Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Emily’s hand and wrist ached, and every inch of her skin was a raised welt, a testament to the water’s violence against her body. She could have hugged the doctor when he said she’d be fine and could have kissed Mark when he stood in the hospital room doorway, soaking wet but with warm, relieved eyes.
“Hi, Officer,” she said, giving him a smile that felt strange on her own face. She thought for a half-second he might cry, and she was sure for a full second that she might cry too. Instead, she laughed. The nurse thought they were crazy when she saw both of them sitting there, laughing on the hospital bed.
“Are you really all right?” he asked, then touched her wrist as if that touch would give him the answer.
“Yep, no internal bleeding, no broken bones. Not bad for being swept away in a raging flood. They don’t make women like me anywhere else.”
“They sure don’t.” He gently squeezed her hand and dried his face off with the shoulder of his wet shirt .
“How about you? I noticed when you helped me to the car you were limping. Are you okay?”
Mark shifted slightly, the hint of a grimace passing over his features. “Oh, it’s nothing serious. My injury just flared up when I got in a fight with your ex,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Dave?” she croaked out in disbelief. “You fought Dave because of me?” Emily’s heart swelled and sank at the same time. She wasn’t sure if she should be touched or worried.
Mark chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, well, he was out of line, acting crazy outside your hotel room…” his voice trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish the thought.
She could imagine what happened next. Dave had always been a hot-head, and it would be just like him to start a fight, even after she told him a dozen times it was over.
Emily sighed and shook her head slightly, her smile returning. “It seems you were my knight in soaking armor twice tonight.” She teased lightly, but her heart was filled with a mix of affection and concern.
“I’ll always have your back, Emily.” Mark’s voice was firm, his gaze locking with hers in a silent promise.
“Thank you,” she whispered, biting her lip as she mustered the courage to continue. “So, listen, when you said you loved me right after you dramatically rescued me, did you mean it?” She watched him blink, his mouth opening and closing. “If it was one of those heat of the moment, life or death declarations, I understand. I won’t hold you to it. You can?—”
“Emily,” he laughed as he nodded his head. “Yes, I meant it. I love you. I wanted to say it before it got to be life or death, but I got in my own way. I’m never going to let that happen again. I’m going to tell you every day for the rest of our lives if you’ll let me.”
She sat quietly for a moment, looking at him sitting next to her. She was glad they were there together, even if it took a massive storm to make it happen. She poked him in the side with her good hand and grinned. “That’s a good thing to hear because I love you back.”
This time, he did cry just a little, and she pretended not to see as she kissed him, the hospital bed alarm going off because he put his full weight down on it to lean closer.
“I’m sorry,” he said to a passing nurse, who gave them a suspicious look.
“Don’t be.” Emily laughed before kissing him again.
“Does this mean that you’re staying in Faith Valley?” he asked, holding her as tightly as the IV line allowed.
“Looks that way.” She flashed him a mischievous smile. “Assuming they let me out of this place. Sounds like the world’s coming to an end out there.”
“I’ll make sure they let you out. We got a whole life to live together.” He was still looking at her, that same wide-eyed relief, as a young man in scrubs stuck his head through the curtain.
“Sorry, folks,” he said with an awkward grin. “The storm’s got the hospital full up. We’re going to have to let some of the not-dying people out sooner than expected.”
Mark’s smile stretched as wide as Emily’s did.
“Think you can handle the discharge paperwork?” the man asked. “Normally, we’d have you wait it out a day or two, but…”
“She’ll be fine,” Mark assured him.
“She’ll be great,” Emily teased with a wink. “She just wants out of here as soon as possible.”
“Then I guess you’re getting your wish,” the young man said before handing them the paperwork and taking off.
Papers were signed, Emily kissed her soaked, happy boyfriend again; the storm was getting worse outside, but her head was dizzy and light with joy that she’d worked everything out with Mark.
As the raindrops continued their relentless dance against the town, they stepped outside, feeling the world shift around them. Faith Valley had turned into a strange theme park ride, with flooded streets and sidewalks everywhere. From one wet mess to the next, the entire town spun in crazy coordinated circles of trucks and sandbags and people hauling what little they had left from all they’d lost.
Volunteers spread like ants across sidewalks and parking lots. A crew was shoveling mud near the corner; more were patching up a damaged wall, water dripping through cracked seams.
