Next to Me (Triplets book 3)

Chapter 10

Three months later.

When Elyse's phone started ringing at half past two in the morning, she knew it wasn't good. As she turned on the light and reached for the phone, she noted the rain drumming on the windows. She would have to fly.

The voice on the other end told her the basics. Somewhere in the middle of the Gulf, a boat was dead in the water with injured on board that needed medical attention as soon as possible. It took Elyse less than half an hour to get dressed and get to the station. After she did her safety checks, she knew they still had to wait on the rescue divers and a location for the boat, so she had time for a cup of coffee and to learn what she could.

Elyse was zipping up her flight suit when her commanding officer entered. "Do you have a minute to review?"

"Yes, sir," she agreed and walked with him toward a table with all the charts and maps on it.

They took a few minutes to review where the last SOS came from and, factoring in the currents and wind, tried to pinpoint where the boat might be, but the helicopter in the air searching still hadn't located it yet. Elyse knew that once her team was ready, they would go up and try to help find the boat, but the rescue team always took a bit more time to prepare, and without an actual location, they didn't want them up their wasting precious fuel that they would need to complete the rescue.

"This is a special case, Lieutenant," Her commanding officer stood up straight and crossed his arms. "The injured person is the famous actress Reyna Richards, and her husband, Carson Richards, is on the boat with her."

Elyse felt her heart stop.

In her last few days off, after the cruise, she had caught up on her sleep after then done a deep dive on everything Sawyer Richards, so she was aware that the couple on board were his parents. However, her burning question was, was Sawyer on board too?

"What about the rest of her family?" Elyse asked, trying to keep her voice as professional as possible, even though her heart was beating erratically at the thought of Sawyer in danger.

"No, there are no other famous people but plenty of rich ones. I believe the rest of her family are on their way here now and should arrive at any moment," he calmly stated.

Elyse nodded. "How soon can we be up?" she asked, looking at the map again to hide her nervousness about Sawyer arriving. She didn't want her commander to think it was because of the flight she was about to take.

"The other two pilots haven't located them yet, so we need to sit tight for a bit."

"We have two in the air?" Elyse asked, looking at him. It was a bit risky to put everyone up in the same storm at the same time.

"It's Reyna and Carson Richards," he reminded her.

"And a whole bunch of rich idiots, no doubt." Elyse shook her head. Money really could buy you anything, including the U.S. Coast Guard.

"No doubt," he agreed as another officer approached him and said something softly to him before he turned to Elyse. "I'll meet the family now and update them. Give me about ten minutes, then join us. It might comfort them to know the name of the person who will save their parents."

Elyse knew she had no choice, so she took a few calming breaths. Maybe Sawyer wouldn't be among them. Perhaps he was too far away to have already arrived. She placed her hand on her stomach to calm her nerves. If he was there, he was about to find out who she was and what she did, and it wasn't a kindergarten teacher.

For a moment, she let her mind flash back to the last time she saw him and the regret in his gaze. Then she pushed it aside. She had a job to do, and emotions could not play a part in it. She bowed her head, said her prayers, then took a deep calming breath, letting all emotions go on the exhale. Whether they were rich or poor, famous or not, her job was to get them home safely, and she was good at it.