Paper Stars(7)
“Perfect. I owe you one.”
She handed me her empty coffee cup.
“You owe me so many more than one. I’m going to check in at the station before I head home. I’ll call if there are any emergencies. Otherwise, try not to worry too much about Ryder.”
“I won’t.” Lies.
“He’s okay and he’ll be home soon.”
“I know.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And don’t sell your soul while I’m gone.”
“That joke’s getting old.”
“Not a joke. You promised us you’d make no stupid decision without consulting with at least one of us.”
“I promise I will make no deal, do no stupid deed without either you or Jean consulted and on board between now and when I see you next.”
“Good.”
I followed her to the door so I could lock it behind her.
“He’s going to love that ugly tree.” She waved one finger up and down at me and smiled. “I like this look on you, Delaney.”
“What look?”
“Love.”
I tried to act annoyed, but couldn’t hold it for very long. She flipped up her coat hood and forged out into the wind and rain.
I stayed there inside the doorway, needing to see her walk down to the cruiser, needing to see her get in it, start it, and drive away safely.
Then I went inside and tried to keep my promises.
Chapter Five
I’d left the porch light on, and the fireplace still warmed the living room. Myra had left hours ago and I was curled up in a blanket on the couch with the stuffed eyeball Spud had offered me for comfort.
It was almost midnight and I couldn’t sleep. Tomorrow was Christmas eve.
The storm wasn’t letting up.
My phone in my hand was fully charged and utterly, exhaustingly silent.
So silent I’d turned on Ryder’s sound system and queued up a Christmas music playlist to take my mind off my worry.
It wasn’t working.
The song switched to Karen Carpenter’s soulful alto soothing her way through Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas. As soon as she reached the troubles being out of sight lyrics, I couldn’t stay still.
My troubles were right here in front of me. Or, really, that was the trouble. Ryder wasn’t here in front of me.
I got up and paced. The glittering, twinkling lights of the tree filled the room with a sense of promise, of miracles, of magic.
Before I could overthink it, I lay on my back and scooted under the tree. I spit a few dead needles off my mouth and wiped my face in case of spiders, then looked up through the branches.
Bundles of tiny lights spangled the tree in a fairy field of reds, blues, green, yellows, and purples. White twinklers winked like galaxies stirred by a winter wind.
Fir needles prickled against the light, shadows coyly curled around curved-mirror ornaments that hung joyful and fat.
It was beautiful.
I could see how this would enchant little Ryder. It felt private, hushed, magical.
Here under the tree was a secret moment where all the hopes and wishes of Christmas hung waiting on silvery hooks.
I’d told Jean I wasn’t going to wish for snow. I’d told her I’d use my wishes for more important things.
I’ll Be Home For Christmas started, and Ryder’s promise to be here, with me, echoed through me with every note.
So I made a wish.
Please let him be all right. Please let him be safe. Please let him call me so we can laugh about this. I need to hear his voice. I need to know he’s okay.
I repeated those words, over and over until the song ended.
And then my phone rang.
I scuttled out from under that tree so fast, I nearly tipped it over.
“Are you okay?” The words were out of my mouth almost before I’d swiped the screen to accept the call.
“Hey, beautiful.” Ryder’s words were a little slow, like he’d had one too many drinks. “Merry Christmas.”
“Where are you? Are you okay? Are you drinking? Drinking? You better not be driving.”
I couldn’t hear any noise in the background, which was a little weird.
“So, change in plans.” He cleared his throat, which turned into a hard rattling cough. “There’s been. Change.”
“Where are you?” I jogged over to my laptop, pinging Jean, who was on duty tonight.
Her face appeared in a little box on my screen. “What’s wrong?”
“Ryder’s on the line.”
“Your phone?”
I nodded. “His speech is slurred.”
She was already busy typing. “Keep him talking.”
“In my truck?” Ryder finally answered. “The…I must have blacked out for a minute.”
He coughed again and it didn’t sound good.
“Are you hurt? Honey. Are you hurt?”
