Page 42 of Burned By Love

The woman nodded, but she was watching Jonathan.“Hi.I’m Lisa.I work with West.”

Jonathan remembered her.“Are you okay?”

Lisa seemed amused.“I think I should be the one asking you that.Areyouokay?”

“I’ve been better.”

“He should go to the hospital,” Lisa said as he turned to West.“Just in case.”

“What about him?”West asked, tilting his chin towards Sal.

West had been fully focused on Jonathan, but Jonathan had been aware that Austin had dragged Sal out of the burning shop.Two paramedics were working on him right now, but Sal kept trying to push them away, probably to run.If Jonathan had to guess, he wouldn’t go far even if he tried.The two cops watching him from behind the paramedics would make sure of that.

“Not my problem,” Lisa said with a smile.“Paramedics from another station can take care of him.”

“I should also find Taylor.He’ll want to know what happened.”

“All of that can wait until we’re sure Jonathan is fine.”

That was how Jonathan found himself being marched toward the closest ambulance.He already knew how it went.He’d gone through it once, and he prayed it would be the last time.He might be dating a firefighter, but he was done with fires.

Hopefully.

Like last time, West hovered close as if he was afraid that Jonathan wouldn’t get the care he needed if he wasn’t there.The paramedics were professional, though, and they declared that Jonathan would be fine after pressing an oxygen mask against his mouth.He felt better than he had after the grocery store, so he wasn’t worried, but West looked as though he was.

“I’ll stay with you tonight,” he declared when the paramedics left them alone.

“We can go to my apartment,” Jonathan murmured.

West cocked his head and smiled.“Yeah?”

Jonathan had no idea what would happen with Sal.Hopefully, he’d pay for what he’d done, but Jonathan wouldn’t be holding his breath for that to happen.He couldn’t continue living his life fearing what Sal would do, though.He had a bright future ahead of him if he managed to ignore the fear, and he wanted to.He wanted to focus on West, to rebuild the shop, and to be happy.

He wouldn’t allow Sal to ruin all of that.

“As long as they let me go home tonight.”Jonathan really hoped that he wouldn’t have to spend the night in the hospital.He wanted to sleep in his own bed, especially if West was going to share it with him.

“I think they just want to be sure they didn’t miss anything.You look and sound fine, and I’m sure that if the doctors know I’ll be keeping an eye on you, they’ll let you go.”

“Because you’ll make sure I’m fine.”

“Always.”

Jonathan believed him.

Chapter Thirteen

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“YOU CAN WAIT OUTSIDE,” the nurse said.

West wanted to argue, but Jonathan was in good hands.There was no reason for him to be here, and no matter how much he wanted to stay with Jonathan, he had things to do.

He hadn’t seen Taylor since they’d arrived on scene at the shop.Lisa had told him to go to the hospital with Jonathan, and West hadn’t stopped to check with Taylor to ask if it was okay.Lisa wouldn’t have told him to go if it hadn’t been, but still.West needed to talk to his captain, and he had to find out what happened to Sal.Hopefully, he was already rotting in a cell, although considering the state he’d been in, West was ready to bet that he was somewhere in the hospital, handcuffed to a bed.

He glanced at Jonathan to be sure he would be fine without him.Jonathan rolled his eyes and nodded, and West knew he didn’t have any more reasons to stick around.

Jonathan could do this.He needed to be independent after everything that had happened with Sal, to show himself and everyone else that he was strong enough to face life on his own.West wanted him to have that.Jonathan had been incredibly brave, and West was proud of him.He’d make sure to spoil him as soon as he was allowed to go home.

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