Once Elliot had finished his update, people began to get up and return their dishes to the table. Lindsay watched as a few headed in their direction and braced herself for them to plead their case with Than about how it was an emergency that he let them contact their families.
She was pleasantly surprised when each of them just expressed their thanks at having passed on the updates to their family. Once they’d gone, Than got to his feet and gathered up his mug and plate. Lindsay followed him to take their dirty dishes to the table.
Back in the room where they’d slept, he dialed Lucas’s number and handed her the phone. “I’m going to take our bags back up to our rooms.”
Left alone to deal with her big brother, Lindsay sank down on the bed with the phone pressed to her ear.
“Than?”
She wished. Lindsay sighed and then said, “No, Luc, it’s me.”
“Lindsay! It’s so good to hear your voice. How are you doing?”
“I’m doing really well and probably better than a whole lot of people who went through the storm last night.”
There was a pause on the other end, and Lindsay figured Lucas was gearing up for his demand. “Listen, Linds, I think it would be best if you came home as soon as possible.”
“Why’s that?”
“It can’t be safe there now, Lindsay. This is a completely different ball game than what you signed up for.”
“First of all, it’s not safe for a lot of people here, Lucas, and the majority of them have nowhere to go. Why should I skip out early because of that? Than is here and is taking care of me and yes, I’m listening to what he tells me to do and not arguing with him.”
“Is he saying you should come home?”
“He didn’t express an opinion on that either way, but it wouldn’t matter if he did. I’m staying. If he wants to leave, he’s more than welcome to.”
“Lindsay, please, this isn’t what you were supposed to be involved in when you agreed to go.”
“Are you saying God didn’t know what was going to happen? I felt at peace about coming here, and if God gave me that peace, I can only believe that this is where He wants me to be, regardless of the storm that just ripped through.”
She heard Lucas sigh and could almost picture him with his head bent, running his hand through his hair. He’d assumed that position more than once over the years when he’d been frustrated by her determination to buck what he wanted her to do. “Mom is really worried.”
“I’m sure that’s true. If need be, I’ll speak with her, but I’m not—repeat not—coming home yet. I’m staying with the team. However, if the decision is made as a group to leave early, I will do that, but I’m not leaving them just because circumstances have changed a bit.”
“A bit, Lindsay? You’re definitely the master of understatement these days.” Lucas sighed. “Fine. I’ll plead your case with Mom, but if at any time Than feels your safety is compromised by being there, you’re out. I don’t care if he has to knock you out and carry you over his shoulder, you will be extricated.”
“I already told you that I’m being a good girl and doing what Than tells me when it comes to safety. Ask him. I haven’t rebelled against anything he’s told me to do.”
“I just hope Than remembers who’s paying him, and he doesn’t get swayed by wanting to please you.”
Lindsay laughed. “No worries about that. I’m pretty sure he takes his job very seriously, and if it comes down to pleasing me or keeping me safe, I think safety will trump everything else.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that.”
“Listen, I don’t want to tie this up. We’re getting ready to tackle some of the damage around here. I’m sure Than will call you later to keep you updated.”
“Okay. Stay safe. I swear you’re giving me more gray hair…”
Lindsay grinned. “Love you, Lucas. Give Mom a hug and kiss from me.”
After the call had ended, Lindsay went looking for Than and her suitcase so she could change into jeans. When they joined the others at the vehicle they would be taking into the town, Lindsay noticed that everyone else was dressed similarly.
“Here.” Than handed her a gray ball cap with a BlackThorpe Security logo on the front. “It will help to keep the heat off your head.”
Though she normally hated hats, Lindsay took it and threaded her ponytail through the opening at the back and settled it on her head. He was wearing a similar one, she noticed.
“Let’s load up,” Elliot said.
In addition to her, Than and Barb, two of the single guys from the mission team had joined them. There was also a young Filipino woman and two Filipino men. The vehicle they climbed into wasn’t like anything she’d seen before. The front was just a bench seat for the driver and two passengers. In the back, there were two long seats facing each other. Though there was a roof over the back, there were no windows, just wide open space.
She climbed up into the back and slid onto the seat. Once everyone was loaded, she found herself sandwiched between Barb and Than. The two Filipino men hung on the back of the vehicle instead of coming inside with the rest of them though there was room.
“Hold onto that,” Than said, gesturing to a metal pole that was suspended horizontally from the ceiling.
The vehicle jerked forward, and Lindsay quickly realized she needed to be holding onto it so she didn’t slide all over the place or end up on the floor. As it was, when the vehicle gained some speed, she slid across the smooth vinyl seat right into Than. He’d stretched his arm across the back of the seat behind her and Barb so she found herself pressed against his side.
“Sorry,” Lindsay said with a glance over her shoulder at him as she used her grip on the pole to put some distance between them once again.
He was wearing sunglasses so she couldn’t see his eyes, but he only nodded and then looked back out the side of the vehicle. As they swerved and lurched, bounced and jolted along, Lindsay realized that Elliot was trying to avoid the larger branches that lay on the road while having to drive over some of the smaller one. She figured that by the time they got down the mountain, her arm was going to have cramped from trying to keep from sliding all over the place.
