Over You (5 page)

“I suppose,” she said. “Ben, what time do you stop?”

Ben wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “I think we’re about done for the day.”

“All right,” Ellen said. “Well, I sure appreciate how hard you’ve both worked.”
 

The men began gathering their tools. “We’ll be back bright and early in the morning.”

~*~*~

The next morning Jessica woke to the sound of her aunt calling for her, and she sounded like she was in pain. Jessica hurried to her aunt’s bedroom to see what was going on and found her aunt on the floor, her hands gently holding her ankle.

“Ellen! What happened?”

“Oh, Jessica. It’s my own fault.”

Jessica knelt next to her aunt and saw that Ellen’s ankle had begun to swell. “You’re hurt. I’m going to call an ambulance.”

“An ambulance? No, no. If you can just help me get to the car, you can drive me to the hospital.”

Jessica shook her head. “I don’t know if I can get you down the stairs on my own.” She looked around frantically, trying to figure out a way to help her aunt. “What about Ben? Isn’t he going to be here soon? He can help me get you to the car.”

Ellen sighed. “He called and said he had to take care of some things and that he wouldn’t be able to be here until after lunch. After I hung up I just had to go into the bathroom to see how it looked and I tripped on something that was left on the floor. That’s when I did something to my ankle.”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Well, it’s not going to kill me, but I don’t think I can walk.”

“I’m sorry, Ellen, but I’m going to have to call an ambulance.”

“It just seems so silly to have an ambulance come for something like this. It’s not life-threatening. It just hurts.”

“Well, do you have a phone number for a nearby neighbor? We really just need someone to come help you down the stairs.”

“Look in my address book.” Ellen pointed toward her bedside table. “Look up Harold Michaelson. He lives closest.”

“Let me get some ice for your ankle first, okay?”

Ellen nodded and Jessica could see she was in more pain than she was admitting. Hurrying down to the kitchen, she created a make-shift ice pack, then wrapped it in a kitchen towel. She raced back up the stairs to her aunt’s side and gently placed it on her aunt’s ankle. “How’s that?”

“It’s cold.”

Jessica bit her lip, worried about the pain her aunt must be in. “I’m going to call your neighbor now.” A moment later she was explaining their situation to the neighbor, who promised to come right over with one of his teenage sons to get Ellen down the stairs and into the car.

Within twenty minutes Jessica was on the way to the hospital with Ellen lying on the back seat. They pulled up to the emergency room door a short time later and a pair of attendants brought out a wheelchair, and soon Ellen was being examined by the on-duty doctor.

Two hours later Ellen had had her ankle x-rayed and it was determined that she would need surgery to repair a torn ligament. The surgery was scheduled for later that week, after the swelling had gone down. In the meantime, the doctor wrapped her ankle and placed a brace on it, then sent her home to rest and to keep her foot elevated.
 

“Can you believe this?” Ellen said as Jessica drove them home. “What a stupid, stupid accident.”

“I’m sorry you have to go through this. I know it must be very frustrating.”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to set up a bed for me in the living room. I don’t think I can navigate those stairs right now.”

“Don’t worry about a thing, Ellen. I’ll take care of it for you.”
 

They pulled up to the house, and Jessica helped Ellen out of the car and up the few steps to the porch, then helped her settle into a chair in the sunroom, elevating her foot.

“Oh, Jessica. What would I do without you?”

“I’m sure you would manage fine without me.” But secretly Jessica was glad she had been there. The thought of her aunt getting hurt when no one was home to help her was frightening.

When Ben arrived that afternoon, Jessica had him and his assistant move some of the living room furniture into one side of the room, and then carry down a twin bed from one of the unused guest rooms.

The remodeling work continued, and Jessica tried to work amid the racket, as well as taking care of her aunt, who mostly stayed in the sunroom where she read or napped.
 

The morning of the surgery Jessica woke early to help her aunt get packed and ready to go. Though the type of surgery she was having was often done as an outpatient procedure, the hospital had opted to keep her overnight, which made Jessica glad since she felt a bit overwhelmed at the idea of caring for the wound.

