Brady Bradshaw.
And something else. The letter was longer than two words. She started at the beginning. He said he didn’t have much information except the year they met. She closed her eyes, picturing Brady finally deciding to trust her, to open up. Even a little. She blinked and kept reading. He described Jenna as looking like Emma Stone. And yes, he said he would try to help find a sapling Survivor Tree.
A few clicks and Ashley had Jenna’s picture back up. This had to be the same girl Brady had met that day. No question Jenna looked like the famous actress.
Ashley wanted to shout for joy. She’d done it. She had actually found Jenna. She went back to Brady’s letter and felt her heart melt a little. The tough guy had a soft side. Clearly. Otherwise he wouldn’t have been touched by Amy’s request. She found her place and finished reading. He closed by thanking her but he added that he didn’t think she’d have much luck finding Jenna.
How surprised would he be when she reached out to tell him that she had actually found the girl? And yes, she still looked like Emma Stone. Ashley tapped the keyboard, and then absently she pulled up Brady’s profile. In case he’d included something else about Jenna.
Instead, it took her a few seconds to grasp what she was seeing.
Someone had posted a link to a Go Fund Me page: “Help with Expenses for Brady Bradshaw.” “What?” Ashley leaned forward. Her heart was pounding again. What had happened?
She clicked the link and struggled to catch her breath. Brady Bradshaw was in intensive care in an Oklahoma City hospital after falling through the roof of a warehouse during a huge fire two days ago.
Two days ago? Ashley checked the time and date on the private message he’d sent her. Then she Googled his name and details about the fire. He must’ve gotten hurt just after sending her note.
And now . . .
She found the most updated article on the Web. It had been posted a few hours ago. DOCTORS LOSING HOPE FOR OK CITY FIREFIGHTER IN ICU.
“No!” The word came out as a cry. How could this be happening? Dear God, please let him live.
Suddenly Ashley knew what she had to do. Columbus was less than four hours away. She needed to pray for Brady Bradshaw and she needed to find her way to Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School. The only way to have this conversation with Jenna was in person. When she helped someone, she gave it everything she had. No Facebook message. Not this time. Driving to see Jenna was the right thing to do. Ashley was convinced. She would tell Landon when he got home.
Then first thing in the morning she would set out for Columbus.
14
M inutes into lunch, one of the other teachers gave Jenna a message. Someone was waiting for her in the main office. A woman. The teacher shrugged one shoulder. “Might be a parent, but I’ve never seen her before.”
“Thanks.” Jenna hadn’t been very hungry. She wrapped up the rest of her sandwich and slipped it back into the staff refrigerator. Then she made her way through the hall to the office.
Before she opened the door she saw that her co-worker was right. The woman waiting wasn’t someone she’d ever seen before. Jenna stepped inside and approached her. “I’m Jenna Davis.” She smiled. “Are you looking for me?”
The strange woman’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes.” She held out her hand. “I’m Ashley Blake.” She looked around. Like she didn’t want to say too much here, with the staff in earshot. “Can we . . . go outside?”
Jenna felt her stomach drop. Who was this Ashley woman and how come she was here? Had something happened to Dan in London? If so, this was no time to tell her. He’d been out of her life too long for anything about him to be urgent.
Or maybe she was a lawyer. Maybe someone was suing her. For reading Noah’s Ark, perhaps. But then why would the woman have tears in her eyes? None of it made sense.
Jenna stuffed the possibilities into the corner of her mind and led the woman outside. There was a bench in front of the school. The clouds overhead meant they could talk without wearing sunglasses.
Jenna sat first and Ashley took the spot next to her. Jenna shook her head. “I’m sorry . . .” She tried to sound confident. “What’s this about?”
With kind, concerned eyes, the woman looked straight at her. “Are you Elizabeth Jenna Phillips? Was that your maiden name?”
Jenna felt the blood leave her face. “Yes. That’s me.”
“That’s what I thought.” Ashley seemed relieved. “I had to come talk to you in person. It’s about Brady Bradshaw. From Oklahoma City.”
