After the Fire (9 page)

Freddie looked up, steam from the coffee misting up her glasses. “I recognized the asthma because I live with it.”

“I know. That’s why I dealt with the mother. I know that sense of helplessness—watching someone you love trying to breathe and not being able to do anything to help them.” His voice trembled, and he swallowed hard. “I only ever saw you having small attacks, but they were scary enough.”

Freddie nodded. “This was a pretty bad one. We caught it in time and got him the help he needed.”

“You don’t let it stop you though.”

She shrugged. “It’s not something I let matter. I mean, yes it’s something I live with every minute of every day, but it doesn’t define me or control me.” She paused and looked at him. “The thing is—being labeled asthmatic can be as debilitating as being labeled autistic or being stuck in a wheelchair. People see the inhaler and not you.”

“Just for the record, I
never
saw the inhaler. I saw you. But, it does matter, hon. I mean, what if you have a massive attack like that? I only ever saw the small ones before.”

“Then I guess you know what to do now.” She looked at him. “Hon?”

“Old habits. You mind?”

Freddie looked away and sighed. “Actually, yeah I do mind,” she said, lifting her gaze back to his. “We’re meant to be working, remember? And as much as I am enjoying your company at times, we can’t afford to lose sight of the reason you are here. Work.”

“All right. Tell me one thing. Why did you undo his shirt?”

“When you have an attack, your airways close, everything constricts. In a major attack it’s far worse. Loosening clothing means your lungs have one less thing to fight against in an effort to get air in.”

“I see.” He smiled at her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Freddie took a deep breath. “I will be.”

****

Later that evening, they sat in the lounge of the guesthouse poring over the pamphlets.

Jason sighed. He was only too aware that Nick Steele was watching him over the top of the paper from the other side of the room. “I wonder how the kid is.”

“I don’t know. Guess we never will. But if they treat it fast enough, which they did, even a major asthma attack is survivable.”

“Really?”

“Medicine is making advances all the time. I have two inhalers, well three, if you include the back-up. The brown is preventative, so I’d take that if I knew I was hiking or running or going out in the cold. The blue is the one I take at the start of an attack.”

“Where do you keep them?”

“My bag. The back-up is in my suitcase. And yes, I always check them before I go out. It’s a habit I can’t afford to let slip.”

Mrs. Bowman came in. “Would anyone like a bedtime drink?”

Freddie looked up. “Cocoa, please.”

“Same for me, please,” Jason added.

The Steeles asked for coffee and as Mrs. Bowman left the room, Freddie picked up another leaflet, flicking through it. “But like I said earlier, I don’t let it affect me. If I did, I’d sit at home all day and get nothing done.”

“Is that why you work so hard?”

“Part of it. Have you any idea how hard it is for a woman in my line of work?”

“You don’t seem to let that stop you.” He winked at her.

“I can’t afford to. I’m good at what I do. And the sooner I prove it to you the better.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He put down the pamphlets as Mrs. Bowman came back in with a tray. He took one of the two cups of cocoa and smiled. “Thank you.”

Freddie took hers and sipped it. “It’s good, thank you.”

Mrs. Bowman smiled. “Welcome. Just leave the cups on the tray when you’re finished. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Jason looked at Freddie, angling himself so he could only see her. He lowered his voice. “Well, explain your last comment about proving it to me.”

“That is why you’re here, isn’t it? Check my work out. So the sooner I prove my competency, the better for all concerned.” She took a deep drink of the cocoa and looked down at the leaflet in her hand. She raised her voice to a more normal level. “This looks neat. Wildlife preserve. Lions and tigers and bears...”

“Oh, my.” He grinned at her. “So you want me to take you to the zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow, huh?”

She grinned at him and laughed. “Only if we can stay all day.”

His laugh joined hers. “You are silly, Freddie.”

“That’s why you fell in love with me, remember?”

He nodded.
And I still am
. Not that he’d tell her that. “So, the zoo and where else tomorrow?”

She ran her finger around the rim of the cup, blowing on the hot liquid, before taking a long mouthful. “Well, it’s the same direction as some very pretty coastline if you get my drift.” Her fingers touched her pendant briefly.

