“We need to talk when I get back. I have some things I need to tell you,” he said.
Josh ran to his room to finish getting dressed, put his shoes on, and was out the door.
She sat on her bed and cried. After a couple of hours, Lisa couldn't take it anymore. She text Becky to see if Gavin was home. Becky responded that he was gone for a couple of hours. Becky had been so busy with work and wedding plans that they hadn't seen much of each other. Lisa text back and asked if she could come over and talk. Becky answered and Lisa was on her way immediately.
Chapter 27
Becky answered the door right away and hugged Lisa. Her face was all red from crying and she knew she was a mess. Becky made them coffee and they sat down. They talked about Josh and the phone call from the woman. Becky knew that Lisa was working for Josh and that Lisa wanted to move out. She told Lisa she didn't understand why she was so upset if she didn't want to be with him. Lisa explained that they had been intimate, and Becky was shocked. She told Becky that he was the best she had ever had. That was something Becky didn't need to know about her husband's friend. Lisa burst into tears as she told Becky that she loved Josh. When that woman was yelling at her on the phone, she realized that he was hers. Becky told her that she needed to tell him. He had a right to make his own decision about who he wanted to be with. They talked for a bit longer. Lisa got up to leave. She wanted to be gone before Gavin got home. If he saw her crying, he would ask too many questions.
Just as Lisa turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of the television. It was breaking news about a fire. Lisa ran to the television and turned it up. There was a huge building fire with a roof collapse. There were firefighters unaccounted for.
“He's at that fire. I know he is. It was his day off and they called him in. I was mean to him when he left. What if something happened? I need to be there. What if he's there?”
Becky put her arms around Lisa and tried to calm her down. Maybe he was someplace else. Lisa text him to see if he was okay. There was no response. They showed a close up of one of the trucks.
“It's his station. I can't believe this. I have to go. I have to make sure he's okay. He has to be okay.”
Becky called Gavin to let him know about the fire and that the roof collapsed. Gavin told her he was on his way. Lisa took off out the door and was gone. She was going to find him. He would be okay. Josh had to be okay. She needed to tell him how sorry she was.
Lisa could barely see out of her eyes as she pulled up to the fire. It looked horrible with flames everywhere. The lights from the trucks and other emergency vehicles bounced off of each other. As soon as she got out of her car, Gavin ran to her. Becky must have told him she was coming. Heath was right behind Gavin. She was sobbing loud as Heath wrapped his arms around her.
“It's his station, isn't it?” she asked.
She felt Heath let out a huge sigh. He leaned down next to her.
“Yes, it's his station. You saw on television that the roof collapsed, right?”
She shook her head.
“A couple of the guys haven't come out of the building yet. They are looking for them now,” Heath said.
“Where's Josh?” she asked.
Heath pulled her against him tighter.
“Heath, where is Josh? I want to see him. I need to see him,” she said, as she looked up at him.
Heath's eyes were watery and Lisa lost it. Her legs went limp and she started to slide down, as he grabbed her to hold her up. She looked at Gavin who looked down at his feet.
“Is he missing?” she asked.
Again, Heath stood silent.
“Answer me Heath. Is he missing?” she asked again.
“Yes,” he said.
She pushed against him hard, and he slid back. She took off for the trucks.
“Lisa, you can't go up there,” he yelled, and they both started after her.
She made it up to where a couple of the guys were standing, before they caught up with her. One of the guys saw her and rushed to her.
“I need to see him. Where is he?” she cried.
He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry.
“He's in there, Lisa. We will find him. He'll be okay,” he said. “You have to stay back here. We can't have you get close or hurt. Promise me you will stay back here. Sit right here okay.”
She shook her head and sat down. He leaned down in front of her.
“You can't go up there. Stay right here, okay. We'll find him.”
“What about everyone else. Is there anyone else missing?”
“We got everyone else out. Two of them went to the hospital to be checked, but we think they are fine. Josh is the only guy we still need to find.”
