Page 62 of Shelter for Sharla

“I NEED AN EMT OVER HERE STAT!” he heard Sam scream, but Carter couldn’t speak. He wanted to ask if he was going to be okay, if there was as much blood as he thought, but he couldn’t. All he could do was lie there in the dirt and a pool of his own blood and think about Sharla.

If only…

Chapter 10

Light piercedthe darkness and Carter looked around. The blood was gone from his hand, and he sat up, banging his head on the crushed car above him. “Owww!” he muttered, rubbing the spot.

“Come on. Let me help you up,” a familiar voice said, and the hand that took his seemed made for it. When Carter looked up, it was into eyes he’d known since childhood.

“Dad! You’re here!” He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But where were all the other officers? “What’s going on? How did you get here?”

“We need to talk, son. I’ve been watching you. All you do is say, ‘if only, if only, if only.’ CarterMason Melton, you can’t live your life that way.”

“That’s right, son,” another voice spoke, and he turned to find GrandpaRonald standing there, GrandmaFrances standing right behind him. “Your daddy knows what he’s talking about. Go back, Carter. Stop telling yourself ‘if only.’ All you have is today. Make it count.”

“But I want to stay here with you! Please? I don’t want to go back!”

His dad smiled. “What about Sharla and those two kids, Carter? They need you. We don’t. Go back, son, and stop looking behind you. Look forward… look forward… look forward…”

“BP’s eighty over fifty. We’ve got the bleeding stopped for now. ETA five minutes.”

“Roger that, Mercy three. Standing by.”

“SheriffMelton? SheriffMelton, can you hear me?”

Carter couldn’t figure out what was going on. “Ummmm…”

“SheriffMelton, you’re in an ambulance heading to O’FallonGeneral. We’ll be there in just a few minutes.” A pair of kind eyes looked down into his. “We’ve got the bleeding stopped. I don’t know if you’ll need surgery or not, but you’re safe for now.”

“Uhhhh…” Carter managed before everything went dark.

When he saw light again, it was a giant, round thing. “We’re going to have to do some repairs. Get a surgical suite set up. Ten minutes to prep. Let’s go, people,” a voice said right beside him. He wanted to ask questions, wanted to know if Sharla was okay, but he was too weak to talk. There was a sensation that he knew was the release of the brakes on his gurney, and they wheeled him toward what he assumed was the operating room. But as they ran along, another face joined them.

“Carter, I’m here. We’re all here. Sharla’s fine. The kids are fine. You’re gonna be fine. We’ll all be waiting for you, buddy. It’s going to be okay.” That deep, Texas swagger washed over him and he knew Cruz would take care of everything.

They were okay. Sharla and the kids were out of danger. He didn’t know what would happen to him, but it didn’t matter as long as they were all right.

* * *

He could feelsomeone jostling his leg. It was okay?it wasn’t like it hurt?but it was annoying as hell. “Cut it out,” he mumbled.

“Hey! He’s coming around! Get a nurse! Carter? Hey, bud, it’s Cruz. Open your eyes.” Carter tried, but he couldn’t. “Come on. You’re a tough old dog. You can do it.” As soon as they fluttered open, Cruz smiled. “Welcome back to the world of the living!”

“Sharla…”

“Sam’s gone to get her. She’ll be here in just a second. She was walking your mom down to the car.”

“How…” He couldn’t get the words out. Then another face appeared.

“Hi, sir! How ya feelin’?”

Carter was confused. “Edwards?”

“Yes, sir. Everything’s under control at the office, sir. Lewis and Durst are taking care of everything.”

Carter looked from man to man just as Sam stepped into the room. The blond officer grinned at Carter and asked, “What?”

“How on earth did you find me?”

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