“Hey!” I waved my hand. “Excuse me?”
I glanced between him and Meredith as he walked closer. Despite the concern on his face, there was an ease to the way he moved, like he was at home in the space. He sped up to a jog.
“Oh shit, what happened? Are you okay?”
“She tripped,” I offered. “It’s my fault.”
“Stop, I’m the dummy who ran for it. Great shot, by the way.”
Meredith tried to smile, but it crumpled into a grimace of pain almost immediately. I could tell she was trying to play it cool as her ankle blew up.
He knelt down beside us, frowning. “Can I take a peek?”
Meredith nodded and sniffled again, trying to keep from crying.
Bucket Hat gently placed his hand on top of her sneaker as he surveyed the damage. “Wow. Shit. Okay, that’s not good. Do you think you can stand up?”
“Yeah, I’ll try,” Meredith said, shifting her weight so that she was on her hip, then onto her knees.
“Go slow,” he coached. “We’re not in a rush.”
Meredith moved her leg out so she was on one knee, took a deep breath, and started to rise.
“Grab on,” Bucket Hat said.
She gripped his offered hand, got halfway up, then crumpled to the ground again, letting out a little cry of frustration and pain. “I can’t. It hurts too much.”
“Okay, wait here,” Bucket Hat said. “Be right back.”
He gave me a nod like we were members of the same rescue squad, and I bobbed my head to confirm it before he jogged away.
“Am I delirious or is that guysupercute?” Meredith whispered to me, still trying to play off the pain like it wasn’t a big deal.
“Stop,” I chastised her. “The only thing I’m thinking about right now is you.”
A few minutes later, Bucket Hat was back, pushing a rollingoffice chair in front of him. “Your Uber, miss? And I brought you ice.”
He held up a small white pillow-shaped pack, then crushed it in his palm until it made a popping sound.
“Start icing it,” he said as he handed it to Meredith. “And take this.” He pulled a packet of aspirin from his pocket and handed it to her along with a mini water bottle.
“Wow, you’re very prepared. Does this sort of thing happen a lot?” Meredith asked as she tried to hide a grimace.
Bucket Hat nodded. “Injuries happen way more often than people realize. Now, let’s get you in the chair.”
He managed to divide his attention between Meredith and me as we moved her, guiding me how to best grab onto her while checking in with her to make sure we weren’t accidentally causing more discomfort.
“You good?” he asked once she was settled.
She bit her lip and nodded. “I’m okay, thank you.”
I could tell she was lying. Meredith didn’t like being a bother.
“I can take it from here,” I said. “Thanks for this.” I nodded toward the chair.
“Absolutely not,” he said with authority, stepping in front of me. “I’m driving.”
He set off, pushing the chair through the courts, and our little parade attracted quite a bit of attention. We reached the reception area, bickering about our next steps. Meredith wanted to catch a cab home while I insisted that she needed to go to a walk-in clinic.
