Promises of Mercy(Montana Promises-Book 1) Read Online Free

you can. I bet your sister wants you to try.”
    “I don’t want Amber to have to take care of me.”
    So that was at the crux of his issues.
    Before he could address the situation, the door opened, and Stone turned around. A woman, who he guessed was Amber, along with another nurse, entered. Cade had described the sister as being about five feet four, having long wavy brown hair, a pert nose, and full lips. The fact one of the women was a blonde made identifying Amber easy.
    He pushed back his chair and stood. “Ladies.” He nodded to both. “I’m Stone Benson. I was the paramedic on duty who brought Chris in. I just stopped by to check on him.”
    “I’m Amber, Chris’s sister.” Her shoulders sagged.
    The blonde woman clasped Amber’s arm. “I’ll call you later.”
    Amber’s lips pressed together as if she was working hard to keep it together. “Please do.” They hugged.
    Amber looked behind him at her brother. “May we speak outside?” She looked tired and quite disheartened though he could hardly blame her.
    “Sure.” He’d already switched his day off with Drake Longworth, so he had time to spend with her. 
    “I’ll be back, Chris,” she said.
    Her brother didn’t answer.
    They stepped into the hallway. “How is he?” she asked.
    “I’m no t a doctor, but as someone who has seen his share of bad accidents, I’ve witnessed the whole range of reactions. Chris is scared, but that’s not unusual.”
    Her eyes widened. “He told you that? That he was scared?”
    “Yes, but Chris seems like the type who can overcome this.”
    She sucked in her bottom lip. “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that. I need him to recognize what he’s going through. He’s been angry.”
    “I would be, too.” He didn’t want to deceive her. “I’ve seen patients go from angered to determined to depressed all in a span of minutes.”
    “So have I.” Her stomach grumbled.
    Given her red eyes, either she’d been crying, hadn’t slept much, or both. Most likely she’d foregone food, also. “When was the last time you ate?”
    She glanced at the ceiling and slowly shook her head. Amber wouldn’t do Chris any good if she didn’t keep up her strength. He placed a hand on her back. “Come on. Let’s grab a bite. I need to eat.” She hesitated and he cursed himself. She might think he was trying to pick her up. “I thought we could talk about Chris.”
    Her shoulders dropped a bit. “I’d like that. The doctor really didn’t say much other than it will take time.”
    “That’s true.”
    They took the elevator to the second floor and walked down a hallway plastered with photos of the hospital Board. The last door on the right led to the cafeteria. As if she was on a mission, Amber headed straight to the food line. The place was crowded and loud. Stone didn’t know why the ordered chaos bothered him now. Maybe it was because he felt sorry for her and thought she’d appreciate the quiet.
    Though her voice had remained calm when they’d been in Chris’s room, he could tell from the way she’d crossed her arms over her chest like she was afraid she’d fall apart, that she was barely holding it together.
    In relative silence, they pushed their trays through the line. While he piled the food on his plate, Amber picked up two small salads, one of which was a small bowl of cut fruit.
    “These coming months will require a lot of your energy. You need to eat.” He tried to keep his voice as soothing as possible.
    “I know.” She grabbed another bowl, this one containing green beans.
    When they reached the cashier, she pulled her wallet out, but blocked her efforts to pay. “I’ll get this.” Amber would need to purchase a special bed for Chris, medications, and a host of other items.
    “That’s very kind, but no thank you.”
    He shrugged, not wanting to push her too hard and add to her stress. Amber seemed the type of woman who was cautious around men. He had no solid basis for his