Filed to story: Luci Forrester and Easton Reed: Hockey Romance Story
“Miss Forrester. Cole, can we put you on the stretcher in the ambulance to take you to the hospital? We’ll bandage your knee first.”
Cole hesitates, looking up at me with wide eyes. “Can Luci come with me?”
Warner glances at me, and I nod, feeling a surge of warmth at his request. “Sure, I can. Come on, sweetie. I’ll carry you.”
Then, the horrid screaming starts again.
“OH COLE! THANK GOD YOU’RE OK!” Madison lunges toward us, her frantic red hair a blur as she tries to snatch him away from me.
He clings to my neck, tears streaming down his face. “NO! NO! WANT LUCI! NO!”
“COLE! Don’t be silly. Come to Madison!” she insists, tugging on him with alarming force.
Warner places a hand gently on her arm, stopping her. “Miss, you’ll need to let him go. He doesn’t want to go with you. Who are you?”
Two police officers arrive at our side, assessing the situation.
“I’m his nanny. He’s being ridiculous,” she scoffs, her tone dismissive.
“Cole, I’m Officer Perkins. Is she your nanny?” he asks gently, his demeanor calming.
“Yes, but she left me!” Cole cries, burying his face in my neck. I sway him gently, trying to comfort him.
“Could we put him in the ambulance so they can bandage his knee and then answer questions?” I suggest softly, hoping to ease his distress.
They all agree, except for Madison, who looks furious. Mary shows the officers the video while we get Cole bandaged up.
Officer Perkins returns, looking down at Cole. “Alright, Cole. You don’t have to go with Madison to the hospital. We’ll get her to call your family so they can be there.” He shoots Madison a disapproving look.
“And Luci can come with me?” Cole asks, his voice small and uncertain.
“She can if she has time,” I reply, nodding at the officer.
“Great. I’ll meet you there. Good thing you were here when it happened, Luci.”
As I walk alongside the stretcher, I can’t help but feel a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, my timing isn’t as terrible as I thought.
Luci
“Miss Forrester, we need to check you over too,” Amy, the nurse who had just finished examining Cole, flashed a warm smile in my direction.
“I’m perfectly fine. Just a bit sore, that’s all,” I replied, waving my hand dismissively as if to brush away any concern.
“Hmm, that wrist doesn’t quite agree with you,” she said, raising an eyebrow skeptically. I glanced down at my wrist, the faint purpling already beginning to bloom beneath my skin, a reminder of the chaos from earlier. I had almost forgotten about Maxton and the whirlwind of events that felt like they had occurred days ago.
“No, it’s not what you might be thinking. Honestly, I’m alright. The EMTs checked me out before we left the scene. I’ll have some scrapes and bruises, but that’s really the extent of it,” I assured her, trying to sound more confident than I felt.
They had bandaged the worst scrape on my arm, a painful reminder that would be a nuisance for the next few days. I grimaced at the thought of how it would snag on my clothes. And then there was the hoodie I had lost in the fray. I glanced over at Cole, who was snuggled into it, looking surprisingly good in purple. I wouldn’t dare ask for it back, especially since he was currently dripping orange popsicle juice all over it. One less thing to worry about washing today, I thought with a slight chuckle.
Oh wait, did I leave the dryer running when I dashed out? Not that it mattered much now, a whole seven hours later, but since there hadn’t been any sirens blaring, I guessed my apartment complex hadn’t transformed into a raging inferno. I could already imagine the headlines: ‘Scatterbrained student sets half of campus ablaze by leaving her dryer unattended.’
“Luci?” Cole’s voice broke through my thoughts, pulling me back to the present.
“Hey! Sorry, I zoned out there for a moment. Did you need something?” I typically found it easier to connect with children; their boundless energy and chatter kept my mind from wandering off into the labyrinth of my thoughts.
“No, you just looked like you were in pain,” he observed, concern etched on his young face.
“I probably did. I was just remembering something I might have messed up, and it got me a bit worried,” I admitted, forcing a smile to reassure him.
“Cole.” A commanding voice interrupted us, and I turned to see a woman striding toward the bed. Her dirty blonde hair was cut to chin length, and she wore a dark pink tea-length wrap dress paired with nude heels. Her makeup was minimal, but her jewelry was anything but understated; she was adorned with diamonds-several pieces, to be exact. I counted a tennis bracelet, two others glimmering with precious stones, three rings, earrings, and a diamond necklace that matched her bracelet perfectly.
“Grandmother,” Cole exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he returned to his popsicle, as if he feared she might snatch it away from him.
“You aren’t the nurse I expected to see,” she said, looking down her nose at me with a disapproving glare.
“No, but I can call Amy for you,” I suggested as I pressed the call button on the bed, remaining seated. I was already feeling fatigued and quite sore.
Amy approached us, her friendly demeanor brightening the atmosphere as she greeted our visitor. “Hi, you must be Grandma.”
“I’m Imogen Walters, and this is my grandson, Cole. Is he injured? Officer Perkins provided me with the details of the accident, but nothing about his condition,” she inquired, her tone sharp and demanding.
“A few scratches and possibly some bruising on his shoulder. Miss Forrester here used her body to cushion his fall,” Amy replied, a hint of pride in her voice as she spoke about my actions. I could feel Imogen’s cold blue eyes shift towards me, assessing me with a gaze that seemed perpetually frosty.
My heart ached for Cole; he had gone through a traumatic experience, yet there was no sign of affection from this woman who was supposed to care for him. I remembered longing for hugs when I was his age, wishing for comfort rather than the quick words of encouragement that often felt hollow.