by Nancy Thayer
“Merry Christmas!” she called to Mimi, who was just opening her shop.
“Merry Christmas!” Mimi called back.
She passed Jacob’s shed and Harriet’s, and saw the lights of their shops spring to life. To her delight, she had customers waiting by her own door.
“Merry Christmas!” she greeted them. “Come in!”
The hours sped by as she knew they would, with people of all ages rushing in and out. Wooden baby rattles, child-size picnic baskets, mermaids, pirates, ships, and lighthouses were snatched up triumphantly. “The perfect present!” several people cried.
Christina was so pleased to see their joy at finding just the right thing. She couldn’t believe it when the town clock struck noon. The store emptied out as people rushed off to meet friends and family for lunch.
Her phone buzzed. Delia had texted: I’m going to have Wink with me all day. We’re going to do some Christmas shopping. Actually, she probably won’t be able to “work” with you anymore. Thank you for giving her something fun to do.
“Well, damn!” her Inner Christina said.
“It’s all right,” Christina said aloud as she stood alone in her shop. “I was only being nice to a little girl.”
Yeah, too bad that little girl stole your heart, her IC said.
“I’ll see Wink again,” Christina said bravely. “It’s only right that she’s with her mother.”
She looked around her darling shop. It was rather chaotic. She needed to organize the toys. But for a moment, she allowed herself to admit that she missed Wink. Maybe someday she’d have a daughter of her own…
She was getting moody. She considered texting Andy or even calling him just to hear his voice, but she knew she needed to sit down, eat lunch, and drink some coffee if she was going to make it through the rest of the day. So she picked up her handsome briefcase, which held only her wallet, her phone, a bottle of water, and a humble peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She stepped outside, locked her door, and looked up at the sky. Not a cloud. Too bad. It was cold enough to snow. It must be way below freezing, she thought. She’d ask Jacob. He’d know.
She set off down the wharf toward Mimi’s shed, feeling quite fabulous in her red coat and knee-high red leather boots. She wished Andy could see her now!
And there, about thirty steps away, was Andy! He wore his black wool coat with a red and white striped muffler around his throat. He waved at her with gloved hands.
“Andy!” she called, waving back, and only then did she notice the woman next to him.
She was a very noticeable woman, over six feet tall in her knee-high black patent leather boots, a black suede coat with fur trim at the cuffs and hem, and an enormous Cossack fur hat. Her green eyes glittered over swooping cheekbones, and her mouth was a plump bow.
Anastasiya Belousova.
Andy’s ex-girlfriend. Obviously not so ex.
Christina’s heart sank right to her toes. She forced herself to keep smiling, she wouldn’t let herself seem hurt that Anastasiya was there, but—
With a crack and a roar, the world exploded. In an instant, the bricks beneath Christina’s feet split apart as a powerful geyser blasted upward, drenching her with icy water and knocking her to the ground.
“AAAAH!” she screamed as her back hit the bricks and her feet flew into the air, shoved upward by the powerful fountain.
“Look, Mommy, that lady fell down,” a little boy said. “Maybe a whale is spouting under her.”
“Don’t go near her, Georgie, you might get wet.”
“But I want to see!”
“Hold my hand and we’ll stand over here.”
“It’s a broken water main,” a man yelled. “Call the DPW!”
Harriet popped out of her shop. “Christina!” she called. “Are you all right?”
Christina didn’t have the breath to answer. She was struggling to sit up, or to roll over and stand, but the strength of the geyser forced her down. Her body was shivering with cold, and her mind was overwhelmed, trying to understand what had just happened, and what she could do. She felt like an overturned beetle caught in a storm. She knew she looked like that, too, as she waved her arms and legs.
“Call the fire department,” a woman said.
“Call 911,” a man repeated.
“Christina!” Andy yelled as he raced down the wharf toward her, rushed into the rocketing torrent, gripped Christina under her arms, and hoisted her out and away from the streaming broken bricks.
