Love & Redemption (21 page)

He shook his head. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“Is anyone else in there?” Shelley asked.

He walked over to them. “I didn’t pay any attention.”

“Time’s wasting, Gavin, and now we have another problem.” Shelley turned to the stranger, “We need to get this woman outside. Can you help my friend carry her?”

Gavin grabbed her hand. “Wait. You’re coming with us, right?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “What are you doing?”

The man took over Shelley’s position at Iris’ side.

Shelley backed away. “I’ll be fast.” She walked toward the bathrooms. “Get Iris outside.”

“What are you doing?” he repeated, panic making his voice go higher. The problem was, he knew what she was doing. That was what made him panic.

“If the announcement didn’t work in there, I have to make sure no one else is in the bathrooms,” she said, confirming Gavin’s fear. “Hurry. Get Iris outside. I’ll be right there.”

Although Gavin wanted to argue and tell her he would check while she went to safety, Shelley had already disappeared into the men’s bathroom. She wouldn’t thank him for dallying and not getting Iris out of harm’s way. It would only take her a few seconds to check. He had to focus on Iris now.

He looked at the stranger, sizing the man up. He was only a little taller than Gavin.

“I think we should make a chair by locking our hands together,” he said. “Then Iris can hold onto our shoulders and we can get out of here.”

“What are we racing out for?” he asked.

“Bomb,” Gavin mouthed, hoping the stranger would keep his composure. With Iris’ confusion, it would be best not to startle her or make things worse than they were. He didn’t want her knowing what the scare was about.

Though his eyes widened and he sucked in a loud breath, the man nodded. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

Within seconds, they had Iris on their hands and raced for the doorway.

“Whee!” the old woman yelled. “Like when I took you to the amusement park, Tommy. Remember?”

“Sure thing, Grandma,” Gavin panted, hitting the door with his hip and bursting through it.

“Over here, Gavin!”

He looked up, seeing Jenessa waving him down from the opposite side of the street. A bomb squad vehicle pulled in front of the building and people in bulky green suits poured from the back of it.

“A woman’s still in there,” he said to one of the men as they ran past, hoping Shelley would follow any second.

When they reached Jenessa, Gavin and the other man set Iris on her feet. She sighed happily and hugged Gavin’s neck. “That was the most fun I’ve had in years, Tommy.”

Gavin patted her back. “I’m glad.” Holding Iris upright, he turned to face the doorway, unable to see it because of the bomb squad.

Jenessa came to stand beside him. “Where’s Shelley? We really should move farther away.”

He shook his head. “She went back to check the bathrooms. How much time passed since the call?”

She glanced at her watch and grimaced. “Ten minutes. Out of time.”

A tingle of relief went through him. Ten minutes had passed. Shelley was wrong. There wasn’t a bomb after all.

He smiled at Jenessa. “Then Paul
was
lying to cause chaos. Thank God. I worried when Shell—”

The sudden blast and deafening roar seemed to come from everywhere. A gust of wind knocked Gavin off his feet. His head bounced on the pavement, and Iris landed on top of him. Next to him, Jenessa tumbled against the ground.

For several seconds everything seemed frozen. The side of his face hurt, but there was no sound. Gavin wasn’t sure if it was actually quiet, or if the blast had been so bad it blew out his eardrums.

Then the screaming started.

“Tommy?” Iris’ voice was small and scared. “What’s happening?”

Gavin patted her back. “It’s okay, Grandma. Are you hurt?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Good.”

He closed his eyes, fighting down panic. Everything would be okay. She had to have gotten out of the building. He just couldn’t see her because the bomb squad people were in his way.

He turned to Jenessa. “We have to find Shelley.”

That blast was much worse than the car bomb from the garage. It affected them all the way out here. If she was inside still, could Shelley survive that?

Chapter Twenty-Two

“Sir, you have to stay back!” The bulky green uniform of the bomb squad member didn’t stop the man from forcibly pushing Gavin away from the building. “It’s not safe.”

“Then you go find my girlfriend.” Gavin was desperate at this point. He’d searched the entire area outside. Shelley was nowhere to be found. “She went to check for people in the bathrooms because the announcement didn’t go off in there. She never came out. You have to help her.”

