Page 3 of Dove
Even though I rarely looked at the thing, I needed it, and having it with me reassured me—just in case.
And afterheleft…
Well, it never left my side after that.
I was mucking Shadow’s stall when the melodic ringtone floated up over the sound of rain and thunder outside the barn. I paused, wiped my forearm across my sweaty forehead, and strained to hear. There were times I swore I heard it ringing when it wasn’t. My therapist said it was normal, that we all had phantom moments where we thought we heard something we didn’t.
But that wasn’t the case this time.
When it rang again, I sprang into action. The worn mucking gloves covering my hands got shucked carelessly, and the shovel I’d been gripping clattered to the floor—forgotten. I slipped on the remaining dirty hay sprawled on the ground as I practically ran to grab my phone, which rested on a ledge just outside Shadow’s stall.
There were only a handful of people who had my number, and the friends whodidhave it didn’t bother to call anymore. Not since we graduated. Not since I became the recluse farm girl.
So, that only left a select few people.
My heart pounded as I lifted the screen up, but it stopped just as suddenly when I noticed it wasn’t a contact I had saved. The number was a local area code, though, which worried me all the same.
Tamping down my disappointment at not seeinghisname across the screen, I swiped to accept the call.
“Hello?” I nearly shouted into the phone, the rain bouncing off the tin roof near deafening.
“Is this Dove Riley?” a firm male voice asked on the other end of the line.
I gulped, the dread that had festered low in my belly since morning leaping to life with a vengeance.
“Yes,” I answered back anxiously. “This is her.”
“This is Officer Ringgold from the Lynnton police department.” His tone turned grievous. “I’m sorry to inform you that your mother and father have been in an accident.”
The words spun around my head, but the only thing I could focus on was…
Stepfather.The word thickened in my throat, lodged, unable to come out.He’s my stepfather.
Where had all the air gone? My chest grew tight, and my breathing turned shallow, the room closing in on me until I had to lean against a wooden beam for support.
“Are they—?” Those two words were all I could choke out, unable to finish the sentence.
The man’s hesitation was noticeable over the phone. “I won’t lie to you, Miss Riley. They’ve been in a severe accident, and they’re both in critical condition. They’ve been taken by ambulance to All Saint’s Hospital.”
My eyes prickled with tears, heart clenching. The very hospital they’d been leaving, having visited just that morning, only to wind back up there.Bothas patients this time.
“I’m on my way.” I stalked out of the barn, instantly soaked as the rain pummeled me and I ran for the cover of the house. All the animals were in, having prepared for the rain before it came, and I was glad for my planning now. There was no way I could go to the hospital like this. I needed to quickly change and grab my car keys.
My stomach twisted at the thought of getting behind the wheel, of driving in this weather, but what could I do? Now wasn’t the time for my hang-ups, not when my mom and Gareth needed me. Would the hospital need me to bring anything? Was I supposed to have their insurance information? What if they needed blood transfusions? I cursed myself for not knowing something as simple yet lifesaving as my mother’s blood type.
Thoughts flitted through my head so fast I barely heard his reply.
“Miss, there’s a storm advisory in effect?—”
“I’m going to the hospital,” I insisted as I ran carelessly through the mudpuddles littering the dirt driveway, barely feeling it drench the hem of my jeans.
“Do you have someone who can drive you?”
My heart stuttered in my chest. At one point in time, I’d have answered that question with a wholeheartedyes.But now…
“No.”
His heavy sigh came through the line. “This storm isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I’d rather you not drive yourself in these conditions. I’ll contact your local precinct and have them send an officer over, so we ensure you make it there safely. Will you wait for them to arrive?”
