His face lit up when he saw me, momentarily forgetting his pain.
“Miss Ellie.”
I moved to his side.
“I work here in the cafeteria. I heard you had an accident.”
“I fell off my bike. Papa says I have to be more careful.”
“Where is your father?” I asked, glancing around.
“In a business meeting,” Nicholas answered tersely. “He’s on his way.”
The doctor finished examining Marco’s knee and straightened.
“It’s just a greenstick fracture. We’ll get him in a proper cast, and he’ll be good as new in about 6 weeks.”
Nicholas nodded, his phone constantly vibrating in his hand with incoming messages. He answered quickly.
Marco suddenly asked, “Can Miss Ellie stay with me while they put on my cast?”
Nicholas looked at me, then back at his nephew.
“If she wants to.”
All eyes turned to me.
I found myself nodding.
“Of course I’ll stay.”
The relief on Marco’s face made my heart twist. I sat beside him and carefully took his uninjured hand in mine. As the doctor explained the casting process, Nicholas stepped outside the curtain to take a call, his voice low and urgent.
“Will it hurt?” Marco whispered.
“No. And you get to pick what color you want.”
His eyes widened.
“Really? Any color?”
“Any color they have.”
“Green,” he decided instantly. “Like a dinosaur.”
