Sylvie crossed the space between her and her friend. “Gracie’s okay? You’re okay?”
Hallie held her free arm open, welcoming Sylvie into her circle. “We’re fine. Like I said, it wasn’t a big deal. Cricket got out of the car and slipped on the grass. She fell pretty hard and her wrist was hurting. I thought we should bring her in. Louis drove her car here but I wanted to make sure she was okay.” Hallie’s hand patted her back. “Doesn’t it feel soothing to have a baby hug you? You could have your own and she would soothe you all the time.”
That got Sylvie to smile as she pulled back. It seemed like everything was fine and her worry was overblown. Especially if Hallie was still trying to tempt her into motherhood. “I’m glad you’re okay, and thank you for taking care of Cricket. But girl, if you want to trick me into mommyhood, you should change that child’s pants first.”
Hallie’s pretty face wrinkled up into an expression of consternation. “Have I gone that nose blind?”
“She stinks to high heaven,” Mabel agreed. “There’s a changing station in the bathroom.”
“My life is so weird now.” Hallie sighed and grabbed her diaper bag. “Also, Sylvie, that dress is heavenly but you still have a tag hanging out and damn . . . I should have married Rene.”
She’d totally forgotten she was wearing one of the dresses she’d been trying on, an emerald green Versace sheath that fit her every curve. Yep, she was wearing a two-thousand-dollar dress and the ten-dollar flip-flops she’d shoved on her feet as she’d run out the door yelling at the housekeeper to please watch Lady.
“Can I see her?” Sylvie asked Mabel, her heart rate starting to tick down. At least she didn’t have to tell Rene his mother was being transported to a hospital. If she could get Cricket back to the house before Rene found out, she might be able to manage his anxiety.
Car accidents were a big trigger for Rene. He was walking a tightrope and would be until all of this was over. He didn’t need this worry to shake him.
“Of course,” Mabel said. “I tried to call Rene since he’s the emergency contact in her file. I hope it was okay to call you.”
“Absolutely. I tried him, too. Please keep my cell phone number on her chart because I’m usually close.” This time she’d had to come from Darois House, but she was usually at city hall, which was one block away. She followed Mabel down the hallway and toward one of the neat examination rooms. “Are you sure she’s all right?”
“Like Hallie said, it was a minor fender bender.” Mabel stopped at the first door. “The accident itself didn’t cause the wrist injury. Someone needs to talk to Gene because he was running his sprinklers in the middle of the afternoon. We need one of those ordinances where you can only run the sprinklers in the middle of the night. I’ve been caught in his trap more than once.”
Those types of laws were usually for drought conditions, and they didn’t have that problem. Not at all. But she wasn’t going to debate the situation right now. She wasn’t a mayor at the moment. She was a worried daughter-in-law.
Mabel opened the door and Cricket was sitting on the exam table, looking at Lila Lavigne.
“I feel fine,” her mother-in-law was insisting. “I got distracted, that’s all. Oh, is that sweet baby all right? There was a baby in the truck I hit.”
“She’s fine.” Sylvie relaxed further because her mother-in-law looked great. Despite the fact that she had a splint on her wrist, her color was good and she seemed steady. “Hallie and Gracie are perfectly fine.”
“Cricket is okay, too,” a deep voice said.
Sylvie turned and Louis was standing in the corner, a concerned look on his face. “Are you all right? I heard you were in the car.” She wasn’t sure what Rene would think of that. “Did you go to the library with Cricket?”
Now Cricket flushed. “I picked him up for lunch.”
“Her scans are all fine, and Mr. Sylvain wasn’t injured,” Lila said. “I’m going to go process her checkout and you can take her home. Her wrist is sprained, but it can be handled with over-the-counter pain medications and keeping it in the brace for a couple of days. I’ll call in the morning to make sure everything’s going all right.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Lila, thank you.” She shook the nurse practitioner’s hand.
“As car accidents go, this was an easy one,” Lila admitted as she opened the door. “You guys can come to the lobby when you’re ready.”
Cricket held out her uninjured hand. “I’m glad it was you and not Rene. I’m afraid he would get upset.”
“He’s going to know.”
Cricket nodded. “Yes, I can’t hide this, but I can explain it to him in my own way.”