“What can I do?” Chelsea felt completely useless.
“If you could grab the backpacks and shovel, it would be great.”
Quickly, she retrieved them, strapped one on her back and one on the front, then hefted the shovel. In a second, she caught up to Rico.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get the tree off him.” Her stupid voice wobbled. Why couldn’t she be as strong and steady as these rescue workers?
Pausing for a step, Rico looked at her strangely. “What are you talking about? You did most of the work for me. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d still be ripping that tree apart, and Theo’s injury might be worse.”
“Do you think he’ll be all right?”
“Theo’s built of sturdy stuff. He’ll be fine.” Rico’s eyes grew mischievous. “But I’m sure he could use some extra pampering for a few days. You up for that?”
“Of course.” She’d do anything for Theo.
“Some of what you were giving him earlier might go a long way in helping him heal.”
Heat rushed through her face, and she glanced toward the water. With the overcast day, the lake didn’t sparkle like it usually did, but the stillness soothed her, anyway.
The hike back to the boat ramp was solemn. Rico tried to make small talk. She got the feeling it wasn’t something he did often, but she appreciated the effort. It didn’t make her feel any better about Theo being injured. He’d pushed her out of the way. It should have been her under that tree.
Would anyone miss her if she was gone? She used to think her father would, but now he was dead, and she knew he’d never truly loved her. Not in any real way. If he had, he never would have stolen her child from her and told her she died.
Jordan might miss her. They’d grown closer since she’d been here, and her little girl told her she loved her every night. Those words helped piece her broken heart back together, bit by bit. And what of Theo? His kisses made her heart sing but what did they mean? And would they remain if he knew how completely messed up she was?
“Well, Mr. Lapierre, looks like nothing’s broken,” the doctor who’d been poking and prodding Theo said as he waltzed back into the room he was being treated in.
“So I’m free to go?” Theo crept toward the edge of the bed. Not that he minded the two-hour rest. His leg felt like it’d been through the ringer. Still, there were things he needed to do, like getting Chelsea to stop feeling guilty and looking like a sad puppy.
“Not so fast.” The doctor rifled through a stack of papers. “You’ve got some severe bruising, no doubt. I want you to stay off that leg for a few days, keep it elevated, and ice it at regular intervals. I’ll have the nurse bring you in a pair of crutches. If you have any problems, we want to see you back here immediately.”
The doc rattled off a list of things he should look for and be cautious of. Chelsea sat in the corner, taking in every word. When he left, Theo held his hand up to her.
“Come here.”
Moving quickly, she entwined her hand with his.
“I’m so sorry, Theo. I should have moved out of the way, so you didn’t have to jump in and save me.”
“Pixie, stop. The tree shifted directions at the last second. You couldn’t have foreseen that.”
Her eyes filled with tears as she bit her lip.
“The more immediate question is do we have a ride home? You came in the ambulance with me. Do I have anything to wear, since they cut my pants off?”
An eruption of pink stained her cheeks.
“Rico came by while you were having your x-ray and dropped off your SUV.” Her head cocked to the side of the room. “You had a bag in there with spare clothes.”
Thank God for Rico. The man always came through.
“Can you bring that over here and help me get the pants on? Not sure I can bend the leg at the moment.”
“Sure.”
As Chelsea slid the pants over his feet and pulled them up, he cupped her shoulders in support. Mostly so she’d have to get the pants all the way around his waist. Her cheeks were on fire by the time he adjusted the zipper and button.
He’d managed to get his boots back on when the nurse arrived with a pair of crutches. She handed some papers to Chelsea.
