Empre
Chapter 62
Several minutes passed before the bathroom door finally opened. Irene emerged in her pajamas, her hair still damp from the shower. She was clearly trying to walk normally, but the slight limp was impossible to miss. Each step made her wince almost imperceptibly.
“Mom!” The triplets swarmed her immediately, forming their own lite protective detail around her. Despite their tiny size, they moved like a well–oiled machine, each taking up position to prop her up.
Alex, sharp as ever, spotted the problem right away. “Whon, your abs all puffy!” he exclaimed, pointing at the angry redness peeking above her slipper. “And look at your wrist–it’s totally red!”
Irene brushed it off with a tight smile. “Just twisted it a bit, buddy. Nothing some ice and sleep won’t fix.”
“Want me to find a doctor?” Thomas blurted, looking genuinely worried.
Irene snorted despite the throbbing pain. “Um, Thomas? You do realize you’re talking to a doctor, right?” She limped toward the bed, trying to keep weight off her screaming ankle. “Got any of that good anti–inflammatory cream around? The prescription–strength
stuff?”
Adam motioned with his head. “Thomas, grab that medical kit from my bathroom. The fancy one with all the good meds, not the
basic one.”
“On it, boss, Thomas replied, practically sprinting out the door.
Irene carefully lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, the triplets watching her every move with wide, concerned eyes. When she tried to bend down to examine her ankle more closely, she couldn’t suppress a small wince as her wrist protested the movement.
Thomas returned quickly, a substantial medical kit in his hands. “Go all kinds of stuff in here,” he said, setting it on the bedside table and flipping it open. “Boss is big on the whole ‘better safe than sorry‘ thing.” He dug through the neatly organized supplies, pushing aside bandages and medications before pulling out a tube with a triumphant smile. “Ah! Found it! The good stuff – and look, it’s not even expired.”
He handed the tube to Irene, who accepted it with a grateful nod. “Thank you. This should help.”
As she fumbled with the cap, her wrist protesting every twist, her face scrunched in pain. She was about to slather some cream on
when Lucas jumped forward.
“Hold up, Mom!” he said, face suddenly dead serious.
Irene froze, eyebrows shooting up. “What’s the matter, sweetie?”
Alex stepped in, looking like a miniature doctor making rounds. “Mom, you know you can’t just slap medicine on a sprain like that. Gotta massage it first, get the blood flowing. Otherwise the medicine just sits there being useless.”
Irene couldn’t help but smile at his know–it–all tone. “Yeah, yeah, Dr. Alex. I’m familiar with the concept. Let me just-” She reached for her ankle again, but her wrist screamed in protest, sending the tube tumbling from her fingers with an embarrassing fumble.
After a couple more pathetic tries, she finally threw in the towel. Her stupid wrist was officially on strike.
Lily sidled up next to her, eyes all big and worried. “Mom, I saw you babying that wrist. You messed it up when you fell too, Remember what you always tell us–if you don’t fix right now, it’ll be way worse in the morning.”
huh?
Irene had to smile at getting her own lecture thrown back at her. These little mimics didn’t miss a trick.
“Your wrist’s toast, Mom. No way it can handle the pressure you need for a proper massage,” Alex pointed out, sounding suspiciously
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Chapter 62
grown–up. Then, like he’d just had the most brilliant idea ever (though the mischievous spark in his eye said otherwise), he snapped his fingers. “Wait, I got It! Uncle Adam should help you!”
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