Page 38 of Rescued Dreams (Last Chance Fire and Rescue #8)

THIRTY-SEVEN

“W ell, it seems odd to say this, given how you look, but you’re actually doing all right, Ms. Patterson.” The nurse peeled off the blood pressure cuff.

Amelia glanced over at her from the bed in this tiny ER bay surrounded by curtains.

The bay was barely big enough for the nurse to walk around the bed.

They’d segregated all of them to check them out, but Amelia was going to jump off this bed in a second and go find the twins, Maria and Kane, and Ridge. She needed to know they were all okay.

Ridge had passed out right as they got to the hospital, and she hadn’t seen him since they’d wheeled him away as soon as the helicopter touched down.

The twins must be scared out of their minds still.

“Your headache will go away when it’s good and ready. Until then, you need to get as much rest as possible. So no rushing into buildings to save people. Leave putting out the fires to these guys for now.” The nurse pulled back the curtain to reveal a huddle of turnout coats.

Bryce, Eddie and Zack, Zoe and Della. Izan, and even Chief James.

“Amelia!” Zoe rushed in, giving her a quick hug.

“Are you okay?” She checked Amelia more thoroughly than the nurse had, turning her hands over so she could see the marks on Amelia’s wrists where she’d been tied up.

The old and new bruises on her neck. The knot on her head from being smacked by the butt of Elam’s gun.

So many things had happened since the bank robbery. She had bruises from the truck exploding and flipping over, and even more from being taken by Nicholas.

“I’m gonna live.” She tried to say it flippantly to lighten the situation, but the words caught in her throat, and to her horror, tears filled her eyes. “Is Ridge okay?”

Zoe’s expression softened. “His family is going to tell us when they get an update. He went for X-rays, and they said he was sleeping, since the doctors gave him something.”

“What about Warren?”

Zoe looked at Chief Macon, who said, “It’s bad, but the doctor is hopeful.”

The tears rolled down Amelia’s face.

She half expected all the guys to rear back in shock, but they didn’t. Izan came over to the other side of the bed, got in her space, and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re okay, Amelia.”

Her nose filled with his uniquely spicy scent.

Amelia wrapped her arms around her friend, returning the hug. When she drew back, she said, “Thanks, Izan. How is Olivia?”

He said, “Broken wrist. She’s getting it bandaged, and she’ll need a cast when the swelling goes down. But she’s good. She’s tough.”

Amelia wondered if anyone else caught the possession in his tone, that my girl he didn’t add but it was there. She saw it in his expression too. He’d been worried about Tazwell, but she was all right now.

“I need to apologize.” His dark eyes tracked hers, those handsome Hispanic features warm and earnest now.

He was a joker and sometimes didn’t realize he should be serious, but that was gone now.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more on it when you were in the training house.

Even if that Nicholas guy messed with our system so the surveillance feed was off, I should’ve been paying more attention.

” He lifted his chin. “It won’t happen again. ”

“Collins, I’m not your superior anymore. You don’t report to me.”

“I’m still sorry.”

She touched his hand. “I forgive you.”

God had shown up for her when she’d needed Him most. In her darkest hour, as they said. She figured that meant it was time to really figure out what this Christianity thing was all about. Learn more. Claim it for herself.

God was real. It had taken her long enough to figure that out. She had no time to lose now.

“Thanks.” Izan scrunched up his nose, but he looked relieved. “You’ll always be my lieutenant, Patterson. That’s just the way it is.”

She smiled.

“Okay.” Macon elbowed through everyone else. “All of you clear out. Give Amelia some space.”

Izan squeezed her shoulder and followed the others back into the hallway.

Chief James came over to the side of the bed. “How’s your head?”

“It’ll be good by the time I come back to work.”

Ordinarily, she would have dismissed the injury for the sake of not being put on medical leave until she was healed up.

Right now, she figured that wasn’t what he was asking for.

He wanted honesty. Besides, she was barely the same person who’d been called to his office and asked where her paperwork was.

She’d faced her greatest nightmare and lived to tell about it.

“What happened to Nicholas? And Cherry?” With Ridge beside her and everyone out of the house, she had barely paid attention to what was happening around her.

“Both in custody.” Macon stood at the foot of the bed. “They’re trying to figure out how Cherry got tangled up with him and whether he is actually the father of her baby.”

Amelia shook her head. “She was convincing. But at the end of the day, he wanted my father’s money just like everyone else. And he was going to kill me, probably horrifically, out of revenge.”

Macon’s expression darkened. “He isn’t going to hurt you anymore.”

Amelia figured a good therapist could help her unpack all this.

It would take time, but good things—and healing—usually did.

Rushing it wasn’t going to get her anywhere but back on her face, trying to figure out what to do with her life.

She still wanted to sell the big house and ensure all her father’s properties were offloaded.

That might mean legally claiming her heritage, but it was a means to an end.

Like donating the house to a local women’s shelter or a foster kids’ organization so they could have bigger facilities.

Zack’s wife Naya might be able to help her work out something that would benefit the local community.

