Sam just nodded his head and laughed.
“Fine, Shelby, we can do this with attorneys.Good luck finding one who’ll accept food stamps.And don’t even try to make any withdrawals from Pops’s accounts or I’ll know,” Sam said then stormed out of the room.
Shelby practically growled, “You just made things worse.”
“I doubt that,” Wes said.“You want to file a report?”
“No.”
Dalton stepped in.“Ms.Shepherd, your grandfather is asking for you.We’ve put his hand in a cast and did a thorough workup.There are a few other things I need to discuss with you when you’re ready.”
“Okay, um, can I see him first and then we can go from there?”she said, swiping at tears that slipped down her cheeks.
“Of course.”Dalton looked at Wes with an unspoken message.“I do think there is a valid concern here for neglect, but I’m not sure it will stick, because your grandfather is still living independently.If you’ll be staying with him, we can release him to you today.But you’ll need to figure out a long-term plan.”
Shelby’s eyes welled with more tears, but she didn’t let the tears fall.“I’ll stay and figure it all out.”
“Alright, the front-desk nurse will page me when you’re ready,” Dalton said and then walked away, closing the door.
“What happened?”Wes said, more curtly than he intended, but he was pissed she’d let her brother get so close and speak to her the way he did.
“I said I don’t want to make a report,” she said, not looking at him.
“Alright, fine.But I’m not the sheriff right now.”
Her head popped up.“Then you’re just the guy I hooked up with when I should have been taking care of Pops.”
Wes sighed.“It wasn’t your fault there was a blizzard.”
“I should have come back sooner.He called me over a week ago, and I should have come right away.”
He wanted to hold her.Every impulse said to pull her into his arms, but he hesitated, and she turned to walk away.
“I’m going to need to speak with him.”
“Fine, just don’t scare him,” Shelby said.
“If there is one thing I’m not going to be capable of, it’s scaring your grandfather.”He followed Shelby to the front desk, and a nurse walked them back to a private room where her larger-than-life grandfather looked tired and frail.At six five that wasn’t how Wes had ever remembered seeing Zeke Shepherd.A self-made man, he’d dominated the fishing industry and made his fortune at a young age.He was born and raised in Sandy Point, into one of the town’s original families that developed the community just south of one of the largest shipping ports in the States, Shepherd’s Pass.The Shepherd name was on quite a few establishments in Sandy Point, thanks to his oldest son, Shelby’s uncle, who’d gone into land development and tried to buy the town with his inheritance.
“Hello there, Sheriff.Everything okay?”Zeke said.
“Yes, sir, Mr.Shepherd, I’m just checking on everyone in town after the storm, especially those who show up at the hospital with broken bones.”
Zeke held up his new blue cast covering his large right hand.
“Well, I shouldn’t have tried to shovel my deck, but I got tired of sitting inside.Then I took a tumble on the steps.”
“It could happen to any of us, Mr.Shepherd,” Wes said.“I hear your granddaughter will be staying with you.Would it be alright if I come out and check on you?”
“As long as you don’t mind if I put you to work.”
“Yes, sir.I don’t see any reason we should change our ways.”
Zeke laughed.“What’s wrong, honey?”he said, holding out his hand to Shelby.“You know I’m tougher than dirt.I’m gonna be fine.”
“I know, Pops.I just wish I’d been here to help sooner.”Shelby shook her shoulders and pasted on a smile.“Dalton said he gave you a full workup, and he’d like to talk to us about it.You feel up to that?”
Dalton arrived with a tablet.
