“Ouch!” Stevie almost yelled. “That hurt.”
“But it will numb your leg up so that you won’t feel the stitches,” Cody said.
“I know,” Stevie said, “but I’m usually not the one on this end of the needle.”
“I can’t get at this thing from this position,” he said with a frown. “I’m going to pick you up and lay you on the table.”
Addy brought a pillow from the top bunk and had it ready to put under Stevie’s head when Cody scooped her up in his arms and laid her out on the kitchen table. “There, that’s much better. I swear, I can’t let you out of my sight for five minutes that you don’t hurt yourself, woman. The wound on your head hasn’t healed, and now you’ve torn up your leg.”
“Don’t call me woman,” she scolded.
“Okay, then love it is,” Cody teased as he started suturing up the gash.
“Not that either,” she told him.
Addy giggled. “You two remind me of how prickly Jesse and I were when he first came home. I’m going to get a tetanus shot ready. You want it in the arm or in the butt?”
“Arm,” Stevie answered. The very thought of baring her butt in front of Cody caused heat to rise to her cheeks.
“When you get done, Mia and I have to go check on Raymond’s horse,” Stevie said, trying to take her mind off what was happening on the calf of her left leg.
“You really should stay off this at least for today,” Addy said. “From that tear, I’d guess that you caught it on a nasty old nail when your foot went through the floor. I don’t see any wood fragments, so that’s a plus, but the nail could have been rusty. This shot and a round of antibiotics will take care of any infections.”
“Does our local drugstore deliver medicine all the way out here?” Stevie asked.
“Don’t need to,” Cody said. “I’ve got samples that you can use, and you can’t go to Raymond’s on this leg. It’s going to be numb from the knee down for a while.”
“Mia can drive me,” Stevie argued. “And all we have to do is unwrap the bandage, check the wound, and re-dress the cut. I’ll be back home in half an hour, tops.”
“Mia is out in the pasture with Jesse,” Cody said. “I’ll drive you, and when we get back, you are going to sit on the sofa with that leg propped up, at least, for the rest of today.”
“You sure are bossy.” Stevie watched him meticulously put in the last stitch and secure it in place with adhesive tape.
Cody wrapped gauze around her leg. “It’s contagious. I got it from you.”
Addy chuckled. “Never a dull moment around y’all. Get ready for a pinch.” She pulled up Stevie’s T-shirt and gave her the shot.
“I hate needles,” Stevie moaned.
“Most people don’t love them.” Cody finished wrapping gauze around her leg to keep the stitches clean—not totally unlike how she had treated Buttercup, only she didn’t have to put stitches in the horse’s leg. “I’ve got a set of crutches in the closet that you can use. They’ll give you stability and keep you from putting too much weight on that leg until it heals. I’ll dress the wound every day, and help you encase it in plastic when you take a shower.”
“No baths for ten days?” she moaned again.
“That’s right, but you can have showers, and I’ve even got a bath chair that you can use,” Cody answered.
“I always thought those were for old people,” Stevie said.
“I loan it to young folks like you who fall through floors,” Cody said on his way to the closet to get the crutches.
Addy cleaned up the mess and tossed the disposable suture materials into the trash. “I’ll help you get that other boot and those jeans off soon as Cody brings the crutches.”
“Thank you, Addy.” She managed a smile. “Seems like I say that at least a dozen times a day.”
“You are welcome a dozen times a day,” Addy said, and nodded.
Cody brought the crutches out, leaned them against the table, picked her up for the second time, and set her feet on the floor. “Ever used these before?”
Stevie shook her head. “But I guess I’m about to learn.” She crooked her leg back at the knee and started across the room.
“Doin’ good,” Cody encouraged.
“My work is done here, so I’m going back to the house to check on Pearl and the twins,” Addy said. “Call me if you need anything at all, and I’ll have Mia bring supper to y’all tonight so you don’t have to get out again once you get back from Raymond’s place.”
“We’ve still got leftovers in the fridge,” Cody said.
“But I heard something about beans and fried potatoes, didn’t I?” Stevie asked. “Family meals are a bit of a treasure when you live alone. I seldom ever get beans, and I love fried potatoes.”
“I’ll send Mia down here with enough for both of you. I understand about family meals. When Mia and I lived alone, making dinner for two was a chore. There’s no way to just make a little pot of beans.” Addy followed her into the bedroom and closed the door.
Stevie unfastened her jeans but had to have help getting them off. No more skinny jeans—at least not for ten days. “I’d better wear those cargo pants with the elastic waistband,” she said.
“These?” Addy pulled them out of the closet and held them up.
“Yep,” Stevie said, and nodded. “I haven’t worn them in years, but I’m glad I saved them.”
Addy helped her into them and said, “Just holler when you get ready for a shower. Either Mia or I will come help you. And before you say thank you, this is what sisters and nieces are for, even if they’re pseudo-kinfolks.”
“I’ll repay you someday.” Stevie pulled up the wide-legged pants.
“You already have,” Addy said.
Stevie cocked her head to one side. “How do you figure that?”
“You’re making Cody come alive again. Something happened just before he came home that bothers him, but he won’t talk about it. You are helping him deal with whatever it is. Jesse said that he’s even heard him whistling a time or two since he rescued y’all from Max’s place.” Addy waved over her shoulder and left the room without closing the door that time.
* * *
Cody was amazed at Stevie’s determination and dedication, not to mention her sheer strength when they reached Raymond’s place. She had mastered the crutches, and when she got to the barn where the horse was, she asked him to set a milking stool beside the horse for her to sit on. Other than that, she wouldn’t let him do anything for her but hold her crutches. She sat on the stool, with her injured leg straight out, and talked to the horse the entire time she unwrapped the old bandage, treated the wound, and then rewrapped it.
“I heard she had a mishap this morning at her house when the floor gave way,” Raymond said. “Most women would be laid up and whining after nearly tearin’ her leg off.”
“Yep, she is strong, but she’s also bossy and stubborn as an old mule,” Cody answered.