Souls' Rescue Part 23

"You've got to find her," Talia said.

"We will," Jimmy turned to Scott. "I'll check in with Command. C'mon, guys," he said to the other two firefighters. "Let's give Scott some air. Ma'am, you're welcome to stay here if you'd like."

"Thanks," she said. "I appreciate that."

She and Scott were silent after Jimmy walked away. Talia jumped when her phone rang. "h.e.l.lo?"

"Talia, where are you?"

"Mother? I thought you were flying home."

"I was. Megan came to get me. She says you've rushed off to the hospital after that woman. Is that true? Are you at the hospital?"

"Yes. And I don't have time to talk to you. Please don't call me until I find out what's happened. I want to keep the line clear." She hung up.

KELLY WAS EXHAUSTED. She'd given up trying to move the debris that held her down. For the last few minutes, she'd been systematically searching for her radio, which had been in her right breast pocket but was now only G.o.d knew where. She tried to move her body to extend her arm, but that wasn't happening. Breathing was getting harder and the indicator light in her mask reminded her that she'd soon run out of air.

The Pa.s.s alarm was still going off, and it was close to deafening her. She didn't want to touch it in case they got close enough to hear it.

And they would. At least Scott and Jimmy would. She could almost imagine them being like those movie heroes who break the rules and risk everything to find their friend. If this was a movie, she'd be the love interest for both of them and that made her laugh. Maybe she'd already run out of air and was sucking in carbon dioxide now. Her thoughts were all jumbled and nothing made any sense.

She closed her fingers around a curly cord. The radio? She tugged on it and felt something heavy at the other end. Kelly kept pulling on it until the unit rested against her side. She fumbled to find the top of the radio and pressed the emergency b.u.t.ton in the center.

It wouldn't make any noise and with the Pa.s.s going off she couldn't tell if the radio was on or not, but this was all she could do.

The lights in her face mask faded in and out, and Kelly wondered just how much time she had left.

TALIA WAITED IN the emergency room, staring at the floor, and unable to look up at Scott. She felt guilty. For what? For not believing that Kelly loved her? For not following her heart?

Scott's firefighter friends had left the emergency room. Jimmy had returned to the warehouse fire. Jacob waited with them for a while, then left to find something for Scott and Talia to eat. Now she sat alone, fear coursing through her veins.

"Hey, she's pretty d.a.m.n tough, ya know?" Scott said.

Talia finally met his gaze. He looked like he was trying to convince himself as much as her. "I know. Tough little New Yorker."

"Heh. You don't know the half of it," he said. "Did she ever tell you about the pile? About what she did down there?"

"She said she worked on it for a few weeks. Told me a story about a counselor she met. That was about it. It was painful for her to talk about."

"It is. But what you should know is that she was there when it happened. Her company was one of the first rescue units on the scene. And she was one of the last to leave."

It didn't surprise Talia. "I have a feeling there's a lot about her I don't know."

"She was trapped temporarily in one of the buildings damaged when the towers fell. She and a couple other guys. So trust me, she found her way out then. She'll find it now."

"Thanks, Scott. I hope you're right."

"I'm always right. You'll see."

WHAT WAS THE name of that movie, Kelly wondered? The one about the firefighter who got trapped in a building and died. Now that was a nice thought. She knew it could be true, too. Would Talia be at her funeral? Would someone even tell her Kelly died?

Kelly's father died in the line of duty. Guess she was following in his footsteps in more ways than one. She'd survived the collapse of the buildings at Ground Zero in New York. She'd had other close calls at fires, and she'd survived more than any sane person ever should go through. Was a roof collapse going to be her downfall?

Might have been easier to take if she'd had more time with Talia. Kelly wanted one more chance to hold her close, feel her kiss, enjoy the softness of her skin. Why hadn't she been able to convince Talia that she was completely in love with her? Kelly was more than certain she'd found her soulmate, as corny as that sounded. And now she'd never get to tell her how she felt, share a morning cup of coffee in their home, cuddle through a long cold evening, or make love. She didn't want to be greedy, but if she could hear Talia's voice one more time...

d.a.m.n. This was all too crazy. And each time she tried to focus her thoughts, they just ran off on courses she couldn't control.

Breathing was so painful Kelly wanted to stop. The lights were out in her mask, and now she was breathing whatever bad air surrounded her. Everything seemed fuzzy. Her body jolted a few times, and it took a while to understand that she was coughing. Not enough oxygen was reaching her lungs. The pain was so intense now that she felt like one more fit would be her last.

Then a light shone in her eyes, blinding her. Was this it? Was she on her way to see her dad again? But the light moved up, down, sideways, until it steadied on her face. Behind it, she saw movement. She couldn't hear anything, but felt the weight lifted off her chest.

Then the light went out.

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

THE EMERGENCY ROOM had quieted down, and they'd moved Scott into an alcove for continued monitoring. Jacob returned with sandwiches and coffee for Talia, Scott, and himself, but no one was hungry enough to eat more than a few bites. Talia hadn't eaten for hours but knew she needed to choke something down. The sandwich and coffee left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she set them aside unfinished.

"This is torture," Scott said.

Jacob glanced at his watch and released a deep breath. "It's been an hour. Why don't they tell us anything?"

Talia had ceased crying, and now all she could think about were the missed opportunities, the overlooked chances to be close to Kelly, to let her know how she felt. What had gotten in the way? Pride? Fear? Talia shook her head. More like stupidity. Why couldn't I have enjoyed what I had while I had it? Instead, I sent her away, and now she's probably lying in some debris pile without some nice paramedic to crawl in and hold her hand, keep her from crying, and be there through it all. I've failed, Talia thought. And now she's probably dead.

She pressed a fist to her lips, choking back her emotions.

