Texas Two Step: Texas Montgomery Mavericks, Book 1 (10 page)

Both women chuckled, followed by a moan from Olivia. “Don’t make me laugh. It hurts my head.”

“Mitch said he saw you hit your head.”

“Mitch?” Her heart raced at the mention of his name. “Is he here?” She frowned and even that small action hurt. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“No, Mitch isn’t here in the ambulance. We’re headed to Baylor to get you checked out. Mitch said you hit your head pretty hard. Can you see my finger?”

Olivia concentrated on Teresa’s finger—no, her two fingers held in a V. “I see a V for victory.”

Teresa smiled. “Good. I don’t think you’ve done any permanent damage, but we won’t know for sure until I get some tests.”

“I need to call my son’s babysitter. She’s expecting me home.”

“As soon as we get to the hospital and get you settled, I’ll have someone call her. Okay?”

“Okay.” Olivia shut her eyes. The movement of the ambulance was making her nauseous.

All movement came to a sudden stop. If only the rolling nausea would have also.

The rear ambulance doors flew open.

Lord, don’t let my ankle be broken.

And please, Lord. Don’t let Mitch show up at the hospital.

Chapter Five

“Can’t you drive faster?” Mitch snapped. He met the limo driver’s eyes in the rearview mirror and saw the man flinch.

“I’ll try, sir.” The limo whipped around two cars and sped past a third.

“Better,” Mitch growled. He looked at his watch. Damn. Olivia’s ambulance had pulled out from Grayson Mansion over thirty minutes ago. He leaned forward. “How much further?”

“About five minutes, barring any other delays.”

He settled against the seatback and forced himself to relax. Since Dr. Miller went with her, at least Olivia wasn’t alone.

Would Olivia have called this Adam person? Would he finally get to meet Adam and see for himself how serious this relationship was? And if she was serious about this guy, why hadn’t Adam been with her all weekend? Why had she been with Mitch Friday night? Was Adam the reason she rushed away on Friday? Could it be that Adam was just out of town and not available to be Olivia’s date for the wedding?

But he knew Olivia too well to believe she could be with him on Friday night, and at the same time be in a serious relationship with another man. She was not the kind of woman to lead a man on or be dishonest. Whoever Adam was, there was no way Olivia was serious about him other than as a friend.

The limo stopped and the driver stepped out. Not waiting for the driver to come around the car, Mitch flung open the rear door, leapt from the car, tossed what was probably excessive money at the driver, and sprinted into the emergency department.

“Wait for me,” he yelled over his shoulder, taking for granted the driver would do as told.

“I’m trying to find Olivia Montgomery Gentry,” he said to the clerk at the admissions desk. His gut roiled when he said Gentry. Her marriage—although over—still pissed him off.

“Are you family?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why? Does that matter?” Assuming it was, he added, “Yes, I’m her fiancé.”

The clerk gave a disinterested nod. “Have a seat,” she said, pointing to a group of plastic chairs. “I’ll find someone to talk to you.”

The muscles in his cheeks flexed in agitation. He didn’t like not being directed promptly to Olivia.

Instead, he paced like a wild stallion in a corral. He knew arguing with a low-level clerk would do no good. He glanced at the wall clock and marked the time. He didn’t wait long before deciding that if someone hadn’t come out in five minutes, he was going looking for Olivia himself.

Four minutes later, Dr. Miller walked into the waiting area, a smile on her face. “They’re doing X-rays right now, but I don’t think she’s got a concussion. She’ll have a nasty bump on her head, but she’ll be fine.”

“Can I see her?” Mitch asked.

“As soon as the tech gets done taking pictures, I’ll come get you. Sit down, for heaven sakes. You’re making the clerk nervous.”

Mitch tapped his foot and huffed. “T’ain’t likely,” he growled, but did as he was told.

Time moved slower than molasses in December. Mitch paced, sat, watched a cattle report on CNBC, paced a couple of more miles around the waiting room, read a six-month-old Ladies Home Journal before—finally—Dr. Miller came to escort him to Olivia. He checked his watch. He’d been waiting for twenty minutes…the longest twenty minutes of his life.

