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Ted stuck his head inside the vehicle. “Hey, Sweetie. It’s Dad. I’m here. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

Ryan joined them and received the EMT’s permission to ride with them to the Auburn Community Hospital, not far away.

“We’ll join you there,” Ted told Ryan.

He gave them a little wave, and the ambulance doors closed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Emmie and Ted watched the ambulance roll away and onto the street before turning and hurrying back to his SUV, which he’d pulled to the side of the parking lot.

They quickly got inside.

Before turning on the engine, Ted turned to her. “You don’t mind riding to the hospital with me?”

“What? Of course not. Cinda needs you there. We need to know that she’ll be all right.” She touched his arm. “I care about her, too.”

He let out a long sigh. “Thanks. It’s such a comfort to hear that. Let’s go.”

The drive to the hospital took a little over fifteen minutes, but seemed like hours because Emmie was as tense as Ted. The memory of seeing Cinda in a great deal of pain was upsetting.

Ted parked the car, and they went inside.

“My daughter was just brought into the Emergency Care Unit. Can we see her?” Ted asked the woman behind the registration desk.

“You can sit in the waiting area, and I’ll let them know that you’re there,” she said. “You can be sure she’s in capable hands.”

“Okay, I guess that’s all you can do for now,” Ted said, clearly disappointed as he gave her the information she needed.

Emmie and Ted signed in and then went to the waiting area.

Too restless to sit, Ted paced the room until finally Emmie went to him. “She’s being tended to. Pacing won’t speed things up. I’m sure they’re running all kinds of tests, and that takes time.”

A while later, Ryan joined them and sat down between them. “Cinda is going to have surgery to repair a broken bone in her right leg. Her right arm has been put in a soft cast until the swelling has gone down, but it, too, was broken.” Tears filled his eyes. “Other than that, she’s all right.”

Ted clapped a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Cinda’s strong. She’ll be all right,” added Emmie, trying to help.

Ryan brushed his hand through his hair. “What about the kids? I can’t leave here.”

“Why don’t I have Ted drop me off at your house, and I’ll stay with the boys as long as it takes,” Emmie said.

“You would do that for us?” asked Ryan.

Emmie patted his hand. “Of course. I wish I could do more than that to make everything right, but it’s what I can offer for now.”

“Okay, thanks. That’s a worry off my mind,” said Ryan. “I’ll call the babysitter and let her know what’s happening. She’s a girl named Vivi. She’ll need a ride home and needs to be paid.”

Emmie stood and faced Ted. “You don’t mind dropping me off at Cinda’s house?”

“Not at all.” He got to his feet. “Let’s go.”

They left the hospital and drove back to Skaneateles without much conversation.

Ted pulled up in front of the pretty Victorian house and said, “Thanks for doing this, Emmie. It means a lot to all of us.”

Emmie leaned over and kissed him. “You know I’m happy to do it. I’ll send the babysitter out to the truck for you to take home.”