Merry Christmas, Paige (12 page)

His feet slid from beneath him as he tried to stand. Instead, he ended up rolling down several of the stone steps. Sharp rock bit into his rib cage, ripping at his flesh. Pain splintered in all directions, but it didn’t slow his descent. When he found his footing, he ran down the remainder of the stairs.

Where was she?

The devastation around him was hard to comprehend. He threw himself down on the beach and began to claw through the debris and mud. Frantically, he searched for Paige. Each time he came up empty-handed his heart sank a little deeper. He had to find her.

His fingers circled something and he yanked, only to dislodge a branch. He tossed it aside and dug harder, faster. His heart beat out of control when he grasped something slippery. It was her arm. He was sure of it. Using his other hand, he doubled his hold and pulled with all his might, but there was no give. Blinded by tears he hadn’t realized he wept, he continued to paw at the goo until he had her head and upper body uncovered. Her eyes were closed. She wasn’t moving.

The cry he heard was his own.

He looped his arms beneath her armpits, and with a powerful tug he tore her free. The strength and momentum tossed them both backwards. She landed hard against his chest.

“Paige,” he said breathlessly.

She didn’t respond.

He fought to find a pulse, but it was useless with the mud caking her naked body. Without delay, he rolled her off him and got to his feet, before picking her up and carrying her to the ocean.

Water splashed against his ankles as he waded deeper. Submerging them both in the cool waters, he worked to dislodge the mud from her face, mouth and nostrils. Even when he had cleared her airways, she was nonresponsive to his endeavors. He looked at her motionless chest, before leaning close to her mouth in an attempt to feel her breath.

Nothing. Her head wobbled listlessly as the angry waves beat against her lifeless body.

“God no,” he cried out. He couldn’t live without her. “Breathe.”

With two fingers to her throat, he felt for a pulse. Nothing. God, please help him. He had never felt for a pulse. Hell he didn’t even know if he was in the right place. He tried again, still receiving no heartbeat. “Paige, please.” His chest squeezed. He couldn’t lose her again, not like this.

He ran toward the beach and laid her flat on her back, before falling to his knees. Hands shaking, he felt for a pulse once again.

Nothing.

One hand over the other, he placed them in the middle of her chest and started to bear down when he felt her chest rise beneath his touch. Her lips parted and she inhaled, crying out.

The sting of tears burned his eyes. His laughter was one of joy, short-lived when he pulled her into his arms. The painful scream she released made him loosen his grip.

“Hurt,” she croaked.

He glanced up at the partially washed-away stone stairway. There was no way he could carry her up there, much less make it himself. “Shit.” What the hell was he to do? Why hadn’t he thought to grab his cell phone?

The lights of another cottage about a half a mile down the beach caught his eyes.

“Baby, I need to get help.” If she had broken ribs or internal bleeding, carrying her might aggravate her wounds. The truth was he could move faster if he left her behind, although the thought didn’t sit well with him. Still, he had no other choice. “Rest here. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He didn’t wait for a response before jumping to his feet and breaking into a full run. Somewhere down the stairs or in the ocean he had lost a sandal. He paused briefly to remove the other shoe as it hindered his speed. Barefoot, he continued.

The rock shelf leading to the cottage was slick. Several times he slipped, barely righting his balance before he took another step. Thankfully, the side of the mountain to this cottage was hardly disturbed from the excessive rain. As he topped the cliff, his thighs burned and so did his lungs, but it didn’t slow his pace. Relentlessly he continued, heading for the staircase that led to the balcony. He didn’t stop until he was standing before the sliding glass doors.

He peered in. A couple snuggling on the couch startled when he pounded on the glass.

A man dressed in only pajama bottoms stood and moved angrily toward Nathan. “What the hell do you want?” A petite dark-haired woman eased behind him.

“9-1-1,” Nathan breathed. “Mudslide. Need help.”

The man opened the glass doors as the woman went straight to the telephone.

Nathan bent over, sucking air into his lungs. “Half a mile…” he pulled in another breath, “…down the beach. Hurry.”

The man started to speak, but Nathan had already spun around, heading down the wrought-iron stairs once again. His feet flew across the stone shelves. Each second that passed he prayed for Paige. She had to be okay. Mud squished between his toes as he stepped upon the beach and hit a full run.

Her shadowy form lay on the sand, waves caressing her feet. She hadn’t moved. Naked and draped in moonlight, she looked like she had washed up on the beach. The scene sent shivers up his spine.

Alive
, whispered through his mind. She had to be alive.

