Chapter 4

Work has been brutal. Editing over one hundred pages is pure torture. I stepped away from the desk and stretched my arms out. The weight of my eyes was difficult to hold open, so I decided it was best to lay down and maybe take a nap. 

When I awoke, it was about one in the afternoon. I walked over to my closet and changed into my running clothes. Walking out of my room, I didn’t see Mom anywhere. Sighing, I walked out of the house and began jogging down the sidewalk. Music was blasting through my headphones as I ran. The pulsing of my legs, beating of my heart, and music in my ears was pure bliss. 

I was so caught up in my mind that I wasn’t paying attention to where I was running. I almost ran into a tree but instead tripped over its roots. Twisting my ankle as I fell. “Damn it!” I yelled, sitting up to look at my ankle. Sighing, I sat there for a moment before someone walked up,

“Miss, are you alright?” A young man asked; his blond hair was pulled back, and his hazel eyes shone brightly with concern. I forced a smile,

“Not really,” I replied,

“Here, let me help you to the clinic.” I nodded, and he went to help me up, “I’m Nathan, by the way.” Smiling, I introduced myself,

“Sophia.” He wrapped my arm around his neck and placed a hand around my waist. Nathan helped me to the clinic and got me checked in before leaving me alone.

I sat in the clinic’s waiting room until I heard my name being called. The nurse came over, helped me up, and walked me back. When she got me back, she checked my vitals and then escorted me to an exam room, “The doctor will be in shortly.” She told me, I nodded, and she left me alone in the room. I decided to text Mom to let her know where I was and that I was okay. 

I was in the middle of texting Mom when the door opened, “Hello, I’m Doctor… Sophia?” I glanced up and saw the one person I wasn’t expecting to see, Chris Tanner,

“You have got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath, 

“What happened? Are you okay?” He asked me,

“I tripped and sprained my ankle,” I answered. Chris took my shoe and socks off as gently as possible to look at my ankle better. I winced a few times as he examined it. Chris got up and walked over to the door, opening it and calling,

“Nurse.” He came back in, and the woman who helped me walked in, “Susan, can you take Sophia for a quick x-ray?” He asked before turning to me, “I just want to rule out a fracture to be safe.”

“Of course, Doctor Tanner,” Susan said as she walked over to me and helped me up again, walking me to another part of the clinic. 

I sat in the exam room, waiting for Chris to return. There was a knock on the door, and then Chris asked, “How are you doing?” I forced a smile,

“I’m fine, thank you,” I replied. Chris walked over and sat down next to me, 

“So, you were right.” He told me, “It’s just sprained.” I fought a smirk. I’ve always loved being right. “You remember what to do, right?” He asked,

“Combination of cool and heat compresses, elevation, medication if needed.” 

“Very good. But I also want you to wear a brace for a couple weeks, then come back.” He wrote on his notepad, “This is for a stronger Ibuprofen, but only if you need it.” I nodded, deciding to play nice; I said,

“Thank you, Chris.” He smiled at me,

“No problem.” He said, placing a hand on mine and smiling at me; I nearly forgot how beautiful those green orbs were. Noticing we had been staring at each other a moment too long, we broke contact. Chris cleared his throat, “I’ll go and get the brace.” He said as he went out the door. 

Mom picked me up from the clinic and smiled at Chris, helping me into the car. “Hello, Christopher, how are you?” He smiled at her,

“I am well, thank you, Miss. Jacobson.” Chris turned to me, “Take it easy, okay?” I nodded and shut the door. “If the pain gets worse or anything, call me immediately.” I didn’t say anything, so Mom did.

“She will. Thank you.” And with that, we were gone.