Travel, Live, Love - A Contemporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 5)

by Gray, Jessica

  He wasn’t willing to give up just now, and decided he had no other recourse but to head to the teahouse in Ilam. Angela was in good hands, while he tried to come up with something. Anything. The owners of the teahouse would have access to all of the search and rescue outfits in the region, and he’d be able to charge his satellite phone there.

  Once at the teahouse he became aware of the magnitude of the catastrophe. Several tourists from different parts of the nearby mountains had been stranded there; and via the limited means of communications, news had come back that a vast majority of Kathmandu had been destroyed. Temples and tall buildings had collapsed, and the number of people missing or confirmed dead was rising daily.

  In addition, several teams of climbers on Mount Everest had been killed. The earthquake had set off several avalanches. Search and rescue operations were underway, but Nepal was very much a technologically challenged country. Contact with the outside world was limited on a good day, and with the infrastructure of Kathmandu compromised, most of those services were inoperable.

  Many of the remote villages had suffered far worse damage than Jarughat, and for an even greater number of villages there was no information about their wellbeing at all. At least the airport in Kathmandu still operated, even if only on a limited basis, the flights mostly restricted to military and other transports bringing in disaster relief help.

  With the bridge out, there was no easy way to get over the deep valley to the capital. He pondered whether to call his mom, but she’d be too worried to be of help – and it was almost midnight back in Chicago. His brother Douglas was his best option to get help. He called him as soon as he’d hooked up his phone to the charger in the lounge of the teahouse. At least they still had electricity, because they owned a diesel generator.

  Douglas answered on the second ring. “Patrick! Thank God, we’ve been worried sick! Dad had to give Mom a light sedative because she was out of her mind. ”

  “I’m fine. Can you let everyone know? ”

  “Sure. Where are you?”

  “Jarughat. We were on the mountain when the earthquake struck.”

  “We?”

  “The woman I’m going to marry. Eventually.”

  “Whoa, slow down. That’s a hell of a lot of information. You both okay?”

  “No.” He had to swallow hard to be able to press the word from his lungs.

  Douglas noticed his difficulties in talking and said, “Bro, calm down. Tell me what happened.”

  “Angela was injured by some falling rocks. At first she was okay, but her fever spiked during the night, and her wound is badly inflamed.” He had to inhale deeply before he could continue. “She urgently needs a doctor, but I can’t get her to a hospital. The bridge on the only road to Kathmandu collapsed.”

  After a short pause he whispered into the phone, “I’m afraid I’ll lose her.”

  Douglas was instantly empathetic. “Man, that sucks. I don’t know what I’d do if it was Toni.” Toni. Patrick had met her in Kuala Lumpur, and even though she and Douglas had just met, it was clear they were destined to be together. They made such a great couple.

  “Douglas, I don’t know what to do.”

  “Helicopter?”

  Patrick nodded his head, not aware that his brother couldn’t see him. “Already thought of it. But I have no idea where or whom to call. Most of the communications broke down.”

  “Hey, heads up. Give me an hour and let me see what I can do. I’ll see if I can find a helicopter to fly in there and take both of you to Kathmandu.”

  Patrick sighed with gratitude. He could count on his family. “Thanks, man. ” He sat down to wait, chatting with some of the other travelers stranded there. He poured himself a cup of tea, but everything in the teahouse reminded him of Angela. Within days, she’d come to occupy every corner of his heart and soul, and he didn’t want to imagine living without her ever again. She’s going to be okay. Douglas is going to get a helicopter.

  An hour later, Douglas called him. “Sorry, bro, I called at least twenty places, but it’s impossible. There aren’t any commercial helicopters available in Nepal. They have all been spoken for by the relief efforts.”

  An icy chill crept down Patrick’s spine. “Thanks anyways.”

  “Wait. Have you talked to Sam yet?”

  “Why would I call our little sister?”

  “You are so behind the times, bro. She has a friend who organizes Mount Everest excursions. As far as I know, his company also owns a few choppers. If anyone has access to help for you, it would be her.”

  “You’re brilliant, thanks. I could kiss you.”

  “Eek. Save that, okay?”

  Patrick disconnected the call and then dialed his sister.

  “Patrick! Tell me you’re okay and I don’t have to find someone to haul your ass out of Nepal?”

  “Uh…well, actually, that’s why I’m calling. A friend of mine…”

  “Since when do you have friends?”

  “Sam…” He loved his sister dearly, but she could be a royal pain in the ass. “Please, I’m serious. Angela…”

  “The woman you met at the teahouse? Ohmigod, you’re in love!”

  “Would you please let me finish my sentence?”

  Patrick imagined how his sister pouted into the phone. “Okay, I’m all ears.”

  “Angela injured her arm during the earthquake and urgently needs to go to a hospital in Kathmandu, but the road’s out and we need a helicopter.”

  “Boy, I’ve waited twenty-three years for that moment.”

  Patrick was confused. “Waited for what?”

  “For you to need my help.”

  “Douglas says you have a friend…”

  “Yeah. Your little sister can help you. Call me back in thirty minutes and I’ll let you know what I found out.”

