Page 13 of Summer Heat
jury. “I’m pretty certain it’s a Boxer’s Fracture, a result of a break in the metacarpal when the bones hit a hard, immovable object.” He glanced at Kade as if waiting for an explanation as to how he’d gotten the injury.
When none came, the man shrugged and called a nurse to take him to X-ray. He allowed Lexie to wait in the cubicle.
While he was gone, Lexie called her sister to check in. The call went straight to voice mail, and she left a message, requesting Kendall call her back.
Kade finally returned, which led to another long wait for a doctor to come in with the results.
“Thank you,” Kade said into the prolonged silence.
“You’re welcome.” She almost told him she was just doing her job but stopped herself because that would have been a lie. True, Derek and Luke had asked her to go along, but she would have anyway and not because she was Kade’s personal assistant.
Because in a very short time, she was coming to care about him, and that was something she couldn’t let happen. She already had firsthand experience of what happened when she didn’t put a man first in her life. And a demanding man like Kade? He’d have no patience for her sister or her issues, no matter how kind he’d been when she’d told him the truth about her mother.
With a little luck, Kendall’s meds would kick in, and this would be the time things stuck. She’d turn herself around and get her life back on track. Then Lexie could focus on herself. Even if Kade was truly interested in her now, the sad truth was that said interest would fade long before that ever happened. The thought caused a pain in the pit of her stomach.
“Mr. Barnes.” The doctor pushed his way through the curtain. “I have your X-ray results, and it’s just as I expected, a Boxer’s Fracture. I’m going to splint the hand and fingers. I think we can avoid casting the entire arm up to the elbow.”
“Thank God.” Kade let out a groan of relief.
“That said, you need to keep the hand and arm immobilized as much as possible so it heals. Follow up with an orthopedist within the week. No lifting or stress on the hand or you risk injuring surrounding blood vessels, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. And keep the splint dry.”
The splint covered his entire hand, keeping his pinky and ring finger in place. The bruising on the knuckles of the other two fingers was still visible.
He was going to be in pain, something the doctor confirmed when he wrote up a prescription for painkillers. “If those make you sick, ibuprofen or acetaminophen might take the edge off. But for the first twenty-four hours, try to take the prescription as written and use the ice.”
“Thank you,” Kade said, sounding deflated at all the restrictions and issues he’d caused himself.
When the doctor finally left, Kade turned to Lexie. “Can you let Derek and Luke know the results?”
She nodded. “Of course. Is your housekeeper there to help you with meals?” Lexie asked.
“I’ll be fine.”
She frowned, not liking the idea of him going home alone, taking painkillers, and doing too much with his dominant, injured hand. “I’ll come back with you and help you get settled,” she decided out loud, reassuring herself it was the right thing to do.
“On the clock?” he asked.
Surprised by the question, her gaze shot to his only to find him grinning at her, and she realized he was mimicking her similar question of the night before. He’d asked her to stay for dinner, and she’d wanted to know if it was business. He wanted to know the same thing now.
“No,” she admitted, not questioning herself too much. Because she knew she wouldn’t like the direction the truth would take her.
With her sister’s issues, Lexie didn’t have time for a real relationship. She couldn’t afford messy feelings for her boss. And though she feared that was exactly where she was headed, she knew nothing could come of it as long as she had to put Kendall first.
It was, Lexie thought, the story of her life.
* * *
Kade settled in on his couch, reclining the chair and trying to get comfortable despite the raging pain in his hand. Although he hadn’t wanted to take the narcotic the doctor had prescribed and deal with feeling woozy, Lexie had insisted. And with the pain increasing, especially after how the X-ray tech had manipulated his hand, Kade had finally agreed.
Lexie had the driver stop for a hamburger from McDonald’s so he didn’t take the pill on an empty stomach and then watched as he swallowed. She was the ultimate caregiver, something he’d never experienced in any woman before.
Though she was his PA, any way he sliced it, this wasn’t in her job description. Then again, he was light-headed and feeling no pain due to the narcotic. His judgment probably couldn’t be trusted at the moment. He kind of liked the feeling of not worrying about a damned thing.
He picked up the remote and flipped through the channels, settling on a movie he couldn’t name. His head spun, and he saw two of everything on the screen. Nice, he thought, leaning back against the headrest.
“Here are some things I thought you might need,” Lexie said, walking in from the kitchen, carrying a bottle of water and a bag of Twizzlers. “Your favorite.” She smiled and placed the items on the tray between two seats. “Can I open the bag for you?”
He nodded, realizing for the first time how immobile and ineffectual he would be. “This was really an asshole move,” he muttered. “I can’t believe this.” He gestured to the hand he was icing with his good one.
