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So simply stated for such a complex emotion.
"I love you, too," she whispered.
"I want to be enough for you," he said, rising and brushing a kiss against her lips. She felt the dampness on his cheeks against hers. The oxygen tubing up her nose came loose, but Jake caught it and fixed it, carefully smoothing her hair.
"I fell in love… just the way you are," she rasped.
"But I have changed. I think love does that."
Eva thought about Charlie and how much her life had changed over the course or the past month and a half. She was no longer a footloose and fancy-free gal. She had a kid brother, whom she loved, and her life would be different with Jake in it.
Love was hard... no one ever said it was easy. But it was so worth it.
"You're right," she whispered. "Love does that."
Jake kissed her once again.
JAKE TUGGEDCHARLIE off the elevator. The boy carried a bear dressed like a firefighter, and Jake carried a bouquet of flowers. They'd waited until lunch to visit, giving Eva time to get cleaned up and get some rest. They'd just gotten word that Jimbo's condition was grave but he was hanging in there.
"I don't wanna go in there," Charlie said, looking up at Jake. "This place is scary."
They passed an older man in the hall who was walking with the aid of a walker. He gave Charlie a trembling smile.
"It's where people get well, and hopefully your sister will be able to go home tomorrow."
Charlie blinked up at him with big brown eyes, his hair somewhat messy- Jake probably should have helped him comb it. He ran his fingers through the mop of hair, trying to make it lie down. Charlie jerked away and made an annoyed face.
Jake had tried to spend the night with Eva, but she insisted he go home and be with Charlie. They had continued to run chest X-rays and all sorts of diagnostic tests, so with her in and out and needing what little rest she'd likely get, he complied. He'd stayed at his parents' last night, needing to be around them, needing to be there for Charlie.
"Here's her room,"Jake said, knocking lightly on the door. Of course, since she was hoarse, there was no answer. He pushed the door open and stuck his head in. "Eva?"
She had been sleeping, her face toward the window leaking afternoon light into the room. She'd been moved to a proper room last night, thankfully skipping intensive care. She looked wan, but her face was clear of soot, and someone had braided her hair to the side.
"Charlie," she whispered, motioning her brother to her.
The boy grabbed Jake around the leg. "What's comin' out of her nose?"
Eva smiled and pointed. “Oxygen. I'll let you try it if you-want." Her voice was a raspy whisper but sounded better than it had last night.
"Gross," Charlie said, but he let go of Jake's leg and inched closer to his sister. "What's that?"
She pointed to the IV. ''This is an IV. It gives me medicine to help fight any infection. My lungs got a little burned, and sometimes nasty germs will attack them. This will stop those little buggers from making me sick."
"Oh," Charlie said, picking up the small elliptical pan on the bed tray. "What's this?"
"That's for when you need to throw up," Eva said, laughing when Charlie immediately dropped the pink pan.
"How are you feeling?" Jake asked, moving into the room, leaning down to drop a kiss on her forehead. She still smelled like the fire, but he didn’t give a damn. She was alive... and laughing at her little brother.
"I'm better. Still hurts to breathe, but they're giving me breathing treatments.”
"Uncle Jake said you can come home tomorrow. I gotta show you this picture I colored in art class. Oh, this is for you." He shoved the bear toward her and went to look at the blood pressure machine in the comer.
"Uncle Jake?" Eva asked, arching her brows.
"Yeah, he said one day he’d be my uncle so I could start calling him that," Charlie said.
"Reeeally?" Eva whispered, sneaking a look at Jake.