  It was the longest thirty minutes of his life. His phone had finished charging and he started the trek back to the village. Exactly thirty minutes after hanging up he stopped and called Samantha again. “So?”

  “Brian, the pilot, has the coordinates and is headed to the village. They are estimating around three hours before they can get there, but the cavalry is on its way.”

  “Samantha! I love you! You are a lifesaver. I owe you.”

  Samantha laughed and then told him, “Take care of your woman. You owe me big time, but don’t worry. I’ll be sure to give you fair warning when I mean to collect.”

  I’m sure you will, sis! Patrick told her goodbye and then hurried back to the village. Angela’s condition had worsened yet again. Padmini sat by her bedside, bathing her forehead and her uninjured arm, hoping to help take some of the heat away from her body. When Padmini saw him she stood up with a very serious face and quickly disappeared without saying a word.

  Angela was burning up with fever, and writhing in her fever-induced dreams. He’d give anything to make her feel better, but at least now help was on the way and he was confident she’d soon be okay.

  Patrick was about to leave her hut to say good-bye to the chief and the rest of the villagers when she called out his name. He turned around and wanted to answer, when he noticed she was hallucinating. With her eyes closed, writhing on the bed, she murmured, “Patrick…stay with me…love me…hold me.”

  Even in her feverish state she was sexy as hell, and happiness spread throughout his body. She likes me. A lot, it would seem. Good to know!

  The chopper arrived right on the three-hour mark. Brian helped carry Angela into the aircraft and away they went. They headed straight for the hospital in Kathmandu. Patrick exchanged a few words with Brian during the flight after thanking him profusely for helping out.

  “How is Sam? I haven’t seen her for a while. She still has that boyfriend, Craig?”

  Patrick nodded. “I think so, but from what she told me last time we talked, they aren’t speaking right now.”

  “Not any loss if you ask me. I never did like that guy.”

  “Who does? I have
no idea what she sees in that loser.” I definitely need to make time to sit down with Sam and see where her head is.

  He grinned at the thought; Samantha hated it when her brothers “meddled with her love life,” as she called it. But that’s what big brothers were there for, to protect their little sister; even if she was already twenty-three years old and believed she could take care of herself.

  Chapter 24

  Patrick dug through Angela’s wallet at the hospital. Gosh, I feel like an intruder. She sure wouldn’t want me to do that. He felt like he was spying on her, which he didn’t want to. But he had to find those damn insurance cards. During his search he came across a picture of a handsome man in his thirties. That must be her ex-boyfriend.

  He couldn’t help it, but had to look more closely at the picture – and a stab of jealousy hit his chest. Whoa. What’s that? I’m not jealous, never been. But then, he’d never been in love before. What if that douchebag got a wakeup call and recognized what a gem he’d let go? What if he convinced her to stay with him? Patrick’s jaw clenched tight.

  He pushed those thoughts aside and handed her card to the receptionist. He’d set all his hopes on getting her to the hospital, but once there the situation was appalling. It was so bad, in fact, he almost backed out of having her treated there, but their options were this or nothing.

  Most of the doctors spoke at least some English, and even though the hospital was bursting at the seams with patients, the young doctor took one look at Angela and immediately took her into a treatment cubicle. He started her on IV antibiotics and then apologized to Patrick that he didn’t have a bed available and had to move her to the hallway, to sit with hundreds of others. Patrick sat with her the entire time, allowing her to lean against him in a half-asleep state.

  From time to time, she had waking moments and gave him a weak smile, always pretending to be okay. He loved her for being so strong, but he could see in her face that she was anything but okay.

  When the IV was finished, another doctor took her back into the treatment room once more and confirmed that her arm wasn’t broken, just horribly bruised. He assured Patrick she was going to be fine, and urged him to take her and leave. “Your girlfriend has a few broken ribs and we’ve taped them the best we can. The infection in her arm should get better now with the antibiotics, but she probably needs more in a few days. It’s just that we cannot keep her here, because we need to focus on the more urgent cases.”

  Patrick nodded. “Is she fit to travel?”

  “Normally I would say no, but in this situation the best you can do is to get her on the next plane back to your country and have her admitted into a hospital there.”

  Patrick basically carried Angela out of the hospital, and finally found a taxi that was willing to drive them to the airport. He settled her into a chair in the airport and then went on to organize a flight to New York – or anywhere in the States, for that matter.

  In one of her waking moments, Angela gave him the phone number of her sister Harper. “Please call her and let her know I’m alright.”

  Patrick smiled at her and immediately placed the call, watching as Angela’s eyes closed in sleep once again.

  “Hello?”

  “Harper Halliwell?”

  “Yes, who is speaking?”

  “Patrick Armstrong. I’m a friend of your sister Angela’s. She asked me to call you and let you know she’s fine.”

  “Oh, thank God. We’ve been so worried about her. The news about the earthquake is all over the news, and it looks bad.”

  “It is.”

  “Can I talk to her?”

  “Not right now. She’s been injured and is sleeping at the moment.”

  “What happened?” Harper demanded.

