“He was right. I’m not worth it.” The gravelly voice of the octogenarian on the ground caught the attention of Elizabeth and Logan.
Elizabeth reached out instinctively and grabbed Logan’s arm. Her quick intake of breath only added to the worry Logan already felt.
“Lizzie, we aren’t going to give up.” Logan’s ears pricked when he heard the sirens. “Listen, the ambulance is on its way now.”
Elizabeth was so full of emotion; she knew if she spoke, she’d start to cry. She could only nod in response to Logan’s words. She clutched Logan harder, and he pulled her into a warm embrace.
He whispered, “Shh, don’t worry. He’s going to be fine. He’ll probably be much safer at the hospital. At least there he’ll get a bath and some decent food. Maybe they can even find him a home to live in.”
Elizabeth knew she needed to step back, away from Logan. He made her feel safe and warm, but it wasn’t real. She wasn’t safe in his arms. If she let her guard down, he’d only hurt her again. But he felt so good she couldn’t move. Instead, she stayed in his arms until the ambulance arrived. Then she stepped back to watch Harper work.
When the EMT came over to check out the old man, Harper stood and introduced herself. As she listed off the issues with the man, the other EMT pulled out a gurney from the back of the ambulance and brought it over. The two medical professionals lifted the man and strapped him onto the gurney after doing a cursory exam of this body.
Once the ambulance left, Harper came over to Logan and Elizabeth with Chloe and Jonathan on her tail. “He’s going to be fine. No broken bones, and from what I can tell, he doesn’t have a concussion. But he did seem pretty out of it. I’m guessing malnourishment and dehydration. He’ll most likely have some bruises from his fall as well. I hope the hospital keeps him overnight, since he’s so old. I’ll make a few calls and see if the hospital admin can get him moved to a home. There are a few places that will take elderly patients, even homeless ones. He looks like he qualifies for Medicare and Social Security, so I don’t know why he’s out on the streets, but I will find out. Don’t worry.” She put her hand on Elizabeth’s shoulder.
“Thank you, Harper. I really appreciate your help. And I know he will as well.” Elizabeth gave a tremulous smile and took a deep, cleansing breath. “Alright, we have more bags to hand out, and with the commotion of the ambulance, it looks as though everyone has left. Let’s find people in small groups, but keep an eye out for Bart’s crew.” She told them what the homeless lady had told her about Bart and bringing in his crew.
Jonathan looked from Harper to Elizabeth and over to Chloe. “I don’t know, I think it might be best if we all went to see the sheriff. He has to know what’s going on here.”
“Let’s go see him after we give out a few bags. I don’t want to bring these back home with us. These people need some help. Did you see the rags they were wearing? They all need new clothes.” Elizabeth was convinced she would be protected by God and that He wanted her to stay there and do His work.
“And most of them looked like they hadn’t eaten in a while. They need sustenance. We have to find a way to give them the gift cards without Bart’s crew finding out.” Harper looked around to see if they were being watched.
A little reluctantly, the guys agreed.
“Look, don’t get me wrong, I want to help these poor folks. They need someone on their side, and I would like to be part of the team that’s on their side. But this is dangerous, and not just for us.” Jonathan looked to Logan for help.
Logan nodded his head, and he worried if it wouldn’t be worse for those folks if they stayed. “I agree with Jonathan. I think we need the sheriff and his deputies to help. Bart and his crew are dangerous. What happens when we give a gift card to someone who refuses to give it up?”
Elizabeth pursed her lips. “Fiddlesticks. You might be right.” She put her hands on her hips and looked around at those with her. “Alright, let’s take the gift cards out of the bags. Then they’re only getting food that should be eaten today, along with a t-shirt and first-aid kit. If Bart wants those, it’s not that big of a deal. Hopefully he won’t care about those things. As for the food, let’s try to get everyone to eat the sandwiches right away.”
Logan, Jonathan, Liam, Noah, and Drake all nodded in agreement.
