Page 3 of Loving Lies (Granton University 3)

“Grump,” Tess playfully volleyed back, smacking Bailey on the butt as she floated into a tiled vestibule. When said grump didn’t follow, she had to reach back, catch Bailey’s arm, and yank her along. “This way, dear.”

As soon as they stepped forward, a harried-looking woman in scrubs descended upon them. Panting, she bent at the waist to rest her hands on her knees. “Oh, thank goodness. More volunteers. I am so glad to see you two. It’s been one of those days. We’ll take all the help we can get this evening.”

Tess sent Bailey a told-you-so smirk, to which her best friend scowled and moodily shoved her hands into the pockets of her candy striper apron before pointedly lifting her chin and glancing away.

“I need one of you to deliver this cart of flowers to all the room numbers written on their cards. And I need the other to help the boy in room three-twelve eat his dinner.”

“Oh no.” With a gasp, Tess pressed her hand to her chest, her heart going out to the poor darling needing help. “He can’t feed himself?”

That was so tragic. Tragic stories made her emotional.

Before Tess’s sympathy bug bit her right in the tear ducts and she had to ask Bailey to spare her a clean tissue, the nurse gave a moody harrumph and glared at room 312, an open door not too far from them. “Oh, he can feed himself all right. He’s just being stubborn, as usual. He refused breakfast and lunch. But he needs to stop fooling around and get some sustenance before he makes himself really sick.” Mumbling under her b

reath, she added, “I wish we could put the obstinate ass on a feeding tube and be done with it.”

“Do you know why he refuses?” Tess asked, her brow furrowed with worry. She wanted to fix this as soon as possible.

The nurse scowled, obviously irritated by the question. Then she let out a reluctant breath. “Jonah woke up with amnesia. He can’t remember anything. And what’s worse, no one’s come to claim him, so he takes it out on all us nurses.”

“Wait. No one?” Tess shook her head. That couldn’t be right. “What about his family? His friends? Classmates? Surely, someone—”

“No one,” the nurse cut her off with no room to argue.

Tess gulped and glanced sympathetically at the opened door to room 312. The poor, poor boy. She’d lose her appetite too if no one came to visit her and she couldn’t even remember who to miss.

“How the heck do you even know his name if he has amnesia?” the ever-practical Bailey wanted to know.

Hmm. Good question. Tess hadn’t thought of that; she’d been too worried about his feelings. See, this was why she’d made Bailey volunteer with her; Bailey always considered things that didn’t even occur to Tess, and Tess considered things that didn’t occur to Bailey. They really did complete each other.

“Because his student ID was on him when he was brought in. All we know is that his name is Jonah Abbott and he’s attended Granton for three years.”

Tess brightened. “Well, surely you could contact the university to find his—”

“We’ve called once. They never called back. And if you haven’t noticed, we’ve been a little swamped around here.” The nurse splayed out her hand to clue Tess and Bailey in to the chaotic atmosphere surrounding the third floor of Granton Regional Medical Center. “If you want to play Nancy Drew and find his next of kin, be my guest. No one here has the time to dig too deeply. We’ll get to it when we get to it. Right now, we’re more concerned with keeping everyone alive.”

“Well, I’d be happy to find them for you.” She didn’t understand how no one had found him yet, but the world honestly had turned upside down in the past few weeks. She guessed anything was possible.

The nurse arched her eyebrows as if doubting Tess’s sincerity. “Just keep in mind that if someone really cared about him, they would’ve come for him by now.”

She sort of had a point. Exactly fourteen days had passed since the Granton school shooting. If someone were truly worried about Jonah Abbott, they certainly would’ve located him days ago. She winced, pity flooding her chest until it felt crammed full. Aside from trying to regain his memories and heal from a gunshot wound, he probably felt completely abandoned.

And Tess knew he had to be a victim from the shooting, because everyone on this floor was supposed to be; that was why she was here. Since this atrocity had happened on their home turf, the students of the university had wanted to help as much as possible, so the hospital had let them sign up for volunteer services to assist the harried medical staff with caring for other students who’d suffered in the shooting.

Tess had volunteered herself as soon as she’d come across a sign-up sheet, and of course she’d coaxed Bailey into joining her, since they did everything together.

Glancing at the open door of room 312, she ached for Jonah Abbott. She could only imagine the horrors he’d survived.

After hooking her arm determinedly through Bailey’s and giving her a bolstering squeeze, she smiled at the nurse with absolute reassurance. “We’ll make sure he eats, get the flowers delivered, and we’ll find his next of kin. No problem.”

But no sooner did she speak than a boom and clanging crash resounded from behind her. Ducking instinctively as the reverberation vibrated up the backs of her legs and spine, Tess let go of Bailey to duck and cover.

It wasn’t gunshots, however, and she felt stupid for reacting so impulsively when no else around her had. Flushing, she dropped her arms from over her head and brushed her hair out of her face, trying to look cool and unaffected, when actually her heart was trying to pound itself out of her chest. Twisting to see what had happened, she wondered if someone had knocked over a cart.

But it was worse. Way worse.

Disbelief widened her eyes as she stared at a broken plate of food dripping down the door of 312 where the patient inside had obviously heaved his supper.

If that was all the food he was allotted for tonight, she was screwed.

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