Out of breath and drenched with sweat when he arrived, Nathan could see that her eyes were closed. Fear squeezed his chest. When he stood before her, he dropped to his knees. “Paige.” She didn’t stir, so he repeated her name. He could detect no signs of breathing.

He reached out and noticed that his hand trembled. Her skin was clammy as he touched her and gave her a gentle shake.

She moaned softly. Her eyelids fluttered, but didn’t open.

If only he hadn’t sent her away. Guilt flooded his senses. His arms ached to hold her, but if she had injuries he wasn’t aware of he could do more damage. Quickly, he pulled his T-shirt over his head and laid it across her exposed body. The garment was wet, but at least it would give her some semblance of decency when help arrived. Then he gathered her hand in his and waited.

Chapter Twelve

The scent of antiseptic hung heavy in the air while the ocean roared in Paige’s head. That couldn’t be right. She struggled to discern the two conflicting impressions, but her mind felt foggy, disconnected. She attempted to raise her eyelids, but they seemed glued together. Even the breath she inhaled fought against her and stung her lungs. Not to mention it hurt like hell. Anxiety crawled across her skin, making her aware of the bindings surrounding her.

She whimpered, icy fear taking a hold of her.

Trapped.

No. She had been trapped. Where? When? The memory seemed so close to her fingertips, but lay just out of her reach. Either way, she knew she had to get out of there or she would die.

“Try to remain calm, Dr. Weston.” The tender words cut through the loud, hollow sound surrounding her, but not the terror that surged through her veins.

She couldn’t move. So cold. The shiver that shook her made her teeth rattle. “Help me.” Her mouth opened, but the scratchy, unrecognizable voice that emerged wasn’t hers. She cried out again.

“You’re safe, Dr. Weston. Please hold still. The test will be through in another minute or so.”

“Test?” No. That couldn’t be right. “Help me.” She pried her eyes open but still couldn’t see a thing.

“Do you know where you are, Dr. Weston?”

“Trapped.” Her pulse felt like it would leap from her chest. “Dying.”

“Oh, honey.” Sympathy and concern softened the woman’s tone. “You’re neither trapped nor dying. You’re at Wilcox Memorial.”

“Hospital?” She choked. Her throat ached, felt swollen. The weight on her chest made it hard to inhale, or was she hyperventilating? Each breath was rapid and ragged.

“Yes. I’m performing an MRI on you. Now if you will remain still, the test will be done shortly and then we can chat.”

She was in a magnetic resonance imager? Why?

The knowledge she was in a hospital helped to put her at ease, at least a little. Now if she could only patch her scattered memories together that lay in fragments in her mind. For some damn reason evil laughter and a child’s tears popped into the dark recesses of her head, followed by Nathan’s handsome face. When she felt a jolt, the image faded almost as quickly as it had materialized. Her heartbeat picked up speed as the hard surface beneath her shifted. A squeal left her trembling lips.

Oh God. It was happening again.

Her fingers curled into fists, but she felt helpless, unable to move.

“I’m right here,” the woman said. Her touch was gentle and warm on Paige’s arm.

“What’s going on? I can’t move or see.” If only she could sit up and look around, maybe this feeling of dread would go away.

“You have salve in your eyes. The mud scratched them up pretty badly.”

“Mud?”

“Do you remember being in a mudslide?” the woman asked.

Paige’s head hurt as if a whirlwind swept through, stirring up pieces of her memory and throwing them together. “No. Yes.”

Sylvia had called. Nathan wasn’t coming, but he did, or had she just imagined it?

“What are my injuries?” Even as she asked the question she wondered if her remembrance of Nathan was real, and if so why he wasn’t here with her now.

The woman chuckled. “Just like a doctor.” She patted Paige’s arm. “Let me get you back to a room. Your young man has been as crotchety as an old bear to see you. I had to literally throw him out while I performed the test. Dr. Waters should be in shortly and he’ll discuss his findings.”

It wasn’t a dream. Nathan had been at the cottage and was here. Did he come to say goodbye? A pang in her forehead stole the place of the thought. She fought the pressure that felt like her head was wedged in a vise. Additional voices rose in the room. She froze when something or someone raised the hard surface she laid on into the air. As her body floated sideways and then was lowered, a tight cry pushed from her trembling lips. She recognized the fresh smell of clean sheets that were pulled up around her. Then something warm, a blanket, was placed over her body. Wheels creaked. The bed she must be lying on began to move. A door opened and the sound of pounding footsteps approached.

