Page 38 of Is Anyone Listening?
"Sure. How can I help you?"
There was no trace of concern in his voice, and that annoyed me more. "You can tell me how Tessa got so drunk."
"What?" he asked, surprise and confusion in his voice. "Why don't you ask her?"
"Because she's in surgery. After you dropped her off, she fell down the stairs at the inn, her breath reeking of alcohol. She was completely incoherent. Did she take anything else? Or was she just drinking?"
"She's in surgery?" he echoed.
"Yes. She broke her leg. They said something about a compound fracture."
"Is she going to be all right?"
"I hope so. But I don't know. She hit her head, too. What did you do all day? I know Tessa. She drinks, but she doesn't get that drunk. And you were only supposed to go to lunch."
"We ran into a friend, and he offered to take us out on his boat. Tessa jumped at the invite, and I didn't have anything going on, so we went. It was a fun day. Look, I'm really sorry to hear Tessa is hurt, but I didn't think she was that drunk. She had drinks, but it was over a long period of time."
"You didn't notice she was slurring her words right before you dropped her off?"
"Actually, she slept for most of the ride back. She was a little sleepy when I woke her up, but she seemed okay. She said she'd talk to me soon and waved goodbye."
"She slept in the car? That doesn't sound like her. She's usually wired."
"I'm just telling you what happened. We had a lot of sun and some drinks, and I think she was tired. Where are you?"
"Seabrook Medical Center."
"That's a good facility." He paused. "She just fell down the stairs?"
"As far as I know. She couldn't tell me what happened as she was completely out of it. But I heard her scream, and found her at the bottom of the stairs."
"That's terrible. I'm sorry. I honestly didn't think she was incapable of making it up the stairs. If I had, I would have walked her up. But she said she was fine. She just needed some fresh air to wake up, that it had been a long day."
I didn't know if I believed him or not. He seemed sincere, but everything about their date felt off: the sudden boat trip, the delay in getting back. He could say honestly all he wanted, but until I spoke Tessa, I wasn't going to trust a word he was saying.
"Will you text me when she gets out of surgery?" Finn asked. "Let me know if she's okay. I'm about to head home. I'll give you my personal phone number."
"I guess I could do that," I said grudgingly, putting his number into my phone and then saying goodbye.
The next hour and a half seemed to take forever. I made a trip to the cafeteria to get a salad and some coffee. I didn't really feel like eating, but I had to pass the time.
It was almost eleven when the doctor finally made his way into the waiting room. He was an older man with gray hair and wise eyes, and I immediately felt more reassured.
"She’s out of surgery," he said. "The fracture was severe, but we cleaned the wound thoroughly and stabilized the bone. Everything went the way we wanted it to."
"Thank God! When can I see her?"
"She's in recovery and will be asleep for several more hours. In addition to the leg, she has a mild concussion, which we are monitoring, but don't expect that to be a long-term problem. You're welcome to stay, but it might be better to come back in the morning, when she'll be awake and able to speak to you."
"I hate to have her wake up alone."
"We have a great care team here. They'll take excellent care of her."
"How long will she need to stay in the hospital?"
"At least two to three days. With this kind of fracture, we need to watch closely for swelling and infection. She’ll be on IV antibiotics for the first couple of days, and we need to make sure her pain is controlled. It isn’t anything unusual," he assured me, "just the safest way to make sure her leg is healing correctly. She has some rehab ahead of her, but her long-term prognosis is excellent."
I was relieved to hear that. "Thank you."
