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Just then, Julie looked up at us, at Jeremy and me standing at the foot of the gurney. She gave us a small smile.
“I’m fine, boys,” she said in a small, rough voice that didn’t sound like her own. I could only imagine how raw and sore her throat would be after all the soot and smoke she took in before Rory saved her.
A nurse came in and bustled about. She checked Julie’s vitals and told us her oxygen saturation numbers were holding steady which was a good sign. A room would be ready for her in about a half hour. At that point they could get her settled and she could fill out the menu to get some supper. Eating, the nurse emphasized, was important for her.
“Anything I can go get you?” I offered. “That curry you like that burns the skin off your tongue?”
She shook her head.
“Pizza and a beer?” Jeremy suggested.
I didn’t miss the look that Julie and Kendall exchanged when he said that. Curious, I looked at Jeremy who didn’t seem to be in on whatever it was they seemed to know that we didn’t. Maybe the doctor had said no outside food was allowed or that alcohol was a bad idea after smoke inhalation—although it never stopped Rory from throwing back a few cold ones after a fire.
Just then, Rory came into the cubicle, still dressed in full gear.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking at Julie as though he didn’t even see the rest of us standing there.
“Yeah,” she said, “are you?”
“I am now,” Rory said and just went around to her bedside and took her hand the way Jeremy and I had forced ourselves to resist.
I hadn’t wanted to force the issue of telling Kendall when Julie had just been in a life-threatening fire. I’d thought it best to be discreet and suppress my near overwhelming desire to take her in my arms and swear I’d keep her safe. And here was Rory, the hero firefighter, brazening it out and taking her hand. Kendall looked from one to the other of them.
“Is everyone safe?” Julie asked.
“We got everybody out. Even the cats from the second floor,” he said with a smile. “The structure was a total loss though.”
“What started the fire?” I asked, suspicious.
“Arson,” Rory said, tipping his chin down. “And they already collared the perp. He couldn’t help himself. Stood around watching his handywork,” Rory said.
“Who was it?” I asked. “Did you get a name?”
Rory looked at Julie and her face went paler than I thought possible at the moment.
“Oh my God. Oh no. Eric?”
Rory nodded.
Blinding fury rolled through me. I was ready to punch a hole in the hospital wall since it was the closest substitute for Eric’s head. He nearly killed Julie. He wanted to kill her. My fists clenched at my sides and my head roared with rage. I tried not to growl but I’m not sure I suppressed it enough because Kendall shot me a look. Counting, taking slow breaths, I was able to calm myself a little, enough that I could hear them talking at least.
“You saw him arrested?” Jeremy asked.
“Yeah. I told the cops my suspicions as soon as I saw him. Before we had the blaze out, he had confessed. He told the cop that if he couldn’t have you, nobody could.”
“With a confession they’ll offer him a plea deal,” Jeremy said, whipping out his phone. “There’s no way I’m letting them offer him any breaks when that fucker knew exactly what he was doing every step of the way.”
Jeremy was messaging someone about the case, right there in the ER. I wasn’t surprised. I wanted to destroy the guy, tear him apart piece by piece. Jeremy wanted to use his incredible brain and his legal knowledge to keep that garbage locked up forever.
“He’s never going to be able to hurt anyone again,” Jeremy promised, putting his phone away with satisfaction.
Julie looked from one of us to the others, her big eyes brimming with tears. She slid her hand out of Rory’s and covered her face, the tears finally coming. I had enough of standing by and being discreet. I just shouldered my way through the crowd in the tiny cubicle and went to her, right where I belonged. I took her in my arms so carefully, and she buried her face in my chest, sobbing. Her fingers clenched in the front of my shirt, and I whispered into her hair, holding her close.
“All right,” Kendall said, which one of you assholes knocked up my best friend?”
29
JEREMY
Right after the fire, as soon as Julie was released from the hospital, we moved her back in with us. She chose a room on the main floor, the big back room that we just had full of sporting equipment and crap that was easily cleaned out. It had a bay window to the backyard and plenty of space. Even though any one of us would’ve been thrilled to let her bunk with us, we wanted her to have her own space so she knew this was her home.
