aisle or not? I walked back to my starting point. I didn’t know what to do. Hopefully someone would get here soon and tell me.
I heard a phone ring. My parents, maybe, or my maid of honor. I looked around, but I couldn’t find a phone, and when I looked up the aisle to the altar, there was no one there. If I could find the phone maybe someone could explain to me why no one was taking my wedding day seriously.
The phone stopped. I was alone in the church in my wedding dress, and now my flowers were a mess. The beautifully arranged bouquet had become a freshly picked group of flowers tied together with twine. The phone started ringing again. Off in the distance Barney barked. His barking got closer and closer.
I opened my eyes slowly. It was dark outside, I was on the bed and my grandmother’s phone was ringing incessantly. I got up, feeling heavy and groggy. There was a phone in the kitchen, so I headed in that direction.
“Hello,” I mumbled.
“Nell, dear, it’s Nancy. There’s been an accident.”
I wasn’t sure I was awake yet.
“Nell,” Nancy said again. The fear in her voice snapped me out of my fog.
“An accident. What happened? Is it my grandmother?”
“She was going downstairs to get needles and she slipped on some fabric on the third stair from the bottom. I called the paramedics.”
“I’ll be there in a second.” I hung up the phone and searched the kitchen for my grandmother’s car keys. They weren’t here. They had to be here. She hadn’t driven to the shop. Okay, I needed to get hold of myself. I could walk to the shop by the time I found the stupid keys.
“Grandma’s hurt.” I tapped Barney on the head and he jumped up. We both ran out the front door into a rainy night, and into Marc, who was still cleaning up.
“Hey there,” he said casually.
“My grandmother fell, at the shop. And I can’t find the stupid car keys.”
“Hop in.” He jumped into the driver’s seat of his truck as Barney and I climbed in, sharing the passenger side. “What happened?”
“She slipped on the stairs.”
“Those are dangerous stairs.”
“I know,” I said, more worried than ever.
“How is she?”
“I don’t know,” I said. In my rush, I hadn’t even asked. I took a deep breath and told myself she was fine. She had to be fine.
We were at the shop in less than five minutes. An ambulance, its lights blinking, was parked out front. I jumped out and ran, but Barney passed me by and headed straight into the shop, leaving Marc behind to park.
When I got into the shop, I saw Nancy talking to Maggie, but I couldn’t see my grandmother.
“Where is she?” I was frantic.
“She’s downstairs,” said Maggie calmly. “She’s okay. She may have broken her hip, but they aren’t sure.”
I nodded and took my first deep breath since I’d gotten the call. She’s okay. I rushed to the stairs.
At the bottom, my grandmother was being lifted onto a stretcher. Barney was hovering around her. He was getting in the way, but I knew he wasn’t going anywhere.
“This is ridiculous,” Eleanor told the paramedics as they strapped her onto the stretcher. “You’ll never get me up the stairs this way. You’ll kill us all.”
“Ma’am, we’re very experienced.”
“You’re twenty-three years old, George. When you were five you ran away from home to this store.”
“Mrs. Cassidy, I really do know what I’m doing,” the paramedic said confidently. “You’ve broken your leg. We don’t know about your hip.”
“I can walk.”
“Well, you’re not going to,” he said, rather strongly.
Once I got a good look at him, I had to admit he did look young. And neither he nor the guy with him looked particularly strong. My grandmother might have a better chance walking. But I took their side anyway.
“Let them do what they need to do,” I called down.
“Nell,” she called, craning her neck to see me. “I’m fine, dear. Tell Nancy to close up the store without me.”
“I
I heard a phone ring. My parents, maybe, or my maid of honor. I looked around, but I couldn’t find a phone, and when I looked up the aisle to the altar, there was no one there. If I could find the phone maybe someone could explain to me why no one was taking my wedding day seriously.
The phone stopped. I was alone in the church in my wedding dress, and now my flowers were a mess. The beautifully arranged bouquet had become a freshly picked group of flowers tied together with twine. The phone started ringing again. Off in the distance Barney barked. His barking got closer and closer.
I opened my eyes slowly. It was dark outside, I was on the bed and my grandmother’s phone was ringing incessantly. I got up, feeling heavy and groggy. There was a phone in the kitchen, so I headed in that direction.
“Hello,” I mumbled.
“Nell, dear, it’s Nancy. There’s been an accident.”
I wasn’t sure I was awake yet.
“Nell,” Nancy said again. The fear in her voice snapped me out of my fog.
“An accident. What happened? Is it my grandmother?”
“She was going downstairs to get needles and she slipped on some fabric on the third stair from the bottom. I called the paramedics.”
“I’ll be there in a second.” I hung up the phone and searched the kitchen for my grandmother’s car keys. They weren’t here. They had to be here. She hadn’t driven to the shop. Okay, I needed to get hold of myself. I could walk to the shop by the time I found the stupid keys.
“Grandma’s hurt.” I tapped Barney on the head and he jumped up. We both ran out the front door into a rainy night, and into Marc, who was still cleaning up.
“Hey there,” he said casually.
“My grandmother fell, at the shop. And I can’t find the stupid car keys.”
“Hop in.” He jumped into the driver’s seat of his truck as Barney and I climbed in, sharing the passenger side. “What happened?”
“She slipped on the stairs.”
“Those are dangerous stairs.”
“I know,” I said, more worried than ever.
“How is she?”
“I don’t know,” I said. In my rush, I hadn’t even asked. I took a deep breath and told myself she was fine. She had to be fine.
We were at the shop in less than five minutes. An ambulance, its lights blinking, was parked out front. I jumped out and ran, but Barney passed me by and headed straight into the shop, leaving Marc behind to park.
When I got into the shop, I saw Nancy talking to Maggie, but I couldn’t see my grandmother.
“Where is she?” I was frantic.
“She’s downstairs,” said Maggie calmly. “She’s okay. She may have broken her hip, but they aren’t sure.”
I nodded and took my first deep breath since I’d gotten the call. She’s okay. I rushed to the stairs.
At the bottom, my grandmother was being lifted onto a stretcher. Barney was hovering around her. He was getting in the way, but I knew he wasn’t going anywhere.
“This is ridiculous,” Eleanor told the paramedics as they strapped her onto the stretcher. “You’ll never get me up the stairs this way. You’ll kill us all.”
“Ma’am, we’re very experienced.”
“You’re twenty-three years old, George. When you were five you ran away from home to this store.”
“Mrs. Cassidy, I really do know what I’m doing,” the paramedic said confidently. “You’ve broken your leg. We don’t know about your hip.”
“I can walk.”
“Well, you’re not going to,” he said, rather strongly.
Once I got a good look at him, I had to admit he did look young. And neither he nor the guy with him looked particularly strong. My grandmother might have a better chance walking. But I took their side anyway.
“Let them do what they need to do,” I called down.
“Nell,” she called, craning her neck to see me. “I’m fine, dear. Tell Nancy to close up the store without me.”
“I
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