When He Returns

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  It was just like when his job with the band had exhausted him. He’d never ever considered giving it up. Unfortunately, it appeared he was going to have to give the band up now, whether he wanted to or not. He wasn’t going to fight it though because he might not get a second chance at saving his own life. And he didn’t doubt that if he went back to the band, he’d find his way back to drugs.

  And that would surely be a direct path to his death.

  A week later, death came knocking, only it wasn’t for him that it lingered outside the door.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Sierra was reading over the chart of one of her patients shortly after lunch when a fellow nurse rushed up to the nursing station. They’d been in the same nursing class, and they had done a few rotations together. She worked in the adult ER now, so they didn’t get to see each other too often.

  “Sierra,” she said, leaning against the raised counter, her breaths coming rapidly, as if she’d run there. “Your brother’s name is Ethan, right?”

  Sierra stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding, a pit forming in her stomach. “Why?”

  “The ambulance arrived just as I was getting ready to go on break, and I recognized the name from when he came to pick you up sometimes when we were in school.”

  “Ethan’s in the ER?” Sierra swallowed hard as nausea rose up within her. “He’s hurt?”

  “It looked pretty bad, sweetie. You’d better come.”

  Her supervisor had come to stand next to them, and when Sierra looked at her, she said, “Go ahead. We’ll take care of things here.”

  Numbly Sierra handed off the chart she’d been reviewing and then went around the counter to reach her friend. Taking her hand, she tugged Sierra forward. “Let’s go.”

  Together, they raced through familiar hallways, slapping the buttons to open doors as they went. When they finally made it to the ER, her friend guided her back into the trauma area. She knew they wouldn’t have done this for most people, but for a fellow nurse, it appeared they would make an exception when warranted.

  “This is his sister. She’s a nurse in pediatrics,” her friend said when the team around the bed looked up.

  Sierra knew better than to get in their way, so she pressed herself against the wall, only managing to just hold back a sob when she got her first glimpse of Ethan.

  The doctor began to rattle off what they could see was wrong with him. The list seemed endless. All of it was life-threatening, and Sierra feared she was going to lose her brother.

  “We’re just waiting for an OR to finish being prepped, and we’ll be taking him in,” the doctor said.

  “Can I…can I pray with him?” Sierra asked.

  The doctor looked at her for a long moment then nodded. “Go up by his head.”

  Sierra moved to where the doctor had indicated then reached out to rest the back of her shaking fingers against Ethan’s cheek. The trauma team continued to work on him as she closed her eyes, trying her best to block out everything around her.

  Please, Heavenly Father, don’t take Ethan from us. I can’t…I can’t be without him. Please guide the surgeons as they operate on him. Help them see clearly what’s wrong with him and give them steady hands to work. Please, God…please, God…please, God… please don’t take him from me.

  She kept repeating it over and over until she felt gentle hands moving her away from her brother. Sierra opened her eyes to look down at Ethan, hoping with all her heart it wouldn’t be for the last time while he still drew breath. As she watched them wheel him away, the pain within her grew, pressing so hard against her chest that she wasn’t sure she could contain it.

  And she knew without a shadow of a doubt that when it broke free, it would shatter her into a million pieces.

  Sierra allowed her friend to move her from the trauma room, knowing they needed to clean it up and prepare it for the next patient. Even without being told, Sierra knew Ethan would be going to the ICU after his surgery. His injuries were so severe that it was questionable whether he’d even survive the surgery.

  All she could do was pray. And pray. And pray.

  Her friend took her up to the waiting room nearest the ICU, but then she had to leave Sierra to return to her work in the ER. Sierra thanked her, so grateful that she’d had a chance to see Ethan and pray with him before he’d been whisked away.

  Sierra slumped down in a chair, burying her face in her hands, wishing this was all a bad dream. Wishing she could go back in time and warn Ethan to avoid whatever it was that had put him on that gurney, his life in peril. And still she prayed.

  After what felt like forever, the pain seemed to finally abate, easing the pressure on her chest. Sierra took a couple of deep breaths, then straightened. As she looked around, her gaze immediately fell on a familiar figure. Sierra got up on shaky legs and made her way to Bennett, dropping down into the chair next to him.

  “What happened?” she asked by way of greeting. She was trembling all over, but she was doing everything she could to hold it together.

  “Sierra,” Bennett said as he turned to look at her. His gaze traveled over her, then met hers. “There was an accident at a site we were touring. A section of the floor above where we were standing collapsed. Ethan and Mitch were underneath it, and Ethan tried to shove Mitch out of the way. Unfortunately, they both got caught under it.”

  “Is Mitch here too?”

  Bennett nodded. “They told me they were bringing them both here.”

  Sierra could see the strain on his face and the dirt that covered his clothes and hands. “I saw Ethan for a couple of minutes before they took him into surgery, but I didn’t know Mitch was here.”

  “How is Ethan?” Bennett asked as he ran a hand through his hair. “They told me they were taking him to surgery but didn’t give me any details. Just sent me up here. To wait.”