Olivia was lying in a bed, a white wrinkled hospital sheet covering the lower half of her body. Her face was pale, but seeing her calmed his churning stomach. For the first time in the last hour, his chest eased enough to allow a deep breath. When she’d been on that floor, not speaking, her eyes closed, he’d known beyond a shadow of a doubt the feelings he’d had for her were still there…as strong as ever. He loved her, now and always. Whatever it took, he would win her back. He could fix whatever had to be fixed.

She opened her eyes. “Mitch. What are you doing here?” Her voice was weak, almost a whisper.

His long stride carried him to her bedside in two steps. “I wanted to make sure you’d be okay.”

He reached for her hand but she jerked it out of his reach.

The curtain opened and a tall man dressed in hospital scrubs walked in and smiled at Olivia. “Hello. I’m Dr. Gowen, the orthopedist on call this evening. I have good news and bad news. The good news is your ankle isn’t broken. The bad news is your ankle has a pretty bad sprain. Plus the MRI shows a small tear in the meniscus of the knee.”

“I tore the cartilage in my knee? Isn’t that serious? Do I need surgery?” After years of owning a gym and working with athletes, she knew what a torn cartilage was.

Mitch squeezed her shoulder. She suspected he meant the squeeze to be supportive, but instead she found herself growing irritated…with his uninvited presence and unwanted touch.

She needed to get home and get back to her life…her normal life. A life where it was just Adam and her. Her safe, uncomplicated life.

Dr. Gowen pointed to an anatomical picture on the wall, drawing her attention away from Mitch’s presence. “See this area where the round part of your knee meets the indented areas of the shin bone?”

Olivia nodded as Mitch leaned closer to the drawing to study what the doctor was demonstrating.

Dr. Gowen traced his finger along the outer edge of the joint. “Your menisci are the areas of tough cartilage right here and here. When you fell, you twisted your knee and caused a small tear right here.” He pointed to the inside of her knee. “It’s not bad. I don’t think you’ll need surgery. We’ll keep an eye on it and see how you do, but you’ll need to avoid any weight bearing on that leg for a while. Ice, rest, some light pain meds should do the trick. After a couple of days, acetaminophen should take care of the pain. Do you have a pair of crutches?” When she shook her head, he added, “I’ll order a set of crutches before you leave today.”

“Doctor,” Mitch interrupted. “Should she have a private nurse? We can hire one.”

Olivia glared at Mitch for a moment then made a deliberate turn of her head away from him. “Ignore him, Dr. Gowen. You were saying?”

Mitch chuckled and squeezed her shoulder again.

She flinched. As much as she’d love to boot Mitch out, she didn’t want to make a scene in front of Emily’s mother. Dr. Miller had been wonderful to come with her in the ambulance. The last thing Olivia wanted to do was cause her any embarrassment at the hospital where she worked.

“You don’t have to have a knee brace but some patients find one helps to stabilize the knee as you recover.”

“Get her one,” Mitch ordered.

Olivia didn’t look at him. She smiled at Dr. Gowen. “Excuse Mitch. Apparently he’s easily excitable. Now, the knee brace…what do you think I should do?” Her knee and ankle throbbed in time to the pounding in her head and Mitch was driving her crazy. She was amazed she could speak through her clenched teeth.

Dr. Gowen returned her smile and patted her shoulder. What was it with the men in this room wanting to pat her shoulder?

“I’d advise a knee wrap for a couple of days, three at the most, and a set of crutches. You won’t need them for long, maybe a week or two. I’d like to see you back in my office then. If your knee is continuing to give you problems when you walk, we’ll consider either using a cane for a couple of more weeks, or maybe scoping the knee. For now, there’s no emergency. Let’s give it some time. Okay?”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Mitch said. “Is she good to go as soon as we get the crutches and knee brace?”

Dr. Gowen looked at Teresa Miller who’d been standing at the head of the bed. “The bump on her head? That’s your department.”

Dr. Miller shook her head. “Films look fine. She’s oriented and talking. She’ll have a nasty knot for a few days and maybe a headache tonight, but she’s cleared to leave.”

