Rainshadow Road (Friday Harbor #2)(40)

“Thank you.” Lucy gripped the tissue in her palm. “Can you tell me what’s wrong with my leg?”

“The doctor’s reviewing the X-rays right now. He’ll be in to talk to you soon.” The woman smiled, her face kind. “In the meantime, you’ve got a visitor.” She whisked the curtain aside and stopped short as she confronted someone. “Oh! You were supposed to wait in that room.”

“I need to see her right now,” came Justine’s brisk voice.

A feeble grin came to Lucy’s face.

Justine swept in like a fresh breeze, her dark ponytail swinging, her presence vital in the cold sterility of the hospital surroundings. The relief of having her friend there brought a sting of tears to Lucy’s eyes.

“Lucy … sweetie…” Justine came to her, carefully straightening the loop of the IV tubing. “My God. I’m afraid to hug you. How bad is it? Anything broken?”

“The doctor’s coming in soon.” She reached for Justine’s hand, words coming out in a tumble. “I was riding my bike and I got sideswiped. The car was swerving like it was a drunk driver. I think it was a woman. I don’t know why she didn’t stop. I don’t know where my bike is, or my bag or phone—”

“Slow down.” Justine gripped her hand. “It wasn’t a drunk driver, it was an old lady. She thought she’d hit a branch, but she stopped a little ways up the road and came back. She was so upset when she realized what had happened, the couple who found you thought she was having a heart attack.”

“Poor woman,” Lucy murmured.

“Your bag and phone are here. The bike’s toast.”

“It’s a vintage Schwinn,” Lucy said mournfully. “From the sixties. All the original parts.”

“A bike can be replaced. You can’t.”

“You were sweet to come here,” Lucy said. “I know how busy you are.”

“Are you kidding? Nothing’s more important than you or Zoë. She wanted to come too, but someone had to stay at the inn.” Justine paused. “Before I forget, Duane wanted me to tell you that they’ve figured out the problem with your car. It has cylinder compression problems.”

“What does that mean?”

“It could involve a faulty intake valve or piston rings, cylinder head gaskets … Duane’s taking it to the shop to make sure it’s fixed right. No idea how long it might take.”

Lucy shook her head, exhausted and disoriented. “With my leg all messed up, I probably won’t be able to drive for a while anyway.”

“You have a legion of bikers who’ll take you anywhere you want to go.” Justine paused. “As long as you don’t mind getting there on a Harley.”

Lucy managed a faint smile.

The doctor, a black-haired man with tired eyes and a pleasant smile, came in.

“I’m Dr. Nagano,” he said, approaching Lucy. “Remember me?”

“Sort of,” Lucy said sheepishly. “You asked me to touch my nose. And you wanted to know my middle name.”

“Part of a diagnostic test. You have a slight concussion, which means you’ll need to rest for the next few days. And in light of your X-rays, that won’t be a problem.”

“You mean my leg? Is it broken?”

Dr. Nagano shook his head.

“Oh, good,” Lucy said.

“Actually, a clean break would be preferable. A bone heals more easily than a strained ligament.”

“That’s what I have? A strained ligament?”

“Three of them. Plus a hairline crack in the fibula, which is the smaller of your two calf bones. Needless to say, you’re going to be completely off your feet for the next three days.”

“I can’t even walk from one room to another?”

“That’s right. No weight at all on that leg. Keep it elevated and iced. Those ligaments are going to require some time to heal properly. I’ll be sending you home with some detailed instructions. In three days, you’ll come back for an Aircast brace and crutches.”

“For how long?”

“A minimum of three months in the brace.”

“God.” Lucy closed her eyes.

“Any other injuries?” she heard Justine ask.

“Scrapes and bruises, nothing major. The important thing is to monitor her for any side effects from the concussion … headache, nausea, confusion … in which case she’ll need to come in right away.”

“Got it,” Justine said.

After the doctor left, Lucy opened her eyes and saw Justine rubbing her forehead as if it was a wadded-up piece of paper she was trying to smooth out.

“Oh,” Lucy murmured in dawning dismay. “You and Zoë already have your hands full, don’t you?” For the past few days, they had been frantically preparing for a huge wedding and reception that would be held this weekend. “This is the worst possible time for me to do this to you.”

“You didn’t do it on purpose,” Justine said. “And it’s not like there’s ever a convenient time to get hit by a car.”

“I’ve got to think of what to do … where to go…”

“Do not worry,” Justine said firmly. “From this moment every bit of your energy is going to be spent healing up. Not stressing. I’ll figure out what to do.”