Hot for Love (Bachelor Billionaire #2) (3 page)

“
Was
the fire that close to the woman you saved?” Gavin asked.

“
Yes,
it was one apartment from her. I could see the flames getting closer
as I was trying to get her out. It was awful. She had on a tiny short
and shirt thing and she was covered in black. She couldn't even
breathe. Gavin, why are you calling me at four in the morning from a
hospital, asking me about the fire?” Josh demanded.

“
Do
you remember Lisa?” Gavin asked.

“
Becky's
friend?” Josh asked. “Of course. There is no way I could
forget her. I remember her from when she was in grade school. Why?”

Gavin
did not answer right away. He was quiet.

“
Why?”
Josh asked again.

“
Josh,
Lisa was the woman in the fire.”

Josh
sat down on the edge of his bed. He stared at the wall and a tear ran
from his eye.

“
Josh,
are you there?” Gavin said.

“
Yes.”

“
Are
you okay?” Gavin asked.

“
No,”
he answered. “What if I wouldn't have gotten to her in time?”

“
You
did, that's what matters. You did what you should have, and you saved
her. She is okay. Everything is going to be fine,” Gavin said.
“You can't think about the past Josh. She is going to be okay,
because of you.”

“
How
is she?” Josh asked.

“
Scared,”
Gavin replied. “They ran tests on her. Everything is fine with
her breathing. They are keeping here in the hospital. She broke her
ankle pretty badly. They are going to do surgery tomorrow.”

“
Shit,
I'm getting dressed. I will be there as soon as I can. Are you sure
they checked her lungs?” Josh asked, as he jumped up to grab
clothes.

“
She's
a mess,” Gavin said. “Don't come tonight. Get sleep and
come tomorrow. Becky is going to stay the night with her. I'm making
sure she has a private room. She is going to have surgery tomorrow
afternoon. I already talked to her doctor to see who would be doing
it. Just rest tonight.”

“
Did
you call her family?” Josh asked.

“
She
doesn't want us to,” Gavin said. “They moved away a few
years back and she does not have a relationship with them.”

“
Who
is going to help her and take care of her?” Josh asked. “She
needs family. She could have died.”

“
Becky
will,” Gavin replied. “I will too. We are the closest she
has to family.”

“
Shit,”
Josh let out a huge sigh. “I'll help you guys in any way I can.
She needs people who care about her. It has to be hard on her. You
didn't see her trapped.”

“
Get
some sleep,” Gavin said. “We are here with her now. She's
going to be okay. I have to go.”

Josh
hung up the phone. He got ready and went to bed. All he could think
about was Lisa. He remembered the little girl, sitting on his
neighbor's porch, watching him wash the car. She sat out there all
the time and watched him. If he played ball or cut the lawn, she was
there. She would sit for hours, with a smile on her face, and watch
him. She was four years younger than him. His neighbor, Heath, was
the same age as her. Josh remembered Heath getting mad at her for not
wanting to play. They would argue and I would shake my head and
laugh. She was so cute.

Josh
could not sleep. He tossed and turned. He woke up with his sheets
wrapped around him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her on the
ground lifeless and trapped. He finally got back out of bed around
eight o'clock and got dressed.

Lisa
yawned and stretched, so glad that she was waking up from her
horrible dream. She wanted to make a pot of coffee and relax. That
dream was awful, she thought. It felt so real. Lisa knew she would
always appreciate every moment of her life. It had scared her so
badly. She opened her eyes as she sat up. Lisa looked around the room
and began to cry.

“
Are
you okay?” Becky sat up. She was in the bed next to Lisa's.

“
It's
real. It wasn't a dream,” Lisa said.

Becky
got out of the bed and walked over to sit with Lisa.

“
Yes,
it was real,” Becky said. “Everything is going to be
okay. You are having surgery later today. They said you should only
have to stay one more night.”

Becky
brushed her hand across Lisa's cheek to dry her tears.

“
You're
alive,” Becky said. “Nothing else matters.”

“
I
know,” Lisa said. “How bad was it? How is my apartment?”

“
It
was bad. You were trapped. Do you remember that?” Becky asked.

“
I
remember some things. It feels like it was a foggy dream,” Lisa
said.

“
We
aren't sure about your things. They said the apartment was pretty
bad. They have to investigate what happened. It will be a bit before
you can go there. It will all be fine. We're just glad you're okay.”

A
nurse came into the room to check on Lisa. She made sure everything
was okay and gave her some medicine. Lisa was still so tired.

“
You
should go home Becky,” Lisa said. “I know Gavin needs you
at work. I will be fine here by myself.”

“
I'm
not leaving you alone,” Becky said. “Everything is fine.
Gavin's at work and I will go in later. He is going to come here
before your surgery. We were worried about you. We all love you.”

“
You
are so good to me,” Lisa said, as she yawned. “I'm sorry
I woke you guys up in the middle of the night.”

“
I'm
glad you woke us up,” Becky laughed. “We need to get you
better. We have a wedding to plan. You have to be able to walk down
the aisle without one of us holding you up.”

