Julia waved at Katie and smiled at Oscar, who was taking his sweet time stacking muffins and cupcakes on the shelves. Had he always given Cora’s General Store such special attention? Julia was suddenly quite certain that Oscar found more to like at Cora’s than just the invigorating ride up the mountain.
HAVING FOUND OUT Cameron’s location from the receptionist, Julia took the elevator to the second floor and headed toward his room. Her pulse increased with each step down the quiet hallway. Though she hadn’t fantasized about Cameron for years, just hearing his voice in the store last night had awakened familiar emotions. And imagining him at the bottom of the ravine had propelled her to risk her own well-being in an effort to save him.
She stopped outside Cameron’s door when she heard a voice with a clear take-charge attitude. “You simply can’t handle your immediate medical needs by yourself, Mr. Birch,” a woman said. “Those fixator insertion points must be cleaned and dressed daily until your doctor says otherwise.”
“That’s nonsense,” Cameron argued. “I’ve had a wrist operation, not open-heart surgery.”
“But it’s your right wrist, and you’re right-handed. You can’t manage your care with your left hand.” The woman sighed. “And need I remind you that you also have a concussion and two cracked ribs. Even simple movements in the next few days will cause you pain.”
Cameron groaned. “Isn’t there a form I can sign that allows me to accept responsibility for myself? I promise you, Miss Winston, I won’t hold the hospital liable for anything that happens to me once I walk out this door.” His declaration was followed by a whistled intake of breath. Julia’s own breath hitched in sympathy with his obvious stab of pain.
“Your doctor won’t release you until we’ve established home care, which, unfortunately is proving quite difficult considering your remote locale. None of our regular attendants will commit to traveling that mountain road. It’s known to be quite dangerous in iffy weather conditions.” She paused. “I guess I don’t have to remind you of that.”
Julia stepped into the room just as Cameron tossed his head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. “This stalemate is ridiculous,” he said. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need anyone to make that drive every day just to…”
He turned his head, spotted Julia and pushed himself upright. Just as they had so many years ago, his greengold eyes seemed to penetrate her to the core. Breaking eye contact, she caught her first glimpse of Cam’s “antennae,” the system of fixators sticking out of his wrist, as well as the thick gauze and sling supporting a contraption that looked more like a throwback to medieval times than an example of modern medicine. When Cameron fell back against the mattress, Julia realized he wasn’t going to pull off any sort of macho display.
“Thank goodness, Julia,” he said. “Will you tell this well-meaning hospital administrator that you are taking me home, and that you will see that I am appropriately tucked in and medicated?”
Miss Winston seemed relieved. “Are you a health-care professional?” she asked Julia.
Cameron darted a quick warning glance at Julia and followed it with a blatant lie. “Of course she is…”
“No, I’m not,” Julia admitted before he could say anything more. “But I did agree to take Mr. Birch home today. I’m staying on Whisper Mountain myself for a while, so it’s no problem. I’m not concerned about making the drive.”
Cameron arched his brows. “There, you see? I’m all set. No worries.”
“I’m sorry, but you still need medical care. I’m waiting for one more home-care person to report back to me. If she doesn’t agree to make the trip daily, then you’ll have to come into the hospital every day or make arrangements for more accessible accommodations.”
Cameron shook his head. “I can’t do that.”
Miss Winston picked up a cell phone, which had been sitting on her clipboard. “Then we wait.”
He blew out a long, frustrated breath. “There has to be something we can do.”
Julia inched to the doorway. “I’ll come back later when all the details have been worked out.”
He nodded. “You might as well.”
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