Page 9 of Spring Break with a Fire Chief

I speak to my nurses. “Get him another round of pain meds, we’re going to have to clean this out and he’s not going to like it.” Clearing my throat, I speak up, “Ted, how tough are you?”

“I cried in the bus so not very.”

I chuckle at him. “Okay so you want to be knocked out?”

“Fuck yes,” he groans. “Make it stop.”

“Come on, Ted. Heroes don’t say that.”

Just then I hear a booming voice echoing down the hall. “Where is he?”

“Better fix me up quick, Doc. Boss is here.” Ted’s voice is wavering and his head rolls to the side but his eyes are open now and they’re trained on me. I almost roll my eyes at the obvious fact that he’s more excited about witnessing gossip right now than worrying about his burning hand.

I step back from his gurney just as Ryan turns into the room. “Chief. Please stay in the hall.”

“No way. That’s my guy in there.”

He tries to push inside but I step in front of him. “And he’s going to be just fine. But you need to let me work.”

“Ted!” Ryan calls over my head.

“Chief Donnelly. I just explained you need to keep it down. We are treating a patient.”

“You’re treatingmyguy.”

“Right now, he’smyguy.”

“Chief!” Ted speaks up. “Your girl said I’m a hero.”

His eyes look to Ted, then to me and his lips draw into a straight line. His jaw ticks and I see all the emotions he's fighting right now dance across his features.

“Yeah, Chief. Now, letyourgirltreat her patient. I’ll come get you from the waiting room when we’re done.” I firmly push him into the hall, step back into the room and close the door.

“That’s not going to go over well.”

“In this room, Ted? I’m the boss.”

Chapter 6

Madeline

After an hour of treating Ted, I found Ryan in the family waiting room area of the hospital. I watched him from the small window, he was pacing and he looked tired,so tiredand older than I remembered. I understand the stress he endures daily, as I go through it too. It’s why we were always so in tune with each other. We lived hard lives and were responsible for many others. That type of leadership takes its toll.

I told him Ted was going to be just fine but he’d be out for six weeks, and he’d have some rehab exercises to do to get his hand back in shape. Ryan looked at me with eyes that were weary and I wanted so badly to reach out and hold him, hug him, tell him I'm here if he wants me.

But instead, I reminded him not to enter a room while a nurse is with a patient and certainly not to question the nurse in front of others. Was it a bitch move? Yup, but since my feelings were hitting a brick wall, that’s the response he got.

It's now almost eight at night and I’m at the end of my twelve-hour shift. I’m more emotionally tired today thananything because thoughts of Ryan haven't left me. And I've been fighting with myself on whether to show up at his house tonight. I want to check on him, see how he’s doing after knowing Ted got hurt, but I know it’s more than that.

My body is dying for his touch.

No matter what we were going through during our short time together, he could always make it better with a hug, a kiss, a caress and so much more. And I was the same for him. After seeing him today, I can’t get it out of my head. Weneedone another, physically and emotionally.

So I'm taking my shot and I’m driving to his house. I pull into his driveway and shut the car off, the engine still ticking lightly. I approach his front porch, noticing there is one light on in the house and as I knock on the door, my only hope is that he lets me in.

A moment later, the door swings open and Ryan stands in front of me in sweatpants and no shirt. His hair is damp, his feet bare and his face is unreadable.

“Can I come in?”

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