by Tess Oliver
Nico lifted me in his arms and carried me to the nearest jeep. “She needs one of those space blankets. I think she’s close to hypothermia.”
Nico sat me down in the front seat of a jeep. He looked as bad as I felt. Someone handed him one of those silver paper blankets, and Nico wrapped it around me while someone wound gauze around my leg. My limbs felt as if they’d been filled with lead. Nico slid into the jeep seat and dragged me into his lap where I decided that if I had to die, I could do it very happily in his arms.
The jeep started up and we took a bumpy road back to the parking lot. Nico and the driver discussed the easiest way to get to the hospital from the river.
I lifted my face and looked up at Nico. “I’m fine. I don’t need the hospital. This blanket makes me feel like a nice warm burrito wrapped in foil.”
Nico’s arms tightened around me, and I pressed my face against him again. “Hate to tell you this, Jessa, but I think you’re going to need stitches in your leg.”
“Crap,” I mumbled still feeling slightly groggy, but the tremble was slowing. “Do you know how hard it is to shave your legs with stitches in your shin?”
The driver of the jeep laughed. “Chicks,” he said with a sigh, “you’ve got to admire how consistent they are with their priorities.”
We got back to the parking lot, and Nico carried me in my foil wrapper to his truck.
It took him some effort and ingenuity to unlock his truck and open the door while still holding me. When he lowered me to the seat, I clung to him.
“Isn’t there anyway you can drive with me on your lap? I don’t want to let go.”
“I’m sure I could if I tried, but we’d probably get pulled over.”
“Darn.” I let go.
He leaned down and kissed me lightly on the mouth before putting on my seatbelt.
I watched him. His long lashes were clumped together with wetness and his perfectly chiseled jaw was set with concern. “You look very sexy when you’re serious.”
“I’ll try to look serious more often. Just don’t fall out of any more inner tubes.”
“I told you my inner tube looked thrashed.” My words were slower than usual and I still felt abnormally tired, but I was definitely warmer.
“I should have listened to you and gotten you a new one.”
“It’s not your fault. Just shitty luck.”
Nico leaned in and kissed me again before shutting the door.
He slid into the driver’s side, and I picked up my phone from the seat where I’d left it. I dangled it weakly between two fingers. “Maybe you should call my mom,” I said. “My head is spinning, and I don’t think I would do a great job breaking the news to her. I keep hearing my voice and it sounds funny-- like I’m a slovenly drunk. Press one for Mom.”
Nico stared at the phone like it was on fire. Reluctantly, he took it from my fingers and pressed the keypad.
“Oh and don’t freak her out,” I added.
He looked slightly annoyed. “Thanks.”
Nico broke the news gently and I got on to assure her I was fine. She was going to meet us at the hospital.
I probably could have hobbled into the hospital, but Nico volunteered to carry me and who was I to say no.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled the side of it as he carried me inside. “You smell good even drenched in river water,” I said sleepily.
He squeezed his hard arms around me.
The gauze on my leg was soaked, but it felt like the bleeding had stopped. The nurse behind the window looked up and her eyes widened. She stood and buzzed us straight inside where she met us with a wheel chair.
I frowned down at the chair. “Can’t he carry me to the room?” It was selfish of me because the poor guy had carried me all over in the last half hour, but I didn’t want to leave his arms.
“Sorry, hospital policy.”
Nico lowered me to the chair and they wheeled me to a room.
Mom must have flown down the winding road because she showed up in record time looking pale with worry. She hugged Nico as soon as she saw that I was not dead or hooked up to life support. We sat and waited for the doctor to come in and stitch me up.
Color was finally coming back to Mom’s face. “How did this happen?”
“It was pretty simple actually. My inner tube had a leak, and halfway down the river, I capsized. Then my leg hit a rock.”
“I thought the Tube Shack always checked those things before they rented them out.”
“I guess it’s just like a tire on your car. You never know when it’s going to blow,” Nico said.
Mom reached over and placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you, Nico, for pulling her out of the water and getting her medical attention.”
He nodded and restrained a smile. His phone buzzed just as a nurse walked in. She scowled at him and pointed to the poster on the wall that warned no cell phones.
“It’s Chase. I’ll go call him.” Nico walked back in ten seconds later. “Turns out I didn’t need to call him.”
Chase had the same distraught expression that he’d worn two nights before in the waiting room. He rushed over to the bed and grabbed my hand. “Oh my god, what happened, Jessa? I was hearing all kinds of horrible stories about you nearly bleeding to death, nearly drowning, nearly losing a limb. The story got worse as it passed along the flotilla of inner tubes. By the time it reached me, I’d heard--” His words broke off. He was truly upset, but then he had been through a lot in the last few days.
Nico clapped Chase on the shoulder. “Dude, did you forget how crazy this town gets with gossip? Her inner tube sank and she cut her leg on a rock. There was a point where it seemed she might be heading toward hypothermia, but we got her warmed up in time.”
Chase still looked anxious. “I’m fine, Chase. Please stop worrying. You’ve been through enough.”
“How’s Cindy?” Mom asked.
“She’s better but it’s a long road back for her, unfortunately.”
