Page 33 of For You I'd Mend
“Leave her feet out,” Rowan said. “Mom, take off her top.”
“No,” Poppy said.
“Yes, it’s soaking wet,” Rose said. “Boys turn around.”
“Theo, take off your shirt too,” Rowan yelled.
“Um, maybe you should switch places with him, Rowan,” Cal said.
I reached behind my head and yanked off my shirt, then closed my eyes while Rose pulled the wet fabric from Poppy’s skin.
“Good, Theo,” Rowan said. “Now wrap your arms around her and hold her hands until Cal can look at them.”
I brushed my hands across Poppy’s stomach, praying I didn’t accidentally cup a boob, until I found her hands and gripped them. They were ice cold, but she did her best to squeeze my fingers back. If I wasn’t so worried about her, this position would be torture. Her entire naked back was pressed to my bare chest. I could feel every breath and shiver like they were my own. Hell, maybe they were. My breaths were coming in panicked bursts in time with the tremors racking Poppy’s body.
“Can someone grab me a bowl of lukewarm water?” Cal asked.
“I’ll get it,” Chris said, turning on his phone’s flashlight and running toward the kitchen.
“Should we call 911?” Rowan asked Cal.
“Maybe. I don’t know what to do with the nail. But it would take them forever to get here with the ice. We should at least try to warm up her feet. I don’t like how swollen they are.”
“Let me take a look,” Aiden said, shoving Cal aside. “I see stuff like this all the time. Take off Theo’s socks and check his feet too since the big oaf won’t notice if he’s getting frostbite.”
Cal yanked my wet socks from my stinging toes. “What were you idiots doing outside without shoes?” he asked, gripping my foot.
“Stop rubbing my feet and just get me a dry pair of socks,” I said louder than I meant.
Cal dropped my foot, and I heard his own boots hit the floor before he slid a pair of warm socks on my aching skin. It felt too nice to give him shit about wearing his dirty socks. I pressed my face into Poppy’s hair, breathing deep the lavender scent and trying to calm down while everyone worked around us.
“Good thing you got that tetanus shot, Pop,” Chris said, bringing a bowl of water into the room.
“Don’t talk about shots, Christopher,” Rose snapped from the hearth where she already had a small fire burning. “We don’t want her to faint again.”
Everyone paused and looked at Poppy.
“Stop fussing, I’m fine,” Poppy said, which would have been reassuring if her teeth weren’t chattering. “Fudge nugget,” she shouted and arched off my body.
“Got it,” Aiden said, handing something to Cal. “Worst is over, Hell Cat. I don’t think she needs stitches, do you?”
“Not tonight, assuming we can get the bleeding stopped,” Cal said. “But I’m a physical therapist, not an ER doctor. Poppy, you should follow up with Dr. Evers tomorrow.”
“I’ll get the first aid kit,” Rowan said and hustled out of the room.
“Don’t rush,” Cal shouted after her. “We need to soak her feet first anyway. Theo, can you sit up so her feet are hanging off the couch?”
I did as he asked, pulling Poppy tight against my chest and resting her legs between mine. She let out a hiss as Cal gently lowered her feet into the bowl on the floor. “Fuck, that burns. Sorry, Mom.”
“It’s OK, sweetie,” Rose said before blowing on the small fire.
“Chris, see if you can find Poppy something warm to drink,” Cal said. “It’ll help raise her core temp.”
“On it,” he said, taking off again.
Rose and Aiden built up the fire in the hearth and soon the room filled with dancing light and heat. Slowly, Poppy stopped shaking. Cal swapped the bowl for one with slightly warmer water. As Poppy’s skin warmed, my tense muscles softened against her. My body melted closer, the blankets capturing the building heat between us.
“It’s all ruined,” Poppy said after she’d downed the coffee Chris brought her. She started shaking again, only this time, I could hear the sobs she tried to muffle. I fought the urge to twist her around so I could hug her face-to-face. I rubbed my hand down her arms, but the feeling of her soft skin beneath my fingers was too much. I gave her back a couple pats, which only made her cry harder.
