Whirlwind Romance

by Kris Bryant

  “Do you know her family? Do you have somebody you can call for her?” The EMT looks at me and I stare back blankly. His question finally registers.

  “Her phone. I’m sure she has an emergency contact stashed in it,” I say. “What hospital are you taking her to?”

  “St. Francis. It’s about twenty minutes from here. You can follow us there.” I watch painfully as they extract Kate from the truck. I reach out several times to help, but pull my hand back when I realize that I’m of no use. Once they have her on the stretcher, I pat her down. She doesn’t have her phone on her. It must still be in the car. I only have a few minutes to search for it because they are leaving as soon as they get back to the van and I definitely want to follow them. I shine my flashlight in and find it on the floor. I grab it and chase after them.

  Gage is already in the ambulance and an EMT is checking him out. I still want to throttle him. I know I’m going to write to his superior about his piss poor judgment, but not before I tear into him. I watch them slip Kate inside, secure her, and take off.

  “We can follow them. They’re taking her to St. Francis, which is about twenty minutes away. I hope the roads are clear.” I know I sound obnoxious, but I can’t seem to calm down. Hunter follows the van, putting very little distance between us and them. We arrive in fifteen minutes. Hunter agrees to take care of Maddox and meet me inside. I jump out to greet the ambulance.

  “Can you fill out any paperwork?” An Emergency Room nurse gives me a clipboard with forms to fill out and I’m reminded to check her phone for her emergency contact. I find her phone in my rain jacket and flick it on. It’s pass code protected. Shit. Focus, Tris. I think back to when we were naked in the hotel room last and she got a message. What was her code? I try a few numbers but the phone buzzes negatively. I suddenly remember when I had to call Hunter and Kate gave me her code. I remember the numbers, but I’m not certain of the order. After a few more tries, the phone opens. The first thing I see is my name at the top of the screen with a text message that she never had the chance to send.

  I’m scared. Gage is cra

  And that was it. The text she never got to finish. It breaks my heart. I scroll through her contacts and am surprised by how few there are. I see her ICE contact and dial it right away. Garrison Brighten, her brother whom she has mentioned a few times.

  “Hey, Katie. What’s up?” I hear on the other end. I shake my head and clear my throat.

  “No, this isn’t Kate. My name is Tristan Stark and I’m a…a friend of Kate’s. You’re listed as her emergency contact. There’s been an accident.” I take a quick breath before I continue.

  “What’s happened? What’s wrong with her?” He sounds genuinely concerned and I try to keep my voice calm as I explain.

  “Well, she and her storm chasing partner were caught in a tornado. Their truck rolled several times. She is at St. Francis Hospital in Maryville, Missouri. I don’t know how she is doing. We just arrived. I can keep you posted.”

  “Have you seen her? How bad is it?”

  “I really don’t know, but I’ll call as soon as I hear.”

  “I’ll head up there as soon as I can. Thanks for calling and letting me know.”

  I give him my own phone number and we hang up. I clutch Kate’s phone closer to me. I can’t believe this has happened. I’ve never known chasers to get hit so hard, so fast. Gage was an idiot. I can feel myself getting all worked up again over his stupidity. He has no respect for human life or the well-being of his protégé. And it’s not as if she was going to be with him the entire time. She only got a few weeks off and now she’s going to miss even more.

  “How’s it going?” Hunter walks up to me and I walk into her outstretched arms. We stand there quietly for a moment. I step back and look up at her.

  “I called her brother and he’s on his way up here. He was pretty shook up about it.” I know that I am, too, but I’m trying to be cool in front of Hunter. “How’s Maddox?”

