handle any crisis well. “Thank heavens you’re here, Mike; we’ll need some help moving her.”
“What happened?” Sela asked as she dropped down. “How bad is it?” And was it safe to move Carol? It had to be; what choice did they have? Leave her lying there until her leg healed?
Carol opened her eyes and looked at Sela. Pain was clear in her gaze, her expression, and the way she pressed her lips together. “I lost my balance at the top of the stairs. I went up to get a box of winter clothes out of the closet to air them out, because we’re going to need them. It’ll probably snow soon, and I want to be prepared.” She wasn’t quite rambling, but close. “Damn it! I’m disgusted with myself, falling like an old—” She grimaced in pain. “Damn near seventy years old and I’ve never broken a bone before now. Spectacular timing, wouldn’t you say?”
“What do we do?” Olivia asked, dread in her voice. “Oh my God, oh my God!”
Mike knelt on the other side of Carol and said to Olivia, “She’ll be okay, honey. From what I can see, if her leg’s broken, it’s a simple fracture. I’ll get a medic over here to check, but I’m pretty sure.”
Sela danced on the edge of her own hysteria, but she couldn’t give in. She was still dealing with what could have happened, not what actually had. She tamped down her sense of dread. Yes, it was likely Carol’s leg was broken, but it wasn’t a compound fracture. It was a warm enough early November day, and Carol wore capris instead of jeans or sweatpants. If bone had been sticking out, if the skin had been broken, then she wouldn’t have been able to stop the panic because she knew enough about compound fractures to know that without expert medical care they could be deadly.
Someone had to handle this crisis. That someone was her.
“Let’s get her to the couch. Mike, what do you think would be the best way to lift her? On a quilt, maybe, like a sling?”
“I don’t think we’ll need that,” he said, slipping an arm behind Carol’s shoulders and lifting her to a sitting position. Barb hurried to spread a blanket on the couch and fetch a pillow; with Sela and Mike on each side and Olivia gripping Carol’s clothes from behind, they got her to a standing position.
Once Carol was upright she put her weight on the left foot, but kept her right foot lifted. Already her lower leg was swelling and bruising some. That wasn’t a good sign. Together they lurched and hobbled their way to the sofa and lowered the injured woman there as gently as they could. Later, and with more help, they’d move Carol to her bedroom, but for now this would do and make it easier for any immediate care.
Carol groaned as they positioned her on the couch. She closed her eyes again.
Barb put the pillow behind Carol’s head, and another underneath her right knee. “We need to immobilize and elevate the leg.”
“You’ve done this before?” Sela asked.
Barb sighed as she took another pillow and put it under Carol’s right foot. “Yes, Harold broke his leg on a camping trip once. It was horrible, really traumatic for both of us, but everything turned out okay. I wish we had some ice. That would help with the swelling.”
Might as well wish for a healing fairy; they didn’t have any ice, not a single cube. They did have cold water, though, because the water they dipped from the creek was icy. “Olivia, get some towels and wet them, the cold water will help. What else, Barb?”
“A splint, to keep the leg immobile. She’ll have to stay off it for at least a couple of months.”
Carol’s eyes popped open and she tried to come up, but she didn’t make it far. She winced and fell back, resting a hand over her rib cage. Were her ribs broken? That was something else to worry about. “A couple of months? Are you kidding me?” She closed her eyes. “My leg hurts like hell. Everything hurts, but the leg is the worst.” She lifted a hand to the side of her head, sucking in her breath sharply. “Damn it, I hit my head, too. Is it bleeding?” She turned her head so they could all see.
“No blood,” Olivia said. “That’s good, right?” She still sounded tearful.
Sela turned to her cousin. Carol was settled, for now, and Olivia