by Amy DeMeritt
He turns to face Perez before Ashton has time to process what he just said or to respond. “Juan Perez,” they shake hands, “Lieutenant Hyland has submitted your name a few times this year for promotion to lieutenant. You showed true leadership tonight in how you handled yourself and how you lead the crew in to save Eric Fields. I’d like to give you an opportunity to prove Lieutenant Hyland is correct in her assessment of your potential to be a leader. Come see me tomorrow and we’ll talk more about this.”
“Yes, Sir, thank you.” He vigorously shakes the captain’s hand again. “Thank you for the opportunity.” He steps forward with a broad smile and takes Ashton’s hand, shaking it firmly. “Thank you for the vote of trust, Lieutenant.” He grins. “And soon to be Captain.”
“You’ve earned it.”
“I just follow the WWLHD code.” She looks at him confused and he grins. “Every time I go into a fire, I ask myself, what would Lieutenant Hyland do? You taught me everything I know. I’m the firefighter I am because of you.”
“And you’re a damn fine firefighter. I’m proud of you.”
Captain Hunt grips Perez’s shoulder in comradery as he takes a few steps away from them, saying, “Let’s go check on Fields.”
After they walk away, Skylar takes Ashton’s hand and starts to walk her towards the check-in counter in the ER, but Skylar’s father takes a step forward with a finger raised, saying, “A word, please?”
They follow him and Mrs. West several paces away from everyone else to a small alcove, and Mr. West quietly says, “I’ll admit, this thing between you two is a little weird for us because of the age difference. But we’ve never seen Skylar as happy as she has been the past couple of weeks. And the way you just handled this situation gives me a bit more peace of mind.” He inhales deeply through his nose as his back elongates. “You have our blessing. We brought Skylar a change of clothes since she insists on staying the night here with you. Look after her. Make sure she eats and gets some rest.”
“I absolutely will. Thank you for everything.”
He nods as he takes his wife’s hand. “We’re going to take off. I hope that asshole didn’t do any further damage to your ribs or cause new injuries.”
“Thank you. Have a safe trip home.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The hum of the machines monitoring Eric’s vitals, the quiet sounds of Skylar breathing while she sleeps, and the occasional squeak of rubber on tile as a nurse or doctor rushes by the closed door have become like white noise, lulling Ashton into a meditative trance. She fell asleep a few times throughout the night but quickly snapped herself out of it to watch over Eric.
She wanted to protect Skylar from having to witness the condition he’s in, but after the debridement of his burns was completed and he was bandaged, Skylar insisted she wanted to sit with Ashton in the room with him. So, here they have been all night, sitting in a chair with Skylar curled up on her lap, laying on her shoulder, and a blanket covering both of them.
Juan, Erin, and Gloria also stayed, but Eric’s parents went to a hotel after visiting for a short while. He hasn’t woken up once because of the sedation, but his vitals haven’t declined.
Ashton looks up at the clock on the wall for at least the hundredth time since they sat down last night. It’s just after seven in the morning. Her eyes tear up as she looks over at Eric with a small smile. He made it through the night. With each minute he keeps doing well, the greater the likelihood is that he’ll survive this.
She tilts her head back as she takes a deep breath, then turns it side to side to stretch her kinked and knotted neck. As she’s looking to her left, her eyes lock with Erin’s. She’s curled up sideways in the chair with her knees drawn to her chest and her head resting on the back rest. Ashton reaches a hand out to her, and Erin slips her hand out from under her blanket to accept Ashton’s.
Ashton mouths, “Good morning,” and Erin nods and gives Ashton’s hand a squeeze before releasing it and tucking her hand back under her blanket.
At a whisper, Erin asks, “Did you sleep?”
She shakes her head and rubs her sore eyes. “No. I couldn’t. I kept waking up.”
Erin sits up stretching her arms and legs out and yawns deeply. She sits forward rubbing the sleep out of her eyes then stands up to shake the cramps out of her legs from being curled up in the uncomfortable chair all night. As she pulls her ponytail out and combs through her wavy dirty blonde hair to pull it back up, she walks over to Eric’s bedside. After a few moments, she turns and walks to Ashton. She runs a hand through her hair and bends down to kiss her lips, completely ignoring the young woman cradled on her lap and in her arms.
