Page 11 of Last Dance, Second Chance

“What are you doing?” Jessica hissed. “I said I didn’t want your help!”

Nathan stopped, and then pushed the wheelchair to the edge of the car park, away from any oncoming traffic. He put the brakes on and moved in front of Jessica.

“I am more than happy to leave you here,” he said bluntly. “I’m hungry, and frankly I had more interesting things to do with my evening than waiting around a hospital car park for you for hours. But I have waited around and I’m here so I may as well drive you home and check that you’re all right. Then you never have to see me again. But I will literally be driving past the end of your parents’ road to get to my own house.”

He stood waiting with his arms crossed for her to respond.

Jessica’s first reaction was to insist he push her back to the hospital entrance and leave her alone. But it was dark now. And he did make a good point that he’d be driving right by her parents’ house. And he would help her into the house. And her foot really hurt.

“A lift would be lovely, thank you,” she said.

“See, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Nathan said. He received a glare in response.

A couple of minutes later, Jessica was comfortably ensconced in the front passenger seat of Nathan’s Land Rover, with Dennis attempting to lick her ear from the back seat while she watched Nathan push the wheelchair back into the hospital. He was certainly handsome, she admitted to herself. There was no denying that. But he was also incredibly bossy. And kind, she supposed. She guessed he must be single; a girlfriend or wife wouldn’t be too impressed with him spending the evening with some random woman. Or maybe he’d called and explained how pitiful Jessica was lying in the dirt with her broken foot. And how stupid she’d been to let herself get into that situation in the first place.

She was brought back to the present when Nathan opened up the driver’s door and climbed into the car.

“You ready?” he asked.

“Yep.”

They sat in silence. Jessica was too upset, and still a bit cross with Nathan, to want to talk.

“Would you like some music on?” Nathan asked.

“Only if you do,” she responded.

Not long after, Nathan pulled into Jessica’s parents’ driveway.

Before she could arrange herself and her crutches to climb out of the car, Nathan was round by her door. “Would you like me to carry you in?” he asked, gruffly.

“I think I can manage with the crutches,” Jessica found herself saying, although actually she really would have liked to have been lifted up and carried again.

“Can Dennis come into the house?”

“Yes, of course.” She didn’t even bother arguing that there was no need for Nathan to come in — he’d end up coming in to help her anyway, and she was done with fighting for the day.

Walking with the crutches was an awful lot harder than Jessica remembered from other brief periods when she’d had to use them. Maybe because this injury was more painful than any of the others she’d had and so she was being extra careful with it.

“Why don’t you get comfortable on the sofa, and I’ll let Monty out of the conservatory. Make sure you keep that foot out of his way,” Nathan warned.

Nathan hovered around her as Jessica worked her way through the hallway and into the sitting room. She was very wobbly, so it probably was a good idea that he stayed close by. She could hear Monty whining from the other side of the house. Nathan helped her down onto the sofa and put some cushions behind her, before gently putting some more under her broken foot. Then he went to get Monty, Dennis following in his wake.

A moment later, Monty came running in. “Careful,” Nathan warned, and Monty slowed down. “Is he usually fed in the evening?” Nathan asked.

“Oh yes! At six! He must be starving by now!”

“Not to worry, I’ll feed him. Where’s his food kept?”

“There are some very overly complicated instructions on the fridge,” Jessica explained. “Oh, make sure Dennis has some too if he’s hungry,” she called out after Nathan.

“OK, thanks,” he shouted back.

Monty seemed much calmer when he re-emerged after his supper.

“What would you like to eat?” Nathan asked Jessica in a tone which brooked no argument.

“You don’t need to . . .” began Jessica.

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