Hope White - Mountain Rescue

“It’s called Healthy Eats. Sustainable living, organic ingredients, stuff like that.”

“Oh, I heard about that opening up. Interesting concept.”

“Yeah, Mom had some health issues a few years ago so she and Dad changed our entire menu to be more health oriented.”

“So no cheeseburgers, then?”

“Sure, but we use grass-fed beef,” he said.

He wheeled her into the imaging room for the CT scan and looked around. “Huh, the tech was supposed to be waiting for us. You okay here for a second? I’ll go find him.”

“Sure.”

He locked the wheels and went in search of the technician. She studied the CT machine, which looked like a large doughnut. That thought made her tummy grumble and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything substantial since breakfast.

“Hey!” a male voice shouted.

A crash echoed in the hallway.

She heard grunting and a squeak, like rubber soles kicking against vinyl flooring.

The hair bristled at the back of her neck.

It couldn’t be what it sounded like. No, low blood sugar was sending her imagination into overdrive. Dylan would be back shortly with the tech and everything would be fine.

Her gaze darted to the wall phone. If she’d learned anything from being married to Rick, it was to listen to her gut.

Billie grabbed her IV bag off the hook and shuffled to the wall, grabbed the phone—

A pop resounded from the hallway, then silence. She frantically pressed buttons, trying to focus, trying to press the right button to call security, the operator, someone who could help her.

Suddenly the lights went out, plunging her into complete darkness.

THREE

Quinn had done a pretty good job of maintaining his distance while keeping an eye on Billie’s hospital room. Luckily he’d been able to convince the nurse to let him stay close by, explaining that he was worried about Billie’s safety.

Which is why he didn’t like having to go outside to take a business call. But there was a crisis at Decker’s Resort and he had to find a solution before guests were inconvenienced. Being a closet computer genius, Quinn talked the manager through a couple of troubleshooting protocols and they got the system up and running again.

Although he’d done his best to keep the call brief, it had taken half an hour to resolve the issue. As he headed into the hospital, he decided to take a chance and peek into Billie’s room for peace of mind. She’d surely be asleep by now so it would be safe to check in on her without being caught. Maybe that would ease the knot in his chest.

He wandered down the hall, stepped into her doorway and froze. The bed was empty. Her sheet and light blanket were crumpled into a ball at the foot of her bed.

Fighting the panic gnawing at his gut, Quinn strode to the nurses’ station.

“I still think it’s a mistake,” a middle-age nurse said to a young blond nurse.

The blond nurse handed a piece of paper to her counterpart. “Maybe scheduling meant 11:45 a.m. not p.m.”

“Excuse me,” Quinn interrupted. “I’m looking for the patient in room 210?”

“An orderly took her to imaging,” the blond nurse offered.

“Give her a minute. She’ll be right back,” the other nurse said.

“It takes more than a minute,” the blond nurse countered.

“I’m telling you, it’s a mistake. Dr. Green wanted her to get a good night’s sleep. He wouldn’t have ordered a scan in the middle of the night.”

“Well, somebody ordered it,” the blonde said.

“Probably for tomorrow.” The older nurse typed something into the computer and frowned. “Huh.”

“What?” Quinn asked.

“I see the scan request for tonight, but I have no idea who ordered it. I’ve never seen this doctor’s name before.”

“Where’s imaging?” Quinn said.

“Basement.”

Quinn took off.

“Down the elevator to the left,” the blonde called after him.

He didn’t have the patience for the elevator. He took the stairs two at a time and swung open the door to the basement level.

Pitch blackness greeted him. Instincts on full alert, he pulled out his smartphone and clicked on its flashlight application. Fighting to calm the adrenaline pouring through his body, he aimed the light down the hallway, slowly making his way to imaging.

The deafening silence spiked panic in his chest as he took slow, determined steps. Then he had a thought: if someone was down here planning to harm Billie, Quinn’s very presence could scare him off. “Billie?” he called out.

Silence. A pit grew in his stomach. Had the attacker already found her? Hurt her?

“Billie, answer me!” he demanded.

“Quinn?” her soft voice drifted down the hall.

“I’m here.” He headed in the direction of her voice and turned the corner. He spotted a man dart out of a room and race down the hall.

Quinn wanted to go after him, but needed to get to Billie. As he approached the doorway he spotted something on the floor: a body. He kneeled beside an unconscious young man in scrubs and placed two fingers to his neck. Luckily his pulse was strong and steady.

The slam of a door echoed down the hall.

“Quinn? Are you there?” Billie’s shaky voice called from inside the room.

“Right outside the door,” he said.

“What happened?”

“You’ll be okay, buddy,” he whispered to the orderly. He stood and aimed the beam of his phone into the room, but couldn’t see Billie. “Where are you?”

She peeked her head around the CT machine. He’d never seen her eyes so big and round before, not even the day they’d rescued Billie and her husband from the mountain.

No, tonight her expression read utter fear.

He crossed the room, kneeled beside her and pulled her against his chest. She let out a gasp, like she’d been holding her breath.

“It’s okay. I’m here.” He stroked her hair, holding her close. Relief finally uncoiled the knot in his chest.

She placed her hand against his chest and leaned back to look into his eyes. “Dylan went to find the tech but didn’t return.”

“Twentyish kid with short black hair?”

“Yeah.”

“He’s okay, but unconscious. Is there a phone in here?”

“On the wall.” She pointed.

He handed her his smartphone. “Aim the light toward the phone and I’ll call security.”

She pointed the beam of light and Quinn found the phone hanging off the cradle. He grabbed it, pressed zero and waited.

Billie was okay. Everything was going to be fine. The knot in his chest might have uncoiled, but tension still hummed through his body.

Billie had been threatened, in danger, and where was Quinn? Absent. He’d abandoned her. More proof of his deep-seated failure.

“Operator,” a woman answered.

“My name is Quinn Donovan. The lights in the basement are out and someone was attacked. Notify security and turn on the emergency lights, please.”

“Who is this?”

“Quinn Donovan. My friend is a patient here, Billie Bronson. Send someone with a stretcher to the basement. One of your orderlies was knocked unconscious.” Quinn hung up and turned to Billie. “We’re going to be fine.”

As Billie nodded with relief, a tear trickled down her cheek. His chest ached at the thought of her being terrorized.

“Come on, let’s get you in the wheelchair.” He helped her stand. She wavered and he automatically picked her up.

“What are you doing?” she said.

“I don’t want you to fall down and hit your head again.”

She pointed the smartphone to illuminate his way and he carried her across the room to the wheelchair. The emergency lights popped on with a click.

Which only made matters worse since now he could really see how terrified she was. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes continually scanned her surroundings. Then her gaze landed on the doorway where the orderly lay unconscious.