Into My Own

Six

The satisfaction I'd experienced while racing away lasted well into the next day. Laura just had to make a smart comment about the smirk I couldn't seem to wipe off my face.

"What's up with you? You look like you got away with some sort of crime. 'Fess up."

"Just had a good night," I stated.

"What'd you do?" She pried.

"Went night swimming at the river."

"Bad things happen in the dark."

"Nah. It was just fun." I refused to tell Laura anything detailed. She had a mouth the size of Texas and storytelling skills to match. Not to say she wasn't a nice lady, but she was the ultimate gossip.

The day was extremely slow.

We were informed that George Halbert cut the first hay of the year near town, as always. That meant everyone else would wait a couple days before getting theirs down since George always got his first cutting rained on.

Some people, like my dad, were still scrambling to get their equipment up and running, so it would be a while until we actually started haying. Not that it would matter to me. They barely let me help anyhow, saying I was too little.

Instead, I got roped into cooking. As much as I enjoyed cooking, there were days I would've rather been outside bucking bales.

At the end of the day, we had to go check on and lock up the feed shed as usual. Laura went to do that while I totaled the register.

It normally only took about two minutes to make sure none of the bags were leaking and to lock up. She wasn't back after ten minutes, so I went looking for her.

"Laura? Do you need help?" I called out, ducking under the garage-style door that was half open.

"Coda!" Her voice was panicked.

I started running toward the sound.

There she was, lying on the floor halfway under one of the shelves. Her leg was twisted under a couple broken bags of feed at a grotesque angle.

"Shit, Laura! What happened?" I began carefully lifting the bags off, not moving her leg at all.

"I saw a bag leaking and I went to lift it off but they all fell and hit my knee," she whimpered.

I moved a total of four fifty pound bags off of her twisted leg, finding no blood. That was a good sign.

"Okay Laura, I'm not gonna move you. I don't wanna make it worse. I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure that's not healthy."

She nodded, her eyes dull from pain.

"I'm gonna call an ambulance. Hang in there. I won't go anywhere."

I pulled out my phone and made the call. They instructed me not to move her at all, just to stay there and wait for the ambulance.

I was pretty sure something had to be broken but at least the skin was intact.

It took a good fifteen minutes for the paramedics to come screaming in.

As bad as the injury looked, I felt like the wailing and lights was a little overkill for a possible broken leg.

The EMTs took over, stabilizing the leg and loading Laura onto a stretcher.

"We can't confirm if it's broken without an X-ray." Angie Holes, the ambulance driver, explained. "You can ride with her if you want. We also need to get her husband called. Great job staying calm, by the way. You did the right thing," she clapped me on the shoulder.

I chose to ride with her to the hospital. The paramedics administered some strong painkiller after getting an explanation of what happened and she laid there mumbling drowsily.

I sat in the quiet waiting room while X-rays were performed.

After a bit, her husband rushed into the room, out of breath and in a panic to see her.

"Mike, it's okay. She's getting X-rayed right now," I soothed tiredly.

"When can I see her?" He asked.

"I don't know. But it can't be too long now."

He plopped down in a chair with a sigh.

"Hey. It's gonna be fine. It should only be a break. No concussion or anything," I sat up straighter.

"Yeah. I'm just worried."

We waited for a good ten minutes. The only sound was Mike's nervous foot tapping and the quiet drone of the TV in the corner.

Eventually, a radiology tech came out with the news. "Are you two both here for Laura?" 

"Yes," we stood up quickly and followed her as she started down the hall. 

"So she has a spiral fracture and quite a few torn ligaments all the way down the leg," Haley explained as we walked.

"What does that mean?" Mike interjected quickly.

"Well, her recovery time is longer due to the ligaments. It should be eight to ten weeks before she's completely healed. That means a couple days in a splint, a solid three weeks in a full leg cast, another four in a shorter cast and probably a good amount of physical therapy to get everything back to normal."

Mike nodded his head, absorbing the massive amount of information before speaking.

"Can we see her now?"

"Yeah. She's pretty doped up, but she should be good to go home tonight."

Haley knocked once before opening the door in front of us.

Laura was stretched out on the white bed, her eyes half open and her leg propped up in a pillow.

"Hey baby. How do you feel?" Mike asked, tenderly kissing her forehead.

"Pretty good," she half smiled lazily. "Coda!"

"Hey Laura. Just thought I'd check in on you," I waved.

"Thanks." Awkward silence ensued.

"Well, I guess this means I'm not going to work tomorrow. You better call Alan and let him know."

Alan was our boss.

"Yeah I was planning on it. Sounds like you'll be out for a while."

"Yep, lucky me. Anyway, you better head home. Thanks for the help." Though doped up, Laura still kept her bossy attitude.

"Anytime. Call me if you need anything." I walked halfway out the door before I realized my car was back at work.

"Haley?" I called out, chasing after the radiologist that had brought us to Laura's room. 

"Yeah?"

"When do you get off?"

"Pretty quick. Do you need a lift?"

"Yeah, you totally read my mind."

"Okay, give me ten and I'll meet you in the waiting room."

"Sounds great. Thanks so much! Bye guys," I waved again, heading out the door.

Haley dropped me off at my car and I called both my parents and Alan, explaining what happened.

Alan told me I'd have to work alone tomorrow, but he'd find someone to fill in ASAP.

***

I managed the store just fine by myself for the last three days of the week. Alan informed me that they'd hired a new girl to start Monday and I would be training her.

The only information he gave me was that she was seventeen and her name was Oakley Meisner.

The fact that I didn't know who she was struck me as odd. It also served to make me more curious and excited for Monday.