“What the hell was Ray doing? They aren’t allowed to drive them off the farm,” Noah asked.
Callie shook her head. “He wasn’t driving. It was some stupid prank. It wasn’t on our farm. He was at the Millers’.”
Noah muttered something, and we headed inside. He hugged everyone, and I followed suit.
“What happened?” he asked Gabe.
“Idiots were messing around. They were using 4x4’s like drag racers. Lyle lost control and hit Ray. His rolled, and he was thrown.” He shook his head. “Lyle isn’t hurt, although I think his father wants to kill him. Luckily, Ray was wearing a helmet.”
“Ray knows better.”
Gabe shrugged, looking helpless. Henry leaned forward. “I won’t remind you of some of the stunts you pulled as kids. Walking the ridgepole of the barn, chasing the cows with the golf cart.” He shook his head. “That’s why I got rid of the 4x4. Dangerous machine around teenagers who think they know better. You all got in enough trouble with the carts.”
They all smiled in a moment of much-needed levity, but they grew serious when the doctor came in. Gabe and Ella went to talk to him. I slipped my hand into Noah’s, squeezing it.
Lynn had been shocked when I’d called her on the drive out to tell her I wouldn’t be in the next day while I followed Noah in my car. He wanted me to drive with him, but I didn’t want to risk taking him away from his family when I had to leave.
“You’re taking tomorrow off?” she asked, sounding confused.
“Yes. A family emergency.”
“I didn’t know you had any family.”
I never spoke about my personal life. I knew nothing about hers. We worked together well, but we had no relationship outside of the office. With a start, I realized I’d had no relationships outside of the office until I met Noah. But this wasn’t the time to fill her in.
“Please, Lynn, let Carl know. I will be there Wednesday, but I have to deal with this personal crisis right now. I’ll have my phone with me.” Then I grimaced, recalling that I had forgotten to grab my charger. “At least until it runs out of battery.”
“All right. I’ll handle it. Let me know if you need anything.”
I hung up, trying not to think about Noah’s comparison of our lives. He’d had no one either back then except his assistant.
I shook my head. I would think about that later. I needed to concentrate on Noah. His family.
Noah squeezed my hand to bring me back to the moment. He had his eyes trained on Gabe and Ella across the room. Ella wiped her face and Gabe hugged her close, then he walked away with the doctor.
Ella came over. “I can go see Ray. He needs surgery. His arm is broken, and he’s really banged up. There’s internal bleeding, and they think they need to remove his spleen.” She choked back a sob. “Gabe’s gone to sign the paperwork, and we’ll see Ray before he goes in. They want to get him in fast because of the bleeding.”
Noah hugged her. “We’ll be right here.”
She shook her head. “You should all go home. We’ll call with an update.”
Kris and Henry hugged her, offering words of comfort. Callie did the same, and I stood back, unsure what to do. Ella offered me a wobbly smile. “Thank you for coming with Noah,” she murmured.
I reached out and hugged her. “We’ll be right here. We’re not going anywhere.”
She nodded and hurried away. Noah stood beside me, resting his hand on my hip, keeping me close.
Callie spoke up. “I should go and check on Trevor and make sure Tori is okay. She was so upset.”
Kris nodded. “Go be with them. We’ll call.”
I met Callie’s eyes. “I’ll look after them,” I whispered.
She patted my arm. “I’m glad my brother has you.”
For the next while, I did everything I could think to do. I walked down the street to an all-night Tim Horton’s and brought back coffee. I sat beside Kris and listened to stories of the night Ray was born. When Gabe and Ella reappeared, I went back and got more coffee and some sandwiches. I paced outside with Noah. Watched him offer comfort to his brother and sister-in-law, talking about how strong Ray was. What a fighter he had always been.
“He’ll put way more gray hairs on your head yet, Gabe.”
They shared stories of Ray growing up. How excited Tori had been to become a big sister and how she adored him. There was laughter amid the tears, and when the doctor came out a few hours later to say Ray was in recovery and doing well, plus shared the good news he expected a full recovery, my eyes filled with tears of gratitude.
“We took out the spleen. Set the bone. We needed a few screws to hold it in place, but they’ll be removed at a later date. Regardless of the helmet, he’s going to have a massive headache, and he’s going to be bruised and sore.” The doctor smiled. “But he’ll recover, and I doubt he will ever look at a 4x4 the same way.” He clapped Gabe on the shoulder. “He’ll be fine and helping you back on the farm in no time.”