9. Travis
9
TRAVIS
T ravis made his way through the halls of the hospital, clearing his mind of any indecision. He was already here, and there wasn’t any turning back. In fact, he’d made up his mind before falling asleep the night before.
He’d be visiting Bella every day he was able until she was released. Coming to grips with his decision took away all of the back-and-forth he’d been juggling for almost a week.
Travis stopped at the nurse’s desk and waited for a brunette nurse to look up at him.
“Can I help you?” she asked quietly.
“Is Isabella still in room 506?”
The nurse turned her attention back to the screen. “Yes, sir.”
Travis tipped his chin in thanks and headed toward the woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. He wasn’t ready to open up to someone again, but maybe he’d spend enough time with Isabella to figure out they weren’t compatible and he’d have no trouble walking away after she figured out where she belonged.
That was the game plan, and he could stick to it. Vanessa pulled the wool over his eyes, and being kicked to the curb by a woman he cared about was one of those things where he didn’t intend to let history repeat itself.
Isabella didn’t even know who she was. He couldn’t get attached only to find out that she lived halfway across the country or had a family waiting for her.
He’d firmed up his resolve by the time he reached her room and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Travis stepped inside and nearly jerked to a halt. The coverings on the windows were pulled back, letting the light shine in. A bouquet of colorful flowers sat on the dresser, and the whole place was illuminated.
Then there was Bella. She sat up on the bed with shining eyes and a wide smile. Her hair was braided to one side and fell over her shoulder, leaving her face and neck exposed. The bandage on her head was smaller, and the swelling around her eye had gone down.
There was no denying it now. Bella was pretty, and a sinking feeling in his gut said she’d only become more alluring when her bruises healed and he could see the rest of her face.
The firm game plan he’d constructed before visiting was wavering. How could he expect to not feel anything when she looked at him like he was her favorite person in the world?
“You came,” she said, sitting up straighter.
Yep. He came to seal his fate. This was a terrible idea, and he wanted to go back in time and kick himself last night for thinking this was a good idea.
“I came.”
“What’s that?” she asked, gesturing to the bag in his hand.
He’d almost forgotten about the muffin he’d brought her. After Hadley told him Bella liked the one the girls brought her, he made up his mind not to show up empty-handed.
“Breakfast.” He placed the bag on the tray. “I heard you like strawberry.”
“You heard right. Thank you.” Bella opened the bag and dipped her hand inside.
“You’re welcome.” He pointed at the flowers. “Those are nice.”
Bella gave him a knowing grin. “Your friends brought them yesterday. Thank you for asking them to stop by. I had the best time.”
Travis stepped closer to the bed–closer to her. “I’m glad. How are you feeling?”
Bella took a bite of the muffin and pointed toward the chair against the wall. “Sit,” she said with a mouthful of muffin.
Travis did as he was told but left some distance between them. He needed a buffer. It was ridiculous to be so cautious around her, but she was quickly becoming someone he wanted to trust.
He’d been quick to believe and willing to dismiss the red flags before. Now, he made a point to remember that trust needed to be earned and maintained. Isabella couldn’t have done that in just a few days.
She pushed the short sleeve of the hospital gown up her arm, revealing a small line with a few stitches in it. “This one looks good. The one on my head is looking better, and the bruise on my face is still sore, but only when I forget about it and accidentally touch it.”
“That sounds like a good report,” Travis said.
“I slept a lot yesterday and the day before, and I’m feeling much better today. They said if nothing bad happens today, I can be discharged soon.”
There was a knock at the door, and Bella quietly said, “Come in.”
Officer Asa Scott stepped in followed by Officer Dawson Keller, both dressed in dark-blue uniforms.
Travis stood and extended a hand to Asa. “Hey, man.”
“Good to see you,” Asa said as they shook hands.
Travis greeted Dawson the same way before saying, “Congrats on the promotion.”
Dawson slapped Travis on the shoulder. “Thanks, bud.”
“Is everything okay?” Bella asked.
Asa stepped forward and shook Bella’s hand. “It’s good to see you again. This is my partner, Sergeant Keller.”
Dawson shook her hand too. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Travis stepped to the side to let the two men move into the room. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “Do you want me to step out?”
Isabella looked from the two officers to Travis. “It’s okay with me if you stay. What’s going on?”
“We wanted to let you know your fingerprints didn’t match up with anything in our database. So you’re not a criminal, teacher, or employed by a government agency.”
Bella’s shoulders sank. Travis hadn’t asked her if she remembered anything new yet, but it seemed the latest lead had gone cold.
“Thanks for checking,” she said softly.
Dawson clasped his hands in front of him. “Have you remembered anything else that might help us figure out who you are?”
There was a hesitation in her answer. It was small, but her response was guarded. “No, but thank you.”
“Is there anything else we can do for you?” Asa asked.
Bella smiled, but the expression was stiff. “No, but I’m grateful for all you’ve done.”
Asa nodded. “Do you still have my card?”
She reached for the card on the tray by the bed and held it up. “I do. Thanks.”
“We’ll leave you two alone then,” Dawson said with a wink at Travis.
Smooth, Dawson. Really smooth.
Dawson was a great guy and one of Travis’s best friends, but he had zero chance of ever being discreet. Apparently, he’d come to the conclusion that Travis was interested in Bella.
