A brief question and answer session was enough to convince Michael that she knew enough to be useful. Even as they spoke she was arranging supplies like a seasoned nurse. He asked her to help with triage and minor complaints while sending the more serious injuries back to him. She nodded, grabbing a small box and putting a few items into it, heading right back out into the growing crowd before he had a chance to ask her name.
A steady stream of patients continued to make their way back to him, but it was a huge improvement over the chaos that had reigned earlier. There were only a few cases he couldn’t handle on site and had to refer to the ER. When he made his way out to the waiting area, he was expecting to find it full, but surprisingly, it was nearly empty. The young woman he’d enlisted earlier was wielding a mop and cleaning up an obvious mess where someone had been sick, the scent of disinfectant heavy in the air.
“Where is everyone?” he said incredulously.
She paused, turning to the sound of his voice and smiled. Rather than looking harried, she seemed perfectly at ease, if a little tired. “Most of them aren’t hurt, just scared with maybe a few minor scrapes and bruises. I sent them over to the cafeteria for hot chocolate and cookies. I hear they’re awesome.”
Michael chuckled. His wife Maggie had been baking for days, anticipating a need for comfort food. “They are. I can attest to that personally.” Rebecca finished her task and began to push the big bucket toward the door. “Things are looking good here for the moment. Why don’t we take advantage of the lull and grab something ourselves?”
“Good idea,” she agreed.
“So... I’m guessing this is not your first natural disaster,” he told her as they walked down the corridor, the volume of the crowd in the cafeteria increasing with each step.
“Unfortunately, no.”
“Seriously, you did amazing. Where’d you learn to triage like that?”
A shadow crossed her face, gone so quickly he thought he might have imagined it. “I spent some time with the Red Cross overseas.”
Michael looked at the woman before him. Appearances were deceiving. She looked far too small, too soft, too gentle to be a disaster relief worker. Yet somehow she’d managed to calm, organize, and triage an entire gymnasium’s worth of evacuees. The empty room was more telling than anything. The woman knew what she was doing.
“Well, I am impressed.” He offered her his hand. “And I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. Michael Callaghan.”
She took his hand. “Rebecca Harrison.”
Michael raised an eyebrow, realization dawning as he finally placed the familiar and unique brown eyes. “Aidan’s sister?”
“You know my brother?”
A grin spread across his face. “I do. Very well, in fact. He’s worried sick about you. Does he know you’re here?”
“I haven’t had a chance to call him,” she admitted. “It’s been a little crazy. Guess I should, huh?”
Michael’s grin grew wider. “I can do you one better. Come on.”
They entered the cafeteria, where nearly every table was filled. Michael led the way through the crowd, Rebecca following in his wake. Behind the counter were volunteers offering hot drinks and hot meals. Among them was the CEO of the Celtic Goddess restaurant, serving up food to the tired and hungry masses.
“Hey, Aidan. Look what I found,” Michael called out as they neared the counter.
Aidan looked up briefly, looked down, then looked up again sharply in a double-take. “Rebecca!”
He wasted no time in making his way out to her, smothering her in a bear hug. “Jesus, Becca! How did you get here? And why the hell didn’t you call me?”
Rebecca laughed. “It’s a long story, but I’m here now.”
“Thank God.”
“Yeah, He probably had something to do with it,” she smirked.
Their reunion was put on hold when someone shouted that the next load of evacuees had just arrived. “We’ll catch up later, ok?” Rebecca said, hastily kissing his cheek. “I’ll be in the gym with Michael. Love you!”
And before he could argue, she was gone, leaving him shaking his head and smiling.
*
Kane sank down onto the bench and gratefully accepted the cup of hot coffee Taryn handed him. The rain had finally stopped in the immediate area, but it was still dumping sheets to the north and it would take another thirty-six hours for the river to fully crest. They’d been working non-stop, pulling people from roofs and second story windows when the flood waters rose faster than expected.
After twelve straight hours, he and his brothers Sean and Jake came back to the school for a short break. They were tired, wet, cold, and hungry. Not to mention his hip was throbbing like a bitch. It was a situation he was all too familiar with. At least no one was shooting at him this time.
“What the hell is he so happy about?” Kane grumbled when he saw the huge grin on Aidan’s face.
“His sister made it in after all,” his sister-in-law Taryn shared, taking a sip from her cup and stretching the kinks out of her neck. “Turns out she’s been here a while, helping Michael out in the gym with the first aid and stuff.”
“She’s a nurse?”