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Everyone glanced at each other.
“It was Harry,” Mum said quietly, gripping my hand tighter.
“That call was instrumental in helping the brigade find you,” Ryan said. “Found your phone in the mud a day later. Tried to charge it but it won’t turn on.”
My breath caught. “And Harry—?”
“He took his parents and Liam back home to Brisbane,” Tom answered.
“Oh.”
“When you were admitted to hospital, you were lucid. Knew your name, date of birth, address,” Mum said. “The nurses asked you if you wanted Harry in emergency with you. Took you a while to answer but you told them you didn’t have a boyfriend and only family were allowed to see you. Some of the nurses encouraged Harry to see you for a quick visit but he strongly insisted that he and they follow your instructions without any deviations.”
“Did you guys break up?” Amanda asked, wringing her hands.
I didn’t acknowledge her question. My mind was raging.
He’s gone.
But he didn’t remember you from med school.
Does that even matter?
Too late now.
One thought left me feeling hollow, like something had truly been gutted from inside me and ripped out.
He’d said he loved me, and now I would never see him again.
“Ryan and Harry had a fight at Amanda’s party,” Tom blurted.
“Tom! You were told not to say anything,” Mum hissed.
“A fight? What?” I spluttered.
“Everyone saw the fight. She deserves to know as well.” He rolled his eyes at Mum. “Ryan hit Harry, and Harry gave him the black eye. Harry was really fired up about something, but Ryan won’t say a word about happened. Thought it might have been about you or something.”
A single tear rolled down my cheek.
Amanda came forward. “Stacey, are you alright? Is there anything we can do?”
I swiped at the moisture on my cheek. I couldn’t look at her, or any of them.
“I’ll be fine,” I whispered.
My family filled the silence with chatter about the fire, the rescue and what others were saying but I didn’t listen.
I studied their faces as they spoke around me, over me. My family were so relieved I was alive. But relief was the other side of fear, and fear had left them exhausted and pale.
I can’t do this to them anymore.
I cleared my throat. “I’ll quit the brigade.”
Everyone started talking at once.
“But you were amazing, Stacey.”
“You saved someone!”
