"Oh, hell no, we aren't playing that game. Get yourself up and push through it. We're almost to the landing. We can get downstairs from there. I know it."
"What if the stairs collapse?"
"No what ifs. Come on." Gina prodded Olga.
Whimpering with pain, Olga got back on her hands and knees and this time, with Gina in the lead, Olga held on to her shirt and crawled behind her.
When they got to the landing, Gina stood and leaned over the railing while Olga caught her breath.
"Can you hear that?" Gina asked.
"What?"
"I may be hallucinating, but I swear I hear someone calling us. Do you hear it?"
Olga tried to stand and Gina helped her to her feet. Knees weak, Olga leaned hard on the bannister and craned her neck to listen. Faintly, she could hear voices.
"I do hear something. I do."
They both started yelling, "We're here! We're here!"
Gina moved down a few stairs and screamed again. She looked up at Olga and held her hand up.
"What?" Olga asked. She coughed several times and winced at the pain in her back from the movement.
"Duck down so you can breathe better and be still. You're hurt bad. I'll go further and see who's calling us."
"Don't leave me. I'm afraid if we get separated, we'll never find each other again. Stay here. They'll find us." Olga wasn't sure at all about anyone finding them but she knew in her gut that if she let Gina out of her sight, it wouldn't turn out well.
"Let me take two seconds and go further. I'll keep talking and when you can't hear me, call out and I'll come straight back."
"No. No." Olga shook her head but Gina ignored her and moved away.
Gina continued to walk away from Olga, yelling help as she went.
The tears streamed down Olga's face as she watched her friend disappear into the smoke. She sat on the closest stair and leaned her head against the wall, ready to die in the inferno. She could still hear Gina but she had no hope.
Olga sat for what seemed like hours, her skin felt raw and the stress of the pain made her light-headed and dizzy. The nausea threatened to overcome her.
When she heard Gabe's voice saying her name, she knew she was close to death. At least I'll die thinking about someone I love. It could be worse.
"Olga. Olga. Are you awake?" Gabe's asked.
"Umm, hmm." Olga answered in a daze. He sure did sound real.
"Talk to me, baby, talk to me."
Someone tapped her face lightly. Strange how the hallucination seemed to be real.
"Olga. Olga." This time it was Gina's voice. "Open your eyes, love. Now. Look at me."
She forced herself to obey. She saw Gina, Gabe and Martin in front of her. They were all leaning down and peering at her. She laughed a bit hysterically and said, "Gee, it's not so bad to die. It even looks like Gabe can see me now."
When she finished the sentence, she was stunned to be scooped up and put across Gabe's shoulder. She screamed as soon as he touched her back.
"Damn, Gina. Why didn't you tell me she was burned? I'd have been more gentle."
Olga hung across Gabe's shoulders in what she'd heard called a fireman's hold. She patted him on the side. "It's okay. I'm dying. It'll be all right."
"You are not dying. We're really here. We're taking you out of here. Now." Gabe reached out to Martin. "Lead us out. We need to hurry. This place is not going to last much longer. I hear creaking in the ceiling and I'm afraid we really need to get moving. Put my wet shirt over Olga's face."
Olga, still in a fog, said, "Martin, what's with all the blood? You're covered in it."
"I got hit. It's nothing. Let's go." He moved ahead of Gabe and the four of them started down the staircase.
Before they got to the door to exit the building, Martin slumped to the floor. Gabe ran into him as he gave no warning that he was stopping.
"What the hell, Martin?" Gabe asked as Olga slid halfway off his shoulder.
"I can't go on. The door's right ahead of me, a few yards. I've lost too much blood, mate. Go on. We've gotten this far and I helped you save your girl this time. Be happy. I'm content. We've made our friendship strong again and I can let go now. I've been holding on but I think I'm a goner."
"No. You're not. Get up." Gina pulled at Martin's arm. "Get up. It's not far now. There will be an ambulance. Come on."
