The M.D. Next Door

“She’s stable and resting fairly comfortably now. She’s been given something for pain so she’s drifting in and out, but when she’s awake she’s coherent. Her leg is broken in two places: the femur, just above the knee, and the tibia, just below the knee. Fortunately, the knee itself looks good. She’ll have to have surgery to repair the breaks. She’s scheduled for tomorrow morning.”

Seth nodded grimly. He motioned with the cell phone he held in his right hand. “I just talked to her daughter again. She and her husband are on their way. They should be here in another two and a half hours or so.”

“Are you going to operate on Nina, Meagan?” Alice asked.

“No, sweetie, I’m a general surgeon, not an orthopedic surgeon. But I know who’s going to do the surgery, and he’s very good, okay? He’d be the one I’d choose if it were my own mother needing the operation.”

“Can we see her?”

“She’s being moved to a room for the night. You can see her as soon as they get her settled in.”

Alice nodded reluctantly.

“Have you had dinner?”

Alice’s lip quivered a little. “Nina was making spaghetti sauce.”

The girl had been so brave until this point. Meagan suspected reaction was just setting in. She glanced at her watch. “The hospital cafeteria is open for another half hour, or the café off the lobby serves sandwiches, salads and desserts round the clock. Why don’t you two get something to eat and I’ll let you know as soon as Nina’s in her room.”

“Would you like to join us for a meal?” Seth asked, resting a hand on Alice’s shoulder as if he, too, was aware that his daughter needed a little extra reassurance. “You’re probably hungry, too.”

“I’ll go check on Nina again, and then I’ll find you.”

He nodded. “We’ll be in the café. I think sandwiches and salads are all either of us want tonight.”

“All right.” She smiled at Alice. “Just a tip—the chocolate cake is amazing.”

She was pleased when Alice returned the smile, though a bit weakly. “I do like chocolate cake.”

“Then let’s go get you some,” her dad said promptly, giving Meagan a quick look of gratitude. “After the sandwich.”

“I know, Daddy.”

Meagan smiled as she turned to return to Nina.

It was after ten by the time Seth drove Meagan home from the hospital that evening. Because she’d ridden in the ambulance, Meagan didn’t have her car, but she could have called Madison to come get her. She even offered to have Madison take her and Alice home earlier because it was a school night, but Alice didn’t want to leave the hospital until her father did. Seth had been reluctant to leave before Nina’s daughter arrived. Meagan suspected he felt responsible in some way for Nina’s accident, though surely he knew he had in no way caused her to fall.

Seth assured her they’d be fine, but Meagan had opted to stay to help keep Alice entertained and distracted from her distress. She knew seeing Nina crumpled at the foot of the stairs had been a traumatic experience for the girl, even though Alice had handled it very well.

Exhausted, Alice fell asleep in the backseat before Seth had driven a mile from the hospital. Restrained by the shoulder belt, she slept with her head lolling against the padded headrest behind her. She didn’t even stir when Seth parked in Meagan’s driveway and got out to walk her to the door.

“I’ll have to shake her awake when we get home,” Seth said with a chuckle as they glanced back at the car. “She’s getting a little too old for me to carry her inside and tuck her in without waking her.”

“Will she be okay for school tomorrow?”

“Yeah. A little sleepy, maybe, but she’ll be fine.”

“Nina’s daughter seemed nice. She’s eager to move Nina to Mississippi to live with her, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she’s wanted Nina to move there for the past year or so. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’ll get her wish now. It’s going to be a while before Nina’s back up to full speed.”

“Nina’s in good health. She’ll make a full recovery, though you’re right, it will be several weeks before she’s completely healed.”

“Lisa will still make every effort to convince Nina to stay in Mississippi with her. Which means I’ll have to hire a new housekeeper, I guess. Alice is old enough to stay by herself for a couple hours after school, but I don’t really want her staying home by herself all summer. And even though she’s old enough to do quite a few things around the house, I think it best if we have some help.”

“You’ll miss Nina.”

“Yes, I will. She’s been with me for several years. I always knew I could count on her for whatever I needed from her.”