Brady Bradshaw? Jenna’s heart skipped a beat. Could this be . . . was Bradshaw his last name, after all these years? Jenna’s breathing was suddenly jagged and her heart pounded in her throat. What in the world? “How . . . how do you know Brady?”
“I don’t know him.” The woman seemed flustered. “It’s a long story. I’ll try to make it quick.” Ashley glanced at the building. “I know you have to get back to class.”
“Yes.” Jenna felt like she might pass out. What did the woman know? And what was so important that she needed to come here in person? “Please tell me.”
The story was as unbelievable as meeting this strange woman. So unbelievable it had a ring of truth to it. Ashley had been at the Oklahoma City memorial on the anniversary of the bombing. She’d stood at the fence next to a random stranger, a guy with dark hair and a world of hurt on his face.
“He left a note in the fence. For you.” Ashley pulled her phone from her purse. “I took pictures.”
“You did?”
“Yes.” Ashley hesitated. “I don’t know if you believe in God, Jenna. But I do. My family does. And in that moment . . . in that moment when I saw the letter in the fence . . . I felt like God put me there to help. However I could.”
Jenna’s heart was still pounding. “Yes. I believe in God. Very much so.” She leaned closer. “Can I see the picture? The letter?”
Ashley pulled up the first photo. “This is how it looked on the fence. When Brady left it there.”
Jenna tried to focus. Was she dreaming? Could this really be happening? Someone had found Brady after all this time? She squinted at the photo, then used her fingers to make the image larger.
Sure enough, there it was. Written across the front of a scrolled-up letter. “For Jenna.” She brought her hand to her mouth and stared at the screen. “He left that there? For me?” Jenna looked at Ashley. “Just a few weeks ago?”
“Yes. My family was visiting for spring break.” Ashley shook her head. “Look at the next photo. Please, Jenna.”
She scrolled to the right and there it was. A photo of the letter, opened. And at the bottom, his name and number. Brady Bradshaw. Jenna couldn’t catch her breath. She exhaled. Relax. You have to relax. In twenty minutes she needed to be back in the classroom. She couldn’t fall apart.
Ashley handed over the phone, and again Jenna made the image larger. As she did, she read every line of the letter.
Dear Jenna,
Like I do every year, I wrote you a letter. In case you come to the memorial today. In case you want to find me as much as I want to find you. Every year I do this, I leave you a note in case. Anyway, here I am again, eleventh year in a row.
Jenna closed her eyes for a few seconds. Eleven years in a row? He’d been there every year, looking for her? She found her place and kept reading. He said that again he had come to find her, because every year wound up the same. No response to his letter. Next he had a question for her. One that hit a place in her heart she had ignored for so long.
Don’t you remember, Jenna? What it was like having that one day together?
“Yes,” Jenna whispered. “I still remember.” She was so lost in the letter she forgot she was sitting next to the stranger. She kept reading.
His letter said that he’d lost her number, but he’d thought it would be easy to find her. And how after all this time he still thinks about her.
The truth is, I don’t think about anyone but you.
I’m a firefighter in Oklahoma City. It gives me purpose. But I’m alone. I’m always alone.
Tears filled Jenna’s eyes and spilled onto her cheeks. She looked up at the sky, warding off the sobs building in her heart. Brady, I’m so sorry. How could I have missed this? All these years. She steeled herself against the heartache and read the rest of the note.
It was the hardest part. He wrote how he was waiting for her and he’d be back again next year. On the anniversary.
And one of these days, Jenna . . . one of these days you’ll be here. I’ll find you. I have to believe that. Remember what you said? Our hearts are the same. And so they are. Always. Brady Bradshaw.
Jenna was shivering, but it had nothing to do with the cool afternoon. She handed the phone back to Ashley. “I . . . I can’t believe this.”
“I looked you up on Facebook. I . . . don’t know your situation. You’re divorced? . . . Your last name is different. But I figured it might be you. And if it was . . .” Ashley hesitated. “I thought you’d want to know.”
