Luckily, it had stopped snowing and the sun shone brightly onto the new blanket of freshly fallen snow as he turned expertly around street corners, headed toward the hospital.

A few minutes later, he drove into the parking lot and locked the car. The cold wind blew through his heavy coat, so he pulled it tighter around himself and hurried inside. When he approached the front desk, a young receptionist was waiting.

“I’m a firefighter and last night we brought a young woman in here. Her name is Kiki Long. Could you tell me which room she’s in?”

“I’ll check.” The nametag on the receptionist’s uniform said Jane. She punched...