Rescued (A McKenzie Ridge Novel Book 1) (9 page)

Colton had a point, Sam didn’t date. Dawson was the only guy any of them had ever known her to
non-date
or date, but she still had a secret. A really big secret in a tutu and a baseball cap. Would it have changed anything? As much as she wasn’t looking for a stepdad for Ellie, as Sparks put it, he wasn’t looking for a ready-made family. Still, he now had two Taylor girls on his mind, with more emotions than he knew he even possessed.

“I’m not saying it would have mattered, and you’re right, I don’t do relationships, they are too complicated, and just more trouble than they’re worth. With Sam its different, it’s just easy, she is fun to be around, easy to talk to. We have fun together, like each other. It’s nice to have someone to do things with, more than the night time visitor type, ya know?” His honesty was as shocking to him as it was the rest of the gang, but it was true, and saying it out loud helped him make sense of it.

“Dude, that’s a friggen relationship! Come on, pull your head out of your ass, Tayler, and man up, you like her! She’s a nice girl, good for you, man! I’d say you even care about her or you wouldn’t be so bitchy over her little
surprise
.” Jessie Clarke was always the voice of reason and had a serious lack of filter; it came with being a girl in a man’s world, fighting fires. Her foul mouth could make any guy blush, and she could probably even make them cry. As beautiful as she was, in her own way, she was tough as any guy she crossed, a real hard ass.

“Jesus, Jessie, tell me what you really think. Of course I like her, we’re…friends.”

“Nice try, jackass, but we’re your
friends.”
Jessie said with an eye roll and disgusted head shake, motioning her arms indicating the gang around them. She finished, “You aren’t sticking your tongue down our throats or pining away for any of us like a little butt-hurt princess.”

“She’s got a point, bro. You like her. I think it’s cool, she’s cool, might be real good for you. If the kid doesn’t bother you, then give it a chance,” Blake reasoned.

He was a good ol’ all American type, hunky, previous military, although no one really knew much about his military career. He had probably seen more than any of them would in a lifetime, which is probably what made him the quiet, humble, and honest cop he was. Blake Cooper was the guy everyone went to when they had a problem, he was trustworthy, compassionate, and would give anyone the shirt off his back, a true friend to everyone, committed to his friends, town, and career.

“The kid doesn’t bother me, the part where she’s a secret does. She’s funny as hell, actually. Never seen a kid quite like her, a little tomboy, but wears those little fluffy tutu things and loves pink and sparkles? What kind of contradiction is that? It suits her though,” Dawson said with a smile as he recalled his first impression of the child.

“Oh, Ellie Lou, she’s spit and vinegar, that girl. A doll, she is. She loves to go out and ride the horses at Morgan’s with me,” Carigan shared. “When she’s not riding at Sugar Pine Stables for riding camp or lessons, she is out at Morgie's ranch, tending to the beasts.”

Horses, of course. At lunch in the park, Sam acted peculiar when the topic came up, and why she was there that day. Carigan might have just shed some light on that mystery. Her attraction and attendance likely had more to do with Ellie riding horses, than Sam hanging out with the girls.

“You knew, O’Reilly? You never said anything.” He questioned, a little disappointed that his partner and closest friend hadn’t clued him in.

“I assumed you knew, Daws. Not really my place to interfere any way, not my style, I leave the meddling to my big Irish family.” With a wink and flip of her copper red hair, Carigan O’Reilly, nudged her partner and continued, “Some things we just need to figure out for ourselves.”

The bell rang and intercom lit up dispatching orders for the next call. Everyone moved at once, leaving the conversation at the table.

“Dry up your tears, buttercup, and get your big girl panties on, we got work to do! Work out that denial you’re tossing around and your problem will solve itself. You’re welcome, ace. I won’t even charge you for that one!” Jessie could be a real pain in the ass, bordering on bitch, but she was usually right, and that had Dawson hard-pressed. Was he really in a relationship? Is that really what had him hung up today? He didn’t really care about Sam’s secret, but that she was hurting and he couldn’t help her. All be damned, Jessie was right, he was in a relationship, with a girl in a coma.

