Page 5 of Gabe

A smile came to Sebastian’s face. It was still strained, but at least he was putting in some effort to stay positive.

“Yeah. Don’t take too long, Damien, or I’ll be running circles around you when you come back.”

When the brothers eventually parted a few minutes later, it was on much better terms. Newt stayed back with Sebastian, climbing into the bed beside him, but I followed Gabe and Damien out of the house.

The sleet had stopped for a moment, but the ground was still nothing but muddy slush. It was night, but even in the dark of the deep woods, I could tell how miserable the environment was.

I stayed safely on the front porch where the mud couldn’t reach me.

The RV was still sitting by the front door, right where I’d parked it, and the sight of the vehicle reminded me of something.

“Wait. How are you leaving, Damien? Are you taking the RV?”

“No, you’ll keep that in case Sebastian needs to be moved again. There’s a town about ten miles away. I’ll walk and find transportation there.”

I scanned the dark trees again, then eyed Damien who was still dressed in the casual clothes and coat he’d been wearing when we made our quick escape from the hospital. His shoes at least looked sturdy, but the rest of his clothing didn’t seem appropriate for the weather.

“You’re going to hike ten miles through the woods? At night? In the rain?”

The sharp grin returned to his face. “I’ve made harder journeys. Take care of my brother. I’m counting on you and Newt to look after him.”

Then, after adjusting his collar to shield his neck from the water dripping off the trees, Damien stepped off the porch and disappeared into the forest.

Gabe stood beside me as the two of us stared into the dark long after Damien had left.

“You have medical training, don’t you?” I said, just to break the silence. “I could tell from the way you looked over Sebastian’s wounds.”

In an oddly absent gesture, like he didn’t even realize he was doing it, Gabe stroked a hand over his left arm. “I was a medic in the Army Rangers.”

A normal person would have elaborated more, perhaps by describing what being a medic in the Army was like or what led him to such a position. However, Gabe was a man of few words. After speaking so much earlier, he was already beyond his normal limit.

A one sentence explanation was all I was going to get.

“Well, then I’ll be relying on you along with Newt. We’re going to need as much help as possible to get Sebastian back on his feet.”

It was cold and my breath formed clouds in front of my face. I’d already started shivering just from standing outside for a few minutes.

How could Damien treat a ten mile hike in this weather like it was just a casual stroll?

I turned to go back inside where it was warm, but Gabe’s voice stopped me.

“Do you really think he’ll walk again?”

Images of Sebastian’s x-rays and medical charts flashed through my mind. He’d been given a fifty percent chance of walking again, although after the difficult journey we’d put him through so soon after surgery, that number had probably lowered.

“That’s up to him. All the medical care in the world won’t matter if a patient doesn’t put in the effort to get better.”

Gabe stared back at the house like he could see Sebastian and Newt despite several closed doors standing between us and them.

“He’ll get better. He’s got too much to live for.”

Remembering the warm look between Sebastian and Newt, and the obvious care the brothers had for each other even when fighting, I couldn’t agree more.

Having reached my limit for cold temperatures, I trudged back inside. Newt was with Sebastian, so I didn’t have to worry about my latest patient for the moment.

It was time to get some sleep. Dozing off while leaning against the wall had done nothing for my exhaustion, so I searched the house for an available bed.

Almost immediately, I found one.

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