By now a crowd had gathered. A siren sounded, coming closer. People stared, and some cheered when Andy pulled Christina away into the cold dry air, but it was all surreal to Christina. She shook so hard her teeth rattled.
Mimi rushed out of her shop. “Dear Lord, Christina, are you okay? Andy, bring her inside, we can warm her up until an ambulance gets here.”
As if she weighed less than a butterfly, Andy scooped Christina up in a bridal carry, as if they had just been married, and carefully made his way over the stones, which were now covered with ice, to Mimi’s.
Just as they reached Mimi’s door, a husky, exotic voice said, “She has no hat. She needs a hat to keep her head warm. Most important.”
And just like that, Anastasiya Belousova plucked her huge silk-lined fur Cossack hat off her head and settled it onto Christina’s.
“Thank you,” Christina said through her chattering teeth. The warmth of the hat was miraculous. “I’m fine, Andy, put me down,” she said, struggling to escape his arms.
He didn’t let her go until Mimi pointed out a certain chair. He carefully deposited Christina on the chair, and Mimi bustled around moving all the space heaters close to Christina.
Christina was crying. She didn’t know when she’d started crying, but she was aware that she wasn’t crying in a particularly dignified or attractive way. She covered her face with her hands and her sobs came out like honks. Her mascara was running down her face, she could feel it, or maybe it was just leftover water. She didn’t want Andy and his model girlfriend seeing her like this, although she knew they’d seen her humiliating pratfall, and her face must have been clown-like at the surprise of the sturdy, reliable floor of her world shattering beneath her.
Harriet came into Christina’s range of vision. Taking Christina’s hands, she tugged off Christina’s gloves and, with difficulty, pulled her own dry gloves onto Christina’s hands.
“Th-th-thank you,” Christina stammered.
“Broken water pipe,” Harriet said. “You should sue the town. You could get thousands.”
“Darling, you are wet, also,” said a deep, husky voice.
Christina glanced over to see Andy. His hair and face were dripping water. The arms and the front of his coat were drenched. Her heart surged with joy to know how he had raced down the wharf toward her and dived into the downpour to pull her out. Could anything be more storybook romantic?
Then she heard Anastasiya say, “Bend down.”
Through her tears, Christina watched Andy tilt his head forward. Anastasiya had found a roll of paper towels. With the easy authority of one who knew his body well, Anastasiya dried Andy’s hair, laughing at how it stood up in all directions. She patted his face and neck dry and blotted water off the shoulders and front of his coat. Through it all, she murmured to Andy in Russian, her husky voice rich with affection.
Christina tried to pull herself together.
“Let us through, please,” a man said, and Christina was aware of two people in high-vis jackets coming toward her with a stretcher.
“A stretcher!” she protested. “Don’t carry me out on a stretcher!” Could she possibly be even more humiliated in front of Andy and Anastasiya?
“Christina, you’re in shock,” Mimi told her.
The EMTs ignored her, quickly lifting her up and setting her down on the stretcher
, instantly covering her with a foil Mylar blanket.
“We’ll follow you to the hospital,” Andy said.
We, Christina thought. “No!” she yelled. “Please don’t come!”
Then she was slid into the ambulance, an EMT sat beside her, and the heavy doors were slammed shut.
The ambulance bumped over the bricks toward the hospital, siren wailing. The EMTs put a blood pressure cuff on one arm and an IV in the other.
“W-w-what’s that?” Christina sobbed.
“Only a saline solution with some electrolytes to stabilize you,” Misty LaRosa answered. Misty was only a few years older than Christina; in spite of her gentle name, she had the personality of a lacrosse coach.
“Misty, this isn’t necessary,” Christina said. “I’m fine, just wet. I just need to go home.”
“You’re in shock, your temperature has dropped, and this is hospital policy.”
Christina knew better than to argue with hospital policy.
