Page 59 of Love Story
Andi was in the seat beside him.
•••
ANDI COULDN’T GETpast the feel of her hand in his. In fact, she couldn’t believe what was happening. Cody Coleman was driving her to the site of an emergency? She took it all in. The familiar way his hands looked on the wheel and the faint smell of his cologne. The whole thing felt like something from a dream.
Focus on your job,she told herself.You have to focus.She stared straight ahead and willed herself to concentrate. “I guess... the victims’ house was nearly destroyed. The woman and her kids are stranded and the ambulance is still half an hour away.” Andi could feel herself switching gears, getting into work mode. “Her family couldn’t get through to her and they reported her missing.” She pressed her back against the passenger door so she could see him better. And so she wouldn’t be tempted to take his hand again.
The way she’d done a thousand times before.
“I don’t know how they survived.” Cody sounded concerned. He kept his eyes on the battered road. “Things could be bad.”
“Exactly.” Andi texted her supervisor, explaining that Cody had joined her and that he would help in the first phase of the rescue. At the same time she gave Cody directions through the flooded neighborhood until they weren’t able to drive any further. Cody parked and they met up with a volunteer from another agency, a man waiting with a rowboat. He would take them the remaining few blocks to the house.
“The water’s still so high.” Cody looked around and shook his head. “The flood in this part of town was days ago, right?”
“Yes. This was part of the second flood.” Her eyes met his as they climbed into the small boat. “It’s always like this. People think floodwaters just dissipate.” As the volunteer began rowing, Andi had no choice but to sit next to Cody. Their knees touched, and Andi shivered a little.
“You cold?” Cody wore a sweatshirt and as he spoke he peeled it off his body and handed it to her. “Here. Wear this.”
“No... it’s fine.” But even as she said the words she took the hoodie from him. It was warm from the heat of his body.
“Wear it. Please, Andi.” He looked at her. “You’re cold. I can tell.”
He was right. Whether it was the early morning chill or the closeness of Cody Coleman, Andi wasn’t sure. But her shivering was worse. She slipped his sweatshirt on and immediately she felt relief.
“Better?” He put his arm around her and eased her against him. “Stay by me till the chill’s gone.”
It’s a dream. It has to be a dream.Andi couldn’t believe any of it.
Cody’s sweatshirt. His arm around her. The boat and the flooded street. The emergency at hand. How could this be real? She tried to think about the rescue ahead but all she could imagine was her own. It wasn’t safe for her heart, being this near to Cody. If she let herself get caught up in him again, what would become of her? She was about to slide over, put distance between them. Then she changed her mind.
It felt so good being this close to him. Maybe she could pretend they were still together. Just this one day. Because in this moment it seemed like they’d never broken up, never moved on from each other.
They reached the house and once more Cody took her hand. They didn’t have waders, so as soon as they stepped out of the boat their jeans were immediately soaked. He took Andi’s bag from her. In it was an emergency kit full of water bottles, medications, and first-aid supplies. Cody set the bag on a ledge as they made their way into the house.
“Wait... we need that.” Andi looked back.
“I’ll get it later.” Cody still had hold of her fingers. “Right now I want my hands free. We don’t know what we’re going to find.”
Inside, the two of them slogged through waist-deep water. A few feet from the door, a bookcase blocked their path. Cody easily moved it out of the way, and then together they navigated the other broken furniture in their path.
“They must be upstairs.” Cody started up, taking the lead and testing the stair rail. It gave way and fell to the ground.
“After a flood everything can crumble.” Andi was glad Cody was being careful. “Walls can collapse without warning.”
“I bet.” Cody took his time. “Stay on the edge of the stairs. That’s where the support is.”
“Okay.” They reached the top. “Hello?” Andi called out. If the people were here, they weren’t making a sound.
Noise came from one of the rooms. A woman’s voice, weak and definitely afraid. “We’re in here.”
“This way.” Cody led her to a door at the far end of the hallway. The carpet was drenched and the drywall that lined the hall was crumbling. Clearly the upstairs had been flooded, too.
No training could prepare Andi for the scene in front of her as Cody opened the door. A woman was huddled on a soaked couch, her two little girls and one boy beside her. The upper ridge of the sofa was the only dry thing in the entire room.
All three kids were very still, their faces blank. Like they were in shock.
“It’s okay.” Andi released Cody’s hand and approached the woman as they came near. “An ambulance is on the way. What’s your name?”
