made a U-turn in the street, she grabbed onto the console to steady herself.
“Lon’s just ahead of us, leading the way with his lights flashing. Just hang on for a few minutes more. Are you hurting very much?” he asked.
“Enough, and I really appreciate this,” she added.
Duke glanced down at her briefly. Again, their gazes locked, but this time she was the first to look away. He could tell he made her uncomfortable, so he turned his attention to driving.
As soon as he pulled up at the ER, everything began happening at once. Two orderlies came running out so quickly that Duke guessed the chief must have radioed ahead that they were inbound. He jumped out as they were transferring Cathy from his truck to a gurney, and then walked beside her as they wheeled her inside.
“Is there anyone I can call?” Duke asked.
“No, but I’m fine, and thank you again for all your help,” Cathy said.
Duke watched until they wheeled her out of sight and then shoved his hands in his pockets. He was still standing in the middle of the hall when Hope came around a corner. When she saw him, she came running.
“Duke? What are you doing here? Did something happen to Jack?”
“No, no, nothing like that,” Duke said. “I came in to get a haircut this morning. I was going to have my oil checked when I saw a woman take a bad fall. I just brought her in.”
“Oh no! Who was it?” Hope asked.
“Her name is Cathy Terry.”
“Oh, Mercy mentioned her a time or two. She’s renting from Dan Amos. Was she hurt bad?”
“I don’t know. I felt bad leaving her here on her own, but when I offered to call someone for her, she shook me off. I think I make her nervous…not me personally, but me being a man.”
Hope was a little surprised by Duke’s insight and concern. Most of the time her brother-in-law was either critical or dismissive of just about everything and everybody.
“I’m working in the ER today. I’ll check on her,” Hope said.
“Okay. If she needs help, let me know,” he said, then left the ER.
He got back in his truck and headed for the Curl Up and Dye for his appointment. The last barber had left Blessings some years back, so it was either a haircut at the ladies’ hair salon, a drive all the way to Savannah, or do it yourself. Duke had only tried DIY once when he was twelve, and the results had been disastrous. But his thoughts were no longer on the day ahead of him. He was thinking of the little redhead he’d left all alone in the ER.
* * *
Cathy was disgusted with herself and, at the same time, a little anxious. Being self-reliant was fine when all your moving parts were working, but from the swelling on her ankle and the huge bruise already spreading on her hip, she wasn’t going to be jogging for a while, and getting to the Crown for groceries wasn’t going to be easy, either. She didn’t have one person in town she knew well enough to ask for help, and she was wishing she’d already leased a car.
Cathy was watching Rhonda, the nurse who was cleaning the scrape on her hand, when another nurse walked in. She was tall, dark-haired, and looked vaguely familiar.
“Hi, Rhonda, how is she doing?” Hope asked.
“We’re waiting for Doctor Quick,” Rhonda said.
Hope moved to the other side of the bed.
“Hi, Cathy. I’m Hope Talbot. Mercy Pittman, the fabulous baker at Granny’s, is my sister, and it was my brother-in-law, Duke, who brought you here. Has someone been in yet to get your personal information?”
“No, not yet,” Cathy said, but now she knew why the woman looked familiar. She looked like the woman she’d seen at Granny’s.
“Then they will do that shortly. Is there anyone I can call?” Hope asked.
“No, but I have a question. Does Blessings have a taxi service?” Cathy asked.
“We don’t have an official taxi service, but we have a whole lot of good people who will gladly give you a ride home. Do you live alone?”
Cathy nodded.
Hope glanced down at Cathy’s swollen ankle. “You won’t be driving for a while.”
“I don’t have a car here,” she said.
“Ah… Came in on the bus, did you?” Hope said.
“No, I had been backpacking for several months when I got to Blessings. I decided it was time to find a place to spend the winter.”