Page 38 of Mr. Fixer Upper
The little girl nodded. “’Dis is Ashton. I’m Regina. He’s a little scared.” She pronounced her own name with a “w” instead of an “r,” and it was freaking adorable.
“Okay, Regina and Ashton. I’m going to hold your hands, and we’re going to run real fast and catch up with everyone else inside, okay?”
Regina nodded earnestly and held one hand out to Paige. Reluctantly, Ashton took a hand off of his ear and held it out to her.
Paige tried not to let her urgency show and carefully led them toward the front of the tent. Tony had ignored her orders to seek shelter and was waiting for them, holding the flap open.
Paige looked beyond Tony to the downpour that obscured the front of the house. “I think we’re going to get a little wet,” she warned the kids. “But it will still be better inside.”
“Where are you St. James?” Andy yelled in her ear. We’ve got everyone in the basement.”
“We’re coming in,” Paige said, keeping her voice calm. She squeezed the kids’ hands reassuringly. “Everybody ready? We’re going to run real fast.”
Regina nodded and Ashton looked like he wanted to throw up. “Okay, on three. One, two, three.”
They took off, Paige keeping her strides short so the kids could keep up with her. Tony trotted along behind her. The gust of wind caught them all by surprise, and she almost didn’t hear the snapping sound. Ashton’s hand slipped from hers, and he started to run toward the craft service tent. One of the lines securing the tent whipped up, slicing through electrified air.
God, the tent was going to collapse, and Ashton was running right for it.
“Mommy!” he yelled, his voice fearful.
“Regina, you go with Tony to the house,” Paige yelled over the sound of the wind and thunder. She took off at a dead sprint. It happened so fast she didn’t have time to think. Another tent stake broke loose, and with one slow motion flutter, the front half of the tent lifted off the ground. Ashton froze in place, and Paige threw herself over him. She caught something heavy across her back, and had she been standing, the blow would have felled her.
Canvas covered them, blocking out the light but also the rain. The pain was shocking, but she didn’t want to scare Ashton any more than he already was by crying like a baby.
“Paige!”
It sounded like Tony’s voice, but she couldn’t tell over the wind. Her headset was gone, and all she was conscious of was Ashton shivering under her and the weight of something crushing down on top of her. There was a moaning shudder, and something sliced over her bare leg. It hurt like a hundred bee stings. Something solid smacked her in the side of the face, and she saw a flash of light before her head fell limply to the ground.
She wasn’t unconscious. She was floating on pain and confusion. She could smell blood, taste it too. Or was that tears?
Ashton was sobbing. The poor kid had already been afraid of thunder. Now he was going to be scarred for life. She hoped to God everyone had gotten out of the craft services tent, hoped everyone on site had made it inside.
Somewhere, over the whip of wind and the crack of thunder, she heard sirens. She felt a trickling warmth over her skin and hoped it wasn’t as much blood as it felt like. Nothing hurt too badly right now, but the fog that was closing in on her could be shock. Hopefully it wasn’t anything that would interfere with her plans with Gannon tonight.
“Hey, Ashton? Buddy? Are you okay?” she asked. She was surprised at how weak her voice sounded.
“I’m s-s-scared,” he howled in the throes of tears.
“It’s okay to be scared, but I promise we’re going to be okay.”
His next wail was a little quieter.
“Do you know your ABCs?”
“Uh-huh,” he sobbed.
“Let’s sing the ABCs until our friends come find us,” she suggested.
“I want my mommy,” he sniffled.
At this moment she wouldn’t say no to her own mother either, Paige thought.
“Well, let’s sing until your mommy and my friends come help us.”
He smelled like bubble gum shampoo, and Paige found it oddly comforting. She tried to shift her weight off of him, but something was pressing her into the earth from above.
“A, B, C…” he started off with a shaky voice, and Paige joined him. She wondered why she could see colors behind her closed eyes and was glad that she didn’t feel cold anymore.