She pulled the front of his jacket and looked up at him, as she continued to cry.
“I love him. You have to help him. I love him.”
“About time one of you admitted it,” he joked. “We'll get him. I'll be back in a few minutes. I will let you know as soon as I can.”
Heath and Gavin walked up and sat down next to her.
“He'll be okay,” Heath said, as he wrapped his arms around her.
One of the guys was standing a few feet from her. She heard his radio go off.
“We see him. He's not moving. There's something on top of him. I'm almost there.”
He turned and looked at her. He ran to the truck and came back with a blanket.
“Lisa, put this around your shoulders. They found him. We just have to get him out and see what we are dealing with. Stay here. Even if you see him, you have to stay here. I'll get in trouble if you get in the way okay. We will help him.”
It felt like her whole life was fading away. She thought about him pulling her from the fire, him taking care of her, them cooking together, them working together, and about the most intimate moment of her life. He was her everything. Her life would never be the same without him in it.
She heard commotion and saw a bunch of movement. Lisa saw three guys carrying another. She could not control the tears falling from her eyes. They got him out, but he wasn't moving. All of the men ran to them to help. They pulled off his helmet as his head hung limp. She pulled Heath closer and buried her head in his chest. When she looked back up, he was being wheeled into the ambulance. She tried to pull away from Heath, but he held her tight.
“He said to stay here. You can't get in the way. They have to do their job.”
The guy ran up to her and leaned down.
“Something fell on him. They had to move him around a lot to get him out in time. They are taking him to the hospital.”
“I want to go with him,” she said.
“You can't go with him. They need to see how bad his injuries are. We didn't wait for them to check him here. They have to work on him on the way there, so you can't be in there. You can go straight to the hospital.”
“Was he awake? Is he okay?” she asked.
He looked at her and shook his head.
“He was not awake, but that doesn't mean anything. They are going to get him there. We don't know anything yet. He's in good hands. They will take care of him Lisa. He needs you to be there for him. Promise me you'll be there for him. He told me what happened before he left the apartment tonight. You can't leave him.”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear.
“He has not been with anyone since he pulled you from that fire. That Rachel girl is nuts. Please be there for him. Give him a chance.”
He kissed her cheek and then ran off to the rest of the guys.
Heath stood up and helped her to her feet. Gavin grabbed her car keys so he could have one of the guys drive her car to the station when they were done. Gavin and Heath helped her to Heath's truck. He followed the ambulance away from the scene. Gavin drove behind them.
Lisa jumped out of the truck and ran into the hospital. She ran up to the woman at the desk. There was only one way to see him. Lisa told the woman she was Josh's wife. The woman told her to have a seat
and that they would speak to her as soon as they could. Heath, Gavin, and Lisa sat down to wait.
The doctor came out and took her to the back. He pulled her into a tiny room to talk to her. The doctor told her that Josh had some internal injuries. They needed to run some tests to see how bad they were. The stuff that fell on his was heavy and they had to find out how much damage he had. He needed tests run to see how bad the smoke hurt him, as well. They were keeping him asleep until they had all of their answers, because they didn't want him to move around and possibly do more damage. He said she could see Josh for a little bit before they admitted him and took him for more testing.
Lisa walked up to him and burst into tears again. He looked so bad. His face and hair were black and he was hooked up to so many machines. He had a blanket on. She moved it slightly so she could see how bad his body looked. He had bandages on several places, and she could see blood coming through some of them. She leaned down and kissed his cheek. Her hand covered his.
“Don't you ever do that to me again. You scared me so bad. I know you're going to be okay. You have to be. I need you, Josh. You don't know how bad I need you. I'm so sorry for getting mad about that woman calling your phone. I shouldn't have answered it. Get rest and heal. You still have to teach me how to cook. I will be right here every second. I am not leaving here, until you go home. I will take care of you and do everything you need. Just hang in there and come back to me. I love you.”