“Excuse me?” Olivia said, her voice laced with exasperation. “I’m still here. You don’t need to talk around me.”

Dr. Gowen laughed. “Of course. Your fiancé had been so worried.”

“My fiancé?” She frowned. “And who—”

“Shh, Livie. No jokes on the doctors. We don’t want them to think you’ve lost your memory from that bump,” Mitch said. He leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead, then looked at the doctor. “I’ll make sure she’ll have everything she’ll need to get better.”

“Fine, fine,” Dr. Gowen replied. “Once the ankle and knee wraps are in place, I’ll send in a nurse with discharge instructions and a prescription for a light pain med you can fill on the way home. You probably only need it for a couple of days. From the description of your fall, you’re one lucky lady,” he said, stepping to the curtain. “Good luck…to you both.”

Dr. Miller hugged her. “Since Mitch’s here, I’m going to run along too. I’ll have to scold Emily for not sharing the good news about you and Mitch’s engagement. Now, don’t thank me,” she said when Olivia opened her mouth to speak. “I’m glad I was there.”

After both doctors had left and Mitch and Olivia were alone, she glared at him. “What are you doing here? And why does everyone think we’re engaged? Go home, Mitch. Please.”

He shook his head. “I’m not leaving.” He cleared his throat, his tan complexion paling. “And everyone believes we’re engaged because that’s what I told them.”

“Why would you do that?” she asked with a gasp.

“Your family lives an hour away. Your best friend’s on the way to Hawaii for her honeymoon. I didn’t want you to be alone. The admitting clerk wasn’t going to let me come back, so…” He shrugged and gave her his never-fail killer smile. “I was a little creative when describing our friendship.”

Friendship. She pressed her head into the pillow and shut her eyes. “It’s time for you to go home, Mitch.”

He leaned close. “I don’t have to leave yet. I care about you, Livie. Let me help.” His warm breath brushed across her face as he spoke.

I care about you.
His words marched through her head.

Maybe you did, Mitch, but not enough. Not enough.

“You’re swept up in all the emotion of the weekend. I’ll be fine. Really.” Olivia opened her eyes and rolled her head to look at him. The movement sent a sharp pain lancing through her head. She grimaced. “This isn’t your problem. I’m not your responsibility. Don’t worry about me. You can go home with a clear conscience.”

“I am not swept up in the weekend. And of course I’ll worry about you. You’re all alone. How will you get around?”

Olivia shut her eyes again in frustration. Hard-headed cowboy. “I’m not alone. Good Lord, Mitch. I have friends, family who can come to town. Heck, I can go to my parents’ house if I need to. I have lots of options. Besides, I’ve only bummed up a knee and ankle. It’s not like I broke a leg. Get out of here. Go back to your life and let me get back to mine.”

“No.”

“Damn it. Go away.”

“Mrs. Gentry?”

Olivia saw Mitch curled his fingers into fists when the nurse called her Mrs. Gentry.

A pretty young nurse rolled a cart through the curtain. “This is Joe Greeson, our ortho tech,” she said with a nod toward the man who followed her into the room. “He’ll be showing you how to put on and take off wraps.”

“Ma’am,” Joe said with a polite nod. “If you have any questions as I go along, just ask.”

Olivia nodded and immediately regretted the movement. “Okay.”

“And,” the nurse continued, “these are the instructions for caring for your ankle.” She handed Olivia a piece of paper. “In a nutshell, it says rest, stay off your feet, use the ankle wrap for support and crutches to keep any weight off that ankle until you can bear weight without pain. Also, put an ice pack on it through tonight. It’s important to give your leg time to heal. Okay?”

“Got it,” Olivia said.

She glanced toward Mitch. He’d moved to the foot of her bed to watch the technician apply the stretchy wrap to her ankle and a thicker beige wrap around her knee. She’d applied a million of these wraps on herself as well as her clients. She probably could have wrapped her own ankle and knee, but moving her head to look down rattled her brains, so she assumed the role of good patient and let the tech do all the work.