In the ambulance, Lia clung to Cal’s hand, washing it with her tears while the paramedic cared for him. She had no sense of time passing. When the sirens and the motion stopped, they pulled him out and whisked him away. She collapsed against someone, the sobs growing stronger.
They put her in an examination room, though she protested. “Just a quick check over,” a nurse said. “Your voice is raspy, and you’re covered in soot and blood.”
Soot!
No, Soot was still at Isabel’s. He was okay.
And Chloe was fine. She was with Mom and Dad…in Chicago.
And Cal. Cal was fine. He was breathing. He was fine. He was fine. Wasn’t he? It was Cal’s blood on her hands, on her sweatshirt, on her jeans…
Isabel and Anne appeared at her side, and in time they absorbed her trauma with their hugs, tears, and prayers. The blurring sensation eased. She spoke coherently to the doctor. No, she did not care for any relaxant. Her friends helped her into the clothes they had brought and helped her clean up.
They moved out to a waiting area, a brightly lit open space where people milled about. The horror was closing in again, pulling blinds on her peripheral vision, numbing all sensation to the here and now.
Anne nudged her onto a stiff chair, tucked a thin flannel blanket around her, then gently took hold of her chin. “Lia, you need a pill.”
She shook her head and curled her legs up underneath herself. She had to stay alert for Cal.
Someone sat beside her. “Lia.” It was Brady, his voice husky. He hugged her fiercely. “Thank you for saving his life.”
When he let her go, Gina appeared and silently embraced her.
Pastor Peter came next. He knelt in front of her and grasped her hands, his warm face an instant comfort. “How’s our heroine?”
Lia had no idea one person could shed so many tears in such a short amount of time.
Ted Rickman, manager of the grocery store, stood behind Peter. “Lia, I’m so sorry, but everything is going to be fine. I just talked with one of the firemen. It’s not as bad as it could have been. There’s smoke damage throughout, but the fire was contained in the basement and back room. Your inventory might not be in too bad of shape. The video store is intact. Your car is fine.”
She could not comprehend if that was good news or bad news. She only wanted to know one thing, but no one would tell her. Maybe Peter would. She sought his face again. “How’s Cal?”
“We don’t know yet. He’s still in surgery.”
“But he was breathing!”
“Excuse me.” It was Benny Richards.
Brady groaned. “Aww, Benny, can’t this wait?”
“Sorry. I need to ask a couple questions.”
Isabel moved from Lia’s other side and Benny sat down.
“Ms. Neuman, what happened?”
“There was a fire—”
“Start at the beginning. What was Cal doing at your place?”
Yes, Cal had been at her apartment. But what was he doing there? He was just…just with her. She was falling in love with him. And he cared for her. He truly did. He kissed her. He offered to take her to pick up Chloe tomorrow, but first he had to— “He wanted to finish the search.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“He wanted to be there, in case they tried something again. He thought they might try something again. He went down to the basement; I fell asleep on the couch. I woke up and smelled smoke. I found him…” Fresh tears again.
“Where did you find him?”
“Lying in the back room. In the doorway, his legs kind of hanging down the basement stairs. He was bleeding. I…” She what? She remembered only screaming.
“You got him to the alley?”
“The firemen didn’t come. There was smoke. There was no time…”
“He weighs over 200 pounds!”
Peter touched her arm. “Benny, Jesus and adrenaline work wonders.”
In the dark alley she had cradled his head in her lap while pressing her hand against his side. “Why was he bleeding?”
Benny said, “You don’t know?”
She shook her head.
Brady squeezed her arm. “Benny—”
“He was stabbed, Ms. Neuman.”
Someone’s arms came around her, muffling new sobs.
The nightmare dragged on for Lia. Anne massaged her shoulders. Isabel brought tea. The group grew larger. Celeste and Britte arrived with sandwiches for everyone. Conversations floated around her, as if part of a dream.
And Tammy came with Dot. They sat on the other side of a magazine-strewn table, across from Lia.
Tammy’s eyes were red rimmed and mascara streaked, though her blouse and blue jeans were neatly pressed, her lipstick in place, her blonde hair cascading in fresh curls. “Lee, what was Cal doing there?”
Isabel leaned forward, intervening. “Working.”
“In the middle of the night?”
“It’s his job and it’s dangerous.”
“I know that!”
Dot patted her hand. “It’ll be all right, dear. Lia, you probably can’t open the store right away, but I don’t see how I’m going to make it without working. My husband’s laid off.”
Isabel said, “There’s cleanup duty. Maybe moving inventory.”
Dot sniggered. “I’m a pharmacist’s technician. I don’t do cleanup. There’s a special service that does that. They come in after a fire and take care of everything. Your insurance will probably pay for some of that.”
Lia tuned them out.
Cal hadn’t had time to tell Tammy, of course. Did he even have something to tell her? He indicated so, hadn’t he? He wanted a relationship with Lia, didn’t he? That’s what he had said. Not in so many words, but that’s what he meant. Didn’t he?
Isabel was speaking. “Lia saved Cal’s life.”
Dot turned to talk to someone else. Tammy dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “Cal means the world to me.”
Isabel squeezed Lia’s hand.
Lia set down the styrofoam cup. Tea was spilling over the edges.
A nurse in aqua-colored scrubs appeared in the middle of the hovering group. “Who belongs to Mr. Huntington’s family?”
Isabel replied, “He doesn’t have any relatives locally. We’re all his friends, from Valley Oaks, just like family. How is he?”
“He’s out of surgery.”
Isabel hugged Lia. “Thank You, Jesus.”
“The doctor wants to talk to the family or, I guess in this case, those closest to Mr. Huntington. This is too many people.”
Isabel stood, pulling Lia up with her. “The three of us are close friends. She pulled him from the fire, and I live next door to him.”
Tammy stood. “I’m engaged to him. Practically.”
“I’m his pastor.”
Brady spoke over Peter’s shoulder, “I’ve been his best friend since sixth grade.”
The nurse shook her head. “All right. You.” She pointed. “One, two, three, four, five. No more. We’ll go to a conference room.”
She led them down a hall and into a small room with four padded chairs. Brady and Peter remained standing as the nurse shut the door.
The doctor entered a few moments later. He introduced himself to everyone, shook hands all around. “Young lady, that was quite a feat you managed. He wouldn’t be with us right now if you hadn’t found him when you did. The knife wound itself wasn’t seriously deep, probably due to the muscle it encountered on its way in. However, the smoke inhalation and blood loss did a lot of damage. And he’s experiencing some swelling in the brain. There’s a goose egg of a bump on the back of his head.”
Nausea swept over Lia.
The doctor continued. “He’s in critical condition in intensive care.”
“Can we see him?” Brady asked.
“No, not just yet. He’s not conscious. I can’t give you a timetable, but he’s in excellent, excellent shape. The next 24 hours are crucial, but I’m certain as I can be that he has a good chance of pulling through.”
A collective murmur of relief and thanksgiving went round the room.
“He needs to rest now.” He glanced at the wall clock. “Perhaps later this morning his fiancée can see him.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Tammy gushed. “I can’t tell you how happy this makes me! He doesn’t know it yet, but I’m carrying his child.”