Page 55 of Her Redeemed Protector

She shakes her head, a birdlike gesture. No injuries visible, but she’s shivering, shock setting in.

A paramedic, her eyes kind but urgent, steps in to help, but Kayla recoils, unwilling to let go of me.

“Just a sec,” I tell the paramedic, buying time.

Kayla’s confession comes out in a rush, guilt heavy in her voice. “I didn’t mean for the fire… I just wanted some light. And then… sparks.”

I envelop her in reassurance. “You did good. You helped me find you, okay? None of this is your fault.”

Her eyes hold mine, a mix of hope and fear. “Can I go home now? Can I see my dad?”

Chase steps closer, his voice steady. “Your dad and Savannah are on their way. They’ll meet us at the hospital.”

Her eyes, large in her soot-streaked face, move from him to me. “Promise?”

“Promise,” I reaffirm. “Let the paramedics help you now, Kayla. I’ll be right here.”

Her grip on me eases as she allows herself to be moved to the stretcher, surrounded by a team ready to take care of her.

Now, the attention pivots to me. I stand slightly disoriented,the adrenaline beginning to ebb, revealing a throbbing pain that claims my awareness.

“You okay, Comet? Talk to me, buddy,” Chase asks, studying me.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Hands guide me to sit on the bumper of the ambulance as a paramedic kneels in front of me.

“Your jacket really did a good job protectin’ the little one, huh?” he remarks, his tone light but his eyes assessing. “And this shirt of yours. Good thing it ain’t synthetic, or it might’ve melted right onto your skin. That would’ve been a real mess, I can tell ya.” Then he spreads a cooling ointment on my burns.

“I guess,” I comment as I try to hold my wince.

“In saying that, you’ll need to get these seen to at the hospital.” He continues to apply the ointment. “You were lucky, but we still need to make sure there aren’t deeper burns or other injuries that aren’t visible yet.”

As the ambulance doors close behind us, Kayla’s eyes fix on my hands. “You got hurt.”

I need to keep her mind off the pain, the fear. “You like dogs?” I ask, offering a distraction.

A cautious nod is her reply.

I hand her the keychain—a miniature version of Savannah’s loyal border collie. I’ve carried it with me since I first left the farm to join the Navy. Mom must’ve slipped it into my bag back then.

“It’s Ranger,” I say.

Her spirits seem to lift a bit as a small smile touches her lips. “When can I see Daddy?”

“He’s on his way, Kayla. Him and Savannah, they’re both coming,” I assure her as the ambulance doors close behind us, the sirens wailing into the night.

Kayla clings to the keychain, a small token of the normalcyshe’s desperate to return to. She presses it against her chest, perhaps as a silent thank you or a sign of trust in a night that’s tested us all.

21

SAVANNAH

We tear through the inky blackness of the night. My heart races, eager for any update. Chase has instructed us to meet Hux and Kayla at the hospital, but his words were sparse, revealing nothing of their conditions.

My phone erupts with the sharp trill of an incoming call. Chase confirms that Kayla and Hux have left the scene, possibly arriving at the hospital before us.

“They’re all right,” his voice crackles over the phone.

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