  “Please don’t get anxious. Your sister will be fine. She was hit by several rocks during one of the aftershocks, has a few broken ribs, and a nasty infection in the cut on her arm. She’s been given IV antibiotics and we are currently at the airport waiting to fly home.”

  “What can I do?” Harper was amazingly calm for all that he’d just given her some pretty bad news.

  “Look, I’m still waiting for the airline to confirm our flight back to the States. If I text you the details, can you please organize that an ambulance will wait for her at the airport and she gets admitted into a hospital?”

  “Sure.”

  “Thanks. I’ll get back to you as soon as I know more.”

  “Who are you, by the way?” Harper asked, a hard note in her voice.

  Ah, the lioness protecting her sibling. “I’m a very close friend. We met at a teahouse her first night in the country.” What else am I supposed to say? Her boyfriend, like the young doctor called me? Or her future husband?

  “Did my sister tell you that she’s getting married within the month?”

  Whoa. Worse than a lioness. He guessed she’d eat him alive if he were within reach right now. “Yes, Harper, Angela told me that she was getting married, but broke up with Jasper a few days ago.”

  “That’s news to me,” Harper told him coldly.

  Patrick decided not to argue the point with her sister and promised to call once he had their flight details. Right now, he could care less about soothing some unknown woman’s feelings. His focus was on taking care of Angela.

  Chapter 25

  Angela was dreaming, and it wasn’t at all pleasant. In her dream, a fierce lion was clutching at her arm, trying to tear out pieces. She wanted to run away, but couldn’t. The pain was excruciating, and when she tried to move her arm, she couldn’t.

  “Angie…wake up…you’re dreaming.” A familiar voice broke through her fever fog, but she couldn’t quite figure out to whom it belonged. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Patrick pocketing his phone. Patrick. Right.

  “Hi. How are you feeling, darling?”

  “Where are we?” she asked him.

  “We’re at the airport. You’re scheduled on the next flight to New York.”

  “Just me?” she asked him, confused and alarmed at the same time. She still tried to put the bits and pieces together in her mind. There wasn’t too much she remembered from the last twenty-four hours.

  He nodded his head. “Yeah, they only had seat left. Since you need to be transferred to an hospital, you’re going on this flight and I’ll fly later.”

  “I’ll miss you.” After just a few short days, she couldn’t imagine ever being without him again.

  He kissed her temple and tucked her hair behind her ear. “It’ll be for a few days at most, darling.”

  “Thanks for everything you did for me.”

  “Darling, you would have done the same. By the way, I talked to Harper…”

  “Oh my God! What did my sister tell you?”

  Harper was the second youngest sister, and as straitlaced and strict as they came. She was nothing like Willow. She wouldn’t even think about kissing a man she wasn’t considering marrying. As far as Angela knew, she’d only had sex with one man in her life. He’d been her fiancé, but he had died in an accident before they could get married.

  Patrick flashed her his crooked grin before he answered, “She told me you’re getting married next month and I better keep my hands off you.”

  “That sounds like her.”

  “And she didn’t believe me when I told her that you had broken up with Jasper.”

  Angela blushed. Oh, God. Jasper didn’t tell them. That is so like him, the jerk. He’s probably hoping to lure me back once I’m home. Then another thought hit her like a train. “Do you believe me?”

  Once again, he took her trembling hands into his and locked eyes with her. “I never doubted once anything you said.”

  How come this man always found the exact rights words to say to her? Despite the stabbing pain in her arm, she felt happy and complete. She longed for him to take her into his powerful arms; she’d stay there forever.

  But then a sudden urge of panic rushed through her. “You sure you want to be w
ith me?”

  Patrick narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief. She tried not to look at him, unwilling to lose her nerve, and quickly continued before he could answer, “I have so many problems to work out before I can even think of starting a new relationship. I need to get back on my feet – healthwise and emotionally. And I need to deal with Jasper and the fact that he hasn’t told anyone and probably hasn’t stopped preparations for the wedding either. And then…”

  He interrupted her with a soft kiss to her lips. “Shh. I want to be there to help you going through all of this.”

  Part of her longed for him to do just that, but the other part, her self-sufficient, independent self needed to do it on her own. “See, I really need to do this on my own. I don’t want to start a new relationship with all that baggage on my shoulder. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

  “Ma’am” – a uniformed attendant interrupted their conversation – “we’re ready to board. If you could get into the wheelchair, we’ll take you on board now.”

  Angela settled herself into the chair and then looked at Patrick one last time, her heart breaking because she had to leave without him. It’s just until you get back on your feet.

  “Can I at least call you once I get back to the States?” he asked her, looking uncertain and slightly disturbed at how things were going. Gosh, she wanted him so much, and at the same time she needed to be sure she wasn’t just using him because she felt alone and weak.

  Before she could formulate an answer, the attendant turned the chair around and she found herself being pushed briskly down the loading ramp and onto the plane. She turned her head and caught his eyes, nodding her head. God, I hope he understood!

  That thought stuck with her on the long flight home, but once she arrived in New York, she was transferred straight to a local hospital where they examined the wounds. They changed her bandages, started her on more antibiotics, and then settled her into a private hospital room.