Page 49 of Westward

“Well, there’s Atlas Carter to save the day. What else are we doing wrong in Ashford Creek? Why don’t you write a list, or better yet, I will, and then you can spread your money over and see if that helps.”

I looked at Thatcher, taken aback. “What the hell?”

“I see the worst of this town, and so does Kellan. But there’s goodness too. You can’t just walk in once a year and try to fix it.”

“That’s not… that’s not what I’m doing,” I lied.

“Whatever. I have to go back to the station and deal with real issues, and not sudden guilt that I have too much money.”

And with that, Thatcher stalked out, leaving me standing there, wondering what the hell I did.

“Ignore him,” Kellan said. “I mean, offering to throw money at me would be great. But that doesn’t fix everything. As for Will, he’s an adult. If you and Elizabeth want to help him out, that’s great. I don’t know what you and Elizabeth are doing, and while I care, I don’t really care right now. I’m too tired and overworked to worry about that. But if you hurt her, I’m going to have to kill you, and then I’m going to have to bring you back to life because that’s part of my job.”

“A necromancer, are you?” I ask, my lips twitching.

“Maybe. Your woman doesn’t have family here anymore. And it might look like she doesn’t have people in her corner, but she does. We always have been. Even when you left.”

I swallowed hard, the tightness in my chest not easing.

“Life happened, and I’m trying to fix it.”

“Just don’t break everything along the way, okay? Including yourself. You’re like a brother, Atlas. I love you. Seeing you around would be great. But you have a career in Portland. When you want to give that up, you can come back, but you can’t just throw money at a problem.”

“I know that,” I bit out.

“You can throw some money. I’ll take it. Hell, we’ll take anything at this point. We’re going to need a new roof soon.”

“Done.”

My friend raised a brow. “I think there’s a little more paperwork than that, but sure. We’ll take what we can get. And I know you’re not literally throwing money at the situation. You’ve always been here to lend a hand when you’re in town. So let’s go over what’s going to happen next with Will, and then you and Elizabeth can take it from there. I have more patients to see, and while this has been a lovely break, I want to go home to my kids.”

“You’re a good man, Kellan. I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long.”

My friend moved forward, shaking his head before he squeezed my shoulder with his rough hand.

“We all need to leave town every once in a while. To find our path. I left for medical school, and now I’m back, forcing my kids to live in a small town they don’t understand. But here we are, trying to live. If you and Elizabeth are the real deal, I’m happy for it. You both deserve it. As for that kid in there? He deserves a family. He had one, and Fate decided to be the bitch that she is. So if you want to take that on, whatever that means, I’ll do what I can to help.”

Tears pricked the back of my eyes, and I had to wonder where the hell they came from.

“I kind of want to kiss you right now,” I said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“Am I interrupting?” Elizabeth asked, laughter in her tone. I turned, and though her eyes were full of pain, she smiled.

“Hey.”

“I was wondering where you guys were off to. The nurse came in and gave Will some meds. He has to stay overnight, right?”

Kellan dropped his hand and nodded. “Yes, and our night team will take care of him. It’s a good team, you two. You don’t have to worry.”

“I’m going to worry. It’s what I do.”

“He can come home tomorrow, right?” I asked.

“Yes, he’ll be discharged tomorrow. As for home, well, that’s something you both are going to have to talk to Will about.”

And with that, Kellan left, kissing Lizzie on the top of the head. She smiled up at him, and once again, I let that jealous monster roar just slightly. I couldn’t help it.

“Will isn’t exactly sleeping because he has to be woken up every two hours thanks to the concussion, and he’s having trouble getting comfortable. I thought maybe I could go get him food that tastes like real food. From the diner, maybe.”