"No. I can't hold you all back." Martin stared up at Gabe. "If you can get a team in here to get me before I bleed out, I want you to have them put me on life support until they can harvest my retinas. This is my dying wish. I want you to have my retinas."
"I won't leave you to die. I'm going to take Olga outside and I'll be back for you. Hold on." Gabe adjusted his hold on Olga. "Gina. Lead me out as fast as you can and then bring me back to Martin." To Martin he said, "Why didn't you tell me you were hit that bad?"
"I couldn't bear to let you down again."
"Good God, man. You should've gotten in an ambulance as soon as you were hit."
"But then we wouldn't have rescued your love. Go." Martin waved his hand weakly even though Gabe couldn't see it.
Gina took hold of Gabe's arm. "Come on. We need to move her and then get back in here for Martin." She led Gabe outside where he placed Olga on the ground on her side.
"We'll be back in a second, baby. Hold on and don't roll onto your back."
Olga sucked in deep breaths of fresh air. Well, sort of fresh air as there was a distinct smell of smoke in the wind.
She looked over to the side of the building and let out a sigh as she noticed a couple of ambulances pulling into the yard. A horrific sound made her whip her head back in the direction that Gabe and Gina had disappeared.
She watched in horror as the building caved in from the top and descended almost in slow motion.
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Love grows with obstacles."
German Proverb
Olga woke in the hospital. Momentarily confused as she seemed to be facing a tile floor, it took her almost a full moment for it all to come flooding back to her. She cried out, not in pain because of her back but because of the immense losses she'd suffered in the last day. She sobbed. Her tears fell unchecked onto the floor.
White shoes appeared under the bed. A soft female voice asked, "Are you in pain? Do you need some more morphine?"
"No. What's happening? Why am I upside down?"
"You've been burnt and we've had to abrade your back. It's quite raw and it would be impossible for you to lie on it. You're on a special bed that rotates. It will keep the wounds from festering and hurting you more. It would be much worse for you to be on your back."
"Has anyone called my family? Do you know if they're on the way from the States?"
I'm sorry I don't, but there was someone in the waiting room for you earlier. You've been out for a couple of days. The doctor thought it would be better for you to keep you fully sedated while the burns healed a little. Do you want me to see if I can find the visitor who was here?"
"How many days?"
"A few. I think four. I can look at your chart if you want."
"No. It's not important. Do you know anything about my friends? The ones in the fire?"
"Sorry, love, I don't." The nurse patted Olga's foot. "Let me go find someone for you."
"Thanks." As soon as she could tell the woman was gone, Olga sobbed again. She decided she'd move back home as soon as she could get out of the hospital and was able to travel. The great England move was a dismal failure. Running from the accident in Houston had only made things worse. Now she was responsible for three more deaths since they'd all sacrificed themselves so she could live. How was she going to earn that? It was too much.
"Look here, Miss Quinn, I found your friend." The same nurse's voice from before called out as she came into the room.
"I can't very well look from this angle. Who is it?"
"I'll leave you alone now. Have a nice visit."
Olga heard t
he door close.
She asked again, "Who's here?"
No response for a second until a male body slid under the bed. "Hello, baby. How are you feeling?"
Olga's tears came faster. This time they were tears of relief. "Oh, God, Gabe, how did you get out? I thought you were dead. What about Gina? Did Martin live? How did--"
"Hang on, hang on. Take it slow. We're all okay. We all made it." Gabe reached up and rested a palm on her cheek.
She turned her head and kissed the inside of his hand.
"I'm so sorry this all happened to you. I know it has to hurt a lot. Burns are no fun." He ran the back of his thumb up and down her jaw.
"Tell me how you got out. I saw that building crash to the ground. There's no way you could have survived."
"I hate to tell you, I did. Gina did and even Martin did. He had to have a major transfusion but he's alive to tell the tale."
"How? How?"
