Rumor Has It

by Leela Lou Dahlin

  * * * *

  Liam felt like he’d been given a sedative when he woke up. He looked at his cell phone and found out he’d slept all day. It was six p.m., and he was supposed to have been at the last-minute walk-through an hour earlier.

  Raina had called his phone three times. How could he have missed that? It must have been serious; she never called more than once. This time she’d left a message. She rarely did that either. She would always make him call her back to see what she wanted, but times had changed.

  He went to the bathroom and got something to drink before he listened to the message.

  “Hello, Liam. This is a Delia, a nurse from Mayturn General Hospital. We have a Jane Doe who has come into the hospital without identification. She only had this phone, and it has you as the emergency contact. When you get this, please call the hospital and request the manager of the emergency department.”

  Liam sat frozen on the couch. Something had happened to his Raina? That couldn’t be possible. She was going to move on from him and find a guy to settle down with. He threw on some jeans and a thermal shirt and left his house. Mayturn Hospital was about forty-five minutes away, and he didn’t think he could stand to wait that long to get there. He dialed the number and put it on speaker so he could drive. He dealt with emergencies every day and did it calmly but now felt so shaky he hoped he could keep it together. The operator put him on hold, and it was the longest hold of his life. Everything seemed to be going against him: Every light turned red when he got to it, and every slow driver was on the road. It was Saturday night—where were all the speeders?

  “Sarafina Miller, Nurse Manager.”

  “Yes, I got a call on my cell phone about a Jane Doe. I’m returning your call. This is Liam Prescott. Is it Raina? Is she all right?”

  “Sir, are you able to come into the hospital? They are working on the victim now, and we are trying to find out who she is.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “All right. We will talk to you when you get here.”

  “Is she alive? Please tell me that.”

  “At this moment, yes.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “We’ll be waiting for you. One more thing. Do you know if she’s allergic to anything?”

  “Just strawberries.”

  “Thank you. We’ll see you soon.”

  Liam tried not to speed, but he was on the lookout for a patrol car of any type. He knew every cop in the city—why couldn’t he find someone now? This was a perfect time for a police escort. He hit his hand on the steering wheel as frustration, fear, and anger overwhelmed him.

  He thought about calling Ethan, but his mind was so scattered. The last words he’d said to Raina replayed in his head like they were on an audio loop. Damn, he should have listened to her. She was only trying to help him. He’d given a woman who’d left him with an emotionally wrecked father another chance, but he couldn’t risk his heart for the woman he knew he had an emotional attachment with. He had turned into the person he liked the least—his father, an emotionless waste of a person. The man could close himself off and turn cold within a moment’s notice.

  Raina was so sweet, opening up her heart to him and letting him know how she felt, even when she had to have known this wasn’t going to turn out well for her. He hadn’t prayed for himself for a long time. He’d prayed for families in fires and people who lost loved ones, but never for himself. He was going to change that today. Please let Raina be all right, for everyone’s sake—especially mine.

  He would give her what she wanted, and he would allow her fire to sink in to him. He’d have to do the things that made his insides quiver: trust…commit…love. Trust that she wouldn’t leave, but if she did, she’d tell him. She wasn’t the type of person to just walk out.

  Commit out loud that he was willing to work this out and be there for her. He’d pushed her out, and he’d humiliated her as he pushed. She wouldn’t take kindly to that. He’d led the woman at the bar on just because he knew she’d flirt with him, and he’d let Raina think he’d gone back to his old ways and with a woman he knew she would measure herself against and feel less like fighting.

  He’d loved her for much longer than he would like to admit. She’d stroked his heart as the quiet woman who pulled his notice at the loud bar, held it when he found her charming house reflected the sweet nurturing that made him keep coming back, and owned it when he realized the soft, wholesome woman was as wicked in the bedroom as he was.

  He pulled into the emergency parking lot and hopped out of the car. When he got into the lobby, he waved down an ER doctor he knew from coming in with other victims. “Where’s Raina?”

  “Is that the Jane Doe they brought in?”

  “Yes. Can I see her?”

  “They just finished working on her. She’s conscious, but barely. She won’t be able to talk to you.”

  He hurried into the room and saw all the IVs and monitors. She was so quiet. He was not used to her being so quiet; the motionless silence was not in her nature. She usually hummed with vibrancy and excitement. She made him happy just to be near her. The closer he got, the sadder he got, because the feelings or her aura or whatever it was she had was flat. What had happened to his Raina? He came up to the side of her gurney.

  “Raina.” He stood beside her, and a whoosh of air he hadn’t known he was holding came out so hard it hurt. “Where is Raina?”

  “That’s not her?”

  “No, I don’t know who this is.”

  “This is the phone that was with her, and your phone number was in her phone.”

  The phone was the same one Raina had. It even had that ridiculous Hello Kitty cover on it.

  “I’m sorry to have worried you, sir. We’ll have to hand the phone over to the police, but we’ll take your name and phone number for them to contact you.”

  “Where is Raina?”

  “I’m sorry, sir. If that’s not her, we have no idea.”

