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Pepper Lane Sweet Shoppe (Pepper Bay #14) 21 75%
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21

Erin

Erin had never felt so useless before. Not only was she untrained in first aid, she also had no idea how to deal with family trauma, as all she knew was how to hold her own hand and that was about it.

Tyler had been rushed to hospital, his mother helped by nurses when she had passed out on arrival, and the police seemed to be everywhere Erin turned. She had no statement for them because all she knew was Heath’s truck had screeched to a halt, he’d jumped out, she’d quickly followed to see Tyler on the ground, and there was someone in a Christmas tree costume running up the driveway.

She sat in a small waiting area, breathing calmly, knowing Tyler was out of the woods and recovering. No one was allowed to see him just yet, and when they were, she knew she’d be bottom of the list, as she wasn’t family. She wasn’t much at all except his houseguest and new friend.

Erin twiddled with the zip on Tyler’s coat she was wearing. All she wanted was to hold his hand, take him home, make him some hot chocolate. Anything that was normal.

The noise of the hospital was enough to keep anyone awake, and even though she was in a side room, the door was wide open and people were walking up and down outside.

Finn entered and sat by her side. ‘You okay?’

‘Not really. I’ve never seen anything like that before. I thought he was going to die.’ Tears escaped as she coughed away the lump in her throat.

‘Yeah, these things are never easy.’

Knowing Finn was a rescue worker, she could only imagine the things he’d seen over the years.

‘Worse when it’s someone you know,’ he added, glancing at Heath’s back against the doorframe. ‘Especially your little brother.’

Erin didn’t feel she had the right to cry whilst sitting with Finn. ‘How’s your mum?’

‘She’s okay. Still lying on one of the beds. The nurses have been really good to her, making a fuss and keeping her calm. She’s currently got a cuppa and a biscuit.’

‘Tyler’s going to be all right now, isn’t he?’ Erin needed her own reassurance.

‘Yeah, all vitals missed, luckily.’

‘Did he need a blood transfusion? I can give him some of mine. I’ve never given blood before. Not thought about it. But I can. I will. If Tyler needs some, I—’

‘Hey, hey, Erin, it’s okay. He didn’t need any, but it’s always good to donate blood when you can.’

‘It was everywhere. I was sure he would bleed to death.’

‘Blood can make things look worse, but he’s going to be okay.’

‘He didn’t look okay.’

Finn smiled softly. ‘Tyler never was good around blood, especially his own. Plus, he was in shock. But he’s settled now, and you’ll both feel a lot better in the morning. Trust me.’

She lowered her head, exhaustion kicking in.

‘I’ll get Rhett to take you home. You need to rest,’ he added.

‘I’m not sure I can rest with Tyler in here. Can he come home later?’

‘No, he has to stay in overnight for observation, but he’s fine. All stitched up now, but he needs some rest, like you do.’

‘I don’t want to leave,’ she said quietly, trying hard not to cry again.

‘We’re all heading home soon. The doctors will kick us out. Ty will get a good night’s sleep, then we’ll pick him up tomorrow.’

Heath looked over his shoulder. ‘I’ll be here all night with Mum, because she won’t leave.’

Finn stood. ‘Okay. I’ll get Rhett to take Erin and Willow home, then I’ll head back to work,’ he told his brother before glancing back at Erin. ‘I’m on duty all night, so I best get over to the station now I know Ty’s all right. Come on. Rhett’s with Mum and Willow.’

Against her will, Erin followed him outside and waited for him to fetch Heath’s wife and daughter.

Rhett drove Heath’s truck, taking the icy roads slowly. Willow was in the back seat, sniffling whilst talking quietly on the phone to her husband, Cody. It had been the weirdest day of Erin’s life, and she had no idea how to handle it.

Feeling quite numb, and once more all alone in the world, Erin thanked Rhett for the lift back to Tyler’s, then headed inside, noticing the emptiness straight away. His home wasn’t the same when he was away.

She switched on the tree lights, then lit the wood burner. One way or another, she was going to make the place feel homely, just like Tyler did. It helped make her feel a touch better.

Pyjamas were next, followed by tea and toast, as she had to eat but couldn’t manage much.

She snuggled with a blanket on the sofa and turned on the telly to watch a Christmas film, realising Christmas Eve was just around the corner.

I need to up my game. Do all of Tyler’s jobs around the farm. He can rest. Yeah, that should be okay. I’ll tell Fran in the morning. I won’t let them down .

It was hard to concentrate on the film when all she could think about was Tyler in hospital. She imagined him sleeping peacefully in his bedroom at the other end of the house to see if that would help calm her nerves.

Her phone rang, bringing her out of the trance she held with the wood burner. Quickly, she answered the call. ‘Willow? Is it Tyler?’ So much for settling down for the night. Her heart rate had accelerated again.

‘No. He’s fine. Please don’t worry,’ replied Willow.

How can I not worry?

‘My dad just called to let me know the police caught the attacker. I thought you would want to know,’ Willow added.

‘Yes, I do want to know. Thank you for telling me. Do you know who it was?’

‘Some random. Drunk and angry. Thought he could take a knife to one of the trees so he could take it home with him. He told the police that he didn’t mean to stab Tyler. That he thought he had only punched him, not realising he was holding the knife.’

Erin didn’t care for the attacker’s excuses. He stabbed Tyler. That was all there was to it. But one thing did make her curious. ‘Did he say why he was dressed as a Christmas tree?’

‘He was working in Sandly at a pop-up Christmas decorations shop, but they weren’t getting many customers, so he got fired. That’s why he got drunk. The reason he came to us with his anger issues was because he overheard someone say we were the best place to shop for Christmas bits. He blamed us, Erin. That’s the long and short of it. Said he couldn’t afford a tree for his son, so he would take one from us because it was our fault.’

Erin huffed. ‘Well, I’m not about to feel sorry for him. I hope he serves time for what he did.’

‘Oh, he will.’

‘Thanks for letting me know all this, Willow. I really appreciate it.’

‘Of course, you deserve to know. I can see you and my uncle are close, even if you two can’t see it yet.’

Erin smiled softly over at the tree, remembering all the laughter they had shared since meeting.

‘Are you all right, Erin?’

‘Yes, I’m a lot better now, thanks. How about you?’

‘Honestly, I haven’t stopped hugging Cody since I got home, but I’m okay. He keeps telling me not to allow the what-ifs to enter my brain, but it’s hard.’

‘I know. I’m trying not to go down that road as well.’

‘If you do struggle tonight, please come and sleep at ours. We’re only in the main house. I can come and walk you over at any time.’

Erin nodded, even though she knew Willow couldn’t see her. ‘I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be okay.’

‘Well, goodnight then. You know where we are if you need us.’

It warmed Erin to know she had such care around her, and she was so pleased they had caught the man with the knife. She glanced at the light-wood beams crossing the ceiling and said a quick thank you, in case there really was someone up there who had stopped Tyler from dying.

Snuggling further into the sofa, she closed her weary eyes, willing them to stay dry. ‘Night, Ty. Sleep tight,’ she whispered, then held her hand, pretending it was his.

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