Jenna felt the familiar sinking feeling. “I’m not married. My husband, he left me a few years ago. He’s . . . moved on.”
A genuine look of sadness filled Ashley’s eyes. “I’m sorry. Really.”
“Me, too. But I’m not alone. I have my faith.” A supernatural strength resonated within her. The way it did whenever she remembered her situation. “That’s what matters.”
Ashley’s face grew serious. “There’s more, Jenna.” The color seemed to drain from her cheeks. “Brady . . . he’s hurt. He’s in ICU at a hospital in Oklahoma City.”
“What?” Jenna stood and paced away from the bench. Her legs shook. How could any of this be happening? “How did he get hurt?”
“In a fire a few days ago.” Ashley slid to the edge of the bench. “He’s fighting for his life.” She hesitated, as if she wasn’t sure what to say next. “I knew the only way to tell you any of this was in person.”
Jenna hadn’t even asked the woman where she was from. “How far did you drive?”
“I live in Bloomington. My husband is a firefighter. Maybe that’s why . . .” Ashley’s voice trailed off. “I don’t know. I had to come find you.”
Ashley went on to explain that she’d been in touch with Brady and even though he hadn’t been able to find Jenna, Ashley had a strong belief she could. That she might somehow connect them. Even if their lives had moved on.
“And now . . .” Jenna sat back down on the bench beside Ashley. “Thank you. Can you please . . . would you send me those pictures?”
“Definitely.” Ashley took Jenna’s cell number and texted her the photos.
Jenna looked at them again. “Do you know what hospital he’s at?”
“The article said Oklahoma University Medical Center.” Ashley looked like she didn’t want to say whatever was next. “The last I read, they were concerned. He might not survive.”
The face of Brady Bradshaw filled her heart and soul. Jenna closed her eyes for a short while. When she opened them she had to blink back tears to see Ashley clearly. “Thank you. For coming.” She shook her head. All of this was so crazy. “I can’t believe you’d drive so far.”
“Brady’s waited more than a decade.” Ashley’s smile was as kind as it was sad. “The least I could do is take a day to come find you. Especially if . . .”
If he didn’t make it. That’s clearly what Ashley didn’t want to say. Jenna hung her head and tried not to fall to the ground weeping. Brady had been alone all this time, thinking about her, missing her. Why hadn’t she ever gone back to the memorial?
So what if he hadn’t called her? If she could change things she never would’ve been so hasty. If she could go back to her seventeen-year-old self, she would’ve called him or figured out a way to meet up with him somewhere. Anything to see him again.
Ashley checked her watch. “I need to go.” She paused. “Can I . . . pray for you? For Brady?”
“Please.” In that moment Jenna knew she would’ve been friends with Ashley Blake. If she had more time to get to know her, or if they lived in the same city. She reached out her hands and took hold of Ashley’s.
With heads bowed, Ashley prayed. That Brady would be healed of his injuries and that somehow Jenna and him might find the friendship they’d started years ago. And she prayed that God would help them both in whatever the coming days held. Then she thanked God for helping her find Jenna. Just when it mattered most.
They both said amen, and stood. Without hesitating, Jenna hugged Ashley. “You’re the nicest person. Thank you for coming.” Again, Jenna could barely breathe. But this time it was out of fear. Fear that she might miss the chance to see Brady.
Jenna looked at her phone. “I need to call the hospital.” She hesitated. “Is it okay if I text you? To tell you how he’s doing?”
“I’d love that.” Ashley smiled. “My husband and I will pray.” They shared another hug and Ashley walked off to the parking lot.
For a minute Jenna dropped back to the bench. If not for the hard slats beneath her legs, she’d have to wonder. None of this felt real. As if she’d blink and be in bed. Waking up from the most amazing, terrifying dream. She knew where Brady was, and that he hadn’t forgotten her.
But only in time to learn he was fighting for his life.
And in that moment she made a decision. She was going back to Oklahoma City this summer anyway. To take her parents’ pictures and precious items and make their part of the memorial right. While she was there she would see Brady. That is if he was still . . .
