“Too bad. I’d have wheeled your ass to my truck if we had a wheelchair. So, get your panties out of a wad and sit tight.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the picture Aspen captured of the two of us while we were in the kitchen of my camper too fucking long ago. Her ass was on the narrow countertop, her arms looped around my neck, my hips between her spread legs. She’s smiling at the camera. I didn’t get the memo apparently because I was too busy looking at her, a small smirk playing on my lips. The moment she took it, I had her send it to me, knowing I put that smile on her face. It’s something I look at daily. It ties me over until the moment she’s back in my arms.
“Hop on down,” the nurse in blue scrubs says, interrupting my thoughts. I do as she says, shaking my head the entire time. I’m pretty sure my clavicle is broken. I did this once before when I was a teenager out riding dirt bikes with a friend. I landed wrong, and it cracked. The doctor warned me back then this could happen just as easily again.
“Thanks,” I tell both the nurse and Hank.
“I’m going to go park the truck, then I’ll come back in.” He doesn’t leave any room for me to reply; he’s already rounding the truck.
“Alright, Mr. Knight. Let’s go get your paperwork started and get you into a room. Your friend seems to think you may have a concussion too, so we’ll get you taken care of right away.” She wheels me in. The only thing I’m worried about right now is Aspen, not me or the shit that I could potentially go through. She’s it for me, my end all, be all.ElevenAspen“Hello,” I answer my cell phone, not caring that we have customers in line. There’s only one person with that ring tone, and he shouldn’t even be calling at this time of the day. Not when he’s supposed to be on the rig, with no cell service. Hell, we’re lucky he has service off the site.
“Hey, Aspen, this is Hank.” My stomach drops. There’s no good reason why Hank would be calling instead of Jasper.
“What’s wrong?”
“Shit, honey. I hate like hell I’m having to call you, but they just took Jasper back for some X-rays and an MRI.” I move to the office. Ruthie is out grabbing some change from the bank; we somehow ran out of quarters today.
“Why though?” I ask, taking a seat on the couch, my eyes already watering on the what-ifs.
“A new guy screwed up, is all I can tell you. Jas seems to be alright. That tough son of a gun, he thinks his collarbone is broken, and the doctors are gonna double check just in case he has a concussion. Now, here’s the hard part. You want me to tell Ruthie, or do you want to?”
“Thank God for small favors and that he’s okay. He told me about the new kid on the block, so to speak. I’ll tell Ruthie, then we’ll be on our way within the hour.” I’m already thinking about everything that needs to be done. I’ll shut the shop for the time being, call Berkley and see if she’s made a decision and wants to come in and help out.
“One last question, do you want Marge to come pick you girls up?” God, he’s so thoughtful. She’s a full hour away with them living closer to the oil rig than we are. I know how hard that will be on her. Plus, she needs to be home for their girls. Jasper talks about how good Hank’s family has been to him and speaks so highly about them. This takes the cake though.
“Nah, I’ll drive us. There’s no need for Marge to come up and then go back down. I’ll talk to Ruthie, then we’ll be down. I’m going to close the shop now, so when she gets back, all we have to do is grab some clothes and head your way. Can you text me the name of the hospital he’s at?”
“You sure? Marge will have no problem doing it, especially for you,” he counters.
“I’m positive. I probably won’t have a meltdown until I see him and know that he’s okay. I’ll be strong for Ruthie, but once I see him, I’m sure that I’ll be the one to lose it.” I try to joke to lighten the mood.
“Alright, honey. I’ll let Jasper know what’s happening when he comes back to his room. I’ll text you my number in case something changes, and of course the hospital address.”
“Thank you, Hank. I know this wasn’t an easy call to make.” I blow out a puff of air.