Page 29 of Hearts & Embers

I nodded.

"Of course."

He glanced back at Jasper.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

After saying goodbye, he headed toward the door and a few seconds later it closed behind him, leaving Jasper and I alone for the first time since I'd arrived at the hospital.

The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable. It simply felt different now that there were no distractions and no practical updates requiring discussion. I moved closer, lowered myself carefully into the chair beside his bed and reached out to take his hand in mine.

For several moments neither of us spoke.

"I got a phone call from someone I'd never met telling me you were in surgery. You scared me," I confessed.

The words emerged quietly but carried more weight than I intended.

Jasper’s expression softened immediately.

"I'm sorry."

I looked toward the bandages covering his shoulder.

"When Cody said there'd been a collapse, my imagination filled in the gaps."

"Your imagination was probably worse than reality."

"I'm not convinced."

A tired smile appeared.

"Fair."

The room fell quiet again.

"I keep thinking about how easily this could have been different."

Jasper looked at me for several seconds before answering.

"It could have."

His honesty surprised me.

"There isn't really a version of this job where people pretend bad things can't happen. We train for it, we prepare for it, and we do everything possible to avoid it, but none of us walk into a fire believing we're invincible."

Hearing him say it aloud somehow made the reality more tangible.

"I don't think I understood that until today."

"I wish today hadn't been the lesson."

I nodded.

"So do I."

His gaze remained steady.

"The kid made it out."