“Leg.” I swallow hard. “Hips hurt. So cold.”
“You’re cold?” he asks. God, his voice is so calm.
“Yeah. T-shirt.” My voice sounds weird to my own ears.
“Fuck, we need blankets,” he calls out to someone.
I’m shaking again, and then I hear Brooks behind me. I didn’t hear him come up the stairs.
“For fuck’s sake, Wildfire.” He doesn’t sound mad. He sounds like he can’t believe what he’s seeing.
“I’m s-s-sorry. I just wanted to look, and?—”
“You can tell me later,” he says gently. “I have to walk carefully. It won’t do us any good if we both fall through. Are you okay? Talk to me, baby.”
“Please don’t fall.” I can’t see him. I want to see himso bad.“Brooks, don’t you dare fall. I will be so fucking mad if you hurt yourself. It’s not safe up here. Just pass me some blankets and come back for me when it’s light out tomorrow morning.”
Oh God, please don’t leave me here all night.
“You’re delirious,” he says. “If you think I’ll leave you here like this, you’re hurt worse than?—”
“Brooks.” My voice cracks. “Please hold me. Can’t you just hold me?”
“I’m coming. Talk to me, baby. How badly are you hurt?”
“So cold. I’m so c-cold.”
He shines his light over to me. “You’re only in a T-shirt? Shit, it must be under forty degrees in here.”
“So cold.” My voice is smaller. “Please get me.”
“Holy fucking shit.” That’s Beckett behind me, at the top of the attic stairs. “We shouldn’t all be walking on that. We’re too big, Brooks.”
“I’m taking it slow,” Brooks tells him.
“We’ll go get ladders,” Bridger says. “And see if we can pull her through from below.”
“My leg,” I call out. “I’m cut, and the wood is still inside me.”
“Baby,” Brooks says, his voice full of anguish.
“Ladders,” Bridger says again, and I hear them clomping back down the stairs.
“I’m going to be here a while,” I whisper.
“I’m with you.” His voice is getting closer, like he’s not up on his feet, but maybe …crawling?“I’m making my way over to you, Juliet.”
“I’m really tired,” I reply.
“Don’t you dare fall asleep.”
“We have blankets down here,” Blake calls up. “I’m bringing them up to you guys.”
“You have to be careful,” Brooks yells back, but someone’s already on the stairs. “Just throw it over.”
“Shit, that’s a long throw for a blanket,” Blake says grimly.
I can’t see anything, but they must make it work, because suddenly, Brooks says, “Okay, baby, I’m going to toss this your way. I’m not too far from you, but I can’t put it around you myself.”
