Leap of Faith Read Free Page B

here,’ and then the ashen, worried face of Steve appeared.
    â€˜Steve,’ she whimpered.
    â€˜Oh, God, you poor thing,’ he said, coming up alongside her and putting his hand to her face. Tears welled again. ‘How are you? Are you okay? What happened?’ He was babbling; a clear sign he was way out of his depth.
    â€˜I’m okay,’ Jessica reassured him. ‘Anna, this is my husband, Steve,’ she said to the nurse who had finished removing her clothes – Jessica thought she’d never been so embarrassed in her life, if she could remember it happening – and had draped a hospital gown over her. Jessica hoped when they moved her for X-rays someone would remember to do up the back of her gown if she didn’t. Anna was now covering her with a blanket, being careful to leave her injured leg free. Jessica couldn’t bring herself to look down at her leg; the cool breeze on it compared to the gentle warmth over the rest of her told her it was uncovered.
    â€˜Hi there,’ Anna said, accepting the hand Steve offered. ‘We won’t know the extent of her injuries until she’s had X-rays, and possibly a CT scan, and seen a doctor.’
    â€˜CT? Shit – that sounds serious!’
    â€˜It’s too soon to know anything much yet,’ Anna said, ‘but Jessica being so coherent is a great sign.’
    â€˜Where’s Prince? Who rang you?’
    â€˜Prince is with Tash and Donald Roach. It was Tash who called me. Can I get you anything?’ he asked, looking around helplessly.
    â€˜She’s nil by mouth until we can make absolutely sure she doesn’t need surgery,’ the nurse warned without looking up. Surgery? Jesus. Jessica felt sick to the stomach at the thought. There probably wasn’t anything left to vomit up, but that hadn’t stopped the pure bile from burning its way up her throat and out her mouth the first time.
    â€˜I think the boots probably saved you from a lot more serious injury,’ Anna continued.
    â€˜Steve, how bad does it look?’
    â€˜It’s fine. Seriously. There’s no blood or anything. Not even any swelling.’
    Jessica loved that Steve was there holding her hand, providing assurances, but at the same time she suddenly wanted to be left alone to go to sleep. And she wished the nurse was one of those surly, silent types, not Little Miss Chirpy. God, there was so much going on around her; beds being wheeled in and out, people bustling about. It was like Rundle bloody Mall. A slightly overweight man pushing a yellow bucket with the handle of a mop appeared, mopped her sick up, didn’t acknowledge her apology to him, and disappeared, all in the space of less than thirty seconds. Did he just wander around looking for sick his whole shift? How did he know he was needed right there, right then?
    It was all quite exhausting.
    A young doctor appeared in a white coat with a stethoscope draped around his neck. Jessica almost giggled at how clichéd he looked. Great, they sent the intern , she thought, taking in his young, boyish looks.
    â€˜Hi, I’m Doctor Grant,’ he said, picking up the chart Anna had just put down. While Doctor Grant was reading, mumbling to himself and nodding, Jessica was trying to work out if Grant was his first or last name. Oh, what did it matter? She relaxed back into the mattress, too tired to care. She could hear Nurse Anna and Doctor Grant talking around her, but it was as if she was underwater; she couldn’t make out precisely what they were saying.
    And then he was right beside her, touching her leg, poking and prodding her stomach, and asking questions. She answered them all as best she could.
    â€˜I don’t think there’s too much damage done, but we’ll know for sure after your X-rays. I’ll see you a bit later,’ Doctor Grant said, with a friendly hand on her shoulder. He was smiling warmly down at her. He nodded and offered