“I think that’s a fine idea, Elizabeth.” Drake walked toward an elderly woman who pulled a small cart filled with what looked to be trash and stopped next to her. He was speaking so low, Elizabeth couldn’t hear him. By the time he finished and walked away, the woman was scarfing down the sandwich and looking in all directions as she secreted the first-aid kit away and threw the t-shirt under a dirty bag in her cart.
Everyone in the group smiled and went on to do the same.
“Remember, stay close, and if you think you see any of Bart’s men, come right back to one of us guys. Don’t try to play the hero. I want us all to come back here again, soon.” Logan pointedly looked at Elizabeth, who scrunched her face.
Elizabeth had planned on walking a little bit farther away, since there weren’t many people on this street. If they all took one homeless person, they would be done. She had to find more, but she also needed to listen to the guys. They were right—this was a dangerous situation, and not just for her and her team, but also for the homeless she was trying to help. As much as it rankled her nerves, she was going to abide by what the guys wanted and stick close to them.
She found a young girl who couldn’t be more than eighteen years old and walked over to her. “Hi, my name is Elizabeth. Are you hungry?” She wasn’t really sure what to say at this point. But of course the girl was hungry; who wouldn’t be if they were living on the street? She doubted anyone here ever had a full stomach.
She held out the bag without the gift card. “Here, it’s just a sandwich and couple items we thought you might need.” Elizabeth smiled at the girl.
She shrank back and started to walk away.
“Wait, there’s nothing in here to draw Bart’s attention. No money or gift cards. You should be safe if you eat the sandwich right away.” Elizabeth took two steps toward the girl and stopped when she noticed the young lady wince.
Elizabeth looked down and noticed that the girl’s left ankle was wrapped in rags. “Are you alright? Is your ankle sprained or broken?” She wasn’t sure if the girl had a broken ankle since she was walking on her left foot, but you couldn’t be too careful.
Elizabeth looked around and noticed a bus bench a few feet away. “Come over here and let me look at your foot. I’m only a veterinarian, but I think I can diagnose your ankle. In fact, I have a nurse here as well.” She looked up and caught Harper’s attention and waved her over.
The rest of the group followed, since they had already given out their bags. There were now eight people standing on the street looking around in fear as they ate their sandwiches.
Elizabeth’s heart melted, and she prayed again that God would intervene in the lives of these people. Maybe he would even use her to help them.
“What’s going on…” Harper knelt next to Elizabeth and frowned when she looked down at the girl’s ankle.
Elizabeth had taken the wrapping off her ankle and it was covered in black and purple bruises. “What happened?” She felt the ankle for any breaks and moved it around slowly as she watched pain cross the girl’s face.
Harper tried to take the girl’s attention away from what Elizabeth was doing. “How did you hurt yourself? Or did someone else do this?”
The girl’s eyes widened, and both Elizabeth and Harper looked at each other. “Big Bart.” They nodded in unison.
Elizabeth wanted to take this girl home with them, but she wasn’t even sure if the girl was an adult or a minor. Would she get in trouble if she took a minor off the street and to another town? She had no idea what the law said, but she did know that she couldn’t let this girl stay on the street.
Almost as though they had communicated telepathically, Harper s
aid out loud what Elizabeth had been hoping. “We only want to help you. Your ankle is in bad shape, and you shouldn’t be walking on it.”
The girl continued to stay silent, but she shook her head. The fear in her eyes was evident, and only broke Elizabeth’s heart even more.
“I want to take you back with us so you can get the medical care you need. And you would be safe from Bart and his friends. We don’t live here in Bozeman, so he won’t be able to find you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Elizabeth stood up and looked for Drake. He was the biggest of the guys in her group, so he should be able to lift the tiny girl without any problem. She couldn’t be any taller than five-three, and there was no way the girl weighed more than one hundred pounds. Actually, after further consideration, any of the guys could probably carry her.
Drake walked up and offered to pick her up, but the girl shook her head adamantly. They couldn’t exactly take her without her consent—that would be kidnapping.
