33. Grant
Chapter Thirty-Three
GRANT
Flynn grinned as he approached me inside the plane hangar. As soon as he stopped in front of me, he pulled me into a back-slapping hug. Stepping back, he offered, “You look okay. You must have showered this morning.”
I chuckled. “I did. I was staying at Nana's place. She has plenty of hot water.”
Whenever we booked these longer trips, we often flew into less developed areas. As a result, hot showers and good food weren't always an option. I didn't mind that, but it was nice to end in a place where I could enjoy the amenities.
“How’re you doing? How's your leg?” he asked, glancing down. “Can't see a thing, man.”
I chuckled. “There’s a tidy row of stitches on my thigh. Not too bad, but it hurts like hell,” I said honestly.
“How bad is it?”
“Oh, she got me good. Only one of the gashes needed stitches though. The doctor said getting the area clean was more important than the stitches. They were concerned about the other guy. He was in much worse shape.”
“Yeah?”
“He'll be dealing with an achy shoulder for the rest of his life. He has a few torn ligaments.”
“Oh man, I bet he’s glad you came along,” Flynn commented.
“I'm just glad Nana mentioned there’d been some bears around. I don't always carry my gun and bear spray when walking through town.”
Flynn shook his head slowly. “No shit, neither do I.”
He helped me take care of the plane before we closed up the hangar and walked out.
“How was the trip overall?”
“Pretty good. Except for the bear.”
My elder brother gave me a long look before pulling me into another big hug. My throat was tight when he stepped back. “You gave us a scare.”
My voice was rough as I replied, “Didn't mean to. I'm all in one piece, I swear.”
That evening at dinner, I missed Harley’s presence at the table. After the guests filtered out of the kitchen, it was just me, Flynn, Daphne, Nora, and Gabriel hanging out. Cat was at her play practice.
“Beer?” Gabriel prompted as he held one aloft.
I shook my head. “Nah, kind of tired.”
“Suit yourself,” he replied as he sat down at the table.
“When do you get your stitches out?” Nora asked.
“They said two weeks. The nurse at the hospital in Kodiak already scheduled a follow-up with Quinn. He'll take care of it.”
“You’re damn lucky, you know?” Gabriel prompted.
“I know. Honestly, I don’t normally walk around town with my gun and bear spray, but Nana mentioned there’d been bear sightings, so I did it to be safe. Thank God.”
Daphne slid a look at Flynn. “I didn't mention it, but Grant thinks I need shooting practice.”
Flynn nodded. “You do.”
Daphne's eyes went wide, her mouth falling open slightly. “Are you serious? I don't think that's necessary. I have my bear spray.”
“Bear spray helps, but it would be good for you to feel comfortable with gun basics. We live out here where bears are even more likely,” Flynn countered.
“I know, but they keep their distance,” Daphne insisted.
“They usually do. But look, it's been years…” He glanced at me. “Remember that summer?”
“Oh yes.”
“What summer?” Daphne asked.
Nora grinned. “We had a problem with a male brown bear one summer. He kept lingering. It was my fault because I left the trash out one night. Anyway, we had to keep a gun right by the door in case he showed up so we could get to it quick.”
Daphne’s eyes widened.
“He eventually left, but it was a nuisance for a while,” Flynn said.
“Fine,” Daphne said, her tone resigned.
“Dinner was great,” I said, catching Daphne's eyes.
She smiled. “Thank you. I made one of your favorites.”
“Mac and cheese is always my favorite. You can make it every night,” I replied.
“I'm not going to make it every night. The guests wouldn't appreciate it.”
“Oh, I think they would,” Gabriel chimed in.
We all laughed. Just then, the main phone to the lodge rang. An old phone was mounted on the wall by the door into the back hallway, but it was rarely used. We collectively swiveled, looking in that direction.
Daphne commented, “I’ll let it go to voicemail.”
“Do you have the volume turned up?” Flynn asked.
“I don't know.” Daphne hurried across the kitchen. “Oh yeah, it's on.”
A moment later, we heard the lodge message in Daphne’s polite voice with a subtle Southern twang, followed by, “Hello, this is Jen Williams from the Emergency Response Team in Diamond Creek. Please give me a call as soon as you can.”
“What the hell?” Flynn muttered.
Daphne was calling the number on her cell phone as it was recited in the voicemail.
A moment later, she was saying, “Hello, I'm calling from Walker Adventures. You just left us a message.” She nodded along while we all waited.
“Oh, right. I can get you her brother's phone number. Hang on.” She gestured to Flynn, adding, “It's about Harley. Something happened. Write down Diego’s number for me. I don’t have it memorized.”
“What happened to Harley?” I practically barked as Flynn jotted down Diego’s number on a napkin.
Daphne held a finger up. “Yes, yes. Can you tell us where she is? Yes. Okay, thank you. We'll be in touch.”
“What the hell is going on?” I asked, standing from the table. I was jolted out of my relaxed state.
“Harley was in an accident,” Daphne explained.
“Is she okay?” My heart was pounding erratically.
“She’s at the hospital.”
“Which hospital?” I demanded.
“The officer said she was between Diamond Creek and Kenai but closer to Diamond Creek, so that's where they took her.”
“We have to go.” I was already walking toward the back hallway.
“He said she’s okay. They're not sure what caused the accident. It was a single-car accident. She ran into the guardrail, and her car bounced to the other side. They need to call Diego because he's her closest family,” Daphne explained.
I kept walking across the kitchen with Flynn calling, “I'm coming with you. I don't want you driving.”
Moments later, Flynn and Daphne were in the front seat of the lodge SUV while I was in the back. Nora and Gabriel stayed at the lodge in case there were any calls.
“What the hell could have happened? She wasn't even supposed to be back for two more days,” Daphne said. “Did you ever talk to her?”
“Ah, no. I left her a message the day before yesterday, and she hadn't called back.”
“The woman who called said she was okay. Oh my God. I hate waiting.” Daphne's phone rang, and she answered it. “It's Diego,” she offered over her shoulder. “Hey, Diego, did they give you more information than me?”
I wanted to snatch the phone from her hands.
She was nodding along. “Yes, we're on our way. Yeah? Okay.” A moment that felt like forever stretched before she hung up.
“He doesn't know what caused the accident.
He got more information from the hospital.
She was knocked out, but she's conscious now, and it doesn't appear anything's broken. She has a cut on her shoulder from broken glass.”
I leaned my elbows on my knees, trying to take slow breaths.
“You okay back there?” Flynn called over his shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m all right,” I lied.
The rest of the ride was quiet. For every minute of it, I regretted that I hadn't told Harley I loved her yet. I’d been stupid and childish after she got upset with me for talking to Diego.
It had been petty to just take off on this trip.
One of the other guys would have done it.
Maybe she wouldn't have had this accident if I'd been here.
Maybe, maybe, maybe. All I knew was I needed to see her.
The urge was so powerful I felt like I was going to jump out of my skin.
It felt like forever before we got to the hospital. Daphne and I raced inside while Flynn parked.
“We're here for Harley Jackson. We’re family,” Daphne said as soon as we got to the reception desk.
The woman there glanced down, tapping on her keyboard. “She's just been brought in. She's in an examination room right now. I'll tell the doctor you’re here. As soon as they have an update, someone will come out to speak with you.”
“Can you tell me how she is now?” I burst out.
The woman looked up, her gaze calm. “She was stable when she arrived.”
“Is that all they can tell us?” I muttered a few minutes later as we sat in the waiting area.
“That's probably all she knows,” Daphne said, patting my arm.
I was determined to tell Harley how I felt. It didn't matter anymore if she wasn't ready yet. I had faith she would be.