Page 9 of Rangers Mountain Rescue
4
Aspen
Ialmost cried when the doctor handed me the prescription.
Not because the medicine would cure Grandpa.
It wouldn’t.
Everyone in the room knew that.
But it might slow things down.
And right now, slowing things down felt like a miracle.
The drive back to the farm was quiet.
Dylan sat beside me in the truck, Buddy’s leash looped around his wrist while the dog stuck his head out the window, ears flying in the wind like he didn’t have a single worry in the world.
I wished life were that simple.
When we pulled into the gravel drive, the old farmhouse looked exactly the same as it had the first day we arrived two weeks ago.
Tired.
Weathered.
Trying its best to stand strong anyway.
Kind of like the people living inside it.
I turned off the engine and sat there for a moment, gripping the steering wheel.
There was so much to do.
I glance over at Dylan as he climbs out of the truck, Buddy already circling him like a guard dog.
He looks so small out here.
Too small for everything life has already handed him.
My chest tightens.
“Hey,” I call softly.
He looks up immediately.
Always listening for me.
Always watching.
“You stay where I can see you, okay?”
He nods.
Doesn’t argue.
He never does anymore.
