Chapter 1

Jessi stood outside the door of her brother's house and rang the doorbell. The door opened with Carl standing there. "Mom, Dad, Aunt Jessi is here." Carl said loudly.

"You have gotten taller since your birthday." She said messing up his hair.

"So, what did ya bring me?" he asked eagerly pulling at the Christmas gift bag.

"You will have to wait till later today to find out."

Rick came to the door next, "Look who it is, Miss New York City."

"How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

"Way too many," he said coming over to give her a hug.

"I missed you and Carl."

"What about me?" Lori said

"I was getting to you," Jessi said coming over and gave her a hug as well.

"Come on in Jessi, the guest room is set up for ya already." Rick said.

"I still have a bag or two in the car. Come on kid help me out." She said putting down the gift bag and bringing him along so he would not look inside.

Carl and Jessi went to her car and brought a few more bags in.

Right before dinner Shane arrived, "Hey Miss Big Apple," he said giving her a hug.

"Rick is this where these names came from?"

"Yes," Rick said

"Hey, way to take sides," Shane said.

"She is ma sister," Rick said looking at the tall slender twenty six years old.

"Yes she Rick's baby sister," Shane said mocking her.

"Hey," she said punching him in the arm.

"Rick, its gone." Shane said.

"What's gone?" she said confused looking between her brother and his best friend.

"Your accent,"

"I did not come all this way to be harassed by my brother and his friend."

"Come on y'all dinner is ready," Lori said trying to rescue her sister in law for the time being.

After dinner Jessi passed out two presents to Carl opened them as quick as he could possibly could. Inside one was a robot and the other one was the game he wanted.

"Thank ya," he said and started playing with them right away.

"Rick, Carl, Lori, Shane I have some good news."

"Please, tell me ya are not leaving the country?" Rick asked because this is how she always started when she was leaving a place.

"No, I'm staying in the United States."

"There is a job opening in a hospital….."

"Jessi where is this job," Rick said.

"I'm getting to that Rick, have some patience will you and it is here in Cynthiana,"

"What? Really Aunt Jessica? Really?" Carl said

"Yes, I have my last interview tomorrow and if all goes as plan I will be back in Tennessee before the beginning of next year."

Rick had no words right now and he was happy that she was coming back to her hometown.

"I thought you loved New York City?" Shane asked.

"I do but it has a lot of bad memories for me."

4 months later

Jessica was putting away files around the nurse stations when Rick came in. He motioned to the other nurses and doctors not to say anything. He snuck behind her and poked her in the ribs.

Jessica spun around and punched him right in the stomach.

"Hey, no fair," he said trying to catch his breath. "I should know by now not to come up behind ya but it is still way to fun."

"So what do you want?" she asked him adding a file to the M's.

"Can't a brother come and surprise his little sister?"

"Yes but if he knew what was good for him he should not sneak up on her."

"It will always be a big brother's job to torture his little sister. Come on want to go have lunch?"

"I just ate an hour ago."

"Oh, then are you coming to Sunday dinner this week."

"Yes, I'm not working a double shift this weekend so definitely yes."

"Nurse Grimes please come to room 411." A voice came over the loud speaker saying that.

"I have to go I'm being paged. See you Sunday by Rick."

"Bye," he said tipping his hat getting her to laugh as she walked away

He saw his sister walk over to the steps to run up the stairs. The patient was somebody who had the flu. 'Flu season must be starting early this year.' She thought.

Within the next few days three new patients came in with these weird colds. Jessi looked exhausted and run was running off of coffee and a few hours of sleep she got between shifts. Her stomach had started to hurt and she prayed that she was not getting sick like all most all the other doctors and nurses.

She picked up her third cup of coffee and took a sip when on the police scanner there was a call out saying that three men are dead and the Sherriff's deputy has been shot. She immediately spit out the coffee all of the doctor standing next to her.

"What? No!" she said getting up out of her chair and running to the ER. She did not think about anything other than her brother. She had to go down and check to make sure it was not her brother or Shane.

The doctor who she spit her coffee said, "That Sherriff's deputy must be important to her?"

A nurse that knew her said, "Her brother is a Sherriff's deputy."

She ran down the steps two at a time until she reached the ER department. She got their right as they were bringing him on a cart that was being pushed past her. It was Rick. She followed them to a set of doors when another nurse, Jannie, stopped her.

Jannie said, "You can't go in there,"

"But he—e is my brother," she said sobbing.

"Come on you need to sit down," she said trying to bring her over to the waiting room.

"No Jannie I'm O positive blood type I need to give blood to him,"

"When was the last time you gave?" she asked trying to do this all correctly.

"Two months ago I'm allegeable,"

They went to a room and Jannie drew the blood out of Rick's sister. After they were done Jannie stayed near Jessi so she would not try to run into the operating room. About twenty minutes later Shane, Lori, and Carl arrived.

Shane rushed to Jessi who was sitting in nurse scrubs realizing that she had to be here when the call went out and he gave her a hug. Carl and

Lori soon followed them, "Is there anything we can do?" Lori asked her and Shane asked her, "Do you know anything,"

"He has lost a lot of blood and I just gave to him about twenty minutes. He is in the hands of our best surgeon here. He will be fine," she said especially to Carl who had sat down right next to her.

Five hours later Doctor Laggens came out of the room. Jessi who had been watching the door like the hawk after its meal and she stood up and ran to the Doctor.

"Nurse Grimes," he said.

Carl asked him, "Is he alive?" with tears coming down his face.

"Yes he is but he has lost a lot of blood luckily his sister was here to donate right away. He is in a recovery room right now," Jessi could tell by the way he spoke that was not going to say something in front of Carl.

"Carl, go over to the seats," she said, "your father is fine,"

After Carl was away from ear shot he continued. "He went into a coma and there is nothing more we can do for him but he is stable," he said walking away.