“Clear as crystal.”

Freddie smiled, her eyes sliding closed for a moment.

His eyes narrowed in concern. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Freddie rubbed her head. “Tired, it’s been a long day.” She took several more long drinks.

Jason smiled. She never did like things cold, preferring them scalding hot. “Then maybe turn in.”

“Yeah, I think I will.” She finished her drink and set down the cup. “See you in the morning. Night.”

“Night.” He watched her leave. She didn’t seem too steady, and he wondered if he should walk her upstairs. She turned and shook her head at him as if she knew what he was thinking, and he leaned back in the seat, sipping his cocoa.

Why did you bring her back into my life, Lord? Is there unfinished business between us that You want sorted? How many times do I need to apologize? I left her, and maybe I shouldn’t have, but after what Mike told me and seeing her in the arms of another man with my own eyes, I didn’t have much of a choice.

He yawned, his head starting to swim. Tiredness swept over him in a wave, sudden and unexpected. Standing, he headed up the stairs to his bedroom. He paused outside Freddie’s room, but the light was off and there was no sound from within.

Jason showered and changed and lay on the bed with his Bible. Everything was such a mess and so complicated now. There was only one way they were going to solve this and that was by turning the whole thing over to God. He knew Freddie wouldn’t, and he resolved to talk to her about that before asking her to church with him on Sunday.

8

A shrill ringing slowly permeated the thick darkness where he lay. Jason opened his eyes and immediately closed them again, his head splitting. He reached out blindly and silenced the alarm, then lay still; afraid moving would aggravate the pain. This had to be the worst hangover since his nineteenth birthday party at uni. Only it wasn’t a hangover. He hadn’t touched alcohol since becoming a Christian in his early twenties.

Headache or no, there was only one way to start the day. The same way each one ended—in prayer.

Good morning, Lord. Thank You for Your amazing grace and love in looking beyond my faults and seeing my need of You. Thank You for sending Your Son to die for me, that I may enter into a relationship with You. Thank You for preserving me through the night and bringing me safe to another day in this beautiful world that You created. For today, Lord, I ask that all I do would please You and cause You to smile upon it. Help me to fix my eyes firmly on You and never lose sight of You no matter how busy the day becomes. Bless Freddie. Be with us as we work together. Give us both the patience and skills we need for today.

He shivered and reached for the duvet. Where was it? His hand moved further. Had he tossed it to the floor overnight? Taking a deep breath, he rolled over and slowly sat up, his head spinning.
Stop the world, I want to get off.

Opening his eyes, he blinked hard. Clothes lay strewn over the floor, the duvet was in a heap on the other side of the room. No way could he have tossed it that far. His Bible wasn’t where he left it, and the stench of cologne filled the air from the broken bottle by the sink.
What’s going on? This is my room, but this isn’t how I left it last night. It looks like a bomb hit it
.

Alarm filled him and adrenaline flooded his body. Pushing up, he moved across the room, his head swimming and his balance off kilter.
Lord, help me here, please. What happened?

At first glance nothing seemed to be missing. The whole place was a total mess. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, trying to clear his vision. How could someone do this while he was in the room? He was a light sleeper, always had been. He felt sick at the thought of someone going through his things.

Freddie! His stomach dropped. Pulling on a sweater, he ran across the room, crying out in pain as something sharp dug into his foot. Standing on one leg, he pulled out a piece of broken glass and limped to the door. He flung it open, barely pausing to realize it was unlocked. Heading across the hall, he pounded on the door.

“Freddie.”

No response. He knocked again.

“Freddie, it’s Jason. Open the door.”
Please, let her be all right, just in the shower or something
. “Freddie, open the door or I’m coming in.”

Jason tried the door. It was unlocked and swung open. Freddie lay face down on the bed, still dressed in her clothes from the day before. “Freddie.”

The room was a bigger disaster than his own. Jason hurtled to Freddie’s side, his heart pounding. Placing a hand on her neck, he was relieved to find a pulse.
Thank you, Lord
. He sat on the bed and shook her gently. “Come on, sleepy. Time to wake.”

