by Dee J. Adams
“I can’t thank you guys enough for bringing this to me,” Ashley said from behind him. She clutched the file like a lifeline.
“Thank Quinn,” Ellie said, smiling up at him.
“I plan to. Hey, Quinn, want to come over for dinner tonight? This time it’s on me. I should get home early enough to cook something decent. You, me and Ellie can—”
Someone screamed while at the same time massive rumbling echoed in the air. It was the strangest thumping sound, but it got louder and louder. The sound of bending metal screeched along with it. More people started screaming and pointing above them. The scaffolding shook.
Earthquake. It had to be. But the ground didn’t seem to be moving…just everything around them. It was as if the world had gone into slow motion, but the sound remained deafening. The rumble, the screams, all of it.
He turned to pull Ellie next to him, but she was already moving. Moving wasn’t really the right word, because even as he registered her body language, he didn’t understand it. Until she tackled him. He wouldn’t have thought that she could take him down, but he’d never been more wrong. Ellie wrapped her arms around his waist and drilled him toward the street. Her shoulder connected with his gut and took the breath out of him as they flew backward. Somehow, she twisted and instead of landing flat on his back and cracking his skull on the cement, they landed sideways and Quinn managed to get an arm out to break the fall. No sooner had they hit the pavement then the scaffolding crashed where they’d just been standing. Dust and splinters clouded the air. Where there had been screams and noise a second ago, everything was now quiet.
Deathly quiet.
Quinn coughed the dust out of his nostrils as he wrapped his arms around Ellie still splayed next to him.
“Jesus.” He sputtered another cough. How the hell had she managed to do that? Not only save him from being buried, but protect him from a bad fall too? “Elle, you okay?”
She stirred, lifted her head. She was covered in dust and grime. “Yeah,” she coughed and sat up. “I think so. You?’
He nodded. People started screaming again and they both turned.
“Oh, my God.” Ellie’s eyes widened as the scope of what just happened hit them both.
“Holy shit,” he muttered.
“Ashley!” Ellie screamed the word as she bounded up and ran to the rubble. She didn’t hesitate to start digging. About six floors worth of scaffolding had pancaked down. No one else had gotten out from under it. No one.
A chill of absolute dread prickled his back. He didn’t do trauma. Six months ago he’d gone through enough trauma to last a lifetime. If he hadn’t been glued to the spot, he’d have run far and fast. But he couldn’t move.
“Quinn!” She snapped him out of his fog. “Get that side of the plywood.”
Jumping into action, Quinn lifted his end and they tossed it away. The harder they worked, the more people showed up to help. They started an assembly line, hefting huge bags of cement mix, pieces of plywood and strips of metal off the top of the pile and passing it on. Her muscles strained, but her face was pure determination. Some of the scaffolding on the outer rim had held, but it looked like it might crumble any second.
Ellie shouted orders to complete strangers. “Shore up that piece of scaffolding with the plywood over there. You…” She pointed to another man. “You get the other end and help him.” She saw it all. All the discarded pieces they’d waded through were used to hold up the weak links and keep more debris from falling.
The sound of sirens finally filled the air and paramedics screeched to a stop. Ellie never looked up. They’d already gotten down to the last layer.
“Easy with this one, Quinn,” she warned. They lifted and moved aside the plywood.
Quinn looked. And nearly lost the contents of his stomach. Half a dozen people lay under the rubble, but it was the sight of Ashley and her coworker that made Quinn sick inside. Blood was everywhere. Blond hair caked with blood blocked Ashley’s face. If it was any indication…
Someone shoved Quinn to the side. “Move, move!” A paramedic knelt next to Ashley. Creaking sounded overhead and Ellie grabbed the piece of plywood they’d just discarded and hefted it longways under the remaining weak scaffolding. She held it steady, her face pale as she watched the man work on the women.
