Page 88 of A Baby for the Firefighter
Griff and I had met up out here a lot as teens. There really wasn’t much else you could do, growing up in Oceanport. There was the harbor, the one movie theater and the woods. And I was pretty sure Griff was neither at the harbor nor at the movies. He’d never been much of a fan of either. No, we’d come here. And we’d gone…
There were certain spots we’d visited more than others, but it was all so long ago and I hadn’t thought about this in years.
I remembered the creek, because it was there I’d told Griff about my family’s plans to move. He’d looked so sad that day I’d almost kissed him. Almost.
In hindsight, I guess I really should have.
No use in lingering on that now, though. The only thing that mattered was whether Griff might have gone there.
Maybe yes, maybe no, but since the creek was all I could come up with, I decided to go check it out. The need to do something,anything, urged me on.
The day was starting to grow cold by the time I reached the ravine with the creek. I wasn’t holding much hope when I peeked down, but… I spotted a piece of fabric hanging off one of the roots sticking out of the wall of the ravine. It was the same color as Griff’s shirt!
Could it be?
Please!
“Griff?” I called out.
No response came, but I figured I had to try my luck anyway, and slowly, I climbed down into the ravine. I wanted to hurry, but I couldn’t help anyone with a broken leg.
Once I reached the bottom, I looked at the creek, lying silent in front of me. Had Griff swum to the other side? No, he wouldn’t have. It was too cold. He could have gone left or right from here, but to the right, the path seemed narrower. Wetter.
To the left, then.
Please let me be right.
Biting my lower lip, I sped up my pace. Could Griff be down here? If so, what was he doing?
I had to walk for about fifteen minutes before I spotted a silhouette up ahead, outlined against the light of the setting sun.
“Griff!” I called out again, hoping that my guess was correct.
Startled, he turned around to me. “Dean? Oh my God, you really came!”
I exhaled. There were so many questions in my head, but for now, they were all swept away by the wave of relief that washed over me. I’d found him. Everything else was secondary. “Of course I came!” I muttered, before I sprinted up to him so I could pull him into my arms and kiss him to quiet the storm raging in my heart.
But as relieved as I was, I couldn’t help but notice that he favored one foot over the other.
“What happened?” I asked, still holding him close. For one because he seemed to be needing the support, but also because a huge part of me never wanted to let go again. “What are you doing out here?”
“I just wanted… I didn’t mean to be gone for so long. I’m sorry.” He sniffed.
“Shhh, it’s fine.” His skin felt cold, so I put my jacket around his shoulders, wondering just how long he’d been down here. “Did you fall?” I asked.
“I was stupid,” he said. “I didn’t even want to climb down. I misstepped and lost my balance.”
I looked him over. “Why didn’t you climb back up?” I asked, because it was obvious he hadn’t stayed voluntarily.
“I can’t move my wrist,” he said, holding his left hand out to me. It looked swollen, and I cringed. “And I think maybe I twisted my ankle.”
Well, that explained why he’d decided to sit it out, but the thought still made me shiver. How long would he have been stuck here if I hadn’t found him? If I hadn’t thought to look for him here?
“What about the baby?” I asked.
“I think it’s fine. I mean, I can still feel it and all. But I think it’s hungry.”
“Yeah, I bet you both are.” I kissed the top of his head, breathing in his scent. God, was I ever glad to have him back. “You are never allowed out of the house without your cell phone again.”
