Page 38 of Safe With Me

“We’re takin’ her out on a couple of streets. But we’ll be back. Don’t think you’re safe out on a night like this.”

“The after-hours guards are here. And we got a security cam.”

“We still gonna come back and watch the clinic after we deliver Anika to her grandmother.”

Shaking his head, Pax walked into the clinic.

Steph looked up from the tablet she was studying. “Hey, what took you so long?”

“Two bouncers with hearts of gold.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we’re getting more protection.”

Chapter 7

Everyone showed up on opening day with a smile: Jon, Noreen, Alice,StephandPax. Even Jackson came down with the Shepherds. As instructed, all the volunteers and Jon dressed in white button-down shirts.

Paxgrinned at them. “This is it, everybody. Jackson, we owe you.”

“Nope, I owe you for all the work you did to get this place up and running. Thankyou.”

Caleb peered out the window. “I hope you ran off a lot of forms.”

“Are there many people out there?”Paxasked.

“A long, long line of them.”

“Let them all in,”Paxinstructed. “It’s cold outside.”

Stephopened the door. Wow. Caleb was right. People milled in. The reception area filled up with some people standing behind the occupied chairs.

“Welcome everybody,”Paxsaid in a loud voice. “I’m your doctor,PaxBarry. You’ll need to fill out these forms then we’ll take the most serious in first. But I promise we’ll get to all of you.” He motioned to the others. “These people will assist you.” He introduced them, too.

The volunteers walked around with a paper form and helped those who needed help to complete them.Stephsurveyed the room with a smile.

WhenPaxreceived each form he put them in three piles: urgent, not so urgent and kids. “We’ll see Jasmine Johnson in exam room one, Lester Smith in exam room 2 and…” The door flew open. A woman carried in a baby. “He’s not breathing, help us please.”

Paxsaid, “Exam room 3.”

Noreen stepped up. “I’ll take it. I’m acardioperson.” The duo disappeared with Alice and Noreen.

“All right. Jasmine and Lester, come with me.”

Jasmine, a nine-year-old, was moaning in pain holding her stomach. Lester, an adult, had a hugely bandaged hand leaking blood.

After they left,Stephstood on a chair. “Hi, everybody. As the doc said, I’mSteph. Let’s quiet down out here. Fill in the chairs that become empty. The rest of you will have to stand a bit while waiting for a seat.” She looked at Jackson and the Shepherds. “The people in white will help you.”

They’d under planned somehow. She hopedPaxwas doing all right with all this. In actuality, the big crowd, expected or not, underscored his success.

* * *

Paxhad Lester rest his hand on a couple of towels on a small worktable attached to a chair. ThenPaxbegan to unwind the makeshift bandages. The coppery scent of blood from the towels filled his head.

“It’ll gush out,” Lester warned. He was an older man with white hair and a frail body.

“I think it’s coagulating now, but the towels will absorb any more bleeding.”

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