Page 30 of From the Start

Only then do I notice the lawnmower laying on its side. “Thanks, Jade. And thanks for the call.”

“Of course,” she says before nudging me toward the police car where Lucas is setting Dad in the rear seat.

“Did you cuff him?” I ask Lucas.

Dad scowls. “No need to cuff me when I have one useless arm.”

I was joking, but Dad isn’t. He’s a proud man and not being able to work since his stroke doesn’t sit well with him. He doesn’t want to be a burden. He’s my dad. He’ll never be a burden. A pain in my ass, on the other hand? For sure.

I settle into the front seat. Lucas sits next to me before switching on the lights and sirens.

“Whoo-hoo!” Dad shouts from the back seat.

It’s been such a long time since I heard my dad excited about anything. I should have asked Lucas to give him a ride before now. Instead of waiting until he’s injured.

We weave through the tourist traffic in Smuggler’s Rest until we’re on the road toward Rogue’s Landing. The hospital is halfway between the two main towns on the island.

“You enjoying the ride, Dad?” I ask, but when I glance over my shoulder, I notice he’s slumped over. “Dad!” He doesn’t respond.

“Lucas!” I shriek. “He’s unconscious.”

“Hold on, Harper. We’re nearly there.” He alerts the hospital staff that we’re three minutes out and will be arriving with an unresponsive male.

An unresponsive male? I bite my lip and dig my fingernails into my palms to steady myself. I’ve been here before when Dad had his stroke.

Is he having another stroke? Can a fall cause a stroke in a stroke victim? All the knowledge I have about strokes disappears in a puff of air from my mind. I can’t remember anything.

Lucas pats my thigh. “Deep breaths, Harper. Deep breaths. I don’t need you passing out, too.”

I nod and force myself to inhale a deep breath. I hold for three seconds before letting it out. I inhale another breath but we arrive at the hospital before I’ve managed to calm myself down.

When Lucas screeches to a halt in front of the emergency room, I jump out of the vehicle.

“Help! I need help!”

Four people rush out of the emergency room with a stretcher. “It’s my dad.”

Lucas lifts Dad out of the car and on to the stretcher. They wheel him into the hospital and I rush to follow. A security guard blocks me. He nods to the registration desk.

“But—”

Lucas steers me toward the desk. “Let them do their job.”

“But—”

“You’ll be in their way. They know what they’re doing. Your dad is in good hands.”

The receptionist hands me a clipboard to fill out. “You need to…”

“I know the drill.”

She pats my arm. “He’s in good hands.”

Lucas guides me away from the desk. “Do you need me to phone anyone?”

“There’s no one. It’s just me and Dad.”

“A friend?”