“How long do you plan on staying today?”
“At least till his parents come back. I’ll need to go home and sleep some then come back. Do you have to go into the clinic this morning?”
“Yeah, I need to be there at nine. Do you want some coffee and breakfast?”
She nods as she tilts her head to look at Skylar sleeping on her shoulder. She runs a hand over Skylar’s thigh and kisses her forehead a few times, gently coaxing her awake. Skylar releases a breathy sigh and her eyes flutter open as she tilts her head up to look at Ashton.
“Good morning.”
Her face pinches in discomfort as she unfolds her body and shifts on Ashton’s lap to sit up. She runs a hand over her head and looks around the room, looking a little disoriented.
“What time is it?”
“A quarter after seven.”
She exhales sharply as she lays back against Ashton, pulling Ashton’s arm around her waist to hold her hand against her stomach. “I’m sorry I fell asleep. I tried to stay up with you.”
“It’s okay. Would you like to get some breakfast?”
“Yeah, I’m really hungry.” She looks up at Erin and gives her a small polite smile. “Morning.”
“Morning.”
“How is Eric?”
“Stable.” Erin turns to wake up Juan, but he’s already awake and rubbing his eyes and neck, so she walks over to Gloria and jostles her shoulder. “Wake up. We’re going to get breakfast.”
Gloria sits up with a gruff moan of discontent and pain. “Can we have some shoulder massages with breakfast?” She stands up rubbing her neck and shoulder and walks over to Eric’s side. After a few moments, she puts on a brave smile and turns to face Ashton, and with as much positivity as she can genuinely inject into her voice without it sounding comical or fake, she says, “He made it through the night, baby. You can stop looking so grave.”
“He’s still in critical condition.”
“I know, honey. Come on, get up. Let’s go eat.”
They stand up, but Ashton hesitates at the foot of Eric’s bed. She kisses the top of Skylar’s hand, then releases it as she shakes her head. “I’m going to stay. I at least want to wait till his parent’s get back so he’s not alone.”
Juan places a hand on her shoulder, saying, “You go. I’ll stay. I want to. I need to.”
Before she can answer, the door opens and Eric’s parents walk in looking weary and anxious. They look between everyone a bit awkwardly, and Mr. Fields asks, “Did all of you stay all night?”
Juan answers first. “We did. He remained stable all night.”
“Well…” Mr. Fields looks a bit embarrassed as he walks around them to stand at Eric’s bedside. “Thank you for looking after my boy. But you can all go home and get some rest.”
“I don’t mind staying. I would like to…”
He cuts Juan off with a bit of agitation in his tone. “We would like some time alone with our son now. Surely you can understand that?”
“Yes, sir, I understand. If it would be alright with you, I’d like to come back later when my shift ends.”
“Yes, later.”
They say goodbye to Eric’s parents and file out of his private room in the burn care unit. No one says anything till they’re in the waiting room of the ER, and Gloria is the first to s
peak.
“I will never get over how rude the families can be to you guys after things like this happen.” She leans in and hugs Ashton, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to take off, honey. I need to shower and eat before work. Let me know if you need anything. I’ll come back with you tonight, just let me know when.”
“Okay, thanks for being here. Please drive carefully. I love you.”
“I love you too.” They hug again, then she leans in to hug Skylar and kisses her cheek. “See you later, sweetie.” As she pulls away, she waves to Juan with fluttering fingers and a polite smile, then looks at Erin with a less than friendly smile. “Erin. Have a lovely day clipping cat claws and shaving dogs.”
Erin glares at her, saying between gritted teeth, “I’m not a fucking pet groomer and you know it.”
“Oh, right, sorry. You cut out the jolly bits between the legs. Have fun with that.”
“You are such an ass sometimes.”
Gloria grins as she leans in and gives her a hug and kiss on the cheek. She pats Erin’s cheek in an amused way, saying, “As are you, honey. See you later.”
