Twisted Fire (21 page)

Hospital

When Chelsea arrived at the hospital the following morning, she found Jared asleep on a chair in the waiting room. She smiled to herself; he was definitely in love with her sister. She walked over to him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“
Jared.”

His eyes opened and his head shot up.

“
What, is she OK?’

“
Yes, she’s fine, but I think you need to go home and get some rest, maybe clean up.”

As he’d been there all night, Jared realised he was still black from the ash and heat of the fire. He hadn’t planned to stay all night. He’d planned to let her rest for a while and then make sure she was still alright but had fallen asleep instead.

“
You might be right,” he mumbled, unfolding his tall strong frame out of the chair as he rubbed his neck.

“
Wow, that chair is extremely uncomfortable.” He smiled, his white teeth showing through black. “Could you please tell her I’ll be back later to check on her before I go to work?”

“
Yes, I will.”

She ran into the doctor on the way to Charlotte’s room and he reassured her Charlotte would recover from her injuries although she might encounter slight respiratory problems in the future. Her lungs had been damaged somewhat but not enough to cause significant long term injury. She’d been lucky to be retrieved from the fire when she was.

Chelsea found Charlotte awake and still on oxygen which was now being given through her nose via a tube instead of a face mask.

“
Good morning, honey,” Chelsea said brightly. “How are you feeling today?’

“
Like someone has scraped my throat with sandpaper. My leg, face and arm ache too, but the pain relief is helping.”

“
Guess who I found sleeping in the waiting room this morning?”

“
Who?”

“
Jared, he’s been here all night. Something tells me he cares about you more than you think.”

Chelsea smiled but Charlotte didn’t return the sentiment. A frown crinkled her brow instead.

“
He’s just considerate and concerned. He does this with all the people he rescues until he knows they’re alright.”

“
This is more than concern. He was really worried about you last night. I think he wore out the floor in the waiting room with his pacing.”

“
I still think you’re reading too much into it.”

“
He’s coming back later to see you. You judge for yourself.”

“
Until he says the words, Chels, I’m not going to get my hopes up. Any idea how the fire started, have you heard anything from Lucas?”

“
Not yet, he was going to read the report this morning and let me know. I’m sure Jared will tell you when he comes back.”

Charlotte sat for a moment not saying anything while studying her hands in her lap. Her face was pale when she looked up suddenly.

“
Oh my God,” she cried. “The animals!”

“
I’m sorry, honey, any that were in the clinic are gone.”

“
Oh no,” she whispered as tears slid down her cheeks.

“
It’s not your fault.”

Chelsea placed a comforting hand on Charlotte’s clenched fists.

“
What if it is? What if I didn’t turn something off or somehow I’m responsible. I was there when it started.”

Charlotte’s frown deepened. Guilt and worry surfaced in her eyes.

“
You were also unconscious,” Chelsea said, hoping to reassure her.

“
I suppose.” She paused and her expression relaxed a little. “Things are starting to return to me bit by bit. I remember tripping over something on the floor. It was in the middle of the hallway and shouldn’t have been there, which is strange.”

“
Let’s wait and see what the arson report reveals.”

“
You don’t think I was a target for that sick freak lighting those other fires?”

“
I don’t know, Charlotte. I can’t imagine why you would be. Then again, they don’t know why these other girls were targeted either.”

Charlotte shrugged. “Well it looks like I have another boring stay in the hospital.”

“
I will bring you in some magazines and books to keep you occupied.”

“
Thanks, Chelsea.”

* * *

Around lunchtime her mother and brother arrived and they both rushed over to hug her.

“
Oh, honey, you have to stop worrying us like this.”

“
It’s OK, Mum. I have nine lives.”

“
I’m glad you’re alright, Charlotte,” Hayden said giving her a hug. “I love you.”

Her eyes widened over his shoulder at their mother. Hayden was starting to show signs of maturity. She didn’t think she’d heard those words from him before.

“
Thanks, Hads. I love you too.”

“
Your dad had to fill in at the hospital, otherwise he would have come too. Pa wanted to come but we’re only making a quick visit and driving back today. I have no-one to fill in for me at the clinic and Hayden has school.”

“
That’s OK, Mum. Chelsea is here if I need anything.”

While they were cheering up Charlotte with news from home, Jared came in to see her. Her heart leapt then raced in anticipation. He was here again. Did this mean he still cared?

“
Oh, I’m sorry. I’m interrupting. I’ll call back later.” He turned to leave.

“
It’s OK, Jared. Please stay,” Sarah said. “Thank you for saving my girl.”

“
You’re welcome.” He stood awkwardly a few steps inside the door. Charlotte studied his expression but his
façade
and reserve had returned. He’d become unreadable again.

“
You mustn’t get tired of people thanking you,” Sarah said to him with a smile.

“
I just wish it was more often. We don’t save them all.” He shook his head. “Anyway, I’ll leave you all to it and come back later.”

“
Is everything alright between you and Jared?” Sarah asked once he’d left.