Drake knelt next to the girl on the bench. “I won’t hurt you, I promise. I just want to carry you to the car so you don’t have to keep walking on your injured foot.” He winced when he looked down at her ankle. “That has to hurt, a lot.”
The girl looked between them all and nibbled on her lower lip. When she nodded her agreement, the entire group released a collective sigh. At least one person was going to truly benefit from their trip.
Logan looked around and noticed that two big guys were watching them. “I think it’s time we left here. Drake, can you carry the girl all the way back to the cars? We need to get out of here, quickly.”
The weather was no longer their biggest concern.
Chapter 15
“We really should go see the sheriff,” Harper said as she started up her SUV.
“I don’t think we have time for that,” Logan replied. “We need to get away before Bart can follow us.”
Elizabeth’s brow furrowed. “What? You really think he would?”
Logan nodded. “Yes, I do. We can talk to our sheriff when we get back to town. He can contact the Bozeman authorities and let them handle Bart and his gang.” He looked down at the girl sitting between him and Drake. “Besides, this young lady needs medical attention. She’s not looking too good.”
The girl’s face had paled, and she was shaking.
“Logan, trade places with me.” Elizabeth stepped back out of the front passenger seat before Harper could back up. She walked around to where Logan had been sitting and got inside with the girl. “Maybe we should have kept Mia with us instead of the guys.”
Drake shook his head. “No, you need protection in the car in case we’re chased.”
The girl sitting between them shrank down, and a tear escaped from her eye.
“Shh, Drake. You’re scaring the poor girl.” Elizabeth put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “It’s alright. You’re safe now. No one is going to follow us.” She looked pointedly at Logan, who seemed to know exactly what she was thinking.
All they needed now was for Bart or one of his goons to find them and follow them back to Beacon Creek. Elizabeth was trying to keep up a strong front, but she did fear that might happen. Those two men watching them had to be Bart’s. She wasn’t sure what they could do to lose anyone once they were on the road back home. It was mostly a straight shot and not a lot of other roads, except to ranches.
Logan looked around them, and when he was confident they weren’t being followed, he sighed in relief. Then smiled at the girls in the back seat.
Elizabeth did the only thing she could think of…she prayed. Asking the Lord for protection seemed to be the only thing that could calm her. A feeling of peace and security came over her in a way no person had ever been able to give her. She knew her Heavenly Father was in control. Whatever happened, it would be because He allowed it and not because some criminal got the best of them.
The farther they got from Bozeman, the more the young girl next to Elizabeth relaxed. When they were only about ten minutes from home, she decided to see if the girl would speak to her. “Well, it looks like no one has followed us. You’re going to be safe now.” She hesitated a moment. “Do you think you could at least give me your name?”
The girl looked up at her, and Elizabeth could see she was thinking. The girl tilted her head a little, and one of her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk storing an acorn. “My name is Analise, but everyone calls me Ana.”
That was the most Elizabeth had heard from her. In fact, they were the only words the girl had spoken. She had whimpered and made sounds of pain, but no words had come from her mouth. Even though she was only a veterinarian, even Elizabeth knew that was a good sign. Getting the girl to speak to her would go a long way toward establishing trust, as well as being able to help the girl.
“Harper, let’s take Ana straight to the clinic. I want to get an x-ray of her ankle just to make sure it’s not broken.” It was most likely a very bad sprain exacerbated by all the walking the girl had done, but Elizabeth wanted to be safe. “Do you know which doctors and techs are working today?”
Harper nodded as she turned down the street that would take them to the town’s little clinic. “Yes, Doc Reynolds is on duty today. She’s really great. As long as there isn’t a long line of patients, I’ll bet she gets our new friend in right away. As for the x-ray tech, I’m not sure who’s on duty today.”
The town had three x-ray technicians who rotated their schedule since one of them always had to be on call, in case of an emergency. And someone had to always be in the clinic when it was open. They really needed more staff, but with their small town and smaller budget, they could only afford the three. So they took turns working in the clinic and being on call.
