Page 77 of Rescued Duty

Naya sat in a chair by the wall. She smiled at him and slid to the edge of the seat. Her ebony complexion and dark eyes sparkled, but he took note of the lines that creased her brow.

“You’re here?” He swung his legs over the side of the cot, the blankets dangling to the floor. Someone had pulled off his boots, but he was still in his turnout gear—minus the jacket.

“Of course. I couldn’t let you experience all the excitement by yourself.” She chuckled, then sobered. “How are you feeling?”

Zack rubbed his temple. “My head still hurts. But all things considered, not terrible.” Being alert was a better state than the previous one he’d been in. The Lord’s grace had been over him. For that, he was grateful.

“What happened in there?” She scooted the chair closer.

Zack took a moment to get his bearings and remember all the details, some of which still seemed fuzzy. “Someone drove a forklift into the office building. It set off a CO leak, and people were trapped in the conference room.” He sighed. “We got everyone out of the room before I blacked out.” He recalled helping a woman when Eddie went down. “Is the rest of the crew okay?” He leaned forward, and the motion tugged at the IV in his arm. “And the employees?”

“They got everyone out of the building, but I haven’t heard any other updates.”

“My lieutenant—Bryce—should be close by.” Zack glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already the afternoon. He located the red call button on the bed and pressed it. Better get a nurse in here sooner rather than later to speed up the process.

“Zack, was Ingram trapped in the room?” Naya whispered. “They pulled her out with the other victims.”

He tried to picture if he’d recognized anyone when they’d first gone in. “No, I don’t think so.”

“She was there, Zack. In the building. She never works weekends.” Naya propped her hands on her knees. “I tried calling her boyfriend, Will, who also works for Ethos, but he never responded. Why was she at work when she was going to meet me for lunch?”

A knock sounded on the door.

“Is everything okay in here?” A nurse peeked her head in. Her brown hair sat in a topknot, and her name badge readCharlotte.

“Yes, ma’am,” Zack said. “I’d like to know when I’m going to be discharged.”

“The doctor will be in soon.” She smiled before ducking out.

Zack reached for his phone on the side table. “So Ingram got out okay?”

“Yeah. She’s a few doors down on this floor.” Naya sniffled. “I need to hear what happened. Find out why she was in the office.” Her eyes widened. “Someone I spoke with outside thought this might be the environmental group’s doing.”

“Could be, but since it was a forklift, they would have needed access to the warehouse.”

“Or it’s another employee working both sides.” She bit her lip. “Zack, what if it’s all my fault? I talked with Sylvia, and she works with Ingram. Now this?”

“Hey.” He leaned forward and took hold of her hand. “You couldn’t have known Sylvia’s intentions.”

You couldn’t have known either.

Zack shook his head to clear the thought. He needed to come clean and tell her what happened when they were teens. When he’d gone to find her bracelet. A symbol of the promise he’d intended to keep. The promise he’d made to never leave her. Regardless of how she responded, having all the details might ease her anxious heart regarding the current situation.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” He pulled in a deep breath.

Another knock sounded, and an older man in a white lab coat stepped into the room. “I’m glad to see you’re awake.” He pushed down on the sanitizer dispenser and rubbed his hands together. “I’m Doctor Welch. Seems like your crew had quite the run-in today.”

The man took Zack’s vitals. “Seems like you and a firefighter by the name of Rice caught the brunt of the exposure.”

“Eddie?”

“That’s the guy. He just woke up, so my colleague is checking him out now.”

“In addition to CO exposure, your labs showed the presence of acetaldehyde.” He handed Zack a paper. “I’d like to keep you for observation. There’s quite a list of symptoms to watch for over the next forty-eight hours. Vitals are good, but anything could change.”

Zack scanned the details on the page. He was familiar with these chemicals from his hazmat training and reviewing safety data sheets. They were no joke. No wonder the environmental group was up in arms. The IV pulled on his skin again. The last thing he wanted, though, was to be stuck in here any longer. “With all due respect, Doc, I’d like to be discharged. I know what to look out for.” He held up the paper.

Dr. Welch’s brow furrowed. “If you stay here, we can monitor any changes and act quickly.”

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