Page 3 of Abandoned

He said, “Heading to the hospital?”

“Affirmative.”

“I’ll meet you there. I’ll have to get Grant after all.”

“You’re assuming she was still on the bus.”

“Wasn’t she? Isn’t that why you offered to take the husband there?”

Will grunted. “I would have offered anyway.”

“Sure.” Logan slapped Will’s back. “See you soon.”

Logan’s observation plagued Will all the way to the hospital. Logan wasn’t wrong. Something about Zara drew Will in. The attraction went well beyond the fact that she was a beautiful woman—they got along really well too. In fact, the three of them had taken to spending much of their spare time together. Zara fit with the two lifelong friends like the missing wheel to a tricycle.

He hoped and prayed she was okay. If she was, he was going to yell at her for going into the burning building.

Chapter Two

Zara wished the hospital staff would stop prodding her, and the oxygen mask was downright annoying. She needed to go check on baby Phoebe.

A coughing fit seized her lungs. She pulled the oxygen away only to have the nurse put it back in place.

The nurse held his hand over Zara’s. “That cough proves you need this. Keep it in place, even as you cough.”

When the fit eased, the nurse gave her another admonishment to leave the mask on and turned to leave.

“Do you have to leave?” A speck of panic tinged her heart.

The nurse turned back to her, a puzzled look on his face. “You’ll be all right. I’ll come back and check on you soon. Keep the mask on.” He left.

She was alone. The tiny room seemed like it might close in on her. Being new to Hazel Hill, she didn’t have anyone to call to come sit with her, not that she’d had that in Indianapolis either. She tried to shake off the loneliness and be the tough, independent woman she made the world believe she was. But she longed to not be alone.

A man appeared in the doorway, his dark hair disheveled, his uniform damp—no doubt from the intense heat of the July night and the fire. His blue eyes sparkled, and his grin was higher on one side than the other. Will.

The fluttering in her chest, while perhaps only the result of smoke inhalation, made her struggle to catch her breath.

She waved.

He entered the room with determined steps and was by her side in an instant. His smile faded, and worry lines took its place.

She lifted the mask. “I’m fine.”

He put his hand over hers and nudged the mask back over her face.

At his touch, her skin tingled. What was this man doing to her? Hadn’t she sworn off relationships? But that was before Will. Not only did her heart ignite whenever she saw him, he was a believer. She’d never dated someone who actually loved Jesus. The last guy had said he did, but that was only a ploy to get into Zara’s bed. If only she’d realized that sooner.

Her eyes were still so dry from the smoke, tears wouldn’t flow. She blinked hard to clear her mind. “How’s the baby?”

“Alive, thanks to you. They’re taking her to Charlotte.”

“By air?”

“No, she’s stable enough for an ambulance ride. But she’s so little they can only do so much for her here.”

She pulled the mask away from her face. “I can’t decide if that’s good news or bad news.”

He nudged the oxygen mask to her face again. “Prognosis is good. How’s yours?”