“Where’s Susie?” The look on his face made me regret asking.
Chase looked down to try and hide that he was upset. “She was cold, so I dropped her off at her house.”
The nurse walked back in with a silver tray of scary looking instruments and a couple of syringes. “I just remembered how much I hated getting stitches last time. In fact it is now fresh in my mind. I still can’t believe I’ve been to this hospital twice since I’ve been back to Pinecliff.”
“Her mom can stay, but everyone else needs to go out to the waiting room,” the nurse said.
Both Chase and Nico looked reluctant to leave. “You guys go home. You’re still wet. You are the best friends a girl could have. I love you guys.” The strain of the night had gotten to me and tears burned my eyes.
Mom walked over and put her hand over mine. “Why don’t you two go home and change and drop by the house in a couple of hours. I’ll make you hot cocoa like I used to make for you three when you were pretending to do your homework.”
“That would be totally cool,” I said. “If you can, that is?”
Chase’s facial muscles relaxed for the first time since he’d walked in. “As it happens, I’m free tonight and I would love cocoa.”
We all looked at Nico.
“Will there be marshmallows?”
“Do you mean besides me?” I asked.
He walked over and kissed my forehead. “Duchess, you were anything but a marshmallow today. I’ll see you back at your house in a few hours.”
Chapter 15
Fortunately, I’d only needed four stitches. The doctor had been more concerned about bacteria from the river entering my blood stream than blood leaving my body. He’d prescribed an antibiotic and a mild painkiller which he insisted I would need once the local anesthetic wore off.
I took a h
ot shower wearing the rubber stocking the hospital had given me to keep my leg dry and then tucked myself under the same quilt on the couch as the night before. The scent of cocoa drifted out of the kitchen, and I closed my eyes and relaxed back just as someone knocked at the door. Chase and Nico had arrived together.
Mom let them inside.
“Did you two drive together?” I asked excitedly.
“Nope,” Nico said, “just a coincidence.”
It was stupid but I was disappointed. I don’t know why I had it in my craw that they needed to become close friends again. Slowly I was coming to the conclusion that I was deluding myself. But at least they were both here with me now.
They flanked me on each side, and I gave them each a piece of quilt to share.
Mom placed the steaming cups of hot chocolate on the table in front of us. She stuck out her hand. There was a small pill on her palm. “You’d better take this. That numbness is going to wear off soon.”
I popped it in.
“I’m going to walk to the end of the road and get the mail,” Mom said. She turned and then looked back at the three of us. “It is so darn cute seeing the three of you together on that couch. I guess this time I don’t have to tell you to finish your homework.” She looked at Nico. “But please keep your shirt on.”
It was rare to see Nico look embarrassed, but there was no way he saw that one coming. She was my mom and even I hadn’t seen it coming. She walked outside.
Chase nearly spilled his cocoa as he turned to look at both of us. “What the hell was that about?”
“Nothing.” I blew on my cocoa, but I could still feel Chase’s curious gaze on me. “Nico came over during the storm last night and he was wet so he took off his shirt.” My head was already feeling the effects of the stressful day and the pain medication and I laughed for no apparent reason. It just seemed to bubble up and out of my mouth. I took a sip of the cocoa. “Ooh hot, hot, hot.” I waved my hand in front of my mouth as if that could help cool my tongue.
“Hey, Chase, remember when you used to take big gulps of your steaming cocoa to burn your tongue on purpose?” Nico asked.
“Oh yeah. Whenever my mom was cooking something gross and I didn’t want to taste it. I personally think it was a brilliant plan. And it worked. I’ve eaten a lot of Brussels sprouts, but I still, to this day, have no idea what they taste like.” He stared into his cup for a second. “Now that I think about it, it was kind of crazy.”
Another bout of laughter erupted from my chest then I caught my breath. They were both looking down at me. “I guess I’m not used to pain pills.”
“This could get pretty damn entertaining.” There was a glint in Nico’s brown eyes.
Mom walked back inside carrying some mail in her hands. I might have been feeling a little light in the head but I could see that she was thinking hard about something.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” I asked.
She shook her head. “It’s nothing.” She laid the mail on the little kitchen table but something had her distracted. Finally she looked at us. “It’s the strangest thing. I’m sure it means nothing, but I found this in our mailbox.” She was holding something red.
Nico stood to see what it was. He took it from her hand and turned it over in his palm a couple of times. “What the hell,” he said quietly.
“What is it?” Chase asked.
Nico exchanged a look with my mom then he turned around. “Jessa, try not to panic . . .”
“Well, now that you said that, I’m panicked. What is it?”
Chase and I leaned forward to see what he had in his hand. It was a red patch and there was a long nail stuck to it. Dizziness struck me, and Chase reached out to keep me from falling forward. I leaned my head back against the couch.
The same nausea I’d felt earlier when I’d seen my bloody leg returned. The tears threatened to return as well. Nico sat down next to me and Chase held my hand. Mom pulled up a chair. Her mouth was pulled tight in a frown.
“I don’t get it. What does it mean?” Chase asked.
