Accidentally Hers(8)
“Thanks, Em, but I can’t leave Andy to face my dad on his own. It’d be a bloodbath.”
“It’s Andy’s first offense, right?”
“Yes, but he’s facing felony charges because he hurt someone.” The lump tightened in her throat. Fighting the tingling sensation in her nose, she closed her eyes and prayed for strength. “I know drunk driving is wrong. I know someone innocent got hurt. But I can’t bear to think of Andy in jail.”
“Me either,” Emma croaked.
“Town must be buzzing with this gossip.” Avery swiped at her nose.
“Mostly from the old busybodies,” Kelsey, who must’ve been listening on speakerphone, broke into the conversation. “It’ll die down soon, especially since Grey will be okay.”
“Greyson Lowell?” Avery rolled to her side and propped herself up on one elbow. “That’s who Andy hit?”
“It must’ve happened right after he left the restaurant.”
The fact Avery’s brother hit Grey on the very night she’d first laid eyes on him struck her as a ghoulish coincidence. Of course, in a town as small as Sterling Canyon, improbable coincidences happened with freakish regularity.
Suddenly curious about Grey’s condition, Avery asked, “Tell me, how bad was he hurt?”
“He tore his ACL. His doctor is waiting two weeks for the trauma to die down before he’ll operate.” Kelsey paused.
“Kind of ironic, isn’t it?” Emma chimed in. “What if you end up being his physical therapist? How awkward.”
“I’m sure he’ll prefer to use someone else.” When she considered what Grey’s penetrating eyes might look like when angry, she shivered.
“Um, I wouldn’t be so sure about that, Avery. There are four PTs in town. Only two of you have ortho specialties. With Richard Donner still in Florida helping his mother recover from her hip replacement surgery, you’re the only ortho PT in town for the foreseeable future.”
Awkward didn’t begin to describe how Avery would feel if forced to work with Grey. Plus, there were bound to be ethical conflicts, under the circumstances.
“I can’t think about Grey right now. I just need to get through today.” Avery rubbed her forehead. “Tomorrow I’ll face other people and their judgments.”
“You do realize you have nothing to feel guilty about,” Kelsey decreed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Andy did. He made a huge mistake, and he’ll pay the piper. But he deserves compassion, too. He didn’t intentionally set out to hurt anyone. It was a terrible, terrible accident caused by a moment of bad judgment. Who out there hasn’t had a moment of bad judgment? No one, that’s who! Most of us are just lucky none of ours ended in tragedy.”
“I’m sure he’d appreciate your empathy and support, but the fact Andy’s not the first to get behind the wheel after one too many doesn’t excuse him or fix the fallout.” Avery sighed. “I’m sorry, guys, I can’t talk right now. I’m dead on my feet. I’ll call you later.”
Avery set the phone aside and rolled onto her side, hugging a pillow. She forced Andy’s troubles from her mind, including the recurring images of him lying bruised and beaten in his hospital room. How must Grey look? Her last coherent thought, as she drifted into the soothing peace sleep promised, was of Grey’s seductive eyes.
Grey lumbered out of the doctor’s office on crutches, carrying his presurgical instructions. Thankfully, Trip had pulled the Backtrax van up to the curb for him. After several clumsy steps, Grey handed his crutches to Trip and gently slid into the front seat.
“How’re you feeling?” Trip tossed the crutches in the back of the van and slammed the door.
“Shitty. Wish I didn’t have to wait another ten days for the surgery.” Grey shifted uncomfortably in the front seat and winced. Thankfully the painkillers helped numb the sharp twinges of bending and straightening the joint. But stuffing his leg into the car kinda sucked. “How were today’s treks?”
“Let’s get home and settled before we talk about business, okay?” Trip turned south out of the hospital driveway. “You need surgery. Maybe your first concern should be your health.”
“Don’t remind me.” Grey rubbed his thigh just above the knee with care. “I know it could be worse, but this damned injury screwed me during the final weeks of ski season.”
“Well, the driver got hurt, too.” Trip glanced at Grey from beneath the brim of one of his dozen cowboy hats. “I hear he’s looking at felony charges.”