LITMIR.BIZ

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Now, about the nursing home…”

      “Right,” Lance said, and started down the street at a lope.

      By the time the last residents of the nursing home had been moved to the hospital, Lance was muddy and sick to his stomach. One old fellow, a man named Warren, had died in his arms on the way out of the building. Because the man was wheelchair-bound, Lance had been forced to pick him up and carry him through the debris-strewn hallways. He hadn’t known the guy was dead until he went to put him down on a gurney outside to be taken to the hospital.

      “This one’s gone,” the EMT said.

      Lance’s eyes had widened in disbelief. “That’s impossible,” he said. “He was talking to me when I picked him up.”

      “Too much stress and strain,” the EMT said. “Don’t worry about it. No one’s going to blame you.”

      Maybe not for this one, Lance thought, and once again, accepted his unbelievable luck that Cari North had perished only minutes after walking up on him in the act of hiding a crime. He shook off the shock and nervously swiped his hands down the front of his shirt.

      “He was the last one on that wing,” Lance said.

      The EMT nodded. “Then he’s the last one period,” he said. “Report back to the town square. It’s where emergency services has set up office. I’m sure someone else could use your help. We also have a missing kid.”

      “Oh, no, who?” Lance asked.

      “J.R. and Katie Earle’s little boy, Bobby.”

      Lance tried to remember what the little boy looked like but couldn’t. All he could do was shake his head as he walked away. On the way back downtown, he tried his cell phone again, as he had been doing off and on, checking to see if they’d restored reception. To his relief, the connection bars finally showed up.

      After what had happened, he knew his brother, Joe, who lived in Savannah, would be frantic. He wanted to let him know he was okay, and that Morgan’s Reach had survived the storm. But before he could punch in the number, his phone suddenly rang.

      He saw the caller ID and then bit his lip as emotion swamped him. It was Joe. His voice was thick with tears as he answered.

      “Joe, I was just about to call you. I’m okay. I’m okay.”

      “Thank the Lord,” Joe said. “I’ve been trying to call you for hours.”

      “The lines have been down all day. I just now was able to get a connection.”

      “Where were you when the tornado hit? Is the house okay? What about the livestock?”

      Lance could hardly admit he’d been burying a dead body.

      “I was out, but on the property. By the time it passed and I could get home, I was afraid the house had taken a hit. However, we were lucky. It has some damage, but nothing serious. A few missing shingles, barn’s missing a corner of the roof, and there are some windows broken. Otherwise, we were fortunate.”

      “Thank goodness,” Joe said. “What about Bordelaise?”

      Lance hesitated and took a deep breath. Telling Joe the news was going to be as difficult as finding the Norths’ bodies.

      “It got hit pretty bad. A lot of the buildings around the town square are gone or damaged beyond repair. The nursing home was also damaged. The back of the jailhouse was hit. And someone just told me there’s a missing child.”

      “Lord, Lord,” Joe whispered. “I can’t believe it!”

      “That’s not all,” Lance said.

      “What?” Joe asked, the sense that something awful had happened clear in his voice.

      “The North property took a direct hit. There isn’t a building standing, and… Joe…”

      “Yeah?”

      “Frank, Maggie and Cari…they’re all gone.”

      “What do you mean, gone? As in they weren’t there when it happened?”

      “No, Joe. They’re dead.”

      There was a long moment of what was probably stunned silence, then Lance could hear Joe crying.

      “It’s awful, Joe. I was the one who found them.”

      “Oh, Lance…I’m so, so sorry,” Joe said. “I’ll get the first flight out and be there as soon as possible. Don’t worry. Whatever happens, we’ll get through this together, just like we did when Mom and Dad died.”

      “Thanks, Joe. If I’m not home when you get here, I’ll be in Bordelaise. They need all the help they can get.”

      “Take care of yourself,” Joe said. “You’re all I’ve got.”

      The line went dead in Lance’s ear. He dropped his cell phone in his pocket, then swiped at the tears on his cheeks. There was still so much to be done before the world stopped spinning.

      Three

      Cari woke just as a nurse walked into her room.

      “Good morning, Susan. My name is Tammy Bowen. I’ll be your nurse today. Did you sleep well last night?”

      “Off and on,” Cari said.

      Tammy frowned. “You should have asked for something to help you sleep. Rest is important to healing.”

      “I’ll remember that,” Cari said. “Right now I need to go to the bathroom.” But when she started to sit up, the room started spinning. “Yikes,” she said, and grabbed the bed rails to keep from falling.

      Tammy quickly moved to her side. “Careful, dear. Let me help you.”

      Cari gratefully accepted the offer. By the time she came out, the nurse had a sink of warm water waiting for her to wash her face and hands.

      The simple act turned out to be more difficult than Cari expected. Between the IV still in her arm and the dizzy spells she kept having, she wound up with almost as much water on the front of her gown as on her face.

      “Don’t worry about it,” Tammy said, as Cari brushed uselessly at the wet streaks on her gown. “I’ll get you a dry one after your bath.”

      “Thank you,” Cari said. “I’m sorry to be so helpless.”

      Tammy smiled as she helped Cari back to bed.

      “Honey, if you weren’t, you wouldn’t be here, remember?”

      Cari managed to return the smile. “It’s just that I’m usually the one doing the helping.”

      “So now you know how others feel who need help.” Tammy added, “What you need to do is quit worrying and concentrate on getting better.”

      “You’re right,” Cari said. “Thank you.”

      Tammy fussed with the sheets as Cari settled against the pillows. “Hang on, Susan. I’m going to raise the head of your bed a little bit. Your food will be coming soon.”

      It was the name Susan that reminded Cari of what lay ahead, and with that realization came the pain.

      Tammy noticed Cari’s change in mood as she turned on the television. “Do you need anything for pain? Doctor left orders. Don’t try to be brave and do without. It just slows down your healing.”

      Cari knew the meds would make her sleepy, but in the grand scheme of things, she supposed sleeping was a better way to pass the time than being awake and crying, which made everything hurt worse.

      “I guess,” Cari said.

      At that point an aide entered, carrying a tray with Cari’s breakfast.

      “Oh look, breakfast is here,” Tammy said with professional

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