Page 12 of The Library on Plum Island
“Pillow!” Alex demanded, and Harriet shoved it into his hands. “Sorry, Emily.” He signed. “I’m going to lift your legs and put them on the pillow.”
Emily nodded and signed back,Okay, thank you. She sat up and looked around frantically.Where is Hicks?
“Harriet’s got him,” Alex assured her. “He’s going to sit up front with her so he doesn’t fall or hurt your leg.”
“Oh, no!” Daniella’s eyes widened as she watched Harriet climb into the front passenger seat and Harley put Hicks on her lap. “He’s going to shed all over your lovely pants.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Harriet turned and gave Daniella a warm smile. “Nothing the dry cleaners can’t get out.”
On the way to the clinic, Alex kept Emily amused as they chatted about her favorite subject—marine life. Emily wanted to be a marine vet, and Alex surprised Daniella yet again with his knowledge of the subject. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Alex and Emily use sign language that was so fast that Daniella couldn’t keep up. She wondered how he knew how to sign, and her frown deepened over the conundrum Alex Blackwell was turning out to be.
Alex’s world of fast cars, supermodels, and endless parties on his superyacht belied the warm, gentle man who’d risk his own safety to save her daughter—not to mention the potential damage that Alex could’ve done to his already injured hand. Daniella shook her thoughts away as they pulled into the parking lot shared by the clinic and the library.
Alex insisted once again on carrying Emily into the clinic. Daniella buzzed Tanya to let her know they were there, and she unlocked the automatic doors, allowing them to slide open. Tanya and the new young EMT, Wally, were waiting for them with a gurney for Emily. Alex put Emily onto it, letting her know he’d be there to check on her when she was done.
Daniella instructed Alex to wait for her in an exam room as she followed Tanya and Wally down the corridor. When they disappeared into the X-ray room, Daniella slipped into an examination room, where she pulled on scrubs, washed her hands, and put on gloves and a mask.
By the time Tanya had finished taking X-rays of Emily’s leg and ankle, Daniella had already watched and guided Wally on how to cut off Alex’s cast. Once Tanya let Daniella know that Emily was in another exam room, Wally led Alex to the X-ray.
When Daniella stepped into the room where Emily was, her heart twinged, seeing her daughter lying there in pain. But she wasn’t the mother right now. She was the doctor, and Emily was her patient, so she snapped her professional mask tightly into place. Daniella slipped off her used gloves and dropped them into the waste bin.
“I’ve already gotten everything ready for the stitches,” Tanya advised her, walking into the room behind her and going over the tray once again, moving with practiced ease. “If you don’t mind Wally shadowing you, I’ll go take Alex’s X-ray.”
“Thank you, Nurse Beckett.” Daniella walked over to her daughter, signing.How are you holding up, sweetheart?
I’m okay.Emily signed back and then said, “Where… is… Hicks?”
Daniella loved it when Emily used her voice. She had such a lovely voice, but the older she got, the less she tended to use it. Emily said it echoed in her head, and she didn’t know if she was making the right sound.
He’s with Harley and Harriet.Daniella smiled.They’re going to take him across the street to that new all-night burger bar.
He’ll love that!
Daniella noticed that Tanya had removed Alex’s sweater and bandaged the wound to stop the bleeding and keep impurities out. She turned and walked to the screen where Tanya had hung the X-rays and switched on the light. Daniella scrutinized the image, relieved that there were no breaks or fractures. She turned off the light and then went back to tend to the cut on Emily’s leg. Stopping off at the basin, she scrubbed her hands and put on clean gloves.
“I’m here, Doctor Thornton,” Wally rushed into the room. “Sorry, I had to help Nurse Beckett.”
“That’s okay, Wally,” Daniella said. “I was just about to unbandage Emily’s leg.”
“I’ll wash up,” Wally told her.
Daniella readied a syringe with a local anesthetic to numb the area where Emily needed stitches.
Wally will remove the bandage from your leg, and then I will administer a local anesthetic. You will feel a little pinch,Daniella signed, and Emily nodded.
Once Wally had discarded the bandage, he put the magnifying helmet with a light on Daniella’s head as she sat next to the bed and examined the leg. The gash on Emily’s leg was deep, and Daniella’s heart clenched at the thought of her daughter in pain. She picked up the syringe she’d readied and, as gently as she could, injected the areas to numb them.
We’ll get you fixed up in no time, Daniella reassured Emily, offering her a brave smile that she hoped masked her concern. After a few minutes, she tested the skin.Can you feel this?Emily shook her head.
“Okay, Wally,” Daniella turned to the young man with the curious eyes, “I need you to help clean and disinfect the wound before I stitch it.”
Wally nodded and sat on the opposite side of the bed. He switched on the light for the magnifying glasses helmet he had on, and they got to work. Daniella’s steady hand belied the horrible feeling inside her as she worked on her daughter’s leg. Even with Daniella’s meticulously neat stitching, the wound was going to leave a terrible scar. Once the wound was clean, Daniella stitched it. Emily had fourteen stitches in her leg. When she was done, she kissed Emily on the forehead and left Wally to finish dressing the wound.
Tanya will be here in a few minutes with a CAM boot for you.Daniella told Emily.I’ll be back as soon as I’m done with Alex.
Daniella slipped out of the examination room, pulled off her gloves, and walked into the room where Alex was waiting for her. His hand was propped up on a table beside the examination bed Tanya had escorted him to. Despite his attempts to downplay the situation, Daniella couldn’t help but notice the wince of pain that crossed his face when he thought no one was looking. It was a testament to his resilience, or perhaps his stubbornness, a trait that Daniella found a little infuriating and, she begrudgingly admitted, endearing.
“How is Emily?” Alex asked as Daniella walked over to where Tanya had hung the recent X-rays of Alex’s hand.