“Thank God.” Tension deepened Nathan’s voice. “Baby, are you okay?” He touched her hand and moisture bloomed behind her closed eyelids.

She choked on the tears barreling to the surface, but didn’t let them fall. She managed a simple, “Yes,” even though she wasn’t sure. She still couldn’t move or see. It hurt to breathe. There was no doubt in her mind that she had a broken rib or at least a couple bruised ones. And Nathan was beside her.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” He held her hand as someone pushed the bed down the hall.

She didn’t know how to respond or feel.

He raised her palm to his mouth, and she felt his lips, warm and moist, against her wrist. “You scared me to death. Why didn’t you answer the phone? Why did you try to go down to the beach in the rain?”

“Why?” Her voice pitched as the hold she had on her control began to crumble. “Sylvia called—”

“What?” Anger bled through his single word.

Paige swallowed the emotion tightening her throat. “She said you weren’t coming.” She licked her dry, chapped lips. “I thought I heard you in the b-background.” Tears slid down her cheeks, a couple nestled in her ears. The bed swayed, turning one way while her mind went another. Nausea built in her stomach. She fought the sensation.

Nathan remained quiet until the motion of the bed stopped and the door creaked closed. “Damn her. I’m so sorry. That bitch left without telling Cami goodbye. I couldn’t leave, not until I had her calmed down.” He paused before adding, “I can’t believe she called you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Paige heard herself say as she attempted to pull herself together.

“It matters to me. She swore to make my life a living hell and she almost succeeded.” He grew quiet. “When the mud swept you away, I thought for sure that I’d lost you.”

Nathan had screamed her name, Paige remembered now. Then there was nothing else until she woke up during the MRI test. Maybe it was her way of blocking out the devastation of the event. Maybe she couldn’t bear him saying goodbye.

“What time is it?” she asked, wanting to vanquish the dreaded thought from her mind.

“Seven in the morning,” he responded.

The door creaked again and she pried her eyelids open. Blinking, she made out two shadowy forms coming through the doorway.

“Nathan,” Dr. Waters said. “How is our patient doing?”

“I’m in one piece, or at least I think I am. Why can’t I move? What’s the damage to my eyes?”

“Easy does it, young lady.” Dr. Waters chuckled. “No internal bleeding or broken bones, but you have a nasty bruise on the left side of your rib cage.” As he continued, the nurse began to undo the brace around her neck. “You ingested some mud and water. I’d suspect that you’re having trouble breathing and have a nasty sore throat.” Velcro ripped apart as the nurse undid her wrists and knees. “Antibiotics have been started in case of infection. You have some cuts from debris that had to be stitched. Let’s roll her to the side and get the uncomfortable board from beneath her.” The two of them manually wielded her on her side and extracted the spinal board.

“What about my eyes?” She couldn’t bear to lose her sight. Her career would be over. Eased onto her back, she flinched as someone wiped a dry cloth over her eyes. She blinked again. Dr. Waters’ face was still blurry, but at least she could make out some of his features. She gave up trying to recognize the nurse beside him.

“Your eyes are scratched and agitated, but should heal without a problem as long as we keep the infection under control. Now, let’s talk about your state of mind.”

“My state of mind?” What the hell was he talking about?

“I spoke to Connie in x-ray.”

Oh shit.

“What happened?” Nathan asked.

“Nothing,” Paige assured him. She had been confused, that’s all.

Dr. Waters frowned. “We’ll talk about it later. What I’d like to do is keep you overnight for observation.”

“It isn’t necessary. I just want to go home.” But she didn’t have a home to go to, not here on Kauai. She fought tears that threatened to fall.

“She’ll stay put and won’t fight you.” The no-argument tone in Nathan’s voice irritated her, until he added, “I want her in top shape for Christmas on Lotus Point.”

He was taking her to his parents’ island for Christmas? That meant that he had chosen her over Sylvia, but what about Cami? What would his daughter think? Say?

“I can’t promise she’ll be in top shape. Rest and sleep is what she needs now.” Dr. Waters patted her on the hand. “No turkey or ham, maybe some mashed potatoes and gravy. Better yet, a liquid diet would probably suffice. I’ve ordered you something to help you sleep.”

The nurse quietly left the room.

Paige started to decline the medicine, when Nathan said, “Whatever you think is necessary.” She scowled at him. His smile was so heartfelt she didn’t comment any further. Besides, she knew sleep was best for her.

“I’ll check in later. If I don’t get home now my wife and grandchildren will skin me alive. The kids are climbing the walls. It’s tradition in our family to open one present on Christmas Eve.” Dr. Waters shook Nathan’s hand before he turned to leave.