More sirens deafened him and two firemen showed up seconds later and yanked them both away, but not before another took Ellie’s spot. Quinn looked to the street. Five fire engines lined the road. Men yelled orders and in seconds, a dozen more firemen moved in and systematically carried out all the people that had been buried. Four people went out on stretchers, including Ashley and her coworker. The three firemen who’d been shoring up the weak spots ran out a few seconds before the rest of the scaffolding folded and brought down more debris.
Through it all, Ellie kept trying to get to Ashley. The fireman who’d hauled her away wouldn’t let her go. He kept telling her to let the men work on her friend. Told her that she needed attention too. That’s when Quinn noticed the slice on her arm, a long nasty slash of red that ran from her bicep to her elbow.
“I’m okay,” Ellie said. “I need to see Ashley.” As she said it, the paramedics slid Ashley’s stretcher into the waiting ambulance. The coworker went too. “No, I need to go with her,” Ellie yelled.
“Not enough room,” the fireman said. “It’s okay, they’ll take good care of her. Let’s take care of you.” He called another paramedic over, but Ellie still didn’t want to play nice.
“Quinn, the limo!” She looked at him with wide eyes and he understood her completely, but even as he nodded, he saw fire trucks had blocked all the cars parked on the street. Including his limo. “Oh God oh God!” Ellie chanted. She pleaded with the fireman nearest her. “Please, please, you have to move that fire truck.” She pointed next to the limo.
“I’ll see that the truck gets moved if you let us clean up your arm.”
Her frustration was palpable, but she finally agreed.
“You too, buddy,” the same guy said to him. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“I’m fine,” Quinn told him. The man pointed and Quinn looked at his own arm. Not until that second had he felt anything, but now as he looked at the heavy road rash from the street did he feel the burn. “Oh.”
It took twenty minutes for the limo to get out of its spot. Fifteen of that had been used to clean up their cuts and scrapes. Ellie, with a fresh bandage on her arm, was barely hanging on.
Ellie inhaled and exhaled. All she had to do was concentrate on breathing. Ashley was going to be fine. If she kept saying it in her head, it would be true. Positive thoughts. How many nasty gashes had Ellie herself gone through? She knew anything near the eyebrow or forehead bled a lot. Sure there might be a scar or two, but nothing that wouldn’t heal.
Ashley would be fine.
Because Ellie couldn’t imagine the alternative.
Ashley was her lifeline. Her support. The consequences of a life without Ashley didn’t compute. Sure, the day was inevitably going to come at some point, but it was going to be because of a guy or because one of them moved or something. Not like this. And most especially not before Ellie was ready.
God, how selfish could she be? She didn’t deserve Ashley. She deserved to struggle the rest of her life for being so completely self-centered. She’d relied on Ashley for more than ten years. Had taken for granted everything her best friend had done for her. If anyone deserved to be in a hospital bed, it was Ellie.
The city blew by in a blur as Bill pushed the speed limit. Ellie didn’t argue. She stared at the phone in her hand. How was she going to—?
“What can I do?” Quinn asked quietly. The concern on his face brought another wave of tears to her eyes. He sat next to her, set a gentle, warm hand on her knee. Dust and sweat mixed on his face, clothes and in his hair.
“I need to call her mom. I just don’t know what to tell her.” Her eyes widened as she thought of something else. “Oh my Go
d. Sheryl’s on her honeymoon. She’s on a cruise. I have no idea how to get in touch with her.”
“Sheryl’s her mom?” Quinn asked.
“Her sister,” Ellie said, shaking her head. “The one who just got married.”
He nodded sympathetically. “Just take it one step at a time. Maybe you should wait until we get more information. And her mother might know how to reach her sister.”
She nodded as something else occurred to her. “I have to call Mark too,” she said. “There’s no way I’m going back to work today.” At least this phone call would be easier. Ellie punched in Mark’s number and he answered on the second ring. She told him the situation and after assuring him she was fine, he told her to take all the time she needed.
Ellie flipped the phone closed and swallowed back the panic. As much as she didn’t want to make this next call, she had to. How would Aurora take the news? A wave of chills washed down her back as she punched her speed dial. Aurora Bristol worked nights. Ellie would be waking her from a sound sleep. She swallowed back the lump in her throat as the phone rang. Aurora’s sleep-roughened voice answered the phone.
