“I’m here,” I confirmed, as I discreetly studied my mother. She looked tired, but happy. “How are you feeling?”
Her smile fell. “It was a rough night. I’ll be happy to be in my own bed without a nurse coming in every two hours.”
I found a place for the flowers near the window and then sat near the bed. I kissed her cheek in greeting. “I bet you are. Have they said anything? Will you get to come home today?”
“Last night the doctor wasn’t sure. He says he wants one more scan this morning to check the swelling. Then he’ll decide.”
I came as quickly as I could, but I was afraid I’d been the thing holding up her release. “Are you in a lot of pain?” I grabbed her hand, noticing the bruises on her arm.
“Only when I move,” she said with a chuckle.
“It’s not funny, Mom.” I frowned. “You really scared me.”
She squeezed my hand lightly. “I know. I scared me, too. I was just glad it happened out front where someone saw me. If I’d been on the back patio, I might have laid there for hours.”
My gut turned. “Someone found you quickly though?”
Mom nodded. “Everett Jones came out to get his mail and saw me. The fire department and EMS showed up in about five minutes. It was really something.”
Gratefulness filled my heart. They might get a bad rap, but small towns had their benefits. I was fairly sure if my neighbors saw me lying on the ground, they’d just step over my injured body.
Mom continued, “Then Monica took such good care of me in the ER. Such a sweet girl.”
I smiled. “She’s the best. Was Bryce one of the ones who took the call?” I couldn’t help but ask. When I heard Minden Fire, I immediately thought about Bryce.
But Mom shook her head. “No, it was Dylan Cole and Carter MacIntosh. But Bryce came to see me yesterday.”
“Oh.” I tried to muffle my surprise. “That was nice of him.” I felt her eyes on me, but I avoided her gaze, looking instead at the flowers and balloons filling her room. “Seems like you have lots of well-wishers.”
“This community has been my home for a long time,” Mom replied. “I don’t think you’ll need to cook a meal the entire time you’re here with me. Ruth and the other ladies from Bible Study have already created a rotation.”
I smiled. Miss Ruth was a staple of hospitality and care in Minden. It didn’t surprise me at all that she was involved in arranging something like that. “Well, that’s good. You know I’m not much for cooking.”
What exactly would I be doing to help care for my mother? I’d spoken to the doctor on the phone, but the details were sparse. All I knew was that she had a compression fracture in her back and the concussion. She’d need to be on bedrest for a week or so, followed by very limited activity and physical therapy. Hence the caretaker assignment.
The nurse came in, and Mom introduced me. “Judy, this is my daughter, Krystal.”
“Nice to finally meet you. Your mom has told me so much about you.”
I blushed with embarrassment. Mom was liable to tell everyone that I was a famous movie star. I loved how proud she was of me, but she tended to exaggerate. “Nice to meet you, Judy. Thanks for taking such good care of my mom.”
“Of course. We were able to get your scan scheduled for 10:30 this morning. They’ll take a look as soon as they have results and decide whether you get to go home today, okay, Sharon?”
“Sounds good.”
I checked the time on my phone. It was 9.
“Why don’t I run by the house and drop my things off? Do you need me to bring you anything?”
After getting a short list of belongings from Mom, I kissed her good-bye and promised I would come back in an hour or so, hopefully before her scan. I said a quick prayer that she would be allowed to come home today. Then I jumped in my rental car and made the quick drive down Highway 40 to Minden.