Page 45 of The Seal's Promise

Dalton put his hand on her shoulder. “Me too. Try not to worry. That’s our job.”

She looked up and they could both see her mom through the open curtain asleep in the bed one bay over.

“They’re all I have. No siblings.” The girl’s voice cracked.

His stomach churned again, because he knew a little about how this young girl was feeling. Only when he found out his parents had been in a car accident and died, not even having siblings or his grandmother had made a difference. He’d felt only loss and guilt. Like his entire world had shifted and he had no idea how to manage the heartache. He’d pushed away everyone, and in retrospect he knew it’d been a defense mechanism. But even with a medical degree and time, that pain felt just as raw.

“I have two brothers, and they’re both bigger than me.”

Her eyes got big. “Wow. You probably got beat up a lot.” She sniffled.

He laughed. “I could usually run faster, so that helped.”

Brooke appeared with a popsicle for the girl. “Sweetie, is there anything else we can get you while you rest? I’ll get you some lunch if you’re hungry.”

“Can one of you just stay with me?”

“Yes,” they both said in unison. “Dr. Dalton just needs to sign some paperwork, and then he and I will take turns sitting with you until your mom has had a little rest. I even have an iPad loaded up with some movies.” Brooke lifted the bright pink case that Dalton suspected was her own iPad. The girl accepted it with a small smile.

Next Brooke handed him a tablet with a few pages to sign. As his hand brushed hers, the electric current between them was like a live wire. He could tell she felt it too, by the look he now recognized in her eyes. Right before he’d tasted her, he’d seen that look: need. And he would bet it was mirrored in his own eyes.

“They can transport him right away once you sign these. Do you think we should wake her mom? They can’t ride in the ambulance with him.”

He wanted to let the woman rest, but if she felt a fraction of what he was feeling for Brooke, he would guess she’d want to see her husband off. The thought was somewhat alarming, since he couldn’t remember ever thinking of a woman in terms of a significant other or a spouse. Someone to be tied to, someone to worry about more than yourself.

“Yah, we better wake her before he’s loaded in.”

He handed the tablet back to Brooke.

“Alright, in about fifteen minutes we’ll wake your mom up, and then figure out if you all are staying in Sandy Point or if we need to get you a ride to Savannah,” Brooke said to the young girl.

The young girl nodded, and they saw a little more color in her cheeks.

Dalton watched as Brooke finished making the arrangements, then she returned to sit with the girl while he checked on all their patients. The mom woke up before the ambulance arrived and tearfully saw her husband off. But Dalton assured her it was just a precaution and they’d all be on the beach in a few days. Wes arrived to make sure the family had a ride to their vacation rental or the hospital.

“He’s your brother?” the young girl asked.

“Yep, one of them,” Dalton said with a smile, standing next to Wes, who was at least two inches taller.

“You must run really fast,” the girl said.

“You gonna keep the other driver here tonight?” Wes asked.

“Yah, but he’s already grumbling about how he’s late to make a delivery to some club.”

“That damn beach club causes the most accidents out on the bluff—we should bill them. Driver claimed there was no sign saying he couldn’t use Bluff Road.”

“Is there?”

“There was, but someone must have removed it,” Wes said.

“Huh, I’m surprised they managed to get any commercial building approved.”

“Money talks,” Wes said.

“Speaking of, did you hear from Levi?”

“Our baby brother bailed us out for now, but this is the kind of bill that comes every year.”

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