“I know Mom would have liked to have come,” Jessica said as they pulled up to the hospital.

“When she asked if I wanted her to come, I told her that there was no need since you’re here. This is really a very routine procedure.”

 
“I’m glad you’re not nervous.”

“Who said I’m not nervous?”

Jessica smiled as she pulled up to the entrance. “I’m going to get a wheelchair. I’ll be right back.” A few minutes later, with the help of an orderly, she helped her aunt out of the car and into the wheelchair.

While her aunt was in surgery, Jessica tried to read a novel she’d brought along, but had trouble concentrating, worried how the surgery was going. Eventually the surgeon came out and told her everything had gone well and that her aunt was in recovery. Relieved, she read until a nurse came to let her know that her aunt was settled in her room and Jessica could come see her.

“How are you feeling?” she asked as she sat at her aunt’s bedside.

“Pretty good, considering.” Ellen pointed to her leg, which rested on a stack of pillows. “But once the pain meds wear off, I might be singing a different tune.”

“I’m sure they’ll take good care of you.”

“Have you been here the whole time?”

“Of course.”

“Well, that was very sweet, Jessica.”

She smiled at her aunt and noticed how exhausted she looked. “I should probably let you get some rest.”

Ellen nodded. “I am feeling rather tired. Would you mind going home and checking on Ben?”

“Yes. You get some sleep and I’ll be back later to see how you’re doing.”

Ellen’s eyes closed before Jessica left the room.
 

As soon as Jessica walked in the house, she could tell something was different. Though she could hear Ben and his assistant talking, there were no other sounds. And then she noticed that it was darker than usual. She flipped the light switch at the base of the stairs, but nothing happened.

“Uh oh,” she murmured, before climbing the stairs to where the men were working. “How’s it going, guys?”

“Hi there, Jessica. How did the surgery go?”

“It went really well. Ellen is resting. How are things going here? I noticed the hall light-switch isn’t working.”

Ben glanced at his assistant before looking at Jessica. “We ran into a small problem.”

Jessica’s eyebrows went up. “Oh?”

“There seems to be a bit of a problem with your electrical wiring.”

“What do you mean? What happened?”

“Well, Matt and I were going great guns here, running the wire for the new lights Ellen wanted, when we discovered that some of the wiring had been chewed on by mice or some other small critter. As we were repairing that, we quickly realized that the wiring in this old place is in bad shape and needs to be replaced.”

“Oh, no.” Jessica sighed. “So is the power just off in the hallway?”

“I’m afraid not. We had to turn off the main breaker while we worked, and it’s going to have to stay off until we’re done.”

“Isn’t there some way we can have some of the electricity on?”

“Unfortunately, right now it’s an all or nothing proposition. Not only that, but this old wiring is a fire hazard and it would be irresponsible for me to turn it back on in its current condition. I’m really sorry, Jessica.”

“How long will it take you to fix it?”

“Truth to tell, I don’t think I’m the best person for this particular job. Doing work like this on a house as old as this is somewhat of a specialty.”

“What do you mean? I don’t understand why you can’t do it.” Jessica felt panic fluttering in her stomach at the thought of her aunt having to come home to a house without electricity.

“Don’t worry. I know someone who can get the job done right. I’ll have him start first thing in the morning. He’s done this kind of thing before, so I know he’ll do a great job.”

Relieved, Jessica gave him a tentative smile. “Okay. Good.”

That night Jessica went to bed early and tried to ignore the creaks and groans of the old house. Somehow the sounds seemed creepier with the power out, and she was glad to have Hudson snuggled against her as she slept.

~*~*~

“Are you sure you want to go to the house and not a hotel?” Jessica asked Ellen the next morning as they packed her few items and waited for the doctor to give her the final okay to come home.

“Yes, I’m sure. We can get by without electricity for a few days, don’t you think? It will be like an adventure.”

“I guess so. And I suppose I could use a few days away from the computer.”

“Oh, Jessica. I forgot about your job.”

Jessica smiled. “That’s okay. I can go to the library and use their Wi-Fi if the electrician is taking too long.”