One heavy lift at a time, she watched as Mark helped the townsfolk work to save what they could from the town. He smiled over at her, one side of his mouth tilting up as he pushed an old tire and half a wooden crate toward the pile of trash on the side of Main Street.
“Hey, you might need this.” She threw a sandbag at him with her good arm and stuck out her tongue.
“Thanks,” he told her as he placed the bag at the base of the doors in front of the diner.
They hauled driftwood and trash away from the park and Town Square, braced broken windows with plywood, and added additional sandbags where they were needed.
Mark looked over, and a concerned expression crossed his face. He put his hand over hers, noticing her hand quivering from exhaustion. “Let me do the heavy lifting for a while. Looks like you’re wearing out. ”
“Wearing out?” she asked, reaching for a small piece of wood. She looked over her shoulder, pretending it was too heavy for her to move alone.
He raised an eyebrow, pretended to walk in the other direction, then turned back as they both gave it one last push toward the street, laughing.
“Careful before you make that wrist worse,” Mark warned with a frown.
At the church, a group of half a dozen townsfolk worked tirelessly, their muscles straining and faces glistening with sweat, as they heaved and maneuvered to set upright a collapsed fence. The wooden planks groaned in protest as they were coaxed back into position. Nearby, others hustled about, placing extra sandbags at the various entrances.
“There’s still one place we haven’t visited,” Emily told him, knowing that Mark was avoiding the Waterfront for a reason.
“I know. I’m just not sure if I’m ready to go there yet,” he told her. “What if it’s all gone? Everything we built is destroyed?”
“If it is, we’ll figure it out,” she assured him as she placed her hand on his arm. “We did it once before. We can do it again.”
Mark nodded, his lips pressed into a thin line as he mustered resolve. Together, they made their way to the Waterfront, their boots squishing through the thick mud that had settled on the streets.
As they rounded the corner, the sight that greeted them was disheartening. The once bustling Brave Badge Coffee Shop stood in shambles, its windows shattered and the sign hanging by a single chain. The interior was a mess of overturned chairs and soggy coffee grounds.
Emily’s heart sank. This was his dream, soaked and splintered by nature’s fury. It was hard to believe this was the same place she’d first walked into when she’d arrived on her bike.
“Mark...” Emily started, her voice soft, full of empathy.
He shook his head slowly. “I thought I was ready to see it. But I wasn’t,” he admitted, his voice catching in his throat. He leaned against what remained of the door frame, his eyes scanning the damage.
Emily stepped closer, slipping her arm around him. “It’s bad, yes. But we’re still here, together. That’s what matters.” She squeezed his arm gently.
Mark turned to look at her, a mixture of gratitude and worry in his eyes. “What about the grand opening next week? And all those plans?”
“We’ll adjust,” she said firmly. “We can push back the opening date. Nobody would expect us to recover from this overnight.”
“You think people will still come?” he asked doubtfully.
“They will,” Emily assured him with a nod. “They’ve seen what you’ve done for this town. They’ll wait because they believe in you—just like I do.”
The weight of her words seemed to lift some of the burden from Mark’s shoulders. He took a deep breath and looked around again with a new perspective. “All right then,” he declared with renewed determination. “Let’s clean up this mess.”
For hours they worked together, joined gradually by the baristas and other townsfolk who brought tools and offered help. Pastor Gary showed up with a crew from the church, including Sadie Robertson, who organized volunteers with efficiency and kindness that mirrored her father’s.
Lucille Robertson came by with trays of sandwiches and lemonade, her way of bolstering morale amidst the chaos. Even Birdie Jackson appeared, camera in hand to document the communal effort—a series of before and after shots that she excitedly proclaimed would go into the next town newsletter.
After clearing most of the debris, Mark stood back and surveyed their progress. There was still so much to do, but now there was a path forward—a chance to rebuild stronger than before.
As dusk settled over Faith Valley, Emily walked over to him, wiping her muddy hands on her jeans. “Hey, boss,” she teased lightly, a twinkle in her tired eyes. “I think we should call it for tonight.”
Mark laughed softly, pulling her close for a brief hug. “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear.
“For what?” Emily pulled back slightly to meet his gaze.
“For not letting me give up on this place today.”
She smiled warmly at him. “Never,” she said simply. “We’ll make it shine again.”
