Chapter 7: I'm Hanging On By A Thread

A new app is launching for your phone tomorrow! The app will allow users to share if they spot the members of the group Innominate. Say you're waiting in line at a bar and spot one of them breeze by in the VIP line. Log in to the app and tell other users where you saw them. Fans love the idea while others think it takes stalking to a whole new level. What do you think? Will you download the app? Which band member will you be looking for?

Austin had to drive all the way to Grand Island, a neighboring city twenty-five miles from Hastings and nearly fifty miles further from Horace, before he found a hotel that had a vacancy, and he was beat. All the hours he'd been up trying to get there had finally caught up to him, and as much as he hated to stop, he couldn't go on anymore. As soon as he got checked in, he grabbed a quick shower. When his stomach growled he knew he should find something to eat, so he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. He was going to find the closest drive-thru and get right to bed. He wanted to get an early start even though he wasn't sure what he could do, but he had to do something. Sitting around doing nothing wouldn't work for him.

Just as he was putting the car in reverse, his phone rang. Seeing the Nebraska number had his heart racing, and he hoped this was the call he'd been waiting for. Surely this was his mom telling him that all of his family was okay. It had to be.

"Hello?"

"Austin? This is Brody, Brody Shepard. I just wanted to let you know that I walked by your momma's house after I got off duty. There were some other workers in the area, and they said they'd already been through that house."

"And?"

He could hear the exhaustion in the man's voice. "It didn't sound great, but he did say they took her to the hospital in Kearney."

"Her? I know for a fact that all of them were together. What about the rest of them?"

"That's all I know. I wish I could tell you more. I'm sorry I can't."

"Thanks, Brody."

He could hear the relief in the man's voice. Maybe he thought Austin was going to yell or something. "If I hear anything else, I'll call back. Good luck."

"I'd appreciate it."

The great thing about new cars was that they had Bluetooth. He hadn't waited for the call to end, as soon as Brody had told him where his mom was, he was heading that way. He hated that it wasn't the news he was hoping for, all his family safe and sound, but it was a start. At least he was getting somewhere. Groaning at the trip in front of him, he'd be glad to just stop moving. Of course, he'd gone east to look for a hotel when his family had ended up going west. Thankfully it had only been an easy hour or so on the highway. When he pulled up to the hospital parking lot, he shut the car off and headed in to find his mom.

Seeing the older nurse at the desk, he walked up and tried to see what he could do. "Excuse me, I'm looking for my mom, Laura King. I was told she was brought here."

"Do you know where she's at?"

"No, I don't. The police called me, and they said she'd been brought here."

Giving him a sour look she said, "I can't just give out information."

He blew out a breath trying not to get upset. "Is she here?"

"I can't tell you."

"She was brought in because of the tornado down in Horace," he said going for another tactic. If the lady knew why maybe she'd be more sympathetic.

"That was such a horrible tragedy."

"So can I see her?"

"I'm sorry?"

"My mom, Laura King. Can I see her?"

"Oh I already told you, I can't. Sorry."

"You wouldn't have to be if you just told me where she is."

"I already told you, it's not permitted."

"Listen." He waited hoping she'd fill in her name. Maybe he'd have to pull out his fame. He hated doing that, but maybe she had a granddaughter who knew his band who would love to meet him. He'd promise anything if he could just get to his mom.

"Rita," she finally supplied.

"Rita, I've been up for almost two days. As soon as the tornado hit I was on a plane out of L.A., and I haven't slept since. I've been worried shitless about my mom, and if you'd just look in the damn computer and tell me where the hell she is, I'd magically get out of your way," he told her all the while his voice raised as he went on.

"Austin?"

Music to his ears. "Fuck me, Reagan. I thought you were still missing," he said as he pulled his brother into a tight hug.

Reagan groaned but didn't pull back. "Careful, I've got some bruised ribs."

"Shit, I'm sorry." He held his brother at arms length and examined him. He didn't look too bad, and he couldn't be more happy to see him.

"S'kay. I needed the hug. Where the hell did you come from?"

"As I was telling Rita over here," he said motioning to the old bat behind the counter, "as soon as I realized why the call was disconnected and how bad the tornado was, I was on a flight this way. I had to make sure you guys were okay. You are okay, right?" Austin didn't like the look his brother gave him. "Reagan, what is it?"

"Come on."

Damn it that look wasn't good, and when his brother didn't tell him, he knew it was bad. "No, tell me what's going on."

"Let me take you to Mom. She'll be happy to see you."

*

The second the call came in that they'd found Anna and Cameron, Shelby and Colby were headed to them. Colby had complained that he didn't really want to, but when Shelby told him she needed him, he'd stepped up and came. In the end, that's what mattered, or that's what she always told herself.

When the call came in her legs had almost given out on her because she'd been so happy to hear they'd been found, but then she was told they were in the hospital. Thankfully there had been a nice elderly man at the shelter who had offered to drive them over. Shelby hated how she had to depend on the nice people in Hastings for everything. When they'd been evacuated, they had to leave pretty much everything behind, and until they were let back in, they were living like refugees. There wasn't a shortage of anything, though, clothes had arrived, food, toiletries, and anything that had been needed was there. It didn't take away the sadness of losing everything, but it sure did help to ease the pain of being with nothing.

