The Dream Trip - Chapter 4

The time in Belfast went quickly as the girls wanted to get out from the big cities and into the country, so they headed to the Antrim coast and the Giant's Causeway. The day was beautiful and sunny. The basalt formations were amazing and like many of the tourists the girls decided to climb up to some of the higher areas for the incredible view. As they climbed around the formations, Darcy slipped and fell at one point and twisted her ankle. As the girls came to her aid so did a striking dark-haired, blue-eyed Irishman.

“Can I be of any help here?” he asked politely.

Darcy replied, “I seem to have sprained my ankle as I slipped. I'm not sure I can walk on it.”

“Here let me help you,” he said as he reached down and scooped her up in his strong arms moving her to a place where she could sit comfortably.

Obviously an athlete, he seemed to have no problem lifting Darcy up in his strong arms. At first she was in so much pain, and also embarrassed, that she really didn't notice how handsome this man was. When he picked her up and her face was close to his, she quickly took notice and blushed. He noticed her looking at him and smiled back. What a wonderful smile.

As he set her down he said, “Let me take a look at that ankle.” He easily slipped off her sandal and gently checked her ankle. Darcy cringed and he took note. “Sorry, I don't think anything is broken, but it does look like a good sprain. You'll probably need to take it easy for a couple of days.”

“Are you a doctor?” Mona asked as she stood next to this stranger.

“Oh, no. But I used to play Gaelic football and saw this kind of thing happen all the time. I apologize again... My name is Ryan,” he explained as he directed his comments toward Darcy.

“My name is Darcy, and this is Mona, this is Briana, and Caitlin. We're on vacation, and now I've probably spoiled it for everyone.”

“Darcy, nice to meet you. And I'm sure you haven't spoiled anything. Just a wee inconvenience.” Ryan had barely taken his eyes off Darcy except for the introductions.

After a few minutes they all decided to head back up the huge hill leading to the visitor center and to the parking lot. While the girls had walked down the hill to get to the Causeway there was going to be no walking back up the mile long steep hill for Darcy. Ryan carried Darcy to the tram and along with the other three girls rode the tram back up to the top. He was quiet for the 10 minute trip up the hill as he sat next to Darcy. Darcy was a little overwhelmed at how nice this man had been and was constantly apologizing for taking up his time. Ryan in turn kept telling her it was fine.

When they arrived at the top of the hill, Ryan again carried Darcy to the car and helped her into the passenger seat.

“Wait here for a minute, please,” he instructed Mona and the girls and off he went with no mention as to what he was going to do.

A few minutes later he arrived carrying a plastic bag full of ice. “Here, put this on your ankle. Try to keep it elevated, if you can,” he instructed. “This is the best thing for a sprain. Ice and rest. Where are you girls off to?”

Darcy explained that they had kept their schedule loose so they had the ability to move freely. Ryan suggested that they head to Ballymena where there was a hotel with a spa that would help her ankle heal faster. They knew they would miss some of their touring time as this was not on the agenda, but Darcy needed some treatment and hopefully could get some in Ballymena. The hotel was only about an hour away, so they took Ryan's suggestion and made it an early day heading to the Tullyglass House Hotel in Ballymena.