty!” Harley yelled at the same time Jennifer did.
They rushed to her side, where she was curled up in a ball, hugging her wrist, and moaning in pain.
CHAPTER 5
Jennifer woke up from a restless sleep, her face cushioned against a warm pillow with a heartbeat. The subtle, musky scent of cologne tickled her senses as the world came into view through the haze of sleep.
“Morning!” Harley’s deep voice vibrated through her pillow.
His words cleared whatever leftover remnants of sleep still clouded her foggy brain as she realized her pillow was Harley’s chest. They were at the Plum Island Library Clinic. They’d slept on the chairs in the clinic as they waited for news about Betty.
Jennifer sat straight, ignoring the pain slicing through her cramped legs. She slammed onto the ground, her bare feet hitting the cold tiled floors, and Harley’s jacket slid from her shoulders. She glanced at thechair beside her where her torturous high-heeled shoes were perched and remembered kicking them off as she curled onto the chair.
“Morning,” Jennifer croaked, feeling mortified that she must’ve been sleeping with her mouth open as her throat was dry.
She glanced toward his shirt and pursed her lips. She noticed the small wet patch where her mouth had been.Oh no! I sleep drooled on his shirt.
Harley rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at Jennifer, who perched his jacket over his shoulder, hiding her drool. The aroma of coffee drew her attention, and she glanced at the coffee machine stationed on the small cabinet across from them.
“Do you think that coffee is the same pot percolating throughout the night?” Jennifer pointed to the pot and looked at Harley.
Jennifer noticed him stifling a groan as he rotated the shoulder on the side of his body she’d slept on.
“Sorry!” Jennifer’s brow creased apologetically. “I ruined your shirt and made your arm lame.”Uh-oh! Did I just admit I drooled on him? That’s not going to go down well. I can imagine that coming back to bite me.
“No, it’s an old hockey injury,” Harley assured her. “My shoulder is always stiff when I wake up in the mornings.”
Jennifer’s brows knitted together a little more tightly as she eyed him strangely.Is he being nice to me?She glanced at her wristwatch—it was five past six in the morning.
“Wow! We’ve been here for six hours!” Jennifer exclaimed.
“Morning, Jennifer,” Daniella seemingly appeared out of nowhere, dressed in her doctor’s coat and holding a tablet as she greeted Jennifer before turning to Harley. Her brows creased. “Is your shoulder giving you problems again?”
“No more than usual.” Harley gave Daniella a tight smile and stopped massaging his shoulder. “How’s Betty?”
Daniella scrolled through her tablet. “Betty is going to be fine.” She looked at both of them. “I had to put a new cast on her leg, but the x-rays show she didn’t damage it again. She has a sprained wrist. I’ve put a compression bandage on it, and she must keep it in a sling for at least a week.” She gave a reassuring smile. “Currently, she’s resting comfortably. I’d like to keep her here until lunchtime, and then you can take her home.”
“Thank you, Daniella,” Jennifer felt relieved now that she knew that Aunt Betty was going to be alright. That was quite the tumble she took off the bed. I’ll have to go to the cottage and show you how to set it up for Betty to avoid future tumbles.” She glanced at the tablet.
“I’d appreciate that,” Jennifer told her.
“Sure, I’ll pop around sometime during the day,” Daniella told them. She pulled an envelope from her doctor’s coat pocket and handed it to Jennifer. “This is a prescription for a few supplements as her blood work showed some deficiencies, and pain meds should Betty require them.”
“Can we see her?” Jennifer took the envelope.
“You’re welcome to check in on her,” Daniella replied. “But she’s finally sleeping peacefully and needs to rest, so please don’t wake her.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Jennifer stood and stretched the kinks from her body.
“My doctor’s orders for the two of you—“ Daniella put the tablet under her arm. “Go home, get something to eat, shower, and get at least four hours of sleep.” She smiled. “More if you can. Betty will need a lot more help with her wrist in a sling, and I don’t want her putting any pressure on her injured leg, which means complete bed rest for at least three days.”
“I plan to do just that.” Jennifer gave her a weary smile.
“Good, I don’t want to see either of you here after having an accident because you were sleep-deprived,” Daniella warned them. “And on that note. I have to go home and see my teenage daughter.”
