By 8 PM, Isla made the call. The storm was at its peak with winds howling outside with enough force to rattle even the reinforced walls. No one was leaving until it passed.
"We've got cots in the storage room," she announced. "And enough donuts, chips, nuts and bananas to last until morning. Everyone find a spot and hunker down. We'll keep broadcasting on a reduced schedule with updates every hour instead of every thirty minutes."
I claimed a corner of the break room, as far from the weather center as I could manage. Some of the crew were trying to sleep while others were on their phones, texting loved ones or scrolling through social media to see what people were saying about the storm.
I pulled up footage from the moments before I'd fallen. Someone had already posted it online. I shivered as the wind caught me, the line snapped, and I disappeared into the water. And then, barely visible through the rain and chaos, a large shape moved through the flood.
The wolf was huge with dark fur that was almost black. The footage was grainy as the rain and wind made it hard to see clearly, but there was no mistaking that a wolf had saved my life.
"Parker." Dawson's voice made me look up. He stood in the doorway with two cups of coffee in his hands. "Can I sit?"
"It's a free country."
He sat anyway, setting one of the cups in front of me. "I need to apologize."
"You don't need to do anything."
"Yes, I do." He ran a hand through his hair, looking more disheveled than I'd ever seen him. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. You nearly died, and instead of making sure you were okay, I tore into you. That was wrong."
I wanted to stay angry because it was easier than acknowledging the hurt underneath. "You made your opinion of my judgment pretty clear."
"I was scared." He looked up and there was fear in his eyes. "I watched you fall into that water, and I thought—" He paused and swallowed. "I thought you were going to die. And when you didn't, all that fear turned into anger, which isn't fair to you."
"No, it's not."
"I know." He stared down at his coffee. "You were doing your job. Trying to show people why this storm is dangerous. And yeah, maybe it was riskier than it should have been, but that doesn't excuse how I reacted."
Part of me wanted to accept the apology, to let this go. But the hurt was still too fresh. "I appreciate what you're saying but I think we should keep things professional from here on out."
He couldn't disguise the pain on his face before he looked away. "Okay. If that's what you want."
"It is."
He stood, leaving the untouched coffee in front of me. "For what it's worth, I'm glad you're okay. The thought of you getting hurt..." He shook his head. "I'm glad the wolf found you."
Then he was gone, and I was alone with my coffee and an ache in my chest. I wanted to call him back and say I forgave him but he was an asshat and had to live with what he said.
The storm raged for another four hours. We did updates every hour like Isla had ordered with Dawson and I standing side by side with plenty of space between us. We were professional but distant which was exactly what I'd asked for.
So why did it feel so wrong?
By midnight, the worst had passed. The winds were dropping and the rain had eased to something merely heavy instead of torrential. By 2 AM, Isla gave the all-clear.
"Roads are still flooded in most areas," she warned. "But if you can get home safely, go. Everyone else, there are cots. We'll reconvene at eight for damage assessment coverage."
I pulled out my phone and checked the flooding maps. My apartment was in the red zone and completely inaccessible. The whole neighborhood was underwater.
"Looks like I'm staying," I said to no one in particular.
"You can crash at my place." One of the camera operators, Mike, clapped me on the shoulder. "My roommate's out of town. You can have his room."
"Thanks, that would be great."
"My house is closer." Dawson appeared beside us, and I tried not to notice how good he still managed to smell after nearly twenty-four hours of storm coverage. "And I have a spare room. Plus hot chocolate."
I stared at him. "Are you serious right now?"
"Dead serious. Mike lives forty minutes away in good conditions. In this weather, it could take over an hour. My place is fifteen minutes away."
