Chapter 16

Beads of sweat dripped down her back and tears flowed over her cheeks. The urge to scream welled up inside her, but the knot in her throat kept it from escaping. Her entire body shook. Somehow, she got out her smartphone and dialed 911. She regularly renewed her CPR and first aid certification. As she gave the dispatcher the necessary info, she checked his neck for a pulse. Finding it, she kept her fingertips on it. A physical reminder he was alive even if he wasn’t moving and his eyes were closed.

Around her people gathered, their voices a dull murmur compared to the blood roaring in her ears. A guy she didn’t know grabbed Brandon when he tried to leave. Brandon put up a fight, but his alcohol-muddled brain made his punches sloppy. Now he stood flanked by the first guy and Jack Doyle, both intent on making sure he was there when the police arrived.

Chief of Police Matthew Ellsbury, Mack’s father, was the first on the scene. Three police cruisers, two ambulances, and a fire truck arrived as Chief Ellsbury reached Ella’s side.

“Ella.” The police chief’s voice broke through the haze. “I need you to move so they can help Striker.” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. Instead, he gripped her by the shoulders and gently tugged her up.

When he got far enough away, Chief Ellsbury wrapped his arms around her. The sob she’d held back escaped, wracking her whole body. “He pushed me out of the way.” Her words came out muffled against his shirt, and large hands rubbed her back. “I didn’t even see the car coming.”

“Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Do you want the paramedics to check you out?”

The pain in her butt and hands was a minor annoyance compared to the one in her chest. “I’m fine.” Pulling away, she looked around Chief Ellsbury. Police officers gathered statements from anyone who’d seen the accident. She didn’t see Brandon and hoped he sat in a police cruiser. Jack and the other man who’d kept Brandon from running away stood talking to Officer Kelly Bateman.

Vince and Steve, the same two paramedics who’d treated Striker at the block party, tended to him. From here she couldn’t tell if he was conscious or not.

He’s alive, she reminded herself. She’d felt his pulse. He’ll be okay.

The paramedics loaded the stretcher into the ambulance. And like that, Striker was gone.

She needed to be with him. Even if she had Striker’s keys, his truck wasn’t going anywhere. She couldn’t walk. It’d take too long.

“I’ll drive you to the hospital,” Chief Ellsbury said, reading her thoughts and solving the problem for her. “Do you have a purse or anything you need to grab from the truck first?”

She’d taken only her wallet today, and it still hung from her wrist. And she still clutched her phone. She didn’t care about the backpack and leftover food.

“No. I have what I need.”

The police chief nodded and led her to his cruiser.

In the waiting room, Ella resisted the urge to rub her sore butt. Instead, she adjusted her position in the stiff plastic chair and went back to watching the door marked No Admittance. She’d been sitting there for hours. Or it seemed like it. In reality, it’d probably been less than half an hour. Chief Ellsbury had used the police lights all the way to the hospital.

“Here you go.” He handed her a steaming cup of liquid then sat down next to her. He’d only left her side twice since arriving at the scene. The first time had been to call Striker’s parents. The second had been to get them both whatever liquid she now held from the vending machine.

She looked inside. Coffee. “Thank you.”

“Drinking it will give you something to do other than stare at that door.” He took a sip from his cup. “It’s not from Peggy Sue’s, but I’ve had worse.”

Ella tried it. The hot liquid was not as sweet as she’d like, but it was drinkable.

The emergency room’s double glass doors slid open and Edward and Jane Striker rushed in. Tony and Cat entered before Striker’s parents reached her.

Striker’s mom hugged her. “Have you heard anything?” She wiped tears from her cheeks. The woman’s eyes and nose were red. Ella guessed she looked that way, too.

“Nothing.”

“I need answers.” Mrs. Striker stepped away but her husband caught her arm.

“Jane, let them work. When they’ve got news, they’ll tell us. You know how it goes.”

Mrs. Striker’s mouth quivered. “Edward, that’s my baby back there. I should be with him. And I would be if it wasn’t my day off.” Jane Striker was an emergency room nurse at the hospital.

