All She Wanted (2) by Nicole Deese Page B

like pins and needles shooting
through it from every angle. I had felt an initial stab of pain when I had
landed on it, but when Briggs had come to check on me, I was much more focused
on his demise than my discomfort.
    I stepped into the shower, watching as
the water uncovered my pink skin once again. I stood, letting the heat thaw me
as I closed my eyes.
    Briggs
had hugged me.
    A rush of nervous, swirling energy
filled the base of my belly.
    I didn’t understand it—this connection
I felt to him. Wasn’t it just last week that I had been crying over my broken
heart and now I was swooning over a fireman—one who was sent to babysit me?
    Maybe men had it right: Women were
crazy.        
    Washing the mud out of my hair, while using
only one hand, took an eternity. Once I was out, I picked up the pile of
mud-free clothes from Angie. I rolled the sweat pants down a few times on the
waist, and tightened the drawstring as much as I could. They still hung low on
my hips, but at least the t-shirt was long enough to cover the waistband. I
dried my hair and looked in the mirror at my clean, make-up free face. It was
ironic how only earlier today I had hoped to be going to a glamorous party
tonight, yet here I was now, au natural .
    And celebrating a seven year-olds
birthday.
    I walked into the hallway, just as
Briggs stepped inside the house from the backyard. I couldn’t help but smile at
the sight of his ruggedly, handsome face—dried dirt and all.

 
    Briggs :
    “Hey,” I said, not trusting myself to
say anything more. She may have been drowning in my sister’s clothes, but even
still, she was breathtaking.
    “It’s all yours,” she said nodding
toward Angie’s room. I was grateful that I hadn’t had time to change earlier
after working on the Honda. A hot shower and clean clothes was the perfect way
to remedy the Loch Ness monster look I was currently sporting.  
    I peeled my eyes from Charlie’s face
and looked down at her arm. It was bent at the elbow and was pressed against
her body stiffly. It was an unnatural pose for her.
    Is
she hurt?
    “What’s going on with your arm?” I asked.
    She instantly moved it down to her
side, but not before I saw the painful grimace on her face. She was hurt.
    “Let me see it,” I said, reaching out.
    She shook her head, “It’s nothing—really, my wrist is just a little stiff from how I landed.”
    I continued to hold out my hand, giving
her a look that said, “ You’re full of it”.
    She slowly lifted her arm again, biting
her lip as she did. Even in the dim light of the hallway, I could tell it was
swollen. As I rotated it, she winced again, proving my quick diagnosis.
    “It’s sprained, Charlie.”
    “Really?” she asked. Her voice held
more disappointment in it than surprise.
    “Yes, it’s probably minor, but we’ll
need to ice it and wrap it regardless. Come over here and sit down, hold it up
like this while I get you some ice,” I instructed, watching as she elevated it
above her heart.
    “Can’t we deal with this a little later—Cody’s
about to open his gifts.”
    She must have picked up on my look a
lot quicker this time, because she sat down without saying another word. I laid
the ice pack in a towel and gently wrapped it around her wrist, giving her a
dose of ibuprofen as well.
    “We’ll ice it like this for about twenty
minutes to reduce some of that swelling, and then I’ll wrap it for you. Let me
go ask Angie where the first aid kit is.”
    “Thank you, Briggs, but since I’m just
sitting here ice- ing , you should go take your shower.
I’m fine to wait,” she said, flashing me a weak smile.
    I looked at her, contemplating her
request.
    “Please…I don’t want you to miss any more
of this party over my stupidity,” she said, trying to make a joke.
    My hand reached out then, insubordinate
to the commands my mind had given it. Since the first day I met Charlie, I had wondered
about the feel of her hair—that hair that