Elizabeth prayed Tom wasn’t on duty today; he was rude. Good at his job, but rude. That last thing Ana needed was a rude tech taking her images. She would prefer to take care of the girl herself, but she wasn’t licensed to practice on humans, and certainly not to use the x-ray equipment in the clinic.
“I guess, if worse comes to worst, we could sneak into my clinic and get the portable x-ray. It works the same on humans as it does animals.” Elizabeth chuckled, as did everyone in the car—except Ana.
She looked around confused, and a little bit of concern was beginning to show through in her eyes.
Elizabeth clamped her mouth shut and realized the girl probably had no clue why that statement was funny. “We have one x-ray technician I don’t really like.”
Ana’s eyes widened, and she tried to inch away from Elizabeth only to come up against a brick wall of a man’s shoulder and arm. She flinched and moved back to the center of the row. Her head swiveled from Drake back to Elizabeth, and then to Harper, not really sure who to turn to for help.
Elizabeth realized her mistake. “Ana, it’s alright. If Tom is on duty, he won’t hurt you. He’s just a bit rude, that’s all. If he ever hurt a patient, he would be fired. Don’t worry. Harper and I will be with you the entire way.” She patted Ana’s knee as though she were only a little kid who was afraid of a lightning storm.
A little squeak of a sound came from next to her, and she looked back at Ana. “Are you sure?”
Sadness and anger both surged through Elizabeth, and her shoulders slumped. The poor girl had been through way too much, she was sure. There was no way this girl would be this afraid, or worried, if she hadn’t been abused.
She put her arm around the girl and lightly squeezed her shoulder. “I’m sure. We aren’t going to leave you alone for even a minute while you’re being examined.” She wondered what would happen if the doctor wanted to keep her overnight. And what would happen if they didn’t keep her overnight.
Elizabeth hadn’t thought this through very well. If the doctor released her today, where would Ana go? They didn’t have a shelter in town. There weren’t any assisted living places, either. The girl would need to be around people who could help her, since she was confident the doctor would order bed rest for at least a week. Eliz
abeth knew Ana had to stay off her foot for a while if it was going to heal.
If Elizabeth didn’t work so much, she’d have the girl stay with her no problem. But Elizabeth was only home to eat dinner and sleep most days. She worked long hours and was usually at least thirty minutes from her house when she went out on calls, which was what most of her day consisted of.
She probably could bring home her paperwork and do it there, but that was usually only about an hour’s worth of work a day, two hours tops when it was a really busy week. No, Ana couldn’t stay with her.
When they pulled up to the clinic, Elizabeth was still thinking about where the girl could go once she was released from the clinic.
“Stay here, I’ll go in and get a wheelchair to bring Ana in.” Harper left them and ran into the clinic and returned just as quickly with the offered chair.
“Here, let me help you.” Drake took the girl from the SUV and gently placed her in the wheelchair that seemed to swallow her up, it was so large. Or she was just that small.
Thankfully, Tom wasn’t on duty today and the clinic was empty. The exam went fast, as did the x-rays. Elizabeth and Harper were by her side the entire time. Neither one left her alone. They even went into the x-ray room with her. Although they did have to stand behind the wall that blocked any errant radiation, they could still see the girl and she could see them, which seemed to keep Ana calm.
The doctor had put Ana in a room. She said it was for her privacy, but Elizabeth knew what was coming.
While Elizabeth and Harper were sitting in the private room with Ana, they tried to get the girl to open up about who she was and where she came from, but she refused.
“I can’t really tell you much. It’s safer this way,” Ana whispered.
Elizabeth’s eyebrows raised, and when she looked to Harper, she saw her friend had a similar expression. She wondered if the girl had run away from witness protection or something crazy like that. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t important at that moment in time. What was important was getting Ana back on her feet.
Second Chance Ranch Page 12