Torn [SHAWN MENDES]

~33~

Taryn sat on the exam table in the emergency room with her mom by her side, waiting to be taken to radiology for an X-ray. She'd been in one of these cold curtained-off bays many times before, though those circumstances had been much worse. The faded hospital gown was the same type she'd always worn, and the sharp antiseptic smell and glaring fluorescent lights were exactly as she remembered them. It was a good thing Shawn hadn't brought her here, because having him by her side, just like he'd been during the miscarriages, would have been torture for both of them.

"I hope you don't have moles digging up your yard," Tricia said, interrupting Taryn's thoughts. "They can create holes like the one you stepped in."

"I've never seen a mole out there," she replied distractedly.

"That doesn't mean they aren't there."

The curtain opened and Jules rushed in with a concerned look on his face. "I just got your text. What happened? Are you in pain?"

"It only hurts when I step on it, otherwise it just throbs. I was in the yard with Hen and I stepped in a hole and fell down," she told him, leaving out some crucial information. She'd confess the rest when they were alone.

He looked at her ankle with a frown on his face. "That doesn't look good. I'm going to go see what the hold up is. You shouldn't have to wait in pain."

Within minutes she was wheeled to radiology where it was determined that she had a hairline fracture at the base of her fibula. It wasn't displaced, which the orthopedist said was a good thing, though he determined that she also had a severe sprain. He explained that the sprain was probably causing most of the pain. She got fitted for a walking boot but was given strict instructions to stay off it for a week.

Jules shift ended right before she was discharged, so he was able to take her home. Taryn thanked her mom for coming to her rescue as she was wheeled to the car.

"I'll be over tomorrow with some meals," Patricia said. "If you need me to move in for a week, I can."

"Let's see how I do with these crutches. There's no need for your life to be disrupted if I can manage on my own."

When they got home, Jules helped her to the couch in the living room and elevated her leg on several pillows to prevent further swelling. "How's the pain?"

"Not bad at all, but that might be the Oxy speaking," she replied. "I guess I'll be sleeping down here for the next week."

"Nonsense. I can carry you up and down the stairs."

She remembered how it felt when Shawn carried her inside earlier. He'd lifted her like it was nothing, and she held on to him tightly, breathing in the familiar smell of his cologne. Fuck. She needed to tell Jules about the circumstances of her fall, but the pain meds made her a little loopy, so maybe it wasn't the the best time.

"I think I'll stay down here except when I have to shower."

"Then I'll sleep on the chair," he insisted. "That way I can help you if you need to pee or if you get thirsty."

"You cheated on this perfect man!" her conscience screamed at her. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'm kind of hungry. Can you order take-out?"

They agreed on pizza and while they waited for it, Taryn drifted off to sleep. She awoke with a start when the doorbell rang, and pushed herself up into a sitting position so that she could eat.

"Your mom thinks we might have moles. I'm going to call a pest control company in the morning," Jules said as they ate in the living room.

"But will they kill them? I don't want an animal to die because I wasn't watching where I was walking."