His Firm Hand by Shelly Douglas Page A

doing this twice in the matter of a week wasn’t my idea of fun either.” Now I know why people will do almost anything for their friends except help them move ,she thought. Michele picked up the basket of dirty laundry Denise had left behind. “Denise, try not to move again until next year!” she yelled.
    “I can still hear—I’m not deaf,” she responded from the bottom of the stairs.
    Step by step, Michele worked her way downward to the entrance hall. “I should’ve just hired a couple of students, they’re always looking to make an extra buck. Although Paul would never have approved of that—”
    “Uh-oh, keep your voice down,” Denise warned.
    “I’m also not deaf,” Paul called out from the front door. “Here, sweetie, let me take that from you.”
    Paul reached out for the basket just as Michele put her foot on the last step of the stairs and fell forward, landing with a loud thud on the floor. Paul quickly slid the plastic laundry basket out of the way and put his arm around her shoulder. “Are you alright?”
    Michele winced, grabbing at her ankle. “I think I twisted it… damn, that hurts.”
    “Oh, my God, are you okay?” Denise shrieked.
    “Here, let me look at it.” Paul cautiously lifted her leg before he poked and prodded. “You’re lucky I’m on staff here,” he teased. “I don’t think anything is broken—it’s most likely a minor sprain. But just to be sure, I’ll drive you to the Quick Care down the street. After they x-ray the ankle, we’ll know exactly what we’re dealing with. Denise, would you help me get my girl into the car?”
    With Denise on one side and Paul on the other, they lifted Michele off the floor. “I see you’ll do just about anything for attention,” Denise joked.
    “You’re hilarious,” she retorted through clenched teeth.
    “We’ll be back soon, everyone is pretty efficient over there. Sorry, Denise, but you’ll have to finish loading the U-Haul on your own,” he mentioned, helping Michele with her seatbelt.
    An hour and a half later, Paul got out of the car and pulled crutches from the back seat as Denise looked on from the front lawn. The front door of the car opened, and Michele swung her legs out, proudly displaying the one that sported an Ace bandage.
    “Are you okay?” Denise asked with concern as she approached the car.
    “Yep, just as our in-house doctor thought, it’s only a minor sprain. If I stay off of it for a couple of days, it will be fine.” Paul handed Michele the crutches as she stood. “So, I guess this puts me on the physically unable to perform list. You two are going to have to finish this move without me.”
    “Not before I get you settled inside and make sure you’re comfortable. We don’t want any more mishaps,” Paul insisted.
    “If I have to go to the bathroom, will there be a buzzer to press for assistance?” Michele smirked as he lowered her onto the couch.
    “Nurse Fazio is at your service,” he commented over his shoulder, walking into the other room.
    “I wasn’t surprised when you married someone ten years older, but I did seriously wonder if this union would work,” Denise said in a hushed tone.
    “And now that you’ve had a bird’s-eye view of how we live?”
    “I’m shocked that reality television show producers aren’t lined up on your lawn with contracts to sign.”
    “What was that?” Paul poked his head back into the room and cocked it to the side.
    “Nothing!” they both sang out in unison and started giggling.
    “If you’re done testing my hearing today, I suggest we get this girl of mine settled.”
    “Paul, the van is ready to go whenever you are. I’ll call Glen and let him know we’ll be there within the hour.” Denise grabbed her cell phone from the table.
    “Are you going to be alright while I drive Denise over to her new place?” Paul asked as he placed a light blue fuzzy blanket over Michele’s legs.
    “Stop worrying, I’ll be fine. If you hand me the