Page 90 of Burn Point

“Um, maybe I should drive?” How was it that I was the calm one? And why was she so freaked?

“What? No, I’m fine,” she argued, whipping around a car into the next lane without so much as a glance.

All calmness faded. If she didn’t calm down, we’d be headed to the hospital, but for a different reason. “I appreciate you trying to get us there quickly, but maybe don’t have a wreck in the process?”

She swiveled her head toward me, shock and fear written all over her face.

“Watch the road!” I screamed. Dear God, she was going to kill us.

“Sorry. Sorry. I’m not as chill as Leah in times of crisis,” she said, finally slowing down to a decently safe speed.

We pulled up at the hospital, and I burst out of the car, running to the emergency room entrance. As a volunteer checked me in, Kylie and Leah closed in on either side of me. Leah gripped my elbow, and I clutched her hand to my side.

“Hey, is that…” Kylie trailed off.

“What?” I said distractedly, looking for the volunteer to appear back through the doors. Willing her to come take me to Nate. I just needed to lay eyes on him at this point. I knew Captain Collins had told me he would be fine. But I needed to see that for myself.

“Nothing. I thought I saw Thoren over there. But that doesn’t make sense, because he’s on duty, and that guy wasn’t wearing a fire department uniform.”

The electric door leading to the emergency room section slid open and the volunteer walked out followed by a strikingly handsome older man in uniform. He was a big man with a head full of beautiful salt and pepper hair. He spotted me and a strained smile spread across his tan, weathered face.

Kind eyes met mine as he stuck his hand out. “Mac Collins. You must be Jordan. I missed meeting you at the station the times you’ve been by, but Nate talks about you a lot, so I feel like I know you.”

His voice was gentle and reassuring, and his big hand engulfing mine set me at ease. Between the phone call and the steady greeting, he gave me the impression that he was solid as an oak. Open and polite but would definitely not take shit from anyone.

“You can come with me. I’ll take you to Nate.” He paused, looking at Kylie and Leah. “I’m sorry, ladies, but they are enforcing the two-visitor rule tonight. You’ll have to wait out here.”

I turned to see them both staring dumbly at Captain Collins. Leah broke her trance first, visibly swallowing before saying, “Yes, sir, we’ll just wait out here in case Jordan needs us.”

I followed behind Captain Collins, catching a whiff of his cologne as he held the door for me. He offered me a cup of water as we passed a small water station. Then he was pushing open a door and my eyes fell on Nate.

He took up most of the hospital bed as he lay there, eyes closed over the pasty pallor of his smut-streaked cheeks. An IV protruded from one hand and a blood pressure cuff wrapped around his other arm. An oxygen mask was blowing fresh, clean air into his lungs. His body looked strung tight, as if he were fighting for every breath, even in sleep. A rough cough shook him. As he struggled to get it under control, Captain Collins squeezed my hand and leaned closer to me.

“He didn’t settle down until I’d told him you were on your way. He’s looking rough right now, but the doc says he’s going to be okay after he gets some oxygen. Look past all the contraptions to see the man,” he said softly.

I tore my eyes off Nate to find Captain Collins studying my man. He looked tired and worried, and my heart squeezed. It was obvious that he cared about Nate.

“Can you tell me what happened?” I asked quietly.

Captain Collins stepped back into the hallway and motioned for me to follow. I pulled the door closed behind me to not disturb Nate. Following the captain, I focused on the graceful way he navigated the crowded hallway to a private consultation room. He ushered me in and sat across from me in a hard chair, leaning forward to place his elbows on his knees.

With a heavy sigh, he dropped his head to his hands, almost as if he was trying to decide where to start. The dejected pose was startling to see on a man who exuded strength and control. He scrubbed his hand over his face and sat back, squaring his shoulders, once again resembling a man able to bear the weight of the world.

“We were on a structure fire. We were making good progress, had one crew on the second floor and another on the stairs. I’m not sure exactly what happened, I’ve still got to debrief the rest of the crew and put the puzzle together, but Nate and another firefighter had their masks pulled away and were exposed to super-heated air.”

“What happens when they get exposed to that? What does it mean?” I asked, not sure that I wanted an answer, but needing to know the details all the same.

“They suck in smoke, chemicals, hot air.” He paused and ran his hand over his head, then blew out a breath as he sank against the back of the chair. “I’m not going to lie to you, Jordan, and I’m not going to sugarcoat things. It could have been bad. We don’t always have this many incidents in our department, meaning we don’t typically have a lot of structure fires. But they do seem to come in cycles. We’ll have a rash of them, and then not have any for a good long while.” A frown marred his handsome face and he spoke as if to himself. “We’ve had too many already this year.”

His attention shifted back to me. It was an effort to not fidget under his weighty stare.

“My guys are well-trained, and they know their shit. They risk their lives to do their jobs, and they take that risk seriously. But you need to understand that they will always risk their lives to save their brothers. And they will always do whatever it takes to come home to the ones they love. Always.” He let that sink in for a moment. “I want you to hear me, really hear me, Jordan. Understand what I am trying to tell you.” He leaned forward, elbows to knees and linked his hands as he watched me.

“Nate loves you. He will always do whatever it takes to come home to you. But he will not leave a brother behind. There are some that will. But Nate is not that man. Nate is the kind of guy that you want having your back on scene. You can trust him when shit hits the fan. There are a lot of women that can’t handle that, knowing that their man puts his life on the line for others.” The passionate delivery left me speechless. He’d obviously had this experience, and I wondered briefly who’d hurt this complex man.

He held my gaze, jaw clenched before his expression shifted to something softer, ratcheting up his handsomeness. “Somehow, I think you’re a woman who can handle it.”

I nodded absently, letting his words sink in. Nate cared for his crew, but he’d fought to survive for me. My heart swelled with that knowledge.

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