I could hear his breathing, wanted him to answer, needed him to answer.
“Delaney?” he said it clearly, like he was trying to get a grip. “Right. I’m outside Sisters. Was…last I…before I blacked out.”
“The GPS on your phone is active.” I had resorted to cop-voice because any other voice would be trembling.
“Jean’s getting a lock on you. Are you on the road? Are you driving?”
“No? No. I got out. A woman and kids. Oh, hell. I need to check. They were stuck and I was pushing, pushed. The ditch.”
He grunted and I heard the creak of what I could only assume was his truck door opening.
“Ryder Bailey, do not exit your vehicle,” I ordered. Images of him on a precarious cliff or stalled in the middle of the highway, or stuck in a snow bank filled my mind.
“They were babies, Laney, just babies.”
“Who? The woman and kids you pushed out of a ditch?”
“Yeah.” He panted, each inhale hitched as if hooking on something sharp. “They were here…”
“Are you on the road? Do you see any markers?”
When he didn’t answer, I shot Jean a look.
“I don’t think he’s outside Sisters,” she said. “Heavy snowfall took out a couple towers. Give me a second.”
“Ryder,” I said. “you need to get back in the truck where it’s warm.”
I heard wind, I heard his breath, then all I heard was a very soft, “Oh,” before his phone cut out.
The Christmas music in the background was sweeping through Carol of the Bells. For some reason, I noticed it, like that one detail was important.
The rest of my brain refused to work, to move past the silence, that final: “Oh.”
I stared down, down, down at my phone as if my hand belonged to someone else. As if I were floating somewhere near the ceiling, operating my body from a distance.
“Answer your phone.” I whispered as I dialed him back.
It went to voice mail. I dialed again.
And again.
And again.
“What?” Ryder’s voice. Rough. Faint.
I blew out my breath, anger, fear, panic. Inhaled slowly.
Keep it together, Delaney.
“Ryder, tell me exactly where you are right now.”
He grunted. I could tell he was moving around. “On my back? In snow. You woke me up?”
He moved. “Blood. Someone’s bleeding?”
“Is someone with you?”
“No.”
“Are you bleeding?”
He paused, finally: “Yes.”
“Where?”
“Head. I’m seeing double too. Hell.” He sucked a breath and sort of exhaled a shaky laugh. “I think I got run off the road. I don’t remember getting hit…”
“Where is your truck?”
“Uh. Over there.”
“Get in your truck. Now, Ryder. Right now.”
“So bossy.”
I bit my lip to keep from screaming at him. “I am your boss, Reserve Officer. Now move it.”
He groaned. “My GPS?”
“Yes. We’re narrowing it down.”
There was nothing but short, huffed breaths, and then more groaning, a few curse words, and finally the sound of a door shutting again.
“Try the engine,” I told him.
I could hear the battery clicking and knew that engine wasn’t going to turn over.
“Well, that sucks.” He swallowed thickly. “I’m down a ravine.”
“Can you see anything else?”
“Snow.”
“He’s in a ravine in his truck,” I told Jean.
“Keep that cell on,” she said.
“Do you have emergency supplies?” I asked him.
He shifted a bit. “I think I gave them to the mom.” He exhaled slowly. “Freezing to death was not in my holiday plans.”
“You’re not dying. I won’t let you die.”
“Was joke,” he slurred.
“You stay awake,” I ordered. “Bundle up with everything you have and stay awake.”
More movement. His voice was a little muffled when he spoke. “Talk to me, Delaney. Keep me awake.”
“I put up a Christmas tree.”
“You told me that already.”
Right. Oops.
“I laid down under it and stared at the lights.”
Pause.
“Ryder?”
“Here. Still here. Was it nice?”
“Beautiful. You need to stay awake. Are your eyes open?”
“Mmm.”
“Liar. Open your eyes.”
A sigh. Then, “Tell me something. A thing you liked about Christmas.”
“When I was little?”
“Yeah.”
“Presents.”
“If you want me to stay awake, better tell me a longer story.”