are excellent,” said Brittney, winking at Amy. “We won’t let you go home until we’re sure you know what to do.”
“We just owe you so much for getting us here when you did,” said Chad. “The doc said you had real good instincts.”
Chapter 17
RYAN THOUGHT ABOUT THE EVENTS of the last couple weeks as he pulled into McWilliam. God, are you really providing me the answer I asked for? Dad starts talking about the town clinic, Mom pipes in about how much they need someone consistent, and You bring me not only Joshua but also Eleni’s dislocated elbow and Billy’s sprained ankle. Moving is the right idea, I think, but maybe moving to Portland’s the wrong idea? What about Brittney?
Brittney circled through his thoughts the rest of the drive to the fire station. Her old-fashioned accountability has me bringing Keith to go see her. Her family has me thinking about the future with all of them in my life, not just her. That impish smile of hers. The sparkle was missing from her eyes when I left the hospital. Probably just tired from the last week or so.
Ryan sighed deeply. When did my life get so complicated? About the same time Mom and Dad found Rachel. Amber. I’ve got to get used to calling her Amber, he chastised himself again.
Lost in his thoughts, Ryan drove through town automatically. He turned left off the frontage road onto Williamette Drive, just two blocks from the fire department,
Crash.
Stunned momentarily from the jolt of the impact, Ryan shook his head before looking around him. One car sat to his left, crunched into his front fender. In the car, a young girl cried with her hands waving frantically up beside her head.
Ryan released his seatbelt, walked over to her driver’s side window without a glance back at his beloved car, and knocked. “Are you okay?”
The young driver turned her blue eyes at him, big tears making their way down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. My dad’s gonna kill me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Her red ponytail wagged as she shook her head from side to side.
“Okay. Slow down and take a deep breath for me.” Ryan looked at her friend in the passenger seat. Her hands were braced on the dashboard, and she stared straight out the windshield.
He looked quickly over both of them. No obvious broken bones or signs of bleeding through their sweatshirts and jeans.
“Dude!” A young man came running over from the sidewalk.
“Do you know these girls?” said Ryan hopefully.
“Yeah, from school.”
“Know their home phone numbers? Or a parent’s cell phone.”
“Yeah.”
“Call and ask them to get out here,” said Ryan as he walked over to the passenger side. He’d just opened the car door when Sheriff Jeff Campbell pulled up behind the car. He nodded to the lanky sheriff before crouching down to talk to the passenger.
“Can you hear me?”
The girl turned her face toward him. She was very pale, and her brown eyes seemed to take up her whole face.
“Does anything hurt?” Ryan gently took her right hand from the dash and moved her hand up and down. Then he did the same with her left hand.
“That hurts some,” she said quietly.
He looked her in the eye and smiled reassuringly. “Okay.” He gently laid her hand in her lap. “Let’s get that checked when the EMTs get here.”
She nodded, nervously nibbling on her bottom lip.
“Just sit tight for the moment,” said Ryan, standing up and looking for the sheriff.
The ambulance was just pulling up beside the sheriff’s car, so Ryan walked over. His regular partner was stepping out of the passenger side. “Griffin! About time you got back to work!”
Ryan smiled and gave him the update on the girls. The second EMT listened closely and went to the car to check the passenger’s wrist.
“You feel okay?”
“Yeah.” Ryan moved his neck, gently stretching it out. “I’m fine.”
Ryan faded into the background, walking over to the sidewalk to sit on a bench, letting the sheriff and his
“We just owe you so much for getting us here when you did,” said Chad. “The doc said you had real good instincts.”
Chapter 17
RYAN THOUGHT ABOUT THE EVENTS of the last couple weeks as he pulled into McWilliam. God, are you really providing me the answer I asked for? Dad starts talking about the town clinic, Mom pipes in about how much they need someone consistent, and You bring me not only Joshua but also Eleni’s dislocated elbow and Billy’s sprained ankle. Moving is the right idea, I think, but maybe moving to Portland’s the wrong idea? What about Brittney?
Brittney circled through his thoughts the rest of the drive to the fire station. Her old-fashioned accountability has me bringing Keith to go see her. Her family has me thinking about the future with all of them in my life, not just her. That impish smile of hers. The sparkle was missing from her eyes when I left the hospital. Probably just tired from the last week or so.
Ryan sighed deeply. When did my life get so complicated? About the same time Mom and Dad found Rachel. Amber. I’ve got to get used to calling her Amber, he chastised himself again.
Lost in his thoughts, Ryan drove through town automatically. He turned left off the frontage road onto Williamette Drive, just two blocks from the fire department,
Crash.
Stunned momentarily from the jolt of the impact, Ryan shook his head before looking around him. One car sat to his left, crunched into his front fender. In the car, a young girl cried with her hands waving frantically up beside her head.
Ryan released his seatbelt, walked over to her driver’s side window without a glance back at his beloved car, and knocked. “Are you okay?”
The young driver turned her blue eyes at him, big tears making their way down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry. My dad’s gonna kill me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Her red ponytail wagged as she shook her head from side to side.
“Okay. Slow down and take a deep breath for me.” Ryan looked at her friend in the passenger seat. Her hands were braced on the dashboard, and she stared straight out the windshield.
He looked quickly over both of them. No obvious broken bones or signs of bleeding through their sweatshirts and jeans.
“Dude!” A young man came running over from the sidewalk.
“Do you know these girls?” said Ryan hopefully.
“Yeah, from school.”
“Know their home phone numbers? Or a parent’s cell phone.”
“Yeah.”
“Call and ask them to get out here,” said Ryan as he walked over to the passenger side. He’d just opened the car door when Sheriff Jeff Campbell pulled up behind the car. He nodded to the lanky sheriff before crouching down to talk to the passenger.
“Can you hear me?”
The girl turned her face toward him. She was very pale, and her brown eyes seemed to take up her whole face.
“Does anything hurt?” Ryan gently took her right hand from the dash and moved her hand up and down. Then he did the same with her left hand.
“That hurts some,” she said quietly.
He looked her in the eye and smiled reassuringly. “Okay.” He gently laid her hand in her lap. “Let’s get that checked when the EMTs get here.”
She nodded, nervously nibbling on her bottom lip.
“Just sit tight for the moment,” said Ryan, standing up and looking for the sheriff.
The ambulance was just pulling up beside the sheriff’s car, so Ryan walked over. His regular partner was stepping out of the passenger side. “Griffin! About time you got back to work!”
Ryan smiled and gave him the update on the girls. The second EMT listened closely and went to the car to check the passenger’s wrist.
“You feel okay?”
“Yeah.” Ryan moved his neck, gently stretching it out. “I’m fine.”
Ryan faded into the background, walking over to the sidewalk to sit on a bench, letting the sheriff and his
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