If she’s willing to spend the money on a new computer.
My first three appointments flew by. The fourth didn’t. A little girl cried non-stop and didn’t want to let me exam her. Not that I blamed her. She’d had a fever for two days and couldn’t eat.Poor thing. After giving her exhausted mother some much-needed support, I sent them home with instructions for an over-the-counter medicine schedule and strict orders for both of them to rest.
I decided to sit on the front porch during lunch to get some fresh air. Thank God I had because as soon as I opened the door, the smell of smoke filled my nose.
A small fire burned on the lawn, near our porch.
I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and dialed 9-1-1. I scanned the area for someone who might be watching.
No one.
The fire was small, so I ignored my racing heart and risked moving a little closer. It looked like someone had tossed a burning grocery bag onto our lawn.
Prank? Accident?
It didn’t seem like it could’ve been an accident given its distance from the sidewalk and Manor Road.
But why?
Why would someone want to throw a burning bag at the clinic?
And who?My mind raced through answers.
Disgruntled patient? Psychopath? Prankster?
Maybe a bunch of teenagers who thought it’d be fun to mess around. The fire hadn’t spread, but I knew it could’ve gotten out of control fast.
After reporting where and what my emergency was, I put my phone on speaker, stuffed it in my pocket, and went inside to tell Alice. I grabbed the fire extinguisher before going back outside.
Fortunately, the clinic was empty during our lunch hour.
My Navy training popped into my head. PASS.
Pull the pin. I pulled the pin and put it in my pocket.
Aim at the base. The fire was so small that it didn’t have a base.
Squeeze the handle.
Sweep the fire.
The fire was out in seconds.
“Alice, can I use your phone?”
I handed her mine so she could stay on with the emergency operator while I dialed Jamie. After tapping the speaker button, I took pictures of the pile from several angles and waited for him to answer.
I would’ve called my dad, but I didn’t want to cause him unnecessary worry so soon after everything he’d been through.
In the last month, he and Mom had survived a horrible car accident and then witnessed Jay face off against an angry gunman at the Dallas airport on Christmas morning.
Not the best start to the day, but he and Cate made it home safely.
I knew Jamie would tell Dad, but coming from Jamie it’d be less nerve-racking.
“Jamie Sheppard.”
“Jamie, it’s Madi.”
