Beyond Always (Lex and Amanda Series)

by Carrie Carr

  "That's a relief. Let me get you out of there and we'll go find some help."

  "I can't leave her here like this."

  Kyle shook her head. "I'm sure as hell not leaving you here by yourself."

  "You have to. I can't tell how serious their injuries are, and we need to get them out. And if they do wake up, I need to keep them still in case they have spinal trauma. I'm perfectly safe."

  "No, El. Please don't ask me to leave you." Kyle hefted the saw. "I'll work on the branches by the door. Maybe we can get them out that way."

  "Kyle."

  "Let me try, okay? You've seen the damage around here. I'm sure the emergency services are overwhelmed."

  "All right. I'm going to go back and keep an eye on them, in case they come to. Maybe I can find something to stabilize their necks."

  "Holler if you need me."

  Ellie reached through the window and wiped the rainwater off

  Kyle's face. "I'll always need you. Be careful out there." "I will. You, too." Kyle backed away.

  THE RAIN HAD slowed to a drizzle, although to the two trudging through the mud, it didn't matter. Shelby's left arm was useless. She had her hand tucked into the front of her belt to keep it immobile, and each step brought agony to what she assumed was a broken collarbone. She glanced at Lorrie, who silently kept up with her. "How're ya, kid?"

  "I feel stupid. Sorry I threw up on you." Once they had made it out of the truck, the two working together had splinted Lorrie's broken wrist. Lorrie cried so hard at the pain that she had vomited.

  "Hey, don't worry "˜bout it. Rain washed me right off."

  Lorrie kept her eyes on the ground. "I bet you don't cry like a baby."

  "I do, and have, on many occasions."

  "Really?" Lorrie looked up and stumbled.

  Shelby grabbed her shirt and kept her from falling. "Yup. Many times. Nothing wrong with it, kid. Everyone who has a heart, cries. I'd worry more about someone who doesn't show emotion."

  "I guess I never thought of it that way. But I threw up on you! That's something little kids do."

  "Nah. It's a natural reaction to hurtin'. Like I said, don't worry about it." As they crested the hill, Shelby pointed ahead of them. "See? We made it."

  Lorrie sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Do you think Momma will still be in town?"

  "I reckon she's out of her mind, worryin' "˜bout you. We'll take Rebecca's car and find her, I promise."

  Once they reached the back door, Shelby stopped. "Fuck."

  "What's wrong?"

  "I left my damned keys in the truck!" Shelby punctuated the sentence with a firm kick to the door, next to the knob. It burst open and slammed against the interior wall. "Rebecca's gonna love me for that."

  Lorrie followed her inside. "You won't get into trouble? Momma gets into trouble when she breaks stuff."

  Shelby took a set of keys from a bowl on the counter. "She's been after me for years to replace that door."

  She went to the refrigerator and took out two cans of soda. "If you'll check the pantry, we should have a bag of cookies in there. Grab "˜em and we'll head for town."

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  AMANDA FINISHED WITH Eddie's diaper as Charlie came into the living room. He had volunteered to check the roof and upstairs rooms for damage after the storm. "How bad was it?"

  "Not as bad as I expected, the way the storm sounded." Charlie sat in the chair closest to Melanie and Teddy, who were busy drawing pictures. "As far as I can tell, you lost some shingles on the west side, but no major damage. The barns protected our place pretty well. There was some damage to the stables' roof, but the inside was fine."

  "Thanks, Charlie." Amanda put Eddie on the floor and patted his rear. "There you go."

  Eddie laughed and joined his sister and cousin. "Meemee!"

  Melanie tore off a page from a coloring book and handed him a thick crayon. "Don't eat this one, okay?"

  "Good," Eddie agreed.

  Martha fed Hunter his bottle and made a silly face at him. "Cutie." She looked up when Jeannie came in with a tray of sandwiches and drinks. "Y'all are more than welcome to bunk with us, if you need to."

  Jeannie placed the tray on the coffee table. "Thanks, Martha. I hope peanut butter and jelly is okay with everyone." PB and J's were one of the few meals that even she couldn't mess up. "I wonder if the storm was this bad in town. I still can't get Rodney on the phone."

  "I'm half-tempted to drive in and see," Amanda added, before she left to wash her hands.