She picked up her phone and searched the number for the OU Medical Center. A minute later she was talking to a nurse. No, she wasn’t family. Yes, she knew him well. She closed her eyes and prayed God would understand the stretched truth.
She had known him well eleven years ago.
Finally the nurse came back on the line. She couldn’t give specific details, but she could say this: Brady was still in a coma.
Tears filled Jenna’s eyes as she hung up. God was working in this. He had to be. Hadn’t Jenna just been praying for their paths to cross? Whatever Brady faced, Jenna would find him.
Suddenly an idea hit. This was the first Wednesday in May. Next week was the last of the school year. She scrolled through her contacts and called another number. A long-ago friend of her mother’s. Yes the woman was home this summer, and yes she had two spare bedrooms.
“Come for as long as you’d like, Jenna.” The woman sounded as friendly as Jenna remembered. And just like that she had a place to stay.
Back in the break room, she mentioned it to her teacher friends. “I found the woman my mom used to work with in Oklahoma,” she told them. “I’m thinking of taking an adventure. Driving there for the summer.”
A few of her friends looked less than happy for her. “An adventure? To Oklahoma?”
“Sure.” She wasn’t ready to talk about Brady yet. What would she say? “I’ve been planning it for a while. I want to add pictures and special things to my parents’ memorial. I’ve never done that.” She paused. “Anything’s an adventure if you make it one.”
“Sounds like a second-grade lesson.” One of them laughed. “Whatever, Jenna. When you come home after a few days give us a call.” She looked at the other girls in the room. “We’re spending a month at the lake.”
No chance of that. In Jenna’s mind it was settled. When the school year was behind her, Jenna would pack her things and head for Oklahoma City. And as soon as she possibly could, she would find her way to the OU Medical Center and a boy she had met in 2007.
Brady Bradshaw.
• • •
ASHLEY DROVE HOME from Columbus in disbelief. Brady had looked for Jenna since they were seventeen. Now, because of her dad’s brilliant idea, Ashley had found her in less than a few weeks. Whatever had happened in Jenna’s personal life since that long-ago day at the Oklahoma City memorial, she still cared about Brady.
That much was obvious.
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The whole way home Ashley prayed for the two, that Brady would recover and they’d find their way together. Even for just one more day.
So neither of them would have doubts about what might’ve been.
Ashley parked in the driveway just before the kids were scheduled to get home. She’d had her phone off while she drove but as soon as she turned it on she saw the text from Jenna.
Brady was being moved out of ICU. He was still in a coma, but he had turned a corner.
“Oh, dear God, thank You.” Relief washed over Ashley as she made her way inside.
That night after the kids had finished their homework and headed to bed, she found Landon in the kitchen, doing the dishes. She had told him only that the day had been a success and that she’d give him the details later.
This was the moment.
Ashley came up behind Landon at the sink. “You’re the most amazing man.” She worked her hands around his waist. “Have I told you that lately?”
“Yes.” He turned in her arms and faced her, his hands still wet with sudsy soap. He dried them on his jeans. “Tell me again.”
“You”—she kissed him on the lips—“my Prince Charming, are the most amazing man I know.”
“Mmmm.” He returned her kiss. “You’re my favorite princess. In case I haven’t told you lately.”
She laughed lightly. There was nothing like the love she felt for Landon, the love they shared. “You wanna hear about it?”
“Must be really good.” He took the dish towel and gave her a light smack with it. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have made me wait.”
“Walk with me.” She took his hand. “Outside. It’s a pretty sky.”
This was something they’d done a lot of when they were dating, when they were still figuring out whether they’d find a way to make things work. Tonight was the perfect time to talk under the bright sky. Especially since they were good again, since the fight was behind them.
Once they were outside, they walked to the stream behind their house. Along the way Ashley caught him up on what had happened. “God was ahead of me at every turn. I found Jenna, no problem.” Ashley raised her brow. “Of course, at first I think she thought I was some crazy person. But when I said Brady’s name, her expression changed. From that point on I had her attention, for sure.”