Free In Your Embrace by Amy Miles Page A

later they pull to a halt in front of the ER doors.
    Timothy leaps down first and helps Hannah jump the distance.  Her feet ache when she lands, but she gives no sign of her discomfort.  She watches as the paramedics retrieve the stretcher and roll the elderly woman inside.  Hannah breathes a sigh of relief.   She’s in good hands now.
    Looking at Timothy, who stands to the side speaking with Charley, she realizes that Iris was already in good hands.
    She watches as Timothy’s smile fades.  His hands tighten against his arms where he has them crossed over his chest.  Shadows seem to grow under his eyes as he slowly turns to look at Hannah.  There is pain in his gaze and a new awareness.
    A sick feeling creeps into her stomach as she takes a step back, finding herself pressed up against a wall.  Timothy clasps Charley on the arm then starts toward her.  His gait is heavier than before.  “Timothy?” she asks, with a shaky voice.
    He glances at the ground, his hands plunged deep into his pockets.  “You didn’t tell me Andrew was your uncle,” he says.
    “I…I didn’t know that you knew him,” she whispers, feeling the cold blanket of dread begin to spread.
    He nods and kicks at the curb.  “Small town.  Your uncle was the one who helped get me started with my construction business a few years back.  He’s a good man. Honest.  Trustworthy sort.  I’ve always liked him.”
    Timothy says nothing more, but she can tell that the news about her uncle isn’t good, and it has hit the man before her pretty hard.  He clears his throat and runs his fingers through his hair.  “Charley says Andrew’s in surgery.  Gonna be there for some time.”
    She swallows, realizing how parched she has become.  “Will he make it?”
    Timothy looks up and she can see the uncertainty in his eyes.  Wrapping her arms about her waist, Hannah holds herself.  “I’m sorry,” he whispers.  “If I had known, I would have insisted that you stay with him.”
    She shakes her head and smiles a pained but genuine smile.  “No.  He would have told me to help Iris, that she needed my help far more than he needed my fretting.”
    The corners of his lips tug into a knowing smile as he nods slowly.  “Yeah, that sounds about right.”  He glances over at Hannah.  “He’ll make it, you know?  He’s too bull headed to leave your aunt.”
    Hannah blows out a slow and unsteady breath.  “Sometimes that’s not enough.”
    He opens his mouth, as if to reassure her, but appears to decide against it.  The sudden retreat doesn’t go unnoticed by Hannah, but she says nothing.  There is pain in his past.  That much is obvious, but it appears to still be raw.
    She feels weak in the knees as she leans back against the wall, watching nurses and paramedics scurry about just inside the doors as they struggle to keep up with the work load.  People with various injuries seem to be walking through those doors in a near constant flood.
    So many people hurt. So many lives devastated by this storm.
    “Let’s get you upstairs,” he says, and she realizes that he’s placed a hand on her arm.  Blinking, she looks up into his face and sees compassion.  She nods and allows him to help guide her through the maze of people to find her aunt in an upper floor waiting room.
    Claire surges to her feet the instant she sees Hannah st ep out of the stairwell.  “Oh, thank God!  I was wondering if you would be able to get here.”
    Hannah sinks into her aunt’s embrace, soaking in the comfort she offers.  Claire draws back to look at her and Hannah notices the exhaustion weighing her aunt down.  She looks beyond Hannah’s shoulder and smiles.  “Timothy.”  She reaches out a hand to clasp his arm.  “Thank you for taking care of her for me.”
    “I think she did a good job of taking care of herself, Mrs. Matthews.”
    Hannah watches a small flicker of light enter her aunt’s eyes.  “Been trying to get him to call me