It’s fine. Everyone helped clean up, and we moved everything we could to the second floor. Then I sent everyone home and left with them. The lodge could flood, and I didn’t want someone to have to come after me. I’m staying with Joan.
You think things will get that bad? Stella texted.
They’re already that bad, Monica texted back. I just heard Chance Creek is running over its banks. Runaway River probably will, too. Take care of yourself. Glad to hear all of you are safe, and I’ll be keeping Jed in my thoughts.
Thank you—stay safe yourself.
Joan’s house is up high in Silver Falls. I don’t think we’ll take too hard of a hit here. It’s you lowlanders I’m worried about.
When she was off the phone, Stella relayed the information Monica had told her. Just as she finished, the door to their room opened, and a male nurse stuck his head in.
“We’re requesting any able-bodied people to help fill sandbags. All the creeks and rivers are rising, and we’re in a flood plain.” He was gone as soon as he’d delivered his message, and they could hear him pacing down the hall, asking everyone he met to help.
Steel got to his feet immediately. So did Mary and Maya. Stella tried to follow them, but Mary pushed her gently down into her chair. “I need you to watch Liz—and Virginia. Can you do that? Keep them out of trouble.”
Stella wanted to protest, but she still felt shaky, and her mother was right; someone needed to be here when Liz woke up. She thought Virginia might put up a stink, but she didn’t, and when the rest of them left, she said, “I can do most things, but stacking sandbags isn’t one of them anymore. Age isn’t kind.”
“I think you’ve kept it pretty well at bay,” Stella said. “But it’s good to know your limits.”
“Your limits seem pretty broad,” Virginia said. “You were brave back there. Stupid but brave.”
“I did what seemed necessary.”
“You did good,” Virginia told her. She looked at Liz asleep on the bed. “Men and their need for mayhem. It never seems to stop.”
“But there are good men, too,” Stella said.
“Which is why we keep them around. Eternal optimists, that’s what we are.” She settled back in her blankets. “What the heck is keeping those doctors so long, anyway? They’ve been with Jed long enough they could have embalmed him by now.”
Stella repressed a smile. “You like Jed, don’t you? Under all that bluster.”
“The hell you say.” But that was the extent of Virginia’s denials, and Stella figured she had the right of it.
Which gave her hope, in spite of it all.
Chapter Eleven
As Steel joined a group of volunteers to listen to one of the hospital administrators, he recognized Will Hostel at the front of the room as someone who’d graduated from Chance Creek high a few years ahead of him. He had a vague notion the man had left town for a number of years and come back only recently.
“I’ll be coordinating the sand bagging,” Will called out. “We’ve got permission to bring truckloads from the municipal supply that’s used on our streets in the winter. I could use some volunteers to transport it. Anyone got a truck?”
Chuckles sounded as nearly every hand in the crowd shot up.
“Great,” Will said. “Come on, let’s get to work.”
Given that the hospital stood in a location particularly vulnerable to flooding, Steel was happy to learn they had sandbags on hand. He and half a dozen others formed a caravan to pick up the sand from a few blocks away. Mary, Maya and the rest of the volunteers stayed to gather the bags from storage and ready themselves to fill them.
It was backbreaking work to fill the bags and haul them into place to form a ring around the large building, especially with a hard rain still falling. They started at the side most likely to flood and moved outward, building up their wall of overlapping bags as they went. Hours passed, and the chatter that had punctuated their early efforts died down as muscles cramped and everyone grew tired. Thank goodness it was still warm, or soaked as they all were, they’d be freezing. Steel hoped things were okay at Thorn Hill—and the Flying W for that matter. There was nothing he could do about it from here except trust that Lance, Liam, Olivia, Tory and Noah would sort things out. At some point Steel noticed Stella, Liz and Lily were filling bags, as well.
“I thought you were watching Virginia,” Steel said when he caught up with Stella.
Stella rolled her eyes. “You and I both know she doesn’t need any watching, and Liz and Lily were getting restless. Lily’s parents still haven’t made it, but they said they’ll be here soon. Anyway, when the doctors finally settled Jed in the room next door and said he could have visitors, Virginia was off like a flash to get to him. Claimed we would crowd him if we came, too, but I think she just wanted him to herself.”
Steel raised his eyebrows. Whatever was happening between Virginia and Jed was stranger to him than the year’s freak weather.
Stella smiled at his expression, and her quick grin gave him a second wind. Soon it would be sunrise—if they saw the sun today, which was doubtful in this weather.
“You think this will hold out the water?”
“I hope so.” The storm showed no signs of slowing, which meant the water in nearby Chance Creek would keep rising. The lowest part of the parking lot surrounding the hospital was already flooding. Some of the volunteers had broken off to contact the owners of vehicles parked near there to move them. “Have you heard anything from home?”
“Liam says Pittance Creek is overflowing, too. Our house
