Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) by Karen Rose

            “No,” Hayley cried. “Tamar can stay. Make Rebecca go.”

            The older woman’s face darkened. “You will be silent, Magdalena.”

            Liza left the politics to Molina and Tom, dropping to her knees next to Hayley. “I’m Liza,” she said for everyone to hear, then lowered her voice. “Graham got through.”

            Hayley grabbed her hand and squeezed so hard that Liza thought her bones would crack. “He’s in the box. Get him out. Please.”

            The box. Liza knew what that was because Gideon had been put there for a whole week. It was where rule-breakers were confined and given only the most basic rations of food and water.

            Liza looked up at Tom and he gave her a nod, his promise to take care of it.

            “I want my brother here for my baby’s birth. Please,” Hayley begged.

            “He stays in the box,” Rebecca declared. “Pastor can determine his fate when he returns.”

            “That might be a while,” Liza commented. “He could be hospitalized for up to six weeks.”

            A collective gasp rose from behind them and Liza realized that a crowd had gathered. Tamar dipped a cloth in a bowl of water and dabbed at Hayley’s forehead, leaning in to whisper in her ear something that Liza couldn’t hear.

            Hayley nodded pitifully. “Thank you,” she whispered to the woman.

            Tamar patted Liza’s shoulder. “I’ll be back later.”

            Behind them, Molina and Tom were telling Joshua about the supplies they’d brought, so Liza leaned in close. “We’re here to get you out,” she whispered, then raised her voice. “I’d like to examine Magdalena. Can we give the patient some privacy?”

            Tom and Molina instantly stepped from the room, as did everyone else except for Rebecca. Liza turned to her with a polite smile. “Are you a trained nurse, ma’am?”

            “No. But I have children.”

            “She’s barren,” Hayley spat. “Her children were birthed by other women. She wants to take my baby as soon as she’s born, and I won’t let her.”

            Liza continued to smile even though she wanted to beat Rebecca to a bloody pulp. “There are so many supplies. Perhaps you can aid with distributing them.”

            The woman shook her head. “I’m staying.”

            Hayley screamed again with another contraction. When it was over, Liza pushed aside the curtain. “Tara, can you come back, please?”

            Molina promptly returned. “Yes?”

            “This woman is a danger to my patient. Can you remove her?”

            Molina took the woman’s arm and forcibly removed her from the room. But Rebecca’s irate shouts grew abruptly quiet as the two headed for the entrance. Liza briefly wondered what Molina had said to shut her up.

            Liza grinned. “Let’s have a baby, Hayley.”

            Hayley’s eyes filled with new tears. “Say it again, please. My name.”

            “Hayley,” Liza said gently and brushed Hayley’s damp hair from her face. “Now I’m going to have a look at your baby. We don’t have any equipment so I’m gonna have to go old school.”

            “Have you delivered a baby before?” Hayley asked as she nervously watched Liza pull on a pair of gloves and sanitize her hands.

            “I have. In a war zone, no less. A little village in Afghanistan.”

            “You’re in the army?”

            “I was until recently.”

            “And the baby was okay?”

            “Yes. The baby was breech and the mom was scared. Her husband saw us distributing food to the village and asked me to help. We had no medicine and no special equipment. The mother and baby were fine.”

            “Who are you now?” Hayley whispered.