Cat came forward and wrapped an arm around her mom’s shoulders. “Pop’s right. Striker’s in good hands. They’ll get you when they get him stable.” Cat guided her mom over to a seat. “Let’s sit down.”

With Cat taking care of his wife, Striker’s dad turned his attention to Chief Ellsbury. “Did you get the son of a bitch, Matthew?”

“Brandon Michaels is at the station. He tried to run, but two witnesses kept him there until we arrived.”

Tony swore under his breath, but Striker’s father let them all know what he thought of Brandon Michaels. She’d never heard Mr. Striker use such explicit language, but she didn’t fault him for it, because he merely said exactly what she’d been thinking.

***

Kelsey filled another mug with coffee. She wished the restaurant closed sooner. She was beat. The combination of a late night out Saturday and dealing with Drew had zapped all her energy. She was ready to call it a day, take a shower, and hit the sheets.

“Did you hear? Brandon Michaels got arrested this afternoon.” Mara, the restaurant’s hostess and Lou Masterson’s granddaughter, said. She took a mug, dropped in a tea bag, and filled it with hot water.

The restaurant had been busy most of the day, and she hadn’t lingered at any table long enough to hear gossip. However, the news didn’t shock her. “Let me guess, for drunk driving?” Everyone knew the guy had a drinking problem. He had since high school. His friends did what they could by taking his keys away when he drank with them. Kelsey guessed he didn’t always drink with company, though. “Either that or he finally hit on the wrong woman and she called the cops.”

Mara shook her head. “Worse.” She added milk and sugar to her tea. “He hit someone near the park with his car.”

“Are you talking about Brandon?” Annie asked, joining them and taking two coffee mugs from the shelf. “When Jack came in for dinner, he said the jerk tried to run. He and some other guy kept him from escaping before the police showed up. My cousin said Striker looked pretty bad when they put him on the stretcher.”

Oh, God no. Not Striker. Instantly, Kelsey got transported back. It’d been a gorgeous July afternoon. She’d had the house to herself. Her parents had driven down to North Carolina for the long holiday weekend. It was the first time they’d left town since well before Ian became ill. She’d been ready to go sit in the backyard and work on her tan when the doorbell rang. She opened it, expecting maybe Cat or Ella. Instead, Police Chief Ellsbury stood on the step. Even before he’d said hello, heart-stopping dread had descended on her. Without asking, she’d known he hadn’t stopped by because he wanted to borrow one of her dad’s power tools, something he often did.

“Kelsey, I need to talk to you,” he’d said before stepping inside the house. “There was an accident on Interstate 95, outside of Baltimore.”

She’d never wish what she’d gone through on anyone, least of all her best friend.

“I can’t believe Brandon hit Striker and tried to run. What a loser. Did anyone else get hurt?” Mara’s words jolted her back to the present.

Annie filled the mugs with coffee and then poured two glasses of ginger ale. “Jack didn’t think so.”

“Was Ella with him?” She was worried about Striker but couldn’t do anything for him; only the doctors could. Ella, she could help. Or at least try to. Cat, too. Striker was her brother. They’d both been there for her when she lost first her brother and then her parents.

“Yeah. Jack said she looked shaken up, but not hurt. She left with Chief Ellsbury.”

She couldn’t just walk out. Not without risking her job. She hadn’t seen Lou, the owner, since she’d first come in. That didn’t mean he wasn’t still around. “Mara, is your grandfather still here?”

“He left early so he could watch the Rebels game.”

She’d set her DVR to record the football game tonight so she could watch it later. Not because she wanted to see Drew. Nope, she didn’t care if she ever saw him again. She wanted to see the game. Yep, if she told herself that enough times she’d believe it.

Figures. The man practically lived there, but when she needed him Lou went home. Getting to her friends would have to wait, but at least Cat and Ella had each other.

***

Ella watched the door for Mrs. Striker. Despite her husband and daughter’s attempts, she’d used her access card and entered the treatment area, intent on helping her son. Although Ella agreed she should stay in the waiting room, she understood the woman’s need to be back there. If she had access she’d be back there, too. The wait was killing her. And everyone else around her.

