Page 41 of Found by the Pack

“What the fuck is going on?”

He’s already halfway into the living room, his jacket still on, rain slicking down his sleeves. I raise my hands, trying to settle the tension before it boils.

“She’s okay. Kind of,” I say.

Shepard clears his throat. “She hit her head. Drove into a ditch trying to avoid a squirrel. I found her on Harbor Ridge.”

Gabe’s eyes narrow as he crouches down near the sofa where she’s curled up under Shepard’s sweatshirt. Gus is curled beside her like a personal heater, tongue lolling lazily. Sadie doesn’t stir.

“You serious?” Gabe says, voice low.

“She didn’t want to go to the hospital,” Shepard adds. “We tried. I figured it was better to keep an eye on her here than have her try to talk her way out of the ER with a busted head.”

“She’s got a mild concussion, possibly a sprain in her wrist,” I say. “Vitals stable. I’ve run everything I can from here.”

“She said the mayor might cancel her contract if he finds out about the crash,” Shepard explains. “She was panicking.”

Gabe exhales slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Alright. We keep an eye on her. But if she so much as twitches wrong, I’m carrying her ass to the hospital myself.”

“Agreed,” I say.

Gabe pulls out his phone and taps out a message.

“What are you doing?” Shepard asks.

“Calling Elias,” Gabe says. “He knows a guy with a tow truck. Discreet. If we leave the truck out there too long, someone’s gonna notice.”

He’s right. Small towns are built on quiet secrets—and louder gossip.

“She said her sketchbooks and groceries were in there,” Shepard says. “I grabbed what I could.”

“You sure she’s safe here?” Gabe asks me.

“For tonight?” I nod. “As long as we wake her every four hours. Just to make sure.”

“I’ll do the first round,” Shepard offers. “She’s already more relaxed around me.”

“You’re soft,” Gabe mutters.

“I’m also the reason she didn’t bleed out in a ditch, so…”

“Touché.”

We settle into the usual rhythms. It’s comforting, how smoothly it all clicks into place when the three of us are in the same room. We’ve been through enough emergencies to know who takes lead, who keeps the fire burning, who cracks the jokes to stop us from unraveling.

We figure out dinner next—mac and cheese with steak slices from Gabe’s grocery run. Simple. Carby. Easy enough to reheat when Sadie’s hungry again. Gabe handles the steak, Shepard boils the pasta, and I sneak glances at her every few minutes while we prep.

She doesn’t stir, not even when Gus shifts beside her or when Shepard gently adjusts the blanket around her shoulders. That makes me uneasy.

The first wake-up is scheduled for 9:45. Shepard nudges her gently, brushing damp hair from her cheek.

“Sadie,” he whispers. “Hey, need you to wake up for a second, okay?”

Her eyes flutter open, dazed and heavy-lidded.

“I’m here,” she murmurs, voice hoarse.

“You know where you are?” I ask from across the room.