They
both laughed. Lisa leaned back against her pillow. Becky got some
washcloths, soap, water, and towels. She helped wash Lisa's face,
arms, and legs. They were able to get the black yuck off as much as
they could. One of the nurses helped Becky with Lisa's hair. Becky
knew she would want to look as good as she could. Lisa felt a little
better when they were finished.

Lisa
had her foot up so that they could keep the swelling down as much as
possible. She was in a lot of pain and asked the nurse for some more
medicine. Lisa didn't want to bother them, but she couldn't stand the
pain. Not long after, she drifted off to sleep.

Lisa
heard Becky talking to someone in her dream. It was a man. She could
hear him talking. His voice was so calm and so caring. She knew that
voice. Why did she know his voice? Who was the man in her dream? She
tried to see him, but everything was black. Why couldn't she see him?
His voice was so wonderful and familiar. Lisa opened her eyes slowly.
She saw Becky hugging a man and crying. It was bright. She looked
around and realized she was in her hospital room. Who was Becky
hugging? He was facing away from Lisa. Becky held him tight and kept
telling him thank you. Then he spoke again. Lisa could feel her eyes
widen as she listened to his voice. It was so familiar. She felt a
connection to him. Who was he? Becky looked into her eyes and jumped.

“
Hey,”
Becky said, “how are you feeling?”

“
Good,”
Lisa answered.

The
man turned around to face her. It was Josh. That was where she knew
him from. He smiled at her. She thought for a moment about him. In
grade school, Lisa used to go over to her friend Heath's house so she
could watch his neighbor from the porch. His name was Josh. He was
four years older than her. She thought he was the cutest boy she had
ever seen. It didn't matter what he was doing. She watched him with a
huge smile on her face. He was her first crush. She had run into him
a couple of times the last several months. Lisa remembered looking at
him, not able to speak. She laughed when she thought about her silly
crush she used to have on him.

“
What's
so funny?” Becky asked.

Lisa
snapped back to reality.

“
Nothing,”
Lisa said. “Hi Josh. What are you doing here?”

“
Becky
told me what happened,” he said. “I just came to see how
you were doing?”

He
was so sexy. She loved his voice. He had on tight jeans and a
t-shirt. His arms were so muscular. She still thought he was the
cutest man she had ever met.

“
That
was nice of you,” she said.

He
walked over to her, leaned down, and hugged her. Lisa sat for a
second. The fire popped into her mind. She could hear the man talking
to her as he picked her up in his arms. When he was walking with her,
she remembered holding him tight. She did not know what was going to
happen and grabbed onto his arms. She remembered opening her eyes and
seeing his eyes through his helmet. Lisa pulled back slightly and
looked at Josh for a second, before hugging him tight. Tears streamed
from her eyes. They flowed so fast, she could not stop them. Her arms
tightened around him. She jumped back and let go of him. He looked
down at her. Her eyes connected with his as the tears ran down her
face. He sat on the bed and looked at her.

“
It
was you,” she said. “I know it was you.”

“
What?”
he asked. “Are you okay?”

“
Stop,
I know it was you,” she said, as he reached up and brushed the
tears from her face. “Your voice, your arms, and your eyes. It
was you. You saved my life, Josh.”

He
sat still as he continued to look into her eyes.

“
I
couldn't see you, but I heard your voice. You kept telling me that I
was going to be okay. Your arms and chest felt so strong. I remember
barely seeing your eyes through your helmet. Was it really you? Did
you save my life?” she asked, as she grabbed his hand.

“
Yes,”
he said.

“
They
said I was trapped,” she said. “Was I trapped?”

“
Yes,”
he replied. “Something fell on your leg and you couldn't get
out. I didn't know it was you. I never really got a good enough look
at you. It was dark and you were covered in black. I didn't know
until Gavin called me to ask me about a fire. He told me it was you.
I couldn't believe it.”

“
How
embarrassing,” she said.

“
What
do you mean?” he asked.

“
I
had on a tiny pair of shorts and a tiny shirt,” she said, as
she covered her face.

“
Yes
you did,” he said, as he smiled.

She
smacked him in the arm, and they both laughed.

“
Thank
you,” she said. “I don't know what to say. What do you
say to someone who saved your life? If you wouldn't have come in
there, I would have been dead. How did you know I was in there?”

“
The
lady that lived on the other side of you was crying. I asked her what
was wrong. She said she wasn't sure if you were home or not,”
he said. “I never even thought about it and went running in. I
almost didn't see you on the ground. I was so glad that I saw you
before I turned around.”

“
I
can't believe it was you. Thank you. I can't believe you risked your
life like that. What if you wouldn't have gotten out? It would have
been my fault. If anything happened to you, it would have been my
fault,” Lisa said, as tears ran from her eyes again.

Josh
grabbed her and hugged her tight.

“
You
can't talk like that. That is my job. I fight fires and do everything
I can to keep everyone safe. It would not have been your fault. I
know the risks when I go in. It is very important to me. I love my
job. I'm just glad you were okay. I wasn't sure. You couldn't talk or
open your eyes. I was scared. I'm just glad you're okay.”