Scott said, "Hey, come on, Talia. Don't give up. They probably already got her out. It takes a while to get news especially if it's good news. If it was bad news we'd have heard by-"

"We got her!" a voice called out. Jimmy came running toward them, one hand holding a radio, the other a cell phone pressed to his ear. "They just pulled her out. She's on her way."

With difficulty, Talia stood and balanced on her crutches. "Is she okay?"

"She's hurt, but she's alive."

KELLY WOKE TO the sound of something beeping and not the shrill Pa.s.s noise she remembered hearing. These tones were steady and distant. Breathing still hurt and her left arm was too heavy and painful to lift. Was she in the hospital? She could hear people talking in m.u.f.fled voices. Her eyes couldn't focus on anything.

Am I out? Am I safe?

She wanted to move her head to look around, but that caused a pounding sensation that made her want to puke. She didn't think nausea would be so strong if she were dead, so she added concussion to her list of injuries.

Kelly closed her eyes and tried to remember what happened. She'd fallen and something had pinned her down. The pain with breathing was the worst part. And the sound of the Pa.s.s alarm going off. She hoped she'd never hear that awful sound again.

"Hey?" Kelly heard her mother's voice. "I'm here, sweetie. You're going to be okay."

"Ma," Kelly said, despite the dryness of her throat. "What?" She opened her eyes and saw blurry shapes and sharp angles.

"Not now." Her mother drew close enough that Kelly could see her concerned face.

"Water? Please?"

"Sure." Marina got a cup of water and a straw, holding the straw close enough for Kelly to take a few sips. "Not too much. Nurse's orders."

"Thanks. Ribs broken?"

"Shhh." Marina smoothed back the hair on Kelly's forehead. "Yes, broken ribs, broken arm and a concussion. Which all add up to you needing a lot of rest, young lady."

Kelly wanted to ask more questions, but felt her strength waning.

"Hey, Kel," Scott said. He leaned over the bed so she could see him. "Good to see you awake. Had me worried for a minute."

"I bet. You okay?" Kelly said.

Scott gently touched her hand. "I got out just fine."

"Good. Burke? He got out?"

"Yeah," Scott said and kissed her on the forehead. "We'll talk about that later. The nurse said they'll be taking you to a room shortly."

"Wonderful," Marina said. "Then we can get out of this noisy emergency room."

"Exactly." Scott moved to Marina's side. "But you and I are gonna get a bite to eat while they settle Kelly in. I've got the room number and you don't get a choice."

Marina crossed her arms and gave Scott a stern, motherly look. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Ma, go eat. I'm fine."

"You're not helping," Marina said. "What if something happens?"

"They have my cell number." Scott turned Marina toward the door. "We'll see you in about a half hour, Kel."

Kelly gave them a weak smile, and heard her mother's protests fade as they went off toward the cafeteria. She closed her eyes and let her tired, sore body shut down.

It could have been minutes or hours later when she woke up. Either way, Kelly didn't feel rested. Someone was talking, but it took her a while to figure out the words and the voice. Was that Talia? It couldn't be. How would she know Kelly was in the hospital?

Kelly opened her eyes and blinked to focus on the tear-streaked face of the woman who meant so much to her. "Don't cry. I'm fine."

"You don't look fine." Talia sniffled and wiped at her eyes with a tissue.

"How bad do I look?"

"It's hard to tell with all the bandages." Talia touched Kelly's forehead with her fingertips. "You have bruises and cuts..." She choked on a sob.

"It doesn't feel as bad as all that." Kelly wasn't sure if she could lift her good arm, so she resisted the urge to take hold of Talia's shaking hand. "How did you know I was here?"

"I saw the fire on the news. When they said a firefighter got hurt I called Jacob and made him bring me here. I've been waiting with Scott forever." She balanced on the crutches, not caring at all that her bad leg was pounding with pain and that it was hard to stand.

"You look like an old pro on those crutches. How are you feeling?"

The tears coursed down Talia's face. "Kelly," she choked out, "I feel so bad about what I said to you. I was so scared it'd be the last thing we ever said to each other."

"I love you, Talia." Kelly opened her hand, rea.s.sured when she felt Talia's grip. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me, too." She kissed Kelly's palm. "I was so d.a.m.n scared." Talia kissed her on the mouth, then leaned back. "I love you, too."

"Then why the h.e.l.l aren't we together?"

"We will be. I promise you, we are."

"Good." Kelly grinned and winced from a pain that shot through her jaw. Tears welled in her eyes, stinging the cuts on her face as they fell.

"Shh." Talia held Kelly's hand and placed soft kisses on her forehead. "It's okay. I'm here now. You're safe. You just get some rest."

"Be here when I wake up?"

"No place I'd rather be."

TALIA HAD TO leave Kelly's room when visitor hours ended at 8 p.m. and she called Jacob to come get her. He waited for her at the hospital entrance and helped her into his car.

"How's she doing?" he asked.

"She slept most of the time. Her mom and her work partner Scott left about a half hour ago. Jacob, she looks so bad. I just wanted to put my arms around her and hold her all night long."

"Then why are you in my car? Go back up there."

"I got kicked out. They wouldn't allow anyone to stay-said she needed uninterrupted rest. She looks so small and fragile in that big hospital bed. Her face is a mess of cuts and bruises. She's got more marks on her stomach and chest."

"She's strong, Talia. Incredibly strong. She'll get through this with flying colors."

"I hope so. I don't know what I'd do-"

"Don't go there. So, how'd it go? As far as you two are concerned, I mean."

"Better than I expected." Talia turned in her seat to face her friend. "She told me she loves me."

"And?"

"And I told her it was mutual."

"It's about d.a.m.n time," Jacob said with a laugh in his voice. "So, no more drama?"

"Not from us. I should have trusted her. I never should have pushed Kelly away. I'll never do that again."