Page 16 of Butterflies and Hazel Eyes
“I fell,” she said, pushing her hair back to reveal a giant bruise on her right temple and down her cheek that she managed to keep hidden with her long hair. “I think I—I think I hurt it.”
“Honeybee, why didn’t you call me?” Mathias asked. The tone of his voice said he was scared as he pushed the hair back off her face and inspected the bruised, mottled skin.
“I didn’t want to bother anyone. I think—I can see the bone. Should it be like that?”
I jumped up and ran to the kitchen, asking for a clean wet towel before I ran back to the table and went to Honey’s right side. She had a towel wrapped around her arm that was full of blood. The blood had dripped down to her elbow and dried there, which meant this had happened at least an hour ago.
“Honey, we’re going to remove the towel and take a look, okay?” I asked, but she didn’t react. She kept her head on Mathias’s shoulder like it was far too much effort to lift it up.
My gaze met his and he nodded, so I carefully removed the towel and bit back a gasp. Mathias wasn’t as successful. A curse word fell from his lips that told me he knew how bad this was.
“Okay, Mathias, you need to get her to the emergency room. Can you do that safely or should I call an ambulance?”
I asked because all the blood had drained from his face as soon as he saw the jagged piece of bone that stuck out of her arm at a stomach-churning angle.
“First, I’m going to wrap her arm in this wet towel. That will protect the bone and the skin until you get her there.”
I talked while I laid the towel over her arm, expecting her to react in agony, but she barely grimaced. She was in shock, and it was setting in hard. She needed medical attention.
“Mathias, we need to get her there now. Should I call an ambulance?”
He shook his head to clear it. “No, I’ll take her. I can get her there faster than waiting for the ambulance.”
Gulliver pointed at the door. “Go,” he said. “I’ll walk back to Butterfly Junction. Go.”
“Call one of us if you need anything,” I said, patting Honey’s shoulder before he helped her up. “Don’t worry about Butterfly Junction. I’ll take care of the work at the reception desk tomorrow. Keep us posted.”
Mathias mouthedthank youand then put his arm around Honey. He cradled her right arm and urged her toward the door.
Gulliver rubbed his forehead. “Holy crap, Charity. My heart won’t stop pounding after seeing that bone sticking out. How is she even walking?”
“Shock,” I said. “I hope it doesn’t get infected. Compound fractures like that should be treated immediately.”
“How do you know so much about compound fractures?” he asked, his eyes still on the door to the diner.
“This,” I said, holding my right elbow. “Remember?” I turned and grasped his wrist. “You know Honey is having surgery today, right?”
He nodded, his teeth grasping his lower lip. “Oh yeah, without a doubt. Mathias will take her to Duluth and make sure she gets the best care. I’m worried about her, but at the same time I’m not. Mathias has her under his wing. He’ll call his parents, and they’ll break every law necessary to get to the hospital.”
“Why does Mathias call her ‘honeybee’?” I asked curiously. “Like, I get that her name is Honey, so it’s a cutesy thing, but it’s the way he says it. Like how my dad used to call me ‘Charity case’ as a joke, but it wasn’t a joke,” I explained.
Gulliver’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“Wish I was,” I said, shaking my head. “He thought it was funny. Mathias doesn’t call her ‘honeybee’ to be funny, though. When he says it, there’s reverence in his tone.”
Gulliver shook his head as he snatched a strawberry from my plate. “No, it’s not a funny-joke type nickname. Apparently, that’s what his family has called her since she was a child. Mathias started using it the last few months, and I had to ask him why because it was kind of out of left field. Anyway, how are you?” He looked around under the table. “Is Mojo with Laverne?”
“No, he’s in Lucy’s office chowing down on a plate of sausage and eggs. She ran into me on the sidewalk, and before I knew it, we were here and she was talking about fresh strawberry pancakes.”
His laughter filled the diner with joy, even over the din of the other patrons. “Now that sounds like Lucy. Somehow I’m also not surprised Mojo wormed his way in the door and into a plate of eggs. Is that when you found Honey?”
I pointed at her empty seat. “She was just sitting there with her head hung over her plate. I knew something was wrong right away. She was saying odd things about not knowing where Mathias was all weekend.” He grimaced and I cocked my head to the side. “What?”
“Mathias is known to disappear for days, not answer his phone, and leave her to deal with stuff. That wasn’t the case this weekend, he was working with me at the business, but she was in a real state.”
I nodded my agreement. “After seeing that bruise, she’s probably got a concussion too. She’s going to need a few more weeks off, is my guess. I’ll keep working at the front desk until we know for sure. We’ll just have to work on the website in the evenings.” I wasn’t sad about that. Working in the evenings meant I got to spend quiet time alone with him.
He grasped my hand and held it in his. “Thank you. Honey needs help, and Mathias will make sure she gets it.”
