Page 29 of Love’s Harvest (Lilace Lake #3)
“Should we take an afternoon walk?” asked Sarah, coming out of the shower. “It’s lovely out, with snow still falling.”
“Sure, if you want to,” said Aaron, wrapping a towel around her. “You can try using snowshoes again. Enough snow has fallen that it will be better to use them. That will allow us to go off the paths I’ve made with the snowplow. And I want to show you something.”
Sarah understood that being outdoors was important to Aaron no matter the season. He was at peace when he was in nature, something she thought the girls would benefit from.
It took a while to get bundled up. She sat outside on the porch steps and attached her snowshoes, excited to be active in an entirely different way enjoying winter weather.
She stood. The sun sent light glistening against the snow, making her grateful she’d thought to bring sunglasses.
“You ready?” asked Aaron, looking delicious in his gray Irish sweater and blue jeans. He stood on his snowshoes and held out a gloved hand to her. “We’ll leave the dogs behind so they can’t ruin the clear snow for us.”
She took his hand. It had been a fabulous two days and nights together and she was sorry she had to face reality and return to her work at the store tomorrow after just one more night with Aaron.
This morning they’d talked and talked. She’d quizzed Aaron about his thoughts on raising children, and they’d discussed every other topic they could think of until they were both satisfied with the idea of moving ahead with their relationship.
Her doubts from the night before calmed.
They entered the woods quietly and moved in sync until Aaron wanted more exercise and went ahead.
Sarah was content to follow. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move and turned to see a rabbit hopping in the snow.
She let out a sigh of contentment at such an innocent sight.
Though Aaron’s cabin was a short drive from the town of Lilac Lake, it seemed to her they were on a planet of their own.
She heard a loud crack and looked up. The snow on top of the bare tree limbs was melting in the sun, making the branches heavier.
Concerned, she called out to Aaron and went in the direction he’d gone, moving faster and faster when she heard no response.
The stillness became eerie.
Her heart pumped with worry.
She came to an abrupt stop and let out a scream.
Aaron was lying face down in the snow next to a broken tree branch.
Sarah’s body froze while her mind played nasty tricks with her, seeing Jesse all over again lying in the woods, his head bleeding from a gaping hole. Feeling sick to her stomach, Sarah bent over and gagged.
She was unaware of the tears streaming down her face as she raced to Aaron, crying out, “Aaron! Oh my God, Aaron!”
Gently, she rolled his body over, and saw where the branch had hit his head. There was an ugly, bloody bump on it. She stared into his blank eyes and started screaming, “Oh, no! Please, Aaron. Wake up!”
She patted his cheek.
He stirred and then closed his eyes.
She checked to see if he’d been hit anywhere else, but she saw no signs of it.
Remembering finding Jesse and all those gory details, she lowered her face into her hands.
Shaking, feeling sick, she threw her arms around Aaron. “Wake up! Open your eyes!” She reached into her pocket for her cell phone and realized she’d left it on the kitchen counter.
Sobbing uncontrollably now, she tried Aaron’s pocket and found his cell phone. She struggled to come up with a password to open it and tried as many dates as possible, until she hit on 0125. Her birthday.
Aaron began to groan.
Keeping an eye on him, Sarah called 911 and told them what had happened and where they were.
Kneeling in the snow beside him, she took hold of his hand and squeezed it, speaking softly in his ear. “You’ve been hit by a heavy branch. Help is on the way. I’m staying right with you. Aaron …. I … I love you.”
He remained still, eyes closed.
Sarah had no idea how long they’d stayed like that until she finally heard the sound of someone calling her name.
Sarah stood. “Over here.”
Two figures appeared. One was carrying something, a stretcher maybe. The other had hold of what looked like a suitcase, which she thought held medical supplies.
“Hurry! He has a bad gash on his head, and he won’t wake up. I don’t think he has any other injuries, but I tried not to move him too much.” She realized tears were sliding down her cheeks.
“Okay, we’ll take it from here,” said one of the EMTs.
Sarah stood aside clutching her gloved hands, telling herself it was Aaron on the ground, not Jesse, and that he’d be alright.
Still, unwanted visions filled her mind.
When was the last time she’d told Jesse she’d loved him?
Was that the last thing she’d said to him?
She’d had a habit of saying it to him a lot because he’d needed it so much.
“He’s awake,” she heard one of the EMTs say.
Sarah hurried over to them. “Please, let me see him.”
She knelt beside Aaron and felt a rush of relief fill her when his eyes focused on her.
“Hi,” he said. “What happened?”
“A heavy branch fell on your head,” she said. “We’ve got people here to help you.”
She kissed his cheek and stood, letting the men continue to care for Aaron. After checking his pulse and other vital signs, one of them worked on the head wound.
“He’ll need stitches,” the man declared.
In time, they allowed Aaron to sit up.
“You’re a lucky man. Your wife called us,” said one of the men.
Aaron groaned but sat holding his head in his hands. “No, just a friend.”
At his words, Sarah felt a stab go through her heart. She told herself not to make anything of it, that Aaron had just had an injury to his head. But a sneaky thought grabbed onto the idea of her just being a friend, and all of her previous doubts roared back to life.
“Do you feel strong enough to stand?” one of the EMTs asked Aaron. “We need to get a professional to look at you.”
“I’ll walk,” said Aaron looking at the folded stretcher one of the men had carried.
With help, Aaron struggled to his feet.
