Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) (6 page)

“Thanks for coming with me today, I know this isn’t your usual type of assignment,” Evie said as she pumped coins into a vending machine in
an alcove of one of Lakeside Hospital’s winding corridors. A lemon soda rolled out of its slot and plunked to the bottom of the machine, and she retrieved the can and handed it to Max Shannon.

“I don’t mind. I’m a portrait photographer, so taking pictures of the Women’s Auxiliary officers for the opening of the children’s wing is not too far off from what I do every day.”

Evie bought herself a soda and pressed the icy aluminum can to her cheek before opening it. The lights in the conference room where the dedication ceremony had been held, coupled with the dry heat of the hospital’s environmental system, had wilted her. She couldn’t wait to get outside into the cool spring air, but she still had a couple of interviews to do with members of the Auxiliary Club for the article that would go with Max’s pictures.

“In a couple of weeks I’ll need some photos of the finished treatment rooms and a shot of the ribbon cutting at the grand opening. Will you be able to do those shoots too?”

“I don’t see why not. I’ll check my calendar to be sure. Can you e-mail me the dates and times?”

“
Will do. How do you like working for the paper? I guess it’s pretty exciting, working with Chad.”

Max shrugged, his eyes sparkling. “He takes a lot of flack for always being first on the scene, but he’s really not a bad guy.”

Evie’s already warm face heated further. She hadn’t meant to sound petty. She really couldn’t blame Chad for her lack of upward mobility. She’d begun to think she just didn’t have the drive to push her way into a situation and make headline news out of it. “I know he’s not. He’s just everywhere at once. He has sort of a Clark Kent vibe about him, don’t you think? I keep half expecting him to show up one of these days in a cape and tights.”

“Now
that
would make front-page news.”

Evie laughed and checked her watch. “I’ve got to meet Mrs.
Moriarty in five minutes. You don’t need to hang around anymore, though. I think we have all the pictures we need for now.”

Max finished his soda and tossed the can in a nearby bin. “That works for me. I’m meeting my girlfriend down in the ER for dinner.”

“Funny place for a dinner date.”

“Audrey’s a nurse. She’s got half an hour
break on Monday nights, so we try to catch a quick bite in the cafeteria. If you get done with your interview and you want to join us…”

She waved him off. “Thanks, but after this, I’m going home. It’s been a long day.” Evie chucked the remains of her own soda and hitched her heavy purse higher on her shoulder. “Thanks again. I’ll e-mail you those dates for the
photo shoots.”

Max headed for the elevators, and Evie let out a long sigh. She oriented herself in the direction of the conference room where the president of the Women’s Auxiliary Club would be meeting her and marched off, her mind already wandering back to thoughts of Tanner. He’d called her once more to solidify their plans for tomorrow night and let her know Taylor would be available on Friday for a double date. With two days separating her and that kiss, she finally felt like she’d regained some equilibrium and perspective. It had been a while since she’d experienced a bout of intense lust, but looking back, she realized that was all it was between her and Tanner. Not that she considered that a reason not to see him again, but accepting a chemical reaction as the explanation for her behavior gave her a little peace of mind. She could have some fun with Tanner—a lot of fun
—but she didn’t have to worry about him flirting with other women. She’d decided she could keep her heart out of it and just enjoy herself.

Her phone was vibrating by the time she reached the conference room, and she apologized to Mrs. Moriarty before answering it when she saw the call
er was Max Shannon. “Hey, Max, what’s up?”

“If you can postpone your interview, you may want to get down here to the ER. There’s a three-alarm house fire in Stanton, a number of injuries
, and one of them is an EMT.”

Max hung up before Evie could respond. She gaped at the phone, her pulse racing
. Mrs. Moriarty paled. “Are you all right, Miss Prentice? You look upset.”

“No, I’m…I mean, I’m fine. But there’s an emergency. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to postpone our interview. Can I call you tomorrow to reschedule?”

The woman looked only slightly put out, but she managed to retain her composure. “Of course, of course. I hope it’s nothing too serious.”

Evie shoved her phone back into her purse and headed for the door. “I’m sure I’ll find out
. Thank you for understanding. You’ll be hearing from me soon.”

Outside the conference room, Evie scanned the nearest directory and raced off in the direction of the ER. Max had no idea she was involved with Tanner, she realized. He’d been giving her a
heads-up on a possible front-page story, but her byline was the last thing on her mind as she hurried through the thickly carpeted corridors of the hospital and burst through the connecting doors into the emergency department. Tanner was working tonight, double shifts to help out the neighboring community. She could worry about a story once she was sure he was all right, and if he was, this might be her shot—finally a front-page story. If only she could shake the guilty feeling that her success seemed to hinge on someone else’s misfortune.

* * * *

Despite the chaos swirling around Tanner in the middle of the ER, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. He recognized Audrey Desmond as she raced by him, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Lily Jarvis, the receptionist, her light blue eyes wide with concern. He wanted to move toward her, but he couldn’t seem to make his muscles respond. He could only stare at the gurney on which Quinn lay, unconscious, his neck immobilized by a cervical collar.

Doctors and nurses flooded the narrow space leading to the treatment rooms, several of them stopping at Quinn’s gurney, others flowing past in a river of blue-green scrubs and white coats to attend to the other
patients who were backing up like planes on a runway behind him.

“Report?” Someone demanded of him, and his brain kicked back into gear. Everything sped up as though he’d gone from slow motion to fast forward.

“Umm…male, age twenty-seven, approximately a hundred and sixty pounds, head trauma and possible injury to the cervical spine…”

The resident’s name escaped Tanner, but he knew her. She rattled off something to a nurse and an orderly who stood beside her, and seconds later
they whisked Quinn away to X-ray. Tanner remained in the middle of the corridor for a moment, suspended in time, before a trembling hand closed over his. He looked into Lily’s eyes, and his breath caught.