  “Was anyone else involved in the accident?”

  “There was one other woman, but she expired.”

  “Has she been identified?”

  “Yes, she has.”

  His heart was racing. He felt light-headed and could feel every emotion running through him. He had to calm down and think. Where was Raina?

  She was probably at the auction. Why wouldn’t she call him to see why he wasn’t helping out with the event? The obvious reason was that she didn’t have her phone, but surely she could have borrowed one.

  He guessed that was to be expected. He’d told her he was going to fulfill his duty, but he knew she probably didn’t want to call him. Especially since he’d made sure she knew she was placed in the past bin.

  * * * *

  Raina appreciated that Ethan was standing by her side so she didn’t feel funny without Liam there, and she didn’t have the heart or courage to lie and say she didn’t need him there. Calling Liam to check on him would have been a good idea, especially since he was the unofficial co-chair of this event, but she must have left her phone at home or in the car. Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen it since last night at the bar. She’d call them later to see if they’d found it. She should be ashamed of the small piece of her that was overjoyed she had an excuse not to call.

  Sometimes when she told herself things would look better in the morning, they did, but she had to admit that when she woke up, things had looked decidedly worse. It wasn’t fair to Ethan to keep him up here with her. He should get to have a bit of fun with his buddies, and she was almost done with her assignment.

  She had one more person to put up for auction, and then she could fade into the night. She was happy she’d gotten out of being auctioned off. Brody had said he would stand in for her, and although some of the men balked, there were more women in the house than men this evening, so it was probably a good trade. She wasn’t good company for anyone. She didn’t even want to be around herself.

  So here he was, the man w
ho had saved her and the last person up for bid, Brody Reynolds. Except for Ethan or Liam, neither of whom would be caught dead auctioning themselves for charity, this suave gentleman was a favorite at the station house and the newest local hotspot, the Paradise Club. She’d heard that place was under new management. A multimillionaire had come in, renovated the place, and created quite a stir by bringing Brody on as bartender. Women lined up to get in and introduce themselves to the beautiful man who had charm, wit, and a body that people would pay to see.

  He stood near the stage, and women started lining up around him to make sure their bids would be noticed and counted. Ethan said he’d match Brody’s winning bid. Looking at this eager crowd, she hoped Ethan had a large chunk of change hanging around. These women looked serious.

  “Last but certainly not least, Brody Reynolds from Fire House 9 is up for auction. Ladies, get your cash ready, because this fireman is hot and ready to spend the rest of the night, while here in the ballroom, with you. Who would like the chance to get to know Brody at their leisure? Once the dates are paid for, no one will be able to monopolize the time of the date except for you.”

  The crowd went wild.

  “We will give you minutes to get your money ready and get to the stage. Auction dates start as soon as the bids are complete and paid for.” She stepped away from the microphone and almost ran into Ethan.

  “You don’t have to hang out with me, Ethan. Everything is all set, and it’s going well. Go mingle with your friends and let them congratulate you on the fantastic job you did.”

  “I just don’t want to leave you like this. I know Liam can be a stubborn son of a bitch, but there is something there. I know I told you he doesn’t change his mind often, but I don’t want you to give up just yet.”

  “Ethan, we were just friends, and there is nothing to give up on.”

  “If that’s what you’re telling yourself, that’s fine with me.”

  The doors in the back of the ballroom flew open, and a frazzled, haggard-looking Liam stormed into the room, looking around frantically.

  A hush came over the crowd. Raina wanted to run to Liam and see what was wrong, because for one, Liam was never frazzled, and he didn’t look for anything frantically.

  When his gaze settled upon her face, she saw him mouth her name as he stalked toward the stage. The sea of people parted for him as they all waited to see what was going on. He’d been around these people for a good long while, and they seemed just as taken aback by the change in the laid-back lieutenant.

  He walked up the steps and stood in front of Raina. He was breathing hard, and the aura around him was filled with a tense energy that, even with her advanced degree in Liam, she was at a loss to what this was all about.

  He took the last step and pulled her into his embrace. It was tender but fierce. Not a friendly “good to see you” hug. It was a “someone hit my dog and I need you” hug. That was totally impossible. First, he wouldn’t get a dog, because that was commitment and attachment in one little pot, and second, he’d just written her out of his life and put the seal on it with a night with a beautiful blonde.

  “Raina.”

  She’d never received a hug like this. He rubbed his hands up her back and cupped the back of her head. He pulled away to look at her and then held her while he gazed into her face. She felt treasured and cared for, but the murmur of the crowd made her remember they were not alone. She was beginning to get a little self-conscious, and there was definitely something wrong.

  He watched her like he hadn’t seen her in a long while and with such emotion in his eyes. She wondered again if he’d forgotten he’d thrown her out of his house and practically disowned their friendship.

  “Liam, what’s wrong?”

  He was stroking her face with his index finger and looking into her face. “I thought you were hurt or killed. I thought I’d never get to see you again.” His voice was husky, like he’d not talked in a while. His grip had loosened a bit, but his face was still fierce, and he had a firm hold on her head, like she was going to get away.

