Page 13 of Married to Her Yeti
Of course she was. “Great.” Mari cut short her sarcasm, wincing as Margie helped her to her feet. “My left ankle,” Mari groaned, shifting her weight to her right foot and leaning on Margie. “That hurts.”
“Noted. Keep your weight on the other foot and hang on to me as you sit on the table.”
“Right,” Mari wheezed. “And all this movement hurts my chest.”
Margie pinched her lips. “Let’s hope these are only bruises and not broken bones.”
“Crossing sore fingers,” Mari joked as Margie helped her lay back on the X-ray table. She winced at the discomfort in her chest as she eased back. Once settled, she let out a sigh of relief. “For the record, though, my hands aren’t actually sore.”
Margie tied a lead apron around herself. “Thank goodness for that.” She continued both to make Mari comfortable and to prop her into the best position for X-rays with pillows and folded blankets as she took many images.
By the time Margie rolled Mari back to the exam room, she’d wrapped her ribs and her ankle in medical tape, and much of Mari’s pain had dulled to an annoying, but more tolerable, ache. “We’re back,Nima,” Margie announced with a knock on the door.
Nima abruptly stood and shoved his phone in his pocket. “How’d it go? Any issues?”
“My left ankle hurts when I put weight on my leg,” Mari reported.
Nima’s gaze flicked to her sock-covered foot. “I’m so sorry, Mari. Hopefully, it’s not serious.”
“The radiologist will need to review the images,” Margie said as she rifled through a drawer with folded fabric. “Unless there are major issues that would require us sending you to the hospital in Anchorage, you can go home after this.” She held up a pair of blue scrubs. “These might be easier to pull on than the clothes you came in with.” As Margie patted her on the arm, a voice called a code over the intercom. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. The ambulance has just arrived.”
Margie retreated, leaving Mari sitting in a wheelchair. Her short hospital gown suddenly seemed very inadequate now that she was alone again with Nima.
He moved to her side. “Do you want me to lift you back onto the bed?”
“Yes, please. It might be easier to dress on the bed than to maneuver in the wheelchair. I’ll change behind the curtain.”
“Of course,” Nima said, bending down to pick her up. She wrapped her hand over his shoulder for support, and he scooped her into his arms. The whole bottom half of her gown flapped open as Nima stood, leaving him gripping her bare thigh. Talk about feeling exposed while not at her best. She still had spruce needles falling out of her hair.
But if Nima noticed, he didn’t give any indication. He simply strode the few steps to the bed and gently lowered her onto it. Then he turned and retrieved the scrubs Margie had provided and handed them to her. “I’ll be on the other side of the curtain if you need me.” And with that, Nima pulled the fabric closed, giving Mari privacy.
Mari began picking at her gown ties as Nima asked, “Is your pain better?”
The knot gave, and her gown flapped open. “Yes, much better. But I still feel like a truck hit me.”
He huffed a laugh. “Not an oversized wanna-be, Christmas tree?”
Mari fought a chuckle as well as she pressed a hand to her side. “Don’t make jokes. My ribs are too sore for laughing.” She managed to pull the scrub top on and down over the elastic bandage wrapped around her chest.
“No jokes. Got it.” His voice sounded warm, as ifhe were smiling. She smiled too. “A lot happened while you were in the X-ray lab,” he continued. “I successfully removed all the sap from my hands. Margie was right. It stung like I’d squeezed a lemon into a million tiny paper cuts.”
Amused at his comparison, Mari shook out the scrub bottoms. “Brave of you,” she said playfully as she eyed her feet. They felt miles away from her hands. “You deserve a lollipop—if the clinic still gives those out for no tears.”
“I didn’t say there weren’t tears,” Nima countered with humor in his voice, and Mari couldn’t help but grin again. She’d missed this type of back and forth with her ex. She’d never experienced such easy banter with anyone else. “Also, Andy helped Tseten retrieve my tool bag and truck.” It sounded like Nima jangled a set of keys on the other side of the curtain. “We have wheels, and I can take you home, if that’s what Margie recommends.”
“Great, thank you,” Mari managed before letting out a grunt as she struggled to pull on her pants. Pain radiated across her chest when she flexed her abdominal muscles. Out of breath from her meager efforts, she wanted to flop back on the bed, but that would hurt too much. Using her arms to support herself, she slowly lay back and gazed up at a poster of a smilingchimpanzee on the ceiling. They must use the room for pediatric patients. However, it brought to mind the Grinch decorations and movie, which made her think about how long she’d known Nima. Having him help her now would be no big deal. She pushed her earlier orgasm to the back of her mind as she said, “Hey Nima...?”
“Uh oh. Is everything okay?” His voice came from just on the other side of the curtain.
She bit her lip, then asked, “Can you please help me put on my pants?”
He at least had the courtesy not to laugh at her. “Does it hurt to bend forward? I’ve bruised ribs before, and it wasn’t fun. I can help. Let me know when you’re ready.”
His admission alarmed her. When and how had he become injured? The only incident Tseten and her friends had mentioned had been a close call last fire season. She wanted to quiz Nima. But that kind of interrogation might shatter their fragile truce. It wasn’t her business.
Instead, Mari glanced down at herself from her prone position, trying to imagine how Nima would see her. “I’m ready. Just... don’t look at my underwear. Or judge. My body is a lot different from the last time yousaw me.”
The curtain fluttered, then Nima appeared. She handed him her pants, and he quickly had her feet in each pant leg. His eyes stayed on hers as they worked together to shimmy them up and over her hips.