“We have people searching the building. We already informed them, and they’re working on it. Now go across the street and let the medics check that cut on your face.”

Gavin waved that aside, though he did back up a few steps and stared at the building.  The only saving grace was the bomb appeared to be on the opposite side from where the bathrooms were located. Maybe the concrete walls between Shelley and the bomb protected her—if she was still inside the bathroom, not running for the door, when it detonated.

A fire started at first, but emergency crews quickly controlled it. All of the windows busted out, though, and parts of walls collapsed. Gavin worried how the inside looked, and what might be covering Shelley’s body.

No! Not her body. She’s fine!

He wished he entirely believed that, but he told them where she headed before the explosion. So far, no one had brought her out or said anything about finding her.

“Gavin?”

He turned to see Jenessa standing behind him.

“That older woman’s getting unruly and fighting the EMS workers. She keeps calling for Tommy. Can you help?”

Gavin looked across the street. Iris’ steel gray curls peeked over the top of a car and a few people surrounded her. She must be terrified. Shelley was adamant about helping the woman in the first place. She wouldn’t thank him for standing here uselessly wringing his hands when someone needed him.

Wiping away blood dripping from his cut, Gavin jogged across the street. “Grandma, it’s okay. They’re here to help you. Don’t be afraid.”

***

Tony ran through the field of wild flowers, his laughter further brightening the warm day. “Catch me if you can, Felicia.”

Shelley put on a burst of speed, but he was faster. He was always faster. Panic set in as he started pulling away. “Don’t leave me behind.”

He stopped and turned around. “Always my tag-along. I do love you, you know. I’d never leave you on purpose.”

“I love you, too.” Stopping beside him, she shook her head, allowing her tears to fall. It was okay to cry in dreams. “And I miss you. So much.”

“I miss you, too.” Tony wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight. “But life’s going to get better soon.” He wiped her tears away. “Right after you get through the pain.” He pulled back and grimaced. “Sorry about that part.”

“What?”

Shelley woke all at once, screaming. Her leg was in agony and she couldn’t move. Where was she? Darkness cloaked the room. Dust hanging in the air wracked her body with coughs, provoking even more pain. Her head felt like a sledgehammer hit it.

That’s when she remembered. The bomb exploded.

The door to the women’s bathroom had stuck when she tried to leave, trapping her inside. Though she’d considered calling someone to help, she knew they wouldn’t reach her before the ten-minute countdown ended. Even if the bomb squad made it, they wouldn’t have time to stop the explosion.

She’d pulled herself into a small ball in the corner and hoped the bomb wasn’t in the room with her. That was the last thing she remembered.

However, judging by the wall trapping her right leg and the pounding pain in her head, the bomb exploded, and she lived through it. Paul told the truth, just as she suspected. If only Ken hadn’t wasted so much time arguing. At least he should trust her now. Could she trust him?

Trying to free herself from the rubble on top of her leg was a futile effort and only shot more pain through her body. She wondered how much time had passed and if anyone was inside yet.

“Hello? Is anyone out there?”

“I hear something,” came a muffled male voice.

“Help me!” she screamed as loudly as she could. “I’m trapped.”

***

Gavin shook his head, helplessly. “I don’t know, sir. I’m not sure where she lives.”

Iris clutched his hand as though it was a lifeline, just as she had for the past ten minutes. She didn’t trust anyone else, but wouldn’t tell Gavin where she came from—angry that he didn’t already know.

“He never comes to visit,” she told the police officer with a grimace. “I don’t want to go back to that place. The food is awful.”

It sounded like she lived in a group home. Hopefully the officer could track down where. Then again, they obviously didn’t keep a very close eye on her there.

Luckily, Iris was the biggest bit of excitement as far as the emergency crews on this side of the street were concerned. Everyone only had minor injuries from the concussion off the blast. Gavin’s cut on his face and a gash across Jenessa’s forehead appeared to be the most significant wounds. The EMS workers finally stopped trying to get either one of them to head to the hospital for stitches, realizing it was useless until someone found Shelley.