“A couple of days ago, Jessa received a letter telling her to leave town. There was a dead black widow in the letter.” Mom looked at the red patch on the table. “And now it seems that someone may have caused her tube to sink on purpose.”
“What the hell is wrong with this town?” Chase asked angrily.
“Someone really hates me.” I tried to hold back the tears but after the river incident and the stitches this sent me over the edge.
Nico put his arm behind my neck and pulled me against him, but his silence meant he was just as shaken as me. When he did finally speak, I wished that he hadn’t.
“Chase, don’t get pissed, but do you think Susie would be trying to get Jessa to leave town?” Nico asked.
Chase’s entire body tensed and he squeezed my hand harder. “How am I not supposed to get pissed about that, Nico? You’re basically asking me if my girlfriend is a psycho.”
“She hates Jessa. Let’s face it.”
Chase sat forward and heat radiated from his body.
“Nico, we can’t just start accusing people. We have no proof,” Mom said.
“You’re right. Sorry, Bro,” Nico said. “I won’t bring it up again.”
But even with my senses now dulled by the pain pill, I could sense that Chase was still wound tightly from the Nico’s accusation.
“What about Regina?” Chase asked.
I now felt like the filling in a tension filled sandwich. I looked up at Nico. “Well?” I asked.
“What reason would she have to hate you? She knows I don’t have feelings for her.” Nico said.
“You may not care for her but according to everyone else, both up the hill and down the hill, she has not given up on you. Jessa’s arrival has definitely put a hitch in her plans,” Chase said.
“Terrific,” I said. “The list gets longer.”
Mom patted my knee. “Don’t be so dramatic, Jessa.”
“Dramatic?” My voice was several octaves higher than normal. “Must I remind you that I now have stitches in my leg, and that’s only because I was lucky enough to survive the black widow attack.”
“All I know is don’t go anywhere alone anymore,” Nico said. “If you’re not with your mom or aunt you need to be with me,” Nico said.
“Or me,” Chase added.
“Right, or Chase,” Nico amended.
“Are you kidding me?” I asked. “That is going to suck. It’s like being a little kid again.”
My mom’s face was smooth with concern. She looked at Nico. “Do you really think she’s in danger or is someone just trying to scare her?”
“I wish I knew,” Nico said.
“Should we tell the police?” Mom asked.
That was all I needed to hear. I pulled the quilt up over my head. “You guys are scaring the crap out of me,” I mumbled through the blanket.
“Yeah, maybe we should just let this be for tonight. She’s already had a bad day.” Chase said.
I lowered the blanket and blew the air off my face. “Thank you, Chase.”
“Besides,” he continued, “I don’t think the police can do anything without any real evidence. A rubber patch, a nail, and a dead spider are hardly conclusive.”
I pulled the blanket back up over my head. If it hadn’t been for the medication dulling all my senses, I’m pretty sure I would have fallen completely apart.
The cocoa party that had been intended to bring my spirits up, had ended with everyone feeling rather sullen. The pill and day’s events had hit me hard enough that bed was the only place I wanted to be. Chase left first and Mom shuffled off to bed, leaving Nico and me alone for a few minutes.
I walked him to the door, bleary eyed and light-headed. The giddy feeling was only compounded by his nearness. Clumsily, I threw my arms arou
nd his neck and with heavy lids I blinked up at him. Even through my foggy state of mind, he made my heart race ahead of its usual pace.
He lifted my chin up with his thumb and forefinger. “You are totally buzzed, Duchess.”
“You’re telling me. I keep waiting for my head to float away from my body. But my leg feels pretty damn good right now.”
“Well then, at least the meds did the trick.” He kissed me, and I melted weakly against him. The drugging effect of the medicine was nothing compared to the feel of his mouth against mine. “Do you think you can make it into bed on your own or should I carry you?”
I contemplated his offer for a moment. “I have to admit the highlight of my day was being in your arms, but I’m sure you’re tir--” A gasp escaped me as he lifted me into his arms and carried me to my bedroom. He lowered me onto my bed and leaned down to kiss me once more.
“Remember, don’t go out alone,” he commanded. The admonishment and reminder of shitty part of the night was now fresh in my mind again.
“You should have ended it with the kiss,” I said glumly.
He looked back at the door. “I could pick you up and start all over again.”
“Too late.”
“Sorry, Jessa. I’m just worried about you.” He looked truly upset.
I reached forward and took hold of his hand. “I love you, Nico.”
“I love you too, Jessa.”
Chapter 16
I’d woken with a searing pain in my leg and a pounding pain in my head. I wanted badly to stay in bed, but Mom had insisted that I go into the shop with her because she wanted to be able to keep an eye on me. She’d acted as if my stitches and headache were her only concern, but I knew the nail and patch she’d found in the mailbox were the true source of her uneasiness.
I’d drifted in and out of sleep the night before, and during my periods of wakefulness I’d assured myself that I was surrounded by enough people I loved and trusted to be safe no matter who was threatening me. I’d come back to a town I left years ago and had returned to find that my two best friends were just as awesome as ever. And the more time I spent with Nico, the more I realized how much I cared for him. When we were younger, the feelings of love had meant an unbreakable friendship and now they meant so much more. I’d never felt this way about anyone.
