killed by them. Drove a car stoned when he had just totaled his car the week before.” She felt horrible by what she said the moment he stood up. “Allen, I’m—”
“I’m sure you can handle this from here on out. Right, Luke?” Allen didn’t wait for an answer but left her. She turned to the man, who she was assuming was Luke, when he sat up. Christ holy shit. He didn’t have a shirt on.
“You should know that he’s been sitting in that chair for the last five days just waiting for you to wake up. Never left, only to go to the bathroom. He had his meals brought in here so he’d be close if you needed him.” Luke stood up and stretched again. Jack watched him as every muscle on his body seemed to move with it. When he caught her looking at him, he grinned again. “I could join you in that bed if you’d like. Nothing right now sounds better than to taste every part of you.”
“No.” When she realized how loud she’d been, she cleared her throat and tried again. “No. That won’t be necessary. If you could just tell me how I can get home…well, that’s not going to work. I couldn’t get there even if I had a ride to do it in. And I’m pretty sure my car has been impounded. I sort of left it in the middle of the road. And I’m babbling. If you don’t mind, I’d like to leave now please. I’m not really sure why I’m here but…why am I here?”
“I brought you here. It was easier for me to take care of you here rather than in a hospital. You never answered me. What’s the last thing you remember?” She closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted. He asked her if she was all right.
“Just peachy. The last thing I remember…my apartment was covered in smoke and there were firefighters everywhere. I don’t know…I got inside because I wanted to see if I could save some of my things. I don’t have a lot…well, less now, but I didn’t have a lot and I didn’t really want to lose any of it.” She looked up at him. “There as a man on the steps as I was going up. He had blood on his shirt and…he was breathing but not awake. I pulled him down two flights of stairs before someone came and got him. Another firefighter. He was going to take me but leave him and I couldn’t have that. Not for me.”
“He would have died without your help. The other firefighters were already out of the building and hadn’t been able to find him. The man who went in to get you had to go against his commander’s orders to find his friend. He said he thought he saw someone go in and he had to check. It was you he saw, and you led him right to his friend.” She waited for him to tell her that she was stupid for going in, but he only sat in the chair that Allen had been in. “What else?”
“He picked me up. The second one, he’d picked me up, but I couldn’t leave the hurt guy there. So I made him carry him instead of me. I was supposed to hold onto his belt or something. But I couldn’t for….” When Luke laughed, she glared at him. “He was just going to leave him there to die. After I’d carried him all by myself down those stairs, he was fucking going to live.”
“He did. Dave Patrick is his name. He and his wife are expecting their first child in a few weeks. When he was coming down the stairs, he was hit by a beam that had fallen from the upper floors. He never knew what happened until a few days later, when he was told you saved his life. Needless to say, he’s very grateful that you decided to be stupid.” She wanted to take offense to him calling her stupid, but she’d done enough calling herself that when she’d been in the house. “You hit your head.”
“Yes. When…I’m not sure if I fell and hit my head or I hit my head and fell. I was pretty dizzy by then and couldn’t really think very well, much less breathe.” She took a deep breath and smiled. “I guess it wasn’t as bad as I thought, right?”
When he leaned back in the chair, she had a feeling he was keeping something
“I’m sure you can handle this from here on out. Right, Luke?” Allen didn’t wait for an answer but left her. She turned to the man, who she was assuming was Luke, when he sat up. Christ holy shit. He didn’t have a shirt on.
“You should know that he’s been sitting in that chair for the last five days just waiting for you to wake up. Never left, only to go to the bathroom. He had his meals brought in here so he’d be close if you needed him.” Luke stood up and stretched again. Jack watched him as every muscle on his body seemed to move with it. When he caught her looking at him, he grinned again. “I could join you in that bed if you’d like. Nothing right now sounds better than to taste every part of you.”
“No.” When she realized how loud she’d been, she cleared her throat and tried again. “No. That won’t be necessary. If you could just tell me how I can get home…well, that’s not going to work. I couldn’t get there even if I had a ride to do it in. And I’m pretty sure my car has been impounded. I sort of left it in the middle of the road. And I’m babbling. If you don’t mind, I’d like to leave now please. I’m not really sure why I’m here but…why am I here?”
“I brought you here. It was easier for me to take care of you here rather than in a hospital. You never answered me. What’s the last thing you remember?” She closed her eyes, suddenly exhausted. He asked her if she was all right.
“Just peachy. The last thing I remember…my apartment was covered in smoke and there were firefighters everywhere. I don’t know…I got inside because I wanted to see if I could save some of my things. I don’t have a lot…well, less now, but I didn’t have a lot and I didn’t really want to lose any of it.” She looked up at him. “There as a man on the steps as I was going up. He had blood on his shirt and…he was breathing but not awake. I pulled him down two flights of stairs before someone came and got him. Another firefighter. He was going to take me but leave him and I couldn’t have that. Not for me.”
“He would have died without your help. The other firefighters were already out of the building and hadn’t been able to find him. The man who went in to get you had to go against his commander’s orders to find his friend. He said he thought he saw someone go in and he had to check. It was you he saw, and you led him right to his friend.” She waited for him to tell her that she was stupid for going in, but he only sat in the chair that Allen had been in. “What else?”
“He picked me up. The second one, he’d picked me up, but I couldn’t leave the hurt guy there. So I made him carry him instead of me. I was supposed to hold onto his belt or something. But I couldn’t for….” When Luke laughed, she glared at him. “He was just going to leave him there to die. After I’d carried him all by myself down those stairs, he was fucking going to live.”
“He did. Dave Patrick is his name. He and his wife are expecting their first child in a few weeks. When he was coming down the stairs, he was hit by a beam that had fallen from the upper floors. He never knew what happened until a few days later, when he was told you saved his life. Needless to say, he’s very grateful that you decided to be stupid.” She wanted to take offense to him calling her stupid, but she’d done enough calling herself that when she’d been in the house. “You hit your head.”
“Yes. When…I’m not sure if I fell and hit my head or I hit my head and fell. I was pretty dizzy by then and couldn’t really think very well, much less breathe.” She took a deep breath and smiled. “I guess it wasn’t as bad as I thought, right?”
When he leaned back in the chair, she had a feeling he was keeping something
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