Prescott hurried over with the spare suit, but when he arrived, he found Jonathan standing there alone.
Jonathan was bare–chested, standing under the night sky with a solitary, almost forlorn air about him.
Prescott blinked in surprise.
“Mr. Thomas, where’s Miss Rivers?” he asked; handing Jonathan the spare suit as he spoke.
“She left with Elmer and Lana,” Jonathan replied, his tone even and unruffled.
Prescott, however, was anything but calm.
After all the effort Mr. Thomas had gone through to rescue Niamh, how could Elmer and Lana just waltz away with her and take all the credit? It didn’t sit right with him–he could hardly believe Jonathan would let such an opportunity slip by.
Jonathan changed swiftly, pulling on the fresh suit before sliding back into the car.
“Where to now, Mr. Thomas?” Prescott asked, settling behind the wheel and
glancing back at Jonathan through the rearview mirror.
Jonathan looked pale, dark circles shadowing his eyes–a clear sign he hadn’t slept and had probably caught a chill.
If it were up to Prescott, he’d drive Jonathan straight home to rest.
“Ask Elmer which hospital they took Niamh to,” Jonathan instructed quietly.
Prescott hesitated for a moment, then nodded and did as he was told.
The deep blue Bentley glided along the same road the white Lexus had just taken.
Niamh had no idea how long she’d been asleep. When she finally stirred awake, the first thing she saw was Lana’s face hovering over her.
Lana’s eyes were swollen from crying.
“Nia! Oh, thank God–you’re finally awake. I was so scared!” Lana practically threw herself across the bed, hugging Niamh as if she might vanish again.
When Lana first heard Niamh was missing, terror had gripped her. She and Elmer had searched everywhere, coming up empty–handed until Elmer suggested that the construction site was still the likeliest place. They rushed over and, by sheer luck,
na 47
arrived just as Jonathan rescued Niamh.
Niamh had been Ice–cold, even through the thick blanket Lana wrapped around hi The hospital’s emergency doctor later confirmed severe dehydration and
hypothermia, both physically and emotionally traumatic.
Fortunately, they’d gotten her to the hospital in time. Any later, and the consequences could have been irreversible.
Lana shivered just remembering it.
“Nia, are you hurting anywhere? Do you feel sick? I’ll go find a doctor,” Lana fussed, worry etched on every feature.
Even as she fretted, Elmer had already fetched the doctor, who checked Niamh over and assured everyone she was out of danger.
The hospital room had grown crowded. Along with Elmer and Lana, Peter, Preston, and Michael were there too.
Niamh learned that, during her disappearance, they’d all pitched in–searching tirelessly, calling in favors, doing whatever they could.
She thanked each of them in turn.
Peter, Preston, and Michael all wanted to linger, but Preston was making too much noise, and Lana was determined Niamh needed peace and quiet. She shooed the
three men out.
Michael was the last to leave, but Niamh called him back.
“This is the thank–you gift I promised you,” she said, retrieving a small box from her
purse.
Michael opened it to find a pair of simple yet elegantly crafted rings–one for a man, one for a woman. Their understated design held a touch of sophistication and uniqueness.
“You’re still thinking about work, even after all that?” Michael teased, adjusting his gold–rimmed glasses and sliding the men’s ring onto his right ring finger.
He left the women’s ring in the box.
Niamh looked at him, puzzled, but Michael just smiled.
“Keep the other one for me, would you? I’ll pay you the storage fee,” he joked, waving as he told her to focus on getting well.
With that, he left, and the room finally felt less crowded,
Lana stepped out to make a phone call, leaving Elmer and Niamh alone, staring at each other in the quiet.