“I’ll walk him to the ambulance,” said one of the men. “Can someone carry my case?”
“I will,” said Sarah, grateful to have something to do.
The four of them traveled slowly back to the cabin, where the ambulance was parked.
Following behind, Sarah kept her eye on the others. It was difficult to see Aaron, who was such an outdoorsman, moving like an old man. She still didn’t know everything that might be wrong with him.
When they got to the ambulance, one of the men said to her, “We’ll take him to Dr. Chambers Emergency Center, and he can decide whether the patient should be seen at a hospital.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you there. But first let me say goodbye to him.”
Aaron was sitting by the open back door of the Ambulance. He seemed dazed as she approached him.
“I’ll see you at Dr. Chambers’s office.” She looked into Aaron’s eyes and kissed him on the cheek.
While one of the men helped Aaron into the ambulance, Sarah raced inside the cabin to get her phone and purse, then hurried to her car. She felt as if her feet were made of lead.
###
At the Emergency Center Emmett Chambers had set up at his office, Sarah stood in the waiting room, too upset to sit.
She knew Aaron was alive and able to move and talk, but she couldn’t erase the scene of him lying in the snow from her mind.
She needed to know if he’d have any side effects from the injury.
And she couldn’t help wondering if he’d heard her say that she loved him and what that might mean if he only considered her a friend.
Was he reconsidering their talk about a future together?
Crystal was working at the front desk saying goodbye to someone who’d come into the Emergency Center with a broken finger. A nurse was assisting Emmett as he checked over Aaron.
The creation of an Emergency Center was Emmett’s idea.
He was often awakened in the night or disturbed at mealtime with one emergency after another, so he decided to expand his practice by hiring two additional nurses to help with coverage of all hours.
By dividing coverage among them, it gave him more personal freedom and yet provided services when needed.
Many of the so-called emergencies required the care of a nurse, not a doctor.
Those that were more serious, Emmett took care of.
When Crystal was through with the mother and son she’d been working with, she came over to Sarah. “Are you okay? I heard Aaron’s arrival.”
Sarah started to speak, then stopped to catch her breath. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hardly speak. “It was so horrible. Aaron lying on the snow. It was almost like seeing Jesse all over again.”
Crystal studied her with sympathy and wrapped her arms around Sarah. “Why don’t you sit? What can I bring you to drink? Water? Coffee? Tea?”
“Water would be perfect, thank you. I just have to make sure Aaron is going to be okay. You know?”
“Yes,” said Crystal. “I understand. You and Aaron are close.”
Sarah held back fresh tears. They were so much more than just close. He was the soulmate she never should’ve left.
Emmett came to the doorway. “Sarah? Aaron wants to speak to you.”
“How is he?” Sarah asked.
“He’s going to be fine, but he’s had a serious blow to his head. I’ve stitched up the wound, but he says you’ll take care of him from here. I need to be sure that you can manage.”
Sarah followed Emmett into an examination room.
Aaron sat on an exam table and studied her with an apologetic look. “I hope you don’t mind keeping an eye on me like the doctor requested.”
“Of course not,” said Sarah, going to him and giving him a hug. She pulled away. “Does it hurt? Can you remember anything about the injury?”
Aaron shook his head. “No. Not until the EMTs were checking me over and then everything has been sort of foggy since then. Sorry I ruined the afternoon.”
“The important thing is that you’re okay. You scared me so.” Sarah glanced at Emmett.
As if he could read her mind, he gave her a look of understanding and quietly said, “This situation is very different from the one you had with your husband.”
“What is it that you need me to do?” Sarah asked Emmett.
“For the next several days, I need you to keep an eye on him. He’s had a concussion, and I want to be sure we didn’t miss anything.
Effects are often short term and can include headaches and trouble with concentration, memory, balance, mood, and sleep.
Aaron will need plenty of rest, and I don’t want him to be alone.
I will prescribe medicine for the headaches, but we don’t like to over prescribe. ”
“Okay,” said Sarah. “I can do this. Aaron can stay at my house when I leave the cabin tomorrow. And when I’m at the store, my daytime sitter can be available to be with him.”
“Oh, right. That will work. Aaron said you’d been staying with him for the holiday weekend,” said Emmett.
He gave Aaron a steady look. “I’m your doctor and I expect you to follow my instructions.
I know that you’re normally an active man, but rest is extremely important for a healthy recovery. Understood?”
“Yes, I get it. I’ll do as you say if it means I can get better sooner.” Aaron returned Emmett’s steady gaze.
“We used to think it was important for someone not to sleep so much following an injury like this, but that has changed. We want our patients to give the body time to heal,” said Emmett.
“We’ll go back to the cabin, and then tomorrow Aaron can temporarily move in with me,” said Sarah. Earlier, Aaron and Sarah had talked about when Aaron would be able to spend the night at her house, and though this wasn’t the way she wanted, having him there might be a test for the girls.
Emmett shook hands with Aaron. “Let me know if either of you has any concerns. For now, give your body a rest and let it heal.”
When they returned to the waiting area, Crystal was there with paperwork for Aaron to sign. Since the sale of the Lilac Lake Café, she’d worked hard to help Emmett set up the clinic and remained a true partner in her husband’s business.
As they left the office, Sarah took hold of Aaron’s hand and was both surprised and pleased that he allowed her to lead him to her car. Sarah knew then how much Aaron had suffered from the injury.