Page 14 of Ghostlighted (Ghost Townies #2)

Chapter Ten

W hen I burst out the back door onto the porch, Ricky was still kneeling next to Sofia.

As far as I could tell, she hadn’t moved.

As the door swung shut behind me, I teetered on the edge of the top step for a moment.

Latch the door . I staggered back and pulled the doorknob until I heard the click, then vaulted off the steps and ran across the lawn.

“Is she conscious?” I asked.

Ricky glanced up at me. “Barely.”

“Where’s the ambulance?” I gazed around wildly in the deepening dusk.

Ambulance companies had minimum response time requirements, but I didn’t know what they were here, or where the closest service was located.

Granted, Ghost was pretty remote, but medical emergencies could happen anywhere, not to mention fires and—as I had personal experience with—threats of violent crime.

As though the 9-1-1 operator had heard my panic—which she probably had, since the call was on speaker, she said, “The responders will be there in three minutes.”

“Maz?” Ricky’s voice was hoarse, shaky. I couldn’t imagine what he was going through—what the whole clan would go through, should anything happen to Sofia.

“Yeah?”

“Could you do something for me, please?”

“Sure. Anything.”

“I have to stay on with the operator. Could you call my mother and let her know what’s happening?”

“Absolutely.” I pulled out my own phone. “What number?”

“Just call the restaurant and ask for Maria. The nearest hospital is in Richdale, so tell her the family can meet us there.”

“You got it.”

I stepped away so I wouldn’t interfere with the 9-1-1 call and dialed the restaurant.

“Hola. Taqueria Vargas. This is Felicia. How may I help you?”

“Hey, Felicia. This is Maz.”

“Maz! I’m so excited about taking the trip with Tia. We went shopping in Eugene for the trip today and I talked her into buying a new suitcase. Her old one didn’t even have wheels . Can you imagine? Thank you so much for?—”

“Felicia.” I felt horrible interrupting and dousing her enthusiasm. “I’m sorry, but is your mom around?”

“Is… is something wrong? It’s not Ricky, is it?”

“No. He’s fine. But he asked me to speak with your mom.”

“She’s not here. She had to go pick up some limes at the supermercado in Richdale. From the sound of your voice, this isn’t a good thing, but whatever it is, you can tell me.”

I glanced back at Ricky and Sofia. He’d probably wanted to spare Felicia hearing about Sofia’s collapse from a non-family member, but I decided that speed and efficiency were more necessary than tact at the moment. I hoped they’d all forgive me.

“It’s Sofia. She collapsed in the garden.”

Felicia gasped. “She’s… she’s gone ?”

“No! Not that, but she definitely fainted.”

“Her heart?”

“Ricky thinks so. He’s with her now and the ambulance is on its way. He wanted me to tell your mom that the family could meet them at the hospital in Richdale.”

“Don’t worry.” All trace of the excited teenager was gone from Felicia’s fierce tone. “I’ll take care of it. And Maz?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For being there with him.”

“Any time.”

The call dropped just as the ambulance drove down Birch Street, lights flashing but siren silent. I glanced back at Ricky, who was speaking to Sofia again. I saw her lift a shaking hand and my heart caught in my throat.

The ambulance was pulling up when I stumbled out from between our houses. I ran for the curb, waving both arms, as the engine cut out.

“She’s in the back,” I called.

The streetlights blinked on as both EMTs climbed out of the vehicle. The driver nodded to me and his partner opened the rear doors and retrieved a bulky kit, slinging the strap over her shoulder. They hurried past me so quickly I had to jog to keep up.

“Ricky?” the woman with the kit called. “Is it Tia? The SVT?”

He nodded. “I think so, but it’s worse than I’ve seen it before. Her heart rate hasn’t slowed at all.”

“Let’s see what’s up, shall we?”

She dropped down next to Sofia, and Ricky made way for her partner, scooping up his phone and backing away to stand next to me.

“Hey,” I said softly, placing my hand on the small of his back. “You doing all right?” When he shot me a sharp glance, I winced. “Sorry. Stupid question. Of course you’re not.”

He shook his head. “Not your fault. It’s just…” He leaned against me, and I could feel him trembling. “She’s always been there, you know? I’m not sure what we’d do without her.”

