Page 110 of Fight or Flight
He blinks at me a few times, like he doesn’t understand what I’m saying.
“Are you hurt?” I repeat.
He shakes his head, but he’s staring at me like he can’t decide if I’m real or not. He’s more alert now, and some of that faraway look in his eyes is fading, but he’s so pale he’s practically glowing in the dim light, making the mark on his temple stand out against his chalk-white skin.
He’s in shock, and something tells me that has little to do with the fire I just put out and everything to do with the one he experienced when he was thirteen.
He doesn’t fight as I pull him to his feet, but he’s not able to do much to help as I drape his arm over my shoulders and wrap my arm around his waist to lock him against my body.
We’ve only taken a few steps when he’s hit with a coughing fit that’s so strong his knees buckle, and I tighten my grip on him so he doesn’t slide right to the floor.
I don’t want to risk keeping him in the smoke any longer than he already has been, so instead of pausing so he can get the worst of it out, I pull the front of his shirt up so it’s covering his mouth and nose and drag him out of the room.
His coughing eases as soon as we’re in the hall, and he’s able to stumble along beside me as some of his senses seem to come back to him.
Instead of dragging him to the main door, I pull him into the study room next to the game room and bring him right over to the window.
His color is better now that we’re mostly out of the smoke, and he’s finally able to focus on me as I prop him against the wall next to the oversized window.
“Can you stay up?” I ask, still holding him against the wall just in case.
He nods and offers a weak smile.
Once I’m sure he isn’t going to fall over, I flip open the lock and slide the window up just as Jax appears on the other side of it with Killian and Felix right behind him.
“Come on,” I say to Shane and hold out my hand.
He takes it and lets me pull him off the wall. He’s a bit unsteady as I help him fit first one leg, then the other, through the window, but he’s able to help Jax and Killian as they guide him through it and gently set him on the ground.
As soon as he’s clear of the window, I climb out and jump down onto the grass below at the same moment Shane falls to his knees and starts coughing again, holding one hand over his mouth as he presses the other to his stomach.
“Does anyone have any water?” Felix calls, already kneeling in front of Shane as a crowd gathers around us.
Someone hands him a water bottle, and he uncaps it and holds it out to Shane. “Drink some of this,” he says gently.
Shane takes it with a weak smile and tips some of the water into his mouth.
“You okay?” Jax asks, giving me a quick once-over.
A cough tightens my chest, and I turn away so I don’t start hacking in his face.
“Fine,” I tell him when I’m able to pull in a breath.
The faint sounds of sirens break through the noise of the crowd, but I ignore everything around me and take a knee in front of Shane.
He meets my eyes, and the world sort of fades away for a second as we stare at each other.
There are so many emotions in his eyes it’s hard to pinpoint them all, but the most prominent are sadness, pain, and what looks like grief.
“You good?” I ask softly.
He nods and takes a sip from the bottle Felix gave him.
“Should I call the school doc?” Paxton asks.
“No,” Shane says quickly, tearing his gaze from mine and looking over at Paxton. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” Paxton asks dubiously, his phone in his hand. “What happened to your head?”
