Page 73 of Betrayed

“We need to check Bree’s room.”

She remained motionless. “It was still her room?”

“I couldn’t remove anything without you.”

She stared at him. She couldn’t get her feet to work and shook her head instead.

He closed the distance. “We have to.”

“I can’t.” She swallowed. “If it’s all gone, then she’s gone forever.”

He took her shoulders in his hands. “Look at me.” He waited until she met his eyes. “She’s here”—he touched AJ’s chest with the tips of his fingers—“and here”—he transferred his hand to his own chest. “If we lost every last picture and keepsake, we’d still have her. But you’re the firefighter; tell me what you’ve told me about closed doors before.”

“The fire is much less likely to spread to a room with a closed door.”

“Okay then, let’s go see.” He lifted one arm toward Bree’s room and rested the other on AJ’s back.

She stepped forward. Logan was right there with her.

At the door, AJ extended her arm but stopped short.

Logan reached around her and directed her hand to the knob. Together they turned it. They pushed the door open, but AJ closed her eyes. She couldn’t hope for as favorable an outcome as she had seen in house fires over the years.

“AJ.” The breathlessness in Logan’s voice forced her to open her eyes.

The painted pink room was still there. Purple bedspread, Bree’s favorite hippo, her doll house. Her Mary Janes and itty-bitty Converse were still tucked under the edge of the bed.

AJ’s knees gave out on her, and if Logan hadn’t caught her, she would have collapsed to the floor. She turned and gripped Logan. “It’s okay.”

“Isn’t this why you teach people to close their bedroom doors while they sleep?”

“But to see it so tangibly … Logan, it’s all okay.”

“I know.” Tears streamed down his face and traced the edge of his mask. He drew her to his chest.

That’s when she realized tears were falling from her eyes as well.

They stood there holding each other for a few minutes. Almost everything in the room would be worth restoring. All of it was no doubt smoke-damaged, but not so much it couldn’t be washed out.

Once the restoration company completed cleaning Bree’s belongings, AJ would sit with Logan, and they could sort out what to keep and what to pass on to someone in need. She wasn’t looking forward to that, but it was so much better than having to shovel it all into the trash.

Thank you, Jesus, for this. You are so good.