  “He’s fine. He ran like the devil for a bit, then settled down. I gave him his dinner and he’s fat and happy in the SUV. He’ll be all right for a long time.” She sits us down and we wait. A doctor comes out after a half of an hour to tell us about Gage. He has a pretty bad concussion, a large goose egg on his forehead, and a sprained wrist. I’m surprised it’s not worse. Hunter surprises me by asking if she can see him. The doctor agrees but only for a few minutes. She squeezes my hand and leaves. I’m still holding Kate’s phone in my other hand and unlock it. I want to read our messages. Even though it’s been several days since our last texts, mine are the only ones in her phone. I hit her photo files and see photos of tornadoes, Maddox and me. There’s a photo of me and Hunter in the front seat talking, a photo of me taking photos of a tornado. My heart stops when I see a photo of me asleep the last night we were together. It’s actually a pretty good photo. I look peaceful and happy. Really happy. Too bad we won’t get there again. Suddenly very sad, I shut her phone off and put it back in my pocket. A few minutes later, Hunter returns.

  “I asked Gage if he wanted me to call Angie for him, but he said he was going to do it. He’s pretty upset about everything and kept apologizing to me over and over again. He asked if we know how Kate is doing, but I told him we haven’t heard yet. I doubt we will for several hours.” She sits back down and stretches out beside me.

  “Just so you know, I’m going to write a letter about Gage.” Hunter nods.

  “I understand. I would, too, if I was in your position,” she says. “Just make sure to keep your emotions out of it. Or maybe I should write it since you have a relationship with Kate.”

  “I don’t have a relationship with Kate. At least not anymore.” I’m grumbling. She just looks at me. “We can both write a note since we were both present.” She nods again in agreement. I’m so tired. Now that we’re sitting down and my adrenaline rush is gone, I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open.

  ❖

  “Tris. Tris. C’mon.” Somebody is shaking me and I don’t want to wake up. “The doctor is here to tell us about Kate.” My eyes fly open and I’m instantly awake.

  “What’s going on? Can we see her?”

  “I was just telling the doctor that you’re her sister and were in the car behind her when the tornado hit.” Really? Hunter thinks Kate and I can pass for sisters? I’m a quarter Native American and Kate couldn’t be more Irish if she tried. The doctor stares at us for just a moment.

  “Well, her body has been through quite a bit. She has a badly ruptured spleen that we are removing right now, a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder, a few broken ribs, and several lacerations on her face from the impact of the airbag and the window. It will be quite a while before she’s out of surgery, but I wanted to let you know how she is doing. We will let you know when you can see your sister.” I look away when he says that. We both know that I’m not Kate’s sister.

  “How long will that be?” I ask.

  “Not for at least an hour or two.” I nod like that’s okay even though I want to go see her now. I look down at my watch and am surprised that I slept for almost two hours

  “I need to call Garrison. He will want an update,” I say.

  Hunter nods and backs away to give me some privacy. I dial Garrison from my phone this time, but it goes straight to voice mail. I leave him a message.

  “Want to go get something to eat in the cafeteria?” Hunter asks after I put my phone away. I start to shake my head, but she pulls me up out of my seat and directs me toward the cafeteria. Food is a good idea. Maybe I can stop shaking if I eat dinner.

  “Let’s be quick, okay? I want to be here when the doctor comes out for us to see Kate. And what’s with you telling him we’re sisters? Anyone can look at us and tell that we aren’t related.”

  “I knew there was only one way to get you in there to see her. Sorry. I know it doesn’t make sense, but it worked, right?” She’s got a point. We grab a hot plate of mashed potatoes and gravy with meatloaf
and broccoli. I don’t think I can eat anything right now, but I surprise myself and Hunter by cleaning my plate and doing it before she finishes hers. That never happens.

  “I wonder if Kate is going to remember anything. With that much blunt trauma…” Hunter starts. I hold up my hand to stop her.

  “Don’t even say it, Hunter. We won’t know anything until she wakes up.” I wring my napkin between my hands until Hunter reaches over to still me.

  “I’m sure she will be fine, Tris. I’m sorry I brought it up.” I’m sorry she did, too. I never thought that she might lose her memory or have brain damage. Now I’m a total basket case.

  We are back upstairs within thirty minutes. I’m more alert and borderline anxious. We sit back down and wait. Her doctor finds us almost an hour later and tells me I’m allowed to see her. I swallow hard, trying to rid the lump that has settled in my throat as I’m led back to a row of beds separated by only sheet curtains.

