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Thankfully, someone with a rational mind steps forward. “Oh, my god, Daisy,” she says. “You’re bleeding.”
Her name’s Daisy?
“I’m sorry, Helena. I’m so sorry.” The quiver in her voice tugs at my heart and makes me feel even worse. “I fell over, please don’t fire me. I’ll pay for the broken glasses.”
“She was pushed,” I cut in. “None of this was her fault. She was only doing her job.”
“Nobody’s getting fired,” Helena assures us both. “But you’re going to need to go to the hospital.”
“I’ll take her,” I find myself saying.
She already stated she can’t afford an ambulance, and even though I can, something about her situation has me feeling protective.
I don’t know this woman, but I know what it’s like to feel like everything is falling apart, and I can’t stand the thought of leaving her to deal with this alone. Especially since I’m the reason she’s in this mess to start with.
After I followed Daisy and Helena into the rooftop bar’s staff area, Helena rinsed Daisy’s hands with water. She carefully removed the larger pieces of glass with tweezers and wrapped them to slow the bleeding.
All the while, I tried to convince Daisy that going to the hospital was the only sensible option. She fought me at first, but eventually, with Helena’s persistence, Daisy reluctantly agreed to let me take her.
At least, that’s what she said while her manager was present. Because the second we make it downstairs and out onto the street, Daisy turns and starts walking away like she didn’t agree to let me help her. I stop in my tracks, and I can’t decide if I’m more annoyed or impressed by her determination to handle everything herself.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
She glances back over her shoulder, and the guilty look on her face gives her away before she even says a word. “The bus stop.”
“We’re not taking a bus,” I retort as I raise my hand to hail a taxi.
“There’s no we in this equation. We aren’t doing anything. You’ve already done enough.”
I arch an eyebrow. “So, you were never planning on letting me come with you?”
Her lips press together, and the silence is answer enough. She only agreed because Helena was there. She didn’t want to argue with her boss or make a bad impression on her first shift. But now that we’re away from the rooftop bar and Helena’s watchful eye, she’s gone right back to trying to deal with everything alone. And for some reason, that bothers me more than it should. “No, I wasn’t.”
“Wow.”
“Can you tell me where the nearest hospital is so I can try to find a bus that will take me there before I bleed out on the footpath? I’m not from around here.”
“Bleeding out is a distinct possibility if you’re relying on me for bus directions. I’ve never caught a bus in my life, and I’m fairly certain I’d end up taking you further away from the hospital.”
“I’m serious,” she says.
“So am I. This is probably the first time in my life I’ve been grateful my lack of public transport knowledge might actually save someone’s life.” My eyes flicker down to the bandages wrapped around her hands, and the red patches already bleeding through. Any amusement I had disappears. When the taxi pulls up to the kerb, I reach out and gently wrap my fingers around her elbow, coaxing her towards our ride. “Come on, darlin’. You need to see a doctor.”
Daisy side-eyes me when my phone dings. We’ve been at the hospital for close to two hours, and in that time, any remaining glass shards have been removed, her cuts have been stitched, her hands bandaged, and we’re now waiting for her tetanus booster so we can leave.
When the taxi pulled up out front earlier, I paid the driver, and the second we stepped onto the pavement, Daisy turned to me and said, “Okay, you can go now.”
I just smiled and followed her inside, much to her annoyance.
I pluck my phone out of my pocket, glance down at the screen and see a message from my brother.
Bennett: How’s the girl? I take it since you never returned, you’re still with her.
Me: You mean Daisy?
Bennett: Who?
Me: That’s her name, douche canoe.
