Luckily, she was still at Nick’s, so in mere minutes, Abbey pulled in to the drive at Caroline’s and ran inside. Caroline was on the floor of the kitchen, a mop tilted haphazardly toward her, the very end of it held up by the kitchen chair.
“I was trying to mop a spill,” Caroline said from the floor. Abbey could see the humiliation on her face. Caroline clearly didn’t like losing control. However, she seemed to be following Abbey’s direction to keep still. She wasn’t moving a muscle.
“It’s natural, as we age, to have more difficulty recovering our balance when we start to fall…” Abbey checked Caroline for any sign of injury. She pressed on her ankles, legs. “Does this hurt at all?”
“No. It feels fine. I have a little pain in my hip though.”
Abbey did her very best to keep her face neutral, especially knowing how easily Caroline could read her. She didn’t want Caroline to have any pain in her hips at all. That could mean fracture, and that would be a painful recovery at the least, particularly given her arthritis. She pressed gently but firmly against her hips.
“How does this feel?”
“Fine.”
“How about this side?” She pressed again.
Caroline winced. “A little.”
“How about if I do this?” Abbey put her palm on the top of her hip and pressed downward with her other hand.
“Just a bit.”
Abbey let out a breath. She hadn’t realized she was holding it in until just then. “Well, it seems like you may have just strained it. The pain isn’t indicating anything more, but we’ll still need to get you to a doctor to be sure.” She pulled two kitchen chairs over, scooting one by Caroline’s head and one by her feet. “Can you roll over to your side?” Abbey assisted her by tugging her skirt past her knees where it belonged as Caroline rolled over with a bit of a struggle.
“Thank you for helping me,” Caroline said, now facing away from Abbey.
“It’s perfectly fine. I don’t mind at all. Can you get up to a kneeling position?”
Caroline lifted herself up onto her knees and Abbey scooted the chair toward her. “Hold on to this.” Caroline put her hands on the chair.
“I know this isn’t part of your hours, and you should be with your family,” Caroline said. “I could’ve called Richard…” She put her hands on the chair and attempted to lift herself up, scowling again at the pain in her hip. “But I didn’t trust that he would know what to do…” She stood and leaned on Abbey, locking eyes with her. Caroline’s eyes were so wide, so youthful looking that she wondered right then what she’d been like as a girl.
Caroline’s eyes were also glassy with emotion, Abbey noticed. “I don’t just like you taking care of me,” she said, and Abbey wondered if years of training in keeping her emotions in were paying off. “I like talking to you. I feel like you’re part of the family.” She was quiet, clearly trying to keep herself in check. “Life moves along and we have to move along with it.” She smiled, “The older I get, the more difficult it is to move along with anything.”
“Everything will be okay.” Abbey found herself saying the words to console Caroline, but she didn’t really know if they were true. Caroline would be better off having someone with her all the time in case things like this happened. What would she do in the middle of the night if she fell?
Caroline walked carefully into the living area and lowered herself down on a chair. “I’m sure it will,” she said, but she didn’t look convinced either.
“I should call Richard in a few minutes and tell him you need a ride to the hospital. We have to check that hip.”
“Yes. Absolutely. And you need to get home to your family, but first, let’s have coffee. I feel good enough for coffee.”
Abbey smiled, knowing she was right about being home with her family but she felt bad leaving her all alone again. She was glad for the offer. “Will you be okay?” she asked.
“I’ll be fine. My hip feels better already. When will my test results be available?” Caroline asked, clearly changing the subject. Abbey wondered if she was trying her best to not be a burden on anyone. She’d just fallen yet she was insistent on making coffee and talking about her tests. It was clear she wanted to brush over the fall.
“Monday.” Abbey felt exhausted suddenly and was glad for the coffee. She had to wonder if it was the stress of what had happened in Nick’s office earlier. She hadn’t wanted to think about it, but it kept floating to the front of her mind. While she didn’t want to admit it, their night out had given her false hope. She knew better than to hope for something to happen between them, but she caught herself wishing anyway.