Page 62 of Fire and Ice
Later, after a class action lawsuit was filed against the mining company, she had signed some papers with the attorneys and ended up with a considerable settlement.
She forced the thoughts from her mind—she didn’t want to think about George’s death. It was a painful memory, and it belonged in the past.
Fast forward to the future, and she felt as if she was going through it all over again.
Thoughts of Grady made her whole body numb and weak. She paused for a moment to catch her breath before hurrying out into the garage for her car.
Chelsea trembled with fear for Grady as she walked through the hospital, headed to Grady’s room. Kyra hadn’t said anything about him being in intensive care. She hadn’t learned that until she reached the hospital.
First thing after she arrived, the nurses had her go to the waiting room, where several firefighters, including Archer and Beckett, had come to support Grady. Archer explained to Chelsea how Grady had saved not only Spot’s and Kyra’s lives, but the life of his neighbor, Carla. Spot received most of the credit for saving Carla, and Spot was the one to lead Grady to Kyra as well.
Archer and the other firefighters tried to help boost her spirits, but she couldn’t get herself to smile. She talked with each of the five men briefly before she was told she could go to Grady.
She left the waiting area and headed toward Grady’s room. She stopped abruptly in the hallway, unable to move, her limbs feeling as heavy and solid as stone. What if Grady was close to death? Why else would he be in the ICU?
Dear God. She didn’t think she could go through losing another man she loved. It was her worst nightmares and fears come to life.
She took a deep breath, trying to control her breathing and the sickness in her belly. Her skin felt clammy, as if she was coming down with the flu.
No matter what happened in the future, she had to go to him now. Grady needed her. She would worry about everything else later.
Chelsea needed to see Kyra, too, but would go to Grady first. Then she’d find Spot and give him a big hug and a giant soup bone.
She walked hesitantly down the ICU hallway, afraid to get closer to Grady’s room, as if he might die if she went in there.
When she reached his room, for a long moment she stood outside, barely daring to breathe. Windows lined the room he was in, but the curtains were drawn.
A woman in scrubs came up to Chelsea. She glanced at the nurse’s nametag that had Irene Johnson across it. Chelsea looked from the tag to Irene, who had hard lines on her face and thin lips. She’d never run into the woman around town.
Nurse Irene’s voice was sharp and matter-of-fact. “Mr. Donovan may only have family visitors at this time.”
Responses shot through Chelsea’s mind, and she blurted out the first thing that came to her. “I’m Grady’s fiancée.”
The nurse eyed Chelsea with suspicion, then nodded. “Ten minutes. He needs rest, and I understand his family is coming in from Seattle. But since you’re his fiancée, you probably know that.”
Chelsea gave a weak smile. “I’ll keep my time in his room short.”
“Good.” Irene went up to the door and peeked in. “Mr. Donovan, your fiancée is here to see you.”
Chelsea’s face burned, but she straightened her posture. How did he feel about her pretending to be his fiancée?
Irene turned back to Chelsea. “Ten minutes, got that?”
“Of course.” Chelsea moved past Irene, sucked in another deep breath, and walked inside the room.
Her heart felt like it had crumbled into tiny pieces when she saw Grady. His skin was pale with red scrapes and bandages everywhere. Both his legs were in casts and his arm was in a sling. His eyes were glazed, and he looked exhausted.
She fought to keep the horror out of her expression.
“You are the loveliest thing that could possibly have walked into this room.” Grady’s voice sounded weak and rough, but his lips tipped into a tired smile. “My dear fiancée.”
Her face burned again. “I—I just told her that because…”
“Because she wouldn’t have let you come in otherwise,” Grady finished for her. He gave a hacking cough before sinking into his pillow and adding, “I still like the sound of it.”
“What happened?” The words barely came out of her dry throat, and tears were starting to build up behind her eyes. “Your legs. Your arms—you’re bandaged everywhere.”
He raised the hand that wasn’t in the sling. “Come here, baby.”
