Page 25 of Rumors in Bayberry (The Bayberry, Vermont #3)

Maybe it was Reed. She yanked her phone from her purse. She looked at the caller ID. It was her editor. Now wasn’t a good time. Now was the worst time.

And yet she was a professional. She had to take the call.

She had to tell her editor— wait —what was she going to tell her editor?

That her apartment was destroyed—that she might as well leave town since she no longer had a home.

Or did she tell her editor that something devastating had happened, and she couldn’t leave now?

That she didn’t know when she’d be able to leave—that she didn’t know if the man she loved, loved her back…

Did she truly love Reed? Immediately, her heart beat out the answer. Yes. Yes, she did love him.

Before the call switched to voicemail, she accepted it and pressed the phone to her ear. This conversation couldn’t take long, because they were nearing the hospital.

“Helen, I really can’t talk now. I’m on the way to the hospital.” The words came rushing out of Sadie’s mouth. Usually, she was known for her coolness under pressure, but she’d never faced having the man she loved being injured.

“Oh, my. Will you be okay?” Helen sounded genuinely worried.

“It’s not me. It’s my boyfriend.” It wasn’t until the words had crossed her lips that she realized she wanted him to be her boyfriend. She’d gone this far, she might as well go the rest of the way. “There’s been a fire. My home burned down, and he was inside. They are rushing him to the hospital.”

“Oh, my. Well, don’t worry about the flight tomorrow or the assignment. I’ll put someone else on the story. Take care of yourself and your guy. I hope he’s all right.”

Right then they turned into the emergency department. It was time to run. “We’re here. I have to go.”

As she stuffed the phone into her purse, she wasn’t even sure if she’d said goodbye. Quite honestly, she wasn’t sure what she’d said. But none of that mattered now.

When Wesley pulled to a stop in front of the double-doors, she jumped out and ran inside. She ran up to the registration desk. Thankfully, there was no one in line.

“Just a moment,” the woman on the other side of the glass window calmly said as she typed something into the computer. She looked up. “How can I help you?”

“Reed Stanton was just brought in by ambulance. I need to see him.”

The woman very calmly asked, “Are you a relative?”

“I’m his girlfriend.” She noticed that each time she used the title, it rolled off her tongue easier. She would revisit that thought later—much later.

The woman eyed her up for a moment. Was it possible she could see that Sadie had given her a little white lie? Was she that transparent?

The woman turned to the computer monitor and started to type into it. Then she turned back to Sadie. “You’ll have to have a seat. Someone will be out to see you.”

“But is he all right? He was coughing a lot at the scene.”

“I don’t know about that. But I’ll let them know you’re here.”

Sadie turned away from the window, but not willing to give up just yet, she pivoted back around. “Can’t I just go sit with him? You know, let him know I’m here for him.”

Sympathy shone in the woman’s eyes. “He has to be examined and have tests run. It’ll be a while until you can go back.” She gestured behind Sadie. “The waiting area is over there.”

“Okay.” Sadie’s shoulders drooped as she turned around.

Just then one of the doors to the examination area opened. For a split second, she considered running for it. Because once those doors closed, they locked.

She thought about them trying to work on Reed and her getting in the way. She didn’t want to do anything to delay his treatment. She continued walking to the waiting area.

There were about a dozen other people waiting. She wondered if they were waiting to be seen for an ailment or perhaps they were waiting to see a loved one. Either way, she felt as though she were the only one who was silently freaking out.

She paced back and forth. She was filled with pent-up energy. And then she noticed people glancing her way. Oh no. She was bothering them.

She found a seat and sat down. She stared up at the television on the wall that had been muted. It wasn’t helping to distract her. Still, she sat there, unmoving. Her eyes stared blindly at the screen as her mind replayed the horrific events of the evening.

Her phone was constantly ringing. The fire was the biggest news to happen in Bayberry in years. The whole town was abuzz.

When she noticed her mother was calling, she immediately answered. “Hey Mom, how’s Dad doing?”

“He’s pretty worked up. I had the paramedics look at him at the fire. His blood pressure is understandably elevated. They wanted to take him to the hospital but he refused. I just got him home.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“No. But at least he’s sitting down and staring at the television. He’s totally devastated.”

“And you’ll keep a close eye on him?”

She could imagine her mother nodding. “I will. How’s Reed? I heard he was in the fire.”

“He rescued my cat. I haven’t been able to see him yet.”

“Tell him we hope he gets better.”

“I will and Mom, how’s the newspaper?”

“Honey…” There was a distinct catch in her mother’s voice. “It’s all gone.”

The words echoed in Sadie’s mind as tears ran down her cheeks. If this was a nightmare, she desperately wanted to wake up.

“I’ll make up your old room for you,” her mother said.

“Thanks, Mom. I don’t know when I’ll be there.”

After she ended the call, Sadie didn’t know how long she sat there when she heard her name being called. She jerked out of her stupor. She swung her head around to see that instead of a hospital attendant or nurse, Wesley was standing there.

He sat down next to her. “I thought you would be in the back with Reed.”

“I did, too, but they won’t let me back there yet. They said they would send someone out when he was ready for a visitor.” She looked at him. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure you weren’t sitting here alone.”

Really? “That’s very sweet of you.” But something told her there was more to his return. “Did you talk to Kate?”

He sighed. “Fine. It was Kate who told me to come back. She’s worried about you…and Reed.” There was an awkward pause, and then he said, “I guess you won’t be needing a ride to the airport tomorrow.”

She shook her head. “My editor is reassigning the article.”

This year Sadie had given her editor reason to doubt her dedication to chasing the next story. The thought hurt. She didn’t like to fail at anything, and she didn’t like to give away her work. She was competitive that way. But it had to wait. Reed was more important.

She lowered her gaze to the gray tiled floor. She was so worried. Reed was back there, and she didn’t know how he was doing. He wouldn’t be in the hospital if he hadn’t been trying to help her.

Realizing that Wesley was settling in for the wait, she said, “Wes, you don’t have to stay. Go home to your wife. I’ll be fine.”

He shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

Sadie rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. Kate ordered you to stay.”

He nodded. “She’d be here, but she promised you that she’d take care of Binx.”

“Binx.” She looked directly at Wes. “How is he?”

He averted his gaze. “I don’t know.”

She studied him. “Wes, what aren’t you telling me?”

He sighed. “Kate made me promise I wouldn’t tell you. She said you have enough on your mind.”

“Wes, just tell me.”

“Apparently he’s hiding under the bed, and she can’t get near him.”

“And…”

“And that’s all.”

She expelled a relieved sigh. “Under the bed is his safe space.”

Wes’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Sadie nodded. “When he’s scared or mad at me, he goes under the bed. He’ll come out when he’s ready.”

“Oh, good. Do you mind if I message Kate and let her know?”

“No. Not at all. In fact, you should go home and tell her.”

“Who is here for Reed Stanton?”

Sadie immediately stood and turned to the six-foot-plus man in aqua scrubs. “I am.”

“You can come with me.” The man turned and headed for the locked double doors.

She turned to Wes. “Please, go home. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”

“But I have your car.”

“I’ll find a way back to town. I have to go.” And then she fast-walked to catch up to the attendant.

“Hey, Sadie.” When she turned around, Wes tossed the car keys to her. “I’ll get a ride.”

Luckily, she was a good catch. “Thanks.”

She kept going straight through the open double-doors. They swished shut behind her. And now it was time to see with her own eyes that Reed was going to be fine.