Page 40 of Just Our Secret
“Thank you,” I replied, my gratitude barely taking the edge off the terror I felt as I watched the flames lick the sides of the building.
Connor arrived in record time, and I could hardly stand to tear my eyes away from the TV long enough to open the door for him. I’d been watching it with tears in my vision, looking at each and every firefighter like they were Wade. There was no way to distinguish them from one another while they wore their gear, so I had no way of knowing where he was in the mess. I wasn’t an expert or anything, but to me, the situation looked even more dire than when I’d first put the TV on.
“Hey, what’s happening? Did they put it out yet?” Connor asked when he breezed past me and into the living room to stand in front of the TV.
“No. And I’ve tried calling him a few more times but no answer.”
“Fuck.” Connor ran a hand through his hair. “It looks worse.”
“I know.”
We watched in silence for a moment, then Connor reached out and slung an arm around my shoulders, holding me tightly against his side. “He’ll be fine.”
I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me or himself, but I nodded. “Yeah. He will be.”
Obviously, I knew Wade had to fight fires as part of his job. But really, rescuing cats or clearing car wrecks were way more common. We weren’t in some big city with the kind of population size that would lend to frequent fires, so I wasn’t used to worrying about him like this.
Seeing the scene on the TV now was like something out of a movie as the helicopter cameraman panned over the warehouse. A group of firefighters went onto the roof, doing something with big tools. I didn’t know what exactly, but just as I was about to ask Connor if it was safe for them to be up there, one of them crashed through the roof and a ball of fire shot out from the gaping hole he’d fallen through.
I let out a quiet scream before I clamped my hand over my mouth and turned my face into Connor’s chest. But then I couldn’t stay that way. I had to see what happened.
I told myself over and over that Wade wasn’t the one who fell. It couldn’t have been him. What were the chances that I’d just watched the man I loved—the man who didn’t know I loved him yet, dammit—fall through a roof into a fiery inferno?
But even if it wasn’t him, what if he was one of the guys now running after their fallen brother? I whimpered as I saw more firefighters rush into the building to save the guy who fell.
“Shh,” Connor said as he rubbed my back. “Don’t wake Liam. He’ll freak. I’m going to try calling Wade again.”
I knew it was futile, but I still backed up and watched with wide eyes as he did so. When he shook his head and swore again, putting his phone away, I felt a tear streak down my cheek.
“Connor,” I said, my voice shaky, “I can’t lose him. You have no idea. I love him. I’ve loved him forever, and I haven’t even had a chance to tell him. I have so much that I want to say to him… I can’t lose him.”
My brother stared at me for a long moment, the fire from the TV dancing in his eyes. Then he nodded. “We won’t lose him. I have a lot I need to say, too.”
TWENTY-TWO
WADE
I woke, but my eyelids felt glued shut. A beep sounded from my left, and low voices hummed somewhere not far off. After some amount of coaxing, I pried my eyes open to see an unfamiliar blanket.
“He’s awake!” My mom’s face appeared in front of me, and everything came rushing back.
The fire. The fucking roof collapsing and pulling me right through. The gut-deep knowledge I was well and truly fucked and would’ve been actual toast if my fellow firefighters hadn’t come in and gotten me. The rush to get me oxygen, get me out of the turnouts to see if the fire had gotten through, and then deal with how hard I’d bumped my head.
Concussion—that’s why they kept me overnight. Miraculously, only mild smoke inhalation. Sore-as-fuck body based on the slight shift I just made that sent aches all through my arms and back.
“I’m good, Mom. Is Andi here?” Shit, my voice was rough. How long had I been asleep?
She squeezed my hand and kissed the back of it, careful not to jostle the IV they must’ve given me for fluids while I slept. I must’ve slept hard, which was damn near impossible, but by the time they finally let me sleep, after all the tests and oxygen and so on, I crapped out hard. I vaguely remember being woken at least once to have someone shine lights in my eyes, ask me to hold out my hands—the usual checks to confirm I hadn’t had a seizure or stroke while sleeping and that my brain hadn’t gotten worse. But those were hazy memories shrouded in sleep.
I didn’t care about any of that. I wanted Andi. I needed to see her.
“She’s getting coffee, I think. She and Connor. I’m so glad you’re okay, honey.” She smiled widely, emotion edging her voice but not spilling over. As a nurse, Mom never got too emotional about injuries and such. It was why I didn’t need to ask about my dad—he’d be at home with my sister because neither he nor Jenny had the ability to handle me in danger. I’d call them when I walked out of here later, and I’d need to plan a weekend back home sometime soon.
“Can she come in when she gets back?”
Mom shoved a small Styrofoam cup, complete with bendy straw, toward me. I sipped as slowly as I could make myself, but my mouth was dry as hell.
“She can. I’ll give you guys a few minutes—let me go see if she’s back.” She ran her hand over my head, ruffling the matted mess like she had when I was a kid. “Love you, honey.”