He pats my back. “She was attacked a few nights ago.”
The doctor cringes. “Shit. Sorry to hear that. Do you recall how the break happened? Did you land on it, or maybe your attacker twisted your arm?”
“I think I landed on it.”
The doctor scoots his chair back and turns to flip on a panel behind him. My X-rays pop up on the screen. He examines them. “Well, the good news is the fracture is small. Hairline. It won’t require surgery or anything like that. It will heal on its own in time.”
That’s a relief.
He turns back around and lifts my arm. “Have you had this temporary brace on the entire time?”
“Yes.”
He carefully removes it and gently holds my forearm in his. “Swelling looks good.”
“Do you need to put a hard cast on it?” Blade asks.
Dr. Reinhardt resumes sitting. “Depends.” He looks at me. “Can you baby it for several weeks, or are you the sort of person who’s going to immediately change the laundry and load the dishwasher after you leave here?”
Blade smirks. “She won’t be doing anything like that. If you say she needs to sit on the couch, that’s what she’ll do.”
I swallow. I’m so damn lucky.
The doctor smiles again. “Then I think she can keep it in a removable brace. I’ll get you set up with something more comfortable than this one. But it needs to stay on all the time except when you’re in the shower or bath. Put it right back on afterward. Sleep with it on. No lifting. Avoid using this arm as much as possible for six-to-eight weeks. Okay?”
I nod. I’m so relieved my shoulders drop. The last thing I wanted was a plaster cast, and I assumed he would put one on me today. That’s what they told me in the emergency room.
Dr. Reinhardt stands. “Do you have a GP you can follow up with?”
“I don’t.”
“How long has it been since you had a physical?”
I wince. “Uh, years.” I used to go regularly until I met Pete. I never went to any doctor while I was with him, and I still haven’t since.
The doctor doesn’t reprimand me, but Blade stiffens. I bet I’ll be in another doctor’s office in under an hour.
“I’ll get her an appointment,” Blade assures him.
“Good. Let me know if you need any recommendations.”
Blade holds out a hand to shake the doctor’s. “Thank you.”
Thirty minutes later, I have a less bulky Velcro brace on, and we’re back in the car. Blade reaches across to buckle me in before shutting the door and rounding to the other side.
“How about we stop for smoothies?” he suggests.
“That sounds yummy.”
He leans over and kisses me before starting up the engine. As soon as we’re on the road, he makes a hands-free call to Rachell. “Hey, can you get June an appointment with Dr. Starion?”
“Will do. I’ll text you the deets.”
He works so efficiently with Rachell that they simply hang up.
“I don’t think it’s an emergency,” I mutter.
He clasps my hand when we reach a traffic light. “Not an emergency, per se.” He glances at me. “We haven’t discussed birth control, though. I assume you’re not on anything?”