“
Not really. It’s a long story.”

“
Chelsea told me he stayed here last night.”

“
Yes, she told me too but I don’t know how he feels about me after everything that has happened. I’m thinking about coming back home and working with you again.”

“
You do whatever you have to do, dear, but I think you should consider everything before making a decision.”

They stayed for a few hours and kept her company before they had to head back home.

Once her family left, Charlotte thought about what Chelsea had supposed about Jared. Was it possible he really did love her and wanted to be part of her life, or was he just showing his concern?

* * *

She was sleeping again when she heard his voice. She opened her eyes to discover once again it wasn’t a dream. He was sitting by her bed and an indistinguishable expression greeted her once more.

“
Hi, Charlotte. How are you feeling?”

“
Sore.”

“
You will be for a while. That burn might give you a bit of trouble.”

“
The doctor told me that it shouldn’t scar, but may blister and be painful for a while.”

“
You were lucky it was only a second degree burn.” His eyes held hers and Charlotte’s heart skipped a little. Could she hope?

“
I was, thanks to you.”

“
You don’t need to thank me. I was doing my job.”

“
Is that all there was to it?”

“
Yes.”

Her heart sank. “At least now you’re talking to me.”

“
That doesn’t matter anymore.” Confusion pushed through her tired mind and she wondered exactly why he sat by her bedside. She wished she could read his expression or his mind.

“
But I want to tell you what happened and then maybe we can start again.” She reached out to touch his hand but he removed it from the bed before she could.

“
Let’s not talk about it now.”

“
They’re letting me go home in a few days. I need someone to help me with my dressings and general recovery, so I think I’ll be going back home to my parents'. I can’t expect Chelsea to help me. Dad is a doctor - he can take care of me, as will Mum. Then, when I’m better, I can work for Mum again and finish my studies.” Charlotte realised she was babbling again. She averted her eyes. His intense gaze and reluctance to let her touch him just bewildered her already addled mind.

“
You’re not working for him anymore?” he asked, a scowl crossing his face for a brief moment.

“
No, I told him to shove it.”

“
You can’t leave.”

She brought her eyes back to his. What did he want from her? “What else am I going to do, Jared?”

“
Stay with me. I have leave owed to me and I can take care of you.”

“
Why would you do that?”

He shrugged.

“
I thought you were upset with me.”

“
I am.”

“
I don’t understand, Jared.”

“
When I knew you were in the clinic and when I found you unconscious … I was worried about you. I still don’t know if I can trust you, and without trust I can’t have a relationship with you. I care about you and want to look after you.”

“
You don’t want to be with me?” She strangled out the words and stifled a sob.

“
I don’t know.” He frowned before lowering his head.

Annoyance replaced her hurt and confusion.

“
Oh, you’re impossible! You either love me or you don’t. I’m tired. Could you go please?”

His eyes met hers again when he spoke. “Will you think about it?”

“
Maybe.”

“
Now who’s being difficult,” he grumbled before standing abruptly and striding from the room.

After he left, she realised she hadn’t asked him about the results of the investigation and he hadn’t mentioned them. She would have to find out from Chelsea now. This however didn’t trouble her anywhere near as much as Jared and his cryptic words. He didn’t want her to leave but still didn’t know whether he wanted her in his life. His meaningful gaze and indecipherable expression were a complete paradox.

Now what?

* * *

Before setting off to see her, Jared had already decided two things, if she needed someone to care for her, then he was going to invite her to stay with him – in the spare room – and he wasn’t going to tell her about the results of the investigation.

After the blaze had been extinguished, Sam discovered a body inside the clinic. The victim had been identified as male but Lucas had informed him they hadn’t as yet identified who it was. They suspected it could be the arsonist who had inadvertently been caught in the fire. Until they identified the remains, they couldn’t be sure why he was there or if he was even the arsonist. This troubled Jared more than he cared to admit. If it wasn’t the arsonist, who was Charlotte at the clinic with? Was it Dr Shaw and had they met up at the clinic for a secret rendezvous? Jared didn’t know what to make of this.

They also couldn’t be sure it was arson at all anyway. Sam determined the fire started in a recycle bin near the back entrance. There was no evidence of any accelerant or any way to identify if they were looking for an arsonist. The MO didn’t match with the previous three arsons they were investigating and there was no reason to consider anyone knew Charlotte was there or why she would be a target. At this stage they were regarding the fire as an accident, however they were not ruling out the possibility it was linked to the others until they received all the information from the previous arson murders in Newberry. The other obvious difference, of course, was the extra victim. There were too many unanswered questions, and until they identified the body they were speculating.

Jared wanted to believe Charlotte's story and that was why he was going to ask her to say with him while she recovered. The feelings flowing through him were too intense to ignore. He was in love with her. He’d definitely not felt this strongly about Emma. The despair he felt when he’d caught her with Rick was nothing in comparison to what he’d experienced when he thought Charlotte had betrayed him, or when he thought she mightn’t recover from the fire.