Page 74 of An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street
‘In immense pain, but somehow seeing you makes it disappear.’ He pulls our joined hands to his mouth and presses his lips to my fingers. ‘Thank you for last night. All of it – from clambering down that bank to coming here with me. The doctor did mention how upset you were at being sent home. And thank you for coming back this morning.’
‘Witt knew where you’d left your keys, so he went into your shop, got you a change of clothes and kept your phone safe.’
‘Thank you. And thanks, Witt. I didn’t realise how…’ The sentence catches and he has to swallow and try again. ‘I never realised how kind people are. Half of Ever After Street must’ve been out there looking for me last night and I never thought they cared.’
‘Everyone cares. Cleo’s running the shop today and she’s already texted me six times to say how many people have been in asking after you.’
‘Is Mrs Potts okay?’
‘She’s fine. Ali’s been spoiling her and for breakfast this morning, she went to meow outside the door of 1001 Nights. It will be a miracle if we ever get her back now. Even Dreamies can’t compare to Ali’s chicken.’
He laughs and his eyes meet mine and we end up just looking at each other.
‘You have no idea how glad I am toseeyou.’ I squeeze his hand again. ‘In all senses of the word.’
He smiles. A small smile at first that gradually gets wider and wider, a cheeky glint growing in his eyes until his whole face shines with the width of that smile, and it looks as familiar as it sounds.
‘That’s it.’ I reach out and trace the edge of his lips. ‘That’s the smile I’ve been able to hear in your voice. It’s exactly as I pictured it.’
‘Will you kiss me?’ He swallows hard and I can tell from the wobble in his voice that he’s still expecting to be rejected. ‘If I could move, I would have leapt on you the second I saw you, but I can’t, so—’
I cut him off by carefully smashing my lips into his. Well, as carefully as youcansmash anything, anyway. We both gasp into the kiss and his hand scrunches in my hair and my fingers caress the back of his neck, making him shiver, and—
The same doctor from last night parts the privacy curtain and I pull back with a yelp.
‘People havegotto stop doing that.’ Darcy clonks his head back against the metal headrest.
‘Good news, Mr O’Connell.’ The doctor’s face is red as he pretends not to have seen anything and consults his notes. ‘Your body temperature is back to normal and your oxygen levels are normal too. As we explained after the X-ray last night, you’ve got two broken ribs on the left side, both clean breaks and well away from any of your metalwork, and one nicely broken ankle. We’ll send you a follow-up appointment to check on the ankle, and the ribs will heal on their own. And now you’ve got someone with you, I’m happy to sign the discharge forms.’
The doctor turns to me and hands over a ‘dos and don’ts of broken ribs’ leaflet. ‘He’s going to need someone with him. Help, support, there’s going to be alotthat he can’t do, especially for the first couple of weeks. Everything’s going to hurt for a while, from every breath to every single movement, no matter how miniscule. The broken ribs will prevent him using crutches, so you’ll have to borrow a wheelchair from the hospital to get home, and then hire one for the next few weeks. Breathing exercises are explained in there.’ He points at the leaflet and then hands overanother one about wheelchair hire, and then glances at Darcy. ‘I know you’re well-versed in managing injuries, Mr O’Connell, but youaregoing to have to take things easy. Keep active, gentle exercise,nowork. Don’t put the slightest bit of weight on that ankle for at least six weeks, and no pressure on those ribs. No stairs if they can be avoided. Any questions?’
I sit back down in the visitor’s chair without letting go of Darcy’s hand. It sounds horrific. Darcy suffers enough from his previous injuries without adding more to them. And there’s no way he can manage all that by himself. ‘Come home with me.’
He goes to raise an eyebrow but winces when it pulls on the stitches in his forehead. ‘What? Why would I do that?’
‘You can’t go back to your shop by yourself. Your shop is nothingbutstairs. And I happen to live in a bungalow.’
‘Your girlfriend makes a very good point.’ The doctor nods in agreement.
I meet Darcy’s eyes and see the smile reflected back at the term ‘girlfriend’. We haven’t defined our relationship yet, but I like that idea, and his eyes twinkle in a way that says he does too. ‘And, quite frankly, you’ve gotnoidea how terrified I was of losing you last night, and if you think I’m letting you out of my sight for longer than five seconds, you can think again.’ I don’t realise how stern I sound until even the doctor laughs.
‘I’ll leave you alone to discuss it while I go to find a wheelchair because you’re going nowhere on crutches with those ribs.’ He steps outside the curtain and pulls it back.
‘I can’t just move in with you.’
‘Why not? I have a second bedroom so you can have your own space. I read up about broken ribs this morning and it said sleeping upright in an armchair might be more comfortable, and I’ve got areallycomfortable armchair in the living room, and most importantly,nostairs. I cannot, and will not, let you deal with this alone. I know you’re kind of damned for the next coupleof months. You’re going to hurt and there’s nothing you can do about it, and I’m sorry for that.’
‘It’s okay. It’s only a couple of months. In recent years, I’ve had no hope whatsoever. Pain is a part of my life every day. Not usually this acute, mind, but… what I mean is, you give me hope that better times are coming, and it’s been a long while since I felt like that. The thought of having a future with you makes me feel like I can face anything.’
‘So that’s a yes then? You’re going to come and stay with me while you let yourself heal and let me look after you? Mrs Potts will never speak to me again if she finds out she could have seen her favourite person every day and I didn’t let her.’
He laughs, muted by how much pain he’s clearly in. ‘Okay, okay. I can’t refuse Mrs Potts. But, Marnie, this is an awful idea. You’re going to hate me. I’m aterriblepatient.’
‘Well, I’m probably a terrible nurse. We’re just going to have to be terrible together.’
‘Beinganythingtogether with you is all I want. But this temporary tenancy had better come with one condition. Until I can move well enough to do it myself, kisses on demand whenever I want them.’
I laugh and lean over to kiss him again. ‘As rental clauses go, I quite like that one.’
