ago.
Wanting to try and include the girl, Taylin made her way around the edge of the gym. Lindsey’s dark eyes tracked Taylin’s progress and the scowl on her face deepened.
“Hey, Lindsey,” Taylin said. “I’m glad you came tonight.”
“I’m not,” Lindsey snorted. “But Grandma said if I don’t start comin’ then she’s taking my phone for good.”
Taylin stood close enough to pick up the scent of cigarette smoke on the girl’s clothes. Since Mrs. Rollins wasn’t a smoker, Taylin could only guess Lindsey had recently picked up the nasty habit, or she was hanging out with the wrong crowd.
“Well, you chose the perfect night to come. We’re havin’ a dance-off and could use you.”
“I don’t dance.” She shot Taylin a sarcastic glare. “And I don’t play foosball or ping pong either, so don’t ask.”
Taylin had a feeling Lindsey would find fault with any of the activities. Determined not to give up, she whispered, “Do you like donuts?”
Lindsey glowered at her. “Who doesn’t?”
“Miss Rachel brought fresh donuts, and I know where they’re hidden.”
“So?”
“So.” Taylin bumped the girl’s shoulder with her own. “Let’s sneak into the kitchen and we can pick out a donut before the good ones are gone.”
Lindsey licked her lips and glanced toward the kitchen door. “Whatever.”
Taking that as a yes, Taylin motioned for Lindsey to follow her. Skirting the gym, they made their way toward the kitchen. Just before reaching the door, Taylin glanced over her shoulder and discovered Lindsey was no longer behind her. The girl had ditched her, and Taylin watched as she exited out a side door.
Taylin wasn’t sure if she should go after Lindsey or leave her alone. Across the room, she saw Dave talking with his wife. Rachel would probably know what to do. Taylin crossed the gym, stopping once to retrieve a rogue ping pong ball.
As she drew closer to her friend, Taylin slowed her steps when she noticed Rachel and Dave looked like they were having a serious conversation. Dave glanced her way and motioned for her to join them.
“Is everything okay?” Taylin asked.
Dave pressed his lips together. “I just got off the phone with Pastor James. He’s been diagnosed with influenza and needs me to go to the hospital to visit one of the church members.”
“I’m sorry,” Taylin said. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Actually, I’d like you to follow me to the hospital since this is your area of expertise.” Dave’s eyebrows drew together. “Jackson McCall called me right after I finished talking with Pastor James. His wife, Sydney, is pregnant and started bleeding. He said they both wanted you to come by the hospital if you could.”
Taylin’s stomach twisted with worry. Sydney and Jackson had been trying to have a baby for several years. The few times Sydney had gotten pregnant, she’d lost the baby within the first trimester.
“Absolutely. Let me grab my purse and we can go.”
The drive to the hospital seemed to take forever. Taylin waited for Dave to park his car before taking him through an employee entrance to get to the second floor quicker. She glanced at the white board to look for the first three letters of Sydney’s last name as she approached the nurse’s station.
Abbie, a labor nurse Taylin had worked with a few times, looked up and smiled. “Hey, girl. What’re you doin’ here on your night off?”
“I’m here to see a friend. Sydney McCall.” Taylin pointed at the whiteboard. “It looks like she’s in labor room six.”
“Yeah, she’s Caroline’s patient.” Abbie tilted her head to the side. “You and your boyfriend can go on back.”
Taylin laughed as she watched Dave’s face go red. “He’s not my boyfriend, he’s my pastor.”
One of Abbie’s eyebrows lifted up. “Seriously? No offence, but you don’t look like any pastor I’ve ever seen.”
The color in Dave’s face darkened. Before he’d married Rachel, Pastor