Dawson found himself at Baker’s at the end of his shift, gathering up a couple coffees, a small carton of chocolate milk, and Jed’s famous fritters. Remembering Ellie’s declaration of love for maple syrup and all of her favorite colors, he found a donut that had maple frosting, with pink and red sprinkles, perfectly Ellie. Not sure who was going to be at the hospital, or if Sam was even awake yet, he made his way there, breakfast in hand.

As he entered her room, the scent of several floral arrangements scattered around the room, overwhelmed his senses. Granny Lou, Ellie, and Evie were all there. Granny and Ellie had jackets, unclear if they were coming or going, considering the hour he assumed just getting there too. Feeling a little out of place and foolish about his arm full of goods, he just lifted his arms, as if displaying his offerings. Ellie rushed him, tackling his legs with a big forceful hug that surprised him as much as it delighted him; he would have to figure that one out later, more emotions, what the hell.

“Mr. Dawson, you came! What’s in the bag, do you have donuts? I smell donuts, and donuts are my favorite, except for maple syrup, that’s my favorite, favorite. Do you have donuts, Mr. Dawson? Oh my, I love chocolate milk too, do you love chocolate milk?”

Not sure where to start answering her quiz, he started to speak, but Granny beat him to it, hands on her hips and a stern look to her face.

“Now, little missy, where are your manners. Let the man in the room, darlin’, so he can put his things down and say hello. I’ll go down stairs and get you breakfast in a minute. It’s good to see ya, handsome, wasn’t sure we would see you today.” Gran said with that wink and a knowing look. He had a feeling it was quite the contrary, Granny Lou knew perfectly well that he would be here.

“Actually, I wasn’t sure if you would all be here, or if Sam was, well, I wasn’t sure. I brought enough for everyone. Maybe a little extra, for later.”

“That was very thoughtful, Dawson. Gran and Ellie are just getting here, I was here through the night with Sam. I was actually getting ready to head home for some rest, but I’ll stay for a fritter, I can smell them, and I can’t say no to Jed’s apple fritters,” Everly admitted, rubbing her hands together, anxious for her treat.

Happy that he made the right choice and was welcomed with his goodies, he set everything down in front of them, glad he grabbed extra napkins for the little runt.

“Sam and I do fritters and coffee after shift, so I thought it was pretty safe, glad I made the right call. I got you something different Ellie, I hope that’s okay?”

Granny and Evie helped themselves to the coffees and doctored them up the way they liked, while Dawson handed out warm, melt in your mouth, apple fritters. When he got to Ellie, she had a disappointed look on her face. He gathered the fritters weren’t her favorite, but she was practicing those manners her Granny reminded her of.

“I got a special donut for you, Ellie. If you don’t like it, you can have a fritter instead.”

He pulled out her maple-frosted donut, embellished with her two favorite color sprinkles. Before he could get out another word or even place the baked good in front of her, Ellie began to jump up and down, clapping her hands, squealing in excitement.

“You knew, you knew! That is my very, very favorite-ist donut in the wide whole world! You knew cause you are a Taylor too! Red is my favorite and pink is my other favorite, and the frosty part tastes like maple syrup! Maple syrup is my favorite on pancakes, but I love it on my donut with sprinkles too! Fairy sprinkles are my favorite! They’re your favorite too, huh!”

Joy and a little pride filled him, at her declaration of love for the very donut that he picked out just for her, although he didn’t entirely follow what she was saying, it was a safe bet, he did well! She riled a little emotion that he hadn’t experienced before, but he was going to take the advice of his friends and just go with it, foreign as it was.

“Well, good, how about that coffee, do you like it with sugar?” He asked Ellie.

“Mr. Dawson! I can’t have coffee. I’m just a little person! Plus I sneaked a drink of Granny’s coffee and its blech! Gran told me if I drink coffee, I’ll grow hair on my chest, so I won’t ever drink it again. Gran also told me she sometimes puts special grown up stuff in her drinks so I shouldn’t sneak.”

