“More like infamous,” Conrad said.
While Ellie got into a conversation with Lexi about pregnancy, Jesse found himself talking with Hawke and Taylor and distracting hungry little Daniel with crackers.
“I guess if we need a babysitter, we’ll call Moretti here,” Taylor said.
This made everyone who’d heard Taylor laugh.
“Hey, laugh all you want. I babysat these two by myself yesterday.”
Taylor stared at him. “No way!”
Ellie overheard this and came to his rescue. “He did a great job of it, too.”
That shut them up.
The food had just arrived at the table, when the band fell silent and Caribou Joe—Joe Moffat, the pub’s eccentric owner—got up on the stage and took the mic.
“I want to thank everyone for turning out tonight. Our town has suffered a terrible tragedy, and there are lots of families suffering this evening—families with kids who are still in the hospital, some still fighting for their lives. The Kirby family—Carrie and Jim—lost their firstborn, Tyler, who was only six. All of tonight’s profits go to help with his funeral expenses. Anything above that will go into a fund to help cover hospital costs for the injured. There’s also a two-gallon jar for donations at the bar. Let’s fill it.”
Cheers.
“I also want to thank this community’s first responders. Eric Hawke—is he back there, hiding with the Team?”
Hawke looked startled at being singled out. He stood.
“Let’s give a hand to Eric Hawke, our fire chief, and his crew at the firehouse. Our first responders did one hell of a job yesterday. They saved young lives. Their meals are on the house tonight.”
More cheers.
Hawke waved, a tight smile on his face, then sat again.
“One last thing—for the love of God, don’t drink and drive. You take your life into your hands and the lives of strangers, lives like little Tyler’s, when you do. Thanks.”
Jesse glanced over at Ellie to see tears on her cheeks.
*
Ellie traded places with Jesse so that she and Eric could talk more privately. She didn’t know him well, but she could tell that Tyler’s death had hit him hard. Eric’s beautiful wife Victoria sat beside him, listening, her fingers twined with his.
“You did all the right things—large bore IVs opened wide, c-collar, ventilation, sterile dressing over his head wound. There was nothing more you or anyone could have done except go back in time and prevent that crash. He had massive internal organ damage, and we just couldn’t get to all of it fast enough.”
Eric seemed to take this in. “Must’ve been a hell of a day for the ER crew.”
“It stretched our resources to the limit. I worked in pediatrics today, and we were busy.” Ellie took a sip of her Coke, fighting her own emotions. “I’m hoping we’ll use this as a way of revamping our response plans for mass-casualty events.”
“I’d like to work with the hospital on that if I can. I’ll give them a call, see if we can put something together with the sheriff’s department and the ambulance services that responded. Maybe we can run through this and find ways to improve.”
Ellie reached across the table, took Eric’s hand in hers to comfort him just like she would anyone in her care who was grieving. “Please don’t torture yourself. You guys did the very best you could for those kids. You saved lives. Tyler was beyond any of us.”
It broke her heart to say it, but it was true.
A muscle clenched in Eric’s jaw. “Thanks.”
“How old are your twins?” Victoria asked.
“They’ll be three in April.” Ellie glanced over at the kids to find Jesse flying French fry airplanes covered with ketchup into Daniel’s mouth.
“They’re adorable.”
Eric shook his head. “Don’t go getting ideas.”
“We agreed to wait for a few years, and I’m not changing that.”
“Yeah?” Eric looked like he didn’t believe his wife. “She and Lexi are best friends. As soon as that baby’s here, I’m afraid Vickie is going to want one of her own.”
Victoria laughed at this. “I will—eventually.”
By now, Daisy had resorted to throwing French fries onto the floor—which meant that it was time to go.
Ellie took two wet wipes out of her handbag and cleaned the ketchup off the kids’ fingers. “I need to get them home, bathed, and in bed. I work tomorrow. Did the server bring our checks?”
“I paid already,” Jesse said.
Ellie stared at him. “You paid—for all three of us?”
“Yes, all three of you. You think I’d make the kids pay for themselves?”
She laughed. “Thank you. That was incredibly kind of you.”
He shrugged it off. “It was nothing.”
She leaned closer. “There’s ketchup on your cheek.”
“Oh. Yeah.” He wiped it off. “Thanks.”
She stood. “Nice to see you all.”
“Nice to see you, too, Ellie,” Hawke said. “Come around more often.”