There was a commotion by the doorway to the precinct, and the medics scrambled for the entryway. Although rumbles of conversation went on around him, Gavin tuned everything out and dropped Iris’ hand. He took a step toward the building, straining against arms that grabbed him from behind.

“You can’t go over there unless the bomb squad okays it. Sit tight,” Jenessa murmured in his ear. “They know we’re waiting. They’ll tell us soon.”

Gavin clenched his fists and squinted against the morning sunlight. Weird that hardly any time had passed since they first walked into the station. It felt like forever.

The people in green suits came from the building, carrying someone strapped to a backboard. Shelley’s long brown hair tumbling over the side was nearly gray from the concrete dust coating it, but Gavin would know her anywhere. She wasn’t moving. They put her on the waiting stretcher, and the EMS crew sprung into action, rushing her across the space to the waiting ambulance.

Gavin shrugged Jenessa’s hands off him. “They aren’t taking her without me. I’m her only family here.” He turned to Iris. “Grandma, do you remember my wife?”

Iris smiled and nodded. “Nice girl. Did she find my teeth?”

At least she remembered that much. “Not yet, but she’s hurt. I need to be with her now. My friend, Jenessa, is going to take care of you. I’ll check on you as soon as I know Shelley’s okay.”

“That’s good, Tommy.” Iris lifted her face, puckering her lips.

Gavin bent down, allowing her to kiss his cheek and gave her a quick hug. His heart urged him to hurry to Shelley, though his brain knew reassuring Iris first was the right thing to do. Nodding to Jenessa and giving Iris one last squeeze, Gavin then took off at a sprint for the ambulance.

He reached it just as they were closing the doors. “Wait!” he yelled. “I’m coming with.”

The woman glanced inside the ambulance before looking down to him. “Only family is allowed, sir. Get back.”

“She’s my wife,” Gavin lied without hesitation. “Is she awake? She’ll tell you.”

The woman hesitated and then opened the door wider. “Are you Gavin?”

He nodded.

“She asked for you before passing out again. Hurry inside. We need to leave.”

Gavin hopped up, looking around the cramped space. The first thing to catch his attention was the gurney and Shelley off to the left. A man sat above her head, operating a blood pressure cuff.

“I’m Tabitha,” the woman said, catching his eye. “Try to stay calm. We’ll take good care of her. You can sit there.” She pointed to a bench along the side and then brushed past him to sit close to Shelley’s head, grabbing her wrist. “Pulse is thready. They said she was conscious when they found her. Maybe it’s pain related or she has a concussion.”

The man took off the cuff. “Pressure’s slightly elevated. She’s stable for the ride.”

Gavin sank onto the bench as the ambulance leapt into motion, siren blaring. Grime covered Shelley’s face and her breathing seemed erratic. At least she had been conscious after the blast. That had to count for something.

The man pulled things out of a cupboard above Shelley’s head while Tabitha checked her right leg, which had scratches along it showing through her ripped slacks.

Tabitha flashed him a sympathetic smile. “Try not to worry. It’s a good sign she was talking when they found her. Her pulse and blood pressure are stable, just slightly off, and the only notable injury is her leg. Does she have any allergies or is she on medications? What can you tell me about her history?”

Gavin shook his head. “No medicines. I’m not sure about allergies. She’s claustrophobic.” Did that count as a medical condition? He wasn’t sure. “I don’t know anything else.”

Both workers returned their attention to Shelley, cleaning her arm and starting an IV. Tabitha kept a running commentary, telling Gavin what was happening every step.

Staring at Shelley, he thought she looked good besides the dust. However, he heard some officers talking about how shock from a bomb rattled people’s brains. It could cause a concussion even if the person didn’t hit their head. He wondered if that was why Shelley passed out. She was really dizzy after the car bomb. In fact, that might have a bearing on her recovery now.

“Ummm, excuse me,” he said.

Both medics looked at him.

“We don’t make a habit of getting bombed, but we actually were fairly close to a car bombing a little over a week ago. Shelley passed out for a few minutes and was dizzy afterward the rest of the day.” He paused as both medics looked at him with slack jaws and Tabitha shook her head. “I, uh, thought that might make a difference here,” he finished, feeling foolish.