Handle With Care Read Free Page A

policeman.
    Shane pulled out his wallet and handed over a twenty. “Use this for food, not drink. And if you have some spare time, here’s a card where I help out sometime. You ever hear of the Wounded Warriors?” he asked. “They’re always looking for volunteers to help the men and women who’ve come back from war. You think you’ve got troubles, you ought to see them.”
    The police officer looked uncertain. “I really should take you in, but somehow I don’t think you’ll be better off.” He looked the youth in the eye. “This is my beat and I’ll be looking out for you. Don’t ever let me catch you doing this stunt again.”
    “I won’t. I promise.” He gave them a shy wave. “Thanks.”
    The three of them watched the boy skate away.
    Shane turned to the police officer. “I have another problem you might be able to help me with.” He told him about the bikes and how he needed to get them to Long Beach Memorial.
    “If I had a car, I would drive you,” the woman said. “Thank you for getting my purse back.”
    Uncomfortable at being in the spotlight, Shane shifted from one foot to the other. “It was Major, really.” He positioned the lab at his feet.
    The officer patted his chest. “I’m Donald Masterson, ex-Marine. I can drive you and the bikes there myself. Got the SUV today. Normally it’s the patrol car, but it had a flat.”
    “You, young man,” the older woman declared, not done speaking, “were very brave.” She pointed to his hand. “And handicapped!”
    “This?” Shane flexed his bionic fingers. “This is no handicap, ma’am.” With a John Wayne grin, he turned on his heel. “Over here, Officer.”
    “Why’d you do it?” the officer asked. “Give the kid money.”
    Shane sighed, realizing how far he’d come and how far he had to go. He gave a careless shrug as he thought about the kid’s fears. “I’ve walked a mile in his shoes.”

    When Lauren and Josh arrived at the ER, the receptionist rushed them in right away. “What happened?” Betty asked. The plump, grey-haired former nurse assessed the situation in seconds.
    “Josh fell off a bike. Face wound needs a stitch, maybe, and his arm’s hurting. ”
    Josh’s eyes filled with tears, though he hadn’t so much as sniffed inside the ambulance. “I think it’s broken. I might need a bionic arm.”
    Lauren bit back a laugh and exchanged an amused look with the receptionist. “We ran into a war vet, and he had an i-limb. I’ve heard about them but not actually seen one until today. Pretty cool, actually.”
    Betty’s calm demeanor helped Lauren keep it together too. It was so hard, watching her son go through his first ER visit. “Well, kiddo,” Lauren said, “let’s get you examined, and if we can’t fix your existing arm, we’ll order up one of those new gadgets. How’s that?”
    “Thanks.” Another tear ran down his cheek. “Mom? Do I still have to be brave or can I cry now? It really hurts.”
    She put her arm around his waist and gave him a hug. “Oh! Honey, I didn’t mean that you couldn’t cry. Being brave is getting through the pain, that’s all.” Lauren knew very well about that. Her eyes filled as she worried she wasn’t letting her son be a child. “Am I too tough on you? You’re only six. Cry if you have to.”
    As if sensing she wasn’t just talking about a cut on his chin and a hurt arm, Josh set his jaw. “I’m the man of the house.”
    Uncertain, she ruffled his strawberry-blonde hair. “That you are.”
    Josh had lost his father when he was three years old, and Lauren had had to raise him as a single mom. It hadn’t been easy. She’d been grief stricken and so, so angry. The man who killed her husband had two prior DUIs, but he’d been allowed behind a wheel. Why not just give him a shotgun and a license to kill?
    “Lauren?” She glanced up to see Dr. Knowles standing in the doorway. “You can bring Josh in now. Face first, then some X-rays.”
    After Dr. Knowles