Right before the vows, Karen Gilbert's young assistant bolted up onto the stage and planted himself in front of her.
"Ms. Gilbert, hold on. Let me check first whether the groom's bones are solid enough for you!"
Before I could even react, several burly men rushed the stage and pinned me down.
One of them raised a rod and brought it down hard across my left arm.
The arm dropped at a wrong angle, and pain tore through me all at once.
Brendan Fox was grinning ear to ear.
Karen pulled him to her side and, doting, ran a fingertip down his nose.
"Why are you being such a handful? Look where we are."
Then she turned to me, a little put out.
"Brendan's been in a bad mood lately. That's the first time he's smiled in days. Don't take it to heart."
I clenched my teeth.
"He's unhappy, so he gets to send people to break my arm?"
Karen's face darkened at once, her voice going impatient.
"Enough. What are you doing, sulking at a kid like that? Stop being difficult. The only thing that matters right now is the wedding."
"Look at the state of you. Go and deal with it, quickly."
"I'll give you ten minutes. If you can't get it sorted in ten minutes, then Brendan can walk through the whole ceremony in your place."
Something in my chest went tight.
I looked at Brendan, dressed almost exactly like the groom, and let out a cold laugh.
"Don't bother waiting. This wedding — why don't the two of you just get married."
...
Karen grabbed my right hand.
"Nelson Swanson, there's a limit to how much of a tantrum you get to throw."
"With this many relatives and friends watching today, you're really going to ruin it for everyone?"
I threw her hand off.
The pain slammed back into me, and the room dimmed at the edges.
"Am I the one making a scene? Karen, look at the state I'm in!"
Brendan ducked behind her and tugged at her hand, all wounded.
"Ms. Gilbert, I really didn't mean it. I just wanted to joke around and lighten the mood."
"I told them beforehand, just give Nelson a little scare, that's all."
"Who knew his bones were so weak that one little tap and he falls apart."
Karen held his hand, then turned to me, her eyes full of blame.
"Brendan meant well. He even left you your good hand. What are you fussing at him for?"
"Besides, if you hadn't refused to let him ride in the lead car, he wouldn't have been in a bad mood these past few days."
I was so angry I almost laughed.
Three days ago, Brendan had in fact come to see me.
He'd said he wanted to be the most talked-about man at Ms. Gilbert's wedding, and asked me to give up my seat in the lead car to him.
He'd even wanted to be the one to carry Karen into the car in my place.
At the time it just struck me as absurd, and I turned him down without a second thought.
I never imagined Karen would use that against me.
I looked at her.
"I'm the groom. Why on earth should I give my place to him?"
Karen frowned, impatience all over her face.
"It's just going through the motions. Do you really have to be this petty?"
"Brendan is my assistant. He represents me. When he looks good, it makes me look good too."
"You're a man. Can't you show a little more of a big-picture attitude?"
I looked at this woman I'd loved for seven years, and suddenly she was a stranger to me.
"I'm the small one here?"
"Having my fiancée's male assistant do the groom's job at the wedding, that's called big-picture?"
Karen's patience ran out completely.
"Enough! I don't want to waste breath on this nonsense with you."
"You've got fifteen minutes. Go get that arm dealt with, now!"
I stood there and didn't move.
She lowered her voice and warned me:
"Nelson Swanson, I've already backed down a step. Don't push your luck."
Just then the hotel's on-call doctor came hurrying over.
He took one look at my arm and his face changed.
"Mr. Swanson, this is a fracture. It has to be immobilized right away, then you need to get to a hospital for an X-ray."
"But the splints and straps in the medical room have all been cut up, and the backup medical kit is gone too."
"Several roads nearby are under temporary closure today. An ambulance would take forty minutes to get here at the fastest."
Karen glanced at her phone.
"Forty minutes is out of the question. The ceremony can't be held up."
Brendan covered his mouth, feigning shock.
"Oh no, how did this happen? What are we going to do?"
The next second, as if the answer had just come to him, he clapped his hands, delighted.
"How about this. I've got a good buddy right nearby, and he's amazing at setting bones. I'll get him to come save the day?"
The doctor paused.
"Your friend's an orthopedist?"
Brendan looked smug.
"No, he's a vet."
"He usually treats cats and dogs and such, but his skills are top-notch, honestly."
"He can set a broken leg on any animal, so Nelson's little hand here won't be any trouble."
A wave of laughter broke out around us, and no one bothered to hold it back.
My father shot to his feet, only for several men to block his way.
Karen nodded.
"Fine, tell him to hurry."
I stared at her, hard.
"You want me to get a vet to set a broken arm?"
Karen's face was grim.
"No job is beneath another. Don't look down on people."
"Your fifteen minutes are already counting down."
"If it isn't handled in time, Brendan walks the ceremony in your place."
I nodded.
"Fine."
Her expression eased a little, thinking I'd finally caved.
I turned on my heel, pulled off the groom's boutonniere, and dropped it on the floor.
"This groom — I'm not being him anymore."