“Hey, Ma, it’s Ellie.” Just like Ashley, Aurora had treated her like family. Like a loved daughter. Ellie would be forever grateful. She worked to keep her voice steady. Didn’t have any idea how to deliver the news. “I’m sorry to wake you.”
“Hello, baby.” There was rustling over the phone. “You can call me anytime. What’s up?”
“Uh—” Ellie’s voice broke and she closed her eyes. Emotion welled up in her throat and she couldn’t speak over the knot. A strong, warm hand squeezed her thigh and she looked over at Quinn. He had the sweetest expression on his face. Encouraging. Supportive. Tears slid down her cheeks.
“Ellie, baby, what’s the matter? Talk to me,” Aurora said, but this time her voice had an edge. She was a mother and Ellie knew that somehow Aurora knew the news was bad. Almost the same way as Ellie had known when the men in uniform had shown up at the doorstep the morning after Phil hadn’t come home. She’d been young, but she’d registered the fear in her mother’s voice, the curl in her usually straight shoulders.
Bad news came in many forms but it always had a vibe all its own.
“It’s Ashley,” she said. “There was an accident. I’m on my way to the hospital now so I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.” Ellie took a deep breath after blurting out everything. “It’s serious, Mom. I did the best I could.” God, she’d pushed Quinn out of the way and left Ashley to get buried. Guilt swallowed her whole. Tears welled and Ellie forced herself to speak through them. “I was with her. We were walking past a construction site and the scaffolding collapsed. The paramedics got there really fast and I know they’re taking good care of her.”
There was silence on the phone and Ellie pressed her lips together. She wiped the tears on her face. Quinn’s grip on her thigh tightened and she put her hand on his and squeezed.
“Oh, God.” Desperation sounded in Aurora’s voice before she took a deep breath. “Okay,” she said. “Mickey’s in Phoenix, but I have his truck. It’s slow, but I’ll be there as fast as I can.” Her steady words cracked at the end and Ellie struggled to keep her own tears back.
“I’m almost at the hospital,” Ellie said. “I’ll be with her until you get there.”
“I know, sweetie. I’ll call you when I’m closer to L.A. You’ll need to tell me which hospital.” There was a pause on the line and Aurora finally broke down. The pain in her sob traveled the distance and sliced Ellie in two until her own tears trekked down her cheeks unheeded. “You hang in there too, Ellie. You hear me? You just hang in there.”
Ellie’s heart hurt with the pain of the unknown and the devastating feeling of helplessness. God, she needed to be strong. “I will, Ma. Drive safe.” Emotion bubbled in her throat. “Love you.”
“Love you too, baby.”
Ellie flipped the lid closed before Aurora heard her lose control. A terrifying wave of despair washed through her and clenched her chest. A sob broke free as tears streaked down her face. What if Ashley didn’t make it? What if—
“Hey.” Quinn’s low voice whispered in her ear as he tugged her against him and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Don’t think that way. Let’s not worry until we have to. We don’t know anything yet.” He rubbed a strong hand down her arm and quirked his lips in an attempt to smile. “She might be in the emergency room wrecking havoc with all the single doctors.”
Sputtering a laugh through her tears, Ellie could totally imagine Ashley milking an E.R. visit for all it was worth. Despite the straightlaced clothes and job, Ashley was a party girl at heart. Ellie wouldn’t put it past her best friend to say, “Dr. McDreamy, I have a pain right here.” At which point, she’d gesture to her chest. But before the doctor could say anything, she’d flash him with her set of perfect 36Ds. “Is there anything you can do to help me?” Then she’d smile and bat the lashes over her pretty blue eyes.
Yes, Ellie would hold onto this image. She wouldn’t think the worst. Not until she had to.