  Sierra looked away from him to stare at the floor, unable to watch his emotions while still trying so hard to control her own. “He’s not good. The ER doctor said he wasn’t sure that Ethan would even make it through the surgery.” She heard a strangled gasp but still kept her gaze averted. “And if he does make it through the surgery, it’s going to be a long recovery.”

  “Bennett?” Makayla’s voice broke through Sierra’s resolve, and she looked over to see her sister-in-law standing just a few feet away, a shattered expression on her face.

  Sierra felt tears spill over, and she lifted her shaking hands to brush them away. She didn’t know if Makayla had heard what she said, but it didn’t matter. She’d hear the news soon enough.

  “Is that his blood?” Makayla asked as she stared at Sierra.

  “What?” Sierra didn’t understand at first then looked down at her hands and saw the smears of blood along the backs of them. “I was able to see him for a few minutes before they took him into surgery.” She clenched her hands into fists, trying in vain to stop their trembling.

  “Makayla? Sweetheart?” Steve and Emily reached for their daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace between them.

  The pain in Sierra’s chest expanded once again, and the trembling refused to leave her body. Refused to be calmed.

  Behind Makayla and her parents, more of the family—including Brooke and her sisters—flooded in. Sierra backed away from them as they clustered close together. Waves of hot and cold flowed over her, and she didn’t know how to stop them. It was like pain had taken over her body and refused to yield control.

  Deciding it would be best if she tried to clean herself up, Sierra headed for the nearest bathroom, hoping her legs would hold her up. Once there, she grabbed some paper towels and used them to turn on the faucet, so she wouldn’t get blood on the taps. As she put her hands under the running water, it slowly turned a light shade of pink. She didn’t have a lot of blood on her hands, so it didn’t take long to clean them.

  When she glanced up and saw herself in the mirror, she froze. There were smears of blood across her cheeks. Ethan’s blood. Loweri
ng her gaze, she reached for the paper towels again and wet them then wiped at her cheeks blindly. Then, avoiding her own gaze, Sierra looked in the mirror only long enough to make sure the smears of blood were gone. Once her face was clean, she pulled more paper towels from the dispenser to dry off and then she left.

  Outside the bathroom, Sierra hesitated before turning in the opposite direction of the waiting room. She couldn’t be there right then. Instead, she returned to her ward, requesting permission from her supervisor to stay in the staff lounge.

  “Do you know anyone in ICU?” she asked the woman.

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Would you be able to call and ask them if they could call me or you with updates on my brother? I just can’t be over there right now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Sierra nodded, wrapping her arms tightly across her waist.

  “I’ll give her a call. He’s in surgery?”

  “He just went in, so it might be awhile, but he’ll be going to the ICU after the surgery is over.”

  “Okay.” The woman gave her a concerned look as they reached the lounge. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait near the ICU?”

  Sierra shook her head as she sank down on the couch. “It would be too hard for me. I just need some privacy.”

  The woman nodded then rested her hand on Sierra’s shoulder. “We’ve got the rest of your shift today covered as well as the one tomorrow, so don’t worry about a thing.”

  “Thank you.”

  The woman left her alone then. Sierra grabbed some tissues from the end table beside the couch and pressed them against her eyes which were beginning to slowly leak tears.

  She understood that Ethan was Makayla’s husband and that facing the prospect of losing the man she loved was devastating, but Grace and Shayla were proof that life could go on after a loss. That love could come again.

  But for Sierra, Ethan’s loss would mean she no longer had any family. She hadn’t had any significant contact with her parents in almost ten years. They’d abandoned her without a second thought. Ethan was the one person who had loved and cared for her when no one else had. Losing him would be losing everything for Sierra.

  She knew it was selfish—wrong even—to be measuring whose loss would be greater, but right then, her world felt like it was on the verge of imploding. And if that happened, nothing would ever be the same for her again.

  Sierra bent forward pressing her forehead to her knees, tucking her arms tight against her torso as she tried to contain the sobs that wanted to break free. She couldn’t lose Ethan. She didn’t know what she’d do if that happened. He was her rock, the one person she could count on to always be in her corner no matter what.

  Losing him was not something she’d ever allowed herself to contemplate and yet here she was, faced with that very prospect. She felt like he was her anchor, her tether to the earth. The person who made her feel like she had a connection to their world. Without him…she would be lost.

  Alone.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Dalton hurried alongside Danica and JD as they made their way through the hospital to the waiting room where the family was gathering, waiting for news on Ethan. Mitch wasn’t in great shape either, but from what his dad had said when he’d called them, his wounds weren’t life-threatening the way Ethan’s were.

  The last he’d heard, they were prepping Mitch for surgery to stabilize a serious break in his leg, plus he had a concussion from some of the falling debris that had hit him on the head. He and Danica had both been trying to call Sierra, but she hadn’t answered any of their calls. He’d tried texts as well, but still no response.

  When they reached the waiting room, he looked around but didn’t see Sierra anywhere.

  “Where’s Sierra?” Danica demanded.

  The people in the room turned towards them, then began to look around the waiting room.

  “She was here just a bit ago,” Bennett said. “She said she’d been in to see Ethan before they took him for surgery.”

  “Why hasn’t anyone been making sure she was okay?” Danica asked, her voice cracking. “That’s her only family in that operating room. Who is comforting her while she waits to hear if he is going to live or die?”

  Silence fell around the room as Danica turned toward JD. He immediately took her in his arms and held her as she cried.

  Dalton sent Sierra another text, telling her that they were all there at the hospital. Worry ate at him as he waited again for a response that didn’t come. He didn’t think she would have gone back to work. He was pretty confident that they wouldn’t let her work in the mental state she was sure to be in, anyway.

  So where had she gone?

  He paced the room for a bit then settled into a chair next to Gabe. “Has Brooke been able to see Mitch?”

  “Yes. Once they’d stabilized him, they let her see him for a couple of minutes before they took him for surgery.”

  “Was he conscious?”

  “In and out,” Gabe said, dragging a hand down his face, his expression unusually serious. “I just can’t believe this.”

  “What happened?”

  “Mitch, Bennett, and Ethan were out looking at a property they were considering buying to renovate into lofts downtown. Unfortunately, it was in worse shape than they’d been led to believe, and even though they were wearing safety gear, it wasn’t enough. Ethan tried to push Mitch out of the way, when the second floor began to collapse, so Ethan caught the brunt of it.”

  Dalton swallowed hard. He couldn’t begin to imagine what Sierra was feeling, especially considering she’d seen Ethan before they took him to surgery. From the sound of things, he was in pretty bad shape.

  Dalton was so frustrated and angry with his family right then too, though. How had they not thought about how upset Sierra would be? They’d surrounded Makayla and Brooke with their support—Brooke, who had two of her sisters there with her—but they’d left Sierra out in the cold.

  Sierra, who had been a part of their family for as long as Ethan had.

  “I’m sorry,” Gabe said, his voice low. “We should have considered Sierra. Makayla got upset when she saw the blood—Ethan’s blood—on Sierra, so I think she left to clean up, and she just never came back.”

  Dalton rubbed his palms on his jeans, trying to rub out the tension that was building inside him. He felt helpless. There was nothing he could do at that moment. If only Sierra would respond. He looked down at his phone. The messages were still unread.

  His leg bounced as he looked around the room. Makayla sat between their parents while Brooke sat with her sisters. Grace was there with Bennett, but Maya, Hannah, and Shayla were absent, so he assumed they were in charge of watching all the kids. Sammi wasn’t there either, but she didn’t live on the family land, so it was harder for people to help her with her kids.

  Dalton pulled up her information and tapped out a message.

  I assume you’ve heard what happened to Ethan and Mitch?

  At least this time he got a response.

  Sammi: Yes! Is there anything new?

  Last we heard, Ethan is in surgery, and so far, he’s still holding his own. Mitch has gone into surgery for his broken leg, but I don’t think we’ve heard anything further. I just got here with Dani and JD.

  Sammi: Praying so hard for them! How are Makayla, Sierra, and Brooke doing?

  Dalton was glad to see that Sammi was concerned about Sierra too. It made him feel a little better about his family.

  Makayla and Brooke are hanging in there. We don’t know where Sierra is. She talked to Bennett and Makayla but then disappeared, and she’s not answering our calls or messages.

  Sammi: I’m so sorry to hear that. I’ll be praying that she joins you guys there. I wish I could be there with you.

  Everyone understands. I’ll do my best to keep you up to date as we hear news.

  Sammi: Thanks, sweetie. Xoxoxo

  Dalton got to his feet and walked out of the room in searc
h of the bathrooms. Maybe Sierra was still in the women’s. Unfortunately, he couldn’t go inside to search himself, so he lingered a little ways away, waiting until a woman went in and then came out again.

  “Excuse me,” he said.

  The woman looked at him expectantly.

  “Was there a young woman in there? Dark hair? Scrubs?”

  The woman shook her head. “As far as I could tell, it was empty.”

  “Thank you.”

  The woman nodded then continued on her way. Dalton hoped that if Sierra wasn’t with them, that she was at least with her co-workers. He wondered if Danica knew exactly where she worked. If so, maybe they could go and check to see if she was there if she didn’t show up soon.

  They’d been there about an hour when a nurse came out to give them another update on Ethan. Dalton was glad that they were giving them regular updates because otherwise, the waiting would have been torture.

  After the second report that Ethan was holding his own, Makayla seemed to calm down a bit. Dalton hoped that wherever Sierra was, she was also getting updates. He assumed that the hospital would give them to her since she was family as well as a nurse there.

  Still, it worried him that by hour two, there was still no sign of her. Gabe and Ryan had left to go help their wives, promising to return a little later. Kenton and Avery had shown up, and Elliot came once he was done work for the day.

  “Where’s Sierra?” Elliot asked as he sat down next to Dalton.

  “That’s the question of the hour,” Dalton said, then went on to explain what had happened earlier with her.

  “And she still hasn’t shown up?”

  “No, but I assume she knows he’s in surgery, so I’m thinking that perhaps she’s in a place designated for staff, and she’s getting updates directly.”