Page 62 of Break My Fall

“Meredith!” Voices. Loud voices. Bronwyn. Donovan. Judy. And then everything was quiet.

Gray lived five minutes from the coffee shop. He made it there in three. He slammed his Explorer into park and ran to the knot of first responders standing by the door. They parted like the Red Sea as he approached, and one young volunteer firefighter held the door open for him.

Inside, Donovan leaned over Meredith.

A bloody, not moving Meredith, lying on the floor. A phone beside Donovan was on and the voice that came through was that of Cal’s mom. “Okay, I’ll be there in two minutes. Keep an eye on her.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Donovan had his hands on Meredith’s wrist.

He didn’t look up when Gray knelt on the other side of Meredith and took her chilled hand in his own. “What happened?”

Donovan shook his head. “Still don’t know. I got here and she passed out.”

Judy Galloway, the coffee shop owner, leaned over Bronwyn, who sat at a nearby table. “Dr. Shaw said for you to take a sip of this. Can you do that for me, sugar?”

Bronwyn reached out trembling hands and took the mug Judy handed her. She didn’t drink. She looked at Gray. “Someone shoved us into the road.”

Judy gasped. “What?”

“Then a truck. Big. Dark. Headlights. We managed to get out of the way. It would have hit us.” She held his gaze. “Someone tried to kill us.”

The door to the coffee shop opened on that pronouncement. Dr. Shaw entered, glanced at Bronwyn, then gently but firmly nudged Gray out of the way. “Move over, baby. Let me see what’s wrong with our girl.” Gray adored Carol Shaw. She was the closest thing he had to a mother now, and he was so thankful that Cal was willing to share her.

She did the things doctors do, pulling open Meredith’s eyes, flashing a light in them, taking a pulse, and listening to her heart. While she did that, she spoke to Bronwyn. “Bronwyn, honey, where are you hurt, baby?”

“Hands. Knees. Maybe an ankle. I think Meredith may have hit her head on the pavement.”

Gray had never felt so out of control, so helpless, since he joined the military. This chaos in his soul. This desperation as he watched Carol run her hands over Meredith’s scalp. This was why he couldn’t have relationships. This was why he couldn’t fall in love.

“Tell me what happened, sweet girl.” Carol’s voice was calm. If she was rattled, there was no outer evidence. How could she be so solid? Gray knew that Meredith was her favorite niece. She loved her like the daughter she never had.

“Aunt Carol? Is she going to be okay?” Bronwyn’s voice was shaky, and Carol reached over and placed one hand on her ankle.

“My girls are tough.”

Bronwyn must have taken that as confirmation, because she took a deep breath and when she spoke, the words were quiet but clear. “We came to the music bingo night and then we stayed to chat with Judy. When we went outside, we were standing by my car, saying good night. Then someone came up and shoved us into the road.”

Carol returned to her examination. At one point her hands paused and covered the same area on Meredith’s head again. “There’s a bump here. She definitely hit her head at some point.”

The knot in his chest crawled up to his throat and threatened to choke him.

“Breathe, Gray. She’s strong.”

Bronwyn continued speaking, and her voice lost the certainty she’d had before. Now, her confusion and shock were evident. “It was like some kind of football tackle. And as soon as we were down, he ran off. No idea who it could have been or where he came from. I don’t know if Meredith saw anything or not. I was pretty stunned. It took a few seconds—I don’t know how long, really—to sit up. Then Meredith yelled for me to run. But I couldn’t. I don’t think she could either. We kind of crawled inbetween our cars. We barely made it out of the road when a huge truck screamed by.”

She took a sip of whatever Judy had brought her. “We came here and Judy let us in and called for help. I don’t know who they were targeting. It could have been either of us.”

“Or both,” Donovan muttered.

Gray didn’t think Bronwyn heard him, but he gave Donovan a look that must have gotten his aggravation across because Donovan’s next words were an even softer, “Sorry, Chief.”

Meredith stirred beside him. The hand he held clenched around his. A soft moan fell from her lips.

“Meredith? Baby? I’ve got you, sweetheart.” Carol Shaw was not one to hold back on the endearments under any circumstances, but when she was soothing an injured patient, a crying child, or a frightened parent, her bedside manner was something that couldn’t be taught. Gray had seen her in action many times, but he’d never realized how much comfort she brought to the people watching.

“Aunt Carol?” Meredith’s voice was a low rasp. “What—?” Meredith tried to sit up. “Bronwyn!”

Bronwyn was beside her friend in a heartbeat. She wrapped her hand around his and squeezed Meredith’s hand through him. “I’m right here. I’m okay. Gray’s here.”

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