Teased by Fire

by Molly O'Hare

  Olive’s eyes widened. Once. And it sucked more than anything, she thought.

  “She fell out of the treehouse in our backyard when we were younger,” Hank answered for her.

  Olive looked at the doctor, and then back at Hank. What he said.

  “It’s going to be close to that. You’ll cough but don’t be alarmed, it’s completely normal.” Before she knew it, Olive had the doctor right over her and the nurse next to him. A gush of wind filled her lungs as the tube was removed causing her to cough uncontrollably.

  Holy shit on a cracker that hurt.

  As Olive tried to regain her bearings she felt someone grab her hand. When she looked, Hank gave her a sweet smile.

  She opened her mouth, but he silenced her with a swift kiss. “Don’t speak. Your throat’s bound to be dry and scratchy. Let me get you some ice chips.” He turned to the bedside table next to him and picked up his water.

  “No hanky panky,” Doctor Wyatt joked. “Let the poor girl breathe on her own before you try to resuscitate her again.”

  Olive smiled. She liked this doctor. She liked him a hell of a lot more because he got under Hank’s skin.

  “I’m sure you’ve got many questions,” Doctor Wyatt remarked. “But before we go any further, tell me what do you remember?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Hank had never been more thankful for his mother, then he was right now. After the doctor evaluated Olive and given the all clear for everyone to come back in the room, his mother had somehow convinced Mr. and Mrs. Quinn to grab a bite to eat instead. Thank god, because right now he needed some time with his girl.

  From the moment the doctor left the room, Olive hadn’t taken her eyes off of him.

  Add that to the list of things he was thankful for.

  When he looked into Olive’s eyes, he saw the questions she had there, but more importantly, he saw her longing.

  As Hank stood over her, he let his eyes roam over her still broken and bruised body. As his eyes drank her in, he swore she never looked more beautiful than she did right now.

  Olive was awake.

  His heart did a strange flipflop, as his face broke into a smile.

  “Wh-when,” she started to say in a rasped voice. “When you stare at me like that it makes me feel weird.”

  Hearing her voice was like music to his ears. “Is there another way you want me to stare at you?” he asked.

  Olive narrowed her eyes at him before she gave up and threw her head back onto her pillow forcefully.

  When Hank saw her face scrunch in discomfort he placed his hand under her chin forcing her to look his way. “The doctor said he’d get the nurse to bring you some pain meds.”

  She faced him before giving him a small nod.

  Seeing Olive in pain was killing him.

  He wanted to be able to give her some sort of comfort so he leaned over her, before resting his head on her forehead.

  Olive was alive. He thanked God for the millionth time.

  He placed a swift kiss on her lips, being cautious of her cut. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for not giving up.”

  When Olive tried to speak he silenced her with another kiss. “Shh. I know we have a lot to talk about, and we will, but right now I want to enjoy this moment.” He kissed her again.

  However, the second he felt Olive bite his bottom lip he jerked back. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Trying to keep me quiet by kissing me.” She glared at him. “I do not appreciate being manipulated.”

  Was it wrong he thought her rasped voice was sexy? Probably. He shook his head. Leave it to Olive to be as feisty as ever even after everything she’d been through. “I’m not manipulating you,” he protested.

  “Yes, you are.” Olive tried to push herself further up on the bed, but ultimately failed.

  “Why are you so goddam stubborn?” Hank rolled his eyes before grabbing onto her waist hoisting her to her desired position in seconds. When he saw her wince again he cringed.

  Shit.

  “I’m not the stubborn one, you are.” Olive narrowed her eyes at him. “And, that’s one of the many reasons I love you.”

  Hank froze.

  Did he hear her correct?

  She loved him.

  Olive placed her hands on her lap and stared at them as she began to fidget. “I’m so sorry, Hank. I am sorry for everything.”

  He watched her in complete awe as tears ran down her cheeks.

  She loves me?

