By My Side

CHAPTER 16

Phoebe started to pile the mess into one large box, when she noticed that they had missed hanging one of the ornaments. She picked it up and looked it over. Colorful beads and strings decorated the outside of the glass ball. Phoebe looked up at the tree and tried to find an unoccupied space where it might fit. Spying one near the top of the tree, she stepped onto the ladder and began to climb. When she was finally high enough up to reach the intended hanging spot, she realized that the empty spot was just slightly out of her reach to the side of the ladder. Not wanting to climb all the way down the ladder just to move it over, Phoebe tried to estimate the distance between the ladder and the empty spot. Reaching over with one arm holding onto the ladder, Phoebe's reach was just shy of the intended branch. Letting go of the ladder to gain a little more reach, she could almost touch the tip of the branch with her finger tips. Her hand had almost reached the desired spot when the ladder began to tip and sway. Phoebe tried to quickly brag back onto the ladder to steady herself, but her quick movements caused the ladder to tip even further to the side. Before she knew it, she was flying through the air towards the ground. She let out a desperate cry just before she hit the ground. Luckily, the blinding pain in her head caused her to blackout before she could feel the pain radiating throughout the rest of her body. The last memory she had as her vision began to dim was Cole frantically calling her name. Oh, how she wished that she could hear his voice just a little longer.

Cole had just walked back into the living room when he witnessed the ladder sway like a tree in the wind with Phoebe precariously balanced on top. He had tried to rush over and steady the ladder, but she had been too far away for him to do more than watch, horrified, as she hit the floor head first. Fear clutched his chest as he hurried over to her unmoving body and kneeled down next to her. Her skin was white and her breathing shallow.

"Phoebe!" he cried, trying to wake her up. "Come on, love. Open your eyes! Wake up!" When she didn't respond, Cole frantically grabbed for the phone and demanded an ambulance.

"Don't worry, Phoebe," Cole whispered with tears in his eyes and fear in his heart as he stroked her hair. "You're going to be just fine. You have to be." He dutifully sat next to Phoebe until the ambulance arrived and the paramedics took over.

Just as the paramedics were preparing to strap her to a body board to protect her neck against any unnecessary jarring, Phoebe opened her eyes. With a dazed look, she tried to sit up. "What happened?" she asked trying to make sense of the confusion in the room. A wave of dizziness prevented her from completing her attempts.

Seeing that she was finally awake gave Cole a rush of relief as he pushed his way back to her side. "Just lay back, Phoebe. These nice men are going to take you to the hospital to get checked out. You had quite a fall," he explained quietly so as not to hurt her head.

"No!" Phoebe cried, reaching out for Cole and trying to sit up. "I don't want to go to the hospital! I just want to stay here," she begged, curling her arms tightly around Cole's corded neck.

"Phoebe, you hit the floor pretty hard. I really think that you should get checked out by a doctor. You might have a concussion."

"No, I won't go." Shaking her head, Phoebe stubbornly refused. The shaking motion was causing a certain amount of nausea to arise in her throat, but she felt much safer in Cole's home than she would in a hospital.

Cole looked up at the paramedics for help. The older EMT looked towards Phoebe and frowned. "Well," he said, sounding anything but pleased with her decision, "I am not a doctor and I can't say with any degree of accuracy whether or not she has internal injuries, there don't appear to be any outward injuries. While I highly suggest that she get an x-ray done at the hospital to rule out any unknown consequences of the fall, the choice is ultimately hers to make. Just keep an eye on her for the next 24 hours," he cautioned. "Watch for any dizziness, nausea or worsening headaches." Having checked her over as well as they could with their limited mobile tools, the paramedics packed up their supplies and left through the front door.