Page 14 of A Very Grumpy Firefighter

“You can come stay with me. I moved in with Lilou, so my place is available.”

“I might take you up on that.”

“Just let me know.”

“I will. I’ve got to go. The doctor is coming back in.”

“Alright, talk to you soon. Keep me updated.”

“Will do.”

We end the call, and I lean back against the couch.

“Fuck.”

So much has been happening lately, and it’s hard to process everything. I’m excited that my brother might be moving out here, but worried about what he’s been through and what his treatment for the next few months or longer might be.

The bedroom door opens and I look over as Lilou walks my way.

“Hey,” she greets me.

“Hey. How was your nap?” I ask her as I push to my feet.

“Good. Sorry for passing out on you like that,” she says with a sigh as she sits down on the couch, and I sit back down next to her.

She turns to me and frowns when she sees my face.

“What’s wrong?”

“What?”

“You look sad or something,” she says. “Did something happen?”

“Oh, I was just talking to my brother.”

“You just have the one?” She asks, and I nod.

“Yeah. Luca.”

“He’s in the military, right?”

“Yeah, though he might be getting out.”

She nods, and I take a deep breath.

“He was shot,” I blurt, and her eyes widen in shock.

“Oh my gosh! Is he alright? Do you need to go be with him?”

“He’s okay. He’s deployed, so he’s in the hospital over there.”

She nods, looking worried, and I reach out and pull her into my arms. She wraps her arms around my waist and lays her head on my chest.

“I guess it just threw me off. I talked to him a few days ago, and he seemed fine. I think it just hit me that I almost lost him,” I say softly.

She squeezes her arms around me tighter, and I take a deep breath, breathing in her calming lavender scent.

“I know what that’s like,” she whispers.

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