“What happened, Tanner? Is he going to be okay?”

“He…uh…”

“Come over here and sit down.” She guided him to one of the plastic chairs that lined the corridor, and when he felt resistance at the back of his knees, he sat, numbly.

“He…uh…the house, he was carrying the woman out. We couldn’t get a gurney inside because of the stairs. He got her out to the porch, and…it collapsed…”

Tears shimmered in Lily’s eyes. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

He shook his head. “I was heading for the rig. When we were inside the house, we smelled gas. We think she passed out from the fumes and—”

Someone called Lily’s name. “I have to go, but I’ll be back. You stay here, Tanner. I’ll be back.”

He nodded again, feeling like his head was disconnected from his body. He could still smell the natural gas that had permeated the house. There was a leak somewhere, probably in the basement. A spark must have ignited it, and the porch had just buckled underneath Quinn and the woman they’d gone to revive.

He dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his burning eyes. Damn, why was it always Quinn? The guy was a magnet for disaster, and it didn’t even bother him. He was proud of every scar he had, but this time…

“Tanner?”

He looked up into Evie’s brilliant eyes. How had she gotten here? She knelt in front of him. “Thank God you’re okay. Max told me an EMT was injured.”

“It’s Quinn.”

“Your partner? What happened?” She pulled up a chair next to him and pressed a
paper cup of cold water into his hand. “Drink this and tell me what happened.”

He gulped the icy water, felt the cold burn in the middle of his chest. “Routine call. Someone reported finding a woman unconscious in her kitchen. Quinn and I took it. We went inside and found her slumped over at the table. The house reeked of natural gas. We carried her outside, and I headed for the rig. Quinn waited on the porch for a second because she was starting to come to. He yelled to me that she’d said there was someone else in the house—then…boom. The porch collapsed.”

Evie’s eyes rounded, just as Lily’s had. “It wasn’t her children in the house?”

Tanner shook his head.
“Stanton Fire Department said no. They found a man upstairs…no kids.”

“Oh, thank God. So it was just the two of them, and they’re both out?”

“Yeah. The fire started in the basement. There must have been a major gas leak that knocked them both out. Quinn—”

“He’ll be okay.” She wrapped an arm around his bicep and twined her fingers with his. “I know he’ll be fine.”

Part of Tanner would have argued with her if he’d had the strength. Quinn had been out cold, but he hadn’t been burned or cut. The firefighters had pulled him and the woman up from the wreckage of the home’s old wooden porch. Miraculously, she’d been awake—groggy and incoherent, but talking at least. Quinn had been limp, his pupils unresponsive to light, his head lolling, his pulse thready.

He’d have no scar to wear like a badge of honor after they patched him up. He was seriously hurt this time.

“I’m going to be here as long as it takes. I’m not leaving until I know he’s okay,” Tanner forced the words out, defiant. No one would make him leave, and by sheer force of will he’d make his partner be all right.

“That’s fine. I’m right here with you. I’ll stay with you,” Evie said.

“You don’t have to.”

She met his gaze. “Of course I do. You’d stay if it was me, wouldn’t you? You’d sit here with me and wait?”

“Yeah…”

“Then it’s settled. Can I get you more water? Hot coffee?”

“I’m okay.” He squeezed her hand. “This is enough.”

She put her head on his shoulder and settled into her uncomfortable seat. “Then we wait. When I was coming into the ER, someone was talking about Quinn
. Apparently he won an award for most ER visits since he started with the corps.”

Tanner laughed, though his throat was raw. That was Quinn. The guy most likely to need stitches. “Yeah, he loves making the papers. Maybe you could write a feature about him.”

“I’d love to. Tell me everything.”

Hours passed, and the hustle and bustle of the ER waxed and waned. Rumors floated around as to what had caused the gas leak and why the two people in the home hadn’t called for help sooner. Evie caught a glimpse of Max with a pretty brunette nurse. They whispered to each other, intimate but businesslike. He kissed her on the forehead before heading over to Evie and Tanner.

“Hey, I’m heading out. Can I talk to you for a second?”

Evie squeezed Tanner’s hand, and he nodded. She rose and stepped a few feet away. “Have you heard anything we haven’t?”

“Not about Quinn Preston. But listen, I’ve heard something else. Apparently, the man in the house was not the woman’s husband.”

Evie squinted. Max had never struck her the gossipy type. “So?”

“No, I mean…someone said they recognized him…from television.”

“He’s an actor?”

“A politician. A
senator.”

“What was he doing alone in a house with a woman who…wasn’t his…wife. Right. Never mind. I suppose the tabloids will get a hold of this pretty quickly.”

Max shrugged.

“You’re not suggesting I try to get the story, are you?”

Max held her gaze. “I wouldn’t. But I’m not a reporter. Janet…well, this is something she’d jump all over. I’m just saying.”

“Max…”

He held up a hand. “I’m just telling what I heard. Audrey told me there are already a couple of news vans outside. They’re flocking to anyone leaving the building, so be prepared when you do go home, and warn Tanner. In that uniform, he’s prey for the big dogs out there.”

“You mean national news?”

“Senator.” Max repeated, tilting his head. “And newly elected…on a campaign of family values. This is fresh meat for them.”

Evie’s blood chilled a little. If the rumors Max had heard were true, this was just the type of thing that would be splashed all over the news and probably already was. “Thanks. If he does go home, I’ll try to steer him out the back.”

“Might not do any good, but maybe see if he can borrow a scrub shirt or something. They pretty much know they can’t get hospital personnel to talk on camera, but they’ll go after anyone else.”