She sat in the chair next to his bed with her hand on his. His mom, she thought. She needed to talk to his mom. Lisa wanted to tell his brother or sister. She didn't want to scare his mom. Her number was the only one she had. Lisa called it, unsure of what to say. She was relieved when a man answered.
“Jack is that you?” Lisa asked.
“Lisa, are you okay?” he asked.
“Make sure you are not right next to your mom. I need to talk to you.”
“Okay, go ahead. Is Josh okay?”
“Everything is okay. There was a huge fire and the roof collapsed. He was missing. They pulled him out. He was not awake and something had fallen on his back. They took him to the hospital. I told them I was his wife, so I could see him. They know he has internal injuries, but they don't know how bad they are. They are keeping him asleep. The doctors are going to do a bunch of tests for damage and for the smoke. He's alive. They found him. We just don't know how bad it is.”
“Shit! Thanks for calling. We are all three here right now. I was just getting ready to leave. We will be there as soon as we can.”
“They are going to admit him. Call me when you get here, and I will tell you where we are. I'm not leaving his side until he goes home.”
“You are so damn good to him.”
“I love him. Call me when you're here. I'm going to try to clean him up before your mom gets here.”
Lisa got one of the nurses and explained that she wanted to try to clean him up a bit before his mother saw him. She was worried about her. The nurse grabbed her some water and towels. Lisa thanked her and cleaned his face and hair the best she could. She made sure the blanket was on as high as it could be, so it covered the bandages.
She sat back down and waited. Jack called her when they arrived and she went out to meet them. His mom looked like she had been crying. As soon as she saw Lisa, she wrapped her arms around her. Lisa walked the three of them back to where Josh was. She explained that they were keeping him asleep so he didn't do more damage. Lisa walked with her arms around his mom as they approached his bed. His mom cried and held his hand. She rubbed his cheek and told him she loved him. Jack and Tammy stood together and looked at their brother. Josh still had a little smudge here and there, but he didn't look nearly as bad.
Two of the nurses came to get him for testing. The one nurse whispered in Lisa's ear.
“Good job. He looks so much better. Hang in there. Everything will be okay.”
Lisa smiled at the nurse. She took Josh's family to the waiting room. Gavin, Heath, and Becky were there to see them. They all hugged his family and sat with his mom. Becky pulled Lisa to the side.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I'm okay. He'll be okay. I know he will. We can get through this. I'm not leaving here until he goes home.”
Becky hugged her and stayed with her.
Lisa explained to Josh's mom that they thought she was his wife. There was nobody there yet, and she didn't want him to be alone. She had to see him. His mom held her hand and told her she understood. She looked at Lisa.
“You love him don't you?”
Lisa nodded and hugged her.
They settled Josh into a room and went to get his family. None of the results would be ready until morning and there were still more tests to run. Lisa told his mom that she would not leave his side and if anything happened she would call her. Jack was going to stay at his mom's house, in case they needed anything. Josh's family left, along with Gavin, Heath, and Becky.
Lisa sat with Josh all night and all day. The nurses told her to go home and get some rest, but she refused. She sat in the chair next to his bed, with her hand on his. They took him for tests a few times, and the doctors came and went. She combed his hair, cleaned is face, and made sure his blanket kept him warm. Lisa talked to him, sure he could hear her. She told him about his family and friends being there and explained how nice it was outside. Firefighters came throughout the day to visit. She told him how much they cared about him and needed him back at work. Lisa sat next to him and cried, as she told him much she loved and needed him. She turned on the television and kept him company.
The doctors told her that he was a very lucky man. He had a few cracked ribs and some major bruising. With everything he had been through, his injuries could have been much worse. He would be in pain and it would take time to heal. They asked her if she would be able to take care of him at home. She had enough family and friends around to help her. They let her know that they would slowly remove the medicine to keep him asleep. It would be up to him to wake up. It would be touch and go until he did. His body would have to let it happen.