  “You will never know how truly sorry I am, Hank. After you told me you loved me I freaked. Within seconds everything I thought I knew flipped upside down and I couldn’t handle it.” Olive focused her gaze from her hands to him. “I didn’t know what it felt like to be loved, at least I thought I didn’t.”

  “I’ve loved you for a long time,” he finally said.

  “I know that now. I know that even though I never thought I deserved love, I’m lucky enough to have found it.” Her chin trembled. “I was on my way to tell you. I had to tell you. I couldn’t go on another second with you thinking I wasn’t in love with you too.” Her body slumped into itself. “Then when you said you were done… I-I-”

  “I should have never said that.” Hank gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks. “I can never be done with you, Olive. You’re my whole world.”

  “I thought I lost you.” The look she gave him, broke him in two. “I knew my car wasn’t the safest, but the idea of you walking away and never coming back killed me. I had to get to you.”

  “Shh,” he tried his best to calm her. “It’s okay, baby. You’re okay. That’s all that matters.”

  He wanted to keep her calm, however, Olive seemed to have different plans.

  She clearly needed to tell her side of the story and no matter how bad it might hurt, he had to sit there and listen to it.

  “The car came out of nowhere,” she whispered as a new wave of tears started. “Right before everything went black, I saw your face. I would have given everything at that moment to make sure you knew I loved you. I reached out for you, but then you were gone.”

  God damn. Hank’s insides were ripped apart as Olive recanted her memories from the accident. The fear she must have felt, the pain, the unknowing. He vowed at that moment he would do everything within his power to make sure she never felt that way again.

  Being careful not to hurt her, Hank cupped her face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so fucking sorry you had to go through any of that. And, I’m even more sorry you’re lying here in pain right now. I should have never left the way I did. Not when I knew I didn’t mean those words. Olive, I have been in love with you for a very long time. Even if you had tried to kick me out of the apartment I would have still fought for you. I’m just sorry my dumbass forced you to get into that death trap of a car. But in all of this, there is one thing I am grateful for.”

  “What?” she whispered.

  “I’m grateful that I can stand here next to you and tell you, I love you.”

  Olive’s face brightened. “I love you, too.”

  Hank leaned over and kissed her, pouring all of his emotions into their embrace.

  “Didn’t I tell you to let the poor girl breathe?” Doctor Wyatt interrupted them as he came into the room, a nurse right next to him. “I leave the room for ten minutes and you’re already trying to block her airways.”

  Hank growled at Doctor Wyatt before he turned away with a shrug. “I was telling my girl I love her.”

  “Tell her vocally for a while until she’s got her breathing under control. The poor girl’s been on a ventilator for days. Slow your roll.” Doctor Wyatt winked at Hank.

  Bastard!

  Hank’s lips thinned as he watched the doctor work. He knew Doctor Wyatt was right, but could you blame him? Not only was Olive awake, but she’d also told him she was in love with him.

  He’d be damned if he wasn’t going to kiss her.

  “Hank doesn’t follow the
rules much,” Olive remarked, as she sent a teasing smile his way.

  The fact that her busted lip made her smile a little lopsided had him smirking. He couldn’t be mad at her. Not when seeing her eyes shine with love at him was the best sight he’d ever seen.

  “I’ve prescribed some extra pain medicine to help you.” He looked at her chart at the end of her bed. “Once these kick in, you’ll more than likely fall asleep. Sleep is good. It’ll help your body heal.”

  Olive nodded as the nurse injected some medicine into her IV.

  “I’ll be back in a few hours to check on you,” Doctor Wyatt announced before placing her chart back at the end of her bed. “Try and limit the tonsil hockey for a little while.”

  “I’ll do my best to control him, but like I said, he doesn’t follow the rules well,” Olive joked as Doctor Wyatt and the nurse left the room.

  “I like him. He’s fun,” she said when she looked at Hank.

  “He’s a pain in the ass if you ask me,” Hank grumbled. “He’s got too many jokes. But he saved your life, so I’ll let it slide.”

  “How noble of you.”

  Hank puffed out his chest. “Damn right.”

