Page 5 of Still Afraid

Josh didn’t know what to do for her. While her anguish was outwardly manifested, Chloe’s was bottled up inside. And Chloe was his priority. As a physician, he couldn’t ignore Breana’s need for care. But how often had Chloe been second fiddle to another person’s outward cries just because hers were internal?

Chloe gripped his arm. “Is there anything we can do for her?”

He shrugged. “Probably get her to people who can help her. Let’s see if the car is drivable.”

“And then hope we can drive out of here.”

“True. It seemed like this is the first place it touched down, so the road west might be clear enough.”

“Praying it is. I’m afraid she’s going to have a total breakdown.”

“What about you? Are holding up all right?”

A giant smile graced Chloe’s face. “I think so. Thank you.”

He smiled back at her, and they walked toward the car hand in hand.

Poirot sat on top of Chloe’s SUV and let out a bark.

She laughed. “Good, boy.” She turned to Josh. “I told him to find the car.”

“What a goofball!”

“He may have failed the drug-sniffing training, but he’s got the search and rescue down.”

“Indeed.” They reached the vehicle. It was banged up but seemed drivable. “We’ll have to get that big branch out from behind it, then I think you can back out.”

“Let’s do it.” Chloe directed her attention to the dog who had jumped down and was now by her side. “Poirot, go check on the nice lady.”

He barked and ran off.

After breaking off some limbs, Josh and Chloe hauled the heavier-than-it-looked branch out of the way. Josh loved working with Chloe. She was always ready to jump in and do what was needed without complaint. While remaining completely feminine, she wasn’t afraid to get dirty and work hard. He loved her through and through.

Together they were able to clear a way out for her vehicle. She climbed in, brushed glass out of the seat, and started the SUV with no trouble.

She poked her head out of the now permanently open window. “It’s a little damp, but we’re ready to go.”

“I’ll get Breana and Poirot while you back out.”

She nodded.

He jogged across the parking lot and came up beside Breana, who was stroking Poirot’s head as she stared blankly.

“Breana, we need to head out now; the clouds look like they could unleash more rain.” He grabbed her elbow and led her to her feet. “Who can we take you to?” Given her mental state, she needed to not be alone.

Chloe drove the SUV over to them.

Josh opened the back door. Poirot jumped in, and Breana followed. Once he was settled in the front passenger seat, he turned to Breana again and repeated his question.

She finally answered that she could go to her parent’s house, which was only a few miles away.

Josh prayed her parents were home and safe. If not, Breana might completely break.

He plugged the address into Chloe’s GPS app, and they drove quietly. Thankfully, the way out was not blocked. A few branches were scattered across the road here and there, and only one was large enough to require him to jump out and drag it off the pavement.

As he hopped back in the SUV, Chloe hung up the phone and said, “We’ve been called up—well, technically Garson hasn’t received an official call, but he said there are reports of the tornado hitting a campground. He’d like us to plan on helping.”

“Absolutely.” They’d drop Breana off, go home to get their gear, then head to the worst hit area. Josh swallowed hard and prayed harder. A campground and a tornado was not a good combination.