It was only a five-minute drive to the hospital. As they sped along, the male EMT pulled off Christina’s poor ruined red boots and soggy socks and wrapped Christina’s feet and legs in a warm blanket. The feeling was heavenly. With a screech, the ambulance turned, and before she could think twice, the doors were open and she was being lifted onto a rolling hospital bed and rushed into an emergency room. A privacy curtain was pulled around her. Someone removed the IV.
“Open your mouth,” someone said, and quickly inserted a thermometer.
“Can you sit up, sweetheart?” a female nurse asked.
Christina recognized Annette O’Brien, another island woman a few years older than she was, a goodhearted, cheerful acquaintance.
Christina nodded and sat up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Somehow her feet had been encased in warm hospital booties.
“What the dickens happened?” Annette asked.
“I guess the water pipe broke,” Christina said. “It leads out to the restrooms and restaurant at the end of the wharf and I was walking there…” Because she knew Annette, because she knew Annette was a good, sympathetic woman, Christina let herself go. “Oh, Annette, I was so frightened! I didn’t know what happened. It was like a monster had smashed up from the water through the wharf, or maybe the end of the world, or a bomb, I couldn’t understand, it all happened so fast.”
Annette put her arms around Christina and hugged her. “Poor girl,” she said, patting Christina’s back. “How scary. But you’re all right. You’ve had a shock, sweetheart, but you’ll be just fine.” Stepping away, she said, “You fell on your back, right? Can you stand up so we can get your wet clothes off and put you in a warm robe?”
Holding on to Annette’s arms, Christina slid down to the floor. When she tried to pull the sleeve of her cashmere sweater off, it stuck to her skin.
“Here, dear, let me do it. You just relax.” Annette chattered away as she undressed Christina. “Nice cashmere sweater, and you know the good thing about wool is it stays warm even when it’s wet. Okay, now put your arms out, I’m slipping a johnny on you. Turn around, I’ll tie it in the back. And bless my soul! You landed right on your tailbone, my dear. You’ve got a lovely little bump there. We’ll lie you on your side and I’ll put an ice pack next to it.”
“Oh, not an ice pack!” Christina begged.
Annette laughed. “All right, my darling, no ice pack until you are nice and cozy warm. Now hold out your arms, I’m putting a robe on you, and then we’ll get you back in bed and under the covers and tucked up snug.”
Christina held out her arms. She felt like a child with her mother dressing her, and it was a comforting sensation.
“Now what shall we do about your lovely fur hat?” Annette asked.
“It’s not my hat!” Christina cried.
“If you say so, Christina, but it’s on your head. Shall we take it off? I know it’s giving you warmth, but I’d bet your hair is wet under there. We need to wrap your hair in towels.”
Christina lifted her arms and removed the Cossack hat—the dark fur was silky in her hands. “Do you think it’s mink?” she asked Annette.
Annette examined the hat, turning it this way and that. “No, it’s not mink, it’s faux fur. It says so on the label right here.”
Christina had almost stopped weeping but at this news she burst into helpless sobs. “Not only is she beautiful, she’s an animal lover!”
“Well, let’s worry about all that later. Let’s get you in bed for now.”
“I’m really fine,” Christina said. “I need to get back to my shop.”
“Yes, and I’m sure you’ll be able to once the doctor checks you over,” Annette said. She helped Christina onto the bed and covered her in soft blankets. “Just close your eyes and rest a wee bit now. I’ll be back.”
Christina obeyed. Warmth melted into her body, her muscles relaxed, and her breathing slowed.
Annette returned to the room. “Christina, there’s a young man insisting on seeing you. His name is Andy Bittlesman.”
Christina snorted. “Give that young man his girlfriend’s fur hat and tell him to go away.”
“Whatever you say.”
Annette left. A few moments later she was back. “He says to tell you she’s not his girlfriend.”
“She dried him off!” Christina blurted, and her tears started up again.
Annette looked puzzled. “If you don’t want to see him, you don’t have to.”
With her bright blue down coat rustling, Mimi rushed into the room.
“They said I could come in,” Mimi told her. “I’ve got your briefcase. When you fell, it slid away from you, so it didn’t get wet.”