Later that night, Emily held tight to Mark’s hand as they filed into Faith Valley’s church, sitting on a crowded row on scarred wooden pews. The room was filled with the anxious murmurings of dozens of voices, their nervous chatter echoing softly off the walls. Gradually, these anxious voices dwindled to half a dozen hopeful whispers. As the anticipation hung in the air, the whispers eventually fell silent, creating a serene hush that welcomed Pastor Gary’s presence. “Good evening, my dear friends,” he began, his warm and welcoming voice resonating through the room as he greeted everyone with a kind smile. “I’m glad all of you could make it here for our town meeting. It’s been a hard couple of days, but the storm is finally dying down. We can go from damage control to rebuilding starting tomorrow.”
As conversations erupted all around, a buzz of excitement filled the air, with voices overlapping like a chorus of lively chatter. Emily and Mark sat attentively, their ears tuned to the flurry of discussions about what was to come next. They exchanged glances now and then, quietly absorbing the various opinions and speculations that swirled around them like an invisible current.
“Can I say something,” Mark’s words filled the room as he stood up to address everyone. She wanted to cry and laugh and cheer all at once as he stood there and waited, that same confidence and certainty in his voice and posture and eyes. “It’s amazing to see how many of you are here, after everything. I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone. To let you know we’re going to get through this—all of us, together. I want to thank some people in particular. The Robertsons and church members, all my neighbors, the staff from the Brave Badge—” he paused, made eye contact with Emily across the crowded room, then continued. “—and especially Emily. For having faith in all of us and never quitting.”
There was a silence before the applause started as if the entire room knew to give the two of them a shared moment of pride and joy.
Birdie’s shout rang out over the crowd’s swelling applause. “Together at last,” she called, starting a new round of cheerful clapping.
“And I have one more thing to add,” Mark continued. He looked straight at her, saying, “I’ve decided to make Emily my new business partner at the Brave Badge.”
Applause filled the church, and so did her sense of belonging. She finally found a place where she belonged, and the desire to always be moving didn’t appeal to her anymore.
She blinked against the tears she’d told herself she wouldn’t shed. She had just one response to Mark’s brave words, one thing she knew with certainty she had to do. She stood up and waved to everyone. “I just have to say, I’m so glad to have found all of you, to find a place where I truly belong. I’m happy to announce that I will be staying in Faith Valley permanently.”
Birdie’s clapping was fast and louder than everyone else’s. It seemed Emily had finally won the busybody over. The rest of the room caught up to her, applause like nothing Emily had ever heard. There was cheering, and there were a few tears, and she watched Mark lock eyes with her through all of it. It was the kind of belonging she’d never imagined possible, a connection and a promise and a road that now lay brightly illuminated ahead of her with Mark firmly by her side.
As the applause gradually settled down, Pastor Gary stepped forward again, his voice capturing the quieting room. “Let’s take this moment to pray, to thank God for bringing us together through adversity, and to ask for His guidance as we rebuild not just our structures but also our bonds.”
Everyone bowed their heads, and in the collective silence, Emily felt a profound sense of peace wash over her. It was as if the entire town was breathing in unison, their hearts beating as one. As Pastor Gary concluded the prayer with a gentle “Amen,” Emily squeezed Mark’s hand tighter.
After the meeting, the crowd slowly dispersed under the soft glow of the church's exterior lights, exchanging hopeful words and hearty pats on the back.
“If you need anything, just let us know,” Macy told her as she left with her boyfriend.
“Same goes for us,” Layla echoed with a smile, pulling her own boyfriend behind her .
Mark leaned over, whispering in Emily’s ear, “See? They’re all rooting for us.”
“Yeah, it feels right,” Emily whispered back, her heart swelling with pride and affection. “It feels like I’m finally home.”
“Speaking of home, I found out from Sue, who lives in the same apartment building, that it was one of the few structures that wasn’t damaged. You can stay with me at my place.” When her eyebrows rose in question, he quickly added, “I’ll sleep on the couch, and you can have the bed until you find your own place.”
“Good, we wouldn’t want tongues to wag,” she teased. “We barely got them to stop gossiping about us because of the storm.”
Mark nodded. “Exactly. We don’t need any more trouble brewing.”
“We got enough with the work ahead,” she told him with a smile.
“But it will be worth it in the end,” he told her, leaning forward and placing a kiss on her lips.
Together, they could face whatever challenges awaited with faith and love at their core—an indomitable team backed by an entire town. Their journey wasn’t just about rebuilding a place; it was about creating a life filled with laughter, love, and endless cups of coffee—a testament to resilience and community spirit.