Page 40 of Sunsets at the Beach House

Her mom nodded, eyes filled with concern. “Do you need me to go with you?”

“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll text you after I get to see him.”

“Okay. Let us know if there’s anything we can do.”

“I will.” She ran into her bedroom, grabbed her purse, stuck her feet in flipflops, and went straight to her car. She suddenly felt overcaffeinated, but it was just the adrenaline surging through her system. She kept telling herself that Alex was all right, but it was hard to get past the burns and concussion. Those didn’t seem like small things to her.

She programed her GPS and was out of the driveway before it was barely done calculating. The hospital wasn’t far, fifteen minutes, but the drive seemed like it took hours. Her heart thumped in her chest the whole way.

She parked in the visitors lot and ran inside. She went through security, then to the reception desk to get a visitor sticker.

The older woman working there gave her a slightly curious look. “Who are you here to see?”

“Alex Kelley. He’s a firefighter. He was injured on duty.”

The older woman looked on her computer screen, typing in his name. She nodded. “He’s in Room 312.” She filled out a sticker badge and gave it to Kat. “Here you go. Make sure you wear that at all times.”

“Will do. Thanks.” Kat stuck the badge to the upper corner of her T-shirt and headed for the elevators. One was letting people off as she approached. She got on as soon as it was vacant and pressed the number three. Her mind was still racing with thoughts of Alex when the elevator arrived at the third floor.

She got off, got her bearings, and quickly found his room.

Miles and the fire chief were in there already.

She hesitated at the door, unsure if she should go in.

Miles saw her. “Kat, you’re here.”

She nodded. “Is it okay for me to come in?”

The chief turned. “Come on in, young lady. Alex will be glad to see you. You must have stopped whatever you were doing to get over here so fast.”

“I did.” She rushed in. Alex was lying in the bed, arm in a sling, some bandaging on both hands. He smiled weakly, his eyes a little glassy. “Hey. You came.”

She took a breath. “Of course I came.”

The chief rested his hand on the end of the bed. “We’re heading back to the station. You let us know if you need anything, Alex. But I think you’re in good hands now.”

Alex lifted the fingers of his free hand. “Thanks, Chief. Thanks, Miles.”

Miles nodded. “Kat, text me later.”

“I will,” Kat said softly. She looked at Alex again. “Are you really all right?”

“I am. A little banged up, but I’ll be okay.”

“What happened?”

“Truss collapsed and I was under it. My gear did its job, though.” He grinned, clearly loopy on whatever they’d given him. “Could have been a lot worse.”

She exhaled, not wanting to think about that. “I’m glad it wasn’t. Very glad.”

“Me, too.” His eyes narrowed. “I know I’m on a lot of pain meds right now, but your face looks funny.”

“What do you mean?”

“Kinda…spotty,” Alex said.

“Spotty? Hang on.” She went into the bathroom and turned on the light. She had a bunch of white freckles she’d never seen before. She leaned in closer, squinting. Then she rolled her eyes. She was looking at speckles of white paint.

---