“Nicholas is never going to get out of prison. Not for several lifetimes.” Macon looked like he wanted to punch something.

“Good.”

He nodded. “They already started looking through the rubble. Starting in a section that didn’t collapse. They found a lot of evidence in the debris, surveillance photos of you. Equipment for bombs and explosives. He had all kinds of sick things planned.”

“Seemed like he was constantly evolving the plan depending on what happened.”

“He’s not some criminal mastermind. Just a guy with far too much time on his hands and a sick obsession.” Macon folded his arms across his chest. “But he’s behind bars now, and he won’t get bail if the cops have anything to say about it.”

“I’ll probably have to testify.”

“If you do,” he said, “I guarantee there will be a row of firefighters in the gallery to support you. You aren’t going to have to face him alone.”

She nodded, sniffing back more tears.

“Elam is behind bars. Who knows what the district attorney is going to do about your father’s money in those accounts.”

“Nicholas thought he could get me to sign it all over to him.” Her mind was still reeling from everything that had happened.

“He also nearly killed you in the training house, strangling you with his bare hands.”

If he’d been after the money the whole time, he probably hadn’t planned to go so far as to kill her. He’d just wanted her weak and off shift so he could enact his plan.

Macon reached out and patted her foot under the blanket. “Get some rest. Get better. I’ll see you back at work when you’re ready, and not before. And I expect you to pass that lieutenant’s exam after that, when you’re back up to speed. Get your rank back, Patterson.”

“Yes, sir.”

He gave her a wave and left her by herself long enough for Amelia to slide out of the bed.

She’d convinced the staff she didn’t need to change her clothes, so all she had to do was find her shoes. Her head swam while she moved around. Amelia could ignore it just enough thanks to the meds they’d given her—not much more than a basic over-the-counter painkiller.

In the hallway, she asked a nurse where to find Ridge and the twins.

The nurse lifted a brow. “Have you been discharged?”

“Not exactly. Yet. But I’m sure that’s the next thing.” She wasn’t going to sit around for hours waiting. “I’ll be back for the paperwork. I’m just going to check on my friends.”

“I’m sure.” She didn’t like it, but the nurse told her where to find the Foster family.

Amelia approached the bay but spotted someone exiting the elevator at the end of the hall. Meg stepped off, followed by the twins and then Maria and Kane. All of them had Styrofoam bowls and plastic spoons. It looked like they’d gone out for ice cream.

The bay was empty.

Maddie came rushing over, Meg and Ella right behind her. Apparently they’d made friends with the woman who was the closest thing Amelia had to a sister.

Amelia hugged all three of them in turn, her head swimming anew with all the movement. She probably needed to sit down. “You went out for ice cream?”

“Only to the cafeteria.” Meg sent an endearing smile to the twins.

Amelia wanted to ask Meg if they were okay but wasn’t going to ask in front of them.

Ella bit her lip. “Are you okay?”

Amelia said, “Nothing a loaded baked potato and two weeks on the couch with the remote won’t fix.”

Maddie let out a loud whimper, then gave Amelia another hug. “You should stay with us again!”

“Whatever you want.” For a while, at least. After what they’d been through, Amelia wanted to be close by so she could be sure they were all right. That they would continue to be all right. “Also, let’s call Natalie. Macon’s wife is a counselor. We’re all going. Deal?”

The twins nodded. Ella sniffed. “I’m glad it’s over.”

“It is.” Amelia pulled her over for a hug, catching both the girls in it. Meg put her arms around all of them.

Maria said, “Kane, it’s a group thing. Get over here.” She slammed into them, and they all jolted. Amelia grinned, and one of the girls snorted.

“I’m good back here.”

She looked over and saw Kane glance at his watch.

Ella let go with one arm and turned to Kane, motioning him over. “It’s a group thing, you know.”

Amelia sniffed, unable to keep from thinking about how far she’d come. Long days alone in her lieutenant’s office followed by long days in her cabin. Living a solitary life.

Now she had firefighters who showed up to see if she was all right.

She had her best friend and this family, people she had connected with during tragedy. Brought together to be a kind of family.

Kane put his arms around all of them. “Later we should celebrate because Maria and I just got a job offer. Looks like we might be putting down roots in Last Chance County.”

Maddie squealed, everyone else chuckled, and Amelia had to wipe away a tear.

“That’s great news.” She stepped back and saw a couple of hospital staff members wheel a bed out of the elevator at the end of the hall. “He’s back.”

Ridge lay on the bed, his arm hooked up to an IV. Kind of pale, with his eyes closed.

They backed up as the staffer wheeled him into the bay. “He should be awake in a few minutes.”

Maddie grabbed Ella’s hand and held it, going into the bay to be close to Ridge. Amelia glanced at Meg, who looked at her with an odd expression.

“What?”

Meg flushed. “Nothing. Just…something I was praying for.”

“For me?”

Meg nodded.

“We should talk more about that.” Amelia hesitated. “Maybe also…go to church.”

Meg beamed. “Deal.”