“Thank you,” she said, wiping her tears and moving from under his arm. “For the ride…” She squeezed his hand again. “For the support. I really appreciate it.” She’d only ever had Ashley to lean on…to talk to. Though she was more than grateful for Quinn’s help, she had to be careful not to reveal too much. Especially now, when she didn’t know what might happen in the next few hours or days.
He shrugged, seemed at a loss for words. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “You’re welcome. Whatever it takes, you know.” He squeezed her hand. “But I’m the one who needs to say thank you.” His silver gaze spoke mountains of sincerity. “You saved my life back there.”
The reminder that she’d saved Quinn instead of Ashley cut like a knife. Not that she wanted Quinn to be the one in the hospital, but—God, what had she done? Ellie nodded, but looked away from his intense gaze. She stared out the window as the city flew by.
“You saved your own life too, Elle.” He leaned toward her. “The only way out from under that scaffolding was the street. You didn’t have the angle to save Ashley. But you saved you and me. I know you’re beating yourself up over there, and I want you to stop.”
How could he know what she was thinking? She looked into his eyes. Saw the truth of the matter. He was right. There was no way to get Ashley out of the way without being buried herself. There hadn’t been enough time. She’d reacted with well-honed instincts from years of stunt work. Anyone standing next to her would’ve been the one she pushed to safety.
Tears welled again and a knot lodged in her throat.
“Thank you,” Quinn said softly.
She nodded and took a steadying breath before she lost control. She had to pull it together for Ashley’s sake. It was her turn to help the one in need.
A few minutes of silence filled the limo until Quinn rubbed his hand over hers. “Have you been calling her ‘mom’ for a long time?” he asked.
He was talking about Aurora. She nodded and let a smile touch her lips. “Since junior high, I think.”
“Is your mom…?”
Dead? Is that what he wanted to know? “No. My parents live in Florida. They’re retired. I was a late-to-the-party baby. Completely unexpected.” It hadn’t been a horrible thing…until Phil’s accident. Then everyone’s life had changed.
“It’s nice that you were so close to her. You had an extra mom.”
Shaking her head again, Ellie forced a laugh. “Not really. I wasn’t very close to my mother.” What an understatement. “Aurora was…she was like this safe haven. I could always count on her for love and a shoulder to cry on. Ashley and I could talk to her about anything.”
Quinn gave her hand a squeeze. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I know.” She remembered a time when she’d felt guilty about having a bond so tight with someone other than her mother. But her mother hadn’t cared about anything after Ph
il died. In the end the guilt had faded and sadness for her mother’s inability to cope with life took its place.
“So, she’s on her way?” he asked. When Ellie nodded he gestured toward the front of the limo. “What if Fido picks her up and that way you won’t have to worry about her driving?”
How sweet was this man? She never would’ve believed when she initially met him that he’d make an offer like this. Had she been in show business so long that she’d become the biggest cynic in the world? “That is very generous, but I don’t think it’s feasible. Aurora lives in Barstow. That’s halfway to Vegas. Once she gets here, she’d have no way to get back and—” She stopped his protest with a finger against his lips. “She said she’d call when she got close to town. I wouldn’t dream of asking you or Bill to go to that trouble.”
He took her hand in his, linked their fingers. The sensation traveled up her arm and down the center of her body. It was amazing how his touch affected her. “You didn’t ask. I offered.”
“I know. And I appreciate it. As much as I don’t want Aurora driving right now, I think it’s better if she has her own wheels. Besides, she wouldn’t want to wait two hours before hitting the road and it would take at least that long to reach her. She’s got Mickey’s truck.”
“Mickey’s her husband?”
“Boyfriend. But they’ve been together for almost a decade. He takes good care of her. Ashley and I have been telling her for years to just marry the poor guy, but she won’t. Stubborn. She’s says at sixty years old, she’s earned the right to do whatever she wants and if she wants to live in sin, then by God, she’ll live in sin.”
Quinn smiled. His thumb glided up the side of hers and her heart took an unexpected leap. “If you and Ashley grew up together, when did Aurora move to Barstow?”