Gloria struts away with a proud smile and waves at Ashton as she blows her a kiss and winks, making her release a small laugh.
Erin gives her a perturbed glare, and asks, “Can you drop me and Juan off at the firehouse so we can get our vehicles?”
“Yeah, sure.”
Everyone is so tired they don’t talk the entire drive from the hospital to the firehouse. After Juan thanks her and jumps out, Erin leans forward between the two front seats and firmly kisses Ashton on the lips.
“I’ll talk to you later. Thanks for the lift.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good day.” Erin hesitates at the open door and raises her eyebrows. Ashton rolls her eyes with a small tired smile. “I love you.”
Erin grins, and as she hops out, she says, “I love you too, babe.”
After Erin closes the door and Ashton turns forward, her face splits in half with a huge yawn that she quickly covers with a hand.
“Shit, I’m tired. Am I taking you to your parents or home with me?”
“With you.”
The breathy sweetness of Skylar’s voice makes her smile as she puts the truck in reverse. Ashton lives close to the firehouse, but the seven-minute drive feels like an hour because of how tired she is. Ashton is partial to taking the stairs for the exercise, but since her surgery, she has had to take the elevator whenever they go out. And today, because of how tired she is, she has never been more thankful that her apartment building has the elevator. She walks into the elevator car to lean against the back wall and smiles as Skylar turns and leans back against her. Ashton wraps her arms around her and gives her a kiss on her cheek and the side of her neck.
“Thanks for staying last night.”
“Thanks for holding me all night.”
As the elevator opens, Skylar takes Ashton’s hand and pulls her out of the car and down the hall to Ashton’s apartment. Ashton unlocks the door, and as they walk inside, Ember leaps out from the living room with an excited series of meows.
“Hey, let’s get you some food. I’m sorry I couldn’t come home last night.” Ashton gives her a kiss on the head as she picks up the kitten. “One of my guys had a bad accident. He’s in real bad shape.”
They walk to the kitchen, and while Ashton holds and loves on Ember, Skylar grabs a can of food from the cabinet and empties it onto a small plate. She refills Ember’s small water bowl, then Ashton sets Ember down in front of both so she can eat. After they wash their hands, Skylar wraps her arms around the back of Ashton’s neck and kisses her lips.
“What do you want to eat before we go to bed?”
A flutter erupts in Ashton’s stomach from the innocent question and the hopeful glimmer in Skylar’s eyes. “Honestly, I’m so exhausted, I can’t even think right now. What would you like to eat?”
“How about something super simple then? Peanut butter sandwiches and warm milk?”
She gives Skylar a quizzical look. “Did I tell you about that?”
Skylar grins as she kisses her lips. “About how your mom used to give you that as a kid when you had trouble falling asleep or woke up in the middle of the night from nightmares? Yeah, you told me. Does it still do the trick to get you to sleep?”
“It does.”
“Good.”
She gives Ashton another kiss on the lips, then turns to get to work. The ease and comfort at which Skylar moves around her kitchen and how she knows where everything is, the way Skylar remembers important details that may not seem important to other people, and the way she just seems to get Ashton really makes her feel like this relationship may actually be the best damn thing to happen to her. The only other person to be so cued into her is Gloria.
After Skylar finishes making the sandwiches and warming the milk on the stove, they eat together on the couch in silence. It’s not an uncomfortable silence. On the contrary, it’s actually very comforting. Just sitting pressed hip to hip while they eat feels right. It feels natural. The lack of conversation isn’t because they don’t have anything to talk about and both of them know that. The silence is merely a sign of contentment with just being together. It’s like wrapping up in a blanket just before dozing off. The silence is just to allow them to feel at ease and rest.