Nathan leaned over the bed and kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I’m so thankful you’re okay.”

She loved the way he unconsciously drew circles atop her hand. “Was anyone else hurt?”

“No.” He took a seat in the chair next to the bed. “While you were x-rayed and tested, I contacted the hotel’s nightshift to be sure. They’ll contact a local engineering company sometime today for an emergency survey of each cottage with a rock shelf.”

A surveyor on Christmas day would probably cost him an arm and a leg, but a lawsuit would be even more expensive.

“When the ground firms, the steps will be reinforced throughout. Mudslides after this amount of rain are always a possibility, so I would suspect beach patrol will be posting signs. At the hotel, each guest will be contacted personally of the potential danger.” As he raised his arm, threading his fingers through his hair, she noted that he was wearing a pair of green scrubs. “I can’t believe this happened.”

“It’s over and I’m okay.” She tried to reassure him.

“I could have lost you.”

“But you didn’t.”

Sylvia had lied. Even Cami’s unhappiness hadn’t changed the fact that he wanted Paige, and the knowledge filled her with a peace she couldn’t remember having in a long time.

The nurse returned. She smiled at both of them as she swathed the vee in the IV tube with an alcohol pad, before sticking a hypodermic needle into the opening. “You should feel the effects of the medicine shortly.” She slipped a blood pressure cuff around Paige’s arm. The machine made a humming sound and the cuff began to tighten.

Paige’s eyelids felt heavy. She closed her eyes as the nurse finished taking her vitals. “How is Cami?” A thermometer was shoved into her mouth, silencing her.

“She and Janis will swing by here before leaving for the island. I need to talk to her. Make her understand why I won’t be spending the day with them.”

The nurse extracted the thermometer, and Paige forced her eyelids open. “You don’t have to stay with me. I’ll be okay.”

“I want to be here when you fall asleep and wake up.”

“That’s kind of you, but—”

“Don’t argue with me,” he said firmly.

The nurse typed a few things into a computer and then she slipped out the door, closing it softly behind her.

Paige lost her battle when her eyelids slid closed again. “What about their safety? The ocean?”

“Except for a few lingering clouds, the newscaster said the storm is over.”

“Thank God,” she breathed, drifting into slumber.

For the longest time Nathan watched the gentle rise and fall of Paige’s chest as she slept. Even though the doctor had said she’d be all right, he didn’t feel right leaving her. Her face remained pale. Damn. Her bloodshot eyes had looked horrible. She had bruises all over her body. He cursed when he saw the stitches on her right forearm and knew there was a matching set on her left knee.

Sonofabitch. He should have been with her. He should have called her immediately after Sylvia left and all of this could have been avoided.

Damn that woman. He could only imagine what the witch said to Paige. Clearly his ex planned to make good on her threat. Of course, the man Paige heard in the background was probably one of Sylvia’s many boyfriends. She adored attention and sought it wherever she could.

A light knock on the door turned his head. Cami peeked in, and he waved her and Janis in. His daughter crawled into his lap. Her troubled gaze was pinned on Paige. Janis remained near the door.

“Is she dead?” Cami asked.

“No, honey. She’s sleeping.”

“She looks dead.”

He could see how a four-year-old would think that given the condition Paige was in. “Cami, I know this is hard for you to understand, but Paige is going to be a part of our lives from now on. I’m going to marry her. She’ll be living with us.”

Her bottom lip protruded. “I want Mommy,” she whimpered. Tears misted her blue eyes.

“I know, and you’ll always have your mommy. You’ll also have Paige. Remember she fixed your foot? You liked her then, didn’t you?”

Cami’s troubled expression was heartbreaking. “Yes, but I want Mommy.”

He didn’t need to belabor the point. In time Cami would come to love Paige. His only hope was that Sylvia would someday be the mother Cami wanted and needed. “Janis and you are going to Papa’s and Nana’s house. I’ll join you tomorrow. Okay?”

She cocked her head. “Do I get to open my presents?”

It was amazing how quickly a child’s attention could go from one thing to another. Remembering the tradition that Dr. Waters observed, Nathan said, “You can open one tonight. But you have to wait on the others until Paige and I arrive Christmas morning. Is that a deal?”

She sat straight up in his lap. “Two,” she blurted. “Two presents.”

“One,” he said, but crumbled like a week-old Christmas cookie when she pushed out that bottom lip again. “Okay, two, but no more than that.” She started to climb off his lap, and he swatted her butt playfully.