Everyone laughed at the admission, even Granny, who wasn’t ashamed of the occasional Bailey’s she added to her coffee on cooler evenings, every now and again, or the bourbon she added to her water, or rum in her coke, or gin she added to whatever she was drinking. At her age, it was her prerogative, and if you asked her, half the time it was serving medicinal purpose.

Ellie’s words marked a place in time as Dawson recalled his afternoon at the park with Sam. He remembered Sam’s odd reaction to his comment about kraut putting hair on one’s chest. Hearing Ellie say it now, regarding kids and coffee, offered another clue as to why Sam reacted as she did that day. The horses, the hair on the chest comment, they all reminded her of Ellie, they were also missed opportunities to tell him about Ellie. He was trying really hard to suppress the sharp disappointment that brewed,
go with it, Dawson, just go with it
.

“Well then, how about this chocolate milk?” He asked.

“I hate to eat and run, but it was a long night, couldn’t really sleep. I wanted to be awake if she woke up. I’m on shift tonight, so I’ll be here as long as the chopper doesn’t get called out, so I can take the night shift again.”

Everly was a nurse on staff at the hospital, assigned to Life Flight when it was called out; she floated around the hospital otherwise. She was also part of the area Search and Rescue, which was comprised of hospital staff, as well as several from Fire, Police, EMT’s, and a handful of civilians from the equestrian center, Sugar Pines. Being a mountain town, they managed things differently; it worked well for their small community. It was typically tourists that needed that level of rescuing, and it wasn’t too often.

“That will be just fine, honey. Ellie and I plan to spend the day with our girl. I have a few errands that need taken care of, but that shouldn’t take too long. I don’t want her to wake up alone, so we’ll do our best not to dawdle,” Gran offered while studying a sleeping Sam, inevitably thinking what they all were, will today be the day she wakes up?

“I’m off for the next few days, I’m happy to stay with Sam so you all can tend to your business. Just let me know where I can help,” Dawson quickly replied.

He wasn’t sure where his voice had come from or why he had offered to take shifts with the family, but he had and it felt right to help take care of these ladies. He had been pulling double shifts off and on for months, covering his co-workers’ medical leaves, vacations, and even a few babies being born. Dawson was one of the least committed people with the most time, at the House, and he liked helping people, so it just made sense that he would cover. Too many hours in too short a time had forced longer weekends than typical. The House chief had warned him about burnout. He didn’t feel a burn out coming, he enjoyed the extra hours, being busy, yet found himself grateful for the flexibility in his schedule today.

“Oh Dawson, that’s much appreciated, honey, but we don’t want to keep you, we will manage; we always find our way, don’t we ladies?” Lou replied, not wanting to take advantage of his kindness, but hoping he would insist. She rather liked him, especially for Sam.

“Really, Lou, I don’t mind, I don’t have anything to tend to. I’m off the schedule at the House for a while, and I really have nowhere else to be.”

In that moment, his admission stung for the first time, at the realization that he really had nowhere else to be. He had no one waiting for him, no one that needed him, and for the first time, that reality left him feeling a little empty. All he really had was his job, and they were managing just fine without him. His testimony, slumped shoulders, and downward gaze gave away his sullen thoughts. When he met Granny Lou’s eyes, they were met with a knowing smile and another wink that he didn’t know what to make of.

“Well then, Dawson Tayler, we would love’ta have ya. I imagine these next few days are going to be as easy as petting a cranky rattle snake, especially when Sam there wakes up. I imagine she’s going to be a little cantankerous with all these gadgets and bandages everywhere.”

As quickly as it arrived, the grief and loneliness dissipated and was replaced with warmth and knowing that he finally belonged to something again, maybe even someone, even if it may be temporary.

***

The day passed on into night. Granny Lou had run her errands, Ellie in tow, and they returned with grinders from the deli for lunch. The three of them kept each other company as they waited for Sam to wake up. Ellie Lou hadn’t left Dawson’s side all afternoon, following him everywhere but the bathroom, and only because Lou stopped her. When her little tummy had growled, filling the room with giggles, Dawson offered to grab everyone a bite to eat for dinner. Ellie frowned at the idea of him leaving and made it known that she would much rather have him there.

