She’d fallen instantly asleep. He could not sleep, while the cliff hanger looped through his mind. She could have died. He glanced over to see she’d created a trench in the center of the bed and in the process worked her leg supports free. The feather mattress sank under his weight as he crawled onto the bed. He shifted the covers, stirring the hotel-laundry scent as the top sheet fluttered to the side. A deeper inhale brought a lavender-and-vanilla scent. Maybe the white cotton contained the floral aroma. He repositioned the pillows to elevate her knee and calf. Cryotherapy had reduced the swelling, but her toes resembled sausages. As he predicted, a metatarsal bone was fractured and another sprained, so the orthopedic doctor placed her in a plastic cast. With crutches she could almost live life normally. Normal. What was normal for her? She had so many responsibilities. People and animals depended on her daily. He swept his fingers over her beautiful face, moving black silky strands of hair behind an ear.
