“Charity?”
The warm, familiar voice made her turn. She glanced toward the auditorium and saw Josh waiting for her.
He smiled. “You turned your phone off.”
“What?”
“Everyone’s been trying to leave a message. Come on.” He took her hand and led her to the stairs.
“What are you doing? I have a presentation.”
“Tell me about it. Didn’t it occur to you that on one of the most important days of your life, you should leave your cell phone on?”
She followed him up the stairs. “I don’t understand. Of course it’s on.” She pulled it out of her purse and stared at the blank screen. Apparently the battery had died in the night. “Oh God. What did I miss?”
“So many people said they wanted to come that we had to move the meeting.”
Move? “Where is it now?”
“High school gym.” He glanced at his watch. “We have forty minutes. Don’t worry.”
Her heart thudded in her chest. “I can’t be late.”
“You won’t be.”
They raced out of City Hall and toward the SUV parked in front. She’d barely thrown herself inside when Josh started the engine.
“My presentation,” she said, remembering everything she’d left in her office.
“Sheryl took care of it. Everything’s been moved. She tried to call you this morning, but Mary at the front desk knew you’d been up until three, so she wouldn’t put the calls through. I was training, so I didn’t get the calls either.”
He raced through the oddly deserted streets of Fool’s Gold. About a half mile from the high school, they ran into traffic. Josh stuck his head out the window, yelling that he had Charity with him. Instantly cars began moving out of the way.
They continued to the high school. There wasn’t anywhere to park, so Josh simply pulled to the side of the road.
“Go,” he said, pointing toward the gym. “The doors are standing open. Marsha’s already inside. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He grinned. “You’re going to do great.”
Charity wanted to say something, to touch him, kiss him and maybe talk about their future. But there wasn’t time. She was already opening the door, then jumping down and hurrying toward the gym.
Once inside, she stopped to stare. The huge space was overflowing with people. The bleachers were full, as were the rows of chairs on the gym floor. There was a stage at one end, with a table. The hospital committee sat there, looking slightly dazed. Banners proclaiming that Fool’s Gold wanted the hospital covered the walls and the cheerleaders were leading the crowd in several strange but interesting cheers about health care and becoming a nurse.
Marsha saw Charity and waved. Charity made her way to the stage.
“My phone died,” she murmured to her grandmother. “I didn’t know we’d moved.”
“We had to. People started arriving about seven this morning. I’ve never seen a turnout like this.” She smiled at Charity. “They heard your appeal and responded. You won’t believe the offers that have been pouring in.” She motioned to the folders lying on the table. “You did very well.”
“We don’t know if the hospital is going to build here or not yet.”
“Either way, I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks.” Charity gave herself a moment to enjoy feeling as if she’d finally found where she belonged, then drew in a breath and walked over to the conference table. “Good morning.”
“Impressive,” Dr. Daniels said, motioning to the crowd. “I like the banners.”
“You’re going to like the information I have even more.” She picked up the microphone on the table and turned it on. “Shall we get started?”
The huge gym went instantly quiet.
Charity had done a lot of presentations in the past. It was part of her job description. But she didn’t remember ever having an audience this big or enthused. Although everyone stayed quiet, she could feel them willing her to do well. Their support gave her confidence.
She moved to the podium and opened the folder lying there.
“Dr. Daniels, I’d like to welcome you and your committee back to Fool’s Gold and thank you for giving me one more chance to convince you this is where you should be building your new hospital. When we last spoke, you mentioned two specific concerns. A trained workforce and community support.” She looked up and grinned. “Let me show you why you have nothing to worry about.”
Over the next hour, she walked the committee through the detailed presentation. She explained how the California University campus at Fool’s Gold had developed a nursing curriculum, including several advanced-degree specialties. That the Wilson Memorial teaching hospital would be sending different intern and resident rotations to the new hospital.