Revealing Annie - Freya Barker Page 0,81
afternoon.”
“How about I take them quickly while you finish up?” he suggests, already calling the dogs.
“Fine. Make sure you hold on to them good.”
“Annie?” I turn around and look at him standing there with a mischievous grin on his face. Damn, the kid is just like his dad. “You may be older, but I’m bigger.”
He heads toward the front door, but I can hear his chuckle, and I have to blink furiously at the tears.
I quickly finish the dishes and tidy the kitchen before he comes back. I’m about to shove my bare feet in my Chucks when I hear a knock at the door. Probably forgot his key.
But when I pull open the door it’s not Bryce.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
27
Sumo
We hit the ground running this morning.
I’d barely tucked my bag in my locker when a call came in for a three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Maine and Junction. One person was pinned inside one of the cars, so the engine pulled out in front of us.
The driver of a black SUV had blown through a red light, broadsided a silver Toyota, crumpling the driver’s side pinning the driver inside. The Toyota then careened into a third car waiting for the red light on the opposite side of the intersection.
The scene was chaotic. With traffic backed up on Main to 32nd, cars had to get up on the sidewalk to let us through. Blue was able to get in the back of the silver car to check on and stabilize the driver, while I did a quick check of the other victims. It took us almost an hour to safely extract the young woman and load her in the back of the rig.
On the way back from Mercy, after dropping the patient off, we were called to a fall in the Walmart parking lot. That one was mostly scrapes and bruises, but because the old man indicated he was on blood thinners, we convinced him to let us take him to the hospital to get properly assessed.
Another forty-five minutes later and we’re finally heading back to the station, after Blue makes me stop at Durango Joes Coffee. We’re about to turn onto 32nd when the radio crackles again.
“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” I mutter under my breath as Blue answers the call.
“…Vehicle versus pedestrian on River Bend…”
Jesus, that’s right around the corner from me.
“…caller says to use caution, two large dogs on scene…”
I don’t hear anything else.
With sirens blaring I turn left onto River Bend.
“Easy, Sumo. We can’t know for sure,” Blue offers, but my gaze is focused on a small group of people standing on the side.
In the middle of the road is a prone figure, two dogs I recognize standing guard.
I hit the brakes, slam the gear in park, jump out, and start running. I can hear Daisy’s low growl at a distance and when I get closer she bares her teeth. Behind her is the prone body of my son. Panic hits me hard, but I force it down.
“Daisy-girl, it’s me. Dee? You’re gonna have to let me get at Bryce. You did good, Daisy, protecting him. Good girl, Dee.”
I have no idea what I’m rambling but Hunter has come over to me, his tail low but wagging. Daisy starts to whimper, looking behind her at Bryce and then back at me.
“I’ve got him, Daisy, I’ve got him.”
I can’t wait any longer and take a step closer when I hear Blue call behind me.
“Wait for—”
“That’s my fucking son,” I yell back, even as I reach out my hand to the nervous dog. “Good girl, Daisy. You’re a good girl.”
She smells me and immediately goes down on her belly on the ground.
“Good girl,” I mumble, stepping around her and sinking down on my knees beside my son.
His left leg is bent at an awkward angle and I don’t need X-rays to know it’s broken. There is no blood under his head, but I’m afraid to touch him. Afraid of what I’ll discover. Instead I put a hand on his chest and feel it rise and fall. I want to cry with relief.
“Can someone give me an idea what happened here?” I yell out at the people on the side of the road.
“Saw a van tearing out of here,” one of them calls back. “Figure he must’ve hit the kid.”
I keep an eye on Daisy as Blue approaches with the gurney and our bag on top. Behind her I can see our engine pull in