AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t care. I don’t care about any of it. As long as you’re both okay,” he groaned out, looking over at Grayson.
I wrapped my hand over his cheek, skimming my thumb over his soot covered lips.
“Let me take care of you now. We’re safe. All of us. Let me look after you,” I offered.
He slumped to the floor, his head falling between his knees as if the adrenalin had drained from his body.
“Melissa, can you find someone to take a look at Ethan for me?”
“Of course.”
“Ivy, go talk to him. Tell him we’re here. Please,” Ethan begged, twitching his head towards Grayson, who was now laid on a stretcher.
Nodding, I moved toward him. “Can I stay with him?” I asked the paramedic.
“Are you family?”
“His wife. And that man there is his husband and I need you to make sure they’re both okay.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Am I okay to hold his hand?”
“Of course. Talk to him too. We’re just going to put him on the ambulance. Why don’t you and your husband join us? We can take a look at his hands while we’re on the move.”
“Thank you,” I replied, desperate to not leave either of them for a second. “Melissa, can you help Ethan into the ambulance?”
She guided him by his back, careful not to touch his hands or arm. As he slumped into the chair next to me, he let out an almighty moan.
“Go,” Melissa demanded. “I’ll stay here and make sure the fire is out and Tom and I will meet you at the hospital later. He will already have guards there for you, so you don’t need to worry about whether you’re all safe. I promise you are… Ivy?”
“Yes.”
“You need to take it easy. Drink water, eat something. I need you to promise me to stay strong.”
“Yes, Doc, I promise. Thank you. Both of you.”
Chapter 38
Ethan
Ididn’tthinktwiceabout running back into the house for Gray. I focused all my attention on pulling up the rubble to find him, imagining Ivy’s face if we lost him. I didn’t know how long I dug the wood and brick from his body. The heat built, flames burning my lungs, my skin shredding as I fought to find him.
It felt like forever.
When my hand finally reached the solid curve of his body, I almost cried. Then the pain, the blood, the burning. None of it mattered. I just needed to get him out of there. I scrabbled frantically through the rubble to uncover his face, but when I did, I couldn’t contain the feral sound that tore from my lips. Gray looked broken. Lifeless, drained of color, and I was sure that I’d ever get to see him smile again.
Digging harder, I wrapped my hands under him, trying to free him from the rubble, despite the fire and smoke stealing the oxygen from the air.
“Gray, I need you to hang on. Please, baby. Don’t give up on us. I need you to fight.” As I begged, I heard a groan, but it wasn’t from my husband. Instead, this sound came from the building. Pressing myself to Gray, I pulled my arm over our heads, protecting us from whatever was about to fall. The flames hit first and then a wooden beam fell, searing my flesh as I screamed out. It hurt so much that my vision clouded, and I thought I might pass out, but I knew I needed to move us both or we’d die right here.
Ignoring the pain and using the adrenalin pumping through my body, I lifted him, throwing him over my shoulder and barging through the rubble, hoping the flames didn’t engulf us. Relief hit me as I was met with a jet of freezing water and not burning heat.
I lay Grayson on the ground, trying to work out how injured he was. Or whether he was even breathing. Paramedics flocked to him as I staggered backward, forcing the cool air into my lungs, while I stared at our home. The home was now lost to the flames because of one woman’s hatred.
“Ethan, you have a pretty nasty third degree burn to your arm, which we are going to wrap for now and then we’ll stitch the cuts on your hands. I don’t know what course of action we need to take in the long run but for now, we’re going to keep you here and get the plastic surgeons and a specialist burns team to come and take a look.” I stared down at my charred skin, not caring about the damage in the slightest, as long as Ivy and Gray were safe.
“You also have burns to your nose and throat, which I’m a bit more worried about because your throat might swell as a result. If that happens, we'll have to help you breathe for a while by putting a tube down your throat. I don’t want to scare you, but I want you to be prepared. Let’s start you on some treatment and see how your body reacts. At the very least, you’re going to need to keep the oxygen mask on while your body heals, and the pain medication might make you feel a bit sluggish and sleepy.”
