accompanied Trevor and Sophie down the hall, then used Sophie’s key card and opened the door so Trevor could take her into the room. He barely had her settled before a steward appeared with ice in a plastic bag wrapped in a towel, along with reassurances that the doctor had been summoned.
Trevor slipped pillows under her foot and then laid the ice on it. “You need to elevate it. Do you have any ibuprofen?”
Of course she did because you never knew. “There’s a bottle in the bathroom.”
He nodded, found the bottle and shook out a pill, then brought it to her, along with a glass of water.
“I don’t do this all the time,” she said.
“What, climb around on steep stairs in windmills?”
“Fall.” The little old lady she’d helped had been a warning from the travel fairies. Too bad she hadn’t paid attention to that warning and watched where she was going.
“It happens,” he said just as Sierra arrived with Rudy, and Catherine, Athena close behind.
Even Denise and Charlie had come, and squeezed in the room behind the others. Standing all clumped together they looked like carolers getting ready to serenade her. Instead of carols, they offered commiseration.
“You poor kid,” Denise said.
“I’m so sorry,” Catherine added.
This was seriously embarrassing. “Thank you,” Sophie murmured. “I feel like an idiot.” This was why she needed to marry a doctor. Things happened. To her. A lot.
“It’s always the pride that hurts the worst,” Denise said.
That was for sure.
“Those stairs were treacherous,” Catherine said.
Athena said nothing. Why was she there, anyway?
“Let’s see what we have here,” Rudy said. He sat down on the bed and examined Sophie’s wounded ankle. “Not too much swelling. No deformity. Nothing appears to be broken, but let’s keep an eye on it. For the meantime, keep on doing what you’re doing, Sophie—ice and elevate. Do you have some ibuprofen?”
“Already gave her one,” said Trevor, and Rudy nodded his approval.
The shore doctor finally arrived, along with Elsa the cruise director, who was looking concerned. He, too, examined the foot and came to the same conclusion. “Only a mild sprain,” the doctor assured Sophie.
Mild? It didn’t feel mild.
“You don’t have much swelling,” he continued. “I am sure you’ll be fine in a few days.”
“But what if I’m not?” she fretted.
“Don’t worry,” Elsa said to her. “We have doctors in every port, and if you need something done we will make sure to get you to a hospital.”
“Hospital?” Sophie echoed weakly.
“In case they need to cut off your foot,” Trevor teased, then slipped out of the room before she could inform him that he was not funny.
“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Rudy said, patting her shoulder. “Stay off your foot the rest of the day. Ice every couple of hours for twenty minutes, no longer. Keep taking the ibuprofen.” Another pat on the arm and then he was off the bed, and saying to the others, “Let’s let her get some rest, shall we?”
Everyone trooped out of the room, and Sophie noticed as Rudy left he put a guiding hand to Catherine’s back. Great. Sophie was down for the rest of the day and Catherine had Rudy all to herself.
The other doctor left her with a bandage to wrap her ankle once she was up and around and then he, too, was gone, leaving her and her sister alone in the room.
“I’m glad it’s only a sprain,” Sierra said, perching on the other side of the bed.
Sophie scowled. “Only a sprain? I’m stuck here and missing out on everything.”
There was a knock on the door and Sierra went to answer it. Sophie heard Trevor’s voice.
“Brought something for the patient,” he said.
“She could use some sweetening up,” said Sierra the sympathetic.
She ushered Trevor back into the room. “Vitamin C,” he said to Sophie, and held out a chocolate bar. “Dark chocolate, nuts, Rainier cherries.”
“Wow,” breathed Sierra.
He handed Sophie hers, then reached into his coat pocket and brought one out for Sierra, too.
“Thanks,” she said, sounding like he’d just offered her gold. Almost as good, that was for sure.
“That’s really sweet of you,” Sophie said to him. “Thanks. And thanks for carrying me back. I hope you didn’t get a hernia.”
“Nah. I’m buff.”
Yes, he was.
“I guess you’re down for the count, huh?” he said to her.
She sighed. “Yes. What a poopy way to spend my first day of the cruise.”
He reached into another pocket and produced a deck of playing cards. “You girls play cards?”