‘You should have asked me,’ Alice scolded. ‘I would have fetched it for you.’
‘You’ve broken your wrist,’ Vera reminded her gruffly, opening her eyes and looking at her sister. ‘You don’t need to be waiting on me. I was trying to do it for myself.’
‘You missed your footing?’ Mac interrupted gently, and Vera nodded.
‘One minute I was at the top, the next at the bottom.’
Mac frowned. ‘Do you remember what happened? Were you knocked out?’
‘She definitely wasn’t,’ Alice said firmly. ‘She was using some language I didn’t know she knew!’
Mac smiled and turned his attention back to his patient. ‘Her left leg is shortened and externally rotated,’ he said to Josh and his brother nodded.
‘Looks like a fractured neck of femur.’
Alice gasped. ‘She’s broken something?’
‘I think she might have done,’ Mac said, examining the old lady gently but thoroughly. ‘Does it hurt here?’
Vera groaned. ‘Terribly. But maybe I’m just a wimp.’
‘You’re not a wimp,’ Louisa soothed, her expression troubled. ‘You’re very brave. Just hang in there and Dr Sullivan will get you sorted out. He’s a genius.’
Mac threw her a look, finished his examination and then straightened and dug in his pocket for his mobile phone. ‘Let’s see if we can hurry them along, Vera,’ he said, his tone even as he hit the buttons. ‘We need to get you to hospital. In the meantime, we’re going to give you something for the pain and splint that leg.’
Vera sighed. ‘It’s definitely broken?’
Mac hesitated. ‘I’m afraid so. But we’ll soon have you more comfortable.’
‘I don’t want to go into hospital,’ Vera said anxiously. ‘I’m supposed to be cooking Christmas dinner now Alice is out of action. I’ve been reading books so that I know how to do it. I’m not the cook, you see. That’s her job but with her wrist in a cast she can’t do it.’
Louisa dropped to her knees. ‘Don’t worry about Christmas dinner,’ she said firmly. ‘Let’s just sort your leg out and then we’ll take care of the rest.’
‘No, you don’t understand.’ Vera’s tone was anguished. ‘It isn’t just the food. I can’t leave Alice here on her own. She’s never had Christmas on her own. It would be too awful. We always spend it together.’
‘She won’t be on her own,’ Louisa said firmly, ignoring Mac’s sharp glance. ‘She can have Christmas lunch with us. I’m cooking a turkey and it’s so large I don’t know what I’m going to do with it. Josh will pick her up in his fancy car and bring her over.’
Mac closed his eyes and Josh choked with laughter.
‘Just be warned, you’ll be fighting off a brainless dog,’ he drawled, ‘so if you think this is going to be a peaceful Christmas, Alice, think again. You might want to think up some excuses.’
‘Peaceful Christmas?’ Mac’s tone was dry as he looked at Louisa with an expression somewhere between exasperation and amusement. ‘What’s that?’
She grinned. ‘It’s what you used to have before I fell through your toilet window.’
‘You fell through his toilet window?’ Vera looked startled and Alice smiled.
‘Remember, I told you that the doctor is living with someone now? It’s so romantic.’
Mac muttered under his breath.
‘It’s a long story, Vera,’ Louisa said happily, ‘and I’ll tell it over a glass of hot mulled wine on Christmas Day when I come to visit you in hospital. I do a fantastic turkey and stuffing sandwich.’
Still laughing, Josh handed Mac a syringe. ‘I reckon she’s the best Christmas present I’ve ever given you.’
‘She’s certainly the most memorable Christmas present you’ve ever given me. I’m just going to give you an injection for the pain, Vera,’ Mac said calmly, moving her nightie aside, ‘and then we’re going to splint this leg to make it more comfortable. It will speed things up when the paramedics eventually get here.’
Louisa carried on chatting, distracting the two old ladies while the two brothers worked.