Page 85 of False Start

“Okay, just hold on to me and ease yourself down. Go slow.”

She whimpered as she lowered onto the seat. Settling in, she sighed and rubbed at her knees. “Thank you.”

“How long were you stuck in here like this?”

“A half hour maybe.” She leaned against the wall, the blood all but drained from her face leaving her white and ashen with sweat dotting her temples. “I kept trying to get up, but the pain would shoot around to my back,” she said, her voice breathless.

Thirty fucking minutes stuck on the cold bathroom floor wondering when help was going to come.

Priest was going to blame himself for this. There was no way he wouldn’t. How do you convince a guy like him that sometimes shit just happened?

Nothing came with a guarantee, but you tried anyway.

You did anyway.

You talked to people, let them in knowing one day they’d be gone. Little old men who bickered like brothers—little old men you pretended were the grandfathers you never had.

Things went wrong and you lost people you love.

Life would not always bend to your will like a derby team. Life wasn’t coaching, it was living. Surrendering to what went wrong so you could fall in love with the moments that went so right.

Lilith was right here. Every minute he stayed away was a moment wasted. A moment I wish I could have back with my mother.

I squeezed Lilith’s hand. “Sit tight for just a minute, I’m going to get your brother.”

“This is going to mess with your practice.”

“Don’t worry about our practice. The baby’s more important.”

She let out a short laugh. “He’s running you ragged, huh?”

“That too, but we asked for it. Sit tight.” I ran to the barn, every gasp of air burning my throat. Skidding to a stop at the threshold, I stuck two fingers in my mouth and let out a whistle that had everyone turning to the door.

Priest glowered at me and jabbed a finger at the track. “Get your ass on the bank,” he snapped before turning his back on me.

“You’ve gotta come down to the house.” I gasped out the words and at the sound of my tone his face snapped up. “It’s your sister.”

His notes hit the floor. In seconds he went from skates to boots and tore out the door past me.

“Where is she?” he yelled over his shoulder as he ran down the hill.

“Bathroom. I found her in there stuck on her knees. She thinks she was there for about thirty minutes.”

“Is she—”

“Her water didn’t break and she doesn’t think she’s having contractions.”

“Good. That’s good.”

The cold air sliced in and out of me as I kept pace next to him, trying not to fall on my ass despite the sand tossed down the path. “She didn’t have her phone on her. I didn’t have mine on me either, so I didn’t call 9-1-1.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take her in. It’ll be faster.”

“EMTs have medical training. Maybe—”

“I have medical training. I’m a cop,” he said, cutting me off. He ran over the threshold, slid around the corner, and stopped in front of the bathroom.

“Sorry,” Lilith gasped out when she looked up at her brother. “Bad timing.”

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