  “We’re going to move her to her own room here in a bit, but I’m sure you want to see her right away.” The doctor pulls back the curtain and my knees threaten to give out. I reach out and grab her hand before I even sit down. The blood is wiped clean, but the bruising has settled in. She looks swollen and pitiful.

  “I’m here, Kate. I’m here.” I don’t know what else to say. I don’t know where I can touch her, so I continue to squeeze her hand. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her and I feel sick. I grit my teeth and try hard to remain seated. It wouldn’t be good to go on a quest to find Gage and beat the shit out of him. I can’t believe how stupid he was. Even rookies know not to drive into a tornado. I have no idea what he was thinking, but I will do everything in my power to make sure that he doesn’t do it again. Kate could have died. Thankfully, her seat belt saved her. I’m starting to shake again, from anger and from relief. I calm down because I don’t want her to pick up on my negative energy so I take a deep breath. I gently stroke her fingers, focusing on their softness. I remember her touch against my skin and smile sadly. I don’t know that we’ll have that again.

  “Okay, we are going to move her to her own room now.” A nurse scares me as she pulls back the curtain.

  “That’s pretty fast,” I say. I know they’re busy from other injuries from the tornado and daily emergencies. She grabs another nurse and they prep Kate to move her. I’m hovering like a mother hen, hissing when they carelessly bump her against the wall, reaching out, then pulling my arm back. “Careful.” They both just look at me. The elevator ride is uncomfortably quiet. After she is settled and they leave, I pull a chair close to her bed and continue holding her hand. She looks so small and helpless. Her vitals are strong, though, and I just tell myself over and over that she is going to be okay.

  “That was probably an F3 tornado.” I don’t know what else to talk about. “You rolled about five times. The tornado just clipped Frankenstein.” Maybe she doesn’t want to hear about the tornado. “Maddox is worried about you.” I can’t quite tell her that I am, too, because I still need to process everything. “Maybe when things have settled and you’re better, we can talk about things.” I bring her hand up to my lips and carefully kiss the back of her hand. Exhaustion settles in and I rest my head against the side of her bed.

  “Are you Tristan? Excuse me.” Somebody is gently shaking me. I look up and find a tall young man who looks exactly like Kate standing about two feet away. I jerk back. I’m still holding Kate’s hand.

  “Yes, yes, I am,” I say. I stand up to properly introduce myself to the man I assume is Garrison, Kate’s baby brother. He’s over six feet tall, all athlete, and drop dead gorgeous.

  “I’m Gary. Thank you for calling me and letting me know about her.” He looks worried. “How is she?” I sit back down, and start gently rubbing her uninjured arm.

  “They had to remove her spleen. She also has three broken ribs, a broken arm, and several stitches. The doctor says she will be fine though…” I trail off because it doesn’t need to be said. She looks horrible. Gary grabs another chair and pulls it up on the other side of Kate. He places his hand on her leg, giving it a quick, supportive squeeze. We’re silent for about ten minutes or so. I have no idea what to say to him, but I try to strike up a conversation.

  “So you’re at OSU with Kate?” He nods. He looks pale and frightened. I’m amazed at how much they look alike. Same strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The door opens and another man enters the room. Gary immediately jumps up. Judging from his reaction and how similar they all look, I know I’m about to meet their dad. After quick introductions, Gary offers Ben his chair beside Kate’s bed.

  “Can you tell me what happened?” Ben asks. I’m reluctant to throw Gage under the bus because, even though Ben is calm and quiet, he strikes me as a man who can make or break somebody with a simple phone call. There’s probably a good reason why Kate never talks about her father so I proceed with caution.

  “Kate’s mentor, Gage, was trying to get closer to the tornado and misjudged the direction. Their truck was clipped as he turned to get out of its path.” I’m satisfied with that explanation. Ben just gives me a curt nod. He rubs his hand over his face a few times before looking straight at me. His eyes are piercing and alert even though his face is haggard and his suit crumpled. We are quiet for a few minutes before Ben engages me again.

  “How do you know Katie?” I smile at his nickname for her. That’s very fitting.