Lisa called his brother to let him know what they said. The next few days ran together for Lisa. Friends, family, and firefighters came in throughout the day. Becky brought Lisa clothes and tried to get her to go home, while someone else stayed. She said she promised to stay by his side and wanted to be there when he woke up. His mom stayed for a couple of hours at a time. She made sure to tell Lisa how lucky he was to have her and how much she appreciated her being there with him. Jack told him that he better wake up soon, before he stole his woman. The firemen she had grown so close to took turns bringing her food. They made sure she had breakfast, lunch, and dinner each day.
Lisa took care of him and offered help to the nurses with anything he needed. They thanked her for all of her help. She started to build little friendships with them. When they came in to check on him, they would check on her as well.
She sat on his bed with him and ran her fingers through his hair. Lisa talked to him all day, as if he were answering her back. She would watch the shows they watched together and make comments the whole time as she snuggled in next to him. Lisa told him they could watch them again together, once he went home. She promised that she would take care of him and even serve him food in bed. Lisa laughed and cried. She told him all day long how much she loved him and how much everyone needed him to wake up. Everyone missed him.
Becky brought Lisa her laptop, so she could keep up on the restaurants. He was in a private room, but there was a second bed in the room. She had her work stuff spread out across it, but refused to sleep in it. Lisa slept in the chair next to his bed. She didn't want him to need her through the night and not hear him. With Becky and Gavin's wedding only a couple of weeks away, they decided to have Ethan stand up instead of Josh. They didn't think he would be in any shape to do it. If they made the decision for him, then he would not have to make the choice.
The doctor went into the room
to talk to Lisa. He let her know that it was taking longer than usual for Josh to wake up. Each day that passed without him waking up, put him more at risk of complications. If he did not wake up by the next day, they were going to do some more testing. His recovery could be longer than they expected.
Lisa looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and the dark circles underneath were getting worse. She combed her hair and put it up in a ponytail holder. She looked at her face without a speck of makeup on and threw water on it to wake herself up.
Lisa sat on the bed with her arm wrapped around his and her head on his shoulder, as she explained about the show they were watching. She cried and kissed his cheek, as she whispered into his ear. He needed to wake up and see his family. She loved him and needed him with her. It was so lonely without him. Everyone else was boring. She had some good ideas for the business and his profits were up. Everyone missed him. Even Heath was being nice. She was tired and was going to move to her spot next to his bed to sleep. Lisa kissed his cheek again.
“Listen, we really need you to wake up. Tomorrow they are going to do some more tests. If you wake up, then they won't do them. I need you to try really hard to wake up. I'm not sure how much longer I can sleep in this chair. If you wake up then I won't have to. We need you. You need to be at Becky and Gavin's wedding. You're the one catering the food. I want you there with me at the wedding. I love you, baby. You are my everything. I need you here with me.”
She settled into her spot on the chair, covered up with the blanket, held his hand, and drifted off to sleep. Lisa dreamt about him that night. They were together in a house. He had a little boy in his arms and she had a little girl in hers. They were laughing. He had his free arm around her waist. He kissed the top of her head.
Lisa felt something tickle her hand. She reached over and scratched it. A second later she felt it again. She opened her eyes and looked at her hand. Josh's thumb was rubbing it. She jerked her body up in the chair and looked at his face. His eyes were closed. Slowly his next finger started to rub her hand. She was so shocked and bursting at the seams to jump up and down. Lisa kept herself still so that he remained calm. He squeezed her hand. She kept her eyes on his face, willing him to open his eyes. Silently she begged him. With tears streaming down her face, she started to softly talk to him. She asked if he could hear her, and he squeezed her hand. Lisa kept talking. She didn't want to make any sudden movements, so she stayed in her chair holding his hand. She told him to open his eyes. He could do it. Come on. Finally, his eyes opened. She wiped the tears from her face.
Hot for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2) Page 15