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“Sure, I’m game. It’ll be the weirdest date I’ve ever had, and that’s saying something,” he joked.
“Thanks, Jake. You’re the best.”
I heard the station alarm ring. “Gotta go. Bye!”
Before I could respond, he had disconnected the line. “Good-bye,” I said to dead air. “Be safe.”
I knew as much as anyone how dangerous his job was. I’d been on shift when Jake got burned before. I’d heard firsthand from Bryce about how a joist had fallen and knocked him down and cut the hose to his air tank. I’d had nightmares for a week after I saw the wrecked helmet.
After Bryce and Krystal had gotten engaged last week, Krystal and I had talked a bit about what it would be like for her to be married to a firefighter. To me, being with Jake was a strange mix of pride and low-level anxiety that never really went away.
I loved that Jake was a firefighter. But I also worried about him.
I guess he and I had that in common.
True to his word, Jake picked me up for our emergency room visit the next day.
He parked the truck. “This feels weird. Usually, I’m driving the rig when I pull up here.”
“As long as you’re not the one laying in the back of it, it’s all good.”
He nodded. “You got that right. You know, when TJ brought you in after the accident, he said you asked for me.”
I whipped my head toward him. “Really? I never heard that.”
Jake’s smile was muted. “Yeah. He thought it was weird, so he wanted me to know. It was one of the reasons I was so determined to see you after the accident. The idea that you were waiting to see me helped me ignore all the questions and strange looks from your family.”
“And then I didn’t remember…” My heart broke for him. “I’m so sorry, Jake. I wish I had known. I could have really used you to lean on afterward.”
“It’s not your fault. Don’t apologize. I was just feeling sorry for myself a bit.”
I leaned forward to catch his eye. “You sure? I hate that I hurt you. Bryce said I was pretty upset when you showed up. I didn’t mean it.”
He grabbed my hand and kissed it. “I know. We’re okay. I promise.”
I smiled at him. I wasn’t sure what I’d done to deserve his faithfulness, but I wasn’t going to complain.
“Are you ready?” he said, glancing back toward the entrance to the hospital.
With a nod, I opened the door and stepped out. While I waited, he pulled a bag from the back seat of the truck.
“What’s that?”
“Just some supplies. Might be a long day. I love people watching as much as the next person, but I thought snacks and games might be helpful too.”
“You brought games to play while we sit in the ER?”
He shrugged. “Well, yeah. Figured it’s better than both of us sitting on our phone. Besides, we have to start the score over on our games of Egyptian War.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t played that since church camp in high school.”
He smiled. “That’s not exactly true. Whether it’s from the game or the hospital, we’ll see if you get any memories back.”
As we walked in, I reached for his hand. “So, what was the score anyway?”
He chuckled. “If you don’t remember, then we’ll just say I was ahead. Significantly.”
I narrowed my eyes, unsure if he was softening the blow of my losing record or pretending he had been winning when in fact I was the reigning champion.
