Page 31 of Just One Chance
So fine. Maybe he wouldn’t actually hit the guy. But he for sure liked thinking about it.
Outside the window of David’s car, a boy on a skateboard flew by, going way too fast for the narrow sidewalk. What’s worse, the kid wasn’t wearing a helmet or any kind of protective gear on his knees or elbows. David tensed, feeling in his bones he was about to witness an accident. Sure enough, the kid clipped the curb with his board, flying up and backwards before landing on his side, his wrist taking most of the impact.
David glanced at his phone, noting the time, and swore. If he got out and helped the kid, he’d be right in front of Jessica’s condo exactly when he expected the couple to leave for the yacht club. He watched a second longer as the kid struggled to push himself up.
Instinct and training took over and he was out of the car without another thought. At least he was still wearing his scrubs. It might make the kid more likely to trust him. He crouched over the boy, already scanning his limbs for scrapes or other signs of injury.
“That was quite a fall,” he said softly.
The boy sniffed and nodded.
“I’m Dr. Daniels,” David said. “I just happened to see you go down. Is it okay if I take a quick look at your wrist?”
The boy nodded.
“What’s your name?” David asked as he examined the boy’s arm.
“DeShawn,” the boy said, sniffing again. “Please don’t tell my mom I fell.”
David shook his head. “Sorry, man. Pretty sure you’ve got a trip to the hospital in your future. I think your arm is broken.”
Tears welled in the boy’s eyes. “She’s going to be so mad. She told me to get my helmet, but I didn’t listen.”
“Did you hit your head?” David asked. He ran his fingers over the back of DeShawn’s head but didn’t feel anything alarming.
DeShawn shook his head. “I don’t think so.” His lip quivered and he shuddered through a breath. “My arm really hurts.”
“DeShawn?!”
David looked up to see a black woman running toward them, her hand pressed against her chest. She stopped beside DeShawn and bent down. “DeShawn, baby? What happened?”
The tears flew freely now. “I’m sorry, Mama. I should have listened.” He looked up at David. “The doctor thinks I broke my arm.”
The woman’s eyes widened, and she followed DeShawn’s gaze to David. “The doctor?” she questioned.
“Sorry,” David said. “I’m Dr. Daniels. I was sitting in my car and just happened to see him fall. I work in the ER at MUSC.”
“Thank you for helping him,” she said cautiously. “You really think he needs to go to the hospital?”
David nodded. “Unfortunately, yes. His right arm took most of the impact. The way it’s already starting to swell, I’m guessing it’s a distal radius fracture. That’s the bone just above the joint of the wrist.”
She reached down and wiped the tears off of DeShawn’s face. “How many times have I told you not to ride that thing without your helmet on? And without your wrist guards? I love you, baby. And I’ll take you to the hospital and we’ll do whatever we have to do to fix you up.” She took a deep breath. “But you had this one coming.”
David smiled. The woman reminded him of his own mom, the way she managed to both love and scold her child in the same breath.
“Are you parked close by?” David asked.
“Just right around the corner,” the woman said. “Come here, baby,” she said, reaching for DeShawn. “Let’s get you up.”
David picked up the skateboard, planning to carry it to the woman’s car, when someone behind him called his name. “Dr. Daniels?”
He froze. It was inevitable, really. He’d known if he got out of his car, Jessica and Tucker would see him. He slowly turned around, meeting Jessica’s eyes. She was the one who had called his name. Tucker stood beside her, a question in the set of his brow, and the firm line of his mouth.
“I thought that was you,” Jessica said. She closed the distance between them. “Do you remember us? We came to the ER a few weeks ago when Tucker sprained his wrist.”
“Right. I do remember you,” David said. He ran a hand across his face and willed his nerves to settle.
David still held the skateboard in front of him. He glanced over his shoulder to see DeShawn’s mom coming back for it.