  Olive started fidgeting with her sheet, causing Hank’s brows to knit. “What is it, baby?”

  Olive’s faced pained for a second before she took a deep breath. “How’s the other driver? Are they okay?”

  Her words were like a punch to the gut. He knew it was coming, it was in Olive’s nature to make sure everyone was always accounted for and okay, but he’d wished he didn’t have to tell her so soon. He took a deep breath before he grabbed onto her hand. “I’m sorry baby, but the other driver didn’t make it.”

  Olive gasped, which made his heart constrict harder. “No,” she said as new tears formed in her eyes.

  “When we pulled up to the accident-”

  “Hank, no,” she stopped him. “Please tell me it wasn’t your station. Please, I won’t ever be able to live with myself.”

  Seeing her distress, Hank sat on the side of the bed before pulling her into his arms. “You have no idea how grateful I am it was us that got the call. Rick and Tim are the best goddamn medics this city has. The moment we realized it was you they stopped at nothing to save you.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t, Olive.” He pushed away a stray piece of hair from her face. “Do not be sorry. None of this was your fault. Not even a second of it. That driver ran a red light. Even if your car were in top shape no one would have been able to stop in time.”

  Her doe eyes staring at him, did him in. “The other driver was gone before we got there, Olive.”

  Her whole body tensed. “There was nothing anyone could have done, baby. I’m sorry.”

  Olive nodded, but he knew she didn’t accept it. He’d seen this before throughout his career. Even though she wasn’t at fault, he knew the guilt would eat at her. As he watched her face contort in pain he vowed he would do whatever it took to make her see she wasn’t at fault for this.

  “It’s good to see you awake, Olive.”

  Hank snapped his head to the door only to see Olive’s parents walk in with his mother.

  Robin had a sad smile on her face with her eyes relaying a plea of ‘I tried’.

  Hank took a deep breath readying himself for whatever hell storm was about to come. He turned his body away from Olive, before taking a few steps up the bed, almost putting her behind him, so he could protect her.

  “Mother.” Olive skeptically looked at both of her parents. “Thank you for coming.”

  Hank hated how proper Olive forced herself to sound.

  His hand clenched at his side. The fact she couldn’t be herself around her own parents had him wanting to punch the nearest wall.

  “Yes,” her mother answered. “We had to rearrange some things, but we came as soon as we could.”

  “Days later,” Hank growled.

  “And why are you here?” Her mother turned to Hank. “There is no reason for you to be wasting your time here with her.”

  “Wasting my time?” Hank snapped. Were these people fucking crazy?

  “I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do than to keep her company.” She pointed at Olive.

  “I can assure you, Mrs. Quinn, Olive is the most important thing to me. Nothing could have kept me away. Too bad, I can’t say the same for you.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Exactly what I said.”

  “Please,” Olive pleaded with the room. “Can we not do this right now. I’m begging you.”

  Hank pivoted to see Olive staring at him, a pained expression on her face.

  Fuck. How the hell was he supposed to make Olive feel better, but not chew her parents out for being garbage human beings?

  “Yes, why don’t you run along. We’re her parents, we can take it from here.” Mrs. Quinn moved to the other side of Olive’s bed. “We have a lot to talk about.”

  Olive snapped her head toward her mother. Her left brow cocked. “We do?”

  “Of course, Olive,” she said. “We only have a few days to file the first claims against your accident. There could be big money here.” She had a smug expression on her face. “While the doctor was evaluating you, I called our lawyer.”

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me!” The words were taken right out of Hank’s mouth as he snapped his head to the door.

  Miranda stormed into the room, throwing her bag into the nearby chair. “You are some fucking piece of work, Mrs. Quinn.”

  “Do not talk to me like that,” Olive’s mother sneered toward Miranda.

  That only caused Miranda to cross her arms over her chest before she quirked her left brow. “Like what? The god-awful parent you are?”

  “Miranda…” Olive managed to speak.

  Hank’s sister turned toward her best friend with tears in her eyes. “Once you get better I am going to kick your ass. You have no idea how worried I’ve been.”