After what seemed like the hundredth time she’d slid into Than and then tried to move away from him, she felt his hand on her shoulder as he said, “Lindsay. Relax. I’m not reading anything into this, okay? And I won’t bite or take advantage of the situation. Just relax.”
At her nod, his hand left her shoulder and the next time she slid into him, she just stayed there. He might not bite or plan to take advantage of the situation, but in reality, the distance had been for her sake, not his. She found herself relying on—and, to be honest, appreciating—his strength a little too much these days.
Suddenly, the vehicle came to an abrupt halt. This time she slid into Barb with Than right behind her.
“Sorry about that, Barb,” Lindsay said as she tried to move back from the woman.
Barb smiled. “No harm done.”
She heard Elliot and the Filipino men talking loudly in their language. Than left his seat and got out, and even though she was tempted to follow him, Lindsay decided to stay put. After her conversation with Lucas earlier, Lindsay realized that in a sense, her chance to remain with the team hinged largely on Than. If she put herself in danger or did something stupid, he could pull the plug on this and it would all be over.
While she didn’t like to be told what to do, Lindsay also knew that on this trip, in particular, ignoring common sense just to spite Than and Lucas would definitely not be in her best interest. Thankfully, Than obviously knew she would be dying to know what was going on and as he walked from the back of the vehicle toward the front, he paused and said, “There’s a tree down on the road. We’re going to see if we can cut it up and move it. Stay put.”
She bristled at the sharp command but didn’t go against it. The sudden roar of a motor prevented any conversation. She realized quickly that Elliot
must have anticipated coming across fallen trees since it sounded like they were using a chainsaw to cut the tree up. Shifting on her seat, she looked through the opening between the back and front seat and through the windshield to see the guys moving around a large tree that lay in front of the vehicle.
With the six men working, it didn’t seem to take too long to get it cleared off the road enough so they could get through. She wondered how many more fallen trees they’d run into on the trip down the hill.
Than followed the two team guys back into the vehicle and slid onto the seat beside her. She noticed a sheen of sweat on his upper lip and a drop ran down his cheek. He pulled his ball cap off and lifted his arm to rub his upper arm against his forehead, using the T-shirt sleeve to absorb the sweat there.
After making another stop for another downed tree a little further along the road, Lindsay realized that Than was pulling a lot more than just bodyguard duty on this trip. He’d stepped up time and again without complaint and did what needed to be done. Up until this trip, she’d only seen him in suits or lounging around with her brother. He hadn’t struck her as being a particularly hard worker before, but each day on this trip he was showing her differently.
~*~*~
Than watched out the front window as the vehicle made the final turns before reaching the road that led straight into town. His gut twisted at the thought of what was to come. Though he’d never experienced the aftermath of a typhoon of this size personally, he’d closely followed past storms that had ravaged the Philippines. The family connection to the country meant that he had a vested interest in what happened here.
He’d watched countless hours of footage after the last big typhoon had ripped through the Philippines south of Manila. Every time he’d stopped by his parents’ place they’d had the television on the Asian channel they got through some cable package they had. He couldn’t have avoided it even if he’d wanted to. The only thing that made this current situation a bit better was that this particular town hadn’t had to deal with a storm surge. That seemed to be one of the more dangerous aspects of most typhoons. He hadn’t been able to find out yet if something similar had happened when this typhoon had made landfall.
For now he was focused on what he could do here to help. And to keep Lindsay safe. He glanced down at her as she sat closer to him than he figured she was comfortable with, but she’d given up trying to fight the slip and slide the vehicle kept making them do as it jerked and bounced on the road.
He had thought about making her stay at the center, but then he would have had to stick with her since that was his job. However, he really wanted—needed—to see how the town had fared and to help where he could. And he figured maybe it would be something Lindsay needed to see as well. She’d come on this trip for an experience and so far she was getting one. Than just hoped she was up for what lay ahead. He wasn’t sure he was, even though he had a pretty good idea of what they’d find when they got there.
As they neared the edge of town, Than could already see some of the destruction with more downed trees and branches strewn across the street ahead. Elliot pulled the vehicle off to the side of the road and stopped. After turning off the engine, he swung around in his seat to face them through the window between the front seat and the back. He rested an arm on the opening.
“I’d like to say a word of prayer before we head in there.” There was a murmuring of agreement, and Than pulled the hat from his head just as Elliot began to pray. “Heavenly Father, we are so thankful that we can be here today. That You brought us safely through the storm. We pray that You will go before us as we head into town to see how we can help those who were more deeply affected by the storm. Guide us, we pray. And we pray for continued safety as we help those here. In Jesus’ name.”
All those around Than joined in with an Amen.
“We’ll start out together,” Elliot explained, “but may have to split up at some point. We’ll meet back here around noon to see how things are going. That’s about four hours from now. Should give us enough time to evaluate the situation.”
As they piled out of the back, Than grasped Lindsay’s arm. “Please stick close by. Don’t go wandering off because we just don’t know what the situation will be like.”
