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NORTH BEND, OREGON:
At the car rental desk in the airport terminal, Jadin lightly taps her fingers on the counter while she waits for the man to print out the contract for her to sign. Aaron’s message is brief. “Marina ok, but Jerry in the hospital in North Bend.” She tried calling him back, but he didn’t answer.
She makes an unrecognizable signature on the contract, snatches the key off the counter, and heads for the door. The drive from the airport seems to take forever, even though it only takes ten-minutes to reach the city. She feels a slight sense of relief when she sees the large H on the blue sign pointing down another road. When she pulls into the parking lot at the hospital, the front tires bounce against the bull rail before she shuts off the engine and leaps out the door.
The young man behind the reception counter flinches when Jadin bursts through the doorway. “Can I help you?”
Jadin glances at his name tag. “Yes, Simon. I’m looking for Jerry Avery.”
“Oh, yes, the older gentleman from Humpback Harbor. Go to the end of the hallway, and it’s the third door on the right, room eighteen.”
“Thanks.”
She runs down the hallway to a room with a large window and open shades. When she sees Aaron and Denise sitting just inside, she eases the door open and quietly enters the room. “How’s he doing?” she whispers.
Aaron smiles and stands to hug his sister. “I’m glad you made it. Jerry is one tough old man. The doctor said he’ll be okay. He has a bunch of bruises and two fractured ribs.”
“How did this happen?”
Aaron indicates for Jadin to sit down, then he leans back against the bed and explains everything. “Jerry saved the entire marina, except for the gazebo. A foot of water flooded the shops, but there was no major damage, thanks to Jerry.”
Jadin’s chest swells with pride when she looks over at her uncle, who is snoring softly. She looks up at Aaron. “Did they say when he can be released?”
“They want to keep him under observation overnight, and they’ll call me tomorrow when he’s ready to be picked up.”
“There’s something you need to know. The moon will not get any closer, but it’s going to take some time before the tides stabilize. From what you’ve told me, there will be too much drag on a string of docks attached to just one buoy, and it won’t hold. Before the next tide, you need to separate them into shorter sections and spread them out among all the buoys.”
“I’ll get Brad and the sheriff to help me take care of it.”
Denise smiles at Jadin. “You should have seen Aaron while all that was going on. He was amazing. He did a great job keeping us organized when Mister Avery wasn’t around. He deserves as much of the credit as his uncle for saving the shops.”
Aaron blushes. Maybe Denise finally sees him as more than just a lowly grease monkey.
Jadin smiles up at her brother. “I’ll stay with him for the rest of the night. Why don’t you two go back home?”
Aaron grabs his jacket off the door hook. “That works for me. I still have enough daylight to get started on the docks.”
Denise turns to Aaron. “I’ll help.” She weaves her fingers through his, holding his hand, and smiles when she sees a huge grin spread across his face.
Jadin knows Aaron has always had a crush on Denise, and the corners of her lips form a small smile. “You two be careful.”
“We will,” Aaron replies. “We’ll see you later.”
When the door closes, Jadin stands and moves to the edge of the bed to look down at her uncle. “You did well, Jerry.” She smiles when his eyes slowly open.
Jerry recognizes the face smiling down at him. “I thought you left for Pasadena.”
“Yeah, well, I heard you tried to be a hero and save the docks, so here I am. Aaron told me what happened. I can’t believe you tried something so crazy.”
Jerry tries to sit up, but grimaces and lays back down, and stares up at her. “What do you mean tried? From what Aaron told me, it worked out just as I hoped it would.”
“Oh, right, except for the part about you riding a dock into the gazebo.”
Jerry grins. “All right, so maybe that wasn’t what I had in mind, but the rest of the marina is saved, and that’s all that matters. Hey, have you eaten yet?” Jadin indicates she hasn’t. “Good, because I’m starving. I slept through dinner. Denise told me they were serving roast beef for supper in the cafeteria, and my mouth is already watering just talking about it. How about being a good niece and getting me a wheelchair?”
“I don’t think so. You just stay in bed and I’ll bring you a tray with enough food for both of us, okay? I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
When Jadin leaves the room, Jerry reached across his chest and placed his hand on his injured ribcage, but winces and jerked it back. “Well, crap.”
***
Jadin walks into the cafeteria and is about to grab a tray when her phone rings. When she brings it out to answer, she notices everyone giving her a look of annoyance. The woman at the cash register indicates the sign above the entrance into the dining room, which states that phones must be turned off while inside the hospital.
She quickly leaves the room and heads out of the building through a side exit. She recognizes Patrick’s picture and answers. “I’m here. What’s going on?”
“I have the information you wanted about the asteroid. The composition of that thing is incredible.”
“Great, Patrick. I could use some good news. Send me an email with the data.”
“It’s on the way. When are you coming back to the lab?”
“I’m not sure. I, uh. I may not be coming back to stay.”
“Are you kidding me? The moon is still a major problem, especially if it changes again. We need you back here, Jadin.”
“Well, maybe it won’t happen again. Listen, I may be transferred to another project, but don’t worry. If I don’t make it back, I’ll recommend you become the team leader. I think you would be the right person to take over.” The line is silent. “Patrick?”
“Are you sure I should take over? I mean, with everything that’s going on right now, I’m not sure I’m the right person for the job. This is completely out of my realm of understanding. No one has experienced this in their lifetime. I mean, we’re in completely uncharted territory here, Jadin.”
Jadin sees the email has arrived in her inbox. “You’ll do fine, Patrick. I have confidence in you. This is a new learning experience for all of us. Think of it as an adventure.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“I may be out of cell phone reception for a while, so I’ll check in with you when I can.”
“Thanks, Jadin.”
Jadin sits down on a bench to study the information from Patrick. When she reads the analysis of the asteroid’s composition, her jaw sags.