Page 20 of Obsession

She tried to think. “No, but there may be some in the kitchen at the maintenance building.”

“Do you want me to carry you?”

In spite of how she hurt, Emma laughed. “It’s my wrist, not my leg,” she said.

“Right. Still...”

“Thank you, but I can walk to the office.”

A few painful minutes later, she fished the key from her backpack with her good hand, and he unlocked the door to the building. Gently, he guided her to a chair in the kitchen area. “You sit here.”

A few minutes later, he placed ice wrapped in a towel around her wrist. “Think you can hold it in place?”

“Yes.” The ice gave cooling relief.

“Then if you’re ready ...”

“Give me time to collect myself.”

“Five minutes, and we need to leave. Otherwise, we might get to the clinic too late,” Sam said and nodded toward her office. “Do you use your office much?”

He was trying to take her mind off the pain. “If I have a volunteer at the visitor center, I come over here and write reports.”

He walked around the kitchen, studying the different photos taken at stops along the Natchez Trace. “Good shots,” he said, and then he cocked his head. “How’s the pain?”

In other words, was she ready to go to the clinic? “Better.”

“Good.” He held the door open for her. “We’ll take my SUV.”

Emma hadn’t even considered that she couldn’t drive. Sam walked her to his vehicle and steadied Emma while she climbed in. It dawned on her that there would be a lot of things she couldn’t do.

Twenty minutes later, Sam held the door open at the Cole Orthopedic Clinic and then filled out her paperwork since she couldn’t use her right hand. “Aw, man,” she said. “I just realized all the paperwork this little accident will take. And with my left hand, no less.” She was in trouble for sure, since anything written with her left hand was illegible.

“I can help you.”

“It’s okay, I—”

“Ms. Winters, come on back,” a nurse said.

“I can go with you, if you’d like.”

Emma hesitated. His presence was comforting, and at least five patients had been called ahead of her. No telling how long she’d be stuck waiting in one of the little cubicles by herself. Why did things have to be so hard? And why did her heart want him to stay? Her head knew better.

“Seriously,” he said. “I feel partly responsible for this happening, anyway.” Guilt or compassion, she didn’t know which, filled his brown eyes.

“Okay. Thank you.”

After an X-ray, which the technician refused to give her any information on, they were put in a small room to wait.

“I called Nate and told him what happened,” Sam said. “He’s sending a deputy to guard the site.”

“Good.” She shook her head as she thought of everything that needed to be done. This accident couldn’t have happened at a worse time. “Hopefully, I’ll be back to the site in the morning.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope. If no bones are broken, there’s no reason I can’t return to work.”

After staring at her like she’d lost her mind, he walked around the small room, glancing at the diplomas on the walls. “Do you know this Dr. Cole?”

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