Page 11 of Married to Her Yeti
Mari thought of her own house. Would she find a kitchen full of shattered dishes when she returned? The prospect exhausted her. She’d deal with it eventually, but hopefully not tonight.
Just then, Nima’s door opened again. The overhead light turned on, and cold winter air washed over Mari. She fought a shiver, glad to be pressed against a warm body and under Tseten’s jacket.
“How’s our patient?” Margie asked as a gentle hand encircled Mari’s wrist as the nurse presumably felt for her pulse.
“I hurt,” Mari said. “Mostly my ribs and left ankle. I’m not bleeding... I don’t think.”
“No blood that I saw,” Nima added before explaining what had happened.
Margie’s brows knit together. “I’m sorry, Mari. Can you handle a wheelchair ride, or should I fetch a gurney? Then these gentlemen can be on their way.”
Mari squeezed Nima’s hand. It took her ten years to feel these comforting arms around her again. Shewasn’t giving them up in her hour of need. “Can you stay, Nima?”
Nima’s eyes went wide, and he blinked. “I can stay,” he confirmed, a note of surprise in his voice, like he couldn’t quite believe she’d want him to.
“Nima can carry me in,” Mari told Margie.
As Margie gave her a curt nod, Mari vowed not to over-analyze her request. She’d have another ten years to mull over tonight’s decisions, and would deal with repercussions later. Right now, all she wanted was Nima by her side.
CHAPTER SIX
Mari’s request nearly rendered Nima speechless. After all these years—and after demanding a divorce—she wantedhimin her hour of need? Yes, a hundred times, yes. He’d take and cherish every moment he could spend with Mari. He carefully climbed down from Tseten’s truck with her tucked in his arms.
“I’ll text you,” he said to Tseten. “My truck is stuck at the Blackwoods’ house.”
Tseten gave a nod. “We’ll get it back,” he promised as he gently brushed a lock of hair away from her face. “You’re in good hands.” Nima appreciated his friend’s vote of confidence and inwardly vowedto live up to it.
“Thanks, Tset,” she managed. “I appreciate the ride. You had perfect timing tonight.”
Margie led Nima toward a set of side doors. “You’re in luck. The emergency crew is out on a call, and the few others in the building are assisting a patient. The hallway will be empty.”
Nima waited until both doors opened completely before carrying Mari through. He wouldn’t risk bumping her injured leg.
As promised, the hallway was unoccupied... but it was full of seasonal decorations. A life-size blowup snow globe greeted them at the entry. Someone had covered each door in the hall with a different colored and patterned wrapping paper. Blinking icicle lights and glittery snowflakes hung from the ceiling.
The over-the-top decoration seemed to make Mari smile. Nima paused, turning so she could take it all in. “This looks like all the garish holiday items still left in the store the day after Christmas,” she said.
Margie pressed two fingers to the belly of a stuffed Santa affixed to the door to her right. He let out a “ho-ho-ho, Merry Christmas!” She waited until the plushy fell silent, then opened the door andushered them into the room. “We had a decorating competition,” she explained. “And yeah, most of the tacky trimmings are castoffs or from last winter’s sales—meaning annoying things other people didn’t want.” She swiped at Santa’s belly again as if to prove her point, then closed the door, muffling his final “ho.”
As Nima stepped into the center of the patient room with Mari in his arms, everything shook. The canisters on the table rattled together, and the overhead light swung. He clutched Mari closer, ready to cover her with his body if anything else fell tonight.
Mari placed a comforting palm against his chest. He wasn’t sure if her touch soothed as much as it pleasantly distracted him from the quake.
“We’ve had several aftershocks since the big one,” Margie informed them. She gestured to a padded platform. “Set Mari on the exam table, please, Nima.”
The protective paper on the bed crinkled as Nima carefully laid Mari down. Margie handed Mari water and what Nima assumed were pain pills, then rattled off a list of questions as she checked Mari’s pupils and other vitals. Nima relayed the event details again.
“Let’s get some X-rays,” Margie said, pulling a dressing gown from a drawer and placing it next toMari. “Once you have this on, we’ll look at the areas that hurt.”
Mari might want Nima’s company tonight, but he doubted that included watching her undress. “I’ll wait outside while you change, Mari. Would you like me to call your parents?”
But Margie caught his wrist as he tried to retreat. “Can’t,” she said. “Not everyone here is yeti-friendly, and the others might be done with their patients by now. Stay here. I’ll pull the curtain around the bed.”
Before she did, Mari said, “Thanks for the offer, Nima. But my parents are in Hawaii. Please don’t call. I’ll catch them up later.”
“Your sister?” He asked.
“Also in Hawaii.”
