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Standing in the middle of the lobby, I feel a little lost, unsure what to do next. I notice a few people looking at me a bit funny. When I move to sit down in the waiting area, the volunteer at the front desk—who’s been staring at me—gives a sharp shake of her head.
I guess sitting is out of the question, so I head back out the doors, finding refuge on the bench outside where I can send off the promised update to my sisters.
That’s where Dana finds me ten minutes later.
“She’s gone up for an angioplasty.”
She stands in front of me and runs a hand through my hair, which is sticking up in all directions. I close my eyes and drop my head forward, resting it against her stomach. All I’ve been able to think about is the possibility I might lose my mother today. I’m a grown-ass man, but there’s no way I’m ready to face that. Not yet.
If I’ve learned anything from the past hours, it’s how much I value my family, despite evidence to the contrary. There are a lot of good things that have come from moving to Silence, but doing it to avoid my family was stupid. If, God forbid, Ma doesn’t survive, I’ll forever regret it.
“How are you holding up? Did you get a hold of your sisters?”
I nod against her belly, needing a moment to get a hold of my emotions.
“Talked to them earlier, and just texted them an update.”
“Do you think they’re coming?”
I lift my head and throw her a tired smile. My sisters probably started planning the moment I got off the phone with them and are likely already en route.
“I’d say it’s a safe bet.”
She smiles back. “All the more reason for us to make ourselves a little more presentable.”
Grabbing my hand, she pulls me to my feet.
“Come on, I’ve already got some clean scrubs ready for you in the shower in my clinic. Let’s wash this grime off us.”
I follow her in like a meek puppy, the adrenaline letdown kicking in hard.
“Heard from Mancuso, it looks like Cody Withers is gonna make it. He had a skull fracture and a serious concussion, but he woke up during the flight to Spokane and seemed fairly coherent. They’re monitoring him for brain swelling.”
Withers was airlifted and Deputy Kim Torres had gone with him to Spokane, where Mancuso’s men took over guarding the guy.
Savvy grins. “Your mother must’ve really whaled on him.”
Dana had just left to grab us some coffees and sandwiches from the cafeteria before it closes, when my boss walked into the lobby.
“I still can’t believe she did that,” I admit, shaking my head. “In the middle of gunshots flying, she picks up that steel pipe and swings. To be honest, I had my gun trained on him, but I would’ve been hard pressed to use it, with Dana being held as a shield and my mother behind him in the line of fire, I don’t know I’d have even tried.”
“Momma bear instinct, protecting her young,” Savvy suggests. “I always thought it was a bit of a myth, having done a lot of growing up without my mother, but now that I have kids of my own, I totally get it. It’s a real thing, and makes us mothers do crazy shit.”
A little humbling that my five-foot-whatever mother ended up the hero in that confrontation, but I’ll gladly eat it, because it sure kept Dana safe, and I don’t know what I would’ve done if anything happened to her. I don’t want to have my heart ripped out again, now it’s just come back to life.
“What about the fire? Is it out? Were you able to get to Merrick’s body?”
I’d already briefed Tessa earlier on what I walked into up at the quarry, and handed her the gun and knife I got off Withers.
“Wildfire team is still up there, putting out pockets that want to flare up here and there, but it’s under control. As for the mayor: they were able to bring his body down the mountain, mostly intact. Apparently, the ambient heat of a wildfire can do damage from even yards away. The two vehicles that were parked beside the warehouse are beyond salvage, I’m told. Anything rubber—tires, seals, gaskets, hoses—or molded plastic melted, and the paint blistered right off the frames in places.”
“Insurance should take care of that,” I muse out loud, thinking we were pretty damn fortunate we were able to get ahead of the blaze.
“Yeah. The fire left very little to salvage up at the quarry. We’re still waiting until the fire department deems it safe enough for us to go up there with a team, but I asked the fire chief to check in on Dana’s property, and it looks like other than a few scorched trees at the base of her driveway, her place didn’t sustain any damage. I’m sure there will be ashes and soot the wind carried in and left behind, but nothing a little elbow grease can’t fix.”
“Good, good.”
I’ll be grateful if all we lost are a couple of cars that can easily be replaced, but my eyes keep drifting to the doors on the far side of the lobby, where I’m expecting a nurse or a doctor to show any minute to let me know Ma will be okay.