  “Hunter and I know Gage and Kate because we work at OU. They’re our friendly rivals. Kate rode with us for a little over a week while Gage was home with a family emergency.” Ben looks at me for more information and I really don’t know what else to tell him. I’m certainly not going to tell him about us. If he doesn’t know who Gage is, then he sure as hell won’t know who I am. “We saw about three tornadoes during that time and captured some incredible video and data. Safely.” He nods.

  “Is Gage known for being a cowboy?” He asks. This is where it gets sticky. I don’t know what Kate will say so I need to be careful. Based on the text that never got sent to me, I don’t think she will care what I say, but I don’t want to ruin her chances at progression within her department. I keep it as politically correct as I can.

  “He is kind of a daredevil, but I know that this experience really shook him up,” I say.

  “He’s still here?” Ben asks. He sits up straighter and his eyes narrow with anger. I let go of Kate’s hand for the first time since we got into this room so that I can reach out and squeeze Ben’s hand briefly.

  “He is, but there is a time and a place and now isn’t it.” I silently add, get in line, because I get first dibs at him. He nods in agreement and we lean back and relax for the first time.

  “Can I get you a cup of coffee or anything?” I ask.

  “Coffee would be great, thank you.”

  “Gary? Would you like some coffee?”

  “Yeah, thanks. I’m exhausted from the drive.” Gary nods his thanks.

  I leave Kate’s side and head down the hall to the visitor’s lounge. I’m surprised to see Hunter there, thumbing through an old magazine.

  “Hey. How is Kate?” she asks.

  I’m tempted to curl up in her lap and settle in for a long, much needed hug. Instead, I plop down in the chair next to her and sigh. “The same. Her brother and father showed up. I can understand why Kate has kept her dad a secret.”

  Hunter’s eyes widen. “Oh, my God. What’s wrong with him? Is he a criminal or something?” I can practically see the wheels of her imagination turning. I stop her before it gets out of control.

  “No, he’s like super business man or something. He oozes power. And he’s probably had a few people killed,” I say. She nudges me and we both smile. “Well, now that she has her family here, I guess we can take off. Her doctor says she should make a complete recovery.” I remember the coffee for Ben and Gary. Hunter waves me off and dives back into the six-month-old magazine. I pour three cups of strong waiting room coffee, gr
ab some sugar and creamer packets and head back down the hall.

  Ben is now on the side of the bed where I was and is holding Kate’s hand. It’s sweet. He stands up to take the cup of coffee and move, but I motion for him to stay there. “I think she needs her dad right now. Hunter and I are going to get back on the road now that you’re here. Please keep me posted on her progress. I would appreciate it.” He nods and moves out of my way as I say good-bye to Kate. I hold her hand again, give it a squeeze, and whisper words I don’t want her dad to hear. I don’t really want her to hear them either, but I need to get them off of my chest. I can’t help but place a soft kiss on her lips. I’m gentle because she has a small cut on the corner of her mouth. I smile at Ben and Gary, grab my awful coffee, and walk out of the room. The hallway is blurry as tears cloud my eyes. I make a quick stop in the bathroom before I collect Hunter and we leave.

  Chapter Eighteen

  There is no place like home. I’d say it three times, but I’m already here. We were on the road until the very last week in June and probably could have continued, but all three of us were ready to be done. I have enough data to process until next season. Hunter was missing James. Even Maddox ran off into the fields doing God knows what when I stopped the car in our driveway. I had to whistle for him several times before he came back hours later. We all love home.

  It’s the first week of July and Hunter and James are throwing a Fourth of July party at their apartment complex. It’s cute how they are together. Hunter threatened an intervention again if I didn’t attend the party, so I’m here and I’m trying not to think about Kate. It’s getting easier, at least that’s what I’m trying to tell myself. We’re all by the pool, drinking beer and listening to music. I’m not really into it, but out of respect for Hunter, I play along. My feet are in the water, enjoying the coolness on this humid Oklahoma day. There are several people from our department, as well as several women who are giving me a lot of attention. My gaydar is off the chain and I think Hunter is trying to play matchmaker today.