The Accountant

Chapter 7

They were on their way home, Selena can feel a slight throbbing pain in her ankle. She can still remember how Hunter had held her to keep her from falling when that kid suddenly bumped into her. He then gently carried her towards his truck after he inspected her foot. She had thanked him for what he'd done to help her. He looked at her, like he was seeing her for the first time. He smiled slightly but didn't say anything. That was weird, she thought. She glanced at him, he was so focused on the road, but she could make out the creases on his forehead, as if he is thinking really hard about something. It's probably about the farm. By now, Selena knows how important the farm is to Hunter.

The pain in her ankle is getting a little more uncomfortable by the minute. She hopes it will subside soon. She has plans to go house hunting tomorrow. She thinks she is already overstaying her welcome in Hunter's house. She needs to leave as soon as possible.

As they arrived at Hunter's house, he parked his car and ordered her not to move. He went out of the truck and came to her car door. He gently helped her out of the car, making sure her right foot doesn't bump into anything.

"Wait a minute." Hunter ordered. He closed the car door and locked the car. He then lifted and carried her without saying a word. She was about to argue again when he said, "Don't talk. Your ankle looks bad, I know it hurts a lot right now."

Without entering the office lobby downstairs, the living quarters upstairs can be accessed through a stair at the right side of the house. Hunter went up that way while carrying her. If he thinks she is heavy, it doesn't show as he easily carried her. Hunter is probably used to heavy lifting at the farm. Mrs. Boon has mentioned in passing that Hunter usually does manual labor in his farm, despite having employees around. That's probably why he looks far from being lanky. He has lean muscles. Selena guessed he stands around 6 feet. She feels a little less guilty when she thinks about her petite 5'5" frame being carried by the tall and muscled Hunter.

Once upstairs, she opened the main door while still in Hunter's arms, after which Hunter carried her inside and walked towards her own room. 'This feels really weird,' Selena thought. He walked inside, still carrying her, and set her down on her bed. She felt awkward, having him inside her bedroom.

"Don't move too much. I'll call a doctor." He didn't wait for her to answer. He just went out of her room. Once alone, Selena lay down on her bed. Her injured ankle definitely hurts a lot right now. She can feel perspiration trickling down from her forehead. She wondered how bad she twisted her ankle. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

It's almost eleven o'clock in the evening. Selena has been in her room for almost twenty minutes when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in." She called out. A man in his late sixties came in, followed by Hunter. 'This must be Dr. Winston,' Selena thought.

"Good evening, my name is Alfred Winston. So you're Selena, I presume."

"Yes, Dr. Winston."

"Alright then, let's see that erring ankle of yours." The doctor said with a warm smile. He made her think as if her ankle is a wayward body part that got injured due to its own recklessness. She smiled at him despite the pain. Selena hopes Hunter didn't wake him up just to see her tonight. The doctor inspected her ankle, poking here and there. "Hmm, there's a twist, alright." He mumbled to himself.

Selena doesn't like the sound of that. "Do I need to go to the hospital, Dr. Winston?" Selena hates hospitals.

"For now, I think we can remedy this one. Hunter, get something we can use as a splint. And some compress while you're at it." He ordered Hunter, who immediately went out of the room. When he came back, he is holding two pieces of wood, about half centimeters thick and almost a foot in length each, and a thin scarf. He also had what looks like an ice pack. She has no idea where he got those. He laid them down on the bedside, near her foot. He glanced at Selena, obviously concerned. She smiled at him, as if to tell him not to worry.