"I realized very fast once we got back to Martin that there was no way we could get out the same way we went in. Gina and I grabbed him between us and, with me doing most of the lifting, she led us out a door on the corner further away from the door we took you out of. We got out at the split second that the whole thing started to cave. There was an ambulance on that side and they whisked Martin away. Gina had to get checked for smoke inhalation, too."
"What about you?"
"I sat in one of the fire trucks with some of my old mates and sucked on some portable oxygen they had. When the fire was out, I caught a ride here and I've only been home once to take a shower since you've been here."
"Why?"
"Because I smelled like smoke and I had Martin's blood on me." He smiled.
"No, silly. I didn't mean why did you go take a shower. I meant why have you been here all this time?"
"You mean you don't know?"
She shook her head.
"I love you. I think I've loved you since that first moment in the club when you were so obnoxious to me."
"Me? I was obnoxious? Funny. I don't remember it quite that way." Afraid to address the statement that he loved her, she chose to joke instead.
It didn't seem he was going to let her off so easily. "Olga. Did you hear what I said?"
She nodded.
"Do you have anything to say to me?"
"Gabe. I do, but I'm not quite sure being in a hospital hanging upside down with the man I love lying on the floor under my bed is the time and place for me to avow true love."
"But didn't you do exactly that with that statement?" He grinned.
"You got me. I guess I did." She laughed, "But I still don't think it's appropriate."
Gabe put his hands up and cupped her face. He planted a light kiss on her lips. "Tell you what, as soon as you're out of this crappy joint, I'll whisk you away to the Dorchester and we'll declare our undying passion for each other in the Presidential Suite."
"I'd rather you take me home. To your flat."
"What? No Dorchester? You're a cheap date." He let his hands drop from her face and lay back flat on the floor.
"I may be cheap, but I'm not easy, mister." She giggled, knowing she was indeed easy when it came to him and her desire for him.
"We'll see about that once we can break out of here."
"How's Martin?"
"He's doing all right. He'll be here a few more days but I predict you'll both be home around the same time."
"Did they catch that guy who took me and Gina?"
"They got the one who shot Martin. Detective Inspector Carlyle has been questioning him for days to try to find the accomplices. They know there was more than one of them since the guy has let some stuff slip out."
"But why? Any clue why?"
"Not yet. Hopefully, soon. They're trying to get him to agree to testify and give up his mates in exchange for a lighter sentence."
She gasped. "He left us to die. He set fire to the building to kill us. Why offer him a deal?"
"They sometimes have to do that, you know. There are three dead girls and no one knows why they're dead and you and Gina aren't. It's strange. The others were killed right away and they held Gina for days. It doesn't make sense."
"You're right, but I'm grateful that they did."
"Me, too and I need to call her to let her know you're awake. She was here earlier but went in to work since she's trying to make sure everything you were assigned to gets done on time for the test launch."
"Oh, God, the test launch. I'm in so much trouble."
"No. It's fine. She's got you covered."
"But she was in the same situation as I was. She needs some time off to recover, too."
"She only had smoke inhalation. She's fine."
"I guess she is since she's at the lab."
"Sorry to interrupt," the same nurse was back again. "We have to let the patient rest now. I really am sorry because I know you've been waiting to see her but she has to rest."
Gabe pulled up and pecked Olga on the lips again. "I'll be back later, darling."
"Bring Gina."
"I will." Gabe slid out from under the bed. Before he left, he gently touched the back of Olga's head. "Love you, baby."
Tears gathered in her eyes again. "Love you, too, Gabe."
*****
Three days later, both Martin and Olga were released from the hospital. Gina had visited Martin several times while he was in intensive care and agreed to take him home with her to take care of him while he recuperated. It made Olga happy to see Gina with a purpose and Martin with someone who was such a great person. She wasn't sure where the relationship was headed but it couldn't hurt that they made a connection.
Gina drove Martin's car to the hospital to retrieve the patients after picking up Gabe on the way. The two invalids settled in the back seat and Gina drove toward Gabe's flat.