And he’d be correct to an extent. Travis was interested in her. There was a cloud of mystery hanging over her that he wanted to figure out, but he couldn’t afford to be romantically interested in her. He was here to help if she needed it, and that was all.
When the door closed behind the two men, Bella turned her attention to Travis. “I figured they wouldn’t find anything.”
“Why would you think that?”
She shrugged. “I haven’t told them about my parents yet. I’m… I’m scared to contact them for some reason.”
Travis settled back into the seat beside her and scooted closer. Forget the distance. She needed someone to lean on, and it was going to be him. “Do you want me to call them?”
She looked up at him, and the vulnerability in her eyes stabbed him right in the chest. Why did he have such a soft heart for her?
“I don’t know,” she said, turning her attention back to the blanket draped over her lap.
Travis reached for the Bible on the tray. “Where’d you get this?”
“The girls brought it yesterday. I guess I should call and thank them.”
Travis turned the Bible over in his hands. He’d studied the Bible a lot over the last few years, and the weight was a comfort in his hands. “Have you read any of this?”
Bella linked her hands together. “I read some of the Psalms yesterday.”
“Do you normally read the Bible or go to church?” he asked.
Bella’s head tilted slightly as she eyed the book in his hands. “I know I’ve been to church before, but I don’t know about recently. I remember some of the stories, like Jonah and the whale and Noah and the ark. The only person I found mentioned in Psalms yesterday was David.”
“King David. A man after God’s own heart,” Travis said.
Bella’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
“It means King David was anointed by God to be the leader of His chosen people. We’re going through 1 Samuel in our Bible study group right now, and it’s shaping up to be my favorite subject.”
She rested back against the pillow behind her head. “Why?”
Why did he enjoy hearing about David’s history? His life was full of action and betrayal. He was the underdog who became a famous warrior–a man who made mistakes, then repented.
“I think it’s because David had a good sense of right and wrong. He was all the things God wanted a king to be, but he was just as fallible as the rest of us. Most of the time, he turned to prayer first, but when he didn’t, he was crippled by guilt and humbled himself before God.”
“I tried to read some last night, but it was difficult to understand and my head was hurting. The doctor said it’ll be hard to concentrate for a while.”
“You should rest,” Travis said.
“I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing.” She looked back at him. “You said Bible study. Do you take classes?”
“Nothing that formal. I just get together with some people from my church to really dig deep into what the Bible says. Thankfully, some people know a lot more than I do, and I get to learn from them.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone really studying the Bible like that,” Bella said. “What I read yesterday was hard to understand. It would be nice if someone could explain it to me too.”
“You’re always welcome to come.”
Bella huffed. “I don’t have a car. I don’t have anything.”
Travis picked up a notepad on the tray and started flipping through the Bible. “Just call me if you want to go somewhere.”
There was a knock on the door, and a nurse walked in. Her smile was bright, and she held her arms out wide. “Good news! You’re being discharged.”
Bella sat up straighter, and her eyes widened like a deer in the headlights. “That’s good,” she whispered.
The nurse came in and started typing on a computer. “You should be out of here by noon.”
“That soon?” Bella asked, as if she couldn’t process the information.
“Everything looks good. You have some bruising, but nothing else that concerns the doctors. We’ve been over what to expect from the concussion, but you’ll get some paperwork so you don’t forget anything.”
When she finished her reports, the nurse turned to Bella. “You need anything?”
Bella’s strained grin was back. “No, but thank you.”
“I’ll try to speed up the process,” the nurse said as she disappeared out the door.
Bella rested her hands on her cheeks and inhaled a deep breath. “What am I going to do? I don’t have a place to go. I don’t have any money.”
Her questions were firing faster than Travis could process them. “Whoa. Whoa. Settle down. We’ll figure this out.”
“I’m out of time,” Bella said. “I don’t want to stay any longer because I already can’t afford any of this hospital bill, but I–”
Travis reached for her hand and covered it in both of his. Her fingers were cold against his skin. “I said we’ll figure it out. I’m not leaving you, okay?”
Bella’s breathing came quicker, but she nodded.
“Okay, let’s start with your parents. Do you want to reach out to them now? If not, we can go to plan B.”
“There isn’t a plan B. I guess I should call them,” Bella said hastily.
“I can call them, and you can hear the conversation and gauge how you want to respond. I can even make it sound like I’m a salesman just to make sure we got the right number.”
Bella rested her other hand on her chest as it rose and fell with her deep breaths. “You don’t have to go that far, just… maybe ask about me. Say you're an old friend or something.”
Travis pulled out his phone with one hand and kept hers locked in his other. She was starting to warm up, and his palm was starting to tingle.
No time to examine that anomaly. He had parents to locate.
Bella told him the number, and he made the call, putting it on speaker and resting the phone between them.
It rang twice before a woman answered. “Hello.”
Travis glanced up to see Bella’s reaction, but she sat frozen, staring at the phone. Was she even breathing anymore?
“Hi. My name is Travis. I’m looking for Isabella Young.”
The line went silent, and Travis watched Bella. Why wasn’t she moving?
“You have the wrong number,” the woman spat before hanging up the call.
Travis stilled. “That was uncalled for. Sorry I bothered her.”
When he looked up at Bella, she hadn’t brushed it off the way he had.
“Do you have a different number for them?” he asked.
Bella swallowed hard and looked up at him. “That was my mom.”