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A shudder ran through me at his words, once again reminding me of Thatcher’s.
I knew what I had to do.
As soon as he got here after his forty-eight, I’d tell him I was just as committed to him as he was to me, and that if he truly wanted to stay in, I’d go with him wherever the Marine Corps sent him.
A loud banging on the back door made us all jump, and Dad headed straight for the door, whipping it open. “What in the—”
Mrs. Reid came rushing in, her eyes wild and frantic. “Hattie, come with me.”
“What? Where?” I jumped off the couch, my mother doing the same and grabbing my hand in a show of support.
“Thatcher’s been hurt. He’s in the hospital. I’m headed there now, but we have to hurry. I don’t know how bad it is.”
13
THATCHER
My head pounding, I opened one eye, confirming my suspicions.
Yep, that incessant beeping meant I was in the hospital.
Slowly, I opened the other eye, blinking rapidly. What happened? How did I get here?
The last thing I remembered was the alarms going off at the station.
Wait, no, there was more. The drill. All at once, memories from the fire rolled through me. From the foam cascading from the high-pressure hoses to the rescue man climbing up the side of the aircraft before crashing down on top of me.
That was where it all stopped.
I licked my lips, wincing as the movement in my jaw made a sharp pain shoot up my neck and straight out of my skull.
Concussion, maybe?
I must have hit the ground hard, and my helmet clearly hadn’t done much. Okay, maybe it had done a little, but I had a feeling I should get used to this headache. It might be around for a minute.
A feminine gasp burst through my musings and I blinked, my head pounding as I tried to remember how to turn it. Everything was so foggy and … ah.
There she is.
“Thatcher,” Hattie breathed my name like she’d never been more relieved. “Oh, thank you, thank you, hi.”
I grimaced as she sat on the bed, then stupidly shook my aching head when she stood up again with her palms out like she was afraid she’d hurt me.
I reached out a shaky hand, the movement taking way more concentration than it should have. “No, come here.”
Hattie returned to my side, gingerly lowering herself to the edge of the hospital bed. Her expression was still relieved, but worry dulled the usual sparkle in her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
The tears I heard in her voice made my throat clog up, and I cleared it, causing more throbbing in my head. “Me too.”
“The doctors say you have a concussion.”
“Feels like it,” I rasped.
“Do you need anything? Do you want me to get a doctor? Or your mom? She’s right down the hall, I can go get her—”
I snaked out a hand and caught her wrist as she started to get up, causing her to drop back onto the bed as another spike of pain sliced through me. “I needyou.”
Hattie’s soft lips curled up into a smile, and she leaned forward, giving me the tenderest kiss I could imagine. A tear slipped down her cheek when she pulled back, and I brushed it away with my thumb, cupping her face.