A short time later they pulled onto the gravel road and headed toward the house. As they got closer, Jessica saw a familiar truck parked in front and felt her heart sink. Hoping she was wrong, she didn’t say anything until they were close enough that she knew there was no mistake.

The truck parked out front had
Judd Construction
stenciled on the door. And Ben’s truck was absent.

Chapter Seven

Jessica tried to calm her racing heart as she helped Ellen out of the car and up the porch steps. As they entered the house, Hudson sauntered over and rubbed against her legs, but no one else was in view. She helped her aunt get settled in the sunroom before bringing her a drink.
 

“Thank you, dear,” Ellen said as she took the glass from Jessica’s hand.

“How are you feeling?” Though she wanted to make sure her aunt was comfortable, she had trouble focusing on the task as she knew Kyle was somewhere in the house. Nerves on edge at the possibility of running in to him, Jessica found herself on high alert for the sound of someone approaching.

“All right, I suppose. I’m sorry to be so much trouble though.”

“Taking care of you is no trouble at all. I’m just glad I can be here to help out.”

“I’m glad you’re here too.” Ellen yawned. “I think I’m going to shut my eyes, just for a minute.”

Leaving her aunt to rest, Jessica went into the kitchen to tidy up. She was glad the large windows let in an abundance of light, but was worried about what would happen once the sun went down. What if Ellen needed something during the night? Jessica didn’t want her walking around in the dark.

I’ll just make my bed on the couch near where she’s sleeping, Jessica decided. And maybe tomorrow I can convince her to go to a hotel.

She finished in the kitchen, saw that Ellen was still asleep, and decided to go up to her room to get the book she’d been reading. As she stood at the bottom of the stairs, she hesitated, afraid to see Kyle face to face. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered as she began walking up the stairs. At the landing she stopped to listen, but didn’t hear anyone, and continued on to her room. Grabbing the book on her bedside table, she carried it with her as she walked down the stairs. Just as she reached the bottom step, the front door opened and Kyle stood before her, a bucket of tools in one hand.
 

Though she wanted to turn and run up the stairs to the relative safety of her bedroom, she forced herself to stay where she was.

“Jess,” Kyle said, clearly caught off-guard to see her at that moment.

Jessica was no less surprised to see him, but managed to mask the jumble of emotions suddenly whirling through her. Hearing him use her nickname brought an unexpected ache to her heart, and as she gazed into his green eyes a sharp sense of attraction caught her by surprise. Angry at herself for being so weak, she decided to act like he was nothing more than a hired worker. Speaking in a calm voice that belied the turmoil within her, she said, “When do you think we might have our electricity back on?”

“Oh. Well, I’ve been looking things over and I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as Ben thought. I need to fix the wiring in the bathroom, but beyond that, I don’t think you need to do a full replacement. The electrical panel’s in good shape. I’ve dealt with older houses like this before, and I’m confident that the wiring is safe.”

Distracted by the sound of his voice and the sight of his lips, Jessica hardly comprehended what he said. “So you’re almost done?” she managed to ask.

“You should have power by later this afternoon.”

“I’m sure my aunt will appreciate that.”

“I understand she just had surgery. How’s she doing?”

Jessica didn’t want to get drawn in to a personal conversation with Kyle. “She’s fine. Be sure to let me know when you’re done.” At that, Jessica stepped from the bottom stair into the foyer, walked past Kyle into the living room, and toward the sunroom. She could feel his eyes on her until she turned the corner into the sunroom. She kept going until she reached the kitchen, certain there was no way he could see her in there.

Releasing her breath, she slid into the chair at the small table tucked in the corner, and put her face in her hands. Her heart raced and she took several shaky breaths to slow the adrenaline that was pulsing through her veins.
 

“Jessica?” Ellen called out.

She lifted her head from her hands, putting aside the examination of the emotions swirling through her, and went to her aunt’s side. “Can I get you something?”

“I heard voices. Was that Ben?”

“No.” Jessica almost blurted out that it was Kyle, but she didn’t want her aunt to worry about her fragile state of mind. “It was the man Ben sent over to fix the electricity. That’s all.”