Page 17 of Fighting For You

"The promotional board is going to see a pattern. And I won't be able to explain it for you." He opened the door. "Get cleaned up."

I went to the lockers. Stripped down, showered, stood under the water until the smoke was off my skin.

When I came out, Wyatt was leaning against the row of lockers with his arms crossed.

"So are you going to tell me what happened back there, or?"

I opened my locker. Clean station shirt, clean pants. I got dressed, shut the locker.

"You remember the nursing student? Two years ago, when—" I touched the scar on my neck.

Wyatt straightened. "That was her?"

"I never got her name. But I remember her face. That was her."

"So these past two years of you looking at women in scrubs..." He studied me. "You were looking for her?"

I sat down on the bench and pulled on my socks. "Yeah."

"Oh."

I started lacing my boots. "I never got to thank her."

"Well, you can now."

I pulled the laces tight. "Yeah."

Wyatt clapped me on the shoulder and headed for the bay.

The next morning after shift, I drove straight to CCMC. The emergency department sat off the main building like a bunker, concrete and glass, ambulances lined up along the bay. I glanced at the doctors' lot as I drove past to see if a familiar black Mercedes was there. It wasn't. One less thing to deal with. I pulled into the first open spot and headed for the ER.

Josie was at the nurses' station. She looked up when I came through the doors.

"Sullivan."

"I'm looking for Nora Avery."

Her brow creased. "Are you family?"

"No."

"Then why are we having this conversation?"

"I just want to see her."

Josie studied me for a long moment. "Are you the one who pulled her out of that fire?"

"I am."

She exhaled. "She hasn't woken up yet. They're still monitoring her."

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that if you want to see her, you'll have to wait until she's conscious and she agrees to visitors."

I stood there trying to think of something that would change her mind. Nothing came.

"Fine. I'll check back tomorrow."