Page 37 of Too Much Heat

Lara walked into the ICU waiting room and saw Joe sitting alone. Caleb Shepherd had gone inside to be with his sister.

Joe scraped back his chair and stood. They fell together. Joe buried his face in Lara’s neck. She held onto him, her heart beating faster at seeing such a strong man destroyed like this. When they drew back, she said, “Let’s sit.” Then, “What happened to Jackson?”

He explained the Adventure Course. “The important part is he hit his head and he isn’t waking up.”

“Oh, no.”

“He was playing with those damn kids again. I told him to be careful.”

“One of the Pathways kids did this to him?”

“No. A rope that he was swinging on snapped.”

“What a fluke.”

“Yeah.” A horrible thought came to mind. “Maybe.”

She took his hand. “This must remind you of Jimmy.”

They’d never talked about his brother.

“You know about him?”

“Yes, of course. I read about it online when I was checking out the Westwood Fire Department before I came to town. When I met you, I already knew what happened to him.” She squeezed his hands. “And you survived.”

“I can’t survive this, Lara. I can’t.”

“I know you must feel that way now but…”

Caleb burst into the waiting room. “Good news. Jackson woke up.”

* * *

“Hey, Maisy call you?”

“Yeah.” The doctors had lowered the status on Jackson and he was allowed more than one visitor at a time. All three of them were inside. Lara stayed in the waiting area.

Joe sat in a chair on one side of the bed, Maisy on the other. Caleb stood at the foot. Jackson held Joe’s gaze. “I bet you were worried. It must have reminded you of Jimmy.”

“Yeah. I was worried. But the important thing is you’re going to be okay.”

“My head hurts like hell.”

Maisy folded her arms across her chest. “You should stay off that equipment, love.”

He looked at her indulgently. “I’m glad this didn’t happen to one of the students. And for the record, I have that Adventure Course checked monthly.”

“Bad luck?” Joe asked.

“I guess. I don’t know how the inspectors missed it.”

They chatted for a few minutes, then Joe stood. “I’ll let you visit with your family.”

All three said together, “You are family.”

Joe gave a weak smile. “Thanks. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“I hope I’m home by then.”

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