Chase and Kassie took Lizzy and the boys home, where Maddie, Joe, Carol, and Jake waited to care for them, allowing Lizzy to go to the children’s hospital. Scarlett refused to leave. It felt like a punch to the gut. Her whole body remained frozen as she went over every step she took, trying to figure out what she might have done differently to save her friend.
Ty sat beside her, pulling the blanket tighter around herand pushing a cup of coffee into her hand. “Why don’t you let me take you back to the hospital? There’s nothing more we can do here,” he said quietly. “Kassie temporarily wrapped your hand and arm. She’ll want to recheck them.”
“I don’t understand. I gave her the baby and told her I’d get the kids. When did she come back inside? I never heard her,” she murmured.
“Barb told the firemen Debbie handed Beth to her and raced back upstairs to help you. We think she got turned around with all the smoke,” he told her gently.
“Or she didn’t think I’d reach them. It’s not like I could see where I was going,” she choked back.
“Hey. You saved four kids. You have nothing to feel guilty about,” he said, rubbing her back. “Everyone heard her last words thanking you for getting her grandchildren out of here. If you hadn’t noticed the smoke, we might be having funerals for Edie, Barb, and all those babies.”
“Poor Barb and Edie. They’re a mess,” she said, wincing when she moved her arm. Blisters covered her hand from holding on to the hot railing. Funny how she didn’t notice how close the fire must’ve raged to cause the metal to grow so hot.
“Saint and Bryanna will ensure they’re cared for,” he assured her. “Bryanna will have to rebuild again. My heart goes out to all of them.”
“Again?” she asked, turning her face toward him.
“Yeah. When she moved here, Saint’s ex-wife broke in and vandalized the place. He surprised her and invested in new booths and tables for the place. Kassie covered the display cases. Everyone loved coming there for their morning coffee and a pastry. The school moms stopped in once they dropped their kids off, and the seniors gathered for something to do.”
“We’re talking about their losses, what about yours?” she asked.
“The wall between the community center and mine sustained some damage and there’s a ton of smoke damage. We won’t know how bad until they inspect it. I’ll be closed for a bit,” he informed her.
“I’m sorry, Ty,” she said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.
“Don’t cry,” he murmured. “Debbie can’t be replaced. Material things can always be replaced. Right now, I bet Saint and Bryanna haven’t given the bakery much thought. They’re thanking their lucky stars Edie and Barb made it out.”
“She was nice to me,” Scarlett whispered. “Debbie never gave my blindness a second thought. Yesterday morning, I felt a bit sorry for myself and grabbed a donut from the bakery before heading over to the community center to help them with the inventory. She told me about her daughter, Diana. How can someone who suffered such a tragedy die in such horrific circumstances?”
Ty sighed. “We’ll never know the answers. Debbie made an impact on everyone she met. Yes, Caleb and Faith were her grandchildren by Diana. But she meant something to all the kids on the mountain and loved Lizzy and Michael’s two adopted kids like her own.”
Scarlett sniffed.
“Let’s take you home. They’ll contact Chase when they find her. One of Leo’s men stayed behind to help in case someone got injured. It may take a day or two, and if Debbie were here, she’d scold me something good for leaving you cold and in pain, sitting on the curb.”
Scarlett reached for Ice, and Ty helped her to stand. “Thank you, I’m sure one of the veterans can take me back.”
“Unless you have an aversion to riding with me, I prefer to take you and get those burns examined,”Ty said firmly.
Knowing he didn’t plan on letting it go, she nodded and gave Ice a command. The stench of smoke and charred furniture filled the air, making her miss the fresh, clean scent from the mountain. Yet, it matched her heart. Debbie did nothing to deserve this, and Scarlett refused to let her killer stay on the loose while the community mourned their grandmother and their friend.
When they arrived at the ER, Sledge nearly knocked her over as he embraced her.
“Be careful,” Ty growled. “She suffered some burns.”
Sledge immediately pulled Scarlett back from him, assessing her.
“I’m all right,” she assured him. “I didn’t feel it until a little bit ago.”
“Kim and I slept in, and we didn’t hear the news until we went to the hospital for breakfast before she left. If I knew you were involved, I would’ve come down immediately,” Sledge said, stressing about her.
“You didn’t need to. Ice hasn’t left my side, and Kassie already saw me,” she explained. “Plus, there’s nothing you could do.”
“What can I do for you?” Sledge asked.
“I’m letting someone examine my hand and arm, and then Leo asked to speak with me. I already told the officer what happened, but the team seems upset. I’m sure he wants to go over it again,” Scarlett said, yawning.
“I’ll stay with you,” Sledge offered.
