Page 81 of Nanny for the Firefighter

“He’s at work. He’s being brave.” That’s what I said, and the words tasted like ash in my mouth.

Give him back. Please. Please, give him back.

“Come here, Bridget.” I look up at Hudson, who gestures with his head across the table from him. “Sit down.”

My brother was giving me that face—pleading silently with his eyes—so I humored him and took a seat.

“Do you remember when we were kids, and we all went down to the creek and tried out that old rope swing?”

I can’t stop myself from laughing sharply, shocked he actually remembers that.

“Oh my God. Yes.” I shake my head, my hand going to my mouth. “You and I got up and jumped off no problem.”

Hudson nods, knowing exactly where this story is going. “Yup. But…”

Scrubbing my hands over my face, I smile through the nostalgia. “Mason broke the rope.”

“I mean, it probably would have happened to whoever went third, but yeah. God,” he grins, gripping his chin as his stare traces upward, “he fucking flew all right.”

Meredith furrows her brow, and when I look at Mom, she’s doing the same. Meredith leans forward, resting her chin in her hand as she plants her elbow on the wood.

“And what exactly do you mean by flew?”

Chuckling lightly, I’m at a loss for words for a moment, images of the past swimming up through my head like an old movie reel.

“Well, Mason grabbed the rope and pulled it back like we had. But when he ran forward with it to jump on and soar over the creek a few times, he only got to the top of his arch. Right over the water, the rope snapped, and he launched past the overlook and into the creek.”

“I swear he had some real hang time before he hit the water in the most epic of belly flops.”

We all laugh, and the feeling of recalling such a silly teenage moment takes the edge off. I know exactly what Hudson is doing by bringing all this up, and as much as that fact isn’t lost on any of us, we all just let it work.

Reminiscing feels better than panicking.

Ring, ring, ring.

Hudson stops, looking down at his pocket. His phone is ringing.His phone is ringing!

“Answer it!” I call out, and Hudson quickly lets go of Mom’s hand to fish the thing out.

“Who is it?” Mom asks.

“I don’t know. Unknown number.” Hudson swipes across the green button. “Hello?”

His brows raise, and my heart is in my throat.Oh God. What’s happening?

“Hang on just a moment, please.”

Pulling the phone away from his ear, Hudson switches the call to speaker so that we can all listen. I nod quickly at him when my brother looks up at me, his brows pinched together.

“Okay, could you repeat that?”

“Sure. This is Kathy, I’m a nurse at St. Rose Hospital. We have a Mason Hayes here, and you are listed as his emergency contact.”

“Yes, I’m Hudson Monroe. Is he all right?”

The seconds between the question and the answer are eons, my entire body frozen in stasis as I hang on the edge.Please, please, please.

“He’ll be fine. A tree branch fell on him, and he was admitted with some minor burns and a concussion.”

---