“They’ll take care of her.”

“I know.” He sighed and rested his head on my shoulder, which gave me the courage to wrap my arm around him and pull him closer.

“The female EMT knows you by name. She called Sofia Tia and knew about her condition.” I rested my lips against Ricky’s hair. “Don’t tell me. She’s a cousin.”

He chuckled weakly. “Not exactly. Her name’s Rosalie. She’s Nando’s girlfriend.”

“Nando? From Transitions Transportation?”

Ricky nodded, the top of his head warm against my mouth.

“They’ve been tight since they were kids and got partnered up by their troop leader to sell Girl Scout cookies together.

” A very delayed mental lightbulb lit up.

Transitions Transportation. Ah . “I’m pretty sure Nando’s going to propose, but he’s waiting for the perfect moment. ”

“Warren. We need wheels,” Rosalie said.

Rosalie’s partner—Warren, presumably—ran back to the ambulance and returned with a gurney, its wheels barely bouncing over the grass because Ricky kept the lawn so smooth. They used a backboard to lift Sofia gently and place her on the mattress.

We followed Rosalie and Warren as they wheeled Sofia toward the street.

“Tell him to do it already.”

Ricky glanced at me, clearly torn between listening to me and watching the EMTs lift Sofia into the ambulance.

“Nando. Tell him to do it.” I thought of Avi and Oren. Of Oren’s plans for the Canadian wedding that never had a chance to take place. “Any moment is perfect if it means you get to spend it with the ones you love.”

He held my gaze for an instant and then gave a sharp nod before moving into the street. The light from inside the ambulance washed over him, casting unexpected shadows under his cheekbones.

Warren started to close the doors, but Rosalie held up a hand to stall him and looked down at us.

“Ricky? You riding along?”

“Yes.” He lunged forward, but paused before he could step onto the bumper and looked back at me. “I don’t want to ask more of you.”

“It’s fine. Whatever you need.”

He pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket, teased one out with the tips of his fingers, and used it to hold the whole jangling bunch out to me. “This is for Tia’s house. Could you lock up for me, please? The outside lights are on a timer, but?—”

“I’ve got it.” I gently took the keyring from him. “Do you want me to bring your truck to the hospital for you?”

He shook his head. “No. There’ll be enough of the family there to give me a ride, and I don’t know how long we’ll be.”

“You’ll keep me updated?”

He nodded, and then climbed up into the ambulance, taking a seat next to Sofia’s feet while Rosalie did something official near her head.

Warren closed the rear doors. “Thanks for your help.”

“No problem.”

He jogged toward the front of the ambulance, and a moment later, the engine turned over.

I stepped up onto the grass verge as they pulled away, rubbing my chest absently. It felt… hollow. Like something precious had been uprooted and nothing planted in its place. If anything happened to Sofia, I expected Ricky’s entire family would be feeling the same or worse.

The ambulance turned onto Main Street and its flashing lights disappeared behind the dark bulk of Patrice’s house and trees.

“Will she be okay?” Avi’s voice held the kind of worry I’d only heard from him a couple of times before.

“I hope so. She?—”

Wait. Avi?

I whipped my head around. “How did you— When—” I took a breath. “You’re outside.”

Avi blinked and looked down at himself, then turned in a slow circle, surveying the street, the Manor grounds, Sofia’s house, our house.

“I am.” He met my gaze. “How do you suppose I got here?”

“You don’t know?”

He gave me his patented Avi can’t-believe-you’re-being-this-dense look from under his brows, chin tilted down, hair flopping over his forehead. “We’ve been over this, Maz. I don’t know how any of this works.”

“Maybe your, I don’t know, range is expanding or something.”

“I… suppose that could be. It’s just as likely as anything else.”

I glanced at the corner again. There was no sign of the ambulance, and I had no idea how long it would be until I had more news about Sofia. However, I knew one thing for certain.

There was zero chance I’d be able to focus on any task that required responsible adult decisions, such as sorting through the many, many boxes in my house—both mine and Oren’s.

I straightened my shoulders and met Avi’s gaze. “Then what do you say we experiment?”