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Cora beckons to me to move closer, and when I do, she takes my hand. Then she tells us how she thought she was having a nightmare until she woke up and realized that the building was actually on fire.
“You must have been dead asleep,” Riley says. “The fire alarm woke everyone up, and they all got out of the building safely except you. Leo pleaded with the chief to let him go back for you.”
A stab of fear goes through me. What if she hadn’t woken up at all? She would have drifted off to unconsciousness and died. Her exhaustion is not surprising either. Expectant women get fatigued easily, after all, they are making a whole human being in their bodies. She had spent the day at work and then in the evening we had spent the evening with my parents. I should have stayed the night with her. If I had, I would have been one of the first people to respond to the fire alarm as I’m a light sleeper.
I feel as if I let her down by not being there when she needed me. Not protecting her like I should. I listen to her and Riley talk about the whole thing. I can’t bring myself to contribute, feeling like I have a cold block of ice surrounding my heart.
“They’re keeping me overnight just to be on the safe side; otherwise, everything’s okay.” She meets my gaze and pats her belly. “Including the baby. My body kept her safe.”
I blink rapidly like an idiot. I’d forgotten all about the baby. All this time, my worries and thoughts have been for Cora. Not that I forgot she was pregnant, but I haven’t given thought to the baby’s well-being. A fresh layer of guilt comes over me.
What kind of a dad am I going to be?
“That’s a relief.” I echo what I know Cora expects to hear.
“You should go home now and rest. I’m fine,” Cora tells Riley.
“Okay, but I know you’re getting rid of me so that you can be alone with Thomas,” Riley says with a laugh. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow. Let me know what time.”
Cora looks at her in confusion.
“You’re going to be staying with us. That building won’t be fit to live in anytime soon.”
Cora’s face falls. Clearly, she hadn’t considered that.
I clear my throat. “She’ll stay with me.” As long as Cora is the soon-to-be-mother of my baby, she’s my responsibility, and she should stay with me. That’s the only reason I’m offering and not because I want to have her near me.
Riley and I both look at Cora. She takes Riley’s hand. “Thanks for offering, sweetie, but I’ll take Thomas up on his offer.”
“As long as you’re sure, and you can always change your mind.”
Cora nods. “I know.”
They hug and kiss, and when we’re left alone in the room, I pull her back into my arms. She laughs.
“It has taken me almost burning to death for you to show some emotion.”
I’m too choked up to speak, and it takes a few seconds before I get my emotions under control.
“Hey,” Cora says, “don’t feel like you have to house me. I’d be okay at Riley’s or Adeline’s.”
“No way. I want you in my house where I can keep you safe,” I growl.
She’s silent for a moment. “Okay. How did you know? Did Riley call you?”
“No, Fran did. She was watching the news. Oh shit. She must be going nuts with worry.”
My phone has countless missed calls from her. I type out a quick message to let her know that Cora is well. Just as I finish typing, the door bursts open, and in rush Cora’s mom, Ian, and Adeline, clearly sick with worry just as I had been.
I stand to one side to give them space to see for themselves that Cora is okay, excusing myself to grab a cup of coffee. As I follow directions to the café on the third floor, all I feel is gratitude that Cora is all right.
I couldn’t bear another loss. In the café, I buy coffee from the machine and settle down in front of the TV to watch the news. There are two other people in the café, but none of them are watching the screen.
The news of the fire fills the screen. A fireman explains that the fire started in one of the top apartments. Looking at the soot-covered building, it hits me afresh that Cora and the other residents were lucky to get out alive. He goes on to say that it will be months or even longer before the building is fit to be inhabited again.
It saddens me to think of Cora’s employees who will be affected by the temporary loss of employment.
Then he grows solemn as he explains there have been serious injuries and two of the firemen are in critical condition. I’m not an emotional person but anything to do with our soldiers, policemen, and firemen tugs at my heart.
