Page 29 of No Take Backs

"Gino." Captain Harvey nods at him. "Anything serious?"

"Nope." Gino cracks his neck. "Few bruises, some smoke inhalation. That's the worst of it. Beam knocked us both out." He fingers the knot on his head lightly. "She got the worst of it, though. Hit me, and I hit her, and then she hit the hardwood floor."

I wince, remembering the pain that reverberated through my head and into my neck. Honestly, it is no wonder my mom pointed a light directly into my eyes. I’ll be lucky if I don’t get out of the day without concussion syndrome or precautions. But with the pounding I already feel in my temples, a soft thrum with every pulse of blood through my veins, I’ll definitely need to take precautions.

“You’re lucky you didn’t die.” Captain Harvey turns his attention to me. “There’s a reason that paramedics and EMTs don’t go into a scene without it being cleared first. The firefighters are cross-trained as EMTs, Nia. You’re not. You didn’t have any sort of protective gear when you went into that scene.”

I wince at the raised tone but don’t tear my eyes away from him. Nor do I open my mouth to say a single word.

“Every single chemical in that house was turned into a toxin as soon as the fire started. Things that wouldn’t normally make you sneeze are superheated and fly through the air on the fumes of the flames. There’s a reason we wear protective gear… masks. Yet you went in, blindly, without regard for yourself. Why?”

From the look on his face, he doesn’t expect me to give him an answer, and for a second, I think about keeping my mouth shut like he wants. But in that moment, my inexperience is coming back to bite me in the ass.

“A three-year-old, with no idea what to do in a fire, was in the middle of it,” I answer quietly, my eyes blazing with the emotions I feel pounding in my chest. Fear, pain, and happiness that I was able to pull the little girl into the bathroom before the fire reached the second floor. But not an ounce of regret. “I got her into the bathroom with me, with water in the tub, and a wet washcloth over her mouth.” I cough, unable to help it. “Even if I died, I helped her.”

A red flush creeps up his neck, but it doesn’t reach his face. Instead, Captain Harvey stares at me briefly and finally nods.

“Don’t do it again,” he orders. “Or you’ll be looking for another job.”

“Yes, sir.” I don’t mean for it to come out sarcastic, but the pain in my throat and the smoke I still feel in my lungs make it hard to catch my breath.

With a nod, he looks over his shoulder and sees the men who are watching our conversation without bothering to hide their interest or the fact that they are eavesdropping.

He shakes his head, leans forward, and lowers his voice. “You better text my daughter when you get home. If she finds out from me and not you, she’s gonna flip a lid.” Then he winks and steps back. “Take the rest of shift off. Come back for next rotation.” He glances at Gino. “Both of you.”

“Sir?” I hold out a hand, reaching for his arm. “The little girl and her mom?”

His face is unreadable. “The girl is fine. But her mother was dead before the fire even started, they think. Have to wait for the autopsy report to know more.”

“Damn,” comes from Ryder.

“Get out of the way, losers.”

“Too late,” Captain Harvey mutters loudly before turning and stopping the brunette from getting any closer. “How’d you find out Nia was here, already?”

“Move, old man.” Aylie Harvey, one of my best friends from childhood and Captain Harvey’s daughter, shoves her father aside and stomps up to the side of the bed. “Your mother. I had to find out from your mother that something happened.” She grabs my hand, sniffling. “Are you at least okay?”

“I don’t even have my phone,” I wheeze. “How was I supposed to tell you something happened?” Coughing, I press my free hand to my chest. “Besides, you work in the hospital.”

“Go away, peasant.” Ryder flicks her on the ear. “We’re doing firefighter shit right now. Nia will call you when she gets home. You can bring her ice cream or whatever shit it is that you two are devouring these days.”

I almost laugh at the poisonous glare that Aylie shoots in his direction. But I’m already in pain, and the last thing I need is a room full of people seeing me cry like a baby. Even if that’s all I want to do.

But with the attention off me and on the interaction between Ryder and Aylie who are bickering like siblings, I’m able to lean back and breathe through the sudden nausea.

“It’s a concussion, alright.” Gem appears at my side. “I’d bet a hundred bucks that right now you want to shut the lights off and die.”

“Mm-hmm.” I close my eyes and let all my weight rest on the pillow. “Hurts.”

“Maybe next time you won’t run into a building that’s on fire and leave your partner alone.” I don’t know why I think I’ll escape without hearing his voice. “But then again, no one else seems to think you’ve got a wild side.” His voice drops an octave and gets closer. “I’ve seen your wild side, though, and I gotta tell you that I’m not surprised you did it.”

I feel him brush the hair out of my face, and heat climbs up my cheeks even if my eyes aren’t open.

“You saved my life,” he goes on. “There’s no doubt in my mind that it would have taken that girl out, and me with her. Thank you.”

“Hmm.” I don’t say anything. I want to, but I don’t. There are too many people around for me to say what I really want to. “Come ’ere.”

Opening my eyes with a hand held over them to block out the bright light, I watch his reaction. The others have already started walking away at the insistence of one of the nurses since they were making so much noise. Gem has apparently walked off with them, leaving Gino and me alone, with Josh between the two of us.

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