Chapter 52: He Was Trying

Zach reached a hand across to touch Grace. “I’d like to. Explain it to me.”
With half-closed eyes, she told him about how dead people talk to her. Murder victims and she has to save them. He’d never heard anything stranger. “And you’ve lived this before?”
“Yes, I’ve rewound here a number of times.”
“And have I been involved each time?”
“You believed me last time.”
He shook his head. How could he come to believe her? “What did you say or do to get me to accept this as true?”
“I predicted a storm and a baseball team winning.”
He chuckled. “I guess that would do it.”
Cars passed on the road in front of the hospital, but Zach couldn’t hear them on this side. The picnic table sat at one end of an empty parking lot used by the day workers.
He rubbed a hand through his hair, not knowing what to say. “Are you his accomplice.”
She flinched as if he’d reached out and smacked her. She stood, her coffee sloshing out of the small opening in the lid. “I think we’re done here.”
“Grace.”
He went after her, something compelling him to reach her to make her believe that he trusted her. “Stop.”
His strong command had her pausing on the curb. “What?”
“Look this is tough for me to wrap my brain around, but something tells me to trust you. Can you trust me?”
Her shoulders slumped, he rubbed her arms and was thankful she didn’t resist. When he touched her he could see his future, crazy stories and all.
She turned as if the effort took all of her energy. Her eyes traveled up to his face. “I don’t know if I can trust you, but I guess I have to if I’m to save Dolores and not rewind again.”
“So tell me about Mark.”
***
Zach trusted and believed Grace. She couldn’t be completely sure, but she wanted to be.
Right now Zach was on his way to see Mark.
Except that Mark was now standing outside the EMS office, his face a grin.
Grace’s heart leapt. She scribbled a number on a sheet, while whispering to her co-worker. “Call this number. Tell who answers that Mark is here.”
She opened the door, but didn’t let Mark inside the office. Instead she slipped out into the cool, Spring night. “What a surprise, Mark.”
She couldn’t remember if she normally hugged him, but right now touching him was last on her list of things to do.
“You aren’t surprised, Grace.”
“I didn’t expect you here.”
“Yes, you did.” He took a hold of her arm.
“Let go of me Mark.”
His expression in the outside light had her heart skipping a beat. This wasn’t Mark her best friend. This man with beady eyes and sweaty palms was a stranger to her.
“No, you can’t save her. Don’t save the baby.”
“Mark, you know she’s lost it every time.”
He became still and she tugged her arm out of his grip.
“You do know that I’ve rewound with you.”
“I figured it out last time. And you do something different every time.”
He chuckled. “That’s right, Gracie. And do you know why?”
The pager on her belt rattled and made noise. Dolores’ address came over the speaker.
“This is too soon. How could you have changed this?” Grace said moving towards the bay as the garage door slid open for her.
“You won’t know,” he said before an evil laugh.
“I’m not going to save the baby.” Could he hear the regret in her voice?
“But you will and Zach will get back with Dolores.”
“So.”
“You’re in love with him. You cannot deny that. But now you’ll only have me.”
Grace jumped in the truck thoughts racing around her. She couldn’t grasp any of them.
***
Zach had never been so eager to see an ambulance than when Grace and her partner pulled onto the scene.
Dolores had lost consciousness five minutes before their arrival. Without looking at him, Grace and her partner went to work.
They had her stabilized and in the ambulance so fast his head spun.
“You can’t follow us through the lights,” Grace said.
“I know. I wouldn’t.”
“Yes, you would. You care about her.”
Her words were not an accusation, but he took them that way. “Grace. She and I were over a long time ago.”
“The baby isn’t yours,” she said then covered her mouth as if she wished the words hadn’t come out of there.
“Save her, Grace.”
She nodded and closed the door to the ambulance. “I’ll do my best.”
The drive took no time even without going through lights and Zach paced in the waiting room before Grace emerged from the hallway.
Her grim face, said a lot. “She’s going to be fine.”
“Ahe lost the baby.”
“The fetus was twelve weeks of gestation.”
He blinked. She might have hit him with a sledgehammer. “Then the baby couldn’t have been mine.”
“I’m sorry, Zach.”
She turned to leave, but he took two steps and put a hand on her arm. “You were right, again.”
“Yes, but I find no joy in it.” She sighed, her shoulders raising for a moment. “Look, I don’t know what to do with my feelings for you, but I’ll back off as soon as we get Mark.”
“Mark?”
“Yeah, I think he’s the killer.”
“Why?”
A sardonic laugh burst from her. “More hocus pocus. He can rewind on command. He’s been doing this, all if this. And he’s going to kill Dolores.”
“But why?”
“I don’t know, but I think they are lovers.”
“Then I need to confront Dolores with this. Find out the truth.”
“Not now.”
“Tomorrow. She’s safe in here tonight.”
Grace shook her head. “Do you know how easy it is to get into a hospital if you know what you’re doing? Or at least act like you do?”
“They check identification here.”
“Not through the Emergency Department. Did anyone stop you?”
“No, but I asked about a specific patient.”
“Still, they don’t know you.”
“Look, I can call in some favors, get someone to stay with Lors tonight. I’ll take a shift, myself.”
“I’m off in two hours. I’ll find Mark.”
His grip tightened on her. “No. Leave that to the cops.”
“I’m not in any danger. He wants me, alive, as his lover.”
“Don’t Grace. Promise me.”
Her head cocked and she studied him as if looking for an answer to a question she didn’t want to ask. “All right.”
“This may sound crazy, but I just found you, I don’t want to lose you. If nothing else, I have good instincts and those say you’re important. To me and my future.”
A smile lifted her mouth, but only a little as exhaustion probably reigned.
“I promise.”