“Oh, I’m not hungry Mr. Dawson, you should stay right here next to me so we can watch mama together.”

Dawson was flattered by her taking to him; he was becoming quite fond of her too. She was sharp, funny, and full of laughs, something that he realized had been missing. It had been hours since returning with Granny Lou, and for four years old, he was impressed with her patience, but could tell perhaps it was running a little thin. He searched Granny Lou’s face, finding that familiar smirk and wink again, wondering where the boundaries lie, when her knowing eyes gave him confidence to proceed.

“Well, if it’s alright with your Gran, maybe you would like to walk across the street with me and we can grab a pizza? That is if you like pizza; the Ponderosa has the best pizza for miles!”

“Oh, pizza is my very favorite! My favorite is when the cheese is stretchy and sticks to my chin like a boy beard. Plus, I love olives and peppered-roni’s, and I can eat two big pieces cause I have lots of room for pizza, then I eat some for breakfast sometimes too, but I have to eat a fruit with my pizza, if its breakfast and the pineapples on the pizza don’t count.”

“I’m starting to think everything is your favorite, and there is never a simple yes or no.”

“Huh?”

Ellie’s twisted expression and obvious confusion to his statement made Dawson laugh, something he found himself doing all day. Between Granny’s droll wittiness and Ellie being Ellie, he had enjoyed himself more than he had in what could be years even, all while sitting at the bedside of a comatose patient. The time with them was revealing what had been missing in his life—balance, which he so desperately needed.

“Well, missy, I think pizza sounds as good as anything. A nice little walk might be good for the both of ya. Let me grab my wallet,” Granny said reaching for her purse.

“Oh no, I’ve got dinner, my treat, a lady should never have to buy! Can I bring you back a salad or anything besides pizza?”

“Salad?!? Salads for rabbits and those skinny bitches on the magazines, sweetie, I’ll be havin’ what you’re havin’, and I wouldn’t hate’cha if you wanted to share a beer with an old lady. I bet you can hide it in one of them cups they have to go, over at…”

“I’ve got it. Don’t spill all of our secrets, Lou, or we’re likely to be found out. We’ll be back.”

Before Dawson could say another word, he had the tiny hand of a four-year-old in his, and was being dragged out of the building.

***

The hours grew later, the pizza was long gone, when Dawson had a little head laying on his arm, from the chair next to him. He was a bit overwhelmed and elated by the action; he hadn’t felt this way in some time, and definitely at the hands of a child. A child that was quickly finding her way into his life and quite possibly his heart.

She was such an image of her mother, he found comfort in that, this new little friendship, or whatever it was. Dawson was realizing just how empty his life had been, and how much room he had for more. Maybe that was the answer to the mystery that was Sam, and why he found himself sitting at the bedside of a woman he was getting to know better while in a coma, than he would have otherwise.

Looking at her watch, with a yawn and a stretch, Granny interrupted his thoughts, ready to take Ellie home and call it a night. He walked them to their car, carrying Ellie, as not to disturb her slumber, and gently placed her in the car, buckling her in. A grin crossed his face as he noticed his wet shoulder from an obviously exhausted, drooling Ellie Lou.

“I’ll stay with Sam until Everly is on, if you don’t mind. If she wakes up…“

“Yes, yes, if she wakes up…you’re a good boy Dawson Tayler, seems a few of our ladies are a bit keen on you.”

With that wink and grin, she had been giving him all day, she gave him a grandmother’s hug, and said good night. He was falling for the family as quickly as he had fallen for the girl they all had in common.

Everly was in Sam’s room checking her vitals, reading her chart, getting herself up to speed on what she had missed, when Dawson returned. They each took a seat on either side of the hospital bed and watched Sam for a bit, before either spoke.

“I’m glad you decided to come back.”

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to. I, I just wasn’t, I don’t know, I just wasn’t sure what to think of it all.”