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Someone who had your phone was in a car accident, and they called me to come see you. I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life. The last thing I said to you was I didn’t want to be bothered with you, and that tore me up inside.”

  She put her hand on his face just to solidify this was truly happening. It could have been a dream, because the way it was when she’d last seen him was almost totally the opposite of this.

  “Maybe we should take a quick break. We’re near the microphone.”

  “I don’t care. Let them hear.”

  “Who are you, and what have you done with my Liam?”

  He smiled then and seemed to remember what he was doing. He walked them toward the back of the stage so they wouldn’t be overheard, but that didn’t stop people from watching them like a silent movie.

  “I’m sorry, Raina. When I left the Fire Hydrant last night, I was pretty messed up in the head. There were so many things going on in my mind.”

  “There are always things going on in your mind, Liam. I do realize you don’t like to share.”

  “You’re right.” He looked at her, and his green eyes had never been clearer. “Thank you for opening up to me last night. That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do. Even as I tried to ignore you, I heard your words and was astounded by your courage. When I started seeing you a few years ago, I was intrigued by you. You never seemed to want anything—just being with me seemed to be enough.” He picked up her hand, rubbing her knuckles as he looked at her face. “At first I wanted to wait you out. I knew you’d eventually want something or try to get something from me. We watched TV or a movie, or you talked to me when I read my magazine and tried to get me to answer things you didn’t think I would notice because my mind was occupied. I was drawn to your nurturing spirit and your kind heart. When I figured out that you wanted my heart and soul, I was terrified because you already had them. I knew you wanted things that I didn’t feel I was qualified to give you.”

  “Liam.” She couldn’t believe he was putting all of this out there for everyone to see.

  “I didn’t think I had it in me. I’m going to be honest… I still don’t know if I’m a good bet for you. But when I got that call and thought that was going to be the last time I ever saw you or that you were hurt, I panicked. When I realized the broken woman in the bed wasn’t you, all I knew was that I had to make this right. On the way to the hospital, I told myself that if you could hear me, I was going to tell you what you mean to me.”

  She was riveted by the sincerity in his voice and the depth of emotion in his eyes.

  “I love you, Raina. I loved you when I saw your quiet gentleness in the loud and rowdy bar. I loved you when you tried to make your comfortable home one that I could find comfort in too. I don’t do relationships, but as you told me yesterday, we’ve been in a relationship for the past four years. I didn’t really think of it that way, but you’re right, and it has been the most significant relationship I’ve ever cultivated.”

  “So you just figured out you care for me today?”

  “No. I knew I cared about you every time I gritted my teeth when you were seeing Theo. I was at your house every time you were done with your dates. I was sabotaging what you had but telling myself that you needed to be let go.”

  Happy tears were streaming down her face. “I love you too, Liam, so much. I thought I had caused us to lose it all.”

  “You helped me open my eyes. Without you, I’d never have been able to talk myself into believing that you could get the nice little family you’ve always wanted from me instead of someone else, but I want to be considered for the position. Like I said, this is new for me, but I know you and you know me. When I say I’m the man for you, I’ll make sure I damn well can do whatever it takes to do what I said I will do.

  “What do you say, Raina? Want to take a chance on a firema
n who cares so much about you he’d display his soul for the whole department to see?”

  “Liam, you don’t even have to ask.”

  They looked around when the audience went wild with clapping and cheering. She realized that they were now the entertainment for the party, and she laughed as he led her to a more private setting to talk about their reunion.

  “This is more than I’d ever anticipated. I hope you know that I’m not letting you go. I’ve wanted you to be mine for as long as I can remember. I’ve watched you parade woman after woman before me, and I always wanted it to be me. When it was my turn, I was so afraid the ride was going to come to an end. Last night I thought that was the end of not only the best sex I’ve ever had in my life, but I’d lost my best friend. I wanted to talk to someone about it, but there was no one I wanted to tell more than you. Crazy, huh?”

  “Not really. I wanted to talk to you too.”

  “So you wanted to talk to me…when? After you finished with the blonde from the bar?”

  “I watched you walk out with Ethan to your car. Then I drove by your house to make sure you got home safely. I wanted to see you, but I’d made my own bed, and I figured it was for the best.”

  “So no blonde?”

  “There’s only been you. Since you broke up with Theo, it’s only been you. I was just too stubborn to admit it.”

  “Liam, that was over six months ago.”

  “I know how long it’s been.”

  “That’s hard to believe.”

  “I told myself I wanted to spend more time alone and I wanted to have more time with the fire dogs. The truth is, I was having a good time spending it with you while you were unattached. I never thought you’d pull something like the proposition you hit me with, but you were my haven, my calm, and I enjoyed hanging out at your house.”

  “Really? Because it seemed like you always came around as an afterthought.”

  “That’s not true. It started when I came to your house the first few times. It was fun, and you were great, but I wanted to loosen you up. You were the same sweet self, but you were uptight and a little nervous around me.”