As soon as they arrived, she thanked the man and rushed out of the car. She needed to get to her sister, and she wasn't waiting another second. The nice man dropped them off at the emergency entrance, where they were told to go and made sure they had his number so when they needed a ride, they could call him back. She yelled another thank you and ran through the entrance not caring if Colby was coming or not.

Running up to the check-in desk she waited until the nurse turned around. "I was told my sister and her husband, Cameron and Anna Miller are here."

"Hold on a moment please."

A moment turned into minutes and then into an hour. Colby had been snipping in her ear, but she could barely hear what he was saying because she was so worried. Eventually, a man in a white lab coat came out and spotted them, "Are you, Shelby?"

"How did you know?"

"The nurse pointed you out. Your sister was adamant that I get you up to speed as soon as you got here." He smiled. "She's feisty."

"Yeah, she is. Where is she? Can I see her?"

"Here, let me take you to ICU so a doctor can visit with you."

"ICU? What's going on?"

"I'm not up to speed on her case anymore. It's best to let the doctor who is visit with you. Come on, I'll walk you over."

The doctor walked Shelby with a reluctant Colby following to ICU. He helped check her in at the nurses' station, and then they showed her to the waiting room. Time passed so slowly, and all Shelby wanted was for someone to tell her what was going on. She didn't think that was too much to ask for.

"Ms. Peterson?" an older man in a lab coat asked from across the room.

Standing she then closed the distance and said, "That's me."

"Sorry for the delay. It's been a busy day. Let's head over here, and I'll get you up to speed."

Ushering them to a small area, the doctor sat down with them and began to explain what was going on.

"When your sister got to us, she was severely dehydrated. She's got a lot of lacerations, and we weren't sure how much internal bleeding there was. Anytime we put pressure on a part of her body she was in extreme pain. We took her in for a CT scan where it showed a brain bleed, and we took her back for surgery. They did a procedure to fix that, and she's now recovering. She's back here in ICU right now, and we need to keep her intubated until the swelling goes down."

"Oh, gawd. Cam, what about Cam?"

"Cameron Morris was brought in at the same time. The paramedics said that they found them together. We did everything we could, but with how severe his injuries were and the fact he was out there without care for as long as he was, it just wasn't enough."

Shelby didn't want to believe what the doctor was saying. He had to be wrong. There was no way that Cam could be gone. She didn't even recognize the scream that was coming out of her own mouth. The emotions, the overwhelming loss was just too great. Cam was like a brother to her, and he'd been such a big part of her life too. If she was feeling all this, what would Anna feel? She didn't know what she was going to tell Anna. How could she? They had already been through so much, and now Anna had lost her husband too. It just wasn't fair.

"Come on, Shelb. Nothing we can do now," Colby said with a hand on her shoulder.

"Can... can I see my sister?"

The doctor nodded, "Like I said, she's not conscious, but I can take you to her room."

"Please."

All Shelby thought about on her walk to her sister's room was how was she supposed to tell her that Cameron was gone? How was she supposed to be there for her when she wasn't sure she could be strong enough? Anna was the strong one of the two of them, and she was going to need her. She'd have to figure it out because she'd do anything for her sister. One thing she knew was that between now and when she woke up, she'd have to find the strength. Anna needed her, and she wouldn't let her sister down.

When the doctor stopped at the door of a room, she wondered if they got the wrong one. There was no way the person laying in the bed was Anna. The person looked frail, beat up, and the bandaged head was a stark reminder of what had happened to her. If they hadn't told her this was Anna, she'd have never guessed. One thing was certain, Anna had been through hell, and the worst wasn't over for her. She still had the worst hell to get through.

"Just keep talking to her," the nurse said as she checked on one of the machines. "If she can hear your voice, it'll be comforting for her to know you're here."

"Can I... can..." she stumbled through as she tried to keep from breaking down. Pulling a tissue from the box on her tray table she wiped her eyes and sniffed. "Can I touch her? Hold her hand?"

"Of course."

The nurse left them alone and Shelby took a seat in the chair next to the bed. Grabbing her sister's hand, she ran her fingers over the skin and then put her head down on the bed beside their clasped hands.

She hadn't been sitting there long when Colby broke her from her thoughts. "We gonna be here long?"

She couldn't believe him. He'd been here all of two seconds and he already wanted to go? "I'm staying with my sister. So however long that takes is how long I'll be here. You have somewhere you need to be? It's not like there's anything waiting for us out there."

"Damn, Shelb, chill the hell out. I was just asking. Shit, if you're gonna get all emotional, I'm gonna go."

"Where? Why?" The tears were flowing now, and she hated crying in front of anyone, much less Colby. He hated her tears, and always reminded her how weak they made her look.

Cocking his head to the side, he said, "Because I don't know of any reason I need to be here. It's not like I'm needed."

The dam broke. "I need you, Colby. I need your support now more than ever. I'm hanging on by a thread, and I need someone to help hold me together."

Colby pulled up a chair, "Well when you put it that way, I guess I'm staying."