  Martha handed Hunter to Jeannie and followed Amanda down the hall. "Usually I'd be the first one to tell you to stay put."

  "But?" Amanda ducked into the spare bathroom and vigorously scrubbed her hands.

  "But, I'm as worried as you are."

  Amanda dried her hands and joined Martha in the hallway. "I thought Jeannie and I could ride in together, so we can check on Gramma and everyone else. But if Teddy goes, Mel will want to go. And if Mel--"

  "Don't you worry about the kids. Charlie and I will take them to our place."

  "All of them?"

  Martha put her hands on her hips. "Are you saying I can't handle four children?"

  "Um."

  "That's what I thought." Martha patted her on the cheek. "Run upstairs and pack an overnight bag, just in case. We'll have a movie marathon this evening, and let the bigger kids camp out in the living room. Eddie can sleep with us and Hunter will be just fine in the portable crib. I'm glad your sister over packs diaper bags like you do. We've got plenty of formula and diapers for a couple of days."

  Amanda gave her a quick hug. "Thanks. You're a braver woman than I, that's for sure." As she headed for the stairs, she heard Martha's parting shot.

  "I raised Lexie, didn't I? How much harder can those four little angels be?"

  "DAMN IT, LEX! Stay still," Ellie snapped as the paramedic placed the cervical collar around her cousin's neck.

  Lex hadn't stopped complaining since she'd become conscious. Her right wrist was splinted and she awakened to find herself strapped to a backboard. "I need to call Amanda."

  "The phone lines are down. Just relax and let these guys take care of you."

  "How the hell am I supposed to relax, when I'm trussed up like this?" When Ellie came into her line of sight, Lex tried another tack. "I don't want Amanda to be worried."

  Ellie rubbed her shoulder. "I promise, I'll get in touch with her. How's your vision, now?" When Lex first came to, she'd had trouble seeing anything.

  "Still a little blurry."

  "Well, that could be due to your broken nose, cuz. Or the concussion you probably have." Ellie felt, rather than saw, Kyle join them. She gratefully leaned into Kyle's body. "How's he doing?"

  Kyle watched as they loaded Weldon into the back of the ambulance. "Not too bad. As far as they can tell, he's only got a broken leg." She moved to where Lex could see her. "How are you, Lex?"

  "Fine." Lex tried to ignore the pain in her torso, which made it difficult to breathe. "I need to get home and check on my family. None of this is necessary." Lex blinked as something occurred to her. "Damn it. Ellie?"

  "What?"

  "Lorrie went with Shelby to help with her fence. Could you--"

  Ellie followed as the firefighters took Lex toward a waiting ambulance. "We'll find her. Don't worry." As they loaded the stretcher, she turned to one of the men. "Which hospital are you taking her to?"

  "Parkdale. The storm barely touched them there."

  "Thanks." Ellie turned and fell into her lover's arms. Now that the rain had stopped and the clouds had lightened, she could easily see how badly the truck had been wrecked. "I can't believe that tree didn't kill them."

  Kyle kissed the top of Ellie's head. "Yeah. I kind of freaked out when I saw the blood on Lex's face. You were great, though."

  "I don't feel great, just drained." Ellie walked beside Kyle as they returned to the wrecked truck. Two uniformed men were trying to secure the doors. "S
heriff Richards, is there anything else we can do here?"

  Jeremy turned away from his deputy. "No, we've got it." He handed Ellie a bag. "This is the stuff out of the glove box. I didn't want to leave it behind."

  "Thank you. And thank you for getting help here so quickly."

  "Well, having a woman jump in front of my cruiser gets my attention." He pointed to Kyle. "Next time, just wave. I could have hit you."

  Kyle blushed. "All I knew is that we needed help, and yours was the first car I'd seen since we got here."

  "You did what?" Ellie asked.

  "Um." Kyle held out her hand to the sheriff. "Thanks for everything, Sheriff. Could you have Lex's truck towed to my shop?"

  Jeremy shook her hand. "Sure." He listened to the chatter from the radio on his belt. "Sounds like we've got several of the surrounding towns sending help. I'd better head on to the square and check out the damage. Do you need anything else?"