  At the sight of Miranda, Olive’s tears were back.

  “No, you don’t get to cry.” Miranda pointed at her chest. “I get to cry, and then I get to beat your ass for taking your car in the first place.”

  “I’m sorry,” Olive sobbed. She extended her arms in the air begging for Miranda to walk into them.

  Miranda saw zero problems with that because she pushed Olive’s mother out of the way without a care in the world as she gladly walked into her best friend’s arms.

  “Didn’t I just say you don’t get to cry?”

  “Shut up!”

  Hank watched as Olive did her best to pull Miranda into her arms.

  “Excuse me,” Mr. Quinn bellowed into the room. “Are you going to let her talk like that to my wife?”

  “Your wife?” Hank asked, as his blood boiled. “Even after all the shit your daughter has been through the past few days, you’re more concerned about your wife?”

  “No one is going to talk to her like that.”

  “That’s right,” Hank stated. “I’m going to talk to her a lot worse than that.”

  He turned toward Olive’s mother. “Get the fuck out.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Mrs. Quinn placed her hand over her chest.

  “You heard me, get the fuck out. No one wants you here, and more importantly, you don't want to be here. You never did.”

  Mrs. Quinn turned toward her daughter. “Olive you are not going to let these hoodlums speak to us like this are you?”

  “Hoodlums?” Robin chimed in. “My children are so far from hoodlums it’s not even funny.”

  Hank watched as Olive gently pushed Miranda out of her arms to get an unobstructed view of her mother.

  “Did you just call my best friend and boyfriend hoodlums?”

  At the word boyfriend, Mrs. Quinn paled. “Your boyfriend? Don’t be silly, Olive. I know you hit your head pretty hard, but there is no way Hank Parker is your boyfriend.”

  Hank had never wanted
to hit a lady more than he wanted to hit Olive’s mother right now.

  “What do you mean he couldn’t be my boyfriend?” Olive asked, as shock resonated off her face.

  “Exactly that dear, no man like him would even remotely be interested in someone like you. Now, all you need to do is send these little people away and we can get to work on what’s important.”

  Olive’s face scrunched as her eyes narrowed on her mother’s. “And what’s important?”

  “Why are you so dense? I already told you. Our lawyer will be here within the hour.”

  Olive’s fists clenched as her breathing increased. “Get out,” she growled. “Get the hell out of this room.”

  “Olive Quinn, I am your mother. Do not talk to me like that.”

  “You’re wrong,” Olive snapped. “You’ve never been a mother to me. The only motherly figure I’ve had in my life is standing in the corner.” She pointed to Robin. “I’ve never been good enough for you or dad. Never. I used to feel bad about it, I used to do whatever I could to make you both proud of me, but it would always end up the same. I’m your total disappointment. Well, guess what? Not anymore. You’re my disappointment. I’ve lived my life in fear of your judgment for far too long.”

  Olive grabbed onto Hank’s hand and pulled him to her. “I don’t know how or why, but I’m in love with Hank and I’m lucky enough he loves me too. Lord knows, I never had a good example of what love really is. And, for you to once again throw your judgment on me concerning Hank proves to me you’ve never loved me. Your judgment doesn’t rule me anymore.”

  Hank squeezed Olive’s hand. He’d never been prouder of her than he was at that moment.

  “I don’t want your lawyer here,” Olive continued. “And more importantly, I don’t want either of you here. Now get out.”

  Mrs. Quinn glared at her daughter. “You, ungrateful bitch.”

  “Don’t even think about it,” Hank interrupted. “If I were you I’d leave while I still had the chance.”

  “Is that a threat young man?” Mr. Quinn asked.

  “It’s a promise.”

  “I knew we should have never come,” Olive’s mother said to her husband. “She’s always been a waste. The one time she could actually see some profit from this opportunity she will no doubt mess that up too. Let’s go dear, there is no point in trying to reason with incompetence.” Mrs. Quinn grabbed her bag and flung it over her shoulder.