Page 57 of Keeping Happily Ever After

The woman.

His eyes flew open, and instantly he snapped them shut again against the blinding light of the hospital.

“You’re awake.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

He recognized his mother and his sister.

But the woman…

He forced himself to open his eyes again and tried to sit up in his bed. “Is she…” He attempted to speak but had to clear his throat. “Is she okay?” he finally asked. “The woman? Did I—”

“She’s fine.” Jeremy’s mother took his hand and squeezed. “You saved her. She’s going to be fine.” A tear slipped down her cheek. It looked like it had been one of many.

“And you’re going to be fine, too.” Charlotte took his other hand. “But holy shit, little brother, you can’t scare me like that again. I don’t know if I can handle it.”

“You both can handle it.” His father loomed over him. His smile was cautious, but when he saw Jeremy’s face, it split wide. “Damn, son. You really gave us all a fright.”

“What happened?”

“The hotel went up fast. Something about some old wires,” Dwayne started. “You were hit in the back by some falling debris right before you made it out. Thankfully, the force knocked you forward and the others were able to drag you out. But your back might be—”

“Oh, that explains why I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.” He tried to shift in the bed, but his whole body ached, and a flash of pain spiked in his head.

“I’ll get the doctor,” Char said. “You might need some pain meds.”

“I don’t think there’s any question about that.”

He tried to smile, but then a fresh thought hit him. The thoughts that had occupied his dreams while he’d been unconscious. “Bella.”

His parents exchanged a glance. “She’s not—”

“She’s okay, right? She’s not…” He didn’t really know what he was trying to ask. Logically, Jeremy knew it wasn’t Bella in the fire who he was trying to save. But he couldn’t seem to separate the thought of her and the woman he’d rescued moments before being knocked out. She’d dominated his dreams and it felt so real. “Is she here?”

Darlene shook her head. “No.”

“What day is it?”

“It’s still Friday,” Dwayne said. “The chief said he’d postpone—”

“The showcase is today.” Jeremy struggled to a seated position. “It’s Bella’s big day. I need to go.”

“You need to rest.” His mother’s hand was on his chest. “The doctor will be in, and you—”

“No. You don’t understand.” He wasn’t sure he understood either. At least not fully. But while he’d been asleep, there’d been something.Someone.Bella.

He needed to try to make sense of it all. And there was only one way to do that.

Bella.

“I have to go.” He ignored the pain in his back and his head, and pushed himself up so he was sitting. The world swayed a little, but he forced himself to focus. “I need to get to Bella.”

“You aren’t going anywhere, son. You need to rest. The doctor will—”

“Keep me here. And I can’t…I need to—”

“You need to rest.” The doctor appeared, Charlotte right behind him in the doorway. She gave him an apologetic glance, but Jeremy didn’t have time for it. “You took quite a hit to the back of your head, Jeremy, and I can’t release you until I—”

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