Jade didn’t realize how badly she needed a caffeine infusion until Ben mentioned coffee. She hoped he wouldn’t be too long and tried to convince herself that her impatience was only because she needed help waking up, not because she was anxious to see him again.
Dez was too perceptive for her own good. The truth was Jade did find Ben attractive, and the more she’d gotten to know him, the more she found herself wanting to spend time with him. Yesterday, she would have told herself that was just the crisis talking. Her world was in shambles, her daughter missing, and Ben could help her find her daughter. But even now that she and Dez were reunited, Jade found herself wondering if she’d see more of Ben in the future. Hoping their paths would cross more often.
It was silly, really. What did she know about him? They went to the same church, and he was a Christian. He’d told her little bit about his past, and in some ways they shared common life experiences. Both had lost their fathers. But in other ways they were the exact opposite of each other and always would be.
It would never work.
She shook her head. She should just be thankful that God had protected her and her daughter and focus on making the time leading up to Christmas as joyful and happy for Dez as possible. She wasn’t planning on going all out on gifts this year, but she was going to find money somewhere. Even if all of Dez’s toys came from the secondhand store, Jade was going to make sure this was a Christmas she wouldn’t forget.
The phone by Dez’s hospital bed rang. Jade didn’t know if she was supposed to pick it up or not and gave a tentative, “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Aisha? How’d you find out where we were?”
“I called Ben, and he gave me the hospital room number. Is now a good time?”
“I have a few minutes.” Jade eyed the doorway, wondering when Ben would return with those coffees.
“I was so happy to hear you found Dez. Is she all right?”
“Oh, yeah. She’s fine. Getting some hot saline in an IV, but her temperature’s coming up, and they’ll probably send us home today.”
“That’s great. Will you need a ride or anything?”
“No, we’ll be riding back with Pastor Reggie’s family and Ben.”
There was an awkward pause. “Oh. So is he with you now?”
“He just stepped out to grab some coffee.”
Another somewhat stifled, “Oh.” Aisha cleared her throat. “Well, we’ve all been praying for you. Last night, Mrs. Spencer organized a prayer vigil at the church. It was really special. I’m just so sorry you guys went through what you did. Ben said it ended up being your old pastor’s wife?”
Jade wasn’t sure how much Ben and Aisha had been in touch and resented the small, unwelcome rush of jealousy. Who cared how often two adults decided to talk with one another? He was probably just filling Aisha in so she could pass along any prayer requests to the church. You couldn’t blame him for that.
“Tell everyone back in Glennallen thanks for the prayers,” she said.
“I will. And hey, I wanted to ask you something about Ben if it’s not too awkward.”
A nurse stepped into the room and started fidgeting with Dez’s IV bag. “Listen, someone just came in. I’ve got to go. We’ll talk soon though, okay?” Jade didn’t know what Aisha had to say to her about the trooper and wasn’t sure she wanted to. She hung up the phone and watched the nurse inject a syringe into Dez’s IV port.
“What’s that you’re putting in there?
He cleared his throat. “Just some antibiotics to help with the infection.”
Jade frowned. “Nobody said anything to me about any infection.”
He kept his face turned slightly, but there was something familiar about his profile.
“That’s all here. Got to check on another patient.” He gave a weak wave and turned to go.
Jade wanted to stop him. Where had she seen him before? He didn’t look like one of the paramedics who transported Dez here.
“Hey.”
She watched as he turned around, keeping his gaze focused on the floor.
“Where’s our regular nurse?”
He glanced over his shoulder. “She’ll be here soon.”
Something wasn’t right. “I want to talk to the doctor.”
He looked relieved. “Sure. I’ll go get him.”
“Mama?”
Jade turned toward her daughter. “Not now, baby.”
“I feel funny.”
Jade jumped to her feet and rushed toward the nurse. “Hey, get over here. What did you put in there?”
The stranger started sprinting down the hall. Jade hollered for help. She hated to let him get away, but she wasn’t about to leave her little girl. She grabbed the IV, trying to figure out what button would turn it off or how she could stop the flow.
“Help!” she screamed again.
Dez’s former nurse ran in. Jade was breathless as she tried to explain, “He put something in the tube then ran away.”
The nurse bent down over Dez’s hand and disconnected the port. Jade heard a commotion outside but was too busy praying for her daughter, watching as Dez’s eyelids fluttered and her head rolled lifelessly to the side.