Still not getting a response, he shook harder, rolling her over. Did she always sleep with her glasses on? “Please, wake up now.” Maybe he should call an ambulance. He couldn’t see any marks, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt. What if she’d had an asthma attack? Where was her phone? He glanced around for it. He turned back to Freddie. “Come on, Freddie, you’re scaring me, now. Please, wake up and answer me, hon.” He stroked her face.

Freddie groaned and her eyes flickered. “Jason?”

Relief flooded him. “Yes, I’m here. Take it easy. Are you all right?”

“Other than feeling like I got hit by a truck?” She rubbed her head and rolled onto her side, squinting up at him. “My head’s killing me. And don’t call me hon.”

“My head hurts, too.”

She glanced around and gasped. “What happened here?”

“We had visitors during the night. My room’s the same, although it isn’t as completely trashed as yours is. I don’t think I’m missing anything. I didn’t stop to check. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“Fine...just a headache.” Freddie wheezed as she spoke.

“Are you sure? You need your inhaler?”

“In...my...bag...”

Jason tossed things about in desperation as her wheezing increased. Finding it, he brought it to the bed, tipping the contents out and handing it to her. “Here.”

“Thank...you...” She took three quick puffs.

He sat beside her, longing to take her hand, but settling for being there. “You’re welcome. Are you going to be all right?”

She didn’t answer as she tried to regulate her breathing. “Yeah, I’m all right. I just need a few. Could you get me something to drink, please?”

“Sure.” Jason got up to make some tea.

Freddie leaned back on the pillows, the wheezing finally stopping. She glanced around the room. “Whoever it was sure did make a mess in here.”

“They did. A seven point three on the Richter scale, at least.”

“We should check to see if anything’s missing.”

He came over with the cups. “We will in a bit. Drink this first.” He handed her the tea and sat down.

“Thank you.”

“Welcome.” He blew on his tea, smiling as she drained hers. “How can you drink it that hot?”

“How can you drink it lukewarm?” She glanced at his foot. “You’re bleeding, Jace.” She put the cup down. “You’ve cut your foot.”

“I got glass in it crossing my room.”

She reached down and picked up his foot, looking at it. “You should let me cover it.” Freddie got up, rummaged in the pile by the bathroom door and came up with a box of bandages. She was gentle, but he was a baby when it came to pain. And he hated having his feet touched—something she knew all too well from past experience.

“There, good as new. Well, almost.”

“Thank you.”

“Welcome.”

He took another mouthful of tea. “I figured that as we’re here we’ll start by checking your room. Then my room, then...” He broke off and looked at her.

“The study.” Both of them spoke at once.

****

Fifteen minutes later, they sat in the study. Freddie looked at Jason, her head still throbbing. “So it doesn’t look like anything’s missing. That’s even more worrying. Bad enough someone turned over the rooms while we were in them, but what were they looking for? Will they come back?”

“I don’t know. Either way, we need to call Edwin and the police.” He massaged his temples.

“Why?” The nagging thought ran through her mind. Had Jason done it at the boss’s request? She still wasn’t sure which side he was on and didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. Yes, his room was trashed too, but then it’d have to be to make the attack look genuine.
Yet I can’t tell him—not yet. Not until I’m sure one way or the other.

His eyes widened in disbelief. “What do you mean, “why”? It’s protocol. You know that as well as I do. If your cover is compromised, you call it in and change locations.”

“Only if someone else is affected, not just us, otherwise we tip our hand and let them win. We should go to breakfast and—”

“Am I hearing you right? You want to act like nothing happened and shove protocol?”

“If that’s what it takes to find out who did this—yes.”

“Freddie, the doors to both rooms were unlocked. That means whoever did this had a key and now knows who we are, if they didn’t already. Our cover is blown. They went through all our stuff, broke a few things—”

“And I can’t believe you’re that easily spooked. You’re the vice president, Jace, with seven years field experience.” She shook him off. “Act like it and not like a cadet.”