Page 9 of The Friendship Pact

All three women stood in place, stunned into silence, until Chloe grabbed her keys and jacket from behind the counter.

“Chloe, go. I’ll lock up,” Kate said. A tear escaped as Chloe tossed the keys to her, and the three Reids rushed out the front door.

Kate’s heart sank. She hugged herself, chills overtaking her body. The memory of getting the call when her dad had been shot rang through her head. That was a memory she longed to forget but never would. She said a quick prayer for a good outcome for Mr. Reid and the family.

* * *

Time stood still. Getting a call about a loved one was a police officer’s worst nightmare. Nick corresponded with Meg on a secure line while driving like a bat out of hell to the hospital twenty minutes away in the neighboring town. He’d make it in less.

His mom, quiet in the front seat, stared straight ahead, her hand clinging to the door. Chloe sat in the back, her fingers flying over the keyboard of her phone.

“Dad collapsed in the lumberyard,” Chloe said.

Nick cleared the emotion from his throat. “Jake was there and took immediate action.” Jake Meyer, a paramedic for the county, was the best there was. Their dad was in excellent hands. Nick’s eyes blurred. Get it together, Reid.

He pulled up to the hospital and parked near the ambulance bay. His mom jumped out and ran inside. He opened the back door for Chloe, and they followed close behind their mother.

“I’m sorry, Sheriff, you need to wait here.” A nurse he recognized held up a hand, concern etching her face. He couldn’t remember her first name. Why the hell couldn’t he think of her name?

“Status,” he barked.

The nurse placed a comforting hand on his forearm. “We’re taking good care of your dad. I’ll find out more and let you know. Wait here.” She headed for the double doors.

Cole and Ethan rushed into the waiting room. Cole ran up to his mom and engulfed her in a hug, murmuring softly. Ethan reached out to Chloe and put an arm around her shoulder.

“We were finishing our workout when Cole got the call,” Ethan said.

Nick found a quiet corner and called his brother Garrett, then rejoined the group and waited for word. Soft voices filled the room when Elsie Andrews and Abe Turner showed up, followed by Elsie’s twin, Emma Nelson; Rosie Cermak, Linnie Reynolds, and Paige. Linnie eased her good friend Ruth into a brown vinyl chair and held her hand. Both women had tears running down their cheeks.

Nick headed for the coffeepot and poured himself a cup. He turned off his radio and paced the large waiting room.

Cole joined him. “You need to stop pacing. You’re making me nervous.”

Nick glanced around the neutral-colored room and stared at a picture of a waterfall. “Sorry.”

His brother placed a hand on his shoulder. “Did you get a hold of Garrett?”

Nick ran a hand over his jaw and through his hair. “I had to leave a message.”

Cole groaned outwardly.

“He needed to know. I told him Dad was stable and we were all with him.” He swallowed the brown sludge the hospital called coffee and grimaced. “He replied with a text: On my way.”

“Okay. Good.”

Nick glanced at Linnie Reynolds, Ethan’s mom. She had lost her husband when Ethan was a teen. He swallowed back the lump forming in his throat as tears threatened, hoping his mom wouldn’t become a widow and they wouldn’t lose their dad too.

More and more of the town’s residents showed up. He loved his town. They’d all dropped what they were doing to be here for his family.

Dr. Mike Mitchell, a cardiologist, and Dr. Anderson, the ER doctor, both dressed in scrubs, came through the double doors. Nick and his siblings surrounded them. Holding his breath, Nick waited. He had met both doctors before today and knew of their impeccable reputations. But when both entered the waiting room together, he worried.

“Jim suffered a myocardial infarction.” Dr. Mike told them. “He is being prepped for surgery where we will place a stent.”

Nick held it together during the surgeon’s explanation, while Chloe wiped at her eyes and held their mom close.

“He’s asking for you,” Dr. Mike said to Nick’s mom.

Ruth wrung her hands together. “When can I see him?”