“I have to find Damien!” Tommy pulled his arm free and bolted toward the demolished stage. All he could think about were the people who had been on it when it collapsed. Although his main concern was for his friend, there were members of the production crew, hostesses, and presenters who were also buried. He couldn’t imagine the emotions their families were going through right now, and his thoughts went to Alyssa. She must be frantic, and his heart hit the floor. If it were Angel or Jessi, he’d lose his mind not knowing if they were OK.
People were shouting instructions, but Tommy just started grabbing whatever lie at his feet and moving it out of the way, hurling huge pieces of wood and steel and throwing them aside as if they were weightless.
Tommy heard a voice shout that they rescued someone, and he quickly looked up to see who it was. It was a man that Tommy didn’t recognize, but he had a huge gash above his eye and his face and shirt were covered in blood. His arm was also hanging at an awkward angle, surely broken or dislocated at the shoulder.
It made Tommy work with a frenzy. The air was heavy with particles, and it clogged his throat. He coughed from the cloud of dust he swallowed, and his eyes stung, but he couldn’t stop. He had no idea if he was going to find Damien, but he had to try. The idea that people were trapped under these heavy boards, with little air, had him lifting alarmingly heavy pieces with ease.
He found something poking through the debris and yanked it free. It was a woman’s high-heeled shoe. She had to be buried right here or close to this spot. He lifted a few more pieces of wood and steel and saw her leg, which made his heart race out of control. “I’m coming!” he shouted, and he heard a whimper in reply. “Over here!” he called to the paramedics who were now on the scene, while he continued to dig through the ruins. “I found someone!”
An arm reached toward him from under the pile of broken boards, and it startled him, but he quickly squeezed the woman’s hand. “Hang on. I’m going to get you out of there. The medics are coming.”
He had to pry her fingers off him, but he needed both hands in order to free her. After he heaved a few more big pieces out of the way, he finally saw her face. It was black with dirt but washed clean where tears streaked from the corners of her eyes. She was gasping for air and crying. She wore a glittery ballgown, once beautiful but now ripped and dull. She looked as if she might have been one of the women who brought out the awards or escorted the talent off the stage.
“Th-thank you,” she stammered, through her sobs.
“Are you OK?”
“My leg. I think it’s broken.”
“Medic!” he shouted again, but they were right there. He stepped out of their way but stayed nearby and watched as they placed her on a backboard and fitted her with a neck brace.
“Wait,” she cried, when they lifted the stretcher. “Is that Tommy Blade who saved me?”
“Yes.” He stepped closer and touched her arm. “I’m right here.”
“You saved my life,” she sobbed. “I have two little girls, and all I kept thinking about while I was buried is that their mother was going to die. I had to hang on for them. They’re everything to me. I can’t thank you enough. You’re a hero.”
Tommy was about to protest, but the medics whisked her away. His thoughts immediately went to his kids and his own mortality. What if he were the one on stage? What would Jessi and Angel do without him? Those thoughts and fears were quickly pushed aside by the thought of not seeing his kids ever again. They’d grow up without him. He would miss their whole lives. His heart ached at the possibility of not being there for them. There were so many things he wanted to do for them. He wanted to see Lucas’ career blossom as a musician and play on stage with his son one day. He wanted to see what path Tessa took, because the girl had a wealth of opportunities ahead of her. He had so much life left to live and so many things to look forward to. He didn’t care where his professional career was headed anymore or if it crashed all together. His family was more important than anything.
The ballroom was filled with emergency personnel, but most of the guests had been cleared from the room. Jessi and Angel weren’t in sight, neither was Alyssa or the rest of their table, and he began to panic. He needed them right now, but he needed to find Damien more. He started digging through the pile of rubbish again with renewed energy and cleared the small area in front of him in minutes. He reached the floor but found nothing, so he moved to a new spot and started hurling chunks of wood and stage equipment out of the way.
“We’re good.” It was a security guard from the Ballroom. “Everyone’s accounted for. The rest is just garbage. Thanks for sticking around to help. I saw you uncover that woman.”
“You found Damien Diamond?” Hope made Tommy’s voice twist into a frenzied screech.
“Yeah. The guy with the blue Mohawk?”
“Yeah. Is he OK?”
“Just minor cuts and scrapes. The EMT’s took him out while you were freeing that woman.
All the air left Tommy’s lungs in one breath, relieved that Damien was OK. “Was anyone seriously hurt?” Tommy surveyed the ballroom. One corner was set up as a triage where EMT’s were assessing injuries. The rest was chaos.
“A few head injuries and some minor broken extremities, but nothing that looked too serious,” the security guard replied. “It’s a miracle no one was killed. I was standing right next to the stage when it went down. I thought it was an explosion.” He held out his hand. “Thanks again.”
Tommy tried to steady his trembling limbs as he shook the guy’s hand, but he was too riled up. He felt as if a geyser were running through the center of his chest, and he could hear his blood whooshing in his ears. He stood still in a room filled with activity and felt invisible as people moved around him. Thoughts of Jessi and Angel invaded his head, and he bolted from the room.
The lobby was filled with people and a few news cameras, and a microphone was thrust in front of Tommy’s face. “Mr. Blade, I just saw you leave the ball—”
“Get out of my way!” Tommy pushed past the journalist and began calling for Angel and Jessi. He couldn’t find them or anyone he recognized and ran for the exit, dodging the press and the flurry of people in the lobby. Outside wasn’t much better. Ambulances and news vans dominated the front of the hotel, and it was a wall of people. Police had set up barricades, but it looked as if everyone who had been at the awards ceremony was now in the parking lot of the hotel. “Jessi! Angel!” he shouted, while searching the faces around him.
“Tommy!”
His heart sped up at the sound of Jessi’s voice. He didn’t see her among the array of faces surrounding him, so he just called back, “Over here! Where are you?” And then he saw a whisp of hot pink hair move in the crowd.
He pushed through people, probably a little too roughly, to get closer to her, calling her name the entire time. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him so tightly he could barely breathe. He held her just as securely. Then another set of arms squeezed the both of them together. Angel.
“Are you all right, mi amor? We were so worried when we couldn’t reach you.”