  Kyle looked at Ellie. "I don't think so. We promised Lex we'd find her daughter, Lorrie, and we'd appreciate it if you'd keep an eye out for her."

  "She's with Shelby Fisher," Ellie added. "According to Lex, they were going to work on Shelby's fence."

  Jeremy took a small notepad from his shirt pocket and wrote the information down. "All right. We'll keep an eye out for them. I'll also try to reach the ranch on the radio. If I know Charlie, he's probably monitoring our frequency for information."

  "Great." Ellie shook his hand. "Thank you again, Sheriff. I can see why my cousin speaks so highly of you. Do you mind if we follow you to the town square? I'm hoping to find the rest of my family there."

  "Of course. Let me tell Oscar what's going on, and we'll head out."

  LORRIE'S MOUTH HUNG open at the devastation as Shelby tried to find passable streets in Somerville. "Did a tornado hit?"

  "Looks more like the wind did most of this. It got up pretty high, remember?"

  "Yeah, I guess." Lorrie stared at the fallen trees and trash that littered the yards and streets. "Do you think my mom is okay? She was outside when we left."

  Shelby had been thinking that very thought. "Uh, well. I reckon your mom is a lot smarter than that. She's probably holed up somewhere safe, worried about you."

  "What about my house? Everyone else was at home." Lorrie pointed out the side window. "Look! That car is upside down!"

  "It doesn't take much to toss one of those little things around. Hell, I bet you and me together could pick up one end."

  After driving around another downed tree, Shelby thought about the huge trees that surrounded the feed store. Her thoughts drifted toward her lover and she sent out a silent prayer for her safety.

  When the local hospital came into view, Lorrie glared at Shelby. "I thought we were going to find my mom." She had her injured arm cradled close to her body.

  "We will, I promise. But you need to get your arm looked at."

  "But--"

  "Do you think I'm dumb enough to face either one of your folks without having you checked out, first? There's no telling how long it'll take to find them in this mess." Shelby circled the lot, unable to find a parking space. "If your wrist is broken, it needs to be set as soon as possible. I know all too well what happens if you don't." She showed Lorrie the two smallest fingers on her right hand, which were bent out of shape. "I tried to fix these myself and they healed wrong. Hurts like hell every time the weather changes."

  "Yuck."

  Shelby grinned. "And that's not even the worst of "˜em."

  She slowly cruised by the hospital entry and saw the line of people coming out the door. "Damn. I was afraid of that."

  "What?" Lorrie looked at the hospital. "Oh. We're gonna be here forever."

  "Nope." Shelby put the car in reverse. "We're goin' to Parkdale. Their hospital is bigger, anyway."

  Lorrie's reprieve was short-lived. She dropped her head against the back of the seat. "Crap."

  ACROSS TOWN, BATTERY operated floodlights cast a yellowish glow across the interior of the feed store. Tom watched the group of rescuers work to free Rebecca. He paced back and forth in an attempt to see their progress. While some of the tree limbs had been cut away and discarded, the heavier ones were still in place.

  "Hold it, guys. That limb isn't stable," yelled a man stationed by Rebecca's head.

  "Got it braced!" voiced another man. "Andy, bring me that board."

  The next fifteen minutes seemed like a lifetime to Tom, who chewed on his fingernail as he watched the firefighters stabilize Rebecca's body and carefully remove her from the wreckage.

  He moved closer as Rebecca was placed on the stretcher. In the surreal light, Tom could see the tears that ran down her face and disappeared into her hair. He touched her hand, which was strapped down with the rest of her body. "It's going to be okay."

  Rebecca cut her eyes toward his voice. "Tom?"

  "Yeah, I'm here."

  "Could you?"

  He leaned to hear her. "What do you need?"

  She began to cry harder. "Shelby. Please find her."

  "Um." Tom had to walk with the stretcher as they carried her from the store. "What about your family?"

  "She is my family, Tom. Please."

  The firefighter that held the top of the stretcher cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to step back. We need to transport her."

  "Okay." As he watched them load Rebecca into the ambulance, Tom wasn't certain what to do. He wanted to help her, but he didn't know the first thing about how to find or contact Rebecca's girlfriend. If he were honest with himself, he still had trouble thinking of her as a lesbian.

