Last Night's Kiss by Shirley Hailstock Page B

pointed to the truck.
    “Bailey Osborne,” she said. “He needs help. He’s having a heart attack.” She sucked in air as she spoke, giving each word a full breath. “I couldn’t give him anything. I didn’t know anything to give him. He had no medicine on him. I had no time to search the truck.”
    “We’ll take care of him,” a nurse said. Her voice was soft and calm, although their feet sped across the ground to the truck. Rosa knew the tactic was to calm her down. She took a long breath.
    They got him out of the truck and on to a gurney. Immediately, he was hurried away. Rosa started to follow. A nurse turned to her. “Park the truck,” she said.
    It was the first time she’d thought of the vehicle. Rosa got back in the driver’s seat. She hadn’t turned the engine off. White smoke came from the exhaust system. The engine coughed. Biting her bottom lip, she eased it into gear, but it protested. It was hard to steer and as heavy as an eighteen-wheeler. Slowly it rolled into a parking space. Before she could turn the key, the engine died. Rosa gave it little thought. She left it, running back inside the sliding doors and searching for Bailey. Her head swung from right to left. She didn’t see him. At the desk, she asked, “Where is he?”
    “Exam room one,” the nurse said.
    Rosa turned to leave, but the nurse stopped her. “Do you need some information?” Rosa asked. “His name is Bailey Osborne and he lives at—”
    The nurse stopped her. “We know who he is,” she said. “We have all his information.”
    Rosa had forgotten how small this town was. Naturally, they would know who he was.
    “You’re not a relative, are you?”
    Rosa shook her head. She must be the only person in the Valley who didn’t know who Rosa was and why she was here.
    “Could you tell us when this happened? The doctors will need as much information as possible.”
    “I don’t know,” Rosa said. “His truck was parked along the side of the road, not far from his ranch. I stopped when I saw it and found him.”
    “How long ago was that?”
    “About ten minutes. When I didn’t find any medicine, I drove straight here. It was all I could think to do.”
    “You did fine,” the nurse assured her. “He’s with the best doctors we have.”
    “When can I see him?”
    “The doctors will let you know. In the meantime, we need to get in touch with a relative. There’s a phone over there. You might want to call someone.” The nurse nodded at a few chairs that were placed against a wall outside the area.
    The woman, who was a fortyish blonde with deep wrinkles in her face from years of too much sun, assumed Rosa knew the Osbornes well enough to know where to find Adam. Rosa knew nothing. She didn’t even have a phone number for the house. But she would start there.
    She reached for her purse to get her cell phone and found the space on her shoulder empty. She’d forgotten it, left it in the car. When she saw Bailey, all other thoughts had gone out of her head. The pay phone stared at her. At least she didn’t need money to make a call.
     
    Adam’s pickup skidded to a stop in front of the Corvette. Something was wrong. The door was open and the car was empty. Quickly he jumped down from his seat and strode back to the car. The engine was running. Rosa’s purse lay on the passenger seat, her cell phone next to it. Picking the phone up reminded him of his own. He’d run over it when he finally calmed down enough to return home. He’d been cursing himself for going mad this afternoon.
    Now he was scared. Where was she? He looked around, scanning the land for Rosa. She was nowhere to be seen. His heart stopped, then beat faster.
    “Rosa,” he called, hoping she was nearby. He couldn’t think of a reason she should leave the car running and her personal items behind. He looked around, calling her name louder. There was no response. A coldness ran through him.
    “Where is she?” he muttered. There was nothing here