He’d been hoping for something better. “She’s unconscious?”
The nurse nodded. “All the signs are positive. It could have been a whole lot worse. The smoke could have damaged her lungs, or she could have been burned. The firefighters got her out just in time.”
He supposed he should feel grateful, but the news left him stunned. Cathy was injured. He had to get to her.
He clutched the piece of paper in his hand and rose to his feet. “I’ll go up and see her. Thanks for the information.”
“You’re welcome.” She gave him a tired smile.
On the second floor, he found the correct wing, then spoke to a nurse at the main station. “You know we’re not supposed to let anyone in,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I know, but I need to see her. I was on the phone with her when the fire started. We talked until the line went dead.”
The older woman frowned. “Five minutes, no more. You wouldn’t happen to know about immediate family, would you?” Before he could answer, her frown deepened. “Don’t even try telling me you’re a brother or something.”
So much for pretending to be a cousin. “Cathy has mentioned several friends to me, but no family.”
“I guess they’ll find someone,” she said.
He took a pen from the counter and wrote on a notepad. “This is my name and private phone number. If I don’t answer, leave a message and I’ll get right back to you.”
She stared at the paper. “What’s this for?”
“Until you find family, I’m all that Cathy has. I want to be informed of any changes. Also I’ll be responsible for any medical bills not covered by insurance.”
The older woman looked surprised. “You sure you want to do that? It could get expensive.”
“I don’t care.”
He had a lot of concerns in his life, but money wasn’t one of them.
“If you say so, Mr.—” she glanced at the paper “—Mr. Ward. Go on in, but you can only stay a couple of minutes.”
“Thanks.”
Stone walked down the corridor and paused in front of the second-to-last open door on the right He’d been carrying on a phone relationship with Cathy for over two years, but he didn’t know what she looked like. She’d told him she was tall and blond. He’d wanted to picture someone beautiful, like a fashion model, but a voice in his gut had always whispered that wasn’t true. So while he’d been able to imagine her body, he’d never had a clear image of her face.
He looked over his shoulder, half expecting to see her group of friends barreling his way. If they showed up, he would step aside. They had the right to be here now. He didn’t. If he hadn’t been on the phone with her when the alarm had gone off, he wouldn’t have known there was a problem. The tension in him increased as he thought of how frantic he would have been if he’d made his call and she hadn’t been there. Thank God he’d been with her. Then he sucked in a breath and stepped into the room.
Because of the late hour, the only light came from a dim bulb over the hospital bed. He was careful to stay in the shadows as he moved closer. If she woke up, he didn’t want to frighten her.
He took one step, then another until he was within touching distance. After two years of wondering, he finally knew.
She was lying down, so he couldn’t judge her height. The first thing he noticed was her face. There were smudges of smoke on her cheeks and forehead, contrasting with pale skin. Her hair wasn’t blond at all, but a darker shade. A medium brown. It was long and spilled across the pillow. Her mouth was full, her nose straight. He couldn’t tell about her eyes.
She was not the woman he’d pictured, nor was she anything like she’d described herself. Stone stepped a little closer so that he could read the wristband. The name matched. This was Cathy.
Confused by this latest development in a difficult night, he pulled a chair close to her bed and sat next to her. Her arms lay at her sides. He touched the wristband, then stroked the back of her hand. Her skin was soft. He grasped her fingers and squeezed. She returned the pressure.
Stone felt an instant spark, as if electricity had jumped from her body to his. He frowned, not sure what that meant, then he decided it was just a reaction to all he’d been through. He was exhausted, nothing more. Still, he continued to hold her hand in his and he brushed his thumb against her skin. Soft and smooth, he thought, and just as pale as her face. This was not the skin of a woman who had recently spent the weekend in a sunny resort. According to Cathy’s stories, she’d spent much of the spring traveling to vacation hot spots. She’d talked about wearing a bikini and getting sun. But there wasn’t a hint of a tan.
Stone studied her face again, the nondescript features, the mousy brown hair, then he moved his gaze lower, to her body. The layers of sheet and blanket concealed details, but he had an idea about her general shape. She was rounded. Not unpleasantly so, but he doubted she wore the bikinis and short skirts she talked about.
“Ah, Cathy,” he said quietly. “All the times I thought about meeting you, I never thought it would be like this.”
He continued to stroke her hand, enjoying the feel of her smooth warmth.
“I’m glad you’re doing all right,” he went on. “I understand you’ve been through a shock and that you need to rest, but you’re going to have to regain consciousness soon. We need to know that you’re fine. I guessI’mthe one who really wants to know that. So for me, okay?”