With fuel in their tummies, they go to Ashton’s bathroom to brush their teeth. Then as they enter Ashton’s bedroom and Ashton takes her shirt off, Skylar’s body temperature rises by several degrees and her breath catches in her chest. She watches Ashton walk across the bedroom to toss her shirt in the hamper then pull her sports bra off and toss it in as well. Skylar holds her breath as Ashton’s hands unclasp her black leather belt and slide it out of the belt loops of her nice black slacks. She coils the belt and sets it on the dresser top, then bends down to take her shoes and socks off. After putting the shoes away, Ashton unbuttons her pants and Skylar’s heart starts racing. Ashton pushes the pants off of her hips and Skylar swallows a sudden rush of saliva with her eyes glued to Ashton’s round, muscular ass and thighs. As Ashton pushes her underwear off, Skylar’s eyes widen and her face blushes with heat as her clit begins to throb with desire. Ashton’s olive toned ass is perfect, flawless, beautiful, and Skylar can’t look away from it. Oblivious to Skylar’s watchful eyes and desire, Ashton grabs a fresh pair of underwear and pulls them on, soon followed by a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, covering the body Skylar wants so badly to touch.
“Do you want to change?” She walks over to Skylar rubbing her tired eyes. “I can give you a tee and shorts or pajama pants. They’ll be a little big on you because you’re smaller than me, but they’d probably be more comfortable than those jeans.”
Skylar swallows hard and clears her throat as she nods, saying, “Yes, please.”
She nods as she turns back to her dresser to get a tee shirt and shorts. As Ashton turns with the garments in her hands, Skylar begins to lift her slim-cut tee shirt off over her head, so Ashton quickly turns her back to give her privacy.
“Don’t look away.”
The breathiness in Skylar’s voice causes a twinge of arousal between her thighs. She slowly turns to face Skylar and quickly licks her lips as her admiration of Skylar steals the moisture from them. Skylar’s stomach is slim and flat with smooth light honey toned skin without a single blemish. Her bra is a beautiful cream-colored lace and thinly padded demi-cut. Her shoulders are delicate and feminine and are causing Ashton’s lips to tingle with a desire to kiss them.
Skylar reaches behind her back as she takes a step closer to Ashton. And when she’s only two feet away, she releases the clasp and pulls the bra off of her shoulders. Ashton’s tired eyes receive a jolt of alertness from the sight of Skylar’s milky smooth perky round breasts – breasts about the size of navel oranges with beautiful rosy taupe hardened nipples.
Ashton inhales deeply as she takes a step closer, causing a ripple of desire in both of them. Sh
e trails two fingertips up the front of Skylar’s throat to her chin, tilting her head up, and bends down to kiss her. Skylar releases a whimpering moan and melts into Ashton as Ashton slips her tongue forward, teasing her just briefly before retreating with a sucking nip of her bottom lip. Skylar grips the back of Ashton’s tee shirt as she pulls Ashton in flush against her and pushes forward, engaging Ashton in a passionate kiss. Ashton tosses the tee shirt and shorts onto the bed and palms her hands up Skylar’s bare back, causing her to release another moan into Ashton’s mouth.
Skylar runs her hands down Ashton’s back and over her ass, causing a strong throbbing contraction between her thighs and her to abs clench. Ashton pulls away with a gasp of pain and quickly grabs her stomach, taking a step back.
“Oh, my god, I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”
“God, no.” Ashton releases a small laugh of frustration. “I’m really tired of being broken.” She takes a steadying breath then steps forward and takes Skylar into her arms again. “You are exquisite. I would say I’m sorry for ruining the beautiful and wonderful moment we were having, but I know you would just tell me I apologize too much.”
“Yes,” she laughs a little, “I would tell you that. You shouldn’t apologize for your injuries. You have them from saving a kid’s life. Ash, I really want to be with you, but I can wait till you’re healed.” She gives her a kiss on the lips, then pulls away to grab the tee shirt. “I’m going to get dressed so we can sleep. You really need some rest.”
“Skylar.” Ashton catches her hand and gently pulls her back into her arms. She brushes her fingers through Skylar’s hair and traces her thumb around her ear to rest her hand on the side of her soft slender neck. “I…” Her voice catches as she stares into Skylar’s beautiful soft light brown eyes. “I don’t know how to express what it means to me that you’ve been here for me through my recovery and for being so understanding and supportive last night when we had to cut our date short. And I don’t think I thanked you last night for texting Gloria, but even if I did, thank you anyway. I know what I have with her can be weird or questionable, but…”