the smear of blood on the white paint. He ran to kneel at Thom’s side, checking for signs of life.
“Don’t move him, son,” Jonathan said. “We don’t know if there’s any spinal damage. I’m calling 911 now.”
Ben nodded, gripping Thom’s hand. He could see Thom breathing, and the bloodstain on the wall was small. He should probably check for any other damage, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Thom. The whole vineyard could burn down for all he cared, as long as Thom was safe.
He heard his father on the phone, giving the address and telling the operator that the injured person was unconscious, possibly struck by lightning. He didn’t hear the rest of what was said as Jonathan moved towards the front of the house.
“Ben,” he heard his father say a minute later, “Ben, I’m going out where the ambulance can see me, okay?”
Ben nodded. He heard the crunch of tires, but no siren. It must be Lorraine, but he trusted Jonathan to take care of getting her parked out of the way and bringing her up to speed on what was going on. He heard several voices – his cousins – and Lorraine sending them all indoors. Then Lorraine was at his side.
“Ben, honey. I can hear the ambulance coming. It’s going to be okay.”
Ben just nodded again. He was afraid that if he tried to speak he’d just scream.
“Jonathan and I will take care of things here. You go with Thom, okay?”
Ben took a deep, shuddering breath. “Thanks, Aunt Lorraine.”
Ben was forced to step away when the EMTs arrived and started checking Thom over. They put him in a neck brace, maneuvered him onto a back board, and loaded him into the ambulance. Ben could still smell smoke, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Thom. He heard more sirens, and saw a fire truck heading up the drive, but then he was climbing into the ambulance, his entire focus on Thom. If something was burning, the professionals would deal with it. His place was at Thom’s side.
Ben was prowling a circuit around the waiting area when Chuck arrived. He didn’t have his cell phone with him and he didn’t know Chuck’s number by heart, so Lorraine must have called him.
“Uncle Chuck!” He called out, and Chuck grabbed him in a big bear hug.
“How is he?” Chuck asked.
“I don’t know. He’s in surgery. His leg is really messed up, but I don’t know what else. I think he hit his head. I haven’t had a report in a couple of hours.”
“Have you had anything to eat?”
“No, I left the house without my wallet or phone or anything.”
“Okay, I’m going to go find us something to eat and some decent coffee. You sit down before you wear yourself out.”
Ben sat in one of the chairs lined up against the wall. It was uncomfortable, and felt too small to hold him. He felt like he was about to explode out of his skin and the waiting was driving him crazy. Chuck came back about twenty minutes later with some sandwiches, bottled water, and huge cups of non-hospital coffee. He sat the food down on a small table next to Ben’s chair.
“Any news?”
Ben shook his head.
“Okay,” Chuck picked up one of the coffee cups and sat down next to Ben, cradling it in his hands. “Now we wait.”
“How do you stay so calm?” Ben eyed the sandwiches, trying to decide if he could keep one down.
Chuck shrugged. “You don’t raise six kids without spending some time in the emergency room.”
“I’ve never had to. I’ve never had anyone close to me get this hurt before.”
“You’re doing okay,” Chuck patted him on the knee. “If it was Lorraine in there, I’d probably lose my shit.”
“I guess she called you? Is that how you knew we were here?”
“Yeah. It was on the scanner, too. Got over here as soon as I could.”
“What about the emergency team? Don’t you need to be at the town hall or something?”
“They’ll be okay without me. This is family. This is more important.”
Ben leaned over to bump his shoulder against Chuck’s. “Thanks, Uncle Chuck.”
He unwrapped a chicken salad sandwich and took a small bite. He still didn’t know what was going on with Thom, but he could breathe better knowing Chuck had his back.
Ben must have dozed off. He jerked when he felt his uncle shake his arm, and looked up to see a middle-aged man in blue scrubs standing in the waiting