Page 7 of Thea's Hero

I’m blind to anything other than Thea’s form on the ground, mostly blocked by the firefighters surrounding her. Fear chokes me as we approach, but I shove it down, steeling myself for whatever we find.

One of the firefighters—Grant—moves off to the side, leaving me room to come close.

In the moment before I see Thea, I send up a silent prayer. Please. Let her be okay. Or at least not terribly hurt.

All the air in my lungs comes out in a rush when I see her.

She’s so pale. So still. Eyes closed, her lashes a brush of dark against her cheeks. Crimson still oozing sluggishly from a cut on her forehead. Little shards of glass scattered through her hair, glinting red and orange as the flashing lights hit them.

My first instinct is to gather her in my arms, beg her to wake up, which goes against all of my training.

Drawing on my years of experience, I focus and take stock. Grant reels off her vitals, “Pulse is slightly elevated, but normal. BP steady. Equal breath sounds. She was still belted in when we got to her, no immediate indication of broken bones.”

Willow tag-teams with me as we examine the rest of Thea’s body. There’s a C-collar around her neck, a precaution taken in any serious accident. As Grant reported, no obvious broken bones or deep lacerations. She has a few small cuts on her chest and arms, most likely from the shattering glass.

“Any idea how long ago the accident happened?” I check her eyes, relieved to find her pupils equal and responsive. She has a severe concussion at best, given that she’s still unconscious, but I’m desperately hoping it’s not something worse.

Grant checks his watch. “The guy who called it in said he was about a mile away when he heard a crash. So… ten minutes, give or take.”

So Thea has been unconscious for at least ten minutes, possibly longer. Dammit.

I tap her cheeks lightly with my fingers. “Thea. Wake up. Can you hear me? Thea?”

There’s no response and my stomach sinks.

Turning to Willow, I give a quick jerk of my head. “Stretcher.”

Moving in tandem, we carefully move Thea onto the stretcher. Seeing her motionless and hurt and so damn fragile makes me feel sick all over again.

Once we have Thea secured to the stretcher, we snap it back up and start rushing back to the ambulance. As much as I try to focus on the here and now, frightening possibilities keep filling my head. Could she have a brain bleed? A broken neck? A skull fracture?

God. Not Thea. Please.

“You drive,” I tell Willow as we load Thea into the back of the ambulance.

She lifts her chin. “Of course.” Her eyes soften for a second as she looks at me. “I’ll get her to the hospital as fast as I can.”

I’m already at Thea’s side when Willow slams the metal doors shut, and a moment later, the ambulance starts to accelerate. I check Thea’s vitals again, which are still holding steady. But she’s still unconscious. And that’s the most terrifying part of it.

Keeping my voice firm but gentle, I try to rouse Thea again. As I squeeze her hand, I keep repeating, “Thea, wake up. Come on, wake up. Thea. It’s Ben, I’m with you. Can you just open your eyes for me?”

My heart is lodged in my throat, the aching emptiness in my chest expanding each time I call her name and she doesn’t answer.

Until she does.

Lids only fluttering at first, finally opening to reveal bright blue eyes flecked with aqua and emerald; the most beautiful color I’ve ever seen.

She stares at me, confusion evident in her stunning gaze, her brow creasing. “Ben?”

Some of the clinging fear slips away with the knowledge that Thea is awake and recognizes me. “Yeah, honey. It’s me.”

“But—” She tries to turn her head and panic flashes across her face. “What’s happening? Where am I?”

“It’s okay,” I soothe. “You’re in the ambulance. We have a collar on you to protect your neck. There’s nothing to be scared of.”

“Ben…” Her chin wobbles and she clutches my hand. “I don’t understand. What happened?”

I hold Thea’s gaze as I check her reflexes, which are thankfully all working normally. “You were in a car accident. You ran into a tree. The impact knocked you out—you’ve been unconscious for about fifteen minutes. We’re on the way to the hospital right now.”

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