“Good.” Christina sat up, holding a blanket around her shoulders. “My cell and wallet are in there. Thanks, Mimi. But what are you doing here? What about your shop?”
“The DPW has closed off that section of the wharf while they fix the broken pipe,” Mimi told her. “They’ve sanded the area where the water froze and it’s off-limits.”
“You’re losing business!” Christina cried. “I’m so sorry!”
Mimi plopped down on the bed next to Christina and hugged her close. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll be fine. Once word gets around town about the pipe breaking, people will swarm to check it out and they’ll stop by our shops. It’s great publicity. The most important thing is, how are you?”
Warmed by Mimi’s affection, Christina said, “Physically? I’m fine, except for a bump on my bum. Emotionally, I’m a basket case.”
“Of course you are,” Mimi said, hugging Christina tighter. “That must have been a terrifying few moments.”
“It was. But something else…just before the pipe burst, I saw Andy walking with his girlfriend.”
“Oh, crackers!” Mimi exclaimed. “I saw her, too. Anastasiya Belousova. They say she’s the most beautiful woman on this planet. Her eyes are amazing, like a husky dog’s eyes. I mean, really, Anastasiya Belousova on our little island!”
Christina turned her head away to hide her tears.
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry, Christina. I’m such a dunce. I forgot you’re seeing Andy.”
“I’m afraid that’s past tense,” Christina said bitterly.
“Oh, sweetie, not necessarily.”
“Then why were they walking down the wharf together? Why is she even on the island? Andy told me they’d broken up.” She snorted. “And I believed him.” Then, in spite of herself, she asked, “Is Andy still out in the hall? With Anastasiya?”
“I didn’t see him.”
Christina slowly shook her head. “So he left. They left.”
“You mean they were here before I got here?”
“Yes.”
“Did Andy come talk with you?”
“I told the nurse to give him his girlfriend�
�s fur hat and to tell him to go away.”
“Yes, I saw Anastasiya put it on your head. That was nice of her, don’t you think?”
“Oh, of course,” Christina said crabbily. “She’s a real live angel.”
Mimi sighed. “You’re overreacting. You don’t know the facts. You don’t know why she’s here, and if Andy left the hospital, it’s what you told him to do. Listen, sweetheart, Jacob’s going to buzz me when I can open my shop again, so I’ll have to rush off.” As she spoke, Mimi’s phone buzzed. She held it up to Christina, waved, and stepped out of the room.
“Thanks for coming, Mimi,” Christina called.
The privacy curtain rattled as a white-coated physician entered the room. It was Dr. Fegley, a brusque but beloved older man who’d seen generations of Nantucketers grow up.
“Hello, Christina. I hear you’ve had a little adventure.”
“Not such an adventure,” Christina said. The doctor’s presence made her sniff back her tears and sit up straight. He’d been her doctor since she was a child. “A water main broke. I fell. I bumped my bum and got cold, but basically, I’m okay.”
“Let’s just check you out.” Dr. Fegley went through the usual routine. “Do you hurt anywhere?” he said.
Christina sniffed. “My pride’s hurt, that’s all. It was really humiliating.”
“You’re young. I’m not worried about your pride.” Dr. Fegley stepped back. “Actually, I’m not worried about you at all. Your temperature is normal, you’re showing no signs of disorientation or dizziness or nausea. Anything you want to mention? Headache? Double vision?”
“Nothing like that. I’m hungry, that’s all. I missed my lunch.”
The physician laughed and patted her knee. “I’d say you’re good to go. You can always call me if you start to feel faint.”
“I will. Thanks, Dr. Fegley.”
He left her little private space. For a few moments, Christina sat on the hospital bed, her legs dangling, trying to gather her thoughts. She’d never considered herself a dependent sort of person, the kind of person people had to help. In one moment, that changed. It would take a while for her to recover—not physically, but emotionally, from that bizarre, incomprehensible moment when the ground exploded under her feet.
