Page 33 of Playing with Fire

As Lottie drove them from the house, Willa’s already rapidly beating heart raced faster. Maybe someone else would have let the building burn, but if she knew one thing about Beckett it was that he was not and never would be that person. No matter how lost the cause, he would try to save it, give it his all until he had nothing left to give, just like he had with her. For the first time since meeting him, Willa almost cursed his persistence and need to do some good in the world. Then again, if he didn’t possess those qualities, he wouldn’t be the man she loved in the first place. As houses passed by in a blur, Willa hoped she got her chance to tell him that.

Chapter Twenty-One

~Beckett

The old cider mill wasn’t just any building, but was one that had been part of Applewood’s history since the town’s founding. More than that, it was a place that held a lot of meaning for his parents, and seeing it ablaze caused a dull ache in Beckett’s chest. The old, abandoned structure had been the site of his parents’ first kiss. His father had recounted the story to him and his brothers many times, talking about the thrill of sneaking into somewhere he shouldn’t have been followed by the even bigger thrill of stealing a kiss from the girl he liked more than any other before her. It was a special place to two of the most special people in Beckett’s life, and he knew even before the engine pulled up to the curb in front of the scene that he was going to try and save it.

The alarm had sounded not too long after he had started his shift. The initial excitement over getting a call that wasn’t a medical issue or fender bender soon faded when he’d gotten word of exactly which building was going up in flames due to a reckless fireworks display. Beckett and the chief were the two on shift, and after a quick call to the probie, the three of them arrived on the scene to find at least half of the mill was already engulfed in flames.

The sheriff and his deputies had already arrived and were redirecting the lookie-loos away from the area, and with preternatural speed, the three men hooked up hoses, and started to spray down everything they could to prevent the fire from spreading. Once a perimeter was established, they moved onto dousing the flames that crept up along the brick and wood of the outside like vines up a tree. Heavy streams of water pulsed through the hose in Beckett’s hands as he worked to save the place that meant so much to his parents.

As the flames licked the sides of the building and moved swiftly up to the second floor, loud creaking noises bellowed from the inside. It was an ominous sound, one that normally wouldn’t send fear trilling up Beckett’s spine if not for what exactly that sound meant. It was starting to become obvious from the deep bellows emanating from inside that in order to save this building that was nearly half-gone, he would need to work his way into the mill to keep the supports from buckling.

Wrapping an arm around the hose, Beckett used his free hand to signal to the probie that he was going in. Dale shook his head wildly as he tugged on the safety line, warning him not to do it. It was good advice from the younger man, and Beckett knew without a doubt he would catch hell from Trilby later on, but everything in his body was pushing him forward. He wasn’t sure why, but a voice in his head was screaming at him to not give up, pushing him to save this place, no matter the cost. The grip that voice had on him was unreal, and Beckett was moving before his mind was completely made up.

Heat pierced through the protective layers of his coat and pants, perspiration dripped down his neck and back, and adrenaline coursed through his veins as Beckett advanced toward the front of the building. The front doors had already burned to a crisp, and after hosing himself a path, he found himself at the entrance to the mill. Thick, black smoke obscured his view, but his breathing remained steady as he inhaled deeply through his mask until he finally emerged into the center of the room. Bright orange and yellow flames surrounded Beckett and small pieces of debris and ash fell from the ceiling as he started hosing any and every support beam he could find, hoping that if he couldn’t save the whole building, he could at least save the bones of the place.

The building groaned loudly, an indication that it was ready to buckle entirely at any moment. The voice of the chiefcrackled through the radio on Beckett’s chest, calling him a stubborn asshole and ordering him to turn back, but Beckett felt rooted to the spot as he continued his work. It wasn’t until Willa’s face flashed through his mind, her sweet voice asking him to “be safe” that he realized that what he was doing was truly crazy. His parents might be devastated at the loss of their special place, but they would be even more so if he went and got himself hurt or killed. Beyond that, Beckett had a good woman waiting for him outside this building, a woman he loved more than anything else, certainly more than his job and his need to be a hero.

Finally deciding to let the building go, Beckett tugged on his line three times to signal that he was backing out when the groaning from earlier gave way to a sickening crack. Beckett hadn’t had time to move before the heavy beam fell on him, but he’d gotten a good enough look at it to know he wasn’t going anywhere once it hit him. The other thought that flickered in his brain was that he hadn’t told Willa that he loved her. As Beckett’s body throbbed with pain and his vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the corners, his final thought was that now, he might never get the chance.

****

A slow ache followed by a sharp pain in his left arm caused Beckett to bolt upright, his eyes opening widely. Expecting to see nothing but black smoke and flames, Beckett was surprised and thankful to find that he was in a hospital room. The white walls and equally white tile floor gleamed brightly in the fluorescent lighting, and the room itself smelled faintly of antiseptic. Nothing about his current location was at all comforting, but Beckett found that it was easier to focus on the sterile surroundings than the incredible pain that was shooting up and down his arm.

Hazarding a glance at the damaged appendage, Beckettwinced when he saw his forearm with a metal rod along the side and screws digging into his skin. Even as the sight caused a tremble of fear to ripple through him, Beckett sent up a silent thank you to whoever was listening that it hadn’t been much worse. For a moment back in the mill before his vision went completely black, he seriously thought he might die and would forever be grateful that he hadn’t.

“You’re awake,” his mom sniffed. Beckett looked up to see her entering the room with his father. His mom walked up to the side of his bed, her blue eyes looking red and puffy from crying. Beckett opened his good arm for a hug only to get a stiff punch in the leg. For a woman of advanced years, his mom was still surprisingly strong. “Don’t you ever do something so stupid and selfish like that again, Beckett James Kemp. I will follow you into the afterlife and kill you all over again if you even try it, do you hear me?”

Beckett looked over at his father for help from his mother’s onslaught only to see the same stern expression on the older man’s weathered face. Seeing no relief from the verbal thrashing he very richly deserved, Beckett nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry,” he stuttered. Looking down at his hands, he smiled sadly up at his parents. “I know it was dumb, but I wanted to save that place for you. You’ve always talked about how special it is, and I don’t know. I didn’t realize that it was a dumb idea until after I’d rushed in and by then it was a little too late.”

Beckett’s father walked up and clasped his shoulder gently. “We know. When we heard the old mill was on fire we worried you might try to be a hero again.” With a pointed look, his father shook Beckett’s shoulder lightly, careful not to jostle his bruised body. “You’re more important than some old building, Beck, and I think you know that. We have the memories of that place to sustain us, but we still need you around for a long, long time.”

“I know,” Beckett muttered. It seemed that his need to charge in without thinking of the consequences hadn’t been completely exercised from his body through his relationship with Willa, but the experience of thinking he’d died without ever telling her he loved her sure had. Glancing up at his dad, he noticed the sadness in his eyes still lingered. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save the mill.”

Huffing a breath, his father ruffled his hair like he used to when Beckett was a boy. “You did save it, kiddo.”

Beckett got so excited at the prospect of the old mill standing that he shifted, the pain in his arm causing him to groan and grip the sides of the bed. “Shit,” he ground out.

“Don’t move,” his mom commanded. “I’ll go get some help.”

As his mom ran from the room only to come back seconds later with a nurse, Beckett tried to breathe through the throbbing in his arm as the woman administered something that soon had a warm, tingly feeling spreading through his body. It reminded him a whole lot of how he felt anytime he was around Willa, and he suddenly wanted to see her very badly.

Beckett’s mind was starting to feel a little hazy, the edges of his vision getting the slightest bit blurry, but he blinked it away and sat up further in his bed. “Where’s Willa?” he slurred.

His parents shared a knowing look before his mom spoke. “If you are referring to that lovely young woman who has been asking about you since she got here hours ago, she’s pacing the waiting room right now.”

His dad smiled. “Someone should probably grab her before she wears a track in the linoleum. Are you sure you’re up for another visitor?”

“Please.” The word came out even more garbled. Beckett knew he probably didn’t have a lot of time before he slipped back under the medicine’s spell, but he had to stay awake long enoughto see her and tell her how he felt. He was done waiting.

Smiling, his mom left the room along with the nurse. “You’re going to need another surgery to repair your arm,” his dad informed him. “At least we know you’ll be safe for the next twelve weeks while you recover.”

Beckett chuckled, the medicine making the idea more hilarious than it had any right to be. “I’ll still find plenty of ways to get into trouble,” he jabbered. Not a minute later, Willa entered the room. After one last nod to him and a welcoming smile to Willa, Beckett’s dad left the two of them alone.

As soon as his dad was gone, Willa rushed to his bedside, grabbed his hand, and held it to her cheek. “Hey,” she whispered to him. Her eyes shined with moisture and she looked like she had spent the better part of the day twisting her hair into knots, but she had never looked more beautiful. Willa was there and she was the woman he loved.

“Hey,” Beckett whispered back. Keeping his eyes open was a struggle, but it was made easier with Willa as the focus of his attention. “How are you doing?”

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