Free Evacuation (The Seamus Chronicles Book 2) by K. D. McAdams Page A

see him.
    I walk across the remaining stretch of runway to the grass. Without maintenance crews, the grass has grown tall. I can’t see Dad or Liam anywhere but it looks like there is a path trampled down off to my right.
    “Seamus.” Dad’s voice is stronger and clearer.
    “Dad?” I shout and follow the trampled grass pathway.
    “Don’t run!” Dad yells at me.
    I’m not running but I am walking quickly enough to go right past the hole. A few steps back and to my right I see Dad and Liam together in what looks like a nest. Dad is holding Liam across his lap. Liam is clearly in shock and not speaking. Dad either is in shock or just exhausted.
    “Did you see our friend the lion?” Dad gives a half-hearted smile and lets out a sigh of relief.
     
                 

Chapter 10
     
     
    They have no reason to lie, but initially I had trouble believing the story Dad and Liam told. Then the lion appeared. My single shot was lucky and must have directly struck his brain. He dropped dead in his tracks.
    It turns out that Liam had been on his way to go fishing and stepped in a hole. When he fell, his leg broke and his shotgun went off. The shot penetrated the front of his Land Rover and disabled it. When Dad finally got there hours later, he left the door of his Bentley open while he searched for Liam. Dad had assumed that Liam couldn’t be far if there was shot embedded in the front of his car. He was right, but didn’t anticipate the lion that had climbed on top of his car to rest. By the time the lion got down, the battery was dead.
    With both cars disabled and a lion on the prowl, Dad had refused to leave Liam, who kept coming in and out of consciousness. By the time Grace and I arrived, they were cold, wet and hungry. I think that Dad was in the early stages of hypothermia, because as he warmed up in the car he started speaking more clearly.
    It was my first time in the infirmary here at Ames, and from the looks of things, no one else had spent much time there either. In general, we have been healthy since our arrival but the lack of a medical doctor among us became painfully clear. We debated taking an x-ray not because we couldn’t figure it out but because we didn’t think we could read it well enough to make a difference.
    Dad was feeding Liam scotch as a painkiller, so Liam was pretty drunk. Dad handled setting the break based on feel and Mom helped with getting a cast together. When Liam finally passed out, Dad kissed him on the forehead and said, “You’re going to feel this for the rest of your life. I hope you feel it for a very long time.” Then we went and sat on the steps and I shared a scotch with Dad. Needless to say, we didn’t get to bed very early and I did not have much time to work on convincing the Crenshaws.
    But that was yesterday. Today I’m sitting in the morning meeting and I can tell there is a rabbit in my hat. Or it may be a dove or a pigeon. As long as it’s not a duck or a turkey, I’ll feel good about myself. Mom shares the saga with everyone so we can move on and not burn too many cycles on gossip. We’re all generally concerned but not fazed. Liam will spring back faster than the rest of us would. It’s a good reminder to be careful.
    With the meeting adjourned, I make my way to the lab, wondering if I will get a few minutes or if Cassandra will pounce when I walk through the door.
    “Seamus, I’m so sorry about what happened to Liam,” Jane says first and she is genuinely sad.
    “Thanks, I’m sure he’ll be back on his feet in no time. What doesn’t kill you and all that,” I answer with a smile.
    “I’m sorry too, Seamus. I know neither of you did this on purpose, but...” Cassandra trails off.
    “Were you able to prepare anything?” Jane has taken over. She’s not as forceful as she used to be but you can sense sternness in her approach.
    “I don’t have anything written out or rehearsed. I guess I’ll have to take a shot with my voice and the