His gaze jerked to Joey. Joey hadn’t said something like to him in a decade. Not that he’d deserved it, but still. It was humbling and shocking and yeah… treasured. Especially coming from Joey, considering all that happened.
“Thank you.”
The phone rang and vibrated endlessly with messages. He turned it completely off.
“Media’s been calling us all,” his mom filled him in. He sighed. He rubbed at his neck.
“I’m going to go for a drive, okay? Chill out.”
His mom’s eyes flashed in fear. Then she shuddered her eyelids to contain it. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’m not going to use,” he added bluntly.
“I try not to go there. But…”
“You have to. We all have to.”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
He left in his SUV. A few snowflakes squeezed from the dark gray sky above. Ice floated by in the river now and formed in lines along the shoreline. He drove to the mountains above the ranch. He stared out, trying to gain context to what he witnessed, but he could find none. He went to town, and through the only fast-food drive-through for a quick dinner. The server recognized him. Gushed over, he all but revved up his vehicle until he could finally escape with his meal. Though he didn’t have to pay for it. He went to the boat launch along the Columbia River. Ate. Reflected. Contemplated. Finally, in the dark he drove to the hospital. He pulled a baseball cap on and pulled his hood up over it. He crept in and walked as if he knew where he was going. Even if he didn’t. He wandered up the stairs, and finally towards The ICU. Thinking she’d be there.
The girl. His helper. The other hero.
She’d lived.
That’s all he knew. That’s all that was known to him about her.
Yet, she had saved his life.
And he hers.
He had to know who she was.
Why? He didn’t know. Maybe… maybe she’d know what to do or understand what happened… or… or have some kind of answer or something…
He finally crept and skulked around enough to find her. He cringed hoping he wasn’t creepy but he didn’t want to listen to more fawning over the gruesomeness of his sudden local infamy.
There she lay. On the hospital bed. He was surprised to find her. To see her again. She was real.
She also had a cast on her leg, propped up. Wow, he hadn’t realized that.
She lay back on the bed, the hospital bed tilted up. It was late and she was alone. Flowers surrounded her bedside. She had dark, thick hair spilled around her and it contrasted sharply to her grayish, sickly coloring, under her olive toned skin. She had a bandage on her forehead. It might have explained her face when it had blood streaks. Covers tucked up to her breasts neatly.
He stood just outside the door. Unsure. Glad to see her alive. Unsure what to do.
He should—? What? What was it he should go and do or be? Why couldn’t he find his damn way about this?
Her eyes fluttered open and in one second her gaze met his.
She stared. She blinked again and then her head lifted a fraction of an inch off the pillow.
“You,” she said it in a low, soft voice.
He wasn’t sure if he were a dreaded reminder or a welcome partner in hell and recovery.
“Yeah me.”
Other Books by Leanne Davis:
The Sister Series is about the emotional scars and battles that are often hidden in people.
Rape. Drugs. Abuse. Violence. Pain. Betrayal.
And how they can be overcome.
Love. Joy. Family. Forgiveness. Faith. Hope. Redemption
The Sister Series:
The Other Sister
The Years Between
The Good Sister
The Best Friend
The Wrong Sister
The Years After
The Broken Sister
The Perfect Sister
The Lost Sister
The Remaining Sister
The Step Sister
FREE Extended Epilogue of Jessie & Will
Daughters is a spin-off of The Sister Series about Jessie’s (The Other Sister) daughters.
Christina
Natalie
Emily
Share in the fall, rise and eventual fulfillment of the rock band Zenith’s destiny…
Zenith Falling
Zenith Rising
Zenith Fulfilled
The characters are all connected to Seaclusion, Washington a fictional town set along the Pacific Ocean
Poison
Notorious
Secrets
Seclusion
The Rydell River Ranch is a large horse training, boarding and breeding operation, owned and operated by four brothers who are left in charge of their century old legacy in the small, rural town of River’s End.
River’s End
River's Escape
River's Return
River Road
River on Fire
River's Lost
River of Change
River's Destiny
River's Rescue
Standalone Novel:
Diversions
About the Author
Leanne Davis has earned a business degree from Western Washington University. She worked for several years in the construction management field before turning full time to writing. She lives in the Seattle area with her husband and two children. When she isn't writing, she and her family enjoy camping trips to destinations all across Washington State, many of which become the settings for her novels.
Leanne loves to hear from readers! Contact her at: leanne@leannedavis.net.
Connect with Leanne!
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Twitter: @leannewrites
Instagram: @leannedavisauthor
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Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
River’s Rescue
COPYRIGHT © 2018 by Leanne Davis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: dvsleanne@aol.com
Publishing History First Edition, 2018 Digital
Digital ISBN: 978-1-941522-55-4
River’s End Series, Book Nine
Edited by Teri at The Editing Fairy (editingfairy@yahoo.com)
Copy Editing: Jeannie Brooker
Cover Design by Steven Novak (novakillustration@gmail.com)