  When the ambulance pulled away, Tom went back into the store. He needed to find a way to close it up so that he could leave, and he hoped he could decide what to do about Rebecca.

  A LARGE CROWD had gathered at the VFW building, where Sheriff Jeremy Richards had set up a mobile command center. Butcher paper from the nearby grocery had been taped along one wall and people could use markers to share information there.

  Anna Leigh and the other women were once again busy in the kitchen. Only this time, their food preparation was for those displaced by the storm and the volunteers who were busy trying to find the missing. She took a tray of completed sandwiches into the main hall and heard the sheriff's voice above the din.

  "The more seriously injured are being routed to Parkdale. And before you ask, no, I don't have a list of casualties at this time. I do know we've had two reported fatalities so far, but we have a lot more buildings to check."

  "How long are we supposed to be without power?" a voice from the group yelled. "There aren't many places that have generators, like this place." Other voices chimed in, raising the noise level.

  Jeremy held up his hands to quiet the crowd. "I haven't gotten a call back from the power company, but they've assured me they're sending trucks to help repair the lines. We're the largest town that's been hit so far, so we've got top priority."

  Anna Leigh stood by patiently as he answered a few more questions. Once he was finished, she handed him a sandwich. "You look like you could use this."

  "Thank you, Mrs. Cauble." He unwrapped it, but stopped before he took a bite. "Oh! Hey, is Amanda here?"

  "No, she's at home. Jeannie was going out to see her this morning, though. Why?"

  He looked a little unsure, but took a gentle hold of her elbow and moved away from the crowd. "It's about Lex. She was in an accident, and was taken to Parkdale."

  "Oh, goodness. How badly was she hurt?"

  "I don't know for sure, but she was arguing with her cousin when they loaded her into the ambulance."

  Anna Leigh couldn't keep from laughing. "That certainly sounds like Lexington. Perhaps I should try to drive out to the ranch. They may need help with the children."

  "No, ma'am, I wouldn't advise trying right now. The roads are a mess. I just wanted to let you know, in case Amanda somehow gets in touch with you. Oh! Lex said that Lorrie was with Shelby Fisher. She works at the
ranch. Do you know her?"

  "I do, yes." She patted his arm. "Thank you, dear. When will it be safe to travel?"

  "I guess it depends on where you need to go. Some of the major roads have been cleared by volunteers, but we've got a ways to go before all the residential streets are passable. If you need to get home, let me or one of my deputies know. We'll give you a ride."

  "That won't be necessary, but thank you. I thought I could help around here at least a few more hours. Be careful out there, Sheriff."

  He tipped his hat. "Yes, ma'am. Thanks for the sandwich."

  Anna Leigh finished handing out the food and returned to the kitchen. Kathleen took the tray from her and guided her to a chair. "Are you all right, Anna Leigh?"

  "Yes, I'm quite all right. Thank you. Have you heard any news of your grandmother?"

  Kathleen placed the tray on the counter and squatted beside the chair. "As a matter of fact, yes. One of the volunteers passed by the home on his way here. He said that other than a lot of broken tree limbs everywhere, they're okay."

  "That's wonderful, dear." Anna Leigh stood. "I believe I'll step outside for a breath of fresh air. I shouldn't be too long."

  She left through the kitchen door and breathed a sigh of relief when it closed behind her.

  It was still cloudy, but the rain had stopped sometime earlier, and Anna Leigh was surprised by how peaceful it was behind the VFW. If not for the amount of debris scattered around the area, she would be hard-pressed to tell that anything had happened.

  She walked slowly around the building, taking her time to get her thoughts in order. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she almost missed the tiny mew. After a short search, Anna Leigh found the cause of the noise.

  A small, soaked bundle of gray was huddled beneath a plastic garbage can lid. It raised its blue eyes up at the intruder and gave a halfhearted hiss.

  Anna Leigh knelt beside the lid and held out her hand. "Well, hello there. Aren't you a brave little thing?"

  The kitten wasn't much larger than her fist yet it cautiously sniffed at her fingers.

  "That's right. I'm not going to hurt you." She allowed it to sniff for a moment, then carefully picked it up. "Goodness, you weigh next to nothing." When she held it close to her chest, she could feel it shiver. "You poor dear. I wonder who you belong to?"