Shiloh Harris has had her share of worry over the years. Her husband is in a coma, never to awaken, and she takes care of him and their teenage twins, all while trying to keep a roof over their heads. When her best friend dies from a senseless act o...
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Two Months Later
Shiloh yawned as she pulled into her driveway and shut off the car. She felt like she hadn't slept in ages, and that was partly true. It seemed like she hadn't had a full night's sleep in decades. She pulled herself out of the car and walked up the sidewalk to the porch. As she unlocked the door and walked in, she saw the usual morning chaos. Dani was rushing around, gathering her books and throwing them in her bookbag. Shiloh shook her head with a grin.
"How many times have I told you that if you would do this before bed, all of your things would be in one spot for you to just grab in the morning?"
Dani sighed and rolled her eyes as she spared her mother a glance before throwing her calculator in her bag. "Not today, mom, okay? I'm going to be late."
Shiloh frowned, just realizing that Jacob's car hadn't been in the driveway. "Where's your brother? He usually takes you to school."
Dani shrugged. "With all of the guys on a run to Indian Hills, he had to go in early to help Half-Sack with the tow work. He already had me call him off at school today. I pretended to be you. It's okay, I can walk, I'm just behind."
Shiloh shook her head and hooked a thumb toward the front door. "Well, I'll drop you off at school."
Dani shook her head, frowning. "That's okay, mom. I know you're beat. I can walk."
"Don't be silly, sweetie. I'll drop you off then come home and sleep. It's fine."
Dani finally nodded and preceded her mother out the front door. Shiloh yawned as she started the car and backed out of the driveway. As she drove with one hand on the wheel and the other propping her head up on the car door, Dani shook her head. "Mom, why won't you admit that you're exhausted? You really should quit one of the jobs. Bobby's right about that."
Shiloh shook her head and grinned at Dani. "Yeah, I know. You think Bobby is right about everything. I've never seen a clearer case of hero worship in my life."
Dani chuckled and shrugged. "Well, he's pretty cool. I'm not the only one. Jacob doesn't breathe unless Bobby tells him to."
Shiloh snickered as she nodded. It was true, over the last couple of months, Bobby had been around a lot more often than she would have dreamed he would be. He usually stopped by every evening and helped Jake with the motorcycle sitting in her garage until it was time for her son to go to bed. Then, before he left, he'd sit and drink a cup of coffee with her, taking the time to ask her how her day had been.
Bobby had been after her for weeks now to quit at least one of the part-time jobs, even though he wasn't happy about her working third shift at the mill either. So far, she had been able to put off the inevitable argument that she was sure they would have. She pulled into the drop-off line at the high school and shook her head, trying to ease the haze that seemed to be settling over her vision. She really did need some sleep but since she had the day off from both day-time jobs, she'd be able to sleep most of the day.
She cleared her throat as Dani opened the door to get out. "Okay, I'll see you after school. Have a good day, sweetheart."
Dani smiled and nodded. "You too, mom." Once she got out, she leaned down and looked at her mother. "I love you, mom."
Shiloh smiled. "I love you too, baby."
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Two hours later, Luann and Gemma ran through the doors of the St. Thomas E.R. department with Jacob and Half-Sack right behind them. They found Wayne Unser and David Hale talking to the nurses at the information desk. Gemma nodded to both before turning her attention to Unser.
"What happened?"
Wayne sighed and nodded to Jacob before turning to the two women. "Shiloh fell asleep at the wheel this morning about a block from their house. She hit a tree going about thirty-five miles an hour."
Gemma cursed under her breath as Luann closed her eyes for a moment. Finally, she opened them and nodded. "How bad is it?"
David cleared his throat. "She was trapped in the car for an hour until the fire department could extricate her. She's been out since they brought her in, so they aren't sure yet. They're still working with her. I'm sure a doctor will be out when they've stabilized her."
Luann grabbed Jacob's hand and squeezed it as Gemma thanked the men for the information. As they walked over and sat down, she shook her head. "I need to go get Dani out of school." She looked at Gemma. "You need to call Bobby."
Gemma sighed and nodded. "Shit! Yeah, okay. Sack, I need you to go back to the garage and close up for the day. Nothing is going to get done there today. Also, call Piney and let him know what's going on. He's at the cabin." When he nodded and turned to run out the door, Gemma looked at Jacob and reached over to ruffle his hair. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid. At least until Luann gets back with Dani."
Jacob nodded but said nothing, his emotions too churned up to form words. Finally, he cleared his throat and wiped at his eyes. "You think she's gonna die? Like dad?"
Gemma shook her head and reached out to take his hand. "No, baby, I don't. I think your mother is a strong woman, and she wouldn't dare leave you and Dani alone. Not if she could help it."
Jacob nodded as he looked out the window. "Yeah, if she can help it."
Gemma stood up before she leaned down to kiss him on the head. "You sit tight in case the doctor comes out. I'm gonna go call Bobby."
