Spanish Bay by Hans M Hirschi Page B

the room, and his world collapsed. If Sally were to die, he’d lose his job, he’d have to leave Carmel and Neil, and… Who would ever hire someone like him? The fact that he’d come across Sally was a godsend, and he was already very fond of her.
    As if he sensed Chris’s emotional state, Neil said, “You’re coming back with us. I don’t want you to be alone tonight.”
    Chris tried to shake his head, but he was too upset—and frankly, too tired—to put up a struggle, particularly as Joe and Sarah sided with their son.
    “Neil’s right. This is no time for you to be alone. I’ll drive your car, because I don’t think you’re capable of that right now. Sarah, can you take ours?”
    As they got up to leave the ER, the doctor took his leave, but added, “Do you have any way to get in touch with her next of kin? We need to know how to proceed in case things worsen for Sally.”
    Joe nodded. “We’ll see what we can do. I know she has a sister in New York. I’ll see what I can find out. We’ll be back in the morning.”
    The drive home was somber, and in both cars nothing much was said. Chris asked Joe if he knew anything more about Sally’s family, and they decided to swing by the house in the morning to see if they could find any clues—a phone number or an address. They also drove by the café to put up a sign, stating the café would be closed for a few days, and then drove back to Neil’s house. Sarah and Neil were already home and anxiously awaiting their return.
    “We took a quick detour to the café,” Chris explained. “I’ll keep it closed for a couple of days, until I have a better idea how things are going with Sally. I need to be with her tomorrow, and I can’t do that and run the café at the same time.”
    “Makes sense,” Neil said, guiding Chris to his bedroom. “Good night, Mom, good night, Dad. See you in the morning!”
    “Night boys. Get some rest,” Sarah called after them.
    ***
    The next morning, the entire family drove to Sally’s house, early, to see if they could find any information about Sally’s family. It felt really strange rummaging around a stranger’s house, even though Sally was known to the whole town, but few had ever been to her house. She valued her privacy, especially after an entire day surrounded by the people of Carmel.
    Joe finally found something in her phone directory in the office. “Here’s a Samantha Hawking-Ashbury in New York. Could this be her sister? Let me see if I can call her.”
    He dialed the number from Sally’s office phone, and almost instantly, a dark, smoky voice picked up on the other end.
    “Sally, hi. How’s the foot?”
    Joe knew he’d gotten to someone close to Sally, at least. “I’m sorry,” he began and could hear the deep intake of breath on the other side of the line. “My name is Joe Horner. I’m a friend of Sally’s. Are you her sister?”
    “Is she okay? Yes, this is her older sister Samantha. Please tell me she’s okay.”
    “I’m sorry to call you like this, and to bring you bad news, but it seems your sister had a stroke last night. She’s alive and being treated at our local hospital. The doctors are very vague in their prognosis, and they need to be in touch with you. You may want to come out here.”
    The sobs on the other side of the phone were audible in the entire office, and it broke Chris’s heart to hear them.
    “Yes, of course, I’ll get on the next plane. I assume my best option is San José, right?”
    “It depends, ma’am. We have a small airport in Monterey, with commuter services to San Francisco, Phoenix or Los Angeles. Depending on your flight, you might be able to make it here faster by that route. Either way, we’d be happy to pick you up. I’ll give you my number. You can let me know when and where you’re flying into, and we’ll come and pick you up.”
    Once Joe had given Sally’s sister his number and hung up, they drove back to the hospital. Sadly, things remained