Page 39 of Rescued Dreams
“Amelia.” A heavy hand grasped the shoulder of her turnout coat.
“Huh?” She turned to find Ridge’s frustrated expression staring down at her.
“I was calling your name. You good?”
“I’m okay.” She grabbed his wrist, and he helped her up. Unlike when he’d lowered her from the ceiling, there was no sweet close moment. Just more of that frustration.
“This callout is a disaster. We need to get things under control.” Ridge turned away and stomped off.
Amelia looked back at the spot where she could have sworn she’d seen her brother.
Nothing.
Probably it hadn’t been him, but given the week she was having, there was no way she wouldn’t make a call and find out for sure whether he was still in prison or had been released. If he had, he’d be the one in their father’s mansion, tearing the place down to studs and looking for a payout. And if anyone got in his way, it would be the last thing they ever did.
She knew some people saw the light in prison, so to speak. Her brother was the last person she’d consider that might happen to. Even the best preacher in the world wouldn’t be able to get through to a guy who’d been cut from the same cloth as their father. Who took after him in every way and terrorized everyone around them.
When her mom had left her father, she’d taken Amelia and left Elam with his dad. Like that was some kind of reasonable compromise.
Sometimes it seemed as if Amelia had been in self-preservation mode her entire life.
“Patterson!” Ridge yelled her name across the top of the car. “Let’s go!”
Amelia swallowed, not super impressed with that tone. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but she hadn’t had the best day either. Instead of rushing to him at his command, she went to the truck and got the sand compound they put on chemicals and other fluids that spilled. The cars would be dragged away by tow truck, but that didn’t mean the scene would be cleaned up.
She slung the bag over her shoulder and went to Della. “You good?” Amelia dumped the bag on the ground by her foot.
Izan came over as well. “That was crazy, right? Normally that many things don’t go wrong at once.”
Della took off her gloves and stretched out her hand, which was a little red on one side. “I’m good. Feels a bit singed, but don’t tell the EMTs, because I don’t need a doctor.”
“I’m glad you didn’t get hurt.” Amelia squeezed her shoulder.
Zack slid out from under the car. Beside it, the truck had been secured by airbags so it didn’t suddenly shift and crush anyone. “We’re good to move the truck.”
Eddie hit the button to deflate the bag and lower the truck back to the ground. Beside him, the RAM driver talked emphatically in his ear. The cops should have been here taking his statement, but Amelia didn’t see any.
“We need officers.”
Izan patted the outside of Amelia’s arm and pointed to two uniformed cops coming their way, Officer Anthony Thomas and Officer Olivia Tazwell.
Exhaustion from back-to-back calls hit her like a wave. Amelia walked away and left her colleagues to the job of coordinating with the police. From his rescue squad huddle, Ridge frowned at her. Displeased.
She went to the back of the ambulance, where the kid and mom had been loaded up. EMT Nathan Welch, who she’d worked with a bit on calls like this, had the child on his lap while he assessed the mother on the bed. Securing her for transport. Amelia gave him a hand, and when they were done he said, “Close the doors. We need to get her in.”
“Got it.” Amelia climbed out and shut the doors, slamming her palm down on the window twice.
The ambulance pulled out into the traffic crawling past, and a lane emerged as people eased to one side or the other so the bus could drive up the middle with the lights and sirens going.
She turned back to the scene and took off her glove to run a hand over her hair, pushing the loose strands back from her face. Chaos to calm happened nearly as fast as the situation had deteriorated, but the cleanup usually took the most time out of everything. Unless something serious happened and there was no one else, they would be on scene until it was all squared away and restored to order.
A tow truck pulled onto the street where the ambulance had gone and made its way in this direction, coming to bring the wrecked cars to the junkyard.
Amelia grabbed a bottled water from the cabinet in the truck, drank half, and then poured the other half over her head. It chilled in the cool air. Helped to clear her head as much as it lowered her temperature.
She grabbed a broom and got to work.
It couldn’t have been her brother that she’d seen earlier in the crowd. She must’ve been mistaken. Family stuff seemed close to the surface right now, with all the talking about them she had done the past couple of days. At most, she’d seen someone who resembled him.