"You two all right back there?" Gina glanced into the rear view mirror as she pulled away from the curb.
"Fine. It's a little weird having all these bandage layers on my back, though. It almost feels like I have a pillow I'm leaning on."
"You think you have it bad, try having your wing in a sling," Martin said.
"Ah, so, that's how it's going to be, is it?" asked Gabe.
"What?" Martin laughed, "You don't like us comparing wounds?"
"It's not that, I just know you, and the next thing I expect to come out of your mouth is the whole woe is me routine. Hit up on all the pretty ladies for sympathy, why don't you?"
"You know when we were lads that you always got the girl. I need all the sympathy I can get when you're in the room, Gabe." Martin winked at Olga.
"Sorry, Martin, but I have to say that Gabe is the handsomest man in this car. In my opinion, that is." Olga laughed.
Gina glanced over her shoulder at Martin "I think you're adorable, myself."
"I didn't say he wasn't, Gina, I merely stated my preference. Of the choices in this car, I have to pick Gabe."
"I'm not going to say I'm hurt over it, Olga, because my preference over the women in the car is Gina. Now, I know, I know, you're gorgeous and all that, but I'm intimidated by all that beauty and brains in one package, so I'm going to leave you to my comrade," Martin said.
At the same time Gabe said, "Good thing, too." Gina said, "I'm not too sure that's a compliment to me."
"Darn, I sure blew that, didn't I?" Martin reached over the seat and tapped Gabe on the head. "Help me out here, mate."
"No way, you're going to have to dig yourself out of that mess."
"Look, here we are at Gabe's place," Olga said. "You two are going to have to fight this one out without us. We're leaving."
"I'll call you later and let you know who wins," Gina pulled up beside the building for Olga and Gabe to get out.
"Take care of yourself." Olga leaned over and kissed Martin on the cheek before she slid across the seat. Once out of the car, she poked her head back in. "And thanks again for helping save my life."
"It was nothing. Glad to help
."
"It was way more than nothing, you dolt. You almost sacrificed yourself for a stranger. It was heroic."
"You'd have done the same for me. I'm sure of it."
"Well, I'm going to thank you, anyway. Take care of the wing and we'll see you soon. Get some rest."
"You, too"
Olga shut the door and waved as Gina drove away with Martin still in the back seat. Once they were gone, she took hold of Gabe's arm.
"I thought they'd never leave." Gabe laughed as he pulled her into his arms gently and kissed her.
"Let's get upstairs. I want to be alone with you. I miss you and want to make out like crazy."
"Let's go then," Gabe said.
Before they could move, a limousine pulled in right beside them. Olga could see the driver and the passenger since the windows weren't tinted. "Uh, oh, it's your father."
"What the hell? Did he have us followed? How would he know we were here?"
"I'm sure you're going to get your chance to ask him. Here he comes." Olga gripped Gabe's forearm. Whether she did it to give him strength, her strength, or to prevent him from punching something, she couldn't tell.
"I need to talk to you, son." Gabe's father stopped in front of them.
"Sorry, Pops, no time. Olga was recently released from the hospital and she needs to rest. I'll talk to you later." Gabe turned her toward the flats. "Come on, darling."
"It's not your friend I want to speak to. It's you."
"Meaning no disrespect, sir, even though you've disrespected me my whole life, but I really don't care what you have to say. I'm taking Olga upstairs. Alone. I suggest you get back in your car and have your driver take you back where you came from."
Olga gasped. She had a feeling that he'd never been this outspoken with his father before and she wasn't sure how the older man would react.
"How dare you speak to me that way, young man." Gabe's father glared at Olga. "I presume this is your influence on my son and I don't like it one bit. Or you, for that matter."
"She's the best influence I've ever had and I don't care if you don't like it. I'm going to spend my life with her. So get used to it." Gabe squeezed her arm. "Come on, darling."
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