Not long after Striker’s parents, sister, and Tony arrived, Mack walked in. Now they all sat together in silence.

The door into the treatment area opened and a nurse walked out. Ella held her breath and watched. The nurse didn’t come their way. Instead, she called out a name. A gangly teen with an ice pack on his arm stood and approached the nurse, his dad right behind him.

Couldn’t they come and tell them something? Even “we’re taking him for tests” or “he’s in surgery” would be better than nothing. Didn’t they realize Striker had people out here worried about him?

“Mom should come out here and give us an update. Tell us something,” Cat said, dropping into the seat next to Ella again. Since she’d arrived she’d gone between pacing and sitting.

Tony put his arm around her again and kissed her temple. “When your mom has news, she’ll come out. You know she will.”

Ella’s smartphone rang again. Both her parents and her sister had called, asking about Striker. Evidently news of the accident had already spread through town. This time Kelsey’s name showed up on the screen. “Kelsey,” she said before answering the phone, even though no one paid any attention to her.

“How’s Striker?” Kelsey asked, not even bothering with a hello first. “Are you okay? How’s Cat?”

“We haven’t gotten any news,” she answered when Kelsey gave her an opportunity. “Cat and I are okay.” A minor understatement, but it beat telling Kelsey they were emotional wrecks. “Tony’s with her. Striker’s parents and Mack are here, too.”

“I doubt you guys are okay, but I’m glad you’re not alone. I’m stuck here until closing, but I can go straight to the hospital after if you want.”

“Thanks, but don’t worry about it. You’ve got school tomorrow morning.” Kelsey spread herself thin enough. Ella didn’t want to add more to her plate.

“Are you sure? It won’t take me long to get there.”

“Positive. Maybe we’ll all be home by then anyway.” Ella doubted it, but a little optimism never hurt anyone.

“Well, call if you need me. Doesn’t matter what time. Tell Cat that, too. And let me know how Striker is when you find out something.”

Ella knew Kelsey would be there in a heartbeat if she needed her. She hoped she didn’t. “Will do.”

“I’m on my break for a little longer. But I’ll keep my phone on me when I go back to work. I don’t care if it’s against the rules.”

Everyone should have friends like hers. Putting her phone away, Ella looked up at Cat, who’d gone back to pacing again. “Kelsey said to call if you need her.”

“Isn’t she at work? How’d she find out?” Cat stopped moving long enough to ask her questions.

“She’s on her break. My mom and sister know, too. You know how quickly news spreads.”

“I wish news moved as quickly in this stupid place. We’ve been waiting forever.”

“Your mom’s headed this way,” Mack said, getting everyone’s attention.

Ella’s eyes snapped back to the door marked No Admittance. Mrs. Striker looked remarkably calm and collected. No one looked that calm if they were about to deliver horrible news. Right? Tears no longer filled her eyes and there was no sign she’d been crying. All good signs.

Mr. Striker stalked across the waiting room, engulfing his wife in a hug before she took more than a handful of steps. He spoke, his voice low, and Ella didn’t hear whatever he said. Mrs. Striker nodded in response and then they walked over to the small group waiting for answers.

“Well?” Cat demanded, expressing the same thought everyone else had. “How is he? Is he awake? Can we see him?”

Before answering, Mrs. Striker hugged Cat then went back to stand next to her husband, who immediately put his arm around her shoulders. “Striker was incredibly lucky,” she said. “He didn’t sustain any life-threatening injuries. He does have a concussion and three cracked ribs. He’s going to need surgery on his arm.”

Relief swept through her and she sagged in her seat, suddenly exhausted.

“It’ll take some time, but he’ll make a full recovery.”

A full recovery, thank God.

“They’re keeping him overnight for observation.” Mrs. Striker continued with her update.

“Can we see him?” Ella asked. She’d go nuts waiting until he got released tomorrow to see him.

Mrs. Striker left her husband’s side and took the empty seat near her. “Once he’s settled in a room.” She squeezed her hand. “Before he said anything else to me, he asked for you. Don’t worry. He’s going to be fine.”