His eyes rose from the box; anguish showed in his dark eyes and almost took what little breath she had away. "The evidence is there, but nothing is worth my people dying." Pain ripped through his voice. He closed the box and looked across the lawn. Amber followed his gaze. The bounce of red and blue lights illuminated the lawn in an eerie dance of colors.
Oh… my… God. It looked like a war zone. There were paramedics, street cops and even neighbors caring for people on the ground. "What..." she took four shallow breaths, "... happened?"
"Peña declared war." Terrell pushed off the ground, clutching the evidence. One of the team trotted across the lawn and called to him. The captain gave Brody one last look before he straightened his shoulders and walked toward the chaos.
Brody jolted suddenly and rolled onto his side, coughing. She turned and reached her hand to him. His eyes were frantic until he saw her. He stretched his hand toward her. Yards of grass separated them, but it didn't matter. They were alive and together.
Chapter 22
Gage sat quietly between his grandmother and Aunt Dawn. The hard, plastic chair squeaked when he moved, so he tried hard not to move too much. He was worried, although both his grandmother and Aunt Dawn had told him both his parents were okay, but they needed to get checked out. His grandfather had called Aunt Dawn and told her his mom and dad had been taken to the hospital because they inhaled a ton of smoke at a fire. So, they got in the car and came to the hospital.
He watched a person walk down the hall. A doctor, probably. He had a white coat. All the doctors on television wore white coats unless they worked in the emergency room. Then they all wore scrubs. Only this place wasn't like the hospitals on the television. It wasn't as crowded, and the people weren't running around. There was hardly anyone in the halls. His mom always said television was filled with overly dramatic events. This place was almost vacant. He'd visited his Aunt Dawn in the hospital once when she had her appendix taken out. It wasn't like the shows on television either, so maybe being a doctor wasn't all it was cracked up to be. That hospital, where they went to see Aunt Dawn, was even smaller, and they went right to Aunt Dawn's room. Not like here.
He looked at his grandma. He could tell she wasn't happy right now. Which was strange, because she was always smiling and laughing. Maybe she was kinda worried, too. "Did Uncle Blay fight this fire?"
His grandmother jerked a little bit. "Oh, no. This fire was in another firehouse's area. He'll be here as soon as he's free." She patted his leg.
"Why can't we see them now? Didn't Grandpa say they'd be okay?"
She looked down at him and blinked before she answered. "That is a very good question, Gage. Grandpa did say that, didn't he? Why don't I go find out what the delay is?"
"I'll come with you." He stood and glanced at his aunt. "Do you want to come, too?"
Dawn glanced at his grandmother. "No, I'll wait here."
His grandma smiled at Aunt Dawn. "Thank you. Gage's aunts and uncles will be here shortly. Could you let them know I've gone to find out why we can't see them?"
"Oh, yes, ma'am. I'd wish you good luck, but I don't think you'll need any." Aunt Dawn chuckled and checked her phone. Gage looked between the two women.
"Come on, Gage." His grandmother started walking, and he fell into step beside her. She stopped in front of a counter. "Excuse me. I'm looking for Amber Swanson and Brody King."
The woman was scrolling through something on her phone while standing behind the counter. She held up a finger without even looking at his grandmother. Gage watched his grandma lift her chin and then her eyes narrowed. "I don't know who raised you, young woman, but it is common courtesy to acknowledge someone who is talking to you."
The nurse glanced up from the phone in her hand. "Excuse me?"
"No ma'am, I don't think I will. I am Hannah King. I'm looking for my son, his father, and Amanda Swanson, this young man’s mother. They were brought in two hours ago. The emergency room sent us up here."
The woman stared at them for a couple of seconds and slowly pocketed her phone. "We haven't had any admissions