Lindsay’s gaze went to the town and then back to him. “I’ll stick close by.”
As a group, they followed Elliot back out onto the road and headed toward the edge of town. He hadn’t parked far from it so within five minutes they’d reached the first of the residential houses. Right away Than could see that the buildings that were made from the cinder blocks seemed to have sustained little to no damage—just like the ones on the mission center. However, the ones made with wood had definitely been impacted by the strong winds and rain.
Elliot and the two Filipino men approached first one house and then another to enquire about the well-being of the inhabitants. Than was beginning to feel more hopeful as each house revealed families who were safe and though without power were doing okay. It was so very different from the pictures he’d seen after the other typhoon.
Lindsay stuck close as he’d requested, but she seemed to fall into step more with Barb than with him. He had a hard time reading her thoughts this morning. The openness she’d had with him the past couple of days wasn’t present anymore. She kept a stoic expression on her face as they moved from house to house. Something told him she was storing everything up inside to process later. He understood that. His job required him to push forward and leave his reactions and emotions to be dealt with later. And he was glad she had forged a friendship with Barb. Hopefully if those emotions got the better of her, she’d have someone to turn to, because he was pretty sure she wouldn’t be turning to him.
13
Lindsay watched as an elderly woman came to the door of the house Elliot had just approached, calling out a greeting. The man lifted the woman’s hand to his forehead and then proceeded to speak with her in her language. Lindsay looked around as she had at each house they’d stopped at so far.
Even without significant storm damage, she had a hard time taking in the living conditions. So far most the houses could have fit into her suite of rooms at the mansion with room to spare. They were simple houses—some cinder block, some wooden structures—with small yards that had been pounded through the night. Such a simple way of living and yet none of the people they’d met so far seemed to be depressed or angry about their circumstances. In fact, the opposite seemed to be true. The houses’ occupants greeted them with wide friendly smiles.
At the last place they’d stopped, the woman had brought out a tin of cookies and had offered some to them. Lindsay had wanted to decline, but Than had whispered that the woman would be hurt if she refused her generosity. They had so little and yet what they had, they still offered to share.
“She said that she thinks part of the tree fell on the back of their house,” Elliot said as he turned from the woman. “Let’s go check it out and see if we can help move it.”
As the men went around the side of the small building, Lindsay heard a child’s voice and turned to see a young boy scampering in their direction. He was talking but, of course, she couldn’t understand a word he said. Thankfully, the nurse with them did, and she dropped to her knees in front of him and listened as he talked, large tears falling down his cheeks.
Lindsay’s heart clenched, wondering what could be causing this boy so much distress. She didn’t have to wait long to find out because the nurse quickly straightened and said, “He said he thinks his mother is having a baby. They are alone because his father went to Manila to work.”
“We’ll go check her out,” Barb said without hesitation. She looked at Lindsay. “Tell Than to come with us.”
Lindsay ran around the corner of the house and immediately spotted Than lifting a large branch off to the side of the small yard. The chainsaw had started up and was deafening. She cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled for him.
He glanced up an
d dropped the branch to jog toward her when she motioned to him. She took him by the arm to the front of the house so they could talk over the roar of the chainsaw.
“What’s wrong?” Than asked as he lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his face.
“A little boy said that his mom was in labor. Barb and the nurse have gone to check on her. Barb said you should come, too.”
His gaze went past her, his brow furrowed. “Let me tell Elliot.”
Lindsay didn’t know if she should wait for him or head over. In the end, she walked slowly toward where the young boy had led the nurse and Barb. When Than caught up with her, they moved more quickly and could hear Barb’s voice as they got closer to a small house—even smaller than the ones they’d stopped at already.
They slipped through the open doorway, and Lindsay had to blink to adjust to the dark room. Barb was bending over a woman on a bed against the wall. She glanced at them as they walked in.
“I need some light, Than. Can you help Imee find some? Lindsay, can you get on the bed and sit with her?”
As she moved near the bed, Lindsay hoped she’d be able to do what Barb needed her to. She’d never been around a woman giving birth before. She shucked off her shoes and climbed up onto the bed, getting her first glimpse of the young woman. Even in the dimly lit room she could see the sweat dripping down the woman’s face. Her long black hair hung in damp strands, sticking to her cheeks.
Reaching out, Lindsay brushed the hair back and then took the woman’s hand in hers. “It’s going to be okay.”
When light flooded where they were gathered, Lindsay realized that Than must have found a lamp. He set it on the table near the bed which gave light for Barb as she examined the woman. Lindsay noticed that Than kept his gaze averted as he walked behind Barb to the other side of the bed near her.
“She’s already nine centimeters dilated,” Barb said. She stood between the woman’s legs and ran her gloved hands over her bulging abdomen.
For the next ten minutes, Barb and the nurse spoke back and forth using terms that were completely foreign to Lindsay. Knowing there was nothing she could do to help with that side of things, she focused instead on the woman.
Guarding Her Heart: A Christian Romance (BlackThorpe Security Book 1) Page 15