“Listen here Evelyn Danaher. I know you can hear me. It’s okay if you don’t want to wake up for a bit. You’ve had a shock, and it’s understandable if you want a bit of a rest. But if you decide that you’re givin’ up. That you don’t want to come back or there’s nothing worth coming back for, then I wanted to remind you that mine is the last voice you’ll ever hear. I’ll be the last man to ever hold your hand. I bet that pisses you off, huh? I get that I make you so fuckin’ mad you wanna scream with it. But no matter what you’ve been telling yourself, I wasn’t grooming you for group sex or any shite like that. What we had that night was real. So if you wanna argue with me again. If you want to call me a liar and take another swing at my balls, you wake up and go right ahead. I’ll be waitin’ for you,” I whispered to her in desperation. If I begged her to come back she’d never listen, but if I made her angry enough she just might.
That night at the hospital had changed everything for me. When she left, I’d made a deal with myself. That if I could make it through rehabilitation and get fit. If I could get my job back and prove I had something to offer, then I could go after her. So there was no fuckin’ way I was losing her the day I got the right to win her back.
The ambulance pulled to a stop outside the Accident and Emergency unit and in the flurry of activity that followed, my hand slipped away from hers. I felt the loss of her warmth immediately. As she was wheeled down the ramp and through the doors, I followed behind, hoping that nobody would notice me slip in with the paramedic.
“It’s okay, we can take it from here,” a nurse said, and I guessed she assumed I was just following through on the rescue.
“Look, any chance you can let me through? I’ll keep out of the way I promise, but I know the patient and I just need to make sure she’s gonna be okay,” I explained. She let the door to the trauma bay close behind her as she turned back to talk to me, making it clear she wasn’t letting me through.
“All the more reason for you not to be in there. Right now she’s being taken to resus where a triage team will check over and treat her. As soon as they’ve done that and we know she’s stable, I promise you that one of the team will come and find you,” she explained.
“Will I be able to stay with her?” I asked.
“It depends on her condition and how quickly we can move her to a ward. If you come with me, I’ll take you to the family room. It’s a lot more private than the A&E waiting room. Would you like us to contact anybody?” she asked.
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of it,” I answered, dreading the call I knew I was going to have to make.
She led me to a door, and I thanked her as she hurried back to work. The family room had a vending machine, a couple of beat up plastic chairs and a coffee table filled with magazines that looked older than I was. It was depressing as shit. Sinking into a chair, a wave of fatigue washed over me. I was absolutely shattered and my throat hurt from the heat of the fire and the dryness of the oxygen in my cylinder. My head fell back and I stared at a funky brown stain on the ceiling, trying to process everything that had just happened.
Compartmentalising shit was bread and butter to most emergency service personnel. Save someone’s life, go back to work. Bag up a body you pull out the river, go back to work. Waste an hour because some fucker’s made a hoax call, go back to work.
Wash.
Rinse.
Repeat.
Tired. Worried. Stressed. Hungry. It didn’t matter. You saved lives and you went back for more. But when the moment came that you finally stopped; when you climbed off the blue-light merry-go-round and took five minutes to just think. That’s when it hit you. It was exhaustion like nothing else.
Most days, wiped out or not, I went straight to the gym after I finished a shift. Sparring with the boys, and generally shooting the shit helped me decompress. I did what I needed to do so that, by the next shift, my head was back in the game. All before the accident of course. But then I held the hand of a girl I liked. A girl I cared about. A girl who might not make it through the night. And I had absolutely no idea how to deal with that. Running my hand wearily down my face, I reached for my phone and dialled the one person I really didn’t want to speak to. The one person who might just hate me more than Evelyn did.
Her older brother.
Chapter Four
TOMMY
“Tommy fuckin’ Riordon. Any particular reason you’re blowing up my phone arsehat?” Joe said, sounding pissed that I was calling him at all.
“Lovely way you have of answering. You kiss your mother with that mouth?” I retaliated, immediately pissed at myself for biting back and not keeping my cool.
“What d’you want Tommy?” he replied. Taking a deep breath, I did my best to sound calm so I didn’t freak him the fuck out.
“Evelyn’s in resus at A&E and I think you need to come down as quickly as you can,” I said.
“What the fuck have you done to her?” he yelled, and all my good intentions went out the window as I lost my shit. How could he think I’d been the one to hurt her? Granted, I might not’ve been his favourite person in the world, but I’d never hurt a woman.
“Fuck you dick face! I rescued her from a fire at the library and travelled with her in the ambulance so she wouldn’t be alone,” I spat down the phone. Using the few seconds of silence between us, I did my best to reign my temper back in.
“Look mate, I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that. Is she okay? Was she burnt or…” he paused, he choked on his words as he struggled to finish and I guessed his mind was racing through all the ways she could’ve been hurt.
“The fire hadn’t penetrated the room she was in when I got there, but it was close. She’s suffering from some pretty serious smoke inhalation though, and she didn’t regain consciousness in the ambulance,” I explained, softening my tone at his obvious distress. “Look mate, I don’t wanna scare you, but I just don’t have anything more I can tell you right now. She’s in resus being treated by the triage team and they’ll tell me more when they know. I don’t have any details for your ma and da, but I figured you’d wanna be there when the news comes in.”
“Thanks Tommy. I’ll call my parents and I’ll be there as quick as I can. What hospital are you at?” he asked.
“Newham,” I replied. “Go to reception and ask for the resus family room, or give me a call when you get here and I’ll come find you.”
“If you get any news before then, you’ll call me?” he asked.
“I will, mate.”
“See you soon,” he replied, and hung up.
All things considered, it went better than I hoped it would. I had no beef with Joe. He was a nice guy, or at least he had been until he heard what went down with Evie. I only knew him in passing, until we offered to let him train at the gym in exchange for his help fixing up Con’s house. That might not seem like much to anyone else, but it was a big fuckin’ deal to me and the boys. Driscoll’s was our home and no-one walked through the doors without our say so. It didn’t matter if you were built like a brick shit house or if you were a decent fucking fighter. It didn’t matter if you had money. Membership was invitation only.
The boys asked me if I wanted Joe gone after everything went down. It didn’t matter why we let him in. Con paid him for his work, so membership to Driscoll’s was a sweetener. But if Joe’s attitude pissed me off, the lads would have tossed him out on his arse in a heartbeat. I told them it was fine though and to let it be. As sick as it sounded, Joe had been my last link to Evie and despite the fact I’d never once seen her at the gym, there was a fuckin’ pathetic part of me that just kept hoping.
My next call was to my boss, telling Houston not to worry about sending one of the guys back for me. I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so I told her I’d arrange my own lift back to the station when I was ready. She agreed to call control to book me off as a priority domestic. I knew it didn’t look good to the Fire Service, what with it being so soon after my medical leave, but
I couldn’t bring myself to care. My last call was to Kieran. Despite the hour, Con had another title defence on the horizon so I had a feeling that they’d probably still be training.
“Missing me already bitch tits?” Kieran said, answering.
“Feck off. How many times do I have to remind you I’m not gay?” I replied, sounding as drained as I felt.
“What’s up?” he asked, turning serious.
“You remember Evelyn, Joe’s little sister?” I said. “She was in a fire at the library earlier and I came with her to A&E. I’ve called Joe and he’s on his way.”
“Yeah, we all know Evie Tom. You need us to come down?” he said.
“Nah, you guys head home. I might need a lift back to the station later, but if it’s late I’ll just Uber it,” I replied, and he scoffed like I was being stupid for even suggesting getting a cab.
“You in your fire kit?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll drive instead of bringing the bike then. Just call me when you need me,” he demanded, “and keep me posted.”
“Thanks mate. Appreciate it,” I said. Saying goodbye, I hung up and closed my eyes. I really needed a drink, but I didn’t have any cash on me for the vending machine and I was afraid if I left the room to go look for some water, I might miss anyone who came to see me about Evie. So I waited, and waited and waited some more. Until finally a doctor came looking for me.
“Hi. Are you here with Evelyn Danaher?” he asked.
“Yeah. How’s she doin’ doc?” I asked, getting to me feet to talk with him.
“Why don’t we sit down,” he suggested, indicating towards the seat I’d vacated. At his words my blood ran cold. I did as he asked, feeling shaky as all fuck, as I braced myself for bad news.
“Well, Evelyn regained consciousness shortly after arriving in triage,” he explained, and I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “She was disorientated and panicky at first and struggling to breathe, but one of our nurses explained that she was in the hospital and that you were just outside and she seemed to calm down. She woke up before we intubated her, so we’re keeping her on oxygen for now and we’ll monitor her blood levels through the night. Tomorrow we’ll carry out a few tests to see how bad the damage to her lungs is, but she seems to be responding well to the oxygen which is a good sign.”
“Can I stay with her?” I asked. The waiting was killing me, but it would be easier knowing I could see her alive and breathing in front of me. If she was awake, I knew she’d be in pain and probably fuckin’ terrified. I remembered feeling the same way the last time I’d woken up in hospital.
“You can stay for a little while. I think the company would keep her calm. But there isn’t a huge amount of room in the triage bay, so you’ll need to leave when we take more tests. Once we’re sure she’s stable, we’ll move her to a ward,” he replied.
“Her family are on their way in and they’ll want to see her. I told them to come to the family room, but will someone be able to bring them through?”
“Don’t worry we’ll take care of it. Now, if you’d like to follow me,” he said, and I let him guide me through the maze of doors that all looked the same, until finally we were at Evie’s bed.
“I’ll let you know when her family gets here,” he reassured me, and pulled the curtain around us to give us some privacy. Her eyes were closed so I guessed she’d gone back to sleep. Monitors were hooked up around the bed, but nobody seemed to be freaking out about her condition, so I guess she was just as exhausted as I was. Her hair was dirty, but against the crisp, whiteness of the sheet, it was still the stunnin’ shade of red that screamed she was Irish. Dirty, beat-up and tired, she was still the most beautiful girl I’d ever fuckin’ seen. A wisp of hair lay over her oxygen mask and I reached out to tuck it behind her ear. As I did, my finger grazed against her. Convincing myself that her skin couldn’t possibly be as smooth and soft as silk, I brushed a knuckle gently across her cheek. She’d been minutes away from meeting her maker tonight and I needed her touch to remind me she was real.
‘Fuck it,’ I thought, knowing that she’d definitely have my balls if she saw what I was doing, but I bent over her bed and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Who gave you leave to be kissin’ me, Thomas Riordon?” she said, croakily, before she was racked with a cough.
“In and out Evie. Nice and slow. Just let the oxygen do its stuff,” I replied calmly, gripping hold of her hand as she struggled to get her breathing back to normal. When she seemed okay, I sat down on the chair next to her, but kept hold of her hand.
“Guess I’m busted huh? I figure I deserved that kiss. You scared the shite outta me tonight you know?”
“What happened?” she whispered.
“Do you remember the fire?” I asked, and she nodded in reply. “It was burning out of control by the time we got there. We managed to get you out before the roof collapsed, but it was touch and go,” I explained.
“The library’s gone?” she asked.
“Sorry Evie, it pretty much burnt to the ground,” I replied, and felt like shit as tears pooled in her eyes, then rolled down the sides of her face. I’d never seen her cry before, and I fuckin’ hated it. Her tears were like acid to my soul. Didn’t matter that she was probably sad over some books.
“Hey, don’t cry darlin’. The place will be insured and the Council will have a new one up in no time. And just think of all the paid time off you’ll have while they re-build,” I joked, trying to cheer her up. B
“I heard voices I think, just before I passed out,” she whispered, triggering another cough.
“You shouldn’t try to talk Evie. Your airway’s burned and the oxygen is drying it out. I’m sure the doctors will let you have some water when they think it’s safe, but for now, just try and get some rest.”
“Stay?” she asked, her eyes already drifting shut.
“Always,” I whispered back, but she was already asleep.
Twenty minutes later, a nurse pulled the curtain aside, leading Joe into the cubicle. She checked the machines next to Evie and with a quick, “I’ll be back again soon,” left us.
“Oh Ev,” Joe whispered, looking visibly upset as he stared down at his little sister.
“She’s doing better,” I reassured him, and relayed everything the doctor had told me.
“Will she be alright?” he asked, shakily.
“I think she’s stable, but I don’t know if there’ll be any long term effects to her lungs from the smoke. We did some training on this stuff when I was at the academy, and if the smoke damage to the lungs is minor, the body will repair itself over time. She might have some long term breathing problems, but the doc said they’re doing some tests tomorrow to figure shit out, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” I explained.
“Look Tommy, you’ll never know how grateful I am that your crew rescued her from that fire, and for you staying with her. But what’s with all this ‘we’ shit, and with the holding hands,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, I’m here now, so you’re welcome to go home. I don’t think you treated her right before, and I don’t think she’d want you here if she were awake.”
Maybe for the first time in my whole fuckin’ life, I thought about my words before I actually said them.
“I think it’s about time you and me cleared a few things up, don’t you? I have not, nor will I ever be groomin’ your sister for sex with other people. The night we met was a complete misunderstandin’. Yes, I’ve slept with a lot of women, but that don’t mean I don’t want more than a quick tumble with Evelyn. She ain’t that sort of woman. If all I was after was a quick shag, we both know I could get it pretty much anywhere or any time I wanted. I don’t need your permission to date her, nor am I askin’ for it,” I said, quietly, doing my best not to wake her.
“What, so you’re saying you want to date her now? Happy to sow ya oats all this time and now you want to settle down with my little sister? She’s too goo
d for the likes of you and you know it,” he argued.
“But I haven’t been sowing me oats have I? I’ve been in hospital and physiotherapy, tryin’ to walk again,” I replied. “All that time recoverin’, it gives you room to think about what’s important. I thought about Evie. A lot actually. About what went wrong that night. About how great it was when we were getting’ to know each other before everything went to shite. And about what kind of life I wanted with my second chance. And I’m not sayin’ I’d’ve come for her right away, because I’m still getting’ my shit together, but I pulled her out that fire. I saved her life. Far as I’m concerned, that’s all the sign I need that me and her are meant to be,” I explained.
“You’re absolutely feckin’ crazy. You know that right? How am I supposed to argue with crazy?” he said.
“I wouldn’t bother mate. Just hug me and say ‘welcome to the family,’” I suggested, grinning cause I knew he was gonna let the stupid feud drop.
“Jesus Christ, Tommy,” he said, despairingly. “Letting you court me sister is one thing, but if you think I’m lettin’ you marry her, you’ve got another thing comin’. Ev’s sharp as a whip and she’ll have none of your bollocks. I’ll not stop you from takin’ her out when she’s feelin’ better, but it’ll be a cold day in hell before you’ll convince her to go. And you’ve got as much chance of weddin’ her, as I have growin’ feathers out me arse.”
“Now, that sounds like a challenge if ever I heard one,” I replied.
“That was not a challenge. I’m not darin’ you to marry her, ya feckin’ edjit, I’m saying she’s far too sensible to date the likes of you. Mind you, I think it would do her good to have a bit of fun. She worries me sometimes with how serious she is,” he admitted.
The Fire (Hurricane Book 4) Page 4