I Think It’s Broken

She knew it was broken as soon as she felt herself go down and hit the ice.  Her feet were straight out in front of her and her upper arm hurt.  As she rolled onto her side to get up, she realized her fingers weren’t working properly.  In fact, they were not working at all.  She slipped off her glove to see her fingers crimped into an awkward pose and her wrist bent into a swan’s neck.  That was not good.

With no one around to help, she stood up, picked up her bag, which held her eggs and mail, and with her arm held straight up, began walking home. It was only two blocks back to the Inn.  RJ wouldn’t hear the cell phone anyway, since he was blowing out the driveway.  The snow was accumulating quickly, and the storm gathering strength.

She walked one block before crossing the street and headed toward the Inn and her husband.  He saw her, turned off the snowblower and shrugged his shoulders as to question what was wrong.  There was snow on the knee and her arm was held up in an unnatural position.

She called out, “I think I broke my arm!”

“What? I can’t hear you! he called back.

“I think I broke my arm!” she called back as she continued walking toward her husband.

As he reached her, he took the bag from her hand and said, “I couldn’t hear what you said.”

“I said I think I broke my arm.”

“Are you sure?”

She showed him her hand and pushed up her coat sleeve just a bit to expose her deformed wrist. The snow was accumulating on the street and getting slipperier.  She gripped sleeve of his coat as they continued down the street.  When she reached the driveway, she stopped.  The slope terrified her.  Another fall could really do more damage than what was already there.  But her husband held her fast, walking her carefully to a more even spot.

“I have to get you to the hospital.”

“Okay.  We need to let the dogs out before we go because I don’t know when we will be getting back.  And I need to call Cheryl to come to the Inn.  We have guests checking in.”

“I need to get you to the hospital!”

“Okay, but the oil company is on the way and we have to let them into the Inn so they can start up the furnace.”

“Cheryl can do that.”

“I don’t remember if I left the door open…”

“It’s okay.  Now get in the car.”

As the car crept up the driveway over the newly fallen snow, the oil company truck was parked in front of the Inn.

“Stop! Park the car!  Let them in so they can start up the furnace!

As he pulled into the parking lot, Cheryl and her husband arrived in the midst of an oil truck, service men, snow storm, and a broken arm.

“Go to the hospital.  I got this.” Cheryl is calm and ready to take care of everything.

RJ got into the car.  She was finally on her way to the hospital.