Page 37 of Forever, Finally

An alarm bell sounded the second a voice came over the loudspeaker and called out the code and the address. Jake tossed down his book and raced for his gear.

* * *

Lily checked the clock for the fourteenth time in the last two minutes and smiled. Okay, so she was a little excited about Jake coming home after his twenty-four hour shift. After her lunch with Rachel, Lily had decided it was time to finish cleaning up her life. She’d left a message for Jenna and had arranged to go in late so she could talk to Jake.

As she fried sausages, she checked the coffee, then the clock, all the while listening for the sound of his truck. The baby stirred, as if sensing her restlessness.

“It’s going to be fine,” she said as she placed a hand on her belly. “You’ll see. We’re going to live happily ever after.”

At least that was the plan. She crossed her fingers and hoped that Jake didn’t mind her organizing their future.

Just when she didn’t think she could stand it for another second, she heard a familiar vehicle pull into the driveway. She turned the sausage one more time, flipped off the burner and raced to the back door. She met Jake as he climbed the two steps.

“Morning,” she said cheerfully. “How was your…”

Her voice died when she saw him holding his right arm up against his chest. His hand was thickly bandaged and his mouth was tight. Panic swelled inside her.

“You’re hurt. What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

She stepped back to let him into the kitchen. He headed for the coffeemaker. She got there first and poured him a cup.

“Thanks,” he breathed, then took a sip.

“Jake?”

“I’m fine.” He waved his injured hand. “Or I will be.”

He crossed to the table and she followed.

“How bad is the burn?” she asked.

“Considering how stupid I was, I was damn lucky.” He sank into a seat and shook his head. “I’ve been doing this job for years. I know the rules.”

She sat next to him and rubbed her fingers against his sleeve. The fear was still there, but with him walking and talking, it faded. “Tell me. Please.”

He sighed heavily. “We were called to a house fire. Old place with faulty electrical. Everybody got out but the structure was a disaster. They had this little girl.”

He sipped his coffee, then rested his bandaged hand on the table and winced. “She was three, maybe four. She made me think of you. Big green eyes. Curly brown hair. Pretty and in tears. Her kitten was in her bedroom. He liked to sleep in the closet and she was afraid he wouldn’t get out.”

Lily’s heart lodged in her throat. “You didn’t…”

“Yeah, I did. I went back in.” He held up his uninjured hand. “Don’t give me the lecture. I already gave it to myself and heard it from the captain. I found the cat, but it wasn’t going to come to me. Not willingly. I was in my gear, probably looked like a feline-eating alien. So I tried to grab it, but I couldn’t. Not in my gloves.”

She stared at his hand. “You took them off?”

“Yup. I’ve got scratches and burns. A beam fell, split into a thousand pieces and a couple went right through my palm. The cat’s okay, though.”

She leaned close and wrapped her arms around him. “Don’t do that. Don’t you dare get dead.”

He clutched his coffee mug. “The thing is, Lil, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

She straightened and stared at him. “What?”

“I saw you in that little girl. I thought about the baby you’re carrying and how much it all matters. I can’t do this anymore.”

She had no idea what he was talking about but it didn’t sound good. “Jake?”

---