Page 108 of Second Act
A fireman saw them and did a double take. “Where the hell—?” He glared at both of them before lifting his arm and shouting, “Get some oxygen over here. Two masks!”
Jessica pointed to Hugh as an EMT dashed up carrying two portable tanks with masks attached. “Give it to him first.”
She turned as she spoke and saw that Hugh’s face was streaked with black residue from the smoke, his eyes red rimmed and watery. But he pushed the mask toward her. “Take the oxygen, Jess,” he shouted. “Your lungs are smaller than mine.”
She took it to keep Hugh from arguing, but before she put it on, she asked the EMT, “Do you have a pet mask? The cat needs oxygen, too.” The cat case was vibrating as Geode flung himself against the walls, no doubt freaked out by the din of shouts, engines, and roaring fire, as well as the wild pulsation of lights and flames.
“Come to the ambulance,” the EMT yelled. “You can sit down where it’s quieter, and we’ll get the cat taken care of.”
Jessica was worried about Hugh, so she put her mask on, picked up the tank, and hurried to the ambulance to make sure he and Geode got proper medical attention. Hugh slid the cat carrier onto the floor of the vehicle before he helped Jessica into the back, his grip on her hand reassuring in its firmness. Then he climbed in himself, settling on the bench that ran along one side, his tank by his feet, his eyes closed as his chest rose and fell, drawing in the oxygen he clearly needed.
Jessica clambered over to where the EMT was rummaging in a drawer. She took the cat-size mask and nodded toward Hugh, pulling away her mask to say in a low voice, “Will you make sure he’s really okay? He inhaled a lot of smoke.”
“I’ll check him out,” the medic promised, hooking her stethoscope around her neck.
Jessica knelt beside the cat carrier and swung open the door. Geode cowered in the back corner, his eyes wide, his fur smudged with black. “It’s okay, sweetie. You’re safe now.” Jessica carefully pulled him forward enough to hold him while she positioned the mask over his nose and mouth. He surprised her by submitting without a struggle, which made her suspect that he appreciated the oxygen.
She glanced over to catch Hugh shaking his head as the EMT approached him with her stethoscope held out. Sighing in frustration, Jessica settled down beside the cat case cross-legged. At least Geode had the good sense to accept treatment.
Suddenly, a blanket descended over her shoulders. Hugh was leaning over to wrap the silver fabric around her. His tie was missing, his pleated shirt was splotched with black and ripped on one shoulder, and a clean streak down his smoke-smudged cheek showed that his eyes were still tearing.
Her body began to tremble, racked by deep, violent shudders as the fear she’d refused to feel—for all three of them—finally hit her. She should have refused to let him come into the clinic with her.
Hugh yanked off his mask. “Jess, what’s the matter?” His voice held panic. He turned to the EMT. “You need to help her.”
Jessica shook her head, keeping the mask on Geode with one hand while she pulled her own down. “It’s only the adrenaline draining out of my system.” The tremors made her teeth chatter slightly as she spoke. “I didn’t have the luxury of being afraid before. I just need to sit here for a minute.”
In one swift movement, Hugh was on the floor beside her, drawing her against him while his hand moved up and down her back in long, soothing strokes.
She leaned into his strength, profoundly grateful that he was alive and well when she might have gotten him killed. The solidity of hisbody and the gentle movement of his palm eased her tremors until she could relax against him.
“You scared the hell out of me when you didn’t answer me in there,” he said into her hair.
“There was too much smoke. I had to hold my breath until I got farther down the hallway.” She pulled her face away from his chest to look up at him. “How did you know to crawl? I was going to pull my shirt up over my mouth until you said that.”
“The fire scene inBest Laid Plans. Bryan decided that authenticity would make it grittier, so he brought in a fire chief to advise us on how you really should behave in a fire. Smoke kills more people than flames.”
“I can’t believe you went in there. You are crazy.” She loved him so much that she thought her heart would burst out of her chest.
“No crazier than you are.”
“I’m supposed to be insane about animals. I’m a vet.”
His grip tightened, and he kissed the top of her head. Closing her eyes, she savored the living, breathing presence of him. She swallowed hard to fight back tears at the memory of Hugh’s head and shoulders disappearing into the terrifying black smoke when he stood up to shift the cabinet.
“Jess! Oh my God, are you all right?” Aidan appeared at the open back of the ambulance, the lights and flames turning his face into a mask of worry.
“I’m fine,” she said, pulling away from Hugh to sit up straight.
“You don’t look fine,” her brother said before turning to Hugh. “And neither do you. Tiana said you were supposed to stop Jess from going into the clinic.”
Hugh’s mouth twisted. “I tried. I even considered hauling her away bodily, but I knew she would hate me if Geode died.” He kissed her temple. “I couldn’t bear that thought.”
Tiana came up beside Aidan, her gaze going to the cat case. “You got Geode! Is he okay? Here, let me take care of him.” She climbed into the vehicle to take over Jessica’s ministrations.
“The cat? Really?” Aidan shook his head before he reached out to take Jessica’s hand in both of his. “Don’t do that again,” he said, his voice holding a distinct quaver. “You could have been killed, and then I’d be an only child.”
Jessica answered him with a hard squeeze, her heart warmed by his concern. “Let’s hope there’s never another fire. How did you know about it anyway?”
