He followed Harmony back to Ambo Nineteen and sat down on the back bumper.
It was cold, but thanks to this bunker gear, he barely felt it.
"How about now?" He turned the little girl around and she gave him a narrow-eyed look before she turned away from him. "You can sit down on my lap. You won't fall. I promise."
The little girl sat down on his thigh, her gaze turning back around a few times before she relaxed against his chest and let Harmony look at her.
With his chest to lean against, Harmony made quick work of the exam, rewarding the little girl with stickers, but every time Kaleo tried to set the little girl down, or transfer her to Harmony's partner, Vega, or Harmony herself, the little girl refused.
Kaleo met Harmony's gaze with his own and both of them smiled, commiserating with each other.
Faust appeared beside him and Kaleo looked up at his lieutenant. "Sorry, Faust. I... She," he gestured to the little girl, "she doesn't seem to want to let go."
Harmony reached out and brushed the little girl's hair back from her face again, since the wind swept through again. "We have a little limpet here."
"Limpet?" Faust frowned as he said the word. "What's that?"
Harmony leaned in and used the crook of her knuckle to tap the little girl on the tip of her nose, earning a little smile from the child. "A limpet. A little aquatic creature in a shell that clings to rocks. Or, in this case, someone who might be a little clingy."
Kaleo heard the tone of Harmony's voice more than her words. It was a light, sing-song tone that seemed to work to ease the little girl's anxiety.
He'd noticed that she really had a way with people, but in that moment, she was enchanting the little girl.
Faust raised an eyebrow, seemingly at the situation. He looked down at his watch and then at Harmony. "You think it would be easier if you had Duke with you on the way to the hospital?"
Harmony grinned from ear to ear. "Could we?"
Vega's shoulders shook with laughter as he put his hand on Harmony's shoulder. "I'll go up front and drive."
She nodded but kept her gaze on Faust. "Can you spare him?"
Faust turned around Kaleo followed his gaze.
The Rescue Crew were still removing the victims of the crash from their cars.
With a soft exhale, Faust's shoulders sagged a little and Kaleo wondered if he was thinking about his friend Seth.
No, Seth hadn't died in a car crash, but the loss of life was the same.
A tragedy.
Pure human tragedy.
"Yeah," Faust looked up and Kaleo saw a kind of shadow lingering in the other man's eyes. "Yeah, you can go with Harmony and Vega to the E.R. We'll make do until you get her squared away."
Kaleo ached for his lieutenant.
He was really suffering with the loss of his friend.
"Thanks, lieutenant."
Faust waved his hand in a vague gesture. "Just take care of her, okay?"
"Sure, boss. Will do."
Faust walked away and Kaleo